Modern Masters is the grand finale of the Sacramento Ballet's Season 51. It is grand! Three weeks after Scheher-azade, the ballet performs five world premiers, accompanied by pieces from company dancers. The five featured choreo-graphers offer a diversity of styles and ideas, but all give us a consummate creative effort. The collaboration be-tween dancers and choreo-graphers is essential for the development dance. It provides us with fresh and new means of uniting the audience and performers.

Nolan T'Sani's piece Concerto for Ten & Two opens this exceptional show. It weaves the dancers in sinuous patterns that are visually stimulating and is set to music by Prokofiev. Pairs of dancers break off from the group, perform, and are joined by the rest of the group. This is a complex dance that requires exceptional timing. The Sacramento Ballet is up to its task. The twelve dancers are impeccable.

Alison Kappes and Hamilton Nieh give lithe, strong performances in She Guards her Secret. Their lines are pure. Peter Quanz's choreography is sensitive. It requires both flexibility and strength, and Kappes and Nieh are well suited to the piece

Just Like That is out-rageously flirtatious. Chor-eographer Joo Hwan Cho is joined by Tarah Finley and Bobby Briscoe in this jazzy dance. Finley's distinctive style is understated and controlled. Cho and Briscoe's talent is featured as they vie for Finley's attention. Amy Siewert's On the Care and Feeding of Ecstasy is very modern and complex. The ten dancers form shapes and clusters. Movement is broken by moments of static. Space on the stage is used in interesting ways.

Wow! Rap music and dancers reach out and grab our attention in Unlikely Saint. John Selya combines gritty rap with equally gritty street moves. The choreography is breathlessly energetic, requiring supreme athleticism and endurance. The Sacramento Ballet is truly impressive in its command of styles. Colby Damon gives us a winning and puckish performance as the saint. His stamina and ability to groove match his technical accomplishment. Kirsten Bloom and Jack Hansen hold the audience spellbound with Hansen's classical choreography in Agnes Dei. They offer us the supreme tenderness, strength and power we expect from the angels they represent. Bloom and Hansen exemplify all the best that ballet masters have to give. Helen Picket's Amaranthine tests and redefines our concept of dance. It is a synthesis of flexion, extension and tension. The ensemble is required to give its utmost in this exploration of form and movement. Once again, we get it.

Modern Masters is a hit. E: MOTION never ceases to hold the audience. It's a privilege to see such an accomplished ensemble. They have a tremendous range of styles they have mastered, and their joy is perfectly expressed. It's hard to believe that it's the end of the ballet season. What's the good news? Next year's season tickets are now on sale!

Fortunately, there are also many other activities held in Sacramento during the summer. In June, we have A Night at the Improve on the 3rd and Dr. Doolittle from the 14th through the 25th. Corazon De Mexico is featured on July 29th. For more information, just call the Community Center Box Office at 916-264-5181.

Editor's Note: The Sacramento Ballet is thrilled to announce that Modern Masters shows were sold to capacity at all performances. The program included five world premieres by Helen Pickett, Amy Seiwert, Peter Quanz, John Selya, and Nolan T'Sani.

In addition, Sunny Staton's premiere of E:motion Dance Ensemble also sold out! We hope you plan to join them for our 2006-2007 Season.

For information on tickets, please call the Sacramento Ballet at 916-552-5800, or go to www.sacballet.org for their full 2006-2007 season lineup.

Sunny Staton's playful and jazzy choreography is featured during this show. It's very reminiscent of Broadway jazz - with all the finesse that Sacramento's dancers bring to their performances.

The show opens with Life's a Ballgame: A Ballet in Nine Innings. This whimsical set of pieces features many of the ballet's core artists and is set to many contemporary and classic rock tunes. 1st Inning: What a Game sets the mood by opening with the town "boys" acting rowdy as the game begins. Their choreography is a combination of theatre and dance, perfectly timed to appear spontaneous.

The next eight "Innings" depict small town life, complete with flirtations, young love, jealous rivalries and the humorous relationships within the community. Jeanne Jacobson delivered a wonderful performance as the town's sassy tomboy. Stefan Calka and Nicole Haskins have a charming romantic interlude in 5th Inning: Pitcher's Pas de Deux. Calka is always strong and enjoyable to watch. He was closely paired with Haskins.

All the members of the E:MOTION dance ensembles give enthusiastic performances. Audience participation was initiated by plants in the audience encouraging viewers to sing or shout at appropriate times. It concluded with ensemble and audience singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame together.

