daily nebraskan
page 9
tuesday, October 16, 1979
Spoedly trip . . .
Contined from Page 8
Inside his plush patrol car, I squeezed in between all
the state-patrol junk he has in the front seat. From the
back seat speaker, an easy-listening radio station played to
calm open hostilities toward the Nebraskan State Patrol.
, The officer told me that my mom's car is bad luck and
I told him any car is bad luck for me. He then got a great
idea.
HE RADIOED IN for my driving record and a few
minutes later we listen to someone somewhere expound
on my offenses.
After a couple of minutes, I told him that he could tell
the guy to stop-so what? I'm a chronic speeder. I have a
lead foot, no patience for driving. No big deal.
Omaha ballet young but eager
Not in Nebraska. The officer told me about this rule.
He said that drivers racking up more than 12 points in one
year in traffic offenses lose their licenses. I narrowly
missed. In a year's time I had racked up quite a few points
but not 12. Whew.
But he wasn't sure. So he decided to check his handy
statute book in the back seat. No, it said 12 points in two
years and I already have 9 points for two years.
"If you are convicted on this count you will lose your
license, Cynthia," the officer said, lacking any compassion
for such a moment.
"Oh well, so what?' I kidded myself. I don't even have
a car. Why have a driver's license?
He handed me the ticket to sign and bid me farewell.
"Let's stop meeting like this, Cynthia," he said in his
State Patrolman's authoritative voice.
By Penelope Smith
A regional ballet company is an
extremely difficult thing to critique. Like
many regional companies, the Omaha
Ballet has young dancers who are still
learning their art. As such, it is not fair or
proper to compare them to large, establish
ed companies.
Omaha Ballet's performances can be a
(0M l?GUC3l"J
mutually enjoyable learning experience
between dancers and audience. What they
lack in professionalism is often compen-"
sated for by their enthusiasm and exuber
ance. The, Omaha Ballet opened its 1979-80
season with a three act ballet, "Orpheus,"
choreographed by the company's director,
Thomas Enckell. The ballet follows the
Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a
tale of love, loss and reunion -in death.
Unfortunately for Enckell and his prom
ising young dancers, the ballet illustrates a
company out of its depth. The myth of
Orpheus requires a sustained eloquence of
passionate longing and an intensity of
presence to which few older and more ex
perienced companies can do justice. It is
emotion that is central to the story and,
like so many other productions, it fails be
cause dancing is not enough.
Without acting, dancing in a dramatic
ballet becomes empty movement. In
Orpheus" the port de bras become not elo
quent gestures of wordless thought, but
mere movement without the color of
emotion. The demons in the underworld in
the absence of an underlying driving frenzy
became a hodgepodge of waving hands and
feet.
Enckell's greatest choreographic prob
lem seems to have been how to deal with
his small stage space. As choreographer and
director, he must deal with his stage with
the unity of his creation and the finished
picture he presents to the audience. The
stage of the Orpheum is a "music box"
stage, a stage in miniature. Enckell could
have helped his production by cutting the
number of dancers on stage at any one
time.
Ideally, any of his productions should
give as many of the company's dancers a
chance to perform as possible, but when
this creates a confusing mass of ten or
twelve dancers on stage at once, perform- 1
ance time should be sacrificed for quality.
In "Orpheus" the stage looked crowded
and the dancers crampedrThey could not
expand and there was a psychological re
luctance on the part of the audience to be
drawn in.
The costumes and set could have been
more effective. The costuming was done in
blue, pink and green. The Muses wore little
tunics and the Villagers longer ones. A uni
formity of color and length could have
created a clearer and less fragmented visual
harmony. Also, a more floating line would
have expanded and softened the surround
ing space. Some of-the costumes seemed
inappropriate. ,
The Ghosts of the underworld in their
. mummy wraps and body suits evoked none
of the bloody pathos of Greek tragedy nor
did they enhance the grace of the'dancers.
The costuming of the Thracian women
should have been given a bit more thought.
. These women were god-possessed ecsta
tic dancers who ran wild through the
mountains and'ripped Orpheus apart with
their bare hands. Traditionally, they wore
animal pelts and vegetation. They should
"not have been wearing red vamp costumes;
with a hint of the gypsy. ; '
The lighting started out with promising
Maxfield Parrish silhouettes and degenerat
ed as the columns became neon green, red,
orange and blue. Rather than a hellish
light, the stage had a Christmas tree glow.
Sometimes the columns showed so intense
ly that the dancers were barely visible in
...the alternate darkness. The situation was
not aided by the black box platform props;
they blocked the light and seemed to
crowd the dancers off an already crowded
stage.
"Orpheus" needs more craftsmanship
and, most of all, more care. The Omaha
Ballet is a young company without the
necessary experience needed to perform a
dramatic ballet.
douglQS 3
: 13th P 47b???? ;
5:30-7:30-9:30
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W IH t ACi in tu krr I
"GOOD, DIRTY AND HARD
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Natural Food Restaurant
235 N. 11th
Phone 475-3355
Every Mon. & Tuee. 5-9 pm
. HALF PRICE ON
ENTIRE MENU
(except beverages)
TO ALL STUDENTS
OFF ALL SERVICES WITH THIS AD
Expires Oct. 20th
Complete Hairstyling
For Men & Women
Open Thursdays
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475-6362
Appointments Available
'mom
SUITE201 THE CENTRUM 11110STREET
17ATCM FOES THE
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RECRUITER VISITING
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Contact your placement office
for interview dates.
HUGHES
L- .j ;-
Creating a new world with electronics
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER MF
BEAHK
GUM
If you want to improve your reading speed
and comprehension, take the noncredit read
ing acceleration course offered through the UNL
Division of Continuing Studies.
The course is designed for average or above
average students who want to learn to read -faster
and with more comprehension, and at
the same time expand their vocabularies and
improve their study skills.
This will be the last opportunity to take the
course with instructor Kay Felton.
The course consists of two hours of class and
two hours of lab work per week for seven
weeks.
Class Times: -Tuesdays
and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. -October
23rd - December 6th
Labs meet at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Be sure to attend the first class meetingl
Class Location: 208 Richards Hall
Fee: $40
Text: College Reading Skills, available , at the
Nebraska Book Store. Bring text to first class
meeting. (Craig workbook available for purchase
in the classroom.)
Register at: Division of Continuing Studies
511 Nebraska Hall
v
For further information, call Kay Felton at The
Loom 489-1453 or at home 489-7517.