Halloween Spooktacular

Halloween Spooktacular
Colorado Symphony
Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO
October 31, 2015

The Halloween Spooktacular concert is an annual tradition at the Colorado Symphony. Just like most of the audience, the musicians dressed in costumes. The stage was also festively decorated with pumpkins and ghosts.

The program began with the Imperial March from Star Wars. While the music played, the conductor walked out dressed as Darth Vader. The concert was made up of familiar music from movies and classical music which fit the Halloween theme. The conductor spent time before each classic piece to help the young members of the audience follow the story inside the music.

Halfway through the concert, the orchestra played the theme from Superman. The conductor raced offstage and returned in a Superman costume. The audience loved the change.

The conductor officiated a costume contest of the orchestra members with the audience as judge and each child received a bag of goodies as they left.

The symphony does a wonderful job of making sure the Spooktacular is fresh every year and it remains the perfect way to introduce children to the Colorado Symphony.

Golden Dragon Acrobats

Golden Dragon Acrobats
PACE Center
Parker, CO
October 23, 2015

The PACE Center has an impressive record of bringing famous international acts to their venue. This year it was the Golden Dragon Acrobats. As expected, the show was sold out.

The show was an entertaining combination of music, dance and acrobatics. The group of performers was actually fairly small, but they performed a wide range of astonishing feats.

The show began with a line of five women with meticulously choreographed arm movements which evoked Hindu gods. They were followed by four acrobats who stunning stacked and manipulated their bodies into unbelievable shapes.

We watched in awe as women juggled balls with their feet and passed them easily to each other. Acrobats performed somersaults and flips over each other in rapid succession. Performers rode unicycles, jumped several ropes at once and acrobats created elaborate tableaus.

We were astounded by seven people balanced on a small bicycle. But the highlight was clearly when one male acrobat stacked eight chairs and balanced treacherously near the stage lights on the ceiling. As each chair was brought out, the audience sat further on their edge of their seats.

While it was astounding to see the acts in person, it bears noting that occasionally the performers did make mistakes. It was only further proof that the routines are very difficult.

The evening was much like a Cirque du Soliel show without the astounding price tag.

La Sylphide

 La Sylphide
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 2-11, 2015 

La Sylphide is one of the oldest ballets on record. After seeing many of the classics over the years, it was interesting to see one that preceded them all.

The storyline is simple – as many ballets are. The hero awakens to find a beautiful sylph in his home. His obsession with her causes him to lose everything.

The costumes in this show evoked the Scottish highlands. I must admit it was refreshing to see the male dancers in kilts rather than tights. The women’s long dresses did not make them look like ballerinas, but the dancing seamlessly blended with these changes.

The choreography in Act 1 was reminiscent of the dancing from the Scottish Highlands. The highlight of the evening was the company dancing in the great hall. It was a spectacular sequence, even if James, the hero, had to be pulled back in while chasing his elusive sylph.

Act two started strongly with Madge, the witch, doing a strange dance around her cauldron, reminding me of the witches in Macbeth. The rest of the act was dominated by the sylphs. The set up was much like the Wilis’ dance in Giselle. Unfortunately, these sequences were not as captivating as the Wilis.

With the exception of the ending, the production didn’t feel old fashioned. It was beautiful to watch and easy to follow.