Promising power

Pennsylvania Ballet premiered Matthew Neenan's

Carmina Burana

at the Academy of Music in March 2007 to great fanfare, then took it to New York's City Center, then packed it away.

It hadn't been seen since until Thursday night, when the company brought it back to the Academy on a program with Balanchine's The Four Temperaments.

Carmina is a rich piece with a large cast, many (quirky) costume changes, and Carl Orff's rowdy "secular cantata" performed by the Orchestra of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Philadelphia Singers Chorale.

After three years, how did it look?

It is still a powerful, nonstop, all-out work, with a light story line based on Carmina's libretto of lascivious medieval poems (translations are available in the lobby), and Neenan's signature wit. If you've seen the ballet there's no surprise left in a few of the clever movements, yet it's still fun to hear other audience members gasp with delight.

But what struck me most was the difference between the original cast and this one: Over three years, new dancers came aboard as younger members gained strength and artistry.

The ballet opens with Jermel Johnson bounding onto the stage; always an explosive, hyper-flexibly gymnastic dancer, he has matured this year with his promotion to soloist. Ian Hussey, a corps de ballet member, this time out is dancing a lead role, deftly partnering principal dancer Julie Diana.

The Academy is a gorgeous venue for presenting ballet but, despite Carmina's outsized music, neither the orchestra nor the chorale filled it with sound. The female singers at stage right were particularly difficult to hear, even from a few rows back, though the three soloists who performed on stage - Alison Trainer, Richard Troxell, and Eric Dubin - all sang powerfully.

The calm, quiet Four Temperaments - which opened the program and contrasts nicely with Carmina's exuberance - is one of Balanchine's "leotard" ballets, with dancers in black and white performing clean, precise, stark movements to Hindemith's commissioned score. Pennsylvania Ballet, founded by Balanchine protegee Barbara Weisberger, is a Balanchine company, which means it is authorized to dance many of the great choreographer's works; they form a core of its repertoire.

And the dancers looked particularly good Thursday night. The pared-down sets, costumes, and movements demand exactitude, and the company's dancers mostly shone. Among the younger ones, Lauren Fadeley and Tyler Galster in the first theme, and Caralin Curcio in the second-theme duet with Francis Veyette, were noticeably fine. All are corps de ballet dancers.

The evening performance offered some glimpses into the future of Pennsylvania Ballet. It looks promising.