Ballet San Jose review: surprising turns

For better or worse, the recent revisions in leadership at Ballet San Jose have meant a redefinition of the company's identity, but promising, even surprising performances buttressed Ballet San Jose's mixed repertory program of company premieres this past weekend at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

George Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" is, on balance, a sound addition to the company's repertoire - the kind of ballet that makes a good company stronger, even as it appeals to the audience.

There was plenty of brio from Friday night's cast, although for all the pep onstage, only a couple of the dancers looked comfortable enough to enjoy the luscious phrasing of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto - unfortunately danced to a noticeably poor-quality recording.

In the ballerina role, Junna Ige seemed nervous and tightly wound, resulting in careful, though nimble, pointework when you longed for her to give more amplitude to her steps to fill out the musical phrases and really make the choreography sing. By contrast, her partner Maykel Solas struck an appealing balance between buoyant enthusiasm and gallant partnering, often looking like he wanted nothing more in the world than to set her at ease.

Ballet San Jose review: surprising turns