(Click on each of the many images to enlarge!)
Above: Megan Fairchild & Joaquin de Luz in Balanchine’s Rubies; photo by Paul Kolnik
~ Author: Oberon
Sunday October 14th, 2018 matinee – This afternoon, ballet lovers from near and far gathered at the House of Mr. B to bid a fond farewell to one of the brightest and best-loved dancers of our day: Joaquin de Luz.
Joaquin was already an established favorite with New York balletomanes from his performances with American Ballet Theatre when, in 1997, the Madrid-born danseur made the leap across the Plaza to join New York City Ballet.
Above: Joaquin with Megan Fairchild in NUTCRACKER; a Paul Kolnik photo
At NYCB, Joaquin formed a partnership with Megan Fairchild, then a fledgling ballerina. They were paired in many ballets, and in the ensuing seasons they developed into one of the New York ballet scene’s favorite dancing duos.
Above: Joaquin with Maria Kowroski in Balanchine’s Midsummer Night’s Dream; photo by Paul Kolnik
Covering a vast repertoire, Joaquin became an indispensable star in a Company that supposedly doesn’t have ‘stars’. His Balanchine rep alone is mind-boggling: Ballo della Regina, Coppélia. Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée’, Donizetti Variations, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (as Cavalier, Tea, and Candy Cane); Harlequinade (both as Harlequin and Pierrot), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (as Oberon), Prodigal Son, Raymonda Variations,”Rubies” from Jewels, La Source, Sonatine, Symphony in C (Third Movement), Tarantella,Theme and Variations, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Valse-Fantaisie.
Especially admired for his sparkling virtuosity and lively stage presence, Joaquin took on a very different role in 2008 – that of the Prodigal Son (above, with Maria Kowroski) – and made it his own. He talks about his journey with this dramatic role here, with some danced highlights here.
Above: in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, with Tiler Peck; a Paul Kolnik photo
From the Robbins catalog, Joaquin made an indelible mark on his roles in The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, Dybbuk, Fancy Free, The Four Seasons (always outstanding in ‘Fall’), Other Dances, and the solo work A Suite of Dances. The last-named work was part of today’s farewell program.
Above: Daniel Ulbicht and Joaquin practice sword-fighting for Romeo and Juliet
Joaquin created the role of Tybalt in Peter Martins’ Romeo and Juliet, and danced the classic roles in Peter’s Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. It was in a Martins work, Todo Buenos Aires, that Joaquin took his final bows at NYCB this afternoon.
One of my favorite Joaquin creations was in Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH, a sprightly role with a unique finish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A packed house erupted in the first of this afternoon’s many ovations as the curtain rose on Balanchine’s Theme and Variations with Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz (above, in a Paul Kolnik photo) center-stage, backed by a bevy of ballerinas. A partnership that always has a particular lustre, Tiler and Joaquin danced gorgeously yet again. After one of his solos, as the house exploded with applause, a woman sitting behind me sighed aloud: “Why is he retiring?”
Watching Theme today provided a sharp reminder to me of how much the Company has changed since I stopped going frequently: so many faces on that stage that I could not put names too. But I was really glad to see Brittany Pollack, radiant as ever among the demis, and Devin Alberda and Aaron Sanz as cavaliers. Two relative newcomers to the corps caught my eye: Gilbert Bolden III and Roman Mejia. The curtain calls after Theme were wonderful, with Joaquin and the corps applauding one another while Tiler beamed.
Following the first intermission, an elegant performance of Concerto Barocco was conducted by Daniel Capps with Arturo Delmoni and Nicolas Danielson as violin soloists. Maria Kowroski and Russell Janzen danced the pas de deux with serene confidence and lovely line, and Abi Stafford was delightful; the two women exchanged sisterly glances as they moved in sync.
As my seat was in the third row, I hadn’t expected to need my opera glasses. But watching the Barocco corps I realized how bad my eyesight’s becoming. Lydia Wellington, Mary Elizabeth Sell, Kristen Segin, Sarah Villwock, and Claire Kretzschmar from my ‘younger days’ were joined by Laine Habony, Miriam Miller, and Mimi Staker in Balanchine’s unique and demanding choreography.
Above: cellist Ann Kim with Joaquin de Luz in Jerome Robbins’ A Suite of Dances. Joaquin relished every step, gesture, and mood of this extended solo today while Ms. Kim brought freshness to the familiar music. The audience could barely contain themselves during the allegro passages, which Joaquin tossed off with devil-may-care charm.
For the finale, Peter Martins’ tango-ballet Todo Buenos Aires (premiered in 2000) was brought back for a single performance. We had liked it in its inaugural season, danced by Julio Bocca with fun roles for Wendy Whelan and Darci Kistler; but it hasn’t held up well. Apart from providing Joaquin with a bravura/sexy vehicle, the choreography doesn’t sustain our interest, even though it was finely danced today by Joaquin with Maria Kowroski, Sara Mearns, Jared Angle, Taylor Stanley, Ask LaCour, and Andrew Veyette. A quintet of musicians onstage played the Piazzolla score impressively.
The curtain fell on this shadowy Argentine nightclub and thunderous applause filled the State Theater. Joaquin bowed humbly, and then there commenced a long procession of well-wishers coming onstage to present flowers and embrace the beloved Spaniard.
The one ‘missing person’ from today’s gala farewell program was Megan Fairchild, who has been Joaquin’s most frequent partner. Ms. Fairchild is about to become a mother – very soon, by the evidence – and she was vociferously applauded as she appeared onstage during the final ovation to present Joaquin with an enormous bouquet and a warm embrace.
Above: the Fairchild-de Luz partnership in Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations; photo by Paul Kolnik.
As the applause roared on, Gonzalo Garcia and Joaquin staged a mock bullfight; after the City Ballet folks had made their tributes, honored guests filed in – some of whom I did not recognize. Carlos Lopez, Angel Corella, and Sascha Radetsky greeted their former ABT colleague, and Victor Ullate appeared, which clearly meant a lot to Joaquin.
Last to join the celebration was Joaquin’s mom; after a big embrace, they swept into a lively tango of their own. The audience went wild.
Curtain call: Joaquin de Luz faces the roar of the crowd; photo by Flavio Salazar
Aside from his dancing and his sunny disposition, there’s another thing I love about Joaquin: he’s a fellow Rafa Nadal fan.
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 