Fall ballet combines various styles

Beautiful staging and dancing took place as “Perspectives 1900s” swept across the Musical Arts Center stage on Friday. The ballet marked the beginning of the IU Ballet Theater’s 2007-08 season.\nThe performance opened with Michael Fokine’s “Les Sylphides,” a traditional ballet set to the music of Frederic Chopin. The stage was set with a blue backdrop and blue lightning, which created a snowy effect that complemented the simplistic movement of the chorus. It also spotlighted the solos and duets of the lead dancers. \nThe world premieres of the restaged and rechoreographed “Le Spectre de la Rose” and IU Ballet Theater Chair Michael Vernon’s “Brandenburg IV” were the most spectacular pieces of the night. The masculine movement of NYC Ballet guest dancer Daniel Ulbricht and his duet with IU Ballet Theater dancer Juliann Hyde was set to a simplistic city landscape background. It explored a young girl’s excitement after attending a grand ball.\n“The movement of Daniel seemed effortless as his leaps, beats and turns were amazing,” said sophomore Jessica Herron.\n“Brandenburg IV,” set to three movements, began with hanging chandeliers and traditional upper-class English dress. It moved into the forest setting for the second movement, which was a romanticized duet dance by junior Ava Chatterson and sophomore Anton Lamon. The contemporary ending was a mixture of modern and classical ballet, and the all-black dress of the dancers expounded the staging of the movement. \nVernon’s vision for the performance proved to be a noteworthy first production as chair of the ballet department. \n“Michael is very knowledgeable about what he does,” Lamon said. “He has a good way of making things just work. He has a good way of pushing us, but very understanding and nurturing when it comes to our bodies.”\nIU Ballet Theater’s next production will be “The Nutcracker,” featuring all new choreography by Vernon. The ballet will be at 8 p.m. Nov. 30, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 3 p.m. Dec. 2.