Category: Ballet

Table of Silence ~ 2017

Above: vocal soloist Courtney Cook

Monday September 11th, 2017 – The seventh annual performance of Jacqulyn Buglisi’s ritual of hope and peace, Table of Silence, was given on the Plaza at Lincoln Center this morning. Commemorating the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this astonishing work gathers together more than one hundred dancers and an ensemble of singers, flautists, and percussion players who perform an ethereal score conceived by Andrea Ceccomori (flutes) and Libby Larsen (vocals).

This year, Table of Silence seemed more moving and more necessary than ever. A pall of darkness hangs over our daily lives as self-serving and often incoherent world leaders, deranged perpetrators of senseless violence, and a succession of natural catastrophes fill the headlines with presages of doom. Thus, we turn ever more fervently to music, dance, poetry, and art, both for solace and to inspire a hope that our common humanity may prevail.

Here are some images from this morning’s uplifting and thought-provoking performance of Table of Silence:

Percussionists at the ready

Dance Theatre of Harlem‘s Da’Von Doane on the right

Graham priestess Virginie Mécène summons the faithful

Vocalists Lydia Graham and Carla Lopez-Speziale

Lloyd Knight of the Martha Graham Dance Company

Courtney Cook

Graham diva and Associate Founder of Buglisi Dance Theatre: Terese Cappuccilli

Virginie Mécène signals the end of the rites

Virginie Mécène

More photos on Facebook: here.

“The 9/11 Table of Silence Project represents the common threads of humanity which unite all mankind into a single force with common goals and aspirations regardless of race, culture, or religion. Through this ritual, we celebrate compassion, and honor the bravery of all those affected by acts of war and suppression of freedom…a call for Peace in our world.” ~ Jacqulyn Buglisi

September 10, 2017
AnA Collaborations: SEASONED

“We never remember days, only moments.” ~ Cesare Pavese

AnA Collaborations (dancer/choreographers Alex Jenkins and Audrey Rachelle) have created a film entitled SEASONED. The film premiered in late July 2017 down at The Wild Project. At that time, I was still in the recovery phase of my hip arthritis ordeal; but the collaborators have very kindly sent me a Vimeo of the entire film to view at home. I’ve finally found time this afternoon to watch it, and it’s a finely-crafted film that resonates deeply.

Alex Jenkins is the central figure in SEASONED: her distinctive and quite mesmerizing screen presence alone is enough to sustain our interest in watching the 20-minute film. Cinematographer Blake Horn has wisely let nothing intrude on Ms. Jenkins’ charismatic persona; rather, he enhances it at every turn.

The four seasons are evoked in this reflective work; in each of its four segments, Ms. Jenkins shares the screen with an equally compelling lover or partner in her journey.

Autumn is handsomely filmed against a backdrop of yellow leaves; Ms. Jenkins finds herself in this woodland glade with Jon Ole Olstad. Their intimacy is easy, loving, and joyous, and their pas de deux is at once earthbound and dreamy. Everything about this scene is perfectly natural and spontaneous, even to the point of feeling that’s it’s been shot in one take.

In Winter, the cinematographer dazzles us with chiaroscuro effects. We are in a dark, unfurnished, rustic cabin but thru the windows the reflected glare of a snow-covered landscape makes for brilliant contrast. Here, Ms. Jenkins’ partner is Cameron McKinney, whose alluring sculpted torso is ideally displayed in the contrasted light. Perhaps suffering from cabin fever, this couple’s love is rougher, with an unkind edge. Their choreography is gestural and more angular, and occasionally there are cutbacks to Ms. Jenkins’ happier times in Autumn. Desperate to escape, Mr. McKinney leaps out of a window and races away into forest. Ms. Jenkins pursues him.

The Winter lovers are never re-united. Instead, in Spring, Ms. Jenkins – after running and seeking – encounters a contemporary wood-nymph, played by Ms. Rachelle. They bask in a mud bath and communicate on a primeval level.

Finally, in Summer, we experience a beautifully-framed underwater pas de deux, with Ms. Jenkins and Nick Korkos floating weightlessly across the screen, their bodies alternately entwining and drifting apart. Their hypnotic duet has a sense of quiet ecstasy, and of time standing still.

At the Wild Project premiere of SEASONED, while this aquatic duet is being shown, Ms. Jenkins and Mr. Korkos (above, in a Scott Shaw photo) appeared live onstage, dancing together in a duet of passion, tenderness, and supplication. While perfectly dovetailed to the filmed sequence, this live duet has a distinct power of its own as a viable, free-standing dancework.

More of Scott Shaw’s images:

Watch the SEASONED trailer here.

August 25, 2017
Claudia Schreier & Company: Gallery

Above: Wendy Whelan and Da’Von Doane in Claudia Schreier’s VIGIL; photo by Ani Collier. VIGIL is danced to a cappella choral music, performed onstage by Tapestry

Here are some images from photographer Ani Collier of Claudia Schreier & Company‘s recent program at The Joyce. Read about the performance here.

Wendy Whelan with Da’Von Doane (of Dance Theatre of Harlem) in VIGIL

Wendy and Da’Von: VIGIL

New York City Ballet’s Cameron Dieck and Jared Angle, with Da’Von Doane and NYCB soloist Unity Phelan in SOLITAIRE

Unity Phelan and Da’Von Doane: SOLITAIRE

New York City Ballet stars Unity Phelan and Jared Angle: SOLITAIRE

Unity & Jared in SOLITAIRE

Unity & Jared in SOLITAIRE

Elizabeth Claire Walker (soloist, Los Angeles Ballet) and Jared Angle in TRANQUIL NIGHT, BRIGHT AND INFINITE

Elizabeth Claire Walker and Jared Angle in TRANQUIL NIGHT, BRIGHT AND INFINITE

Elizabeth Claire Walker in CHARGE; Ms. Walker was recently (and aptly) described by the L.A. Times as “impossibly glamorous” when she danced the Siren in Balanchine’s PRODIGAL SON at Los Angeles Ballet.

