Ballet Nacional de Colombia Whips Up Spirited Program

Offering a canny blend of folkloric traditions and show-dance salesmanship, Ballet Nacional de Colombia appeared at the Universal Amphitheatre on Sunday, rousing a partisan audience to near delirium.

Everyone seemed to enjoy even the accidents--the man who split his pants at the crotch in the flirtatious duet “Pasillo Elegante Tradicional,” the woman who gyrated out of her top in the galvanic trio “Danza Negra: Abozao.” And in the “Mercado Campesino” ensemble at the end of the evening, the impersonation of “Cafe de Colombia” symbol Juan Valdez earned almost as much applause as the moment when the masked dancer playing Valdez’s burro fell off the stage.

Founded 28 years ago by Sonia Osorio, the company provides a glimpse of ancient Colombian cultures and a more extended view of the Indian, African and Spanish influences shaping national identity. Classical ballet steps sometimes turn up in the strangest contexts, and the very young dancers are only occasionally comfortable with the difficult and sometimes outlandish lifts inserted into nearly every piece on the 19-part program.

Theatricalization reaches its zenith in “Mapale: La Orgia de los Cuerpos,” identified in one of the few English-language announcements as a “modern dance” adapted from an ancient fishing ritual. With the men stripped down to little more than a few strategically placed seed pods and the women wearing native-style bikinis ornamented by huge grass bustles, the full 26-member ensemble moves through geometric formations, quasi-copulatory poses and, of course, lifts--always wildly shaking their bustles or pods to the accompaniment of fabulous African-style percussion.

In “Jaropo Llanero,” the ensemble tackles another style entirely--one transplanted from Spain to the Colombian western plains--and forsakes the barefoot expression of most of the program for heeled shoes (the women) and boots (the men). Wearing white shirts and cowhide chaps over their pants, the nine men strike those boots with their riding crops, stamp rhythmically and do twisty leaps while the nine women swirl their full skirts, catching the lilt of music dominated by a rippling folk harp.

Placed on the sides of the stage, the musicians provide a refuge of professionalism whenever the dancing grows sloppy or cutesy. (Osorio evidently prizes stolen kisses almost as much as lifts.) This is not a company that can match the dancing prowess or choreographic distinction of its counterparts in Mexico City and Havana but it beats Santiago and Rio in its respect and affection for the forms it adapts--plus its willingness to allow its dancers to remain individuals dancing for pleasure rather than a faceless, manipulated corps. No further performances are scheduled.