Municipal Ballet Co: A Collection of Beauties

A Collection of Beauties, presented by Municipal Ballet Co. under the direction of Sarah Longoria, was a concise, aesthetically driven, and immersive experience. Utilizing The Clubhouse (formerly the Ladies’ Literary Club), the show was committed to the classic, rose-colored-glasses ideals of the 1920s and 1930s. From the soft, loose-fitting peach- and cream-colored costumes to the cabaret-style tables and plush couches lining the performance area, the show created and maintained an atmosphere of time travel.

Coming in at around 40 minutes, including an intermission, the performance was concise and comprised of movement vignettes set to the music of Matteo, a (formerly) local band. Although each song featured choreography by a different artist, separating the movements didn’t feel necessary, as both the auditory and visual aesthetic were carried throughout the performance.

Admittedly, I cannot recall a ballet performance I’ve seen that utilizes such an intimate space and performer-audience relationship. The nature of The Clubhouse requires the dancers to enter through the audience and dance in close proximity to both each other and to audience members. Throughout the performance, this was both an advantage and a hindrance. Instead of projecting false emotions, the dancers looked at ease with the movement and it showed through their characterizations; although there were a few moments, specifically some grand jetés, that felt cramped in the space, overall the dancing felt like it was actually for the individuals in the audience rather than for an unknown audience entity.

The weakest element of the show was the inclusion of a narrative in the program notes. The choreography itself did not portray a narrative beyond that of a group of friends that came together to dance with each other; which, for me, was not enough to warrant its inclusion in the program. The show did not need to be, nor was, a story ballet; even the title, A Collection…, insinuated that it was a presentation of dancers or dances rather than a story. I wish I hadn’t read about the narrative in the program, as it hindered my ability to fully enjoy the movement while searching for a story where there didn’t seem to be one. That being said, the overall environment was enjoyable and relaxed, which was a sufficient tone for me.

As a company, I was impressed with Municipal Ballet Co. - I know it is connected to and draws from the local dance community in a number of ways, and is currently host to a number of technically strong dancers, but I hadn’t had the pleasure to see a performance previously. Both the company’s relationship to the community, as well as its dancers’ strengths, made the community created onstage feel all the more authentic. The dancers truly seemed to enjoy what they were doing and as an audience member, this allowed me to sit back and be present for the experience.

Natalie Gotter is a performer, choreographer, instructor, filmmaker, and researcher. She recently completed her MFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah and is on faculty at Utah Valley University, Westminster College, and Salt Lake Community College.

Municipal Ballet Co. & Color Animal: Night

I began driving to the Commonwealth Studios upset that my tidy and prescribed theater route was disrupted on a hot night. But upon parking (finally) I discovered that the Municipal Ballet Company had found yet another magical space for something to happen.

The company’s newest concert, “Night” is, in a word, disarming.

In its sixth year of presenting concerts, this collaborative group directed by Sarah Longoria has consistently used charms to relieve the suspicion of both dance skeptics and dance critics. By carefully choosing venues off dance’s beaten path, collaborating with local bands (in this case, Color Animal) and always ensuring that beverages are provided, it’s challenging not to find something to enjoy about the experiences created by Municipal Ballet Co. whether you are a regular dance goer or, more likely, new to the field. For the former, there are new faces and places (did I mention beverages) and for the latter, there are entry points beyond movement.

Many of these entry points are stylized —  garage tracks juxtaposed with ballet steps in a commercial studio, but they are also unwitting and spatial. I am able to turn to the band on my left and notice that Felicia Baca is concentrating and therefore chewing her gum in a particular way. Or, that the audience member to my right closes his eyes at a certain cadence in Andrew Shaw’s voice. If I am choreographically disinterested, I can also see who has snuck to the bar or the black and white photographs in the back of the space. With each of these passing glances, I can just as easily return to the strips of gray marley where a handful of dancers perform the twelve works that comprise “Night.”

Theoretically these dances each represent an hour of the night, from dusk to dawn, and relate to the contemporary political moment. But in my view, that topical idea is less present than something that continually rises to the surface in Municipal Ballet Co. concerts, the complicated way in which so many individuals fill so many vibrant roles in Salt Lake’s art and social scenes.  

In this work, no choreographer, dancer, or musician holds a singular title and I am aware as I’m watching that this not just a dance concert but a dance concert which includes: radio personalities, writers, gallery directors, parents, arts administrators, neighbors, and even one of my first dance teachers. The audience reflects this multiplicity back to the stage and returns a vibrant energy of friends, family, and future collaborators eager to participate in something new.

The atmosphere of possibility has some moments of particular excitement. In “Destruction,” Mary Jessie Floor bourres while David Ayala and Tim Dwyer (literally) juggle fire around her port de bras. In “Disconnection,” Ben Estabrook’s films take the stage in new contexts, and in “Dismantle,” Nora Price impossibly cooly departs her own solo to harmonize with the band.

But that feeling of possibility is also disrupted at times: when the addition of oatmeal colored ballet skirts overwhelms the more fashionable aesthetic of clothes-we-happened-to-have, when the confines of the small space cause a choreographic glitch, or when the inevitable disparity among performing bodies is revealed -- — 

The fifth dance of the concert, “Tomb” is performed by Ursula Perry, a Repertory Dance Theater company member. Her command of the stage is tremendous and this control is derived in part from Chase Wise’s choreography but, in larger part, the amount she dances each day. It isn’t until she performs that there is a distinction between her, a dancer by trade, and the former performers who (as described) fulfill many artistic roles but simply don’t have the same degree of daily physical practice. For the casual observer, pointing this out may not appreciably change nor represent their experience, but for me, the first moment of her sharp gestures troubles the former works of the concert. Despite this sentiment, the solo is beautiful, as are many preceding and following dances -- a trio by Jo Blake that unfolds alongside the music, Joni Wilson’s crisply cupped hands and delicate movements in “Fragility,” and the unfolding choreographic pieces and earnest pairings within ensemble works.

If disarming is the first word, liminal is the final word.

Municipal Ballet Co. arrives at a boundary between showing audiences ballet steps and exploring choreographic structures; at a threshold of something commercially engaging to audiences but still artistically focused; occupying a place where I like “Night” but also (the best part is) that they don’t need me to.

Ashley Anderson directs loveDANCEmore programs as part of her 501c3, ashley anderson dances.