HQ Review: Ballet 314 WIP

The first of its kind, Ballet 314’s WIP night— a Works in Progress showing— was a resounding and thoughtful success. As an artist and watcher, I oftentimes gravitate towards spaces of becoming and exploration– in awe of works in progress showings that are kneading concepts and ideas into fully formed consciousness. This showing was a delightful example of ballet’s range, Ballet 314’s company’s range, and a highlight of their Corps de Ballet’s inaugural season. 

Starting off the showing was Ashley Stettes’ “The Straight and Narrow,” a thoughtful exploration of what it is to experience the world through a pre-destined path. One dancer moved on a predestined path with four other movers who acted as metaphorical guardrails with their own singular pathway. This work was not a small work: each sweeping movement ushered in new questions about my personal pathway through life, the cannons a resemblance of the quickness of life, and the usage of stage representative of the expansiveness of life. 

Next, a trio of dancers in various costumes of black performed company member Kendall Dietrich’s work “A lens with three sides”. This work explored the many viewpoints of truth and being, with Dietrich remarking before showing that each viewer’s experience might be different. Seated near the center of the stage, I found it interesting how the dancers’ movements connected with each other, but their engagement with each other and mannerisms asserted a deep separation.

Changing the pace of the show was Rachel Colombe’s “All the While”, a work exploring the complexities and fractures in communities and support systems affected by addiction. Set to eastern bluegrass, one work being Tyler Childers’s “Follow You to Virgie”, there was a brightness and lightness to the movement which embodied the music’s rhythm while complimenting the song’s story of grief and the work’s exploration of addiction. As a member of a rural community, this work touched my heart because it showcased the deep care and compassion found in tight knit communities when affected by tragedy. Colombe’s usage of partnering highlighted this interconnectedness, as well as utilizing quick footwork to embody the spirit of community. 

Illuminating the stage next was the Corp de Ballet’s presentation of “The Light in Unexpected Places” created by Corp director Maura Caldwell-Thompson. Inspired by a trip to La Sagrada Familia, Caldwell-Thompson’s work beautifully layered dancers to move as if they were reflected light. Key elements of this work featured cannon, partnering, and pointe work to create an experience of discovery, curiosity, and playfulness. Watching this work, I felt deep existent joy and immersed in a world created by Caldwell-Thompson. 

Abbie Hinrichs’s “Holding Space” worked through liminal spaces and the various emotions that occur when moving through change and the unknown. Throughout the piece I was captured by each dancer’s distinct manner of working through the liminal. One of my favorite aspects of this work was Hinrich’s usage of quick footwork to showcase the freneticism of change juxtaposed against slow, reaching movement symbolizing the process and unknowability of change. 

In celebration of St. Louis’s jazz roots and the women who shaped the scene, Megan Buckley’s “Chantez La Bas” was a delightful photograph of St. Louis’s sound. Focused on 1920’s jazz this work featured a trio of dancers with each performing a solo. Each solo allowed the dancer to key into a different aspect of the jazz music— some were playful moments while others embodied its smoothness— in order to showcase the various hands shaping St. Louis jazz. 

Set to “Off the Wall” by Michael Jackson, Eugenia Jones’s “Off The Wall" was a soloist’s exploration of joy in the face of internal chaos. This work’s technical challenge and expansive movement quality complimented the dancer’s beautiful technique and ability to sink into movement. Viewing this work, I felt the embodiment of joy through leaps and grooves against the chaos of smooth turns and the reaching sweeps of arms and legs. 

The last work of the night, “La Vitalite” choreographed by Bella Schmitt, was the highlight of my evening. Costumed in neon leotards with matching pointe shoes, this work explored and celebrated the feminine spirit. The impressive pointework highlighted this quartet’s athleticism and allowed the dancers’ inner brilliance to shine through. I applaud the intention Schmitt built with the dancers to showcase a spectrum of the feminine— playfulness, intensity, joy, focus, et cetera— to show the many ways women exist in power and strength. 

For all of this work, I am excited to see their further development and how this performance shapes and deepens their content, creativity, and roots.