firebird
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Washington, DC, May 21, 2003Last night at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem presented "Classically American," directed by Arthur Mitchell. "Classically American" is an arrangement of four ballets that were choreographed by four different Americans over the each of the past four decades. The first is Michael Smuin's 2002 "Stabat Mater," which is inspired by many compositions that have depicted the sorrow and suffering of Mary as she watches the death of her son on the cross. The second ballet is Loyce Houlton's "Wingborne," which was first performed in 1971. The third ballet is 'The Prodigal Son," choreographed by George Balanchine in 1995. The final ballet is John Taras's "Firebird," which had its world premiere in 1982.
While all of the pieces were impressive and featured first-rate performances, "Firebird" was the most expressive and powerful. In a dense and arcane forest, a young man is hunting. He sees a fiery light that sweeps the air and suddenly turns into the glittering image of a firebird, which is part magical bird and part beautiful woman. The firebird dances for the young man and then takes a feather from her breast...