Pas De Deux

There aren't any purple dinosaurs on skates in Dorothy Hamill's Ice Capades.Instead, like a fairy godmother, Ms. Hamill has turned the once flashy, carnival atmosphere of this popular ice show with its Las Vegas-inspired costumes into a class act with her substantive production of "Cinderella -- Frozen in Time" now appearing through Sunday at the Baltimore Arena.Local choreographer Tim Murphy, co-founder of the Next Ice Age along with Nathan Birch, have contributed their considerable choreographic talents to this delightful rendition of the beloved fairy tale.

fTCWashington Ballet to perform at GoucherThe Washington Ballet in Baltimore launches its 1991-'92 season with repertory performances Friday and Saturday nights at 8 in Goucher College's Kraushaar Auditorium. Featured will be the Baltimore premiere of Monica Levy's "Overstepping" and the pas de deux from Anthony Tudor's "The Leaves are Fading." The revivals of Vincente Nebrada's "A Handel Celebration" and Choo-San Goh's "Unknown Territory" will also be presented. Tickets are $22 and may be charged by calling 225-3131.

Decisions, decisions. Dance events abound today through Sunday at the Kennedy Center, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and Howard Community College. The Kennedy Center is hopping tonight and tomorrow at 7: 30 p.m., Saturday at 1: 30 p.m. and 7: 30 p.m. and Sunday at 1: 30 p.m., as dancers of ballerina Suzanne Farrell perform works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Maurice Bejart in "Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet" at the Terrace Theater, off Virginia and New Hampshire avenues N.W., Washington.

American Ballet Theatre opened its season and two-week engagement last evening at the Kennedy Center with few hints of the financial and artistic troubles that nearly toppled this esteemed and talented company.Company directors Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith, who took over the reins from Mikhail Baryshnikov in September 1989, wisely delved into ABT's vast and eclectic repertoire and pulled out works that have served the company well in the past.Opening the program was George Balanchine's "Ballet Imperial," a single-act ballet that pays homage to the St. Petersburg Ballet style that the choreographer knew so well.

Christian Holder's one-act ballet, "Coup d'Estoc," was the lighthearted centerpiece for the Washington Ballet's program Saturday night at Goucher College. Based on the 18th century novel, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," Mr. Holder's condensed ballet smartly unraveled the complicated plot of genteel seductions and revenge with attention to character."Coup d'Estoc" ("Thrust of the Sword") was visually attractive and featured first-rate dancing. Yet there was an annoying abundance of pantomime. While "Coup d'Estoc" needed more than average character work for the audience to understand the mechanisms of the dance's plot, the work felt more acted than danced.

Adrienne Canterna, a 15-year-old ballet dancer from Linthicum, won the women's gold medal in the junior division of the International Ballet Competition.Medals and other awards were announced Friday in Jackson, Miss.Her sister Ashley, 13, also a dancer, confirmed the award by telephone from the hotel where she and parents John and Sally Canterna are staying.The junior division is for dancers age 15 to 18. Canterna is one of the youngest dancers to win its top prize.Rasta Thomas, Canterna's partner for the pas de deux events, won the men's gold medal in the senior division.

The Ballet Theatre of Maryland opened its 2002-2003 season last weekend with an inspired performance at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. The evening began with theater President Casey McNeal paying tribute to the ballet company's founder and artistic director Edward Stewart, who died in July. During the performance, it became clear that Stewart has left a legacy of talented dancers, who are now moving forward with guidance from guest choreographer Peter Anastos. The founder of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and a Balanchine disciple, Anastos has taken the company into a new era with his masterful choreography.

Midway through her season, Ballet Theatre of Maryland artistic director Dianna Cuatto presented an ambitious, innovative program offering two seldom-produced one-act ballets. Striking in originality, "Firebird" displayed Cuatto's choreographic artistry in all its fiery intensity. "The Scarlet Letter" showed her profound insight into a literary classic. Introducing three BTM performances last weekend, Cuatto shared her fondness for both works and their significance in her career as a dancer and choreographer.

On a table in the Canterna family breakfast nook in Linthicum is a brigade of Beanie Babies dressed in pastel net tutus, their heads crowned with tiny beribboned wreaths.The whimsy of these dolls, which are being sold at local ballet schools to help pay the travel expenses for the two dancing Canterna sisters, belies the seriousness of the occasion they support.Tomorrow, 15-year-old Adrienne will set off for the International Ballet Competition, which begins Saturday in Jackson, Miss. The prestigious competition takes place in Jackson every four years.

The Washington Ballet, performing at the Kennedy Center, is offering an inspired program of choreography and dancing, even though Graham Lustig's new ballet, "Hearts of Light," needs some adjustments.The abstract, lyrical ballet, which is set to Sir Michael Tippet's music, "Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli," has a theatrical, almost Shakespearean sheen. At the start, the dancers step forward and take bows with a flourish; they form tableaux that spring to life, create small dramas with one another and give sparkling solos.