Jack Hansen and Tarah Finley give us their usual excellence in Identity. Bobby Briscoe and Merett Miller give playfully sultry performances in Lady, set to Lenny Kravitz's music. Sunny Staton has ambitiously set the storyline of The Cabaret by Kander and Ebb to dance in The Cabaret Project. This is a monumental endeavor, and she succeeds. Staton represents the character of Sally Bowles with two dancers. Merett Miller represents Sally Bowles the professional per-former. She is classy, crisp and believable. Amanda Peet is the Private Sally; revealing Sally's history and vulnerability. Both dancers are eloquent in their performances.

The Cabaret Project opens in a dramatic tableau with Jack Hansen as the Emcee. He's a classic dramatic performer as well as dancer. Kirsten Bloom's had fun with her performance of Fraulein Kost. She was great. Alexandra Cunningham gives us a strong Rosie. Tarah Finley is Texas. Ilona Pociunas always gives excellent performances, and her 'Lulu' was no exception.

The professionalism and showmanship of the entire ensemble is perfect. The characters are broadly danced, as required. The choreographer and dancers draw the audience into the world of The Cabaret, and make the characters sym-pathetic. Sunny Staton and the rest of the ensemble have given us a substantial work.

Ahhh, yes! Spring has sprung, warm summer weather graces our days, and the activities in gold country abound. Crystal Image (Michael Bowers, Michael Samaritano, Rick Arnold and John Covert) recently performed April 22 at Amador Foothill Winery. What a great place to play. Owners Ben and Katie were on hand to pour their new wines but also took time out to enjoy the music. Families and limos filled the winery. Many people brought a picnic lunch and looked out at Plymouth's beautiful Shenandoah Valley while munching on goodies, dancing and sampling the fine wines. Watch for another event at the winery during the summer. Call 209-245-6307 for information.

Allen Frank and The Leather Souls recently per-formed for a private party at Drytown Cellars winery. The "souls" also perform a Blues & BBQ show at the Drytown Club every Sunday from 4 pm to 7 pm. There will be a Leather Soul's show on Sat, June 10 at 8 pm. 209-245-6722 to confirm.

The Drytown Cellars (209-245-3500) is owned by Leather Soul's drummer Allen Kreutzer. The Drytown Club is owned by guitarist Allen Frank. Other band members are Rick Arnold on Bass and John Covert on keyboards. At a recent Drytown club show, members of the audience trotted down to Drytown creek and escaped the heat of the day in the cool waters. Afterwards, they danced and ate the fantastic barbeque served by "Chef Walt" and sampled the featured Drytown Cellars wines.

The club reminds me of the TV show, Cheers. I keep expecting Norm to walk in every time I play there. It's an extremely friendly place featuring delicious, barbequed ribs, steaks, chicken and the best blues music in this area with a delightful flavor of rock-a-billy thrown in for good measure. Country/oldies band, Coyote Moon, performed at the Ione hotel for a wedding. The rustic hotel, and restaurant is a wonderful place to have a private party. Call 209-274-6082 for more information. Coyote Moon is Cal and Danny Gandy on guitar and vocal, and John Covert on bass/vocal. A drummer is added for dance events. Bellotti's in Sutter Creek recently featured the Crystal Image duo and band during April. Great food and atmosphere. I met Bellotti's owner, Dennis Griffin and his family and friends at our show following the Duck races. What a nice person. He has also refurbished the Cafe D' Oro restaurant. Thanks to Dennis, manager Bill Bethal and their wonderful waitresses and bartenders, Sutter Creek is a wealth of fine dining. Call 209-267-5211.

On April 21, I performed a solo show at the Stockton Asparagus Festival. This was my second year. The event draws nearly 100,000 people. A great place to take the family. April 23, I performed at The Earth Day Celebration in Angel's Camp. What a beautiful day! Hard working event coordinator, Don Nuccio is always so kind and gracious! Coming up June 14 is the Amador Farmer's Market in Pine Grove. I will be performing from 3:30 to 6 pm and joined by various musician friends, Tim Brown, Wayne Coffey, Sara Heimbach and many others. On June 17, I will be performing with guitarist/promoter, Doug Quintal at the Mountain Ranch Music Festival. The festival will feature eight bands on two stages from 11 am to 7 pm. Also featured are the Mo Johnson Band, The All Dog band, The Grape, DDQ live, Pink Vinyl, The Only Solution and the Mofasr Show.

There will be craft vendors, BBQ, wine tasting and games. A $6 donation benefits the park. Kids under 12 admitted free. Mountain Ranch is left of San Andreas, off Highway 49. The Crystal Image duo will be performing at the Community Park in Arnold, Saturday, June 24, at 6:30 pm. Bring your picnic dinners. Watch for great upcoming shows at Castle Oaks Golf Club in Ione to be announced this summer.