Tiffany Mangulabnan with Elizabeth Claire Walker in CHARGE.

And finally, a series of Ani Collier’s images of Wendy Whelan in the mysterious and marvel-filled solo created on her by Claudia Schreier, and danced to music by Marc Mellits: THE TRILLING WIRE.

All choreography by Claudia Schreier; all photography by Ani Collier.

July 25, 2017
Claudia Schreier & Company @ The Joyce

Above: Da’Von Doane (of Dance Theater of Harlem) and Elizabeth Claire Walker (from Los Angeles Ballet) in Claudia Schreier’s TRANQUIL NIGHT, BRIGHT AND INFINITE @ The Joyce; photo by Travis Magee

Author: Oberon

Friday July 21st, 2017 – Tonight’s performance by Claudia Schreier & Company at The Joyce was something I had been looking forward to ever since the choreographer confided to me last Fall the news that she had been invited to show a full evening of her work at the iconic dance venue. Having put together an impressive program of her ballets which explore a range of moods and musical styles, Ms. Schreier assembled a simply gorgeous troupe of dancers and also summoned a choir, a pianist, a clarinet virtuoso, and a string quartet to make the performance one of the most impressive and satisfying in many a Gotham moon.

I first became aware of Claudia Schreier’s choreography thru her creations for Columbia Ballet Collaborative; those elements in dance-making that should be fundamentals (but so often aren’t) – musicality, structural integrity, showing off dancers in the best possible light, and an underlying sense of passionate commitment – are givens when it comes to Ms. Schreier’s work.

It was one particular piece – her 2013 ballet HARMONIC set to a dazzling score by the Dutch composer Douwe Eisenga – that heralded a great leap to prominence for the choreographer. After its premiere at Columbia, the ballet was taken up by Craig Salstein’s Intermezzo Dance Company for performances at Vassar.

And then, in 2014, HARMONIC won Claudia Schreier the top prize in the Breaking Glass Competition for Female Choreographers. The shouts of joy from the crowd as HARMONIC ended that night signaled the emergence of a major force in the dance world, and things have rolled on with a sense of inevitability since then. A year after winning their Competition, Breaking Glass presented a full evening of Schreier choreography at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre which was a smashing success. Claudia then became the second woman to hold the Virginia B Toulmin Fellowship for Female Choreographers at New York University’s Center for Ballet and Arts. A ‘big ballet’ (CHARGE) for Ballet Academy East, and an intimate quartet (SOLITAIRE) for the Vail International Dance Festival (2016) have shown Ms. Schreier’s range. Commissions and future projects will keep her busy for months to come.

And so this evening’s Joyce program provided a welcome vision of what Claudia Schreier has accomplished to date, where she stands at the moment, and where it all may lead her in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Valentine’s Day, 2016, Claudia and I attended a concert which was part of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles series at Merkin Hall. A stellar group of NY Phil players opened their program with the Piano Quintet – composed in 2010 – of Ellen Taafe Zwilich. After the quintet’s striking first movement, I whispered to Claudia: “That’s your next ballet!” and she whispered back, “I was thinking the exact same thing!” And…voilà!…a year and a half later, we have WORDPLAY.

WORDPLAY is an impeccably-crafted duet, danced by New York City Ballet’s Unity Phelan and Jared Angle (above, photo by Travis Magee). Clad in sleek red-and-black body tights from designer Martha Chamberlain, the dancers mirror the changing moods of the Zwilich score in a pairing that shifts from intimate to gently ironic. Jared Angle, always my ideal as a danseur noble, looked thoroughly at home in the supple Schreier choreography, and his partnering skills are to die for. Ms. Phelan’s technical authority is vivid, yet I can’t quite get a sense of the woman inside the dancer.

Above: Wendy Whelan, Da’Von Doane, and members of Tapestry in Claudia Schreier’s VIGIL; photo by Travis Magee

VIGIL is set to choral works by Tomás Luis de Victoria and Sergei Rachmaninoff which were performed live tonight by the choral group Tapestry. Their achingly beautiful harmonies evoked such feelings of peace: an escape to a realm of purity and truth from an ever-darkening world. Danceworks which can move us to the very depths of our souls come along but rarely; VIGIL is in that rarefied echelon.

With the singers of Tapestry, clad in black, ranged in a semi-circle onstage, the stage lights came up on the heavenly sight of Wendy Whelan poised aloft, borne up on the strong arms of Da’Von Doane. Together they moved thru the choreography, which somehow manages to be both elegant and soulful, in a state of grace. As Da’Von manipulated his gossamer-light ballerina with consummate skill thru lifts and sustained poses, they seemed like angels on Earth. Wendy’s other-worldly beauty and serenity as she floated weightlessly in her partner’s hands was something to behold.

As the lights began to fade on the final moments of VIGIL, I wanted so desperately to remain in that beautiful place with Wendy, Da’Von , and the singers of Tapestry. I was put in mind of the ecstatic words of the Dyer’s Wife in Act II of Richard Strauss’s DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN; upon being shown a vision of the life she has always desired, she cries out: “O Welt in der Welt! O Traum im Wachen!” (“O world within the world! O waking dream!”)…

But if we cannot linger long in paradise, then let it be Shostakovich who calls to us: the gentle opening of his Piano Quintet, Opus 57, played by pianist Emily Wong, opens Claudia Schreier’s SOLITAIRE, which was first seen at last summer’s Vail Festival. Unity Phelan leads off the ballet alone to that pensive piano solo; she is soon joined by three men: Jared Angle, Da’Von Doane, and Cameron Dieck, as the strings take up a chorale-like passage.

The Shostakovich section ends with the first of two sensational lifts of Ms. Phelan by Jared Angle. The moderato pastorale from Alfred Schnittke’s Piano Quintet is the setting for their ensuing duet, which reaches a striking climax with a powerful, very exposed overhead lift.

