Ballet isn’t often served with champagne truffles, but Los Angeles-based American Contemporary Ballet invited audiences to enjoy confections, both literal and figurative, during weekend performances of “Waltz- Fantaisie” by George Balanchine and cinematographic choreography by Fred Astaire.
Part of the Friday-Sunday “Music + Dance: LA” program at the downtown Farmers & Merchants Bank building, “Valse-Fantaisie” was a perfect fit for the company, now in its fourth season under the art direction of Lincoln Jones and associate director Theresa Farrell. The piece had a playful personality, wrapped in incessant hops and stung arabesques.
On Friday night, six dancers pushed the steps, kicking up something thicker than pixie dust.
For anyone seated at stage level, feet from the leaping ballerinas, there was no illusion of ethereal lightness here. It was unfiltered ballet—the back shimmered, the toes clicked, the ribcages rippled with each breath. The proximity revealed the physical effort required of the art.
ACB picked up a more languid pace in the second half with “Astaire Dances II – Fred and Ginger,” live recreations of Astaire’s on-screen choreography. It was a follow-up to the company’s first presentation of Astaire’s work last year.
———-
For registration
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the American Contemporary Ballet performed Fred Astaire’s choreography for the first time this spring. Additionally, a photo caption misidentified Cleo Magill as Emily Parker.
———-
The duets started out primitive, but Zsolt Banki as Astaire espoused a consistent charisma as he teamed up with his various Gingers, each a different member of society, with debonair expressiveness and gentle assurance. Jones left out Astaire’s most famous dance partner last year, but in this sequel he re-enacted key works from Astaire’s career with Ginger Rogers. Classic dances such as “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” from “Roberta” and “Never Gonna Dance” from “Swing Time” have lost some shine in translating from screen to stage, but others have shines.
“Cheek to Cheek” from “Top Hat” exuded the most charm. Banki, with Cleo Magill as Rogers, sang effortlessly into each other’s arms as he spun her around in a frothy, effervescent whirlwind. Jones pulled off more Astaire hat-tricks with the famous roller-skating scene from “Shall We Dance.” The audience gasped in astonishment as Kaila Feldpausch spilled off stage and nearly entered the downtown streets through the merchant’s double doors.
This touch of novelty did not linger long. The buzz died down when dramatized scenes intended to serve as transitions between dance numbers fizzled out. What could have been smart jokes between actors Rob Norton and Callie Schuttera, replacements for Fred and Ginger, didn’t land as smart as they should. The acoustics of the place didn’t help. Although the couple’s endearing but dated repartee invites laughter, the dialogue was swallowed up by the dealer’s high, echoing ceiling.
However, the hazy soundscape did not drown out the piano and string ensemble, made up of top-notch chamber musicians. Whether playing Gershwin for “Astaire Dances II” or Glinka for Balanchine, the music soared.
In the end, American Contemporary Ballet’s “Music + Dance: LA” was like a glass of champagne — short, sweet, and bubbly.
calendar@latimes.com
