6 ARTS Friday, July 20, 1984 Page 12 The Michigan Daily Villella gives a 'self indulgent' performance By Pete Williams T ODAY MARKS the end of Edward Villella's week-long visit to Ann Arbor. And after participating in three ballet performances and 10 masters' classes, it reasons that he is ready to go. Although Tuesday's performance by Villella and company had its faults, as did their closing night on Wednesday, both productions were an excellent example of American choreography performed by professional ballet ar- tists. The dancers were right on the mark on Tuesday. The leaps and lifts were awe-inspiring. The graceful movemen- ts and pure skill of the company com- plimented the piped-in musical arrangments, and Villella's personal touch - such as offering the audience educated explanations and impromtu introductions - made the whole thing worthwhile. Criticism is in order, however, for Tuesday night's performance at the Power Center. Ignoring the fact that George Balanchine's pas de deux to John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Premier American ballet artist Edward Villella and bsllerina Sheri Little show their graceful abilities in Wednesday's performance of The Waltz Project at the Power Center. Forever inherently is at best, overly patriotic, and at worst, blatantly corny, Roseanne Germer and Oswaldo Muniz could have done a bit more justice to Balanchine's arrangement. In short, Muniz was unclear in his movements. It was hard to tell what was choreography and what was a dancer's compensation for his partner's inadequacies. Germer and Muniz made up for Tuesday with Wednesday's Stars and Stripes. What was seen as a low point in the company's performance on Tuesday turned into a showcase for two talented young dancers on Wednesday. Muniz took command of the stage with a rehearsed "proud to be an American" attitude and dazzled with a series of powerful leaps and movemen- ts. Germer's performance on Wed- nesday also seemed to be a much ap- preciated over-compensation for her previous performance. This time, she seemed to take advantage of the in- novation and glamour of Balanchine's work. That was the rule on Wednesday: Make up for what was lost in the previous night's performance and ignore what went well. The rule had one exception - Edward Villella. The retired dancer, in what he admit- ted was a self-indulgent move to regain the spotlight, showed the audience in a tailor-made performance of The Waltz Project just what 25 years in the New York City Ballet can do. Villella's manager, Marcia Preiss, put it best in her assesment of Villella the dancer. "Now he doesn't have to worry about technique. There are no tricks, it's just pure graceful movement." Villella didn't jump 10 feet in the air or do any of the moves commonly con- sidered to be mortally impossible - things he was once famous for. What he did was to deliver a study in grace and beauty in ballet that was tree from the constraints of less experienced dan- cers. It was, in essence, pure dance. Paula Manso de Sousa, on the other hand, dazzled the crowd with his supreme agility and exciting dance. He did unmistakeably jump up 10 feet during his performance of Tarantella. Either modesty or jealousy would not permit Villella to disclose whether he or his current protege was the better Tarantella. Villella premiered that par- ticular piece with the New York City Ballet in 1964. Manso de Sousa considers himself priviledged to be working with a man famous for his role in Tarentella, but he said that, asa practice, Villella is not one to mince words during a rehearsal. "The first time you try something, he likes to see it right," Manso de Sousa said. "Then after you've done it once or twice, he wants it clear. The third or fourth time, he wants it perfect." And Villella's background in Taren- tella seems to have paid off for these . See VILLELLA, Page 16 0 0 0