Category: Dance

Fauré & Ysaÿe at Chamber Music Society
Above: pianist Anne-Marie McDermott

Sunday October 26th, 2014 – Works by the Belgian violinist/composer Eugène Ysaÿe and his better-known French contemporary Gabriel Fauré were on the bill at Alice Tully Hall as Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presented this dusk-hour concert on a cool Autumn day. My friend Monica Wellington and I are both very much admirers of the Fauré works used by George Balanchine in his poetic ballet EMERALDS, but neither of us were much familiar with the music of Ysaÿe.

The opening work: why is it called the Dolly Suite? Excellent question, and one I’d never thought to delve into until now, when I’m hearing it played live for the first time. ‘Dolly’ was the affectionate nickname of Helene Bardac, the young daughter of Fauré’s long-time mistress, Emma Bardac. Fauré composed the brief works that comprise the suite between 1893 and 1896, to mark birthdays and other events in Helene’s life.

The suite’s movements are:

Berceuse (a lullabye), honoring Helene’s first birthday (Allegretto moderato).

Mi-a-ou, which gently mocks Helene’s attempts to pronounce the name of her elder brother Raoul, who later became a pupil of Fauré’s.

Le Jardin de Dolly (Andantino); this was composed as a present for New Year’s Day, 1895. It contains a quotation from Fauré’s first violin sonata, composed 20 years earlier.

Kitty-valse: this is not about a cat, but rather about the Bardacs’ pet dog, named Ketty.

Tendresse, an andante, was written in 1896 and presages the composer’s beloved Nocturnes.

Le pas espagnol (Allegro) denotes a lively Spanish dance tune which brings the suite to its close.

The suite is set for piano four-hands, and as I watched Wu Han (above) and Anne-Marie McDermott together at the keyboard, I couldn’t help but think of them as the Dolly Sisters. In her opening remarks, Wu Han spoke of the intimate nature of chamber music and the fact that there’s nothing quite so intimate as playing piano four-hands. She and Ms. McDermott seemed to be having a grand time with this music. Their immaculate playing illuminated the six contrasted movements, which veer from boisterous to delicate, sometimes in the twinkling of an eye. The audience were as charmed by the work as by the players.

Yura Lee (above) is a favorite with CMS audiences; she seems most often to be heard here as a violist, but tonight she had a lovely opportunity to bring forth her violin for a subtle and ravishing performance of Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant (a CMS premiere) in which she played with clear lyricism and great control. Ms. McDermott at the Steinway underscored her colleague’s transportive musicianship with playing of calming refinement.

In a rare performance of Ysaÿe’s Sonata in A minor for Two Violins (tonight marked the work’s CMS premiere), a duet sometimes deemed unplayable, Yura Lee and Nicholas Dautricourt (above) remained undaunted by the composer’s overwhelming technical demands, and they formed a spirited team, spurring one another on in a friendly atmosphere of “Anything you can play, I can play sweeter…softer…faster…” Mr. Dautricourt appeared for this piece in his shirtsleeves, tieless and untucked: clearly he meant business. The two virtuosos sailed on and on through the intricacies of this long duet, the audience with them every step of the way and saluting them sincerely at the end for having triumphed against improbable odds.

After the interval, cellist Colin Carr (above) indeed charmed Monica and me with his gorgeous playing of Fauré’s Sicilienne; originally set for cello and piano, as we heard it performed tonight, this melodious gem was later re-worked by the composer into his score of incidental music for a production of Maeterlinck’s Pelléas et Mélisande; and from that incarnation, Balanchine plucked it to be part of his elegant ballet EMERALDS. Mr. Carr, with Wu Han’s polished support, brought his warm tone and a particularly nice, merlot-flavoured lower register to this evocative performance. As a contrast, cellist and pianist gave us another Fauré miniature: Papillon (‘Butterfly’) in which the cellist’s fingers flutter up and down the strings, twice pausing in more sustained passages.

