Bob Bows: Colorado Ballet’s Masterworks

Bob Bows review of Colorado Ballet's “Masterworks”

For the artists of the Colorado Ballet, their annual foray into what Balachine called “dance ballet” means an opportunity to show their talent beyond the classical canon, and show it they do.

For ballet lovers, this means that one need not book a trip to New York or San Francisco to experience exquisitely performed divertissements.

The evening begins with George Balachine’s ”Concerto Barocco” (1948), set to J.S. Bach’s beloved “Concerto in D minor for Two Violins” (1st Violinist Lydia Svialovskaya, 2nd violinist Leslie Sawyer). As the curtain rises, we see eight dancers in white leotards with skirts against a saturated blue background.

“Fancy Free” – Picture yourself in Times Square when Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped his famous photograph of the sailor kissing the nurse. Sixteen months earlier Jerome Robbins debuted this delightful piece set to the music of Leonard Bernstein (and a clip from Dee Dee Bridgewater’s “Big Stuff”) around similar themes: youth, desire, and euphoria, with occasional glimpses of reality.

The Colorado Ballet’s presentation of Ballet Masterworks runs through March 1st.

To read the full review, visit Bob Bows’ website, www.ColoradoDrama.com.