Wednesday, novcrr.bcr 10, 1973
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Review by Csrla Ensstrom .
The Stars of American Ballet touched
on a hidden nerve that answers to the
vibrations of beauty.
The dancers movements were fragile and
powerful, expressing a story without
words, in their perfomance Sunday night at
Kimball Recital Hall.
The program consisted of six short
ballet numbers with solo and group dances
performed to pre-recorded music
The modern ballet, After Eden, was by '"
far the most challenging and spectacular.
It began with the lights down and a spot
light that silhouetted dancers Larry Rhodes
and Hilda Morales.
The Stars of American Ballet dance on
a bare stage without sets. . ,
Adam and Eve story
The ballet retells the Adam and Eve
. story but carries the theme of people alone
in the world and the struggles between man
and women.
The realization of being alone is
illustrated in graceful movements that
transmit a feeling of agony.
The first ballet, Vahe-Fantame, was
a divertissement, which is a short ballet
without a plot. The music was light-hearted
and the lead couple (John Sowinski and
Betty Chamberland) danced in a carefree
manner.
Morales has a beautiful expansion of
arms and legs, and she dances. in a flowing
manner.
The Stars of American Ballet performed
Sunday in Kimball Recital IlaH before a
sellout crowd. Foreground: FhyCis Papa
and John Sowinski perform a duet from
Flower Festival, while Hilda Morales and
. Larry Rhodes perform Tchaikovsky Pas
de Deux at bottom riht.
Photo by Scon Svoboda
Rhodes' dancing clarifies the theme and
mood of the music well; his leaps were
tremendous.
Yet, the whole divertissement was badly
choreographed. Even though it didn't have
a plot, it should have appeared planned.
Sowinski's performance was acceptable,
but not spectacular.
The second ballet, Don Quixote Pas
de Deux, is a dance for two persons.
Morales and Kirk Peterson were featured in i
Spanish costumes.
Morales shaky'
They danced "well together, but
Morales's pirouettes (a complete turn of
the body resting on one foot) were shaky
at first. She trembled on her turns, but by
the end of the ballet she had control of her
movements.
. Peterson was fantastically powerful and
leaped tremendously. His body left the
stage and seemed like a bird in flight.
It was absorbing and entertaining.
Fbwer Festival was a ballet in one act
and is an example which set the standard
for classical ballet.
Sowinskfs fouettes turns executed
with a whipping movement of the free leg)
were performed well. But his body appear
ed heavy in his leaps. He was better in his
second performance.
Phyllis Papa was simply beautiful; she
did peasant-like steps that carried the
ballet.
Swan Lake Pas de Trois, a ballet for
three dancers, was well planned." Meg
Gordon, Peterson and Chamberland
danced well together. The last ballet,
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, was performed
by Rhodes and Morales, who also work
well together."
Chopin's lotes? gives new mooning to mundane
By Douglas Weil
Harry ChzplmOn the Road to Kingdom Come Eiektra
7E-1C82.
The Smoke-Witch says-Wahoo!
And the wise man says-Me too! .
And the Guru says-Wazoo!
So do what you do."
Mother Goose? Walt Disney? Dr. Seuss? Would you
believe Harry Chapin?
Sadly, it's true. Chapin has been a personal favorite
siace bis first two albums, Heads end Tails and Sniper
And Other Love Songs.
For these two albums Chapin wrote personal, emotion
al and haunting lyrics. The music was arranged to create
images and evoke feelirgs from the listener. Chapin's
r&al talent was that he could make a song an intimate
experience. Flanked by Smoke-Witches and Gurus, Cha
pin's only talent exhibited on his sixth album, On the
Road To Kingdom Come, is giving new meaning to the
word mundane. - '
Watching Chapin's career take this meaningless direc
tion is a shock similar to finding out that your girlfriend's
father is having an affair with your mother and that you
are actually the illegitimate son of that affair.
If you think this is a strange comparison, wait until
you hear the song The Mayor of Candor Lied," Chzpin
wrote this song about just that situation.
It's quite possible that three or four years ago Chapin
could have made this into a believable song. If you're
able to listen to this song without getting sick, or at
least disgusted, it might be a good time to check in with a
psychiatrist. -
One of the big faults on the album other than un
believably weak material "is that Chapin's voice is lost in
an amorphous mass of overproduction.
Chapin's voice is In not stretch of the imagination a
pretty voice. It's a weak voice, a bit gravelly and crude.
Still its a voice that possesses a great deal of character.
Production on the last three Chapin albums has managed
. to strangle every bit of that character.
On the Road To Kingdom Come also suffers from a
serious lack of self-restraint, there are some bearable songs
on the album-lf My Msry Were Here" anx" "Fall In Love
With HinT-but even they are casualities in the album's
quest for unrestrained verbosity.
Since the release of these first two albums Chspin and
' HMffCUIS
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Sheldon Art Gallery,
12th & 3 Su. -
themantt:o i-
LEFTIIISWILL
ON FILM - !
! I,
"Eerie, politically challenging film (by one of
Japan's raost interesting, young directors) about
a young leftist haunted by an apparently nsan
isgkss piece of film."
W ednesday through Saturday
November 10, 11, 12 & 13
Scrreningt 7 & 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday matinmt at 3 p.m.
his music have become isolated from each other.
As a result, On the Road to Kingdom Come is a futile
effort by Chapin to preserve his image as a storyteller by
performing this collection of creatively, emotionally
sterile music:
fresh tracks
)
Apparently Chapin understands that his career in music
may be drawing to a close as he tells us in On the Road
To Kingdom Come":
WeU it started out exciting
But it ended up ho hum ...
And my brain is stSla virgin
Tkot!gh the rest of me 's well done "
tCllJ
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AUTY FuiCs VALUz
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