In Fauré’s Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15 – the concluding work tonight – Ms. McDermott summoned up the rhapsodic qualites of the opening movement, then turned vividly playful in the scherzo which follows. Ms. Lee – her viola really singing – along with Mssrs. Dautricourt and Carr treated us to some genuinely poetic playing, especially in the adagio where the three voices passed the melodies between themselves with playing of a satiny eloquence. Indeed, the level of playing throughout the evening left me yet again in awe of the Society’s unique roster of artists.

The Program:

Fauré Dolly Suite for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 56 (1894-96)

Ysaÿe Rêve d’enfant for Violin and Piano, Op. 14 (1895-1900)

Ysaÿe Sonata in A minor for Two Violins (1915)

Fauré Sicilienne for Cello and Piano, Op. 78 (1898)

Fauré Papillon for Cello and Piano, Op. 77 (before 1885)

Fauré Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15 (1876-79)

The Participating Artists:
Anne-Marie McDermott , piano

Wu Han , piano

Nicolas Dautricourt , violin
Yura Lee , violin

Colin Carr , cello
October 25, 2014
Bartok & Bruckner @ The NY Philharmonic

Above: Yefim Bronfman

Friday October 24th, 2014 – After experiencing Yefim Bronfman’s magnificent renderings of all the Beethoven piano concertos (and the triple concerto!) in a series of New York Philharmonic concerts last season, my friend Dmitry and I were keen to hear the pianist live again. Tonight, Mr. Bronfman’s playing of the Bartok 3rd marked the first of two concerts we’ll be attending this season which feature the pianist, the second being his performance of the Brahms 2nd concerto with the Chicago Symphony under Riccardo Muti at Carnegie Hall on January 31st, 2015.

Bela Bartok, who had fled Europe for America in 1940 to escape the rise of National Socialism, composed his third piano concerto as a birthday gift for his pianist-wife Ditta Pasztory-Bartok, working on it during the summer of 1945 at Saranac Lake, New York. Already in the final stages of lukemia, the composer returned to New York City where he died on September 26th, 1945, leaving the concerto unfinished. The task of orchestrating the final 17-measures, drawing from Bartók’s notes, eventually fell to the composer’s friend Tibor Serly.

Tonight’s performance found Mr. Bronfman at his finest, his fleetness of technique to the fore as his hands rippled up and down the keyboard, summoning forth one Bartokian marvel after another. He and Maestro Alan Gilbert formed a very simpatico union over this music, and the orchestra were at their best also: their many colourful eddies of sound swirling around the solo piano line. Mr. Bronfman’s dynamic range, his delightful dexterity, and his wonderfully genial personality combined to make this a truly enjoyable half-hour of music-making. The pianist, basking in enthusiastic applause at the end, bowed graciously to his fellow musicians, celebrating their mutual admiration.

Following the intermission, a genuinely thrilling experience for me: hearing the Bruckner 8th live for the first time. Everyone who follows my blog knows that, after decades of devoting myself to opera and dance, I’m now exploring the symphonic and chamber repertories; works that are thrice-familiar to most classical music lovers are new discoveries for me. Of course, having worked at Tower Records for almost a decade before they closed up shop, I did hear a lot of symphonic music day in and day out, some of it subconsciously absorbed; but there was no opportunity to stop and savor anything. So despite the familiarity of many thematic passages in the Bruckner tonight, it was all fresh and fantastic to me.

At a time when performances of Wagner’s music here in New York seem increasingly rare (The Met has only MEISTERSINGER to offer us this season, following on their ‘No Wagner’ season of 2013-2014) tonight’s Bruckner, with its Wagnerian sonorities, was a welcome treat.

Bruckner’s 8th opens murmuringly, but soon the composer begins to expand into marvelous arches of sound. The huge orchestra, resonating in the dense textures of intermingling voices of strings and winds, maintained clarity under Alan Gilbert’s steady baton. The 8th’s opening movement has been described as “simply shattering, destroying every attempt at criticism.” And Bruckner himself referred to the passage where the brass ring out the main theme repeatedly as “the announcement of Death…” This is followed by a surprising silence and the gentle, faltering heartbeat of the timpani.

