Category: Ballet

YAGP GALA 2012

Friday April 27, 2012 – Winners from the 2012 Youth America Grand Prix competition joined a constellation of great dancers from the world’s top companies for this gala evening at Lincoln Center. New ballets by Jiri Bubenicek, Marcelo Gomes and Justin Peck were premiered. Unfortunately, what could/should have been a memorable dance experience was marred by jarring flaws in the presentation and an audience who seemed to think they were at a basketball game.

Not to dwell on the negatives, but a 7:00 PM start time means you’d better have the curtain up no later than 7:07. It was 7:20 and we were still sitting there, twiddling our thumbs as the fashionably-late crowd drifted down the aisles to their seats. Women teetering past us hilariously in way-too-high heels looked absurd. But despite not starting til 7:25, there were still large numbers of even-later latecomers and they were all allowed to stagger around in the dark trying to find their seats.

Worse still were the idiotic couple -TV personalities (I use the term loosely) supposedly – who hosted the evening. Their lame jokes, inept reading of a prepared script, and complete lack of personal dignity or charm gave the evening an air of low-class entertainment that even the great dancers who appeared after the intermission could not thoroughly dispel. Ballet is one of the last bastions of beauty and civility; why reduce it to a crude reality show?

Then there was the audience with its large percentage of screaming, whooping adolescents blended with adults who chatted throughout and came and went from their seats at whim. A disastrous second late-seating took place after the break as they darkened the house lights and started Justin Peck’s new ballet (the main reason I attended) long before the crowd were back in their seats. So, more distractions disrupted Justin’s work and the excellent dancing of Teresa Reichlen and Robert Fairchild. Inexcusable.

With these distractions, the first half of the gala went for nought. Although the Competition winners who danced in Part I were announced, I mostly had no clue who I was watching. A couple of the boys made outstanding impressions, but the announcer referred to a solo from LA SYLPHIDE as being from LES SYLPHIDES. A beautiful ensemble piece by Choo San Goh marked the high point of Part I, along with a dazzling performance of the DON QUIXOTE variation by a Korean boy whose name I know not.

Furiant, Justin Peck’s ballet to a beautiful Dvorak score (played live, and ravishingly) was rather lost in the shuffle of the post-intermission seating debacle, but I could tell it’s another nice addition to Justin’s catalog, and hopefully we can see it again under more favorable circumstances. Tess Reichlen and Rob Fairchild look wonderful together though I could have wished that Robbie had worn a fitted top rather than the billowy blouse. I continue to commend Justin Peck not only for his choreographic imagination but also for his inspired musical choices. So far, in my view, he hasn’t made a single false creative move.

Tamara Rojo gave a luminous performance in the mysterious duet for woman and goldfish entitled Life Is A Dream (choreographed by Fei Bo). The ballerina begins seated in a pool of light; opposite her is a second light-pool with a fishbowl globe holding a single, swishing goldfish. Intrigued by the fish, the dancer moves about the space in a reverie. Really nice.

Herman Cornejo’s marvelous dancing of his self-choreographed solo Tango Y Yo was a brilliant vignette, but Jose Manuel Carreno and his partner Karina Smirnoff couldn’t match Herman for sheer artistry; their tango was a more gaudy, reality-show version. And at one point Jose seemed about to lose control of Karina.

Yolanda Correa Frias (Norwegian Ballet) and Yonah Acosta (English National Ballet) paired successfully in the CORSAIRE pas de deux, the bare-chested and handsome Jonah winning applause for every leap and pose; the ballerina has a lovely quality but what was with the rhythmic clapping during her solo? Disgusting.

Marcelo Gomes (would that he had danced!) choreographed a movement-rich duet for his ABT colleagues Misty Copeland and Alexandre Hammoudi. Entitled Toccare, the pas de deux is set to a colorful contemporary score by Ian Ng, played live by the adorable-punk violinist Charles Yang and pianist Dmitri Dover. Misty and Alexandre make a radiant pair, and the ballet was further enhanced by huge black-and-white still images of the two dancers projected on the back wall. The images, by Jade Young, were so striking that they might have over-shadowed the dancing; but Marcelo, Misty and Alexandre made sure the whole performance was finely integrated. Bravi tutti!

