Intensity, whimsy meet at NCDT
Ballet keyed to music of Gershwin follows one with more classic roots
STEVEN BROWN

George Balanchine's "Who Cares?" transports tutus, pirouettes and pointe shoes into the glittery world of George Gershwin's Broadway. Dwight Rhoden pushes the trappings of classical ballet still further from their roots in his "Momentary Forevers." I wonder what it would be like to see Balanchine's classic and Rhoden's new work performed in that order.

N.C. Dance Theatre puts Rhoden first in its performances this weekend and next. The lights go up on the tall, slim Kara Wilkes at center stage, wearing a space-age twist on a tutu: an orange-striped piece that sticks straight out for most of the way around her waist, but droops away at the left.

She's behind a shiny frame that fills most of the stage's height. David Ingram, in skin-tight orange pants, stands before the frame, then steps through to join Wilkes. Three more couples clad much the same way are dispersed behind them in the shadows.

At first glance, it may look like Rhoden is returning to the surreal world of his "Artifice," the circusy piece he introduced last fall. But I don't think that's really what he has in mind. His program note says his new work "looks at the brief instances in the course of a life that are fleeting, yet seem to have an indelible permanence." To me, it describes that central couple -- who launch the piece with a tense duo -- and how their relationship affects the others.

Whatever the meaning, "Momentary Forevers" is the most rooted in classical style of any of Rhoden's recent creations. There's more to this than the women's neo-tutus and pointe work. Amid the interweaving limbs, flexing backbones and other ingredients in Rhoden's usual highly charged language, that opening duo and later ones hark back to traditional pas de deux -- even the familiar move of having the man hold his partner by the waist and turn her.

I have a hunch that viewers would be better primed for Rhoden's ballet-with-an-orange-twist if they were warmed up by seeing Balanchine play around with classicism first.

Even without that, the four couples in "Momentary Forevers" create a dramatic little society. The tension of the opening scene, unfolding to the accompaniment of jangling Handel harpsichord music, sets the tone for much of the piece. When the other couples step forward, they too embody anxieties. Even in the midst of duos, the dancers sometimes focus on their own reveries and forget their partners. (Is that ever safe in a relationship?) But Rhoden does let the group find serenity later -- at least temporarily.

At Thursday's opening, Wilkes and Ingram propelled the story through their focus and intensity. Seia Rassenti and Joseph Watson had a mastery of stillness that made their tender moments hit home. Everyone was as intent with the brief lyricism as with the agitation.

Following that certainly made the whimsy of Balanchine's Gershwin romp stand out. NCDT performed a concert version of "Who Cares?" concentrating on the four soloists. Thursday's four -- Alessandra Ball, Anna Gerberich, Tracy Gilchrest and Sasha Janes -- gave it the breeziness it needs. They made the solos look easy. For the duets, Janes moved from woman to woman as the suave partner, and they complemented him: Ball with tenderness, Gerberich and Gilchrest with sparkle.

Mark Diamond ended the night with a bang with his men-vs.-women "Bolero" -- based on the Maurice Ravel music of "10" fame. Diamond left Bo Derek at the beach and took his cue from the bolero's Hispanic origins.

The curtain rose to reveal dozing men in sombreros. It took the bare-midriffed women a lot of doing to rouse them. Once that happened, the dancers threw themselves into the action -- and sometimes at each other.

N.C. Dance Theatre

The company performs works by Dwight Rhoden, George Balanchine and Mark Diamond.

WHEN: 8 p.m. today, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and next Saturday.

WHERE: Booth Playhouse, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St.

TICKETS: $27-$69.

DETAILS: 704-372-1000; www.ncdance.org