The deep purple curtains stood out against the reddish orange, textured walls of the performance hall in Indiana University’s Musical Arts Center. As the lights dimmed, a single melodic note echoed from the orchestra pit marking the start of the show.
As a girl who grew up loving ballet, admiring pointe shoes, tutus and the stories told by performers, attending the Jacob School of Music Spring Ballet on Friday was a terrific experience. While my own dance involvement ended at the ripe age of 10, watching these athletes perform took me back to those childhood dreams of prima ballerinas and mesmerizing recitals.
As the final mainstage ballet production of the 2025-26 season for the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department, it was clear the show was a compilation of the hard work of the dancers, choreographers, orchestra, costume designers and all those who worked to put the production together.
The ballet had three parts, broken up by two 15-minute intermissions.
Beginning with “Pas de Dix,” choreographed by George Balanchine, with music by Aleksandr Glazunov and staged by Kyra Nichols, the curtain lifted to reveal the dancers in a classical set reminiscent of a royal ball.
From solo performances, duets and a dance quartet, the show got off to a great start. The music was what I imagine a traditional ballet to sound like. Each dancer had time to show off their skills. Whether through a partnered segment, solo, or quartet, they demonstrated unity and strength on pointe, throughout the first act. It set the scene for a true opening using classical ballet costume and story before leading into the more contemporary acts.
The costumes for the second act, “Her Door to the Sky,” designed by Bradon McDonald, were reminiscent of blossoming flowers, with an orange base and bright colors of pink, blue and purple like petals of incoming spring flowers.
This act was inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s series of Patio Door paintings, and the scenery reflected windows through which the dancers would gaze and stretch onto the main stage. The main ballerina of this act was set apart by her costume with long sleeves and high neck compared to the short sleeves of the other ballerinas and male dancers.
The backdrop of “patio door” windows and fog created an atmosphere of misty longing on stage as it put a haze over the dancers like the mist of a rainy April day, depicting a story of athletic performance and passionate artistry.
Reflecting the overall essence of spring with its blossoms and rain, the dancers went from hopeful and lively movements to longing, slower gestures, all mirrored by the light work. This performance was marked by a feeling of reaching for each other, like flowers stretching toward the sun despite the rainy days.
“ONE,” the last ballet of the night, was choreographed by Sasha Janes. It was divided into three distinct story lines, marked by separate-colored costumes: green, purple and “ecstatic orange.”
I particularly enjoyed the ballerina solo in blue, whose story continued throughout the performance as she interacts with the various colors. From a calm and spring-like interaction with green, flowy moves with purple and the intensity of the bold “ecstatic” orange, “ONE” was a powerful cap to the night. Featuring a larger cast of ballerinas than the first two acts, I think this showcased the discipline of the department.
The third act created a story of hope and fight. The orchestra played daunting music as the orange dancers marched, pumped their fists and had an intense, almost militaristic unity to their dancing.
The main ballerina was constantly swarmed, even carried off the stage and seemingly captured by the orange dancers. However, the performance ended as she went one by one to each of the dancers, who were each gesturing with coordinated arm movements, and brought them down, pulling them each to the ground. The performance concluding as the dancers crumbled to the floor, and only the blue ballerina remained standing.
My takeaway from this act was a story of good over evil. The blue ballerina being captured, entranced and pulled by the likeminded orange, only to strike each one down, demonstrated victory over their intimidating mass mentality.
The music of the orchestra was its own masterpiece, tying together the choreography, storylines and rhythms to create a phenomenally executed ballet.
I found the show to be a performance of the mastery, hard work and talent of the Ballet Department, and I owe the performers thanks for an inspiring Friday night.