Alicia Amatriain and Friedermann Vogel from Stuttgart Ballet gave a spacious rendering of the Cranko Romeo and Juliet pas de deux. The dancers held the audience in the palms of their hands with their lovely lyricism, though I found myself thinking that Sean Lavery’s version of this duet surpassses Cranko’s as a distillation of an immortal love.

Jiri Bubenicek’s Gentle Memories brought the great Mariinsky ballerina Ekaterina Kondaurova to the stage. This woman made such a stunning impression when she danced here in Gotham at the Mariinsky’s last visit (time for an encore, dear Russians!). Looking splendid in a long deep-rose gown, La Kondaurova held the center of this ballet as three men (Islam Baimuradov, Otto Bubenicek, and Jon Vallejo) vied for her favor. Yet in the end it was the pianist Simon Mulligan who won her heart. Mr. Mulligan played Karen LeFrak’s melodious yet very au courant score impeccably. This ballet and these performers generated a unique atmosphere; I’d love to see this piece again – and Justin’s and Marcelo’s as well. A single viewing of a new ballet is never enough.

Tamara Rojo and Sergei Polunin were announced to be dancing Esmerelda but they certainly looked like Diana and Acteon to me. Ms. Rojo seemed a bit out of focus early on but by the time she reached her uncanny set of fouettes she was back on the gold standard. Mr. Polunin danced quite grandly and together they brought the gala to a rousing conclusion.

April 28, 2012
YAGP Makarova Gala 2012

Saturday August 28, 2012 – The concluding event of the 2012 Youth America Grand Prix was a gala evening celebrating the great ballerina Natalia Makarova. I’m not really a fan of ballet galas (my idea of a perfect gala would be SERENADE, FOUR TEMPERAMENTS and SYMPHONY IN C) but tonight’s programme offered the chance to see so many dancers I love all in one place that I took advantage of the opportunity to attend. The audience were far better-behaved than at the previous night’s gala (though I’m always annoyed by Russians sitting near me at the ballet or opera – they can’t STFU for a moment, seemingly) and the performance (almost) started on time. There was still late seating, but less of it than on Friday evening.

The filmed presence of Makarova loomed over the stage almost ominously at times. Some of today’s greatest dancers were not allowed even to bow after their dancing; they were hustled offstage in the dark while the enormous image of Makarova re-appeared on the screen, relating anecdotes from her career. This was particularly unfortunate following a sublime White Swan pas de deux danced by Yuan Yuan Tan and Friedermann Vogel; no sooner had they struck their poetic final pose than La Makarova came looming out of the darkness, chattering away. No chance for reverie.

Well, anyway, there was lots of superb dancing and everything was a highlight basically. This was my first Osipova Experience and she was remarkable in a pair of very strongly contrasted works (both danced with the excellent Ivan Vasiliev): the jaggedly contemporary and exciting Serenata by Mauro Bigonzetti and a spell-binding GISELLE pas de deux. Osipova made a glorious impression and I very much look forward to seeing her again soon at ABT.

Yuan Tuan Tan’s silken sumptuousness as Odette (such a lovely filagree of rapid beats in those final slow supported turns) was enthralling, and Friedermann Vogel was a perfect cavalier for her. Later, in Black Swan, Ekaterina Kondaurova sizzled with dramatic fire and her dancing was on the grandest scale; she and Marcelo Gomes (at his most charismatic) had the chemistry going full-blast. A second couple (Tamara Rojo and Sergei Polunin) then took over, with Ms. Rojo unleashing a torrent of fouettes with some fascinating quadruples.

Veronika Part appeared all-too-briefly as Nikiya is the evening’s opening piece, the encounter from BAYADERE where Gamzatti exposes the temple dancer’s love for Solor. Ekaterina Kondaurova was the imperious princess, later switching gears impressively for a Forsythe solo from IN THE MIDDLE, SOMEWHAT ELEVATED. From the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Catherine Hurlin paid tribute to one of Makarova’s first solo roles, dancing Princess Florine’s variation very prettily. Later in the evening, Ashley Bouder celebrated the Jerome Robbins/Makarova connection with a scintillating solo from OTHER DANCES. New York City Ballet’s Tyler Angle and Maria Kowroski honored Makarova’s Broadway triumph in ON YOUR TOES with Maria’s mind-boggling extension gorgeously displayed.

