Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending Citie Ballet's Les Demoiselles de la Nuit the "Damsels of the Night" - A charming story about a seamstress that falls for a musician, who in turn is smitten with a white alley cat. ...yes!!Those with good taste in dance filled the theatre of the Timms Centre for the Arts to be treated by an outstanding performance. The piece had not been performed since 1948 , and was originally written as a tragedy, but re-conceptualized as a comedy for Citie Ballet.
The curtain drawn, I was enamoured by the warm inviting stage -- A full radiant moon hung low to silhouette a quiet city terrace, and with the opening portrayal of a love-struck seamstress I was whisked away to the rooftops of Paris. The lighting and simple elegance of the set complimented the graceful, embodied movements of the local dancers.
There was a gravity in their repose, I pulled from the shadows to luminous creative admiration. Their disciplined form lead me through a full range of emotions --- I awed as a witness to charged, masculine expression and cheered as soft femininity eclipsed more "catty" interactions.
Each character was delightful and engaging -- they told the story through their eyes. I heard someone in the crowd remark "I've never seen such a convincing cat!", and though the movements were quite animal, the ballet troupe conveyed something very human to me that night. Something just for me, I bought the ticket ;)
Check them out with me next season! We are blessed to have locals with such dedication to the art, and originality.
http://www.citieballet.ca/
I have been enjoying Citie Ballet performances for some years now. They really push the limits of what i used to think of as ballet, and I love their productions. Thank you for this review. By the way, that convincing cat is my niece, Danica Smith. We are very proud!
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