In San Diego Ballet’s new production of “Carnival of the Animals,” there is a lion, a tiger and lots of ‘Oh, mys!’
Though artistic director Javier Velasco has staged the kid-friendly ballet for nearly two decades, the version he’ll present on Saturday is geared for grown-ups.
“There’s nothing wrong with doing a children’s show,” Velasco said. “But I wanted to present the choreography in such a way that the audience appreciated what the dancers were doing.”
For starters, Saturday’s performance opens with “Tangata,” a trilogy of works that combine the sensual tango, a dance that evolved from its beginnings in brothels and bars, with the elegance of classical ballet.
“Tangata” will be performed to music by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. Interestingly, Piazzolla was quoted as saying “For me, tango was always for the ear rather than the feet.”
“He felt that he was writing music to be played by orchestras and he wanted it to be taken seriously,” Velasco explained. “I thought, that makes sense to me. He wanted a heightened version of the tango and that’s what we are doing.”
San Diego Ballet received funding from the National Endowment of the Arts for commissioning a local artist to compose new music for next weekend’s performance.
“Carnival of the Animals,” the second part of the show, will be accompanied by an original Latin jazz score from trumpeter and resident composer Gilbert Castellanos, who will perform on stage with his band.
Originally choreographed in 2003 by Christopher Wheeldon for the New York City Ballet, “Carnival of the Animals” tells the story of a young boy who falls asleep at the American Museum of Natural History and dreams of people he knew as animals.
A humorous, classical score by Camille Saint-Saëns accompanied the story and youngsters were charmed by dancers performing in animal costumes, including a flamingo, a rhinoceros and a swan.
Velasco’s more adult version is still a lot of fun, but it takes the attention off showy costumes and, instead, alludes to the characters through movement and simpler dance attire.
At last month’s rehearsal, San Diego Ballet’s company dancers wore smiles, which disguised the effort required for Velasco’s demanding movement language.
Elena Diaz Flores is a petite, technically skilled dancer who plays the Tiger to well-muscled Marshall Whiteley’s Lion.
They held each other’s gaze in a playful pas de deux that included challenging overhead lifts. His Lion solo was additionally impressive, with a series of cabriole jumps, an athletic move where the extended legs beat together at an angle in midair.
In her role as the Flamingo, Stephanie Maiorano wears a sparkly pink bra, a pink skirt and a pink feather in her hair.
Her pas de deux with Jonas Olivera, who plays a graceful but determined Rhinoceros, is, in Maiorano’s words, “more daredevil.”
Their duet includes a treacherous move known as a fish dive.
Olivera lifts Maiorano over his head, with her legs extended, one straight, one bent at the knee, before she flips forward and drops along the length of his body.
Elizabeth Tapia performed her Crocodile role with agile jumps and pirouettes while a half dozen Fish dancers performed a frisky conga line behind her.
Sierra Crocker, a Fish dancer, said the fish costumes included fun, round eye glasses that resemble fish eyes.
For Crocker, as with many of the dancers who have performed the children’s version of “Carnival,” this is familiar choreography but with different music.
“This year, this new music is definitely more upbeat and more rooted in jazz,” she said enthusiastically.
“For me, it feels funkier than what we have done in the past.”
In the youth performances of “Carnival,” Velasco used sections of the traditional Saint-Saëns score along with a variety of popular music to accompany his choreography — a decision that was entertaining, but it lacked the cohesion and integrity he desired for this show.
The new version required composer Castellanos to create music that complemented established choreography within a specific time frame.
Castellanos composed 10 songs, but he said it wasn’t easy.
“When Javier approached me with this idea in 2023, he said that it would be based on children’s songs and the dancers had rehearsed to it already,” Castellanos recalled.
“I thought, this is really going to be great. But then I discovered this would be a huge challenge for me. I spent a lot of time with this material and I pushed myself to be creative.”
However, watching the San Diego Ballet dancers over the years gave Castellanos the inspiration and perspective he needed.
“I learned to be disciplined in of molding a tune,” he said.
“I consider the dancers to be extensions of the band. I realized that they think like a musician in of tempos and cues. I can visually imagine them doing an eight-bar phrase or a part where it’s legato, or it slows down. It’s like looking at a piece of music coming to life.”
San Diego Ballet presents: ‘Carnival of the Animals and Tangata’
When: 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
Where: Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla
Tickets: $18-$68
Info: 858-459-3728
Online: theconrad.org