A trio of romantic pas de deux reminded us of Makarova’s flair for drama, and of her work with the 20th century’s greatest choreographers: Tamara Rojo and Federco Bonelli from Ashton’s A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes in MacMillan’s MANON, and Alicia Amatriain and Friedermann Vogel in Cranko’s ONEGIN.

Tamara Rojo and Denis Matvienko commenced the evening’s closing work, from the Kingdom of the Shades, saluting Makarova’s glorious staging of BAYADERE for ABT which remains the best production in that Company’s repertoire. The evening’s final surprise came with the appearance of a seemingly last-minute addition to the casting: David Hallberg, who looked like a god in his simple white tights and tee-shirt. The audience welcomed him warmly and he was soon joined by the divine Kondaurova, a majestic Nikiya, also in white practice clothes. These two gave us a glimpse of Heaven on Earth, what more can be said?

As all the dancers made a final bow, Kevin McKenzie escorted Natalia Makarova onstage to a massive standing ovation. All the ballerinas laid their flowers at the Assoluta‘s feet, then Marcelo and David hoisted her into a high lift as a radiant sunburst-backdrop appeared.

April 28, 2012
Ballet Next: Choreographic Exhibition

Above: Michele Wiles and Kristi Boone in Mauro Bigonzetti’s LA FOLLIA, photo by Paul B Goode. Click on the image to enlarge.

Wednesday April 25, 2012 – “You’ll be close enough to see us sweat and breathe,” said ballerina Michele Wiles in a brief film shown at the start of this evening’s presentation by Ballet Next. She was right, and there’s nothing more beautiful – for me at least – than watching dancers dance, especially at close range. Some dance-goers want to see an effortless sheen of ‘artistry’ which masks the physicality of the dance; myself, I love to see the body working, the minute flickerings of facial expression as the dancer ‘edits’ herself, the sense of stretch as the muscles respond, and the mechanics of delivering a triple pirouette. In a large theatrical setting, you’re at a remove from all of this. Tonight at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, the dancers exposed themselves to our keenest scrutiny. They looked superb.

Michele Wiles and Charles Askegard created Ballet Next as a continuation of their top-flight dance careers after they ‘retired’ from ABT and New York City Ballet respectively. They certainly don’t look like any retirees I know; their vitality and their eagerness to share their excitement about Ballet Next with an ever-broadening audience are infectious. Michele and Charles have set forth to bring us classic and new choreography danced by ballet’s greatest talents to live music. So far they’ve been succeeding admirably.

Tonight’s programme delivered four works, each created especially for Ballet Next. The Company’s music director Elad Kabilio and his troupe of gallant young musicians delivered inspired playing of works by Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Satie and Vivaldi. Setting their musical barre very high gives Ballet Next an added lustre in my view; the better music you use, the better your choreography and dancing will look. It’s that simple.

And so we started with Stravinsky, violinist Hajnal Karman Pivnick and pianist Ben Laude treating us to shimmering suite of music from Baiser de la Fee. I have a special love for this music since Balanchine’s gorgeous setting of the score was the first work I ever saw danced by New York City Ballet (by Patricia McBride and Helgi Tomasson, no less…)

Charles Askegard entitles his duet to this music simply DIVERTIMENTO. Danced with teriffic flair by Charles and NYCB‘s Georgina Pazcoguin, his choreography is witty and wonderful with some very inventive partnering motifs threading thru the music. Physically demanding, the dance evoked genuine enthusiasm from the packed house. Ms Pazcoguin, always a dancer to lure the opera glasses when she’s on the big stage, is a fascinating technician and personality to experience in this more intimate setting. Charles, one of the ballet world’s most valuable partners, doesn’t give himself any easy breaks in his own choreography. DIVERTIMENTO is a pure pleasure in every regard.