In the scherzo, a big familiar theme dances forth; and then its in the adagio where I finally lost my heart to this symphony. This incredibe movement, marked in the score as “Solemn and slow, but not dragging”, opens up great vistas of panoramic sonic-painting. The harps are evocative indeed, and the massive waves of sound wash over us, suddenly to evaporate in a delicate waltz-like theme. The horns then blaze forth majestically; the overall sensation is life-encompassing.

Throughout this cinematic symphony, the ear and the soul are equally gratified. In the culminating fourth movement Bruckner’s architecture evokes a great cathedral wherein the listener is alternately overwhelmed by epic grandeur or sinks into a state of reverent contemplation.

In the end, this performance of this massive symphony – surely Wagnerian in its looming grandeur but also at times making me think of Tchaikovsky – gave so much pure satisfaction. I found myself wishing that Bruckner had written operas: what a thrill it would be to hear huge, dramatic voices soaring over his glorious orchestral soundscapes.

October 24, 2014
Glazounov & Chausson at ABT

Above: Devon Teuscher as Caroline in JARDIN AUX LILAS, in a Gene Schiavone photo

Thursday October 23rd, 2014 – Music, as much as dance, can draw us to the ballet. Tonight’s ABT programme featured works by Alexander Glazounov and Ernest Chausson. You’re unlikely to hear any of the enchanting score of RAYMONDA in the concert hall, and Chausson’s poignant Poème for violin and orchestra seems rarely to get programmed (the composer’s grander and even more gorgeous Poème de l’amour et de la Mer is equally neglected these days.) The opportunity to hear these works, as much as to see the ballets set to them, drew me to Lincoln Center tonight.

RAYMONDA DIVERTISSEMENTS, billed as a world premiere, seems to be a re-mix of excerpts from the ballet previously given by the Company. The Petipa choreography has been staged by Irina Kolpakova and Kevin McKenzie; they took a bow together at the end. The costumes, all white with black fur trim, were oddly bland. Hee Seo, that elegant ballerina, was a bit too reticent in the principal ballerina role. A touch more grandeur of delivery or a dash of spice would have cast her very fine dancing into higher relief. James Whiteside seemed somewhat miscast in this classically-styled work; his dancing was a little stiff, his plié needing a deeper cushion at times. Nonetheless, the steps were clearly executed and his partnering was fine. He’s a handsome guy, and I look forward to seeing him in other ballets.

Misty Copeland and Sarah Lane danced well in a duo variation which did not allow them to display their finest aspects; a pas de quatre for four boys failed to have any sense of unity. Delightful varations from Skylar Brandt and Christine Shevchenko were highlights of the performance. The fussy bows, with the girls striking poses as they curtsied, were pointless.

In JARDIN AUX LILAS, violinist Benjamin Bowman played Chausson’s romantically steeped score with silky tone. Devon Teuscher danced lyrically as the unhappy Caroline, doomed to be parted from her beloved; Devon’s performance had the right feeling of grace under social pressure and was danced with a nicely nuanced sense of controlled urgency. Cory Stearns was superb as her beloved, so touching as fate intervenes in his hopes and desires: a poignant, noble youth in the throes of romantic despair. Veronika Part held the stage magnificently as the mysterious mistress, a character equally pitiable in her own right. Roman Zhurbin’s cool, controlled performance as The Man She Must Marry left us wondering just exactly how much he knew.

October 23, 2014
Sunhwa Chung|Ko-Ryo Dance Theater Rehearsal

Monday October 20th, 2014 – I stopped in at the DANY studios this evening where Sunhwa Chung’s Ko-Ryo Dance Theater were rehearsing for their upcoming performances at the John Ryan Theater in Brooklyn. They will present BACK TO AND AWAY FROM: LIFE IS EVERY DAY IV as part of the 9th annual Wave Rising Series.

