Dance review | Two timeless stories of magic and romance will make the night memorable

What a magical night! The dancing was spectacular, the choreography detailed, fresh, exciting, and the orchestra – well, the orchestra put on a show!

The program says this is “State Street Ballet’s first season with live music for all four performances thanks to the Manitou and Nora McNeely Gurley Foundation.” I cannot imagine a ballet performance without a live orchestra. The sound of the orchestra setting brought me back to my childhood growing up in New York, seeing New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater productions, with a live orchestra of course. “La” – the sound of the orchestra tuning up – then the conductor’s bow, and the “thud” of his baton – this is how the magic begins.

The first in the program was the SSB version Scheherazadeto the famous music of Mykola Rimsky-Korsakov. Scheherazade based on the story of 1001 Arabian Nights (Alf Leila Wa Leila), a collection of folk tales of the Middle East. Originally composed in Arabic during the Golden Age of Islam (approximately the middle of the VII century.
to the middle of the 13th century), 1001 nights has influenced countless writers over the centuries. The stories are framed by the story of Scheherazade, the beautiful wife of the Persian ruler Shahriyar, who told the king a different story every night for 1001 nights. Every night she did not finish reading the story, promising to finish it the next night to save money
himself from beheading. After 1001 stories, the king was truly in love with her and decided not to kill her.

State Street Ballet Managing Director Tim Mikel wrote the original libretto, A traveler’s storywhich, although not part of the Rimsky-Korsakov collection, is a plausible addition. The Wanderer – a hero in search of knowledge and self-fulfillment – is a staple of all fairy tales, and Mikel weaved the journey of his Wanderer
brilliantly entered the history of Scheherazade. The traveler encounters magical creatures, enters a temple, gains knowledge, finds true love, saves villagers and becomes enlightened.

Autumn Ekman’s choreography was musical and lyrical, strong and humorous, and showcased the dancers beautifully. I especially loved her so where wherewhich were challenging and exciting. Not just a traditional ballet style, Ekman’s couples choreography included elements of modernity, lyrics and even some hints of
ballroom show dance. As a ballroom dancer myself, I looked forward to seeing what the couples would do next.

The curtain opens in front of a desert scene, sirens, magical creatures, half women, half birds are scattered on the stage. They are covered with cobwebs, as if they are sleeping just under the sand. First up is the queen, exquisitely danced by Saori Yamashita, whose graceful bird-like movements awaken her entourage of sirens.

“The Wanderer” appears in a dramatic dance by Ryan Lankey. The traveler is followed by two village men, danced by Felipe Aravena Covarrubias, who plays the flute, and his turbaned, stick-dancing companion is danced by Nathaniel Tyson. Aside from Ms. Yamashita’s exquisite dancing, these two charming peasant women stole the show
the first scene with their humorous images, and especially the exciting jumps and smooth pirouettes of Covarrubias.

In scene 2 we meet the villagers led by Hamid (Harold Mendes) and Fatima (Amara Galloway). Tender so where where Mendes and Galloway are replaced by a lively folk dance by the villagers, but when they learn of the Warriors, they call on the queen for help.

Scene 3 takes place in the Temple, where the Traveler is to be transformed into a King for the Siren Queen. He gets what appears to be a magic sword and a battle ensues.

All good tales must contain an element of Evil that the Hero must overcome, and the Wanderer’s tale is no exception. Mikel included evil warriors. The powerful lead warrior, danced by Gabriel Ramirez, was superbly supported by his orchestra of nimble warriors, expertly danced by the company’s eight professional trainees. The
the choreography of the warriors was extremely clever, highlighting the accents in the music and even including some hints of folk dance. The young pupils showed themselves to be unsurpassed corps de ballet artists, dancing in unison, clearly, powerfully and with concentration.

Good conquers evil, and magical sirens defeat evil warriors. Love triumphs; but Mikel added a bit of irony: even though the Traveler has been initiated into the Temple, he is ultimately unable to follow his beloved when she returns to the magical sand world beneath the desert. The traveler must remain in the mortal realm. The ballet ends with the Traveler mourning her loss, holding her graceful hand as she slowly sinks into her realm. Devastating and absolutely brilliant.

He was second in the program Firebirdmusic by Igor Stravinsky. Firebird – a familiar ballet based on Russian folk tales. Originally choreographed by Mikhail Fokine and first performed in 1910 by the Ballets Russes in Paris, The Firebird has had numerous incarnations, including George Balanchine’s choreography for New York
City Ballet and subsequent productions by the Stuttgart Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, etc. State Street Ballet’s production, choreographed by resident choreographer William Solo, was as captivating as any I’ve seen.

The role of Firebird was performed by the exquisite Rachel Hutsell. Originally with New York City Ballet, Hutsell has been Principal Guest Artist with State Street Ballet since 2023.

The story begins with Prince Ivan (Ethan Aguero) hunting in the forest when he meets the magical Firebird and tries to capture her. Taking pity on her, Ivan decides to let her go, and she gives him one of hers in return
magical feathers that he can use to summon her if he’s in trouble. Then Prince Ivan meets a group of beautiful princesses playing in the forest, led by Princess Tsarevna (Brenna Chumasero).

They explain to him that this is an enchanted forest that belongs to the evil sorcerer Duck (Noam Tsivkin), who imprisoned them. The prince falls in love with the princess-princess, but Kachei stands in the way of their happiness, captures the prince and tries to turn him into stone.

When all seems lost, Prince Ivan remembers the feather and summons the Firebird. She saves the day, and Prince Ivan and the princess get married in a beautiful wedding scene with rich Russian-style costumes. When the ballet ends, with some of the most haunting music ever composed, all is well in the kingdom.

The grand opening of State Street Ballet’s 30th season was nothing short of spectacular. Bravo, bravisimo! As a community, we are very lucky to have these amazing artists in our city!

Santa Barbara is looking forward to upcoming performances this season: Nutcracker (December 21-22), Little Mermaid (March 1-2) and Shine (May 9-10). Information about these performances and about the company in general can be found on them website: statestreetballet.com.