Review: NOTHING HOLDS STILL at Ballet Des Moines
Taking a look at their most recent production which closed February 28.
Des Moines has a thriving arts community. One of the amazing organizations that is making this community thrive is Ballet Des Moines. I had the opportunity to attend their performance of “Nothing Holds Still” this last weekend. The show featured world-premiere dances and collaborations with other community artists. If all of their shows are as beautiful as this one, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing more of them.
One part of the evening I enjoyed was that each of the three ballets featured live music. The first piece, “Behind. Between. Beyond” featured a violin solo by Julia Fox Henson. The second, “Beyond,” featured a duet of “Ave Maria” with Hannah Rumora on cello and Rebecca Vieker on Viola. The full Belin Quartet, with the three previously mentioned musicians and John Helmich on violin, accompanied the final piece of “Shadow Dances.”
While the partnerships are exciting to see, I came to the ballet for the dancing, and those in attendance got to feast on three awe-inspiring ballets. The first being “Behind. Between. Beyond.” This was the first of three world premiere ballets, with this one choreographed by DaYoung Jung. From the moment this piece started with just a violinist, two dancers, and a pair of hanging silks, I was captivated. I found myself unable to take my eyes off the beautiful dancers onstage till the breathtaking final moment, when a dancer was lifted as the lights went out.
The second ballet of the evening was titled “bound’ which was choreographed by the 25/26 Ballet Des Moines Choreographic Institute Winner Cameron Miller. What this dance did so beautifully was capture the idea of being bound by something, whether it be an addiction or another struggle. The dance ended with the idea of being freed from what binds us, with a beautiful arrangement of “Ave Maria” accompanying the dance on stage.
The third ballet of the evening, choreographed by Artistic Director Eric Trope, featured a beautiful quartet of dances. This was a beautiful ending to an evening that beautifully tied the idea of nothing holding still, incorporating live musicians on stage so we could see their movement. It also featured a tapestry by their Artist in Residence, Olivia Valentine, inspired by the movement of a dancer.
Going into the evening, I didn’t know what to expect. I had been to a production of “The Nutcracker” as a child, and seen a touring production of “Sleeping Beauty,” but had not seen any other ballets. What I found myself leaving with was a new appreciation of movement and the power it can bring to telling a story. While “Nothing Holds Still” may have closed, Ballet Des Moines continues its season and collaborations this May. Along with the Des Moines Symphony, they will be presenting Sergei Prokofiev’s “Cinderella.” To learn more about Ballet Des Moines or to purchase tickets to one of their upcoming productions, visit https://www.balletdesmoines.org/
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