Let us now praise the superb musicians (above) who so beautifully played the Shostakovich/Schnittke scores used in SOLITAIRE: Emily Wong (piano), Lily Holgate and Kenneth Trotter (violins), Drew Ford (viola), and Julia Henderson (cello).

Here are some of Travis Magee’s images from SOLITAIRE:

Da’Von Dane and Unity Phelan

Unity Phelan and Jared Angle

Unity Phelan and Jared Angle

During the intermission, everyone was abuzz about the choreography, the music, and the dancing. It was wonderful to find so many dance-world luminaries among the crowd: Deborah Wingert Arkin and her daughter Ava; Christina Lynch Markham and Madelyn Ho from Paul Taylor; Miro Magloire, Brian Brooks, Vincent Paradiso, Richard Isaac, Jere Hunt…

Live music set the evening’s second half on its way with a brilliant performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1942). Above: Ms. Wong was again delightfully at the keyboard with Weixiong Wang delivering a performance of the clarinet part with delicious tone, fluent technique, vastly appealing subtle moments, and a lively personality to boot. This ballet, with the intriguing title TRANQUIL NIGHT, BRIGHT AND INFINITE, opens with the five dancers in silhouette.

As the lights come up, Martha Chamberlain’s tourquoise/sea-green/black costumes catch the eye – above, Jared Angle, Unity Phelan, Elizabeth Claire Walker, and Dameron Dieck; photo by Travis Magee. The choreography is agile, sometimes stylized, with comings and going and brisk partnering trade-offs. Joined by Da’Von Doane, the dancers follow the music into a lyrical state…

…as Ms. Walker and Mr. Angle dance a pas de deux while their colleagues eavesdrop. The ballet ends with an upbeat feeling.

More images from TRANQUIL NIGHT, BRIGHT AND INFINITE courtesy of Travis Magee:

Unity Phelan and Da’Von Doane

Unity Phelan and Cameron Dieck

Solo danceworks for women loom large in my memory-book: seeing Peggy Lyman dance The Incense at Jacob’s Pillow; Kaitlyn Gilliland debuting at New York City Ballet in Eliot Feld’s Étoile Polaire; Ioanna Toumpakari enrapturing me with Andonis Foniadakis’ Rite of Spring; a whole evening of solos from the magical Miki Orihara at La MaMa…the list goes on and on. Tonight, Claudia Schreier’s THE TRILLING WIRE, danced by Wendy Whelan, wrote a whole new chapter in my dance diary: an unforgettable piece performed by Terpsichore’s favoured handmaiden.

The choreography for THE TRILLING WIRE is different from all other Schreier choreography I have seen. And I’m sure it posed challenges for the dancer; but Wendy Whelan has risen to every challenge that’s ever come her way and thus she turned this unusual work into a full-fledged triumph.

With the string players back in the pit to play movements of three Marc Mellits string quartets, the ballet opens with Wendy – hair down, in a casual outfit and wearing socks – facing upstage. She begins to move, and within about three seconds we are totally under her spell: her most subtle gestures lure the viewer in. A flow of dance commences, with a searching air and marked by pauses as if she was examining the terrain along which her quest carries her. Mesmerizing at every single moment, Wendy transforms a prayerful gesture into an act of wonderment.

As the musical pace steps up, the gorgeous movement quality becomes light and airy. Wendy’s arms and hands are hypnotic, and even her hair is dancing. As the strings stutter, the classic notion of “dancing like no one is watching” comes to mind.

Then out of the blue comes a walkabout: Wendy simply circles the stage. But even this simple act has such resonance. To pulsing music, fabulous movement ensues; veering from lyrical to stylized, turns and gentle leaps propel the dancer as the pace quickens. A sort of coda seems to indicate the solo is about to end, but suddenly Wendy stops, only to embark on a slowish passage with animated gestures. She has made the music, the choreography, and the very space itself her own. The audience erupted in a tumult of cheers and applause after having savoured this unparalleled dance experience. Graciously sharing the acclaim with the musicians, Wendy was engulfed in a flood of love.

Here’s a gallery of Travis Magee’s images of Wendy Whelan in Claudia Schreier’s THE TRILLING WIRE:

I simply cannot get over the power and the glory of Wendy’s performance!

Above: the final moment of CHARGE with Tiffany Mangulabnan is a spectacular lift by Gilbert Bolden III

The evening ended thrillingly with CHARGE. Douwe Eisenga’s Piano Concerto, Movement III is the musical font from which this choreographed blessing flows. It is a work for large ensemble, and every dancer in that ensemble matters. There’s no standing about or idle promenading: this is a ballet that is meticulously structured yet seemingly bursting with spontaneity. The eye is constantly allured from one heavenly body to another as Claudia’s bevy of ballerinas and their handsome cavaliers flash thru the combinations and partnering motifs with élan.

The driven pace of the music – with fleeting moments of sparkle – propels various smaller ensemble sub-divisions into a vast tapestry of dance. Visual polyphony has seldom been so appealing: with endless comings and goings, one hardly knows where to settle one’s gaze next.

Travis Magee caught these moments from CHARGE:

Craig Wasserman and Holly Curran

Ramona Kelley and Gabriel Hyman

For me, this ballet was especially gratifying to watch thanks to the presence in the cast of a number of ballerinas who I count as wonderful friends: thus, thru every moment of CHARGE, I was feeling a very personal connection to what was happening onstage: thanks…and roses…to Holly Curran (who opens CHARGE alone onstage, luminous in the light), Amber Neff, Elinor Hitt, Ramona Kelley, Cassidy Hall, and Tiffany Mangulabnan. New to me were Evelyn Kocak, Jasmine Perry, and Jordan Miller. Beauties, all!

