An audience's delight
LifeChance "Gala of the Stars"
By Trisha Fickling

The audience at LifeChance January 26, 2008, went wild over the performances of Columbia's own Brooklyn Mack and sixteen- year- old Jeffrey Cirio of the Boston Ballet II.

There was a lot cheering and applauding going around Columbia Saturday night, especially from the Barack Obama supporters and the Columbia Inferno fans, but nothing could have outdone the cheers coming from the audience at the Koger Center.

Once again the vision and direction of Radenko Pavlovich, artistic director of Columbia Classical Ballet, graced the Koger Center stage and amazed its audience. Saturday night's performance of LifeChance "Gala of the Stars" featured world medalist dancers and the city's own Columbia Classical Ballet.

The annual performance of LifeChance is always a magnificent display of dance at its finest, but what made 2008's performance extra special was the return of three Columbia natives, Sarah Hairston, Brooklyn Mack ,and Cooper Rust. Hairston and Rust both received training from the legendary Ann Brodie.

InAct I a musical score composed by John Adams was the backdrop for guest choreographer

Rick McCullough's Exception to the

Corollary. The contemporary piece, illustrated with angular shapes and innovative sequences, was performed flawlessly by Columbia Classical Ballet dancers. McCullough's precise, energetic, and clear technique presented in this 28- minute performance exemplified the amazing talent of the members of the Columbia Classical Ballet.

Tomoko Takahashi, a new rising star of Columbia Classical Ballet, was brilliant, dancing with exquisite quality proving she definitely has an excellent future in ballet. Talin Kenar, who is in her third season with the Columbia Classical Ballet, was an exciting one to watch with her seemingly endless extension and beautiful arabesque.

Multiple pirouettes, grand jetes and tour en l'airs performed by the visiting guest artists continued to delight the audience during the second half of the program. Crowd favorites were Boston Ballet II's Jeffrey Cirio, Orlando Ballet's Brooklyn Mack, and Cincinnati Ballet's Adiarys Almeida and Joseph Gatti.

The youngest performer of the night, Cirio, 16, danced with the energy of a small child but with the poise and confidence of a seasoned principal dancer. Cirio showed his diverse range of talent by performing three variations, including the classical Flames of Paris, the contemporary Echoes, and the whimsical Harlequinade.

Columbia native and former Pavlovich student Brooklyn Mack wowed the audience with his incredible athletic ability. Each time he performed a barrel jump, sissonne or coupe jete en tournant, Mack seemed to hang suspended in the air for a second or two before he landed, only to rebound into the air with the same agility and stamina as he did the first time.

Completing Saturday night's performance was the breathtaking performance of the Le Corsaire pas de deux danced by Adiarys Almeida and Joseph Gatti. The pair performed beautifully together, commanding attention from the audience with their stage presence and talent. Gatti's powerful grand jetes and grand pirouettes kept the audience holding its breath and wanting more. Never rushing through the choreography, Almeida executed each step with technical precision, and as she performed her unfaltering fouettes, she seemed to achieve perfection.

LifeChance was sponsored by the city of Forest Acres and Fisher Communications and is one of the outreach programs of Columbia Classical Ballet. LifeChance benefitted The Ronald McDonald House this year. Each year the Columbia Classical Ballet recruits the most talented performers around the world and brings them to our community to help children and for our enjoyment. It is definitely an event everyone wants to put on their calendar next year. Members of the Columbia Classical Ballet performing were Christin Arthur, Oliver Béres, Journy Wilkes- Davis, Renata Franco, Waldilei Gonzales, Talin Kenar, Balázs Krajczár, Ekaterina Kuzhnurova, Peter Matkaicsek, Igor Medvedev, Yarolslave Medvedev, Adam Schiffer, Devin Sweet, Tomoko Takahashi, Karoi Yanagida, Miriam Golomb, Jessica Grimes, and Kasey Sandifer. Guest artists were Jonathan Stiles, Martha Chamberlain, Cooper Rust, Jeffrey Cirio, Brooklyn Mack, Sarah Hairston, Zack Grubbs, LIa Cirio, Sam Shapiro, Grigori Arakelyan, Jessica Sibley, Adiarys Almeida, and Joseph Gatti.