By way of contrast, Brian Reeder’s summer-shadowy PICNIC proved to be a small jewel of a narrative ballet. Drawing inspiration from the film PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, the choreographer turns to Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D Minor with its alternating currents of pensive and slightly ominous feeling, and shows us three schoolgirls in white frocks setting out on that fatal picnic from which two of them never returned. Michele Wiles, Kristi Boone and Misty Copeland comprised a stellar trio, each (like the girls in the film) with her own unique little quirks. Kissing, chaste but inquisitive, delicately projects the Sapphic undercurrents found in the film. Meanwhile, Charles Askegard, perhaps drawing on his incredible portrayal of the death figure in Robbins’ IN MEMORY OF…seems silently to draw Misty and Kristi into his thrall, leaving Michele to awaken, alone and mystified. Cellist Elad Kabilio and pianist Ben Laude supported the dancers with a poetic rendering of the Shostakovitch.

Following an intermission during which we were up-dated as to the success of the evening’s live- streaming (people tuning in worldwide), Margo Sappington spoke briefly about her creation of ENTWINED for Ballet Next. I’ve seen this ballet evolve from a single, sensuous duet thru the addition of a pas de trois and a solo (for Michele Wiles); Margo revealed she has one more idea up her sleeve, a duet for two women; then ENTWINED will be complete. Or, she might even go on from there.

What she has crafted to date is an atmospheric piece set to Satie Gnossiennes (played by Ben Laude) which opens with a pas de trois danced by Charles Askegard, Georgina Pazcoguin and Ana Sophia Scheller. The choreography here flows thru a misty setting, as in a dream. Images of sleep and wakefulness drift by. The solo for Michele Wiles (beautifully danced, of course) evolves seamlessly from the pas de trois and this in turn floats into the pas de deux danced by Misty Copeland and Charles Askegard. By turns sculptural and steamy, this duet borders on the erotic, temptingly lush in its signature choreographic entwining of two bodies. Misty looked gorgeous.

(My only tiny complaint about the evening was that we didn’t get to see more of Ana Sophia Scheller; a ballerina in my super-top echelon of favorites, she danced gloriously in ENTWINED…and we did have the delightful experience of watching her warm up before the performance. Major beauty.)

Mauro Bigonzetti’s LA FOLLIA is a grand finale for a Ballet Next presentation. I’ve seen this duet now four times and it’s just incredible. The two women – Michele Wiles and ABT‘s fantastic Kristi Boone – nailed the complex in-sync steps and launched their complex solos with real bravado. This is dancing that’s taxing to the max, and the girls gave it a splendid energy. Meanwhile the excellent quartet of musicians (violinist Francesca Anderegg joining Ms. Pivnick and Mssers. Kabilio and Laude) played the dazzling Vivaldi theme and variations for all it was worth. This brought the evening to a truly exciting close.

So glad I ran into my young dancer-friend Alejandro Herrera whose easy, outgoing personality helped me overcome my innate shyness for once. Chatting with Chuck Askegard, Amanda Hankes, Rebecca Krohn, Adam Hendrickson, Sterling Hyltin, Gina Pazcoguin and Kristi Boone was a pleasure, while MMAC‘s Erin Fogarty let a couple of cats out of the bag for what is sure to be a grand night of Dancing Against Cancer at MMAC on May 7th (Matt Murphy will photograph that dress rehearsal for me).

As for Ballet Next, the future looks bright indeed with a season scheduled for The Joyce this Autumn and plans for growth and development running apace. Michele and Charles are not only great artists but great people who have a real passion for ballet and who have the connections in the dance world to make Ballet Next a truly dynamic force. I look forward to following their every step.

April 25, 2012
Lydia Johnson’s Bach-In-Progress

Sunday August 22, 2012 – Kokyat and I stopped in at Lydia Johnson’s rehearsal at Battery Dance on this dreary, rainy day where guest artist Attila Joey Csiki (above) of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company was rehearsing with Lydia’s company for the first time.

For her latest creation, a work for large ensemble, Lydia turns to the music of J. S. Bach. The piece is already well-developed choreographically and despite the fact that this was Attila’s first day working with Lydia, he’s already thoroughly at ease with the style; in fact his signature musicality and the silken flow of his dancing are a natural compliment to Lydia’s beautifully expressive motifs of movement.

A central passage in this new dancework is a duet for Attila and Blake Hennessy-York (above). The boys have already mastered the structure of this duet and they ran thru it a few times, working out details of placement and trying various elements of partnering to achieve the desired smoothness.

Attila and Blake, above.

In a second duet, Attila dances with Lisa Innacito McBride (above).

This duet culminates with Attila falling into a beautiful swoon…

…and then re-awakening.

