The highlight of An Evening of Dance & Music from the Americas last Friday night was the first performance of Little Positives to the words and music of Bob Dylan.
Danced and choreographed by Michael M. Dolan and Daphne Strothman, Irish Junior Ballet's director, Anne Campbell-Crawford, deserves congratulations for obtaining this marvellous debut by her guest artists. Dolan's height helps to accentuate the angular, dislocated movement as he and his partner dissect their relationship, casting shadows on the cyclorama as they tangle. Musical guests also delighted with fine performances of Samuel Barber's Adagio, Louis Moreau Gotschalk's Caribbean Dance by the Ottonni Brass Quintet and three Gershwin preludes played by Juliet Montague (piano) and Kevin Hanafin (saxophone). Indeed, Gershwin occupied the entire first half, with Irish Junior Ballet at its best in Joyceann Bell Straub's I Got Rhythm, finely led by Therese Schweppe with Andrew G. Johnson from the Tallahassee Ballet Company.
Johnson was joined by Shannan Colvin and Sakita Rudolph from Tallahassee in Campbell-Crawford's Tangazo to Piazzolla's score, representing Latin America, while the evening ended with an Alexandra Diana piece, Carousel, with guest Florence Vial leading the young company.