Ballet, the Bard superb together Wednesday, February 22, 2006 By Roy C. Dicks, Correspondent Shakespeare has been good to Carolina Ballet. First there was its luminous "Romeo and Juliet," then the magical "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and now its current production, the impressive "Shakespeare Suite." Seen Saturday night in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center, the program's three ballets by three choreographers provided further proof of the company's riches in creative and artistic talent. Lynne Taylor-Corbett brings the vitality of her Broadway and Hollywood work to "Love Speaks," a charming, romantic romp for five couples. Set to the music of Vivaldi, Corelli and Purcell, the dance is interspersed with appropriate lines from the Bard's plays and sonnets, agreeably recited by actor Jeffrey West. The dancers, enhanced by David Heuvel's colorful sylvan costumes, are constantly on the move in their multiple flirtations, arguments and pairings, expressed in breezy steps with humor and emotion. Of particular note were Alain Molina and Lara O'Brien's heartfelt, lyrical pas de deux and Timour Bourtasenkov and Lilyan Vigo's rapid-fire mock-tango. This sunny work is a delight. "The Moor's Pavane," Jose Limon's 1949 classic character study of "Othello" set to Purcell, has never been better served. Bourtasenkov's angry power as the title character and Melissa Podcasy's noble fragility as Desdemona are balanced by Cyrille de la Barre's menacing Iago and Margot Martin's crafty Emilia. These four give the angular, ritualistic choreography great depth and intensity. Clay Taliaferro, a former Limon company dancer noted for his own performances in the piece, has staged it with great understanding, aided by Ross Kolman's moody lighting and the striking period costumes from the Pennsylvania Ballet. Company artistic director Robert Weiss transforms Paul Moravec's 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning composition, "Tempest Fantasy," into an energetic half-hour version of Shakespeare's play. Heuvel's fairy-tale costumes and Ross Kolman's subtle lighting nicely amplify the story. Bourtasenkov provided a strong center as Prospero and Vigo made a shining Miranda, especially in the appealing pas de deux with Molina as Ferdinand. Weiss has created a clever melding of two dancers to represent the sprite Ariel. The superb duo of Margaret Severin-Hansen and Pablo Javier Perez whirled with dazzling athleticism and coordination. But the star of the piece was de la Barre as the creature Caliban. Weiss has devised some marvelously misshapen and raw-edged movements for the part, which de la Barre artfully transformed into a riveting portrait. His lustful pas de deux with Vigo was the highlight of the work. Weiss states he is not trying to tell the whole story, but the additional six characters (an assortment of Prospero's relatives and enemies) make the piece quite busy, giving the viewer much to keep up with. Simplifying, a la "The Moor's Pavane," might allow more focus. There's also a good bit of set movement, especially of the wobbly Martha Graham-ish slab towers, adding distracting busyness. But these quibbles don't diminish the worthiness of the piece, especially with such stellar interpreters.