Da’Von Doane, having danced passionately all evening, looked wonderfully fresh and vital here: he and the other men have so much to do in CHARGE, from whirlwind combinations to tricky partnering motifs. Great work from all: Samuel Akins, Michael Breeden, Gabriel Hyman, Francis Lawrence, Craig Wasserman, and Gilbert Bolden III. Mr. Bolden, who I believe is about to join NYC Ballet, is a tall and powerful presence: he effortlessly put Tiffany Mangulabnan into an overhead lift to mark the end of this spectacular ballet.

As if we had not had enough thrills all evening, watching Elizabeth Claire Walker (above) toss off a series of demi-turns while sending her extension skyward was the frosting on the cake. This combination, which made me think of Gamzatti’s coda in Bayadere, just delighted me thoroughly. We don’t get to see Liz nearly often enough here in New York City.

The curtain fell, then rose again as the packed house went wild for the dancers. Wendy, Unity, Jared, and Cameron – already in street clothes – joined the cast of CHARGE onstage. Finally, Cameron brought Claudia Schreier out onto the stage; the entire audience stood up and literally screamed at the top of their lungs. It seemed actually that the roof might cave it. Such delirium, and so well-deserved.

Many thanks to Travis Magee for producing the images for this article.

~ Oberon

July 21, 2017
Prelude: Claudia Schreier & Co

Claudia Schreier & Co will be at The Joyce on July 21st and 22nd, 2017, as part of the theatre’s two-week ballet festival. The performances are sold out.

On Wednesday evening, July 19th, photographer Travis Magee and I stopped in at the Barnard College studios where rehearsals have been taking place. The dancers were running thru CHARGE, Claudia’s large-scale ballet set to a vibrant score by the Dutch composer Douwe Eisenga. For this ensemble work, Claudia has gathered together an outstanding group of dancers; although it’s an ad hoc ensemble, they’ve already developed the feeling of a Company.

Here are more of Travis’s images from CHARGE:

Elinor Hitt and Craig Wasserman

Elizabeth Claire Walker

Claudia & Company

While the dancers caught their breath after two runs of CHARGE, members of the choral group Tapestry filed into the studio and arranged themselves in a semi-circle to sing the music of Tomás Luis de Victoria and Sergei Rachmaninoff which comprise the setting of Claudia’s breathtaking pas de deux, VIGIL.

VIGIL is danced by guest artist Wendy Whelan and Dance Theater of Harlem’s Da’Von Doane. Working together for the first time, Wendy and Da’Von have formed a partnership based on resonant technique and spiritual affinity. Their dancing is borne up by the heartfelt, resplendent harmonies of Tapestry, making this is a dance experience sans pareil.

More of Travis Magee’s photos from VIGIL:

The Joyce performances by Claudia Schreier & Co will further feature ballets set to music of Leonard Bernstein, Marc Mellits, Dmitri Shostakovich, Alfred Schnittke, and Ellen Taafe Zwilich. Unity Phelan, Jared Angle, and Cameron Dieck – all from New York City Ballet – will appear in prominent roles.

All photos by Travis Magee.

July 19, 2017
Lydia Johnson Dance @ NYLA

Above: Nir Arieli’s image of Dona Wiley, Sara Spangler, and Blair Reavis-Tyler in Lydia Johnson’s This, and my heart beside…

Author: Oberon

Wednesday June 21st, 2017 – Lydia Johnson Dance‘s annual New York season opened tonight at New York Live Arts in Chelsea. Performing in two new works, as well as the revival of a Johnson classic from 2012, and the repeat of a darkish ensemble work held over from last season, the Company dancers displayed the strength, technical accomplishment, emotional commitment, and ever-appealing individuality of face and form that sets them in a unique place on the Gotham dancescape. For Lydia Johnson’s work, rooted as it is classical ballet technique, is alive with dramatic nuances that paradoxically seem both contemporary and curiously evocative of ancient modes of dance.

Among current choreographers, Lydia’s work bristles and blooms with a poignant sense of humanity. There’s nary a trace of theatricality in her dances; rather, she uses the music as a canvas on which emotions – both the deep and the subtle – are painted. Expressions of tenderness (so lacking in our lives today), hope, remorse, uncertainty, and the frailty of the human heart well up on the music, sometimes unexpectedly. How often, watching Lydia’s troupe in rehearsal, have I fought back tears or felt pangs of regret as I connect memories from my own life with things she is depicting in dance.

To Lydia’s good fortune, her work has always attracted dancers with an intrinsic gift for colouring their performances with expressive hues, drawing on their own recollections and experiences to captivate the viewer with their commitment, energy, and passion.

This season, a particularly striking ensemble has gathered together to offer up Lydia’s ballets: from Company mainstays Laura DiOrio, Katie Martin-Lohiya, MinSeon Kim, Brynt Beitman, and Chazz Fenner- McBride to newcomers Daniel Pigliavento, Dona Wiley, Lauren Treat, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Hope K Ruth, everyone shone: each in his or her own way. Debuting with the Company, a marvelous ballet-duo, Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chusin, left me hoping that tonight marks the start of their ongoing involvement with Lydia’s troupe.

Of special joy was the re-appearance at Lydia Johnson Dance of a pair of beloved dancers, Sarah Pon and Blake Hennessy-York; they had moved to the West Coast last year, and have graciously flown in to reprise their roles in Giving Way. And we also welcomed back Lisa Iannacito McBride, a key dancer during her seasons with Lydia Johnson Dance. Lisa has come back to perform a role made on her in 2012 in Crossings by River; in the intervening years, Lisa has been raising her son and dancing in her current neighborhood, up the Hudson River. This was not a sentimental return, but rather a vibrant and supremely assured performance from a dancer who always lights up the stage.

As we sat waiting for the performance to start, I was reflecting on all that has happened since the Company last danced in New York City. I felt quite certain, having seen some rehearsals, that this would be a strong program. As the evening flowed onward, I found the impact of the music, the choreography, and the dancing exceeded expectations in every regard.

