Playful and upbeat, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ opens Carolina Ballet’s spring performance

The Carolina Ballet held an opening night for its spring 2024 show kickoff Thursday, Feb. 1, at Fletcher Opera Theater with “Rhapsody in Blue,” an upbeat, swingy ballet in defiance of a slow-paced ballet standard.

With three parts to the performance, “An American in Paris,” “Gershwin Shorts” and a finale of “Rhapsody in Blue,” George Gershwin’s hybrid jazz-classical tunes made for lively dancing reminiscent of musical theater.

Zalman Raffael, the artistic director and CEO of Carolina Ballet and choreographer of “Rhapsody in Blue,” said he reworked the ballet from a prior iteration he had created for this season’s production.

“In this reiteration, I have tried to capture the jazzier elements that are reminiscent of a city as well as the music’s exhilarating, heart-beating romantic pulse,” Raffael said in the program. 

And romantic it was — with jeweled costumes, tulle and pas de deux galore, “Rhapsody in Blue” conveyed the heart-skipping feeling of falling in love under city lights in the dead of night.

In the opening act of “An American in Paris,” dancers donned costumes of classic French color palettes and transported the audience to the golden era of Paris. 

Amy Hall Garner, a Carolina Ballet resident choreographer and choreographer of “An American in Paris,” honed in on the romantic undertones of Paris through the ballet.

“This is a ballet set in the idea of theater with the essence of entertainment,” Garner said in the program. “While there is no set storyline, I wanted to evoke the feel of the music, human sensibility and the connections between the dancers on stage. You will experience a day in Paris through this ballet, giving a tour of the feelings of radiance and romance.” 

“Gershwin Shorts,” the second act of the ballet, presented seven storybook acts with contrasting musical tempos, creating a varied experience that kept the audience on their toes.

The first two opening acts of “Gershwin Shorts” dealt with the relationship between human personality and style. 

“Renegade Tutu,” an act with music from Gershwin’s “Etude 1,” told the story of a ballerina who is enticed by a bright purple tutu. Mulling over whether or not to wear the tutu, she puts it on, which leads to an unexpected personality change betraying her innocent persona for a more risque, liberated one. 

“Transformative Tux,” the second act in “Gershwin Shorts,” uncovered a man's desire to wear an opulent, confidence-boosting tuxedo.

Proceeding acts in “Gershwin Shorts” dealt with love and relationships. The act “Library Lullaby,” with Gershwin’s “Lullaby for Piano” as the soundtrack, unveiled the good, the bad and the ugly chapters of a librarian’s dating adventures — some of which were with a country club jock, a leather-clad bad boy and, eventually, the nerdy bookworm with an unrelenting obsession for the librarian who she ends up finding love with.

Displaying complex emotions that are coupled with love, “Midnight Memory,” the dance of a back-and-forth, sultry midnight romance complimented the slower, striking tempo of Gershwin’s “Etude 2,” transporting the viewer to a place of forbidden romance, adding contrast to the lighthearted jazziness of the other acts.

After a more serious dance, ballet dancers ditched their pointe shoes and opted for jazz booties and top hats for the “Soft Shoe Shuffle,” which was a duet performed to Gershwin’s “Walking the Dog,” a playful, syncopated tune that created amusement among audience members. 

“Gershwin Shorts” closed with “Renegade Tutu 2,” in which the daring ballerina’s tutu is snatched from her, and “Recap Rag,” starring the full cast for a lighthearted end to the variety of emotions displayed throughout the acts.

A sea of dancers dressed in blue met the stage for the closing act of “Rhapsody in Blue,” a classic, energetic and swingy end to Gershwin’s trifecta.

“Rhapsody in Blue” will show at Fletcher Opera Theater until Feb. 18. Tickets for college students start at $10.