Last night, old friends and new friends of Heinz Poll gathered together at the Akron Civic Theatre to witness Verb Ballets tribute to the exceptional man of Ohio classical ballet and contemporary dance. Using cabaret seating on the actual stage, it gave a close and personal look to some of the great Heinz Poll dance standards.
First on the bill was “Eight by Benny Goodman” in which the dancers captured the unabashed elegance of a bygone era. With such great Goodman hits such as “Let’s Dance”, “I’m Nobody’s Baby”, “Somebody Stole My Gal”, “How Long Has This Been Going On”, “Don’t Be That Way”, “My Old Flame”, “How High The Moon” and “My Guy’s Come Back” the tuxedoed and classically dressed dancers put everyone in a relaxed and jovial mood. Of special note were the cute little facial expressions and gestures that added so much to the performance.
After a short intermission, there followed Richard Dickinson’s poignantly choreographed “Four Last Songs” with music by Richard Strauss. The four movements: Spring, September, Time to Sleep and At Dusk were influenced by the poetry of Hermann Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff. I have witnessed this piece a number of times in rehearsals as well as on stage and the result is still the same…I end up getting something in my eye. It is the story in dance of discovery, joy, love, heartache, loss and heart break exquisitely performed by the members of Verb Ballets. Richard serves as rehearsal director for Verb Ballet and had close ties with Heinz Poll when he was a dancer and ballet master for Ohio Ballet.
After a short intermission to allow for a costume change, Stephanie Krise and Brian Murphy took center stage to dance “Duet”, the second Heinz Poll number of the evening. Using the music of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Adagio for Organ” arranged for cello and piano it highlighted the classical ballet dancing skills of these two brilliant interpreters of dance.
A short pause ensued to allow for yet another costume change as the excitement in the crowd began to build. The last Poll piece on the program was “Bolero” with Leslie Miller as the central figure with Ryan De Alexandro, Kara Madden, Brian Murphy, Rebecca J. Nicklos, Or Sagi and Jarrod L. Sickles. Being only a few feet away from the dancers, you could not help but be caught up in the excitement of the music and movement as precise feet and hand gestures combined with the swirling of capes emphasized the aristocratic bearing of the dancing matadors.
This was truly a night of Verb Ballets greatest hits although just about every show that Verb dances could be said the same. My only complaint for the evening was with the sound for some of the pieces starting off a little too exuberant to the point of being startling, but since a dress rehearsal could not be held prior to the performance the sound and lighting ended up both being exceptional.
One other note is that even though the event was sold out with others not being able to attend I mourned the fact that there was an entire theater of seating that a goodly portion could have been filled. Perhaps the next time Verb Ballets schedules the Akron Civic Theatre they will attempt to fill the seats in front of the stage instead of on it.
I found the show to be a nice balance of fun, fantasy, drama and excitement…in a word a well balanced display of the versatility that makes up the Verb Ballet company. Verb will be taking to the stage in just two weeks. It promises to be another great performance.
Verb Goes Electric with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony
March 21- 23, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Cleveland Public Theatre
It’s an evening of dance fused with electronic music as Verb Ballet collaborates with The Cleveland Chamber Symphony.
Tickets: $10 Thursdays, $25 General Admission, $22 Student/Senior
To order call 216.631.2727, x501
The Rite of Spring
The Bride Unseen
April 18-20, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Cleveland Public Theatre
It’s the story as old as time itself as the bride surrenders her life and dreams to satisfy the needs of her family by agreeing to an arranged marriage in a new ballet choreographed by Richard Dickinson.
Tickets: $10 Thursdays, $25 General Admission, $22 Student/Senior
To order call: 216.631.2727, x501
Call 216.397.3757 to order! Or Click Here to Buy Tickets Online Now!
Major sponsors of Verb Ballets include AHS Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, Bike Cleveland, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The City of Shaker Heights, The Cleveland Foundation, Findley Davies, Inc., Gay Community Endowment Fund Of The Akron Community Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Kulas Foundation, The Laub Foundation, Lubrizol Foundation, The McGregor Foundation, Kenneth Milder, John P. Murphy Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council, and Shah Capital Management. Individual sponsors include Jeri Chaikin, Millie L. Carlson, Chuck and Ann Ennis, Fred Lauzenheiser, David R. Pierce, Alan Miles Ruben and Robert M. Shwab. Additional sponsors: Baumgarten & Company, LLP; Cedar Hill Communications; FITWORKS; WCLV; and WCPN/Ideastream.
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