unidentified dancers at the start of the competition © Ricard Finkelstein Ballet.co Jackson page more Renee Renouf reviews

This piece was performed after the dancers had borne the flags of the competitors’ nations across the stage and both International Dance School faculty and the International Jury had crossed the stage on the diagonal, clearly revealing their personal stage and deportment.

The program was constructed to display the winners by junior and senior categories and by level of prize winning, with two exceptions in the senior division. In two or three instances, there were notable flubs, a close call in partnering and what might have been a twisted ankle. The energy level in several instances had dropped palpably from the Competition, so what we saw was not entirely as thrilling as in the Rounds. But there were notable exceptions.

Keigo Fukuda and Sang Yi Han, both junior bronze winners from Japan and South Korea, respectively, gave us their finely tuned Paquita variations.

They were followed by Danny Tidwell, the junior men’s silver recipient, with Ashley Canterna in the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. Tidwell outdid himself with multiple pirouettes in his variation, an efficient corkscrew releasing champagne effervescence. Tall enough to remark about, his ability with unforced turning is therefore more special, and the sense of a clear center marvelous.

Canterna not only reinforced her reputation for skillful turning, she was relaxed, not pushing as during the actual competition. She also entered with softer port de bras, even a slight vibrato to echo the music, perhaps adapted from the examples she had seen during the competition.

In this and their repetition of the Pas de Quatre in the second half of the program I found myself thinking Adrienne Canterna already has within her circle of friends a quartet of skillful, remarkably seasoned performers in a variety of styles to people her desire of having her own company. It would not surprise me to read within the next three to four years that the two Canterna sisters are appearing on programs with Danny Tidwell and Rasta Thomas. The initials CT would make for a good signature.

Sarah Kathryn Lane
Photograph by Ricard Finkelstein ©

Sarah Kathryn Lane, junior women’s silver, appeared first in Jamey Leverett’s Bi Thusa Mo Shaile, the Gaelic hymn, which she danced so effectively in Round Three. Her second appearance was the solo variation of Agrippina Vaganova’s Diana and Acteon pas de deux variation. Lamb possesses long, strong lines, a slightly yearning and expressive face, a young dancer reflecting the current notion of the ideal American dancer. In her Diana variation, as in other variations she danced, I felt her port de bras was clearly phrased in phases, rather than simply a notable and pleasing transition.

Joseph Phillips, the junior men’s gold recipient, was assigned to dance the Acteon variation of Vaganova’s pas de deux and Vasili Vainonen’s Flames of Paris. Small, sandy-haired and well proportioned, Phillips has a forthright, serious, even heroic presentation. You could almost imagine him in rehearsal responding to the exhortation of a Russian coach, building his presentation, chest progressively expanding and back a tad straighter.

Sarah Lamb was asked to repeat Viktor Plotnikov’s Sometime, Somewhere to George Bizet’s Toreador’s aria. Black slouch cap, baggy black coat that get discarded to reveal black skirt and leotard, Lamb’s blondness is quite a contrast. Her dramatic Odile variation from Swan Lake was her second well-placed, assured presentation. Lamb had competed in 1998 as a junior. In the intervening four years Lamb obviously has entrusted her training to Tatiana Legat and has become a distinctive blend of American energy and Kirov refinement. Hooray for that.

Wu Haiyan and Li Jun, the senior women’s gold and senior men’s silver medallists from China, danced first the Giselle, Act II pas de deux, deepening the initial impression of how sublime that Romantic Era ballet can be with assiduous artist. Li Jun’s ability to provide Wu Haiyan with a wraith-like appearance is staggering. She moved, with his support, like a wisp of fog blown by a gentle wind.

Wu Haiyan and Li Jun
Photograph by Ricard Finkelstein ©

Eve Andre and Sergei Upkin of Estonia, awarded the best couple citation, danced the Alexksandr Gorsky/Nijinska/Romanoff version of La Fille Mal Gardee to the music of Hertel. The lighting somehow dampened the sweetness of their portrait of rustic young romance, but the presentation was still there.

Jiao Yang, the junior men’s bronze from China, in his variation from La Bayadere, followed best couple. I personally preferred his Corsaire variation, but with the pas de deux danced in its entirely, this was the alternative. Tall and slender, Yang’s elevation is as notable as his musicality.

After Sarah Lamb’s Odile variation, Wu Haiyan and Li Jun appeared in Wang Yuanyuan’s “Rainbow of the Night,” danced to Richard Strauss Four Last Songs, which took the choreographic citation. The quality of belief and the harmony of their execution enhanced the justly notable work. While I would like to see the pas de deux enter an American company’s repertoire, it will be difficult to find partners with such innate poetry to equal what was seen in Jackson. It remains to be seen just how translatable the Chinese-based aesthetic of the pas de deux actually is, or how well Western minded dancers could subordinate their qualities to reflect the work.

Katia Carranza, Mexico, and Mihail Ilyn, Russia, both senior bronze recipients, and now with Miami City Ballet, repeated their stylist Don Quixote Act IV pas de deux to bring the performance half of the Gala to a close.

For the receipt of the awards, the demeanor of the winners was yet another reflection of personal priorities. Competitors traveling great distances were necessarily curtailed in their clothing selections. In many instances recipients evinced unawareness how street clothing and shoes look when required to cross the stage, receive a scroll, shake the donor’s hand and walk to bleachers. What looks terrific at a party, socializing with a glass or cup, cuts line on stage in profile. A couple of winners wafted on with soft chiffons, but winding shoe straps makes one wonder at the disconnection between street shoes and the simplicity of the pointe slipper. With my own square silhouette, taste influenced by post World War II Christian Dior standards, and souvenirs from grandparents’ sartorial consciousness, a clothing coach seems like a good idea for young dancers. It’s all part of a good performance.