Above: Lisa Iannacito McBride, Laura DiOrio, and Katie Martin-Lohiya in Crossings by River; photo by Nir Arieli

In Crossings by River, music of Osvaldo Golijov is the ideal setting for a dancework depicting the quiet rituals of a group of five women. Their flowing golden skirts and black lace bodices lend a Spanish flavour to the proceedings and, from the rooted, gestural elements at the start thru to spacious circlings laced with solo passages, and on to the consoling, rocking motifs of the sisterhood, Lydia Johnson’s choreography takes the Balanchinian stance of letting us see the music.

The five women gave an exceptionally well-integrated performance; two members of the original cast for Crossings were re-visiting their roles today: Lisa Iannacito McBride and Laura DiOrio. Their confident, expressive dancing resonates from the depths of their feminine spirits. Since the creation of this ballet, both Lisa and Laura have become mothers; this added an intangible layer of richness to their portrayals.

Katie Martin-Lohiya, who has become a paragon of the Lydia Johnson style, radiated assurance and grace, and MinSeon Kim stepped into one of Lydia’s most intriguing solos – the dancer subtly changes directions as she moves about the space – and made it her own. Dona Wiley, in her first performances with Lydia Johnson Dance, was an elegant presence and danced beautifully in this finely-integrated ensemble work.

Here are some of Nir Arieli’s images from Crossings by River:

Katie Martin-Lohiya

Dona Wiley, Min SeonKim, Katie Martin-Lohiya

Min, Lisa, Dona, Laura, Katie

Lisa Iannacito McBride

Katie, Laura, and Lisa

Katie, gently rocked by Lisa and Laura

Giving Way is being presented for the third consecutive season; I must say it seemed even more vital this year than previously, though I cannot put my finger on the reason. A sense of urgency was in full flourish among the dancers, whilst the more lyrical passages were hauntingly evocative.

Following a dynamic opening in which opposing quartets of men and women advance and retreat, Lydia Johnson brings forth an intensely personal duet for two boys: Blake Hennessy-York and Brynt Beitman. Their performance was a highlight of the evening, as Nir’s images attest:

A men’s quartet – swaying at first and then more animated – leads on the the heart of the ballet, set to a gorgeously mystical music for marimba and cello. A folkish cello passage for the men evolves to a memorable pas de deux danced by Laura Di Orio and Brynt Beitman:

In a unique passage, girls are lifted by pairs of men:

Sarah Pon

Katie Martin-Lohiya

Spectacular solo dancing from Chazz Fenner-McBride in Giving Way brought another outstanding performance from this incredibly gifted and vividly communicative dancer. I have been following Chazz over the past few seasons, dancing first for Robin Becker and now for Lydia Johnson. He just gets better and better: fearless, powerful, but always lyrical at heart: such a perpetual pleasure to watch him.

Giving Way ends with the dancers undulating in a wave-like passage as the light fades.

Here are more of Nir images from Giving Way:

Peter Chursin, Blake Hennessy-York

Blake Hennessy-York

Chazz Fenner-McBride & MinSeon Kim

Katie Martin-Lohiya, Peter Chursin

Brynt Beitman, Laura DiOrio

Peter Chursin

The music of Georg Friedrich Handel cries out: “Dance to me!” The contrasts between the lively allegros and the lyrical andantes set up a perfect opportunity for choreographers to show off both their dancers’ technical proficiency and their emotive qualities.

In the premiere of her new Handel ballet, Trio Sonatas, Lydia Johnson shows her usual structural deftness and musicality. The dancers strike off-kilter, stylized poses (above) before things turn more animated, with small leaps in place and the girls flinging themselves dramatically into Chazz’s arms.

Duet motifs, and a walking ensemble ensue: the Company’s newest members have opportunities to shine. Daniel Pigliavento dances with Katie Martin-Lohiya – their long limbs and tender sense of lyricism shaping the movement persuasively:

Lydia’s newest ladies – Dona Wiley, Lauren Treat, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Hope K Ruth – are seen to advantage in the Handel work. A sprightly finale strikes up, with the dancers doing swift lay-downs before springing back to action. Chazz Fenner-McBride’s daring catches of the petite and charming Hope K Ruth drew appreciative murmurs from the crowd. A female ensemble with decorative gestures, another bit of brightness from Ms. Ruth, and a duo passage for Chazz and Blair Reavis-Tyler draw Trio Sonatas to its close.

Trio Sonatas images from Nir Arieli:

Chazz fenner-McBride and MinSeon Kim

Laura DiOrio and Katie Martin-Lohiya

Chazz Fenner-McBride and MinSeon Kim

Chazz Fenner-McBride and Dona Wiley

Hope K Ruth

This, and my heart beside… is Lydia Johnson’s very newest work, and let’s say it flat-out: it’s a masterpiece. The title of the ballet is drawn from this Emily Dickinson poem:

“It’s all I have to bring today—
This, and my heart beside—
This, and my heart, and all the fields—
And all the meadows wide—
Be sure you count—should I forget
Some one the sum could tell—
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.”

To music by Marc Mellits and Philip Glass, the choreographer has deployed her large cast in an inspired manner; the ballet features the appearance of a young girl, Sara Spangler, and centers on three couples: Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin, MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride, and Katie Martin-Lohiya dancing with Daniel Pigliavento.

One aspect of this work that is most intriguing is that its narrative qualities seem to loom up along a fluid timeline; rather than linear storytelling, the dancers seem to slip from the here-and-now into memories from the past and dreams of things to come. Philip Glass’s music amplifies this sense of layers of time, just as it did in Lydia Johnson’s earlier work Summer House, also danced to Glass.

The Marc Mellitts segment of This, and my heart beside… has the feeling of a prologue. Sara Spangler’s perfection in the role of The Child (above, with Katie Martin-Lohiya) removed the risk of any inadvertent scene-stealing on her part: she was a calm, natural, lovely presence throughout.

