Dance Review | Two Timeless Tales of Magic and Romance Bring a Night To Remember

What a magical night! The dancing was spectacular; the choreography was detailed, fresh, and fascinating; and the orchestra — well, the orchestra made the show!

In the program, it says this is “State Street Ballet’s first season with live music for all four performances, with thanks to the Manitou Fund and Nora McNeely Hurley.” I cannot imagine a ballet performance without a live orchestra. The sound of the orchestra tuning up brought me back to my childhood, growing up in New York City, seeing productions by New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater, of course with live orchestras. The “A” — the sound of the orchestra tuning up — followed by the bow of the conductor, and the “tap-tap” of his baton is how the magic begins.

First on the program was State Street Ballet’s (SSB) version of Scheherazade, with the famous music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Scheherazade is based on the story of One Thousand and One Nights (Alf Layla wa Layla), a compendium of folktales from the Middle East. Originally compiled in the Arabic language during the Golden Age of Islam (approximately mid-7th to mid-13th century), One Thousand and One Nights has influenced countless writers for centuries. The stories are framed by the tale of Scheherazade, beautiful wife of the Persian ruler Shahryar, who told the king a different story each night for 1,001 nights. Each night she stopped short of finishing the story, promising to finish it the next night, in order to save herself from being beheaded. After 1,001 stories the king was thoroughly in love with her, and decided not to kill her.

State Street Ballet Managing Director Tim Mikel wrote an original libretto, The Traveler’s Tale, which, although not part of the original compendium, is certainly a believable addition. The Traveler — the hero seeking knowledge and self-realization — is a major element of all fairy tales, and Mikel has woven the journey of his Traveler
brilliantly into Scheherazade’s story. The Traveler encounters magical beings, enters the Temple, receives knowledge, finds true love, saves the villagers, and becomes enlightened.

The choreography by Autumn Eckman was musical and lyrical, powerful and humorous, and showed off the dancers beautifully. I especially loved all her pas de deux, which were intricate and fascinating. Not simply traditional ballet styling, Eckman’s couples’ choreography included elements of contemporary, lyrical, and even some hints of
ballroom show dance. As a ballroom dancer, I found myself eagerly looking forward to what the couples would do next.

The curtain opens on a desert scene, with the Sirens, magical beings who are half woman, half bird, strewn across the stage. They are covered with gossamer fabric, as if sleeping just beneath the sand. The first to emerge is the Queen, exquisitely danced by Saori Yamashita, whose graceful bird-like movements awaken her entourage of Sirens.

In comes the Traveler, dramatically danced by Ryan Lenkey. The Traveler is followed by two village men, danced by Felipe Aravena Covarrubias, playing a flute, and his companion wearing a turban and wielding a walking stick, danced by Nathaniel Tyson. Apart from the exquisite dancing of Ms. Yamashita, these two charming villagers stole
the first scene with their humorous portrayals, and especially the heart-lifting leaps and smooth pirouettes of Covarrubias.

In scene two, we meet the Villagers, led by Hamid (Harold Mendez) and Fatima (Amara Galloway). A gentle pas de deux by Mendez and Galloway gives way to a lively folk dance by the villagers, but when they learn about the Warriors, they summon the Queen for help.

Scene three takes place in a Temple, where the Traveler is to be transformed into a King for the Queen of the Sirens. He receives what seems to be a magic sword, and a battle ensues.

All good fairy tales must include an element of evil, which the hero must overcome, and the Traveler’s tale is no exception. Mikel included evil warriors. The powerful lead warrior, danced by Gabriel Ramirez, was superbly supported by his band of agile warriors, expertly danced by the company’s eight Professional Track trainees. The
warriors’ choreography was supremely clever, highlighting the accents in the music, and even incorporating some hints of folk dance. The young trainees showed themselves to be superb corps de ballet dancers, dancing in perfect unison, with precision, power, and focus.

Good triumphs over evil, and the magical sirens defeat the evil warriors. Love triumphs, but Mikel has added a twist of irony: Even though the Traveler has been initiated in the Temple, in the end he cannot follow his beloved as she reenters the magical sand world beneath the desert. The Traveler must remain in the realm of mortals. The ballet ends with the Traveler bemoaning his loss, holding her graceful arm as she slowly sinks into her realm. Devastating, and absolutely brilliant.

Second on the program was The Firebird, with music by Igor Stravinsky. The Firebird is a familiar ballet, based on a Russian folk tale. Originally choreographed by Michael Fokine and first performed in 1910 in Paris by the Ballets Russes, Firebird has had numerous incarnations, including the choreography by George Balanchine for New York
City Ballet, and subsequent productions by the Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and American Ballet Theater, among others. The State Street Ballet production, with choreography by resident choreographer William Soleau, was as thrilling as any I have ever seen.

The role of the Firebird was danced by the exquisite Rachel Hutsell. Originally with the New York City Ballet, Hutsell has been principal guest artist with State Street Ballet since 2023.

The story begins with Prince Ivan (Ethan Ahuero) hunting in a forest, when he encounters the magical Firebird and attempts to capture her. Taking pity on her, Ivan decides to let her go, and in return she gives him one of her
magical feathers, which he can use to summon her if he gets in trouble. Prince Ivan then encounters a bevy of beautiful princesses playing in the forest, led by Princess Tsarevna (Brenna Chumacero).

They explain to him that this is an enchanted forest belonging to the evil sorcerer Katschei (Noam Tsivkin), who has imprisoned them. The Prince falls in love with Princess Tsarevna, but Katschei 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 Princess Tsarevna are married in a beautiful wedding scene with rich, Russian-style costumes. As the ballet ends, with some of the most spectacular music ever composed, all is well in the realm.

The grand opening of State Street Ballet’s 30th season was absolutely spectacular. Bravo, bravissimo! We, as a community, are so fortunate to have these impressive artists in our town!

Santa Barbara looks forward to the future performances this season: The Nutcracker (Dec. 21-22), The Little Mermaid (Mar. 1-2), and Brilliance (May 9-10). Information about these performances, and about the company in general, can be found on their website: statestreetballet.com.