Olivia Barone
Managing Editor
The State Ballet of Rhode Island (SBRI) dazzled RIC guests last Saturday with a twist on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The iconic comedy, rewritten into a ballet in 1962, was performed on the Sapinsley stage by a troupe of talented Rhode Island dancers, including some RIC students. The audience was invited to join King Oberon, Queen Titania and Puck amidst their mischief, and encouraged to sink into a world of magic and music.
SBRI was founded by Herci Marsden: a Prima Ballerina and immigrant who established her company in 1960, namely the first established classical ballet company in Rhode Island. Her repertoire is impressive, highlighting her involvement as a leading dancer at the New York World’s Fair and Eastern States Exposition, St. Louis Municipal Opera and the First Performing Arts Festival. Most notably for SBRI, Marsden led her dancers to tour Croatia in 1970 per invitation by the Yugoslavian government. It was an honor to have SBRI perform on the RIC stage.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opened in a misty forest lit by fireflies. The audience, surrounded in their seats by flickering lights, was met with two pairs of lovers: Hermia (Samantha Irons), Demetrius (Corey Kostacopoulos), Helena (Ashley Harrington) and Lysander (Jaydon Geyer) deep in a four-sided lover’s quarrel. Meanwhile, the King and Queen of the faeries, Titania (Charlotte Gongoleski) and Oberon (Josh Thake) fight over a small changeling child. But both plots go awry when Oberon’s faithful sidekick Puck (Taegan Moran), unleashes a love potion on not only the four lovers, promptly complicating their affairs, but Titania, who finds herself infatuated with a rather elegant donkey.
The ballet conveyed Shakespeare’s original narrative without dialogue, instead utilizing classical music and dance. It was up to each dancer, in combination with the track, to emote the story via their bodies, making for some equally beautiful and comedic moments. Each character’s personality shone, especially Puck’s, whose wit was emulated in each of his dancer’s leaps and bounds. Or Oberon, who strutted and spun across the stage like royalty.
I was fortunate to attend SBRI’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with my mom, a former ballerina, dance teacher and RIC alumni who was ecstatic to be returning to RIC to support the artform she loves. She applauded SBRI’s cast of talented dancers, from its leading roles to its smallest parts. Even I, a ballet school dropout, grew fascinated with ballet as a narrative medium.
RIC students are encouraged to keep an eye out for upcoming performances on the Sapinsley stage in order to connect with and support local talent. But stay cautious, for you never know when a faerie might be near with a trick up his sleeve.
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