Something magical happens when you combine the work of Shakespeare, the music of Mendelssohn and the dancing artistry of Julia Ponomareva and the Dance Alive National Ballet Company.
Put them all together and you have “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The ballet is a winsome, comic fantasy and was majestically performed Tuesday evening in the Savannah Center.
Ponomareva, the Russian-born principal ballerina, was a dynamic and irresistible force on stage. She is tall, graceful, and blessed with abundant physical beauty. Ponomareva’s arms seem to gently stretch to the sky, almost matching her flawless footwork and dancing technique.
In this ballet, she plays Titania, queen of the fairies. She argues with Oberon, king of the fairies, played by Norbert Nirewicz. He is an elegant and strong dancing partner for Ponomareva. They battle over possession of a small “changeling child,” played by Allie Schofield.
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Hermia (Carla Amancio) and Lysander (Fhilipe Teixeira) are star-crossed lovers trying to join forces. But her family wants Hermia to wed Demetrius, played by Alexsey Kuznetsov.
That’s where the irascible and impish Puck, played by Douglas de Oliveira, comes in and de Oliveira infuses Puck with a glowing dose of magic. De Oliveira, muscular and athletic with a devilish grin, romped through the role with jumps, pirouettes and a powerful stage presence.
Oberon wants Puck to use a magic flower potion on Titania so she will fall in love with the first person she sees after waking up.
Puck manages to mix up his magic potion duties and that’s where the fairies, magic forest, and scorned lovers all converge in Shakespeare’s comic madness.
de Oliveira closed the first act with acrobatic and gravity-defying moves as Puck playing a confused Cupid.
Andre Valladon brought plenty of laughs playing the Nick Bottom character who finds himself turned into a donkey and dancing with the queen.
Alexsey Kuznetsov played Demetrius with exuberant power and grace, while trying to escape Puck’s spells.
The ballet’s conclusion fits Shakespeare’s words to another play, “all’s well that ends well.” The clock strikes midnight, there is a joyous wedding celebration and true love comes to all who seek it. Even Puck manages to keep things straight.
“People love this ballet because it’s so magical,” said Kim Tuttle, artistic director of Dance Alive. “It has fairies, children, magic, great costumes and wonderful music.”
Ponomareva also makes it special, showing a knack for comedy. “She has a wonderful sense of humor I would call it fey,” Tuttle said.
Maybe that’s the ingredient that makes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” such an unexplainable and enchanting production.
Judi Williams, who attended the ballet, described it best when she said, “it’s just a lot of fun.”
