Summer, winter, spring, and fall, aerial is what Caroline Calouche & Co. do. As the novelty of aerial choreography has gradually worn off, following its original Cirque du Soleil éclat, Calouche & Co. have taken aerial to unaccustomed and unlikely regions, including Edgar Alan Poe and The Nutcracker when they’re in season. The troupe’s most recent experiment last weekend, Rouge, was their maiden flight in cabaret, and the slinky, sensuous, song-infused potpourri at Booth Playhouse was mostly a success.
- Photo by Theresa Browning
- Calouche & Co.’s Ulia O’Hara and Jim Reynolds on trapeze.
Abandoning plot, Calouche was able to bring far more variety to her program than usual, even delegating hosting and choreographing roles. Rachael Houdek emceed and sang, while keyboardist Ryan Stamey accompanied and sang backup. Dance spots still heavily emphasized a variety of aerial contraptions – silks, rings, bungee, and trapeze – but suddenly Calouche didn’t have to strain to connect the spots to an ongoing story, and her audience didn’t have to strain to believe there was a connection. Or wait till a flimsy plot actually resumed.
Abrupt shifts in the music were now welcome instead of jarring, with fewer obstacles standing in the way of showcasing dancing talents to their best advantage. Standouts included supple ecdysiast Ulia O’Hara and Jim Reynolds paired in a trapeze “Mambo,” Houdeck and Stamey hooked up in “Sweet Dreams,” the colored whirling “Poi” balls of Ethan Goodman, and O’Hara’s uncanny intertwinings with a simple chair as Houdek and Stamey delivered “Low Down Man.”
In an ill-advised move, Calouche fancied that she could scorch a torch song – the exact opposite of the actual outcome. But this lowlight didn’t dim the highlights of Rouge. Perhaps the most original and sensational was Shelby Scott’s acrobatics on a suspended ring during her vocal performance of “Glitter.” Unlike Calouche, who is best airborne, Scott sings even better than she soars.
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2013.
Shelby didn’t sing! You were fooled like many others. Shelby’s lip-syncing skills are amazing. And so is Rachael’s voice. Guess you didn’t recognize her voice?
They were poking fun at how pop stars easily make the audience believe they are singing when doing tons of dancing and attempts at true aerial dance.
I applaud Caroline for pushing herself to sing and not be always tagged as a dancer. It’s inspiring. Wish I could say that about this critic. When is he going to give CC&Co. a completely positive review when they deserve it?
What you think is ‘constructive’ is only mean, Mr. Tannenbaum. Charlotte is so lucky to have an amazing aerial and dance company like CC&Co. Maybe one day you will see this.
YOU ARE A FOOL!!! EVEN MY13YEAR OLD KNEW SHE WAS LIP SYNCING. WHAT ABOUT THE CHANDALIER ACT. IT WAS FANSTASTIC AND YOU DON’T EVEN MENTION IT. NEVER BEFORE SEEN AND 4 GIRLS ON ONE APPARATUS. ALL I HEARD IN THE LOBBY IS HOW GREAT THE SHOW WAS AND CAROLINE WENT ABOVE ANYTHING SHE HAS EVER DONE BEFORE. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO DID NOT ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS EVERYONE ELSE. MAYBE TIME TO RETIRE AND LET SOMEONE ELSE WHO ENJOYS AND UNERSTANDS ART WRITE REVIEWS
If all you saw in Ulia O’Hara was a “supple stripper” then you totaly missed her talent and training at the National Circus School in Montreal that was stated in the program. She trained with top professionals who’s students have gone on to perform for the best companies in the world. She learned contortion and dance trapeze as well as other circus arts with the best of the best. You clearly had your head in the gutter if all you saw was a stripper. Ulia is extremely flexible and uses this to add interest to her acts- most would see it as talent. You saw at it as stripping. Shelby did a masterful job with her lip sync and, had you been paying attention, would have realized this when the singer came onstage and made a joking comment at the end of her act. Obviously she did a great job if someone such as you was fooled! Shame on you for not being more careful and doing easy research by reading the program notes for the Rouge show. You can throw around big words in your reviews but it does not make you any more intelligent than the average person who saw this show and understood the talent for what it is.
Perry Tannenbaum is a perverted old man! How dare you call such a beautiful and skilled performer a stripper! Ulia did not deserve that. Nor did any of the rude comments you made about the other performers.
It takes tons of skill and training for them to dance on the ground and in the air. For you to not recognize and applaud this says something about you as a human being, Perry.
Creative Loafing, you should really find someone else to write reviews for dance. He doesn’t seem to care about the dance shows or has any knowledge. Bunji? A 3rd grader can write better than this.