Throughout the evening, magnetic performances by the corps elevated each ballet, building a foundation on which one or two outstanding featured dancers could dynamically emerge. In the first ballet of the evening, Christensen’s “The Firebird,” principal dancer Katlyn Addison was this artist. 

“The Firebird” tells the story of Prince Ivan Tsarevich (Hadriel Diniz), who discovers a beautiful creature, the Firebird (Addison), while trespassing in the garden of the evil King Kostchei (Dominic Ballard). In Ballet West’s production, Addison’s Firebird, bolstered by a corps of dancing princesses and Kostchei’s grotesque minions, reigned supreme. Her fast, fluttering bourrées were complemented by a powerful, wing-like port de bras, imbuing her with the formidable and beautiful aura of the titular character. When she entered, answering Ivan’s call for help, it was wholly believable that she could make the entire stage freeze with the execution of a commanding sous-sus. In this moment, it was not the virtuosity of the step—which is one that is practiced by even the most fledgling of ballet dancers—but rather the way Addison executed the sous-sus, with an understated yet undeniable power, that spoke volumes.  

Although “Firebird” was the only narrative ballet of the evening, it was easy to get swept up in the quality of the dancing, letting the story become secondary. Addison and Diniz have a palpable onstage chemistry, with a natural, flowing way of partnering one another. And the corps formed shifting tessellations and patterns on the stage, making visual delectation the focus.