BalletX presents a beautiful ‘Sidd,’ but is it the right story to tell?

BalletX’s new full-length Nicolo Fonte ballet is lush, gorgeous, and was wonderfully danced when it opened Thursday night at the Wilma Theater.

But Sidd: A Hero’s Journey, based on Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, also has a whiff of cultural appropriation. In 2023, it’s a bit odd to see a story set in India written 100 years ago by a German man adapted for the stage by a white American man.

It is the story of a wealthy young man who leaves behind everything he knows in search of enlightenment, only to eventually find peace within himself.

“I wanted to crack open the universality of the message,” Fonte said in a pre-show talk.

But the veils, stylized harem pants, and chants of “ohm” signal that it’s India, and its accuracy or lack thereof matters.

That said, it truly is a lovely piece, filled with technically challenging dancing, deep emotion, beautiful costumes, by Mark Eric, and watercolor-like lighting on both the backdrop and stage floor, by Michael Korsch. Korsch also designed the stairs that the dancers moved and reconfigured throughout the piece.

“The set is like the 13th character and the dancers have to partner it,” Fonte said. It has eight steps, which Fonte likened to the Eightfold Path in Buddhism.

Shawn Cusseaux danced the role of Sidd, a young man raised in a wealthy home, who values spiritual enlightenment far more than privilege and goes out in search of meaning. Cusseaux has stepped into many of BalletX’s leading roles and he impresses more and more with his strength, technique, and ability to dig into a character.

Andrea Yorita was the Ego, the side of Sidd’s personality he was trying to eliminate.

Yorita is retiring later this summer after dancing with BalletX for 11 years. When she joined, she elevated the company with her depths of motion and emotion. The entire company is better these days, likely (at least partly) for having danced alongside her.

The whole cast was excellent: Skyler Lubin and Peter Weil (a guest artist from Philadelphia Ballet, where he is a soloist) danced the roles of Sidd’s parents, whose wealthy lifestyle he left behind and whose actions he later repeated. Lubin also appeared as the Buddha.

Ashley Simpson was Govinda, Sidd’s friend and sometimes traveling companion. Jared Kelly was the Ferryman, who guides Sidd’s journey. Francesca Forcella danced the role of Kamala, an impossibly glamorous woman who bears Sidd’s child, who he then abandons.

Eli Alford has a smaller but no less impressive role, working the puppet that represents Sidd and Kamala’s son. BalletX hired Sebastienne Mundheim to create the puppet and coach Alford. The result was like a light version of Milky White, the incredible cow puppet from the recent Broadway production of Into the Woods.

Nicolo Fonte has produced beautiful works for BalletX; Sidd was his third full-length and fourth overall.

The production and dancers looked stunning. But I’m not convinced it was the right ballet to present. In 2023, why are we still presenting the stories of other cultures we don’t claim to know deeply?

BalletX in Nicolo Fonte’s “Sidd: A Hero’s Journey” runs through Sunday and July 19-23. Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-225-5389 x250. balletx.org.