Group sets weekend performances in Bloomington

By GREG FIELDS

H&R Staff Writer

BLOOMINGTON - Standing on top of the El Morro National Monument, a 250-foot-high sandstone bluff in New Mexico, members of USA Ballet had to admit it - the Midwest is nice, but the Southwest isn't half bad.

"When you're surrounded by cornfields, you forget how beautiful the mountains are," said Michelle Holmes-Bello, the group's artistic director.

That said, after touring more than 2,000 miles across the country, USA Ballet is tired of traveling by bus and ready to sleep in their own beds. The group's home series plays today through Sunday at Westbrook Auditorium on the Illinois Wesleyan University campus.

The USA Ballet, a dance company with 10 women and four men, is scheduled to perform "Illusions," "The Mind" and "Danza Flamenca" today. The Bloomington-Normal-based ballet company was founded by Ken Bello and his wife, Michelle Holmes-Bello, in 1990. The company specializes in contemporary work and classics such as "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" while reaching out to children through workshops, outreach programs and volunteer opportunities, according to its Web site.

"Most abstract ballets (like 'Illusions') don't have a storyline, but this one does," Holmes-Bello said. "It's about a flower seller dreaming of a beautiful girl purchasing his flowers. 'The Mind' goes through three basic elements: insanity, love and fetal memory (memories from the womb). The piece encompasses those three aspects of the mind. The music is very soothing, and, at the same time, the piece is really powerful."

The USA Ballet will also perform "Princesses Who Live on the North Star" on Saturday and "A Tribute to Disney Music," "Rhapsody" and "America" during Sunday's matinee.

USA Ballet not only practices their craft, they teach it. The company worked with local youth and aspiring ballet dancers in Elgin, Ore., and Gallup, N.M.

"Everything was very nice," said Anton Romanov, 30, a dancer from Moscow. "They ask us questions, and we respond. It's fun to work with little kids, and sometimes, big kids."

Ken Bello, choreographer and booking agent, said the company has plans to perform in Decatur next fall. Bello said the company had been talking with Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Lincoln Square Theatre and Decatur Civic Center but were unable to solidify a contract.

"We were very close to scheduling, but one of the main sponsors pulled out at the last minute," he said. Holmes-Bello said the company performed at Lincoln Square Theatre and Decatur Civic Center in the past, "maybe about five or six years ago."

"We'd love to come back and perform," Holmes-Bello said.

Allison Fischer, 22, ballet dancer and teacher from Charleston, said the company is glad to be home, though she acknowledges the tour was an eye-opening experience.

"It's neat to see other things besides cornfields," Fischer said.

Greg Fields can be reached at gfields@;herald-review.com or 421-6986.