Off To See The Wizard With NMDT-PC

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on March 19, 2016
- 7:29 pm

Scene from Susan Baker-Dillingham’s original ballet ‘The Wizard of Oz’, which opened Friday night at Duane Smith Auditorium. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Scene from Susan Baker-Dillingham’s original ballet ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Review by BONNIE J. GORDON

Los Alamos Daily Post

New Mexico Dance Theater Performance Company (NMDT-PC), directed by Susan Baker-Dillingham opened her original ballet “The Wizard of Oz” Friday.

Baker-Dillingham first choreographed the ballet in 2008 and it premiered in Los Alamos that November. It’s one of my favorites of Baker-Dillingham’s ballets. The choreography in her ballets is always stunning, but this one blows me away.

I was hooked from the first moment we see Aunty Em (Kelly Dolejsi) on the Kansas farm. The simple but elegant and effecting sets by Holly Haas are wonderful as usual. Haas employs shadow and silhouette to create everything from the inside of a tornado to the Emerald City.

The lighting design by Ross Mason (always tricky at the Duane Smith) deserves a special shout out. Original costumes, designed by Kenda Bultman, have been restored by NMDT-PC Costume Mistress Marcy Anderson and a team of volunteers were also especially effective.

Akane Dunn as Dorothy and Kathryn Osburn as Toto carry the ballet and do a great job. Amazing dancing by Rebecca Cai as the Wicked Witch of the West brings character and a kind of scary grace to the role.

The terrific Devan McCleskey as the Scarecrow/farmhand #1 and the male half of the tornado couple is graduating this year. He’ll be sorely missed.

Speaking of the tornado, Louisa Belian also is wonderful as the female half of the principal tornado dancers. This is my favorite scene in the ballet and it took my breath away.

I’m always a fan of corps du ballet, so the tornado and the poppy field scenes really captured me. Louisa Belian is back as the Lead Poppy, for more spectacular dancing. This is a great ballet for couple and ensemble dancing. The tableaus of the characters capture them and the action perfectly.

So click your heels along with Dorothy and head for Oz this weekend. Upcoming performances are 7:30 p.m. today, March 19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20.

Tickets are available in advance at Uli’s Cottontails at 800 Trinity Dr., or at the door 45 minutes prior to performance times. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and free for children age four and under.

The NMDT School is in the heart of downtown Los Alamos at 147 and 149 Central Park Square. Enrollment is always open to new students. Call 505.661.3226 or visit www.NMDT.org for more information regarding classes or the upcoming performance of “The Wizard of Oz.”