Sunhwa was polishing up the piece when I arrived; then the dancers did a complete run-thru, in costume. The dancing is fast-paced, eluding my photography skills. Here are some pictures that survived the cut:

Tommy Seibold, Marie Vestermark

Alexandre Balmain, Kumiko Hara

October 20, 2014
Promotion at New York City Ballet

Please join me in congratulating Russell Janzen on his promotion to the rank of soloist at New York City Ballet.

October 19, 2014
Claudia Schreier’s HARMONIC

Above: from Claudia Schreier’s ballet HARMONIC; photo by Lindsay Perry

Claudia Schreier’s award-winning ballet HARMONIC is now on YouTube. Watch it here.

Originally created for Columbia Ballet Collaborative and later staged for Craig Salstein’s Intermezzo Dance Company’s performances at Vassar, HARMONIC comes to us in this video from the 2014 Breaking Glass competition for female choreographers. Nicole Graniero (ABT), Edward Spots, Nadia Vostrikov and Amber Neff are seen dancing to a magical score: “Motion” by Douwe Eisenga.

HARMONIC won the 2014 Breaking Glass award which provides Claudia with an opportunity to create/present a full evening of dance, to take place in Summer 2015; details of that performance will be forthcoming.

More of Lindsay Perry’s images from HARMONIC as performed at the 2014 Breaking Glass Project:

Nicole Graniero in the ballet’s opening moments

Nadia Vostrikov

Edward Spots and Nicole Graniero

September 28, 2014
Unsuk Chin/Mahler @ The NY Phil

Above: clarinet soloist Kari Kriikku

Saturday September 27th, 2014 – The first subscription concert of the New York Philharmonic‘s 2014-2015 season featured a new clarinet concerto by the Korean composer Unsuk Chin and Mahler’s symphony #1. The Mahler evoked one of the most vociferous audience responses I’ve experienced since I started going to the Philharmonic frequently.

A pre-concert mini-lecture-demo by Maestro Gilbert – with Mr. Kriikku giving some examples of the techniques called for by Unsuk Chin in the clarinet concerto – was somewhat spoilt by the distraction of late seating. Once the concerto proper started, all was well and the audience showed great attentiveness as this new sonic experience unfolded.

Mr. Kriikku’s mastery of his instrument was beyond impressive; the clarinet truly became an extension of the artist. He showed an ability to sustain two tones at the same time, to make the ebony resonate at the faintest of volume levels, to wheeze and to squwak, and even to sustain long phrases seemingly without drawing breath.

Ms. Chin draws from aspects of Asian folk music, overlain by textures of sound that are beyond contemporary. These layers are dense but drawn out by the Philharmonic musicians with sterling clarity. A vast array of percussion instruments are called into play, including a wine glass, a washboard, and two fishing reels. The soundscape veers from eerie near-silence to outbursts of intense shreiking from Mr. Kriikku.

Overall, I felt the work (which seemed a bit too long at times) was more impressive than actually pleasing or meaningful. Surely it affords the player an opportunity to extend his range far beyond what might be considered to be in the realm of possibility. But, like much new music these days, neither the heart nor the soul were engaged.

The Mahler 1st, which premiered in Budapest in 1889, is classically referred to as “the Titan”; and while a programme note admonishes the listener from attaching that label to it, surely the final movement is a titanic experience.

Back in 1889, the symphony had five movements instead of the four which we experience today. The composer deleted the original second movement – Blumine (‘Bouquet of Flowers’) – after the premiere, leaving us with the first movement in which Mahler represents “the waking of Nature after a long Winter” followed by a Scherzo (“The wind in my sails”). In the slow movement that comes next, solo double-bass sets forth the theme based on the French nursery song ‘Frère Jacques‘ (hearing it caused a rustle of appreciation among the audience): the movement depicts “The Hunter’s Funeral” with its vision of a hunter’s last cortege, the coffin drawn by animals. And at last we reach the epic graudeur of the finale which Mahler called “Dall’Inferno” – From Hell”: an outpouring of despair coming from a deeply wounded heart.

