DANCE REVIEW : ‘Moondance’ Choreographer Steps In

Three days after its world premiere at the Wiltern Theatre, John Selya’s ballet “Moondance” boasted an unscheduled new lead on Saturday: Selya himself.

Dancing on a previously reviewed American Ballet Theatre mixed bill, corps member Selya replaced injured company principal Johan Renvall at both Saturday performances, with company ballet master David Richardson appearing in Selya’s previous (non-dancing) role of the Viking.

Distinctively chunky and boyish, Selya expertly met the bravura challenges of his choreography, especially the high-velocity multiple turns with unexpected points of termination. He also sensitively partnered Amanda McKerrow in the delicate “Pastoral” duet that ends the ballet. A solid, appealing performance.

Actress Carol Kane deftly narrated “Peter and the Wolf” twice Saturday, working in the evening with the original principals of this two-week-old Michael Smuin charade and in the afternoon with a brand-new, tame-and-tentative group led by Robert Wallace and Robert Conn in the title roles. (Only at the matinee, incidentally, did Kane apologize for insulting the oboist by saying, “I didn’t write this stuff.”)

Since the guest narrator matters more than any individual dancer in this “Peter and the Wolf,” Ballet Theater has gone celebrity-hunting with a vengeance. Movie reviewers Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert are scheduled to co-narrate one upcoming Chicago performance. Can Liz and Larry be far behind?