Sara Spangler and Katie Martin-Lohiya

Once the Philip Glass music commences, we are drawn deeper into the drama. In a dancework rife with emotion, the exact inter-relationships of the characters become a matter of what the individual viewer chooses to focus on. There is much going on; the ballet will require additional viewings before one can draw any definitive conclusions – though, on the other hand, definitive conclusions may not be possible in this case.

In a striking partnership, Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin delved into both the passion and the problems inherent in a long-time love affair. Resistance and surrender vie for the upper hand, and it is all so true-to-life. Here are some of Nir’s images of this charismatic pair of dancers:

One memorable moment in the Hansohn/Chursin relationship came when they seemed to express opposing viewpoints in flashes of pirouettes.

The second couple, Katie Martin-Lohiya and Daniel Pigliavento (above), seem more steadfast in their love. It is they, in the end, who have charge of the young girl.

MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride (above) are a youthful couple, alternately joyous and a bit scrappy; all seems well between them until – as the ballet nears its end – Chazz becomes intrigued with Mary Beth. This sets up a brief and subtle but tension-filled encounter for Chazz and Peter. The situation remains unresolved, as does the music. As the light fades, Peter and MinSeon are on their own, with Mary Beth in Chazz’s encircling arms. The child, for whom all that has gone before may be a vision of the future, is safe in the protective love of Katie and Daniel.

Others will have seen variable narratives in this complex but wonderfully absorbing work; and over time, I may change my opinion of what has happened in the course of This, and my heart beside…

But I won’t change my mind about the work itself: it’s something to treasure.

~ Oberon

June 21, 2017
Rehearsing: Lydia Johnson Dance

Above: Nir Arieli’s rehearsal photo from the final moments of Lydia Johnson’s new creation This, and my heart beside…

Author: Oberon

Lydia Johnson Dance will be at New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street, on June 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2017. The performances are at 7:30 PM each evening. Tickets here.

Two new works choreographed by Lydia Johnson will be presented: Trio Sonatas, to music of Georg Friedrich Handel, and This, and my heart beside…, inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem “It’s All I Have to Bring Today” and set to music by Marc Mellits and Philip Glass. Completing the program will be a revival of Lydia’s 2012 ballet for five women, Crossings By River, to music by Osvaldo Golijov, and Giving Way, returning from last season, with music by Mellits and Golijov.

On Friday June 16th, Lydia invited photographer Nir Arieli and me to her rehearsal at the Ballet Hispanico studios. Giving Way was being run when we arrived, and here are some of Nir’s images from that work.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Laura DiOrio

Brynt Beitman

Blake Hennessy-York and Brynt Beitman

Blake and Brynt

Blake and Brynt

Above: Lydia with Sarah Pon, who will be dancing in Giving Way at NYLA, giving notes

After a brief respite, the large ensemble involved in This, and my heart beside… took their places and I got to see this moving and disturbingly beautiful work in a full run-thru.

Here is the Emily Dickinson poem from which the ballet’s title is derived:

“It’s all I have to bring today—
This, and my heart beside—
This, and my heart, and all the fields—
And all the meadows wide—
Be sure you count—should I forget
Someone the sum could tell—
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.”

The ballet is built around three couples, each of them at a different stage in their relationship:

MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride, observed by the ensemble…

…Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin…

…and Daniel Pigliavento and Katie Martin-Lohiya.

Dona Wiley, Hope K Ruth, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Lauren Treat form the ensemble for this poetic work, and also appearing will be Sara Spangler, a very young dancer who was not at today’s rehearsal.

This, and my heart beside… opens with a sort of prologue set to a Marc Mellits score which serves to set the stage for the drama which will unfold. Above: Dona Wiley, and Katie Martin-Lohiya (seated).

Lydia then turns to one of Philip Glass’s most haunting works, from his Etudes, Book 2: No 17, for the unfolding of the ballet. I won’t give away too much about the piece – Nir’s photos will say more than words can express – but this is a dancework which grasps the heart and never lets go.

Here is This, and my heart beside… in rehearsal:

Katie and Daniel

Daniel, Katie, Chazz, Min

Peter

Peter

Chazz and Min, observed by Mary Beth

Peter and Mary Beth

Mary Beth and Min

Daniel and Katie

Min, Mary Beth, Chazz, Peter

Min and Chazz

Mary Beth and Peter

Mary Beth and Peter

Katie and Daniel

Daniel and Katie

Mary Beth and Peter

Mary Beth and Peter

Peter, Mary Beth, Chazz

Mary Beth and Peter

This, and my heart beside… ends without a musical resolution. It is a ballet filled with unanswered questions.

All photos by Nir Arieli, with my sincere appreciation.

~ Oberon

June 17, 2017
Restless Creature: The Film

RESTLESS CREATURE, the documentary about Wendy Whelan that dance lovers everywhere have been waiting for, is now playing (thru June 6th) at Film Forum down on Houston Street in New York City. Since, as most of my readers know by now, I’ve been on the disabled list for several weeks, I had the good fortune of receiving a link to watch the film at home.

Very soon after I moved to New York City and started working at Tower Records, Wendy Whelan came in to shop one afternoon. She had been my dream dancer since I first took note of her as an outstanding, unique ballerina in my favorite dance company: New York City Ballet. Feeling overwhelmingly shy in the presence of my idol, I managed to croak out an uncertain “Hello, Wendy!” Incredibly, she seemed equally shy. We talked about the weather.

From that day on, I ran into her frequently – both at the store and around Lincoln Center, where I loved hanging out for hours in hopes of seeing my beloved dancers coming and going from rehearsals and performances. Whenever Wendy passed by, she always stopped to chat; she has an incredible sense of humor, and a knack for making whoever she’s talking to feel…blessed.

