Ballet Hispanico Burns EGG with fiery 'Carmen'

Ballet Hispanico New York dazzled audiences at The Egg on Friday night with its "CARMEN.maquia."

Ballet Hispanico New York doesn’t ignite fire, this company is fire.

That was clear at the very first steps of this revered ensemble’s rendering of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s “CARMEN.maquia” of Friday night at The Egg. Amir J. Baldwin as the obsessed Don Jose trained all eyes on his every move – a solitary figure contorting in torture.
 
And it goes from there – passionate, feisty, humorous and touching -- this “Carmen” remake left its mark. Set to snippets of Bizet’s iconic opera score as well as the composers other works, including parts of the second movement from “Symphony in C,” this version seared souls with a clarity and commitment to the flawed characters and their tragic tale.
 
As many know, “Carmen” is a story of clashing emotions. Lust and love spar with duty and fidelity – and in the end Carmen is dead and her lover imprisoned. It also leaves one a widower and another betrayed.

Amanda Ostuni dances the role of Carmen with requisite sass and insouciance – as seen in the sway of her hip and command of all the men who devoured her with their eyes. She toyed with Don Jose as he held her in jail – running her fingers down his back and pinching his buttock — until he succumbed to her seduction.
 
Their duet, at the end of the first act, was intense. He held her aloft, his face buried in her core as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. And then there was their encounter, at the end, when she died. It was preceded by an equally provocative physical struggle – he aggrieved and begging for her return. She, with a flick of her finger, stood her ground with a firm no.

Don Jose’s rival Escamillo was danced with telling tensile conceit by Dylan Dias McIntrye. Don Jose’s betrothed, Micaela, as danced by Francesca Levita, was delicate in her entreaties for Don Jose to return to her.
 
However, Escamillo and Micaela were one-dimensional. And to some extent, so was the title character, Carmen.  “CARMEN.maquia” belonged to Don Jose whose journey from indifference to Carmen to all-consuming fatal attraction to ultimate despair captured the imagination.
 
While many story ballets have their dull moments – mainly those in between were mime takes over for dance -- there were none in “CARMEN.maquia.” The streets scenes were alive with soldiers and workers – many of whom were enchantingly gossipy – fueling the conflict.

Furthermore, the sets by Luis Crespo were light and moveable with gray, black and white screens – of abstract images – that helped to shield the behind-the-scenes transitions.
 
Together, they made “CARMEN.maquia” a thoroughly enjoyable and emotional experience that is worth seeing again.
 
On another note, the decades-old Ballet Hispanico, founded by Tina Ramirez and now directed by Eduardo Vilaro, hasn’t been seen in this region for several years. It’s appearance on Friday night was important as it was the first show to open The Egg in 1978. Thus, it was fitting to usher for the presenters to host its glorious return to the newly renovated theater.

But another showing at The Egg is unlikely. It appears the theater is focused on staging music and comedy. Dance is vanquished as it has been in many other theaters. The reason? Producers say it’s too expensive and no one wants to see dance. No one wants to see dance because no one is exposed because few theaters are willing to stage it. It’s a chicken-egg problem.
 
And with public funding for all arts contracting, once again, it’s unlikely presenters will make the effort to gamble on dance. But judging by Friday night’s showing, dance is a safe bet. And companies like Ballet Hispanico are ensuring that.