An art-filled office found a perfect complement in the artistic moves of Portland Ballet dancers during Thursday night’s Bubbly & Ballet party. The gathering took place in Pierce Atwood’s new headquarters in a refurbished warehouse overlooking Portland Harbor. On the top floor is a conference center — a brick and glass filled space decorated with Angela Adams rugs and original works from Maine artists — that does double duty as a stylish cocktail party venue.
Yosaku’s sushi and artfully carved fruit cups plus sparkling wine and the music of Flash Allen helped attract 150 guests to the event. Party guests also enjoyed photos shot by Arthur Fink in the Portland Ballet studio and the “Who’s Your Dancer” photographic series by board member Stuart Nudelman.
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One of the most exciting features of the party was the sneak peek of the company’s upcoming performance of “Giselle.”
Megan Buckley, Debs Grammatic, Ashton Plummer and Caroline Shelton all danced brief excerpts from the ballet and garnered much praise from the enthusiastic crowd of supporters.
“My daughter looks up to these dancers,” said Rebecca Bolduc, whose 12-year-old daughter Alexis studies at Portland Ballet. “They’re good role models.”
And also dedicated workers.
“Behind the closed door it’s a very hard, physical job,” CORPS Director Sasha Yapparov told the crowd.
“It’s a big undertaking,” dancer Jen Jones told me when I asked her about “Giselle.” “But it’s such a wonderful ballet. We’re so excited to be pulling it together.”
There are two casts for “Giselle” and Jones and Buckley both will dance the lead role in alternating performances.
Portland Ballet first performed “Giselle” three years ago.
“This is the most romantic of the classic ballets,” Genie O’Brien, the ballet’s artistic and executive director, told me. “It’s fun to bring it back with a different crew.”
Derek Clifford, who will dance the part of Wilfrid, says the ballet has “something for everyone. It’s very traditional, with all the elements of classical ballet. There are more theatrical scenes as well, with a lot of storytelling ballet.”
Agreeing that audience members need not be ballet aficionados or familiar with the performance to enjoy it, dancer Morgan Sanborn told me “it’s pretty much a fairy tale story so it’s easy to follow.”
Sanborn and Mary Hussey Stride have both been cast in the role of the evil Wili Queen Myrtha. O’Brien pointed out to me that the phrase “it gives me the willies,” derives from “Giselle.” In the performance, Myrtha and the other Wilis (pronounced willies) are the vengeful spirits of young women who died before their wedding days and now rise up in the dark of night to tempt young men to their deaths. We can look forward to a Wilis dance that will be both beautiful and creepy.
“Portland Ballet really is one of the jewels of the state,” board member Nudelman told me. “They put in so much effort.”
Commenting on the 20 years he’s been following the work of the company, Nudelman added, “they have really advanced fantastically to be a world-class operation.”
The caliber of the outfit is reflected by the invitation the ballet received to perform “Giselle” at the Imperial Theater in St. John, New Brunswick, on March 31.
But for those of us in Maine, there’s no need to travel to Canada to see the show. Performances take place March 17 and March 24 at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center.
Not only does the arts center boast a 1,000-seat theater in a LEED-certified building, but as O’Brien told the crowd, it also offers that elusive amenity known as free parking.
Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:
akamila@pressherald.com
Twitter: AveryYaleKamila
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