BalletX shines in its sleek winter season run with two world premieres
The company, known for commissioning new works, is performing two world premieres at the Wilma Theater — and a revival of one of its first pieces.
In 2006, BalletX had been around for about a year. Artistic director Christine Cox was still dancing with her company and had hired Jorma Elo to try his hand at choreography with Scenes View 2.
On March 1, BalletX, now known for commissioning new works, opened its winter season at the Wilma Theater with two world premieres — and the revival of Scenes View 2.
Elo is now the resident choreographer at Boston Ballet and has created works for American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, and more. He hadn’t seen Scenes View 2 since it premiered, and this time it would feature a new generation of dancers.
“No, I’m not dancing,” Cox joked in a speech before the show.
But the stylish black-and-gray piece danced against a black backdrop recalls those early days. Set to music by Bach, including Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 in D Minor, it has many of the patterns and arm movements I remembered from those early, earnest days. The company has come a long way since then, and the piece looked more polished. The stretches, whispered stage directions, and marking of steps (from when the piece premiered) have been replaced by fouettés and hip-hop moves that made the cast look sleek and cool.
» READ MORE: BalletX fall series shines in three highly athletic, emotional premieres
Amy Seiwert’s first piece for BalletX, A Long Night — a world premiere — is delightful. Seiwert, the former artistic director of the Sacramento Ballet, said in a short film shown before her piece that Cox had asked her for something humorous to lighten the mood after COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted.
Seiwert, who usually focuses on abstract pieces, decided to use all songs with the word dream in them — from Patsy Cline and Doris Day, to Harry Nilsson and others. From there, she made an easy leap to Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A Long Night, Seiwert’s take on Puck and the lovers, is bubbly and light. One of the newer dancers, Eli Alford, showed off his acting as well as dancing chops as a gold-coated Puck, bringing couples together with bits of floral magic. The couples were also delightful, Francesca Forcella and (another newer dancer) Jerard Palazo; and Skyler Lubin and the incredible Shawn Cusseaux. Both women were on pointe in both senses of the word and had great storytelling skills.
The other world premiere was Seeds, by Gary W. Jeter II, who has long been on the Philadelphia dance scene but is newer to choreography. Jeter, a former Philadanco dancer, performed with BalletX about a decade ago. He is the company’s 2023 choreographic fellow and was mentored for this work by Darrell Grand Moultrie.
Set to an array of music, including some Jeter composed, Seeds is a soothing piece danced, appropriately, in earth tones. The 10 dancers move up from the ground in different directions, exploring their world and each other. But in the end, they come together and move as one.
BalletX looks polished and sleek in the intimate Wilma Theater. Its next stop, in May, is at the larger Mann Center, where some of their work looked too small last year. But they also seem to be outgrowing the Wilma, or perhaps they need a longer run. This season is sold out.
BalletX winter series runs through Sunday. Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., Phila., 215-225-5389 x250. balletx.org. All performances sold out; call to be put on the waiting list.