These programmatic references in the end seem only to reflect Mahler’s desire to connect with the more conservative elements of his audience. The symphony is pure music, from start to finish, whatever allusions one might draw on hearing it. The orchestra gave a huge, glistening performance of the work, with the final movement being particularly magnificent. As the final chord resounded, the audience rose their feet in unison and commenced a long, loud ovation which Maestro Gilbert and the players truly deserved.

September 27, 2014
Pontus Lidberg Dance: Recent & Upcoming

Above: from Pontus Lidberg’s FAUNE; photo by Nir Arieli

Photographer Nir Arieli has sent me some images from Pontus Lidberg Dance‘s recent performance at Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate at Pocantico, NY. The Company danced there on August 8th, 2014, in beautiful outdoor setting.

Above: Adrian Danchig-Waring and Georgina Pazcoguin in an excerpt from WITHIN (Labyrinth Within)

Above: Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside in a work-in-progress: a new duet scheduled to premiere at Fall For Dance on October 18th, 2014.

Above: Adrian Danchig-Waring and Nadja Sellrup in TACTILE

Above: Pontus Lidberg Dance in TACTILE

Above: Pontus Lidberg Dance in TACTILE

UPCOMING: Pontus Lidberg Dance will perform Pontus’s atmospheric Debussy ballet FAUNE on Saturday October 11th at the Hudson Valley Dance Festival. And on October 18th and 19th, Pontus’s duet for Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside will premiere at the annual Fall For Dance Festival at New York’s City Center.

September 25, 2014
Tchaikovsky/Balanchine @ New York City Ballet

Above: at a New York City Ballet rehearsal; photo by Craig Hall

Wednesday September 24th, 2014 – An impressive line-up of favorite dancers in familiar roles, the music of Tchaikovsky, the choreography of Balanchine: what better way for me to start a new season at New York City Ballet?

Under Clothilde Otranto’s baton, the four Tchaikovsky scores were nicely served up by the NYC Ballet‘s intrepid musicians. Tonight was probably considered an ‘easy’ night for these players: scores they have played dozens of times. They always deserve their spot-lighted ‘curtain call’ at the end of the evening, and it was good to hear a warm swelling of applause for them tonight.

Ms. Otranto seemed to be favoring fast tempi in SERENADE tonight; the musicians assured that the emotional colours of the music came thru, and the dancers took it all in glorious stride. From curtain-rise, the corps provided an endless panorama of beautiful faces, forms, and personalities. It’s funny that I still find myself looking for people like Amanda Edge and Pauline Golbin among these ice-blue-gowned angels: and where’s Amanda Hankes tonight? Ah, well, they have danced into other phases of their lives – gone from this stage but never forgotten.

For present loveliness, we have a delectable quartet of demi-solistes: Faye Arthurs, Alina Dronova, Meagan Mann, and Mary Elizabeth Sell. And Gwyneth Muller always moves me as the consoling maternal figure at the end of the ballet.

This was a blonde SERENADE: Sara Mearns, Sterling Hyltin, and Teresa Reichlen all looked sumptuous, especially when their hair came down for the final movement. Sara’s luxuriant dancing was given noble grounding by Jared Angle, ever the ideal cavalier. Sterling – her lingering balances spot-on – found just the right mixture of elegance and vivacity, catching the many musical moods in which her ‘character’ finds herself. Tess was divine lyricism personified, and Adrian Danchig-Waring seemed to have come down from Mount Olympus. The sight of Adrian and Tess crossing the stage together, raising Sara from her dream, and Tess’s marvelous slow-turning supported arabesque summed up everything that is SERENADE. The audience responded with a deeply resonant ovation; I am sure there were people in the audience seeing SERENADE for the first time, and I’m sure they will want to see it again.

