{"id":32349,"date":"2022-10-16T17:28:32","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T00:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/?p=32349"},"modified":"2022-10-17T09:58:16","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T16:58:16","slug":"american-contemporary-ballet-inferno-burlesque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/american-contemporary-ballet-inferno-burlesque\/","title":{"rendered":"American Contemporary Ballet’s Inferno And Burlesque is a Ballet Treat Among Gothic Horror Themes"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 28th floor. The elevator takes me straight up. No stops. And the doors open to a mundane office hallway. Nondescript doors on both sides, illuminated by the glow of fluorescent bulbs hidden behind ceiling panels. I walk down the hallway, until the find the door I was instructed to locate. Room 2580. I try the handle, but it doesn\u2019t open. So instead, I knock. Then knock again. But no answers. Until a door behind me opens\u2014only slightly\u2014as fog rolls out and darkness hides behind. The Inferno calls my name and I follow. American Contemporary Ballet performed Inferno and Burlesque.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inferno and Burlesque are the Halloween offerings from American Contemporary Ballet<\/a>, offering an radically unique gothic horror experience from incredibly talented ballet dancers. The experience is split into three sections with brief intermissions in between. The first is Inferno, consisting of seven short vignettes following Dante\u2019s descent into Hell; the second is Burlesque, which is a unique take on a ballet inspired Burlesque show; and the final, unnamed section is a treat among the dark tricks seen prior.<\/p>\n

Inferno and Burlesque is an hour and a half in length, and has audiences seated in three rows within a fog-filled room on the 28th floor of a Los Angeles high-rise. Before the experience, the audience is encouraged to explore the space, enjoy wine, and listen to live organ music played beautifully from within the fog. Following the experience, the audience is actively invited to join the dancers in their liberation, dancing in newfound freedom, and embracing their own shadows. It\u2019s truly a Halloween treat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ACB

Photo by Asilda Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h2>\n

Inferno and Burlesque<\/h2>\n

Inferno<\/h3>\n
\"ACB

Photo by Asilda Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

With seven short vignettes mirroring the journey of Dante and Virgil, Inferno starts with a reveal that demonstrates this will be unlike any traditional ballet you are familiar with. Dancers emerge with their hair down, wild and free, they embody three beasts\u2014and they are hungry. The Leopard (Paige Wilkey), the Lion (Annette Cherkasov), and the She-Wolf (Madeline Houk) all dance across the stage with incredible precision, but also a specific untamed energy that illuminates the dancers even within the fog.<\/p>\n

This highlights one of the key aspects of this experience for me: duality. Everyone has both darkness and light in them, good and evil\u2014and a hunger exists that tempts us to sin. As dancers experience hell, they fight against this hunger and the temptations in the dark.<\/p>\n

But beyond ideas, there are also creatures that exist in the darkness, and I love that the dancers show off their technical prowess through their embodiment of the monsters of hell. The beasts dance across the stage on their toes, their hands extended up like claws, their legs spread like monstrous crab. It\u2019s delightfully frightening, especially under the red lights and low-hanging fog.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ACB

Photo by Asilda Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My favorite scene in Inferno was Act 4: Paolo and Francesca, in which two adulterous lovers writhe together in the second circle of hell. This performance feels more like theater than a ballet, as Elise Kruger emotes strongly, running across the stage, leaping into Thel Moore III\u2019s arms, then breaking free, trying to resist, only to turn and leap towards him again and again. It\u2019s heartbreaking but inspiring\u2014a forbidden love before the age of Romeo and Juliet.<\/p>\n

Yet, the centerpiece of Inferno is the reveal of Satan (Taylor Berwick) in Act 6. She arrives with long claws and wild hair, gorgeous in design, but horrifying in shadow. Ruoxuan Li and Yasamin Sarabipour outdid themselves on the costume for this as well as Roxanne Mcdanel on makeup.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_media_grid style=”load-more” items_per_page=”8″ element_width=”3″ item=”masonryMedia_SimpleBlurWithScale” btn_title=”More Haunting Pictures” btn_style=”modern” btn_color=”default” btn_size=”xs” grid_id=”vc_gid:1665977814017-7f7b4787-54aa-5″ include=”32361,32359,32358,32357,32360″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Burlesque<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ACB

Photo by Asilda Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Inferno filled the literary side of my mind, Burlesque filled the evocative. These performances showcase Lincoln Jones\u2019s expertise in conception, directing, and choreography. A leopard (Brittany Yevoli) led by Mate Szentes gains her independence as she takes her own leash and dances with it around her foot. Elise Kruger daringly enters the stage completely nude as an angelic light keeps the audience blind. Six dancers emerge, and slowly dress her in lingerie\u2014a reverse burlesque experience\u2014that is both clever and exciting to watch.<\/p>\n

Yet, my favorite of this group is Paige Wilkey\u2019s portrayal as a woman in a full latex outfit, carried out by two handlers, as she is placed on a glass board. As she squirms and writhes on the glass, every sound, every squeak, every squelch is heard to the entire audience. Two dancers emerge, to free her from her latex prison, and ultimately a dancer emerges, proud and confident.<\/p>\n

