Entertaining ‘Evenings’ of Ballet

Balletomanes packed the Gail Towbes Center for Dance when State Street Ballet celebrated the 20th anniversary of its annual show Evenings, which gives the talented dancers the opportunity to create their own dance works and experiment with new movement, music, and themes.

Nine works were performed in all, including “Luna Luna to Clair de Lune, No. 3” by professional track director Meredith Ventura with dancers Brenna Chumacero and Arianna Hartanov.

Other budding choreographers included Amber Hirschfield, Ethan Ahuero, Oscar Bravo Ly, Tanner Blee, Hartanov, Rachel Hutsell, and Saori Yamashita.

Ryan Lenkey’s “Ska Lake” with dancers Rachel Hutsell, Aimee Le, Anna Nader, and Noam Tsivkin, was particularly innovative with music to “Swan Lake” by Madness – based on Tchaikovsky’s original score – but with distinctly Caribbean overtones, including elements of mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues.

“The event can be a little nerve wracking as everyone is shown in closeup,” says Megan Philipp, the company’s artistic director. “It’s an intimate production to show your creativity. There’s no doubt it’s a confidence builder and a good experience in teamwork.”

A lot of talent on show in a delightful setting…