On Nov. 15 the NIU School of Theatre and Dance astounded the O’Connell Theatre audience with a performance of “Le Corsaire.”

As the dancers took to the stage, the story of Conrad the pirate facing shipwreck and sword fights to win his love, Medora, from a slave owner kept the audience intrigued. Although there were no spoken words, the dancing of each performer sent the message of love, struggle, and happily-ever-after through the precise gestures and movements.

“My favorite part was watching Conrad and Medora dance. They were so amazing,” said Alexandra Myers, an NIU freshman.

Yu Suzuki and James Stevko, both NIU seniors, captivated the audience as they reeled the audience into the intense love between Medora and Conrad through their beautiful pas de deux (dance of two).

Suzuki moved with such grace and amazing flexibility throughout the production, but it was near the end of the second act where she stole the stage through a series of striking turns. If she was dizzy the smile on her face never broke – proving her talent.

Stevko also stunned the audience as he used his great range of flexibility to lead the pirate dance in the opening scene as well as using the entire stage space for his solo. His facial expressions helped the audience to understand what was happening as his character Conrad fell in love with the character Medora.

One of the comic scenes was the opening of the second act, where the pirate females offered a lively dance not on point shoes. Clapping to the lively music, dressed in white shirts and black skirts, the pirate females drew in the attention of the audience by working well in sync with each other.

Caitlin Glavan, who played the character Medora’s friend, Gulnara, impressed the audience with the powerful performance she gave as the three acts carried on. As Glavan leapt into the air she always managed to have such a light landing that the audience failed to tell when her feet hit the stage. With awe-inspiring turns and a flowing green costume, Glavan proved she was a strong dancer who still manages to look pleasingly graceful.

Making the audience gasp, Micah Moch, who played Conrad’s slave sidekick, begged for the audiences attention with the amazing height of his jumps throughout the ballet. However, it was the captivating lift movement with Suzuki, in the second act, where his true talent shone. He lifted her with such care that the beauty of the lift was all the audience could focus on.

Apart from the dancers, the intricately detailed costumes designed by Melanie Baumgartner, and the striking set created by Sahin Sahinoglu and Rachelle Kolecke, helped the ballet to set itself apart from the typical ballet “Swan Lake.”

Using a large pirate ship that sailed across the stage in the first and last act, the talent of the scenic designers was impressive. As for the costumes, the most capturing costume was worn by Suzuki in the final act as her dazzling pink outfit gleamed next to the portrait of dancing girls with flower arches.

“It (“Le Corsaire”) was something different and I liked the theme (of pirates) for it. The dancers were all amazing,” said Jason Beaumont, a sophomore physical education major.

From the pretty pink point shoes to the masculine pirate swords, the ballet moved along at a quick pace and kept the audience excitedly anticipating what would come next.

As Conrad and Medora overcame the challenges of trying to be together the ballet ended on a lovely note as the couple held each other close. There was never a dull moment and the talent of the dancers was overwhelming.

This ballet defeated any negative stereotypes and proved that the NIU School of Theatre and Dance is filled with several talented artists who know how to work hard and entertain a crowd. “Le Corsaire” was worth every second.