I have a million Wendy Whelan stories, and I’ll put some links to some of my favorites at the end of this article. But right now, it’s showtime! Roll RESTLESS CREATURE…

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Above: Brian Brooks and Wendy Whelan, photo by Christopher Duggan

When I think of Wendy Whelan, the word that always comes to mind is: gratitude. Gratitude, not simply for her sublime artistry as a dancer, or her wit and warmth as a friend, but a true feeling of being thankful that our dance careers – hers performing, mine observing – have dovetailed so perfectly. From the first memories of singling her out on a stageful of magnificent dancers in her early days at New York City Ballet down to this very afternoon – watching her in the strikingly candid and deeply moving documentary RESTLESS CREATURE – Wendy has been one of those people who – quite simply – makes life worth living.

The film opens with some footage from Jerome Robbins’ GLASS PIECES, with Wendy and Adrian Danchig-Waring in the pas de deux. Within seconds, the pristine beauty and ineffable mystique of Wendy Whelan have already moved me to tears. And that’s how I spent the entire 90-minute span of watching this film: on a roller-coaster of emotion as Wendy’s transition from prima ballerina to contemporary dancer de luxe is observed at close range in scene after scene which reveal both a deep vulnerability and a powerful strength of will in this complex and supremely human woman.

“If I don’t dance, I’d rather die!” says Wendy early in the film; we then follow her on her journey beyond classical ballet and into another realm of dance: a journey marked by a surgical intervention with all its attendant hope and despair.

Courageously, Wendy even lets us eavesdrop in the operating room, and we can only marvel at the technological advances that make what once would have been an unthinkable procedure go forward smoothly. From thence, with her handsome husband David Michalek ever a quiet pillar of strength, the ups and downs of recovery are chronicled. “It’s depressing to think of what I can’t do anymore,” Wendy broods, as she works thru physical therapy. Yet all the time, the future beckons.

She speaks of roles having been taken away from her at New York City Ballet and of a conversation with Peter Martins that devastated her when he said, “I don’t want people to see you in decline.” With raw honesty, Wendy admits this episode caused her debilitating pain.

But she carries on; her first gentle barre is an obstacle to be overcome: she is anxious to get back to work. With a focus on what she can do, her RESTLESS CREATURE program has taken shape: she will dance duets – not on pointe – with each of four choreographers. But the recovery process stalls as pain begins to creep back in. When a hawk appears outside her window, Wendy takes it as an omen and postpones the RESTLESS CREATURE tour. The toll this decision takes on her is potent.

But, resilience is in her nature. She works thru the pain and finds her strength again. Wendy plans her farewell program at New York City Ballet, determined to take leave of the House of Mr B during her 30th year with the Company. One last surprise comes her way: Alexei Ratmansky asks her to dance in his new creation PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION. She is thrilled by the invitation, and seems to be having a blast doing it. {Wendy is currently staging PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION for Pacific Northwest Ballet.}

The night of the farewell is beautifully documented: Wendy dances with her next-generation partners Tyler Angle and Craig Hall, finishing the evening in a pas de trois specially crafted by Christopher Wheeldon and Akexei Ratmansky which ends with Wendy aloft, leaving the past behind and reaching for the future.

Throughout the film there are delightful glimpses of people I love: Lynne Goldberg, Emily Coates, Sean Stewart, Maria Kowroski and Martin Harvey, Gonzalo Garcia, Edward Watson, Ask LaCour, Chris Bloom, Reid Bartelme, Abi Stafford, Tiler Peck, Sean Suozzi, Joshua Thew, Allegra Kent, Jacques D’Amboise, Wendy Perron, Gillian Murphy, Ethan Stiefel, Gwyneth Muller, Chuck Askegard, and oh-so-many more. Three of Wendy’s most marvelous cavaliers are seen: Jock Soto, Philip Neal, and Peter Boal. Mr. Boal pays Wendy an incredible – and honest – compliment when he says, “You changed how people behave in this profession.”

Watching the film made me think yet again of Wendy as a very special kind of star, for while it is wonderful to be admired, applauded, honored, and revered as an artist, it is even more rewarding to be loved, not only for what you do but for who you are.

At the very end of RESTLESS CREATURE, there is one final tugging of the heartstrings: the film is dedicated to the memory of Albert Evans.

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Here are some past articles from my blog about Wendy Whelan that you might enjoy reading:

Wendy & Pauline

RITE OF SPRING

LABYRINTH WITHIN

Wendy Teaching

Celebrating Wendy Whelan

NYCB Farewell

RESTLESS CREATURE @ The Joyce

Hostess With The Mostess

May 30, 2017
Reese Thompson’s KIDS PLAY

Above: the cast of Reese Thompson’s play KIDS PLAY – Erin Margaret Pettigrew, Matthew Bovee, and Joy Donze; styling by Anthony Hagan, hair and make-up by Ta Ming Chen; photographed by Jan Klier

Recently, I received an e-mail from Reese Thompson. Reese and I worked together back in the day at Tower Records, and while we seldom see one another, we have stayed in contact thru the passing years.

I could see from the heading of his e-mail – “Important Life Announcement” – that this was not just a friendly, keeping-in-touch message. Fortunately, it contained very good news: Reese’s play, entitled KIDS PLAY, is to be presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this Summer. Edinburgh Fringe is the largest and one of the most prestigious arts festivals in the world: last year the Festival spanned 25 days and featured 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues. I expect this year’s Festival will carry on in the same vein.

Reese and I, and hundreds of thousands of people world-wide, have something in common: we were cruelly bullied as children. In his e-mail, Reese mentioned the specific times in his daily school routine when things were most treacherous: getting to and from school, lunch-hour, and the playground. Although I am many years older than Reese, I experienced the exact same pattern in my youth. Nothing has changed…in fact, I would say things have gotten worse.

“For certain kids, the world reveals itself as a dangerous place early on.” Truer words have never been spoken. If you are ‘different’, you become – at a very young age – fair game for those who fit accepted norms, both at school and in the community.