Hannah Barr finishes Burlesque as she is put under the spotlight, posing for the audience as she dances, stripping herself bare, exposing herself for the audience, giving us everything, until the elegant dress she wears is just a black spot on the floor, and Barr stands empty and hungry. It\u2019s a beautiful finale and a perfect set up for the third, unnamed piece.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_media_grid style=”load-more” items_per_page=”8″ element_width=”3″ item=”masonryMedia_SimpleBlurWithScale” btn_title=”More Haunting Pictures” btn_style=”modern” btn_color=”default” btn_size=”xs” grid_id=”vc_gid:1665977814019-61fdd726-6cb8-0″ include=”32368,32367,32366,32365,32364,32362,32355,32352,32363,32356,32354,32351,32350″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Unnamed<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ACB

Photo by Asilda Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Inferno and Burlesque does not include the name of the third section, there is one, and it\u2019s a Halloween treat. We don\u2019t want to spoil it, but it showcases the humor of Jones\u2014as well as the expectations put on these girls to be proper, and prim, and elegant. The minimal set design of a single couch is brought in\u2014as Madeline Houk, Hannah Barr, Paige Wilkey, Quincey Smith, Brittany Yevoli, and Elise Kruger are each given a moment to enter\u2014before the ending occurs in a brilliant surprise.<\/p>\n

\"ACB<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

Technical Aspects<\/h2>\n

Music<\/h3>\n

\"ACB<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brendan White, Brandon Zhou, and Daniel Gledhill add dissonant and cacophonous notes that linger in the air. The music is technically impressive\u2014but this is the soundtrack to a horror film, and not one you\u2019d listen to on its own. But accompanying the beautiful and skilled dancing on stage, the music and the ballet adds a polarity, a duality, to the experience that helps elevate both to levels unachievable on their own. Further, the dancers move to the notes played by White and Gledhill. Their movements, something jarring and sharp, add an impact to the sound that makes it even more impressive.<\/p>\n

Further, in Unnamed, Andres Arciniega and Ian Wurfl replace the piano with drums, while Michael Arrom takes to the organ to shift the feel of the prior two bites and create a certain hip vibe that only increases the tension as each actress emerges\u2014and the audience waits with bated breath for the finale to finally drop. The way Jones builds tension in this final scene, through acting and music, is truly incredible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Location<\/h3>\n

\"ACB<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the 28th floor of a high-rise overlooking downtown Los Angeles, it\u2019s the exact opposite of the depths of Hell beneath Earth\u2019s mantle. But that only further highlights the duality of the experience. A key theme here, the rows of glass windows become perfect mirrors allowing the dancers to watch themselves as shadow and light play two sides of the same coin. Further, the dull office space outside is a perfect contrast to the hidden, clandestine show happening behind closed doors. Creativity just a room away from finance. Further, on the night we experienced Inferno and Burlesque, the sky was illuminated by the lightning raging outside. It doesn\u2019t get much more beautiful than that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lighting<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ACB<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the standouts of Inferno and Burlesque is the lighting. A new lighting set up for the American Contemporary Ballet, Lighting Designers Zach Titterington and Payton Jane showcase their expertise in lighting shifts that enhance the mood and direct the gaze of the audience. The experience begins with four main lights illuminating the dancers\u2014but as the show progresses, floor lights are added in to give an otherworldly feel to the experience, a spotlight moves across the dancers creating a unique sense of urgency and dread, and finally a main backlights a briefly nude dancer creating a beautiful moment of angelic grace before she is dressed from the shadows. Bravo to this team for such expertise in lighting of this show. It is a character all in its own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/h3>\n

Inferno and Burlesque proves that American Contemporary Ballet is unafraid to take risks\u2014and showcase their technical skills in ways that are unconventional and unsettling while remaining thoughtful and evocative. This experience explored the duality in human nature, where light and dark, corporate and creative, appetite and restraint, elegance and animalistic desire all meet and create something that will haunt the minds of audiences far after they\u2019ve left the 28th floor of a corporate high-rise in download Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

For more information about American Contemporary Ballet or Inferno and Burlesque<\/em>, check out their Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and website<\/a> for information on upcoming performances. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

MORE ABOUT HAUNTING<\/span><\/h1><\/div>
[vc_empty_space height=”42px”][vc_column_text]Haunting is a resource for immersive theater and horror fans in Los Angeles and across the world, promoting art and community. Want to help us reach even more people, and get some cool perks and experiences? For as little as $1 a month, you can join our Patreon<\/a> and help us keep bringing content to life.<\/p>\n

If you like the above article and want to find more like it, make sure to join our community. If Facebook is your favorite, follow us there<\/a> and become a part of our groups for Immersive Horror fans<\/a> and\/or Immersive creators<\/a>. We\u2019re active on Instagram, posting evocative imagery and informative stories to promote our reviews and recollections; follow us there<\/a>. You can even find us on twitter; click here to follow<\/a>. And subscribe to our event calendar<\/a> to get emails for all or specific events (look for the link right under the calendar<\/a>)! Finally, we have a newsletter that comes out once a week; click here to sign up<\/a>.
\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 28th floor. The elevator takes me straight up. No stops. And the doors open to a mundane office hallway. Nondescript doors on both sides, illuminated by the glow of fluorescent bulbs hidden behind ceiling panels. I walk down the hallway, until the find the door I was instructed to locate. Room 2580. I try […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[19888,11845,80],"tags":[19891,19892,127,5689,19893,142,7837],"yst_prominent_words":[13033,313,10322,188,214],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.haunting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ACB-Season-XI-Inferno-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p89hUA-8pL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32349"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32371,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32349\/revisions\/32371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32349"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=32349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}