What does a beautiful, blond female protagonist with a stylish wardrobe and a lust for money and power in the casino bring to mind?
A tale of intrigue, for sure. Add to the mix a famous score by Georges Bizet (rearranged by Juan Pablo Acosto who added new music to give it a Latin flair) and a sought-after, contemporary ballet choreographer, and what do you have? Miami City Ballet’s newest full-length ballet, Carmen, which was presented at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on April 4.
Carmen? you might wonder. Who would mess with such a tried-and-true drama where passion turns into obsession and leads to tragedy? The original storyline, based on the 1845 novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, has been performed by both opera and ballet companies for 150 years. Miami City Ballet took on that challenge with gusto when last season, then-Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez commissioned Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to reimagine this classic.
Ochoa took Carmen’s familiar story of a woman who struggled to assert her independence in a society where women were kept under control and gave it a modern twist. Who would Carmen be in today’s world? Ochoa loosely modeled her protagonist on Aaron Sorkin’s 2017 film Molly’s Game, which depicts the real-life story of Molly Bloom, known as the “Poker Princess,” who ran afoul of the law running illicit poker games in the 1990s.
The visually distinctive look of MCB’s production, with its bold and at times very colorful costumes designed by Mark Eric and its striking set and lighting designed by Christopher Ash and associate lighting designer Solomon Weisbard, set the tone for this new take on this age-old tale.
A gigantic curved horn sat on its end like a strange symbolic sculpture that was wheeled around together with other smaller versions setting up pathways and gateways. Neon lights changed color as they arched and framed the stage and served as a reminder of a large casino pit. To further set the stage as a game house, the dancers use 12 large dice as props that they carried and danced around.
In this modernized version, the character names remained the same as in the original story. Carmen’s besotted lover was Don José, which was danced by the tall and elegant Stanislav Olshanskyi. His spurned childhood girlfriend Micaëla was danced with just the right amount of authentic drama by the always eye-catching Taylor Naturkas. Ethan Rodrigues was Carmen’s new love interest, the matador Escamillo, who while wearing aviator sunglasses flourished his cape like a flashy Vegas performer.
The supporting role of Zuniga, the captain of the guards who also has a passion for Carmen, was danced with great energy and dynamic clarity by Chase Swatosh. His three guards (who also doubled as the FBI agents and paparazzi), Satoki Habuchi, Guillermo Domingues and Damian Zamorano, also showed particular clarity and vigor in their etched movement which seemed to be a somewhat cartoonish comment on masculinity — a little comic relief.
Steven Loch played the role of Fate, which was always lurking in the background as the drama unfolded. Wearing long gold talons on his hands and dressed in black from head to toe with an elaborate gold filigree mask and neckpiece, Loch seemed like a mythological creature who made me wonder whether one’s future is controlled by fate or determined by one’s own free will.
Ochoa created a curious chorus of women that began with two — which later became four — female dancers in tutus that were made out of a multitude of white flowers. In the original novella, Carmen threw a white flower to Don José, whose scent completely intoxicated him and he kept it as a reminder of her. Ochoa used this chorus as a willowy background to the rejected Don José (Olshanskyi) and as a reminder of why he ended up where he did.
Flowers served as an important symbol thoroughout the work. A particularly memorable moment was when the curtain lifted. The upside-down faces of 12 dancers were revealed in a line at the bottom of the stage. Each had a large red rose clenched in their mouths as they lay on the floor with arched backs and flexed feet as if they were being asphyxiated by the flowers. Often thought of as a symbol of love, the single red rose onstage in Carmen is a symbol of passion and blood. This chorus of 12 dancers (six men and six women) often changed costumes for the different scenes. They were also the adoring fans at the bullring as well as the dice carriers in the casino.
Though the characters were carefully defined by their movement vocabulary, the supposedly passionate relationships between the lead characters were lost in the action and thus the storyline lacked synergy and believability. Dawn Atkins, who played the calculating Casino Carmen, is a lovely dancer with beautiful lines and technique and she looked fabulous in her numerous costume changes — in particular posing on a podium in her boldly red, executive pantsuit topped with a matching gaucho hat.
However, she wasn’t particularly convincing in her role as a manipulator of men for her own power. For me, this modernization of the storyline didn’t hold up. Though the dancers danced well, the choreography itself didn’t give much focus or importance to the dramatic interchange between the highlighted characters and therefore, the storyline faded into the background. For me, the layered symbolism, the casino vs. bullfight locals and the repetitive movement choices overwhelmed the ballet. Without empathy for the main characters, one wonders whether this interpretation of such a famous story can last.
Although Ochoa’s Carmen premiered last season, it was never brought to Palm Beach County as part of Miami City Ballet’s past season at the Kravis Center. The company is now under new artistic leadership. Lourdes Lopez, who served as artistic director for 13 years, was replaced by Spanish-born Gonzalo Garcia, who assumed the role in August.
Garcia, who was a celebrated dancer with San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet, intends to continue to highlight the company’s Balanchine legacy while also presenting new artistic visions in dance. Garcia’s influence, which is already apparent in the company’s new look online, will be something to look forward to seeing in the coming season.