Kokyat was silently moving around the studio to capture the many different elements of this ballet; above, Laura DOrio and Lisa Iannacito McBride. Since we were seeing it for the first time there was a lot to take in, often with multiple things happening – apropos of Bach – at the same time. In addition to Laura and Lisa, the dancers include:

Kaitlin Accetta

Blake Hennessy-York and Sarah Pon

Lauren Jaeger

Min-Seon Kim…

…and Katie Martin.

It’s always exciting to see the evolution of a new dancework and as always we felt very grateful to Lydia and the dancers for sharing their creative endeavor with us.

Lydia Johnson Dance will perform at Peridance on June 23rd and 24th, 2012 in a programme which will feature the premiere of the new Bach piece as well as ballets sent to music of Philip Glass and Osvaldo Golijov. In addition to the dancers pictured above, Jessica Sand and Kerry Shea will be dancing. Reed Luplau appears as a guest along with his Lubovitch colleague Attila Joey Csiki. Max van der Steere will also be guesting with Lydia’s company. Ticket information here.

All photographes by Kokyat, with more images here.

April 24, 2012
From Justin Peck

While anticipating the premiere of a new Justin Peck pas de deux scheduled to be danced on Friday April 27th at the Youth American Grand Prix gala by New York City Ballet principal dancers Teresa Reichlen and Robert Fairchild, a new filmed miniature from Justin has come my way. Watch it here.

The film is Justin’s second creation in collaboration with The Block magazine. The dancers are Janie Taylor, Emilie Gerrity, Robert Fairchild and Justin Peck. Above, a Tom Allen still from the film.

April 23, 2012
Paul Taylor’s BELOVED RENEGADE

Thursday March 29, 2012 – Nearing the end of their exciting seaon at Lincoln Center, the Paul Taylor Dance Company tonight presented one of the choreographer’s finest recent creations, BELOVED RENEGADE. In Tom Caravaglia’s photo above, dancers Michael Trusnovec and Laura Halzack.

BELOVED RENEGADE premiered in 2008 and was hailed not only as an outstanding example of Taylor’s choreographic genius but also as a perfect vehicle for one of the greatest dancers of our day, Michael Trusnovec. Danced to Francis Poulenc’s GLORIA and drawing inspiration from the poetry of Walt Whitman, this large-ensemble work is both sensuous and spiritual. Mr. Trusnovec gave a luminous performance which elicited a particularly warm response form the audience. The dancer’s slender, all-muscle form moved through this poetic dreamworld with consummate power and grace.

With Michael Trusnovec at the work’s epicenter, the other dancers made vivid impressions: notably Laura Halzack, Amy Young, Parisa Khobdeh and Robert Kleinendorst all of whom have been at their finest during this wonderfully pleasing Taylor season.

Michael Trusnovec and Amy Young opened the evening in a performance of AUREOLE which – in its fiftieth year – still looks fresh and vital. Francisco Graciano, Michelle Fleet and Heather McGinley danced with great verve; Michael Trusnovec’s solo was a page of visual poetry and the lovely tenderness of his duet with Amy Young gave AUREOLE its gentle soul.

The evening in fact was something of a Michael Trusnovec festival as he finished off the programme in the exciting Bach/Stokowski PROMETHEAN FIRE. Parisa Khobdeh danced radiantly here, and indeed the entire Company seemed inspired tonight. The appearance of Paul Taylor at the end caused much joy in the House as the audience swept to their feet to acclaim both the dancers and the dancemaker.

Curtain call. Click on the image to enlarge.

March 29, 2012
Ballet Next @ MMAC

Wednesday March 28, 2012 – For the second in their Exhibitions Series at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, Ballet Next presented a delightful programme of new and classic works performed by world-class dancers to live music. Above: Ballet Next’s founding artists Michele Wiles and Charles Askegard, photo by Kokyat. Click on the image to enlarge.

Cellist Elad Kabilio and the Ballet Next music ensemble struck up the celebratory processional from the final act of Tchaikovsky’s SLEEPING BEAUTY as the house lights dimmed. Ana Sophia Scheller and Joaquin de Luz then appeared as Aurora and her Prince to dance the celebrated wedding pas de deux. These two remarkable dancers gave an elegant interpretation of this duet. Ana Sophia is a beautiful and aristocratic young Princess, dancing with her signature polished technique and vastly pleasing mastery of classic style. Joaquin looks like the perfect teenaged Prince; his dancing vivid, his feet in 5th position right out of a textbook. It was so purely enjoyable to watch these beloved dancers at close range and bask in their musicality and artistry. Bravi! Bravissimi!!