The quiet radiance of Maria Kowroski’s Preghiera in MOZARTIANA showed the great ballerina at her most communicative: the lovely passage with her hands in prayerful attitude was especially evocative tonight, as was the gentle silence of her pin-point bourrées. Later, as the ballet’s mood becomes more expansive, Maria’s swirling turns and trademark extension were woven into the music with queenly assurance. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Tyler Angle was on fine form, his dancing marking the first of three displays of male virtuosity which had the audience cheering this evening. Maria and Tyler have formed an impressive partnership and I look forward to their future endeavors. The ever-excellent Daniel Ulbricht maintained the elegance of the ballet with his stylish dancing – his Gigue has become a signature role – and the Menuet was graciously performed by Marika Anderson, Megan Johnson, Emily Kikta, and Gwyneth Muller.

A rousing rendition of the TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX caused the audience to shed any trace of decorum and yell lustily as Ashley Bouder and Gonzalo Garcia traded technical fireworks in a vivid and smile-inducing performance. After a graciously musical adagio, Gonzalo gave an astonishing performance of his solo – some of the best dancing he’s ever done – nailing the myriad turns at the end before a final brilliant combination to the knee, expertly timed. The crowd went wild. Ashley then swept thru her own dazzling display of danced coloratura, tossing in spicy little pauses and teasing us with her technical savoir faire. Another roar went up as her solo’s final fantastical turns stopped on the proverbial dime. Now with the audience squarely in the palms of their hands, these two magicians of dance swept thru a blazing coda – Ashley’s deluxe fouettés yet another savorable moment – and brought down the house.

In the haunted ballroom setting for the Élégie of TCHAIKOVSKY SUITE #3, Rebecca Krohn and Ask LaCour brought tears to my eyes with their poetic evocation of an ideal found…and lost. Rebecca’s restless, almost feral allure was captivating to behold. And Ask is so perfect here: covering the space with questing leaps in pursuit of his elusive muse. Their performance moved me deeply, their parting and Ask’s sinking back into a reverie of heartache drawing up so many emotions.

Abi Stafford and Justin Peck sustained a mood of mystery in the Valse Mélancolique, Justin’s innate sense of drama nearly drawing the coolly captivating Abi into his world. Yet it is she who prevails: at the end he backs away from her, completely under her spell. Abi and Justin are among my favorite dancers to watch; having them cast together here was a very nice gift.

In the Valse, a particularly appealing trio of diverse beauties – Olivia Boisson, Lara Tong, and Claire Kretzschmar – looked fetching in one of the ballet’s many featured corps passages.

In a bewitching performance, Erica Pereira spun marvelously thru the plentitude of pirouettes Balanchine demands of her in the Scherzo; her lustrous black hair and shimmering silver-white tulle flowing as she traced a comet-like trajectory around the stage. Antonio Carmena matched Erica’s spinning flourishes with his airy leaps; they fly off in opposite directions at the end.

And now we come to the grand finale: Theme and Variations. The recently refurbished costumes for this ballet seem to glow as Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz set forth the elegant opening Theme. Moments later, in her first solo variation, Tiler displayed her epic perfection as a classical ballerina with some truly glorious dancing. The audience showered her with a torrent of applause. The ballet progressed – with excellent suppport from the corps – as Tiler and Joaquin moved continually from one peak of perfection to another. Joaquin’s marziale variation was thrillingly executed, the devilishly handsome dancer basking in another avalanche of cheers, the iconic de Luz smile justifiably lighting up. The ballet swept forward, buoyed not only by the two spectacular principals but by a very impressive quartet of demi-solistes: Lauren King, Brittany Pollack, Mary Elizabeth Sell, and Lydia Wellington. Their cavaliers in the finale were Daniel Applebaum, Allen Peiffer, David Prottas and Andrew Scordato.

As Ms. Otranto guided the evening to its triumphant close, the audience burst yet again into a passionate ovation: Tiler and Joaquin – and indeed the entire Company – were saluted at the end of a great evening…a great evening for dance, for Tchaikovsky, and for the enduring magnificence of Mr. B.

September 24, 2014
10th Anniversary @ New Chamber Ballet

Above: New Chamber Ballet company class; photo by Amber Neff

Friday September 19th, 2014 – Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet have inaugurated their tenth anniversary season with a programme featuring three Miro Magloire premieres and a work by NCB resident choreographer Constantine Baecher’s “Happy Dance Of The Wild Skeletons” (to music of John Cage), as well as Miro’s intriguing “Tilting and Leaning“, set to piano music by Pierre Boulez.

