‘Rodeo’ ropes in fans at spring ballet Friday

Agnes de Mille’s “Rodeo” changed Paul Sutherland’s life when he saw it in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 18.

“It is the first ballet I ever saw,” he said. “It made me want to become a dancer.”
Now, years later, Sutherland is staging the ballet with the Jacobs School of Music as the finale for the school’s recent ballet, “An American Evening.”

“It’s not a classical ballet, but it is definitely a classic,” he said, describing how stylized the “Western” choreography is, incorporating square and tap dancing into the ballet. “‘Rodeo’ is Americana.”

And if Friday’s applause at the Musical Arts Center was any indication, it was also the most popular of the three ballets performed, though George Balanchine’s “Serenade” and “Rubies” received their own accolades from audience members.

“It was gorgeous,” said freshman Sara Johnson of “Serenade. “I’ve never been to a ballet before — I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Seven-year-old Meena Kim, however, said she preferred “Rubies,” partly because of the vibrant red costumes, which were trimmed with fake jewels to match the women’s hairpieces.

“They were pretty,” she said.From beginning to end, both combined slight and grand gestures, from the merest flick of a wrist to lifts and leaps.

Despite the strain of dancing, 20 minutes into “Serenade,” the only visible sign of exertion with the slightly rapid rise and fall of the dancers’ bodices — every face was smiling and calm, and not a drop of sweat could be seen from the audience.

“They make it look really easy, and you know they’re in pain,” freshman Nicole Kuhn said.

While there were no clear characters or plot to either Balanchine ballet, “Rodeo” kept the audience entranced and amused with a tale of a love rectangle between a cowgirl, champion roper, head wrangler and the ranch owner’s daughter.

“You have to look at ‘Rodeo’ the way an actor would,” Sutherland said, because the dancers must think about the motivations behind body language and movements.
While the Balanchine dances’ costumes had been standard ballet attire. “Rodeo” opened with cowboy boots, hats, plaid shirts and neckerchiefs.

The dancers kept the audience laughing throughout the five scenes — from the cowgirl trying to impress the wrangler and failing hilariously, to the champion roper wooing her away with, among other things, his incredible tap dancing.

Unlike many ballets that tell a story, “Rodeo” is no tragedy. No one died and no hearts were broken. The head wrangler gets the ranch owner’s daughter, and the cowgirl happily ends up with the champion roper.

“It’s a very happy ballet,” Sutherland said with a laugh.