DANCE REVIEW : NEW JOFFREY PRINCIPALS INTRODUCED

The Joffrey Ballet introduced a quartet of new principals in the Saturday matinee performance of “La Fille mal Gardee” at the Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. Two more new principals appeared in the Saturday evening performance.

At the matinee, the doe-eyed Dawn Caccamo offered a demure and refined interpretation of Lise, little stressing the impulsive, mischievous side of the character. But she danced with impeccable technique and phrasing.

The strapping, imposing Ashley Wheater was her attentive Colas. Wheater managed the difficult lifts with ridiculous ease, but on occasion he was technically unsteady, smearing terminations and chopping up his phrases.

Neither of the two contributed much heat to the partnership.

Making his debut in the role of Widow Simone, Carl Corry offered a strong, dignified and somewhat hard-edged interpretation. Corry avoided caricature or camp but also missed a lot of the fun. Fortunately, he let himself go in the clog dance, where he was utterly secure. And if he lacked the ripe, detailed complexity of a Stanley Holden, never mind. There is time.

As Alain, Mark Goldweber created a memorable, touching portrait of an innocent soul lost in the world. Goldweber danced with such sweetness--and security--that the built-in exaggerations never made him look ridiculous. He was wonderful.

The evening performance included a new Lise and a new Alain in a cast otherwise reviewed.

Carole Valleskey’s Lise was sunny, impetuous, energetic, imaginative, her high spirits welling up in response to her Colas (Glenn Edgerton). She projected little sense of repose in her dancing, even in securely held balances. All was vibrancy, and though this quality was not wholly congruent with Edgerton’s finesse, the partnership worked splendidly because of their mutual responsiveness.

Patrick Corbin made a dreamy, poetic Alain, dancing with winsome softness yet fine technical control, seeking out affection in huggy-bear clutches, and reaching for the stars when partnering Valleskey.