Like spring break, Richmond Ballet's Spring Repertory has an air of joyous nonchalance about it. Now it's time to party - or at least take flight in uninhibited movement. The company was in top form, breezing through a world premiere and the revival of an abstract 1969 ballet that looked newer than anything else on the eclectic program. Overall, the dancing was more inspired than the choreography. A brash amalgam of tango, Apache, aerobic and modern dance, the dance is dominated by the Latin sultriness of Michael Nyman's music.
Dramatic lighting illuminates the nocturnal activity taking place in a smoky French nightclub.
A series of duets beautifully paired the long, clean lines and aggressive energy of Anne Sidney Davenport, Phillip Skaggs, Lauren Main and Pedro Szalay. Bryan Skates stepped in for Kevin Bowles with aplomb. Sexually neutralized by Muslim-style clothing, the women spin ritualistically while males in black briefs pepper the monotonous dynamic with virile leaps. A mood of ethereal calm pervades this exploration of balance set to music by Aram Khachaturian. With limbs swaying as if pushed by soft currents of air, Amanda Harper and Kelley Waddell suspend themselves artfully from the fulcrum of Christopher Faesi's powerfully built body.