Ballet Masterworks

Ballet Masterworks
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
February 17-26, 2017

Ballet Masterworks is an annual event for the Colorado Ballet – but it is not what most people expect when they attend. It’s not a single story like the other productions put on through the year. Instead, it is a series of short dances set to the music of masters like Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Stravinsky. It’s a different experience than a traditional ballet.

The first dance was Serenade. It was beautifully costumed and choreographed. The dance attempted a weak storyline, but without the captions it wasn’t clear just what was going on. Despite that, the sequence was filled with clever choreography and exquisite tableaus.

The next piece was titled Petit Mort, set to the music of Mozart. This was a modern dance with flesh colored costumes and no real story at all. It began with the men dancing with swords – a very masculine series of moves. After the sword play, the women joined and throughout we watched pairs of dancers take turns performing alternately. It was a more intimate feeling than usually seen at the ballet.

The show concluded with Stravinsky’s The Firebird, a fairytale like story, much like a classic ballet. Unlike the previous selections, this ballet included elaborate sets. The backdrop used as the demons danced was spectacular.

At the performance I attended, Maria Mosina danced the title role. She has gotten additional attention after announcing she will retire at the end of the season. And her dancing was everything you would expect from a prima ballerina. The long ovation she received at the end was well-deserved after 21 years with the Colorado Ballet.