Blood, sweat and ballet

Young Chang

With police on the watch for an increase in crime during heated summer

months, the theater takes its own homicidal, suicidal and fascist turn

this week with three ballet programs at the Orange County Performing Arts

Center.

The Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company of Milan will present the

American premiere of Sylvie Guillem’s “Giselle,” as well as the

double-billing of George Bizet’s “Carmen” and the Italian ballet

“Amarcord” from Tuesday to July 15.

“We can show the company of the Scala Ballet as we are,” said Frederic

Olivieri, primo maitre (grand master) of the Teatro alla Scala, speaking

on the phone from Italy. “Traditional, classical and open on the

contemporary side.”

“Giselle” is the story of a peasant girl who stabs herself with her

lover’s sword after learning he is actually a betrothed duke. Giselle

spends eternity dancing because that’s what girls who die before their

wedding do.

“Carmen,” which features prima ballerina Viviana Durante, tells the

tale of a gypsy who, after leaving her lover for a toreador, dies by the

hand of her lover outside a bullring.

“Amarcord,” based on the 1974 Federico Fellini film, is about life in

fascist Italy.

“We wanted a traditional program to show the company in something

really dramatic and powerful like ‘Amarcord,’ to the light and

dancing-like ‘Carmen,”’ Olivieri said.

The Center is one of two places in the United States that will host

Guillem’s reinterpretation of “Giselle” -- the other being the Lincoln

Center in New York City.

Sylvie Guillem “is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, woman

dancers in the world today,” said Judith O’Dea Morr, who oversees dance

programming as executive vice president of the Center. “She’s been a

principal dancer, a star dancer, herself for a long time, and now she’s

making the transition from dancing to being a choreographer.”

Of “Giselle,” Morr expects Guillem to stay true to the story while

choreographing the moves in her usual “lyrical, exquisite” fashion.

“And that’s one of the things about classical dance,” she said. “Each

choreographer shapes it and designs it in their own creative way.”

Olivieri said he is confident of the company’s interpretations of each

of the productions. And he expects nothing short of a warm Orange County

reception.

“When a program or show company presents something with humility,

sincerity and energy, and we can make the public feel that, it surely

will be a good success,” he said.

FYI

WHAT: “Carmen” and “Amarcord”

WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday (No Thursday performance)

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

COST: $20-$80

CALL: (714) 740-7878

WHAT: “Giselle”

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and July 14; 2 p.m. on July 14-15

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

COST: $20-$80

CALL: (714) 740-7878