New choreography is a key element of Ballet Next‘s mission and tonight we were shown a new pas de deux choreographed by Charles Askegard. Charles mentioned that this was not his first choreographic endeavor, and he also spoke of the challenges of dancing your own choreography. Using excerpts from Stravinsky’s enchanting Baiser de la Fee, the opening duet passage has a frisky playfulness but also moments of romance. Michele Wiles and Charles each have a solo with jazzy inflections woven in, and the coda has a twist of irony. Excellent choice of music (very well-played) and – of course – great dancing.

We had previously seen the duet ENTWINED that Margo Sappington created as a calling card for Ballet Next. Now the choreographer is enlarging on this work, adding a solo for Michele Wiles and a marvelous pas de trois. Ms. Sappington spoke of her desire to fashion one more movement for this piece – a duet for two women. Pianist Ben Laude invested the Satie works with moody, dusky colours. In the opening pas de trois, Charles Askegard employs his renowned partnering skills as he manipulates the heavenly bodies of Ana Sophia Scheller and Georgina Pazcoguin with silken assurance. The new solo for Michele Wiles explores her more vulnerable, dreamy side. And then there’s the sensuous duet danced by Georgina Pazcoguin and Charles Askegard which gives us the feeling of eavesdropping on something very tender and very private.

The evening ended with the music ensemble, now harpsichord- rather than piano-based, playing Vivaldi’s rollicking La Follia as two majestic ballerinas, Michele Wiles and Drew Jacoby, danced in unison and ‘spoke’ to one another in a complex gestural dialect. In this Mauro Bigonzetti dancework, solo passages for each of the two women show off their unique feminine powers before they reunite in a fast-paced finale, settling at last into the same enigmatic pose that opened the piece. Brilliant dancing from Mlles. Wiles and Jacoby, and spirited playing from the musicians left the audience exhilarated.

The next Ballet Next Exhibition will be April 25th at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. And it has just been announced that the Company will be at The Joyce for a week in October.

March 28, 2012
Superb AUREOLE/Paul Taylor Dance Company

Above: Michael Trusnovec of the Paul Taylor Dance Company photographed by Jordan Matter.

Sunday March 25, 2012 matinee – Among the many works being presented by Paul Taylor Dance Company during their premiere season at Lincoln Center, AUREOLE (celebrating its fiftieth birthday) looked outstandingly fresh and fine this afternoon. The cast was led by Michael Trusnovec who gave a performance of great clarity and lyric power in the role’s expressive solo. Michael has been dancing magnificently all season and today, both in AUREOLE and the afternoon’s concluding SYZYGY, he was on top form: one of the truly great male dancers of our time.

For AUREOLE’s beautiful but all-too-brief pas de deux, Amy Young was at her loveliest; she and Michael danced in perfect harmony in this Springtime duet. Mr. Trusnovec was not the only top-flight male dancer in the cast: Francisco Graciano gave a vivid performance of his athletic and very demanding role, his dancing crisp and crystal clear. Gorgeous dancing from Michelle Fleet and Heather McGinley put just the right finishing touch on this ballet. An all-star cast in a Taylor masterwork: life is good.

It seemed a bit odd to have back-to-back comedies as the central segment of the programme; perhaps being a matinee it was thought to play to the many kids in the audience. I would have chosen one or the other and in fact could have done without TROILUS AND CRESSIDA altogether, except that Robert Kleinendorst looks so hot in his underwear.

Poor Ponchielli! Walt Disney and Allan Sherman have conspired to make the ballet music from LA GIOCONDA a source of mirth for millions of people who wouldn’t know the Ca D’Oro from a bowling alley. Over the last half-century at The Met ballerinas like Sally Brayley, Nira Paaz, and Allegra Kent have danced to this music; in 2006 Christopher Wheeldon re-choreographed the ballet for the Met’s Montresor production: Angel Corella, Danny Tidwell, Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg have danced Christopher’s bravura and only slightly tongue-in-cheek version, while Ashley Bouder performed it splendidly with MORPHOSES at City Center. Paul Taylor’s take on the Dance of the Hours goes in for pratfalls and guffaws. It couldn’t end soon enough.

