Miami City Ballet Makes ‘Jewels’ Glisten

On days when the news is almost all harrowing, there’s a lot to be said for encountering the securely interlocking structures and radiant beauty of Balanchine ballets. Often credited with capturing the vigor and optimism of America, while retaining the haunting elegance of imperial Russian classicism, George Balanchine was a choreographer who courted transcendence--and often delivered.

Miami City Ballet served Balanchine’s legacy well Friday night with the first of two performances of the evening-length ballet “Jewels” at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Rarely seen in its entirety outside New York (and filmed only in bits for the “Balanchine Celebration” video collection), this plotless 1967 ballet has three sections named for gemstones--”Emeralds,” to music by Gabriel Faure, “Rubies” to Stravinsky and “Diamonds” to Tchaikovsky. It was supposedly inspired by Balanchine’s encounter with sparkly things at the famous jewelers Van Cleef & Arpels.

The fact that there were potential advertising tie-ins didn’t hurt either (an L.A. jeweler advertised here beneath the program notes): For a man who came from a tradition of choreographers who served at the pleasure of the czars, the combination of fortuitous sponsorship and great works of art wasn’t unusual.

Nineteen years after Balanchine’s death, the real star of “Jewels” is still his choreography, which makes the music physical and asks dancers to find the balance between steely control, bold pacing and rhapsodic leaning. Although the soloists of Miami City Ballet didn’t always have the authority they needed (several looked worried too often), they were never less than secure technically, and each had evocative moments.

In “Emeralds,” Mary Carmen Catoya’s lyrically unfolding arms traced romantic wreaths around her body; and in the regal “Diamonds,” Iliana Lopez caught a few balances in arabesque that hung in the air like a benediction. Lopez’s version of a princess seemed very approachable because of her ability to combine serenity and vibrancy. Her partner, Franklin Gamero, carried off his serious spins in second position well, but the carat power in this section really belongs to the ballerina.

“Rubies,” on the other hand, needs a puckish athleticism from its male lead, a role originated by the company’s artistic director, Edward Villella. Eric Quillere didn’t fill Villella’s slippers completely, but he had a strongly buoyant attack and fared well in his one “spin like a top” exit. He provided dexterous support for the appealing Jennifer Kronenberg, whose flirty brio and articulate angle-making were infused with neoclassical verve.

The clip-clop of shiny new pointe shoes, so often a feature of ballet today, was absent with Miami City Ballet--either a result of felicitous acoustics at Royce Hall (the taped score sounded clear and robust but not loud enough to drown out footfalls) or the feather-light skills of the dancers. Oddly, though, the vividly bedecked costumes (by Karinska, re-created by Haydee Morales) occasionally made too much noise; in the romantically sweeping “Emeralds,” a rustle of tulle seems appropriate, but not the rattle of stage jewelry.

In “Diamonds,” however, the corps not only looked stunning in skirts of diaphanous white tulle, but they also set the majestic tone with composure and ineffable grace. By the piece’s end, 17 couples almost overwhelmed the Royce stage, but it was a spirited gathering worth squeezing in.