Western Roundup has gone almost as quickly as it came. A pas de deux quickly pieced together in three rehearsals prior to performance actually pulled through (wipes brow nonchalantly but was rapidly crumbling on the inside).
Western Roundup-ing 🐎 😄 One weekend of shows left! 📷: @adwii213 #follow4followA photo posted by Rhiannon Pelletier (@rhiannonkpelletier) on Oct 14, 2015 at 6:10pm PDTThe review was glowing and it's always an honor to be featured in the Portland Press!"The second dance, “Western Roundup,” was a more straightforward dance number, but it appealed to a younger audience with its theme and exaggerations. Male dancers in cowboy hats stuck their thumbs in the belts as female dancers in satin dancehall dresses vied for their attention. In particularly rowdy moments, the cowboys danced with huge leaps and bravado and the girls one-upped them with dynamic spins and pointe work.
Meile’s choreography in nine sections had the full company of 19 dancers performing to traditional folk songs like “Yellow Rose of Texas” and “Don’t Fence Me In.” The stand-out duet was danced by Rhiannon Pelletier and Glenn Davis to the song “Shenandoah,” a slow lyrical dance that featured complex partnering with difficult balletic turns and balances that came off effortlessly, displaying true professional ballet grace and strength." - Jessica Lockhart with the Portland Press Herald
It's always nice to have a high-cardio and low-stress ballet to gear the company up for the Nutcracker season without wearing us down.
A long exposure shows the red curtain closing at the end of "Western Roundup" by Maine State Ballet in Falmouth. — Gabe Souza/Staff Photographer (Portland Press Herald)
