The electricity began from moment one of the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance performance Friday evening at The Touhill. With furrowed brows, chins raised and eyes cast downward in concentration, heeled shoes called out, "Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat." And with the confidant flip of a ruffled skirt, the women charged, elbows forward, "Rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat, Ha!" In response, coat-tails were flung backward to reveal the men's hands pridefully--nobly--ensconced on the hips of their high-waisted pants. Their collective heels hit the floor in a progressively faster and more complex display as the dancers' grace resolved into a puffed-chest freight-train of flamenco rhythm.

The chemistry between the dancers was palpable. Dark passion and flirty charm exchanged equally as dancers circled each other, their moves culminating in arms tossed succinctly and triumphantly in the air before resuming another impossibly beautiful combination. A rhythm that was double-timed was--seemingly beyond human capability--quadrupled. As if the energetic dancers were not (literally) breathtaking enough, less than twenty minutes into the two-and-a-half hour performance, two Spanish guitarists took the rear-stage in silhouette and the most wonderfully gravelly, mournful, haunting traditional singer you could hope for turned the fiery performance into an out and out conflagration.

St. Louis audiences have been known to treat the final curtain as a starter-pistol for a pedestrian drag-race to the parking lot. This was far from the case last night. The entire room leaped to it's feet to applaud, and whistled and howled until the stage lights fell again and the house lights illuminated. In the lobby afterwards, I passed an elderly man delivering coffee to his companion with a jaunty "rat-a-tat" of his own heels and a tickled expression on his face. There was a ripple of warm chuckles from those who passed. I think we all kind of wanted to do that.

I'd advise The Touhill get some safety-belts in preparation for tonight's performance. Members of the audience were on the edge of their seats for so long last night, I was afraid some were in danger of falling off. Saturday's evening performance is the company's last for this show. Run--do not walk--to the box office to snag a ticket. It's the best night of performance available in town and out.

(Danielle Sommer)

During yesterday's matinee performance of Billy Elliot the Musical at the Fox Theatre, I heard weeping in the seat behind me. I looked back to see tears streaming down the face of a handsome, bearded man in his fifties. As Billy took his last bow and the curtain dropped, the theatre lights slowly unveiled a crowd of people warm with the thrill of inspiration. And, to the delight of screenwriter Lee Hall, a fair number of them were men.

Billy Elliot is not only riveting in its inventive set production and impeccable choreography; it is also a great story. Set in a small town in England in 1984, the musical captures The National Union of Mine Worker's strike against the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. While the story is largely interested in the economic depravation resulting from the strike, it centers on Billy, a coal miner's son who wants to become a ballet dancer. More so than the film Billy Elliot, the theatre production focuses on the mining community: their struggle to find work, live with no hope of social mobility and, eventually, come together to send Billy to ballet school in London.

Director Stehphen Daldry teamed with Elton John, who wrote music specifically for the production. John saw the premier of the film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, and, like the sobbing audience member behind me, left the theatre deeply affected. John could relate to the elemental themes in the story (trying to be something out of the ordinary, breaking free from parents' expectations) and proposed the idea for adaptation to Daldry. Since its debut in 2005, Billy Elliot the Musical has received more than 70 awards and ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The most creative element of the production shows itself in how the rowdy, angry miners and the delicate ballerinas share the stage and the same musical numbers. In the amalgam of little girls in leotards, bawdy drinkers with protest signs, and tried, homely mothers, the message of each scene never loses its focus.  The viewer at once experiences Billy's passion for the ballet and the econmic distaster with in the mining community.

Some critics are quick to caution parents that the language of Billy Elliot the Musical is at times ribald and quite crude. It's true. But these are the voices of kids who come from a working class mining town and so, reasonably, they speak with a little edge. Despite this qualm, Billy Eliot cannot be missed. Everyone from young children to theater gurus to teary-eyed dads will love the heart, grit and passion of such a legendary performance. 

See Billy Elliot the Musical at the Fox from now until November 13, 2011. Tickets are available at fabulousfox.com

Photo credit: Michael Brosilow

Late September (and sometimes early October) always heralds the start of the new arts season.  There are Opening Nights all over town this month and there's nothing quite like the vibe of an Opening Night.  There's something just a touch glamorous, a certain spark to being there on opening night.  The artists are on their toes, the staff is eager to welcome you back, the venues are all spiffy, the performances are polished and ready to show off.  So snoop around on the ArtsZipper calendar, or take a look at the partial list below, and make plans to add an Opening to your social calendar this year.  You'll be glad you did!

• Grand Center hosts an annual party to celebrate, Dancin' in the Streets, on September 26th
• The Fox Theater opens Phantom of the Opera on September 30th
• The Saint Louis Symphony opens with Mahler 5 on September 25th
• The Sheldon opens their Jazz series on October 3rd
• The Touhill kicks off with Big Bag Voodoo Daddy on October 18th
• Lindenwood's new PAC - the J. Scheidegger Center - opens with Cats on October 9
• DanceSTL starts later, in November, with Complexions on November 6
• The Florissant Civic Center opens 09/10 with Steve Lippia as "SIMPLY SINATRA" on September 20

Sunday is Mother's Day, and while we don't really know WHY she loves you, we do know you should treat her to a day like no other. Some of St Louis' finest organizations have put together special Mother's Day events. Pick one, or more, but make your plans soon, she deserves it!