The burgeoning suicide rate among very young people should be setting off all kinds of alarms, but instead it seems to have become just another statistic: suicide is now the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year. According to Yale University’s Office of Public Affairs, victims of bullying are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims.

For those young people who don’t fit in, and who lack parental support and understanding, life becomes a quest to find your people: we build our own family and support network over time, and inevitably this replaces blood ties as a source of refuge, understanding, and encouragement.

Reese Thompson’s KIDS PLAY evolved over a three-year period from a 10-minute play dealing with shaming, internalized sexism, and bullying on the playground. Since then, by collaborating with different casts and directors, the present a full-length version has taken shape. It now encompasses such themes as childhood friendships, attending Catholic school, and nerve-wracking decisions about coming out. Reese’s play is both auto-biographical and universal.

But, lest you think KIDS PLAY is a dark downer of a theatrical experience, it doesn’t wallow in despair: in fact, there is singing…and dancing, as in this preliminary video featuring the cast members and choreographed by Benjamin Rowan.

Of course, putting on a production at a festival across the pond costs money, and the KIDS PLAY folks have started a fun-raising effort: you can read more about the play (and the other half of its double bill, Joy Donze’s 13 AND NOT PREGNANT), and contribute to the expenses involved here.

March 24, 2017
Celebrating Alan Gilbert’s 50th Birthday

Thursday February 23rd, 2017 – An array of stars from the classical music firmament were on hand to celebrate the 50th birthday of The New York Philharmonic‘s Music Director Alan Gilbert. Click on the above photo to enlarge.

“Life begins at 50!”…at least it did for me: the life I’d always hoped to live, here in New York City with my beloved, with everything I enjoy – music, dance, art, food, a nearby park – at my fingertips, and good friends to share things with. Alan Gilbert’s tenure as Music Director coincides with my own embrace of The Philharmonic. I would go once in a while during the Mehta-Boulez-Masur-Maazel years, but in recent seasons I have rarely missed a program; I have become an admirer of several of the orchestra’s musicians, and of Alan’s leadership. He’ll soon be embarking on a new phase of his career, and so it was truly pleasing to be there tonight, joining with the stellar party guests onstage to salute the Maestro.

The first half of the evening was devoted to music of the Three Bs: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. After welcoming speeches, Alan Gilbert strode out to a warm greeting from the packed house. Paolo Bordignon was at the harpsichord as Pamela Frank and Frank Huang took up the opening Vivace of Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043, playing with festive vitality. Pamela Frank was then joined by Joshua Bell for the Largo ma non tanto, and how beautifully their timbres blended: deeply satisfying music-making. I’d hoped Alan Gilbert might play tonight, but the third movement of the Bach brought forth Lisa Batiashvili and Mr. Huang in the vivacious Allegro.

I think this was the first time I have heard this piece outside of its ballet setting: Balanchine’s masterpiece CONCERTO BAROCCO is frequently given across the Plaza. Throughout tonight’s concert rendering, the choreography danced in my head.

Phenomenal back-to-back performances by two of the world’s great pianists followed: Emanuel Ax cast a magic spell over the music of Brahms: the Andante from the 2nd piano concerto. How gently Mr. Ax caressed this music, and how poignant was the sound of Carter Brey’s cello in his long solo passage. The cello returns near the end of the movement as Mr. Ax plays a series of delicate trills.

Yefim Bronfman then took command of the Steinway in a thrillingly virtuosic Allegro con brio from Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. With some wonderful interjections from the Philharmonic’s wind soloists along the way, the pianist brought both passion and nuance to his playing. As his spectacular rendering of the cadenza drew to its close on a series of gossamer trills, the orchestra re-entered creating an exquisite sense of quietude.

Joshua Bell’s fiery playing and unbridled physicality evoked the audience’s rousing ovation for his performance of the Allegro energico from Max Bruch’s first violin concerto. Moments later, a very different aspect of Mr. Bell’s artistry was gorgeously evidenced as he joined Renée Fleming for Richard Strauss’s “Morgen!“; the warmth of the soprano’s voice and the silken serenity of Mr. Bell’s phrasing created a tranquil atmosphere, like basking in sunlight on some distant seashore.

Ms. Fleming then gave one of her trademark arias, “Marietta’s Lied” from Erich Korngold’s DIE TOTE STADT; the song’s romance and mystery were conveyed by the soprano in the high-rising arcs of the vocal line over a dreamlike orchestration that features harp, piano, and celesta. The music becomes passionate; then the singer speaks a couple of lines, as she tries to recall the words of the second verse. Once again the haunting melody is sung, followed by an evocative postlude. Intoxicating moments.

Lisa Batiashvili offered “Goin’ Home“, the ‘spiritual’ that was drawn from the principal theme of the Largo of Antonin Dvořák’s New World symphony, arranged by Fritz Kreisler, and adapted by T. Batiashvili. This was played with rich emotion and lovely tone by the comely Ms. Batiashvili; the only problem is that the song is quite brief, leaving us craving more Batiashvili.

Gershwin’s An American in Paris, a favorite work of Alan Gilbert’s, was the closing work of the evening; not my cup of tea, but of course superbly played.

Frock watch: being a party night, the women of the Philharmonic did not all wear regulation black; Cynthia Phelps looked radiant in a “gamorous” slit-skirt emerald green number. Pamela Frank wore a black gown shot with silver, and be-jeweled shoes which would have made Cinderella envious. Lisa Batiashvili, ever the picture of elegance, wore a sleek, satiny gun-metal creation with a hint of Grecian style. And Renée Fleming looked every inch the diva in vermilion with a long golden shawl.

Renée led us in singing ‘Happy Birthday, Dear Alan’ with the standing audience saluting the conductor and everyone singing full-voice. Maestro Gilbert basked in the embraces of the great musicians who had gathered to honor him; then they all seemed to be heading off together to continue the party into the wee hours as Alan waved goodbye to the crowd.

February 23, 2017