By contrast, GOSSAMER GALLANTS, which had seemed like a major bit of fluff when I first saw it, now looked more appealing. The Smetana score is entertaining, and there’s quite a bit of real dancing mixed in with the horseplay…and the bug-spray.

SYZYGY dates from 1987 but for me it’s a real 60’s piece. Watching the dancers whirl and swirl madly about the stage, I feel like it’s the Summer of Love and everyone’s more than a bit high. I half-expected Janis Joplin to materialize in her feathers and finery and sing “Try…Just a Little Bit Harder”. Donald York’s synthesizer-rich score amplifies this feeling: it’s kozmic, to say the least.

The title SYZYGY comes from a term used to describe those rare times when the sun, moon and Earth are in perfect alignment. It’s a great finale for a Taylor performance, and it was brilliantly danced today.

March 25, 2012
Three Paul Taylor Masterpieces

Above: Robert Kleinendorst and Eran Bugge in Paul Taylor’s ESPLANADE, photo by Paul B Goode. Click on the image to enlarge.

Saturday March 24, 2012 evening – To see ROSES again was a major reason to attend Paul Taylor Dance Company‘s performance at Lincoln Center this evening. The cast of dancers was the same as at the earlier performance I had seen, and they again made a profoundly satisfying impression. There is so much tenderness in this work, and it is very moving to see the relationships between the various members of the Company which – under the romantic surface of the piece – seem to reflect their affection and respect for each other as dancers and as colleagues.

As the poignant strains of the Siegfried Idyll fade away, Eran Bugge (above) and Michael Trusnovec appear like shining angels in white and dance a sublime duet in which time seems to stand still. ROSES creates such a heart-filling atmosphere; I wish it was being danced more often this season because I would go every single time.

Above: Fracisco Graciano and Parisa Kobdeh in THE UNCOMMITTED, photo by Tom Caravaglia.

THE UNCOMMITTED seemed an exact counter-balance to ROSES. Whereas the latter is all about settled relationships and the quiet joys of companionship and trust, THE UNCOMMITTED charts its craggy course amid the rocks and reefs of isolation and inability to connect. The incandescent music of Arvo Part gives the work an almost spiritual quality.

In the opening segment, each dancer (Michelle Fleet, above, in a Tom Caravaglia photo) has a solo passage expressing frustration, restlessness or dismay; these are people who cannot (or who don’t really want to) forge links with others in the group. Each soloist is ‘dropped off’ to dance, then re-absorbed into the collective but never really becoming part of it.

A series of duets ensue (Laura Halzack and Michael Trusnovec, above in a Tom Caravaglia photo) but the couples – though sometimes seeming to hover on the brink of romantic unity – always end up escaping one another. No one is really ready or willing to settle down, the conflict between desire and wariness always ending in turning away. THE UNCOMMITTED seems like a dancework that will continue eternally even after the curtain has come down. It’s a piece that speaks strongly to me.

The sheer, sunny simplicity of ESPLANADE – its structured and sometimes whimisical exploration of walking, running, jumping and falling – always makes for a joyful finale to a Taylor evening. Set to music of Bach, it builds to an exciting conclusion as the dancers fling themselves onto the floor in fearless sliding motifs. The cast of nine (but did I spy a tenth?) included the radiant Amy Young and the elegant beauty Laura Halzack (wearing pants), with Michelle Fleet in an especially dynamic performance.

Taylor audiences are the best: wonderfully focussed during the dancing and unbridled in their enthusiasm during the curtain calls.

March 24, 2012
Collaborators: Luca Veggetti & Paolo Aralla

Choreographer Luca Veggetti and composer Paolo Aralla have developed a new website dedicated to their collaborative work. Visit the site here. Above: Kokyat’s image of Gabrielle Lamb in the Veggetti/Aralla BACCHAE, created for MORPHOSES in 2011.

I’m particularly grateful for the souvenirs of MEMORY/MEASURE, a mesmerizing piece created for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in 2009; I would very much like to see this dancework again.

March 22, 2012