"New Visions" is an eye-opener

It was really a great experience to see a rehearsal of "Brake the Eyes" for free a week before the piece's world premiere and then see it on stage, with full costume, make-up and lighting.

The great thing about the piece was the incorporation of the lighting devices and their movement to the piece. They moved in an eerie, almost airplane-like way throughout the piece.

Larissa Ponomarenko, quickly becoming my favorite principal ballerina in the Boston Ballet, was phenomenal. The broken, dynamic and and sharp choreography of Jorma Elo was perfectly portrayed by Ponomarenko.

The pas de deux sections were crisp and perfect and were thought-provoking. At first, during certain duets, I thought that the two dancers were not in time with each other, when it turns out that Elo's choreography was specifically doing that to create a round, much like in "row row row your boat" when one person starts and the next joins in.

The costumes were reminiscent of Mozart's time, and the medley of music had a Gothic feel to it.

I hope that "Brake the Eyes" become a staple in the contemporary ballet community and throughout contemporary performances, as it should.

"Polyphonia" and the "Sonata" were also great pieces, colorful and full of unexpected movement.

The great thing about contemporary ballet is that it is beautiful while trying not to be. As hard as they try to make the movements fragmented and much more sharper than classical ballet, it is still beautiful dancing.

I can't wait until May when the Boston Ballet will perform Classic Balanchine and Giselle.

Until then I am trying to get tickets to Cirque Eloize, a Montreal acrobatic group started in 1993, Alvin Ailey which comes to the Citi Wang Center in April and "The Seagull", a ballet formed from the Russian play which comes to the Cutlet Majestic Theatre soon.