Around Des Moines

(Des Moines, IA, March 9, 2008) From a dog that brought to mind the delicateness of a china doll to a pirate that could challenge a debutante in fussiness the Iowa Dance Theatre’s performance of Peter Pan captured the audience’s imagination from the start. Peter Pan’s flying entrance was greeted with delight in the first act and with suggestions of a melodrama’s hero prior to the fight in the second act. The bawdy moves of the Lady Buccaneers, the tenderness of Wendy’s post-victory dance with Peter, and the rough and tumble style of the various boys offered something for all ages.

The music was composed by Carmen DeLeone, music director for the Cincinnati ballet. Dances were choreographed by Jill Kragie and Albert Adams. ZFX, Inc. provided the flying effects.

Jessica Polson was a steady Peter Pan. Anne Salem was a good Wendy. Emily Lyons was an enjoyable Tinkerbell. Moriah Henning’s Nana was my favorite; I do not know of any dog that turns itself around as gracefully as Henning. Mark Gruber’s dandy Captain Hook will probably stay in my mind for some time, too. Lyons performed only in the Sunday matinee. Henning danced in both the Saturday and Sunday afternoon shows.

Enthusiasm was plentiful on stage but it was obviously an amateur production. That is a critique of the time dancers had to practice and, for many of the younger performers in particular, the lack of focus on dance. Movement was not always coordinated well with the music and there were several missteps. In addition, the size of the Hoyt Sherman Place stage created difficulties during the celebration that took place onboard the pirate ship. With a large portion of the cast on stage, there just was not enough room for the dancers to move properly.

There were also plenty of things that went well. Characters flew when they were supposed to be in the air. The sharp endings of certain dances were properly snappy. Hand gestures were dramatic, especially the way Tea Feather’s Crock symbolized the demise of Captain Hook.

DeLeone’s composition distracted from the dancing at certain points. There were several places where time seemed to be passing outside of Never Never Land as indicated by ticks and tocks. However, within individual dances the score often came across as including too many figurative bells and whistles. There were also disconcerting thoughts of the soaring vistas of the Swiss Alps, i.e., The Sound of Music’s overture, evoked during Wendy’s and Peter’s pas de deux.

Iowa Dance Theatre was formed in 1982. Its publicity describes the organization as a “blend of local dancers, teachers, choreographers, volunteers and art enthusiasts who combine their talents…” It put on three performances of Peter Pan using a total cast of 85 people. The youngest dancer was 8 years old.

M.R. Field writes reviews for AroundDesMoines.com.