The mother of all events is the 2009 Art Fair at Laumeier. The nationally acclaimed fine art and craft fair is held annually on Mother's Day Weekend. Open all weekend, Mother's Day hours from 10am – 5pm.

Another favorite tradition at the Sheldon features one of Saint Louis' finest, Denise Thimes and Friends for the 13th Annual Mother's Day Concert. Sunday at 5:30 PM.

Craft Alliance's Mother's Day Trunk show ends May 10th and features local artists specializing in glass jewelry and botanical inspired hand painted silk scarves. Both fantastic gift ideas, buy local, support the arts, keep Mom in style.

Mom shouldn't do the cooking, so the Art Museum offers a Mother's Day brunch at Puck's from 10am – 2pm, and the weekly Family Sunday program (1-4pm in the Sculpture Hall) has been plussed up for Mom's Day with Zoo friends bringing real African animals up the hill to inspire the African Arts theme.

Lunch at Merriwether's is always a treat, and the Missouri Historical Society has added "Mother's Day with the Landolfi Quartet," on Sunday at 2pm to make it easy to take Mom to lunch and a show.

Make it an evening at The 10th Anniversary of the St. Louis Dance Festival Showcase which wraps up at the Edison on Sunday at 8pm.

For an after dinner treat, do what Mom would do - support promising young musicians with financial need. The Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (LNAC) hosts "Orchestrating Diversity" on Sunday evening at 6pm. An evening of music, chocolate and champagne includes a string quartet formed of musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a combo from Jazz Saint Louis and Eric Hall. Fine chocolate deserts, champagne and coffee included.

Maybe it's my steep history in the carnival season of Louisiana or simply the exuberant faces of the dancers on stage, but something during the performance made me want to get up and join in on the fun. The Luna Negra Dance Theater's entire performance of Latin and Caribbean influenced modern and ballet dancing communicated emotion, passion, and the sheer joy of self expression. The last number, Batucada Fantastica (1977) choreographed by Vincente Nebrada, celebrated the traditional Carnival season of Brazil with bright costumes, pleasant chaos, and spectacular energy which reminded me of my best dancing days.

When I first began to dance, I was introduced to the rigors and discipline of classical ballet training. I was taught from the tender age of four, that the stage was not a place to goof off and move in whatever fashion the music playing inspired you to. It was a place where you, as a dancer, acted as a piece of the chorographer's vision. Success was doing the exact step that you were supposed to at an exact time, with precise form and grace. It was the goal of the total production to express creativity and passion, not the individual dancers. It was not that passion and emotion were not a factor in my rigorous ballet training, but they always seemed to the wayside of technique and precision.

It was not until I met and studied under a Latin dancer, Javier Juarez, that I realized the potential of passion in dance. I learned to listen to music in whole new way. It was through my introduction to Latin dance that I learned how movement is most powerful as a personal reaction to an event or emotion.

The Luna Negra Dance Theater took this idea of portraying emotion so common in Latin dance and beautifully blended it into ballet and modern dancing. All three of the pieces they performed, "Deshár Alhát", a new piece by the dance company's founder Edwardo Vilaro, "There is a Time" by José Limón, and "Batucada Fantastic" conveyed deep emotion and energy. "Deshár Alhát" focuses on the loss and oppression of the Spanish, Moorish, and Jewish peoples. There were sharp contrasts between the different recurring motions in the piece. It seemed to highlight not only the struggles and tragedies of these peoples, but also their determination through the reoccurring repetition of some motions throughout the piece. "There is a Time" was chosen as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the creation of the piece by José Limón. It is inspired by Chapter Three of Ecclesiastes and focuses on twelve "times" or events common in life from birth through death. There are twelve dancers which represent the twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes and who move in and out of a common circle symbolizing the community present throughout time. The final piece, "Batucada Fantastica", is inspired by the Brazilian Carnival season and features the music of steel drums, whistles, and traditional cultural instruments such as the Berimbau, a simple, single string instrument commonly used to provide the music for the Afro-Brazilian art form Capoeria. The piece opened with eight energized solos and closed with one chaotic, but pleasingly so, large ensemble very reminiscent of the craziness of the New Orleans Mardi Gras that I am so familiar with. The dancers seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves during this piece, and their exuberant energy and enthusiasm seemed to make its way into the audience.

I feel that the Latin and Caribbean influences of Luna Negra have led them to perform even traditional pieces with additional emotion. There was a certain heightened energy carried throughout the entire performance, even though the emotions communicated were very different from piece to piece. There was intensity in the production that the audience could behold. I have always enjoyed watching dance where you can see joy on the faces of the dancers as they explore the music, choreography, and emotion of every movement, and this performance definitely fit that ideal. Luna Negra's performance explored nearly every emotion that can be evoked by dance in three contrasting, but very complementary pieces.