The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 17

A ttqPJ The Beacon Journal Thursday February 1, 2001 Show goes on Curtain fire hasn't delayed Players Guild production in Canton. B2 I II II "VVi 1 JUL UJk VJLJ. modern element of a program that covers a lot of ground, stylistically speaking. Also featured will be former Cleveland San Jose Ballet principal dancers Karen Gabay and Raymond Rodriguez, performing George Balanchine's Tarantella pas de deux. (The two now perform as principal dancers with Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley.) The program also includes Choreographer Jacques Helm and the Ohio Ballet perform 'Capture at Thomas Hall Robin Tinay Sallie Akron Beacon Journal photos By Elaine Guregian Beacon Journal dance writer e's the Robin Williams of choreographers, a guy whose delirious reaction to being presented 1 with a bottle of Evian water from his native France is more entertaining than some evenings in the theater.

And that's just when he's sitting around talking. Jacques Heim got his early training for capturing an audience in high school, as the leader of a street theater company in Paris. Now Heim, 36, is director of Diavolo, a Los Angeles company he founded in 1992. Tomorrow and Saturday at E.J. Thomas Hall, the Ohio Ballet will perform a Diavolo piece called Capture, involving a man, a woman and a giant silver bowl.

(Hint: It calls for terrific balance and a dress with the biggest skirt you've ever seen.) Heim's choreography is the Mary Beth Cabana (left) works with Ohio Ballet dancers Xochitl Tejeda de Cerda (center) and Jesica Salomon. With a Vengeance, a work by Ohio Ballet's artistic director, Jeffrey Graham Hughes; two short solos by the early 20th-century ballerinachoreographer Anna Pavlova; and Light Breeze, a ballet by the company's founding artistic director, Heinz Poll. Light Breeze has been reset by the group's ballet mistress, Pamela Reyman, with assistance from former Ohio Ballet dancer Debra Force. i www.ohio.cowbj features DETAILS Concert: Ohio Ballet When, Where: 8 p.m. tomorrow, 2 and 8 p.m.

Saturday at E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill Akron. Also at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 and 2 and 8 p.m.

Feb. 17 at the Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, 1519 Euclid Cleveland Cost: Information: 330-972-7570 (Akron) and 216-241-6000 (Cleveland) The company will repeat the program on Feb. 16 and 17 at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland's Playhouse Square. Awesome experience Dancer Damien Highfield, who performs in Capture, said working with Heim has been awesome. "You kind of become one with the bowl," Highfield said.

"You feel the rotation of the Please see Heim, B2 Ohio Ballet to team with Dayton Ballet in longer programs By Elaine Guregian Beacon Journal dance writer Some big changes are in store for the Ohio Ballet in its 2001-02 season. The company that Heinz Poll formed as a chamber ballet more than three decades ago will team up with the Dayton Ballet for two performances of full-length story ballets: Peter Pan in October and Hamlet in February 2002. With Dayton's 20 dancers and Ohio Ballet's 16, the cast will total 36. Hughes tit "4 Dancers Damien Highfield and Alicia Cutler balance on a giant silver bowl during rehearsal for A Capture. i 7 i i I Capture.

A 1 ill iimi1ilMMIMMMIriMim HI I III ml Mil llllfl II llll1 I With the demise of Cleveland San Jose Ballet in the last year, the potential audience, particularly for full-length story ballets, is bigger than ever. Ohio Ballet's artistic director, Jeffrey Hughes, wants to seize the opportunity with the new partnership, called the Cleveland Phoenix Project. "We're still our company and we're not going to dilute that. We're just recognizing that there's a need for a resident company to be presenting larger-scale ballets," Hughes said. "The only way we can consider it is if we have a partner, because we don't have the resources." Please see Ballet, B2 Sweeps cut crazy swath 'Friends' expands to fight 'Survivor' and 'CSI' switches nights as the rating wars begin Get a firm grip on your remote control.

TV starts getting crazy tonight. This is the first night of the February sweeps, one of the months in which Members of tribes try to bridge gap in first episode of Outback Survivor. viewer interest even more, Seinfeld's Jason Alexander guest-stars on Friends.) The remaining 20 minutes until 9 p.m. will be filled with a Saturday Night Live Primetime Extra of new material. Gilmore Girls, the lovely comedy-drama from the WB, will be off the air this week and next, with episodes of Charmed filling its 8 p.m.

time slot as well as Charmea's usual position at 9 tonight. Gilmore Girb will return on Feb. 15 with a new episode featuring the Bangles. But for now, a WB announcement said the network is holding back the series "while Survivor and Friends battle to the finish for viewers." Fortunately, for those of us with VCRs, there are ways to see everything you want. But the machines sure seem to be getting a workout, and not only on Thursdays.

Wednesdays, for example, have Temptation Island, The West Wing and The Drew Carey Show going head-Please see Boss, B3 competition. Tonight has become especially complicated because it marks the first duel between Survivor: The Australian Outback and what NBC is calling the "super-sized" Friends. And that confrontation has caused ripples in other parts of the TV schedule. Here's some of what's going on tonight. Survivor's second episode airs at 8 p.m.

on CBS. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which has been doing well for CBS on Friday nights, moves to Thursdays at 9 tonight. Diagnosis Murder, meanwhile, is going to 8 p.m. Fridays beginning tomorrow. And The Fugitive, the former 8 p.m.

Friday occupant is moving into CSI's old slot at 9. Friends will last from 8 to 8:40 tonight. Yes, 40 minutes -what NBC is calling "super-size" so the hit comedy can keep loyal viewers from flipping to the competition at 8:30 p.m. -where The Weber Show probably could not. (To hype Readers say Jeff is stations all over the country get their ratings measured for use in selling advertising time and planning their 4 foi.sf CliS next to go "Mad My pick: Kel, the Army Intelligence officer.

Last week: I picked Rodger, leaving me 0-1. Readers went with Rodger and Elisabeth. What am I thinking? That the really devoted Survivor watchers on the Internet may be ahead of the curve. If I went with my gut, I'd pick Maralyn. But my gut didn't do too well Please see Out, B3 R.I) HELDENFELS By R.

D. Heldenfels Beacon Journal television writer On Sunday, Survivor: The Australian Outback made Debb Eaton its first exile by the most lopsided vote in the series' snort history. This week Readers pick: Jeff, the vomiting player from the first episode, was the favorite with viewers to get booted second. He was followed at a distance by Kimmi (the one with the annoying voice) and Maralyn (also known as schedules. Sweeps often prompt network stunts from specials to unusual episodes of regular series as well as the shoving aside of programs that may not do well in the intensified.