To Life, To Love, To Dance: A Spring Celebration

Kate Badgett and Michael Rodriguez delight. Photo courtesy Robert Ivey Ballet

The second post of today - and one I shared on my personal blog, LauraCatherine.co.  I'm sharing with you here as well and hope you enjoy the short break from marketing posts for something that will delight your soul.

The tiniest of sounds – a satin covered pointe shoe ever-so-softly tapping the floor with every Bourré she made – took me back to the time when I was a ballet dancer. I wasn’t expecting it, but I welcomed it. I was taken back to a time when I had dreams of becoming a ballerina and spent much of my high school years dancing ballet, even beginning my college career as a dance major.

Last night my family and I watched the Robert Ivey Ballet performance “To Life, To Love, To Dance – A Spring Celebration” at the Burke High School Auditorium in downtown Charleston. It was a truly delightful show that I hope to share with you. In full disclosure, I was gifted the tickets from the dance company and agreed to share my experience with you on this blog. If you live in the area, I encourage you to treat yourself to their encore performance this afternoon at 4 pm. Details here.

Their spring celebration of a performance was one that included a variety of styles of dance – from traditional ballet to modern to what I’m calling folk. Take a break from your day and follow me on this journey. I’ve included video and photos to awaken your senses, and hope you enjoy!

The Opening Act: “Toys”
A gold-covered box sat in the middle of the stage with dancers surrounding it for the opening performance, called “Toys.” For some reason, I wasn’t expecting the tiniest of dancers to emerge from the toy box. Watching her pirouette on top of the box reminded me of a different box - the jewelry boxes that little girls cherish with the spinning ballerina. She was a living doll. This sweet little dancer (Satya Tranfield), no more than 7 years old, delivered a brilliant dance - both technically and in the way she captivated the audience. Her long little legs and arms made it look easy, but I knew the precision and practice that were put into every step. Every relevé and pirouette made the audience melt.


I’m sharing a short video snippet below of one of her later performances of the evening, called “The Doll.”


(Youtube performance link for those reading by email here).

A Modern Performance, “Sail”
I turned to my mom after a modern performance called “Sail” (short snippet below) featuring the Robert Ivey Junior Company to ask her what she thought. She knew I struggled with “getting” modern during my freshmen year at Columbia College. I liked the discipline and beautiful restraint I sometimes felt when dancing ballet. Modern felt too much like “anything goes” to this 18 year old. Years later, not only do I “get” modern dance, but I love it. I like that it pushes the boundaries a little. I like the edgy music, a far cry from the soundtracks behind most traditional ballet performances. Maybe it’s the rebel in me, after all these years. Or the creative soul. My mom said she liked it too, but couldn’t get over dancers rolling on the ground. That’s what makes it fun!

(Youtube performance link for those reading by email here).

Ballet – A Classic
Speaking of beautifully traditional ballet, there was some of that, too. Just when my mind was thinking about how much I loved modern and that maybe it wasn’t too late for me to take an adult class, I was pulled into a pas de deux danced by Katie Badgett and Michael Rodriguez (snippet below). Katie and Michael were both stunning. I especially liked that they both took the stage individually to put on their own performances within the pas de deux. I expected that for Michael (and was impressed), but Katie took me by surprise when she covered the stage by herself for spans of time. Her grand battements surprised me. Together and individually, they were wonderful.


(Youtube performance link for those reading by email here)

First of Autumn
Later, the stage was covered in deep hues of red (worn by the dancers). Not a detail left untouched, the warm yellow leaves on the tops of their buns caught my eye as they moved about the stage. “Was that jazz or modern?” my mom asked me. I’m not sure, but it was yet another performance that I enjoyed. The soundtrack to this dance in particular was especially entrancing.

Photo courtesy Robert Ivey Ballet

The Second Half
After a short intermission, the second half of the show began. This part felt more like a cohesive performance instead of individual dances. The stage, with a white picket fence and tulips, was the same throughout (unless my memory has failed me). The Junior and Children’s Company put on this half of the show, and did a great job keeping the audience’s attention. The costumes were well done, the dancers were animated.

There was another modern/jazz performance sprinkled in, called “Friends” that was a nice change of pace leading into another beautiful pas de deux. Then, the finale. It was impressive to see the stage filled with so many enthusiastic dancers in their grand attire, proud of the show they’d given us.

Today's Performance
If you’ll be in Charleston today, they’ll be performing at 4 pm. Visit http://www.robertiveyballet.net/ for details. Tickets available at the door - $15 adults, $10 senior/student rate. The Burke Auditorium is very close to the Citadel, but is located at Burke High School in the downtown Charleston area at 244 President Street. Allow yourself a few extra minutes to make your way around the school.

"Like" Robert Ivey Ballet on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter (@RobIveyBallet).

I hope you enjoyed this (my first official) dance performance review! It was fun to stretch my writing muscles with something new.

 Photo courtesy Robert Ivey Ballet

Laura is a marketing professional and blogger who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn.