The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 17, 1980, Page Page 8, Image 8
Ohio Ballet
in Town
By Mark Chevalier
Gamecock Staff Writer
After a rather meager beginning
with Atlanta Contemporary
Dance, to a lofty performance by
the Eliot Feld Ballet, now coupled
with Thursday's fully competent
Ohio Ballet, good professional
dance seems to be approaching a
joyous regularity within our
community. And who could
complain? For those of us who
know, there is nothing like an
evening of top-notch dance.
TUF OHIO RAl l FIT pprtainlv
John PameU - GAMECOCK
Mid nigh
By Willie T. Smith III 1
Gamecock Staff Writer '
t
Thursday night began slowly at (
the Russell House Ballroom, but (
after Midnight Blue finished the \
place was rocking. ]
l
MIDNIGHT BLUE, brought to j
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Thursday night's concert,
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added to this short-lived tradition,
for such a young company, they
are moving up fast. With a homebase
close to obscurity, the Ohio
Ballet has evolved out of the
University of Akron, under the
direction of German born
choreographer Heinz Poll.
Beginning as a dancer himself,
Poll worked with the Goettigen,
Stadttheatre and the Berlin State
Opera Ballet, and later expanded
his repertoire to choreography and
instruction with the National
Ballet of Chile. It was in 1964 that
Poll came to the United States on
tour with the Chile Ballet, and it
was four years later, in 68, that
Poll accepted an offer to form the
Dance Institute at the University
of Akron.
At the institute, Poll created a
small workshop group called the
Chamber Ballet, the fore-runner of
the current Ohio Ballet, which
became an independent,
professional company in 1974.
Since that time, the critical acclaim
has continually increased,
both for the company and Poll's
abilities as director and
choreographer.
I he opening dance in Thursday
light's performance at the
Township, "Primavera", instantly
confirmed the talent and stamina
)f the dancers and Poll's unique
choreographic style. Set to the
xiusic of Arcangelo Corelli's
'Sonata, Opus 5, No. 12", the piece
had a wonderful Renaissance air of
gayi'ty and celebration. Swirling
dancers f in brilliantly colored
period cosiumes oy a. unrisuna
Giannini, accented Poll's
classically-inspired symmetry in
odd marriage with modern gesture
t Blue e
ocaisTx mernuer uana mai is
>eginning to make some noise on
he national music scene. The
>rganization of the group was
carefully planned and researched
jy the band's manager, Daniel
Eiodge. "I looked around for a long
Lime looking for just the right
[>eople to make a band," Hodge
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Dave Keller - GAMECOCK
plays one of his many solos In
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paa; hpiaht?
rmance
and appeal.
CONTRASTING WITH Till
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"Primavera", "Ode" displayet
Poll's love for tradition and hear
felt romanticism in the nevei
ending saga of boy meets girl. Th<
mnst rprentlv romnospid work o
? J 1 the
evening (it premiered just las
month at the E.J. Thomas Per
forming Arts Hall in Akron)
"Ode" tended to be uneventful
with exception of the Seconc
Movement, and the death of tin
girls resistance to her mate'!
wooine
* ci "Adagio
For Two Dancers" wai
the last dance of the evening
choreographed by Poll, and als<
his most modern work. Witl
strongly contrasted lighting am
color, and the interlocking of'th<
dancers in a kind of restrictet
space, the work conjured images
yet lacked the edge, of the Felt
Ballet a few months ago.
CLOSING THE EVENING was ;
work by Paul Taylor entitle(
"Aureole". A wonderfully liveh
work in five parts, the piece wa:
accented by the costumes o
George Tacet and the brillian
lighting of Thomas R. Sketon. Se
to the music of Handel, the dancer*
were combined in a variety o
groupings, the weakest bein^
Andrew Carroll's solo in th<
Second Movement. Overall, then
was a stunning effect of circulai
movement, created by the full
stretched swinging arms and th<
curled uplifted feet of the dancers.
The Ohio Ballet, brought t
Columbia by thfe USC Cultura
Series, is not the kind of compan;
-m * m
lectrijies
thought I'd never find the people I
wanted, but I did."
If Thursday night is any indication
of Midnight Blue's
potential, the wait was well worth
it. The group started their first set
with the popular disco song of
Narrada Michael Walden, "I'm
Alright." The song featured
saxophone player and lead vocalist
Eddie Jackson. Jackson proved tc
have a very strong voice which
was reminicent of LTD. Although
the song sounded almost exactly
like the original, it got only a small
response from the crowd.
THINGS REMAINED the same
with the rather small crowd until
the fourth song of the night, "The
Beat Goes On" by The Whispers.
Behind the urging of the band anc
the singing of Jackson and Debra
Bailey, the only female member oi
the group, the crowd couldn't sta>
seated any longer. The crowd's
participation seemed to pick up the
spirits of Midnight Blue as the>
seemed to nut a little mnrr pn
thusiasm into their program.
The group showed they coulc
also sing ballads by slowing the
mood with the Kool and the Gan?
hit "Too Hot." Jackson agair
showed his class by entrancing the
female members of the audience.
BY THE ENI) of this song th<
crowd was much bigger and read:
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them down as they sang a medley
started off by Chic's "Goo<
Times." The band immediately
broke into "Rappers Delight."
The crowd really enjoyed th<
group's rendition for almos
everyone in the house was dancing
Midnight Blue showed theii
diversity in the second set as thej
started with disco, and progressec
, to rock-n-roll, played a bead
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r Members of the Ohio Balletreh
. performance was sponsored by
e mittee.
o that one thinks of in terms of c
il superlatives, at least not yet. But f<
y they are certainly a talented young a
laid back
medley, and ended with several ]
current disco hits. ]
AFTER STARTING with
Narrada Michael Walden's "I 1
Should've Loved Ya," and con- '
tinuing with "Let It Happen
Naturally," the group was ready to 1
show that they weren't just a disco
band, by playing the old Mother's
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I Lead voca/ist Eddie Jackson b
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John PameN - GAMECOCK
stirse atthe Township. The
the Cultural Series Comompany
that will no doubt be the
xnis of continued attention, and I
m sure, eventual praise.
1 '
crowa
Finest hit, "Truth'll Set You
Free."
Midnight Blue continued their
versatile show to the surprise of
much of the audience by playing a
t>each medley. Such Tarn favorites
as "What Kind of Fool", "I've
Dnnn u..?< " ? T :~
Ltttu iiui i, ana i uu tire 1 u
$00 Midnight 0*90 10
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efts out a number In Ballroom
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