Over the past decade, New Chamber Ballet have carved out a special niche for themselves in the Gotham dance world. Their “up-close-and-personal” concerts – always danced to live music – have drawn ever-expanding audiences, and tonight they played to a standing-room-only crowd.

Much praise is due pianist Melody Fader and violinist Doori Na who perform the often complex scores that Miro likes to use with a high level of musicality. Exceptional tonight was their performance of Mauricio Kagel’s ‘Klangwölfe’ for the ballet RAW.

In recent seasons Miro has presented narrative works: domestic dramas about ghosts, sibling rivalries, or mysterious letters. This evening’s three new works are more abstract though of course certain themes might be implied. The first ballet is aptly titled FAST FORWARD; danced to Beethoven’s ‘Rondo for Violin and Piano’, the work has three ballerinas – Sarah Atkins, Holly Curran, and Traci Finch – rushing about the space in speedy (even risky) combinations. The breathless quality of the movement is a fine response to the zesty drive of the Beethoven as played by Doori and Melody.

Above: Sarah Artkins in Miro’s TILTING/LEANING; photo by Adam Jason

Melody Fader took in stride the demands of Pierre Boulez’s ‘Notations’ which accompanies last season’s intriguing duet TILTING/LEANING. Dressed in Sarah Thea Swafford’s sleek wine-coloured body tights, dancers Sarah Atkins, Traci Finch, and Amber Neff go from intense to playful and back again in choreography where they balance against one another in unique and quirky shapes.

Supported arabesques are a signature motif in TILTING/LEANING (Sarah and Amber above, in an Adam Jason photo). At the end Sarah and Amber appear to ‘fold’ Traci into an improbable little bundle. This ballet rewards repeated viewings with its resonant nuances.

For Holly Curran (rehearsal image, above), Miro has created an unusual tour de force solo entitled IN THE COLD. While Melody Fader spins out some Satie at the piano, Holly appears alternately shell-shocked, frantic, or trembling with the chills. Repetitive, compulsive moves give way to a spacious manège of leaps; the dancer periodically assumes a potent arabesque or pauses to rearrange herself before contemplating her next move. The solo, which choreographically rather plays against the expected responses to the Satie melodies, was excellently mastered by dancer and pianist.

Above: rehearsal images from Miro’s new duet RAW

Miro’s meshing of music and movement created yet another fresh vision with RAW. Introducing the work, Miro spoke affectionately of the German-Argentine composer Mauricio Kagel who was Miro’s composition teacher. The choreographer pays homage to his musical mentor with one of his most inspired works to date: RAW is such a fascinating piece that when it ended I immediately wanted to see (and hear) it again.

Doori Na – his strings muted – and Melody Fader evoked a misterioso atmosphere: Doori showed great control as he spun out a thread of sound, and Melody later drew forth a shimmering, high-lying theme from the keyboard. Dancers Traci Finch and Amber Neff are literally entwined much of the time in this duet; their handling of the strenuous partnering motifs, including lifts and intimate bondings, gave the ballet a captivating intensity. An aggressive passage eventually leads to serene, almost worshipful images as Amber leans against the piano and Traci kneels at her feet. RAW seems to veer from sensuous to sterile to pensive, and it is perhaps Miro’s most intimate creation to date.

To end the evening, Miro invited the viewers to circle the dancefloor, the better to watch Constantine Baecher’s impetuous romp of a duet, HAPPY DANCE OF THE WILD SKELETONS. Melody Fader plays John Cage’s ‘Bacchanale’ on a prepared piano as dancers Traci Finch and Amber Neff – in girlish playsuits and bobbi-sox – indulge in playful, slap-happy hijinx. Their hair comes down at the end, as they revel in the sheer joy of being silly.

Happy anniversary, Miro!

The Company’s next performances will be on November 21st and 22nd. 2014. Visit their website here.

September 19, 2014