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Above: New York City Ballet principal dancer Joaquin de Luz is among the artists to be featured in Justn Peck’s new creation for NYCB. Photo by Henry Leutwyler.

Monday September 24, 2012 – The Guggenheim’s Works & Process series continued tonight with a preview of a new ballet choreographed for New York City Ballet by Company corpsman Justin Peck. The work, entitled YEAR OF THE RABBIT, will premiere at Lincoln Center on October 5th.

Ellen Bar, former NYCB soloist and now the Company’s Director of Media Projects, led the discussion. Composer Sufjan Stevens and musical arranger Michael Atkinson joined Justin on the panel. Much of the evening was given over to outlining the evolution of the score which began life as a 2001 electronic recording. Mr. Atkinson had the task of distilling the music for string quartet, and now that the ballet is to be presented in the large venue at Lincoln Center it’s been decided that a full orchestration of the music will best compliment both the space and Justin’s vision of using a large enemble of dancers.

In 2010, Justin showed the pas de deux ENJOY YOUR RABBIT as part of a Columbia Ballet Collaborative evening. Read about it here; Kokyat’s photo above with Teresa Reichlen and Justin dancing the duet for CBC. On receiving the commission from Peter Martins for a new work for NYCB, Justin decided to expand on the original pas de deux. The full work, now titled YEAR OF THE RABBIT, features six principal dancers and a corps de ballet.

Mr. Atkinson – who will conduct the NYCB performances – stepped into the pit at The Guggenheim to lead the quartet’s performances of excerpts this evening. Kurt Nikkanen, Lydia Hong, Maureen Gallagher and Eugene Moye were the players and everything was in good hands from a musical stand-point.

Introducing the first danced except, Justin spoke of the speedy and evasive movements of a rabbit when it is being pursued: the wily changes of direction that help him evade capture. Joaquin de Luz brought these very elements to play in the solo. This peerless danseur is on my A-list of favorite dancers to watch just for the sheer pleasure of watching. His mercurial performance made me wish the solo was twice as long.

Tiler Peck is a latecomer to this work; she replaces the injured Ashley Bouder. Justin talked about creating a piece on one dancer and then having it danced by another; and that while Tiler and Ashley are both super-technicians, each gives the solo a particluar resonance. Hopefully at future performances Ashley will have the opportunity to dance, but tonight Tiler’s radiant qualities and her subtle sense of the solo’s wit were very engaging. Justin gave her a few notes and she danced it again. Every time I see Tiler onstage I am happy that her career and my ballet-going have coincided.

Two duets were shown: an expansive and vibrant one for Teresa Reichlen and Robert Fairchild and a more dreamy and evocative one for Janie Taylor and Craig Hall. The Reichlen/Fairchild partnership really shines; there’s a rich chemistry there and I hope we’ll see them paired in other ballets. When two charismatic dancers like Janie and Craig take the stage together, things become engrossingly wonderful; their duet reminded me of their breathtaking performance in AFTERNOON OF A FAUN. 

(And speaking of Tess Reichlen, her upcoming debut in the adagio of SYMPHONY IN C on October 2nd is a red-letter date on my calendar.)

You can watch a film of this evening’s Works & Process presentation here.

So now we can look forward to seeing YEAR OF THE RABBIT onstage, costumed and lit and with the corps dancing. It has been a long creative process and I feel sure the result will be rewarding.

Loved running into Tom Gold after the performance; I need to touch base with him before he takes his Company to Cuba!

Soprano Maralin Niska sings Turandot’s “In questa reggia” in a live performance by the New York City Opera in Los Angeles, 1976. Ermanno Mauro is Calaf.

Maralin Niska’s performances are among the most vivid memories of my own golden age of opera. I wrote about her here.

Other Niska rarities gave surfaced: a very early sample, singing Liu’s aria from TURANDOT, and  Yaroslavna’s aria from PRINCE IGOR (in English), one of the first operas I heard Maralin sing.  

Sunday August 19, 2012 – As part of the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival, Nejla Yatkin presented OASIS: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Middle East But Were Afraid to Dance at Theater 80, St Mark’s Place. I’d been to a couple of rehearsals of this work so I had a good idea of what to expect; the dancers – sexy and beautiful – outdid themselves, and the piece held the audience in rapt silence and was very warmly applauded.

OASIS resonates with issues that are not always pleasant to contemplate, and while one could simply observe the movement and inhale the fragrant music, there’s much to ponder: torture, suppression of women, rape, strict adherence to now-meaningless customs, lack of personal freedom of expression.

The work opens as two dancers appear in silhouette behind gauzy white curtains: the step forth, blindfolded, and commence a duet that is both sensuous and mystical. Clad only in the briefest of flesh-toned costumes, Nejla Yatkin and Fadi Khoury seem utterly self-possessed as they bend and sway to the enticing rhythms. Removing their bilndfolds, the duet takes a turn for the more passionate.

After a solo for Fadi – a sinuous mover – three men (Ahmaud Culver, Shay Bares and Jean-Rene Homehr) appear ominously with flashlights and rope whips. Fadi is tortured, almost too realistically; his gasps and screams are truly upsetting. But as an ironic counterweight, the detached voice of a TV newscaster talks about waterboarding with all the emotion of reading a weather forecast. Nejla, Sevin Ceviker and Rachel Holmes appear and perform ritual minitrations to Fadi’s corpse, wrapping him in a black shroud.

Sevin and Rachel commence a gently swaying dance, joined by the boyishly beautiful Shay Bares. The three are then abducted and raped; the women will eventually be imprisoned (rape being the woman’s fault, of course) while Shay is further degraded by his captor. Taking up finger cymbals, Shay performs a subtly erotic solo until his master throws a veil over him and whisks him away.

In a witty interlude, there is a fashion show. All the dancers – male and female – appear in the heavy veils and all-covering robes. Someone once remarked that it’s no fun being a drag queen in a Muslim country: no one can tell anyway.

As OASIS moves to its conclusion, a cache of books is discovered and the dancers devour them with eager curiosity. “Women, do you know your rights?” a detached voice asks. “How can I know my rights when I don’t have any?” comes the reply.

It was so wonderful to read (earlier this year) that the Martha Graham Dance Company were going to move into the marvelous and dance-mythic Cunningham Studios down at Westbeth. I’d only been in the Cunningham space a couple of times and I simply fell in love with the place; for a while it seemed like the studios might be lost to the dance world, and thus the announcement of the Graham plan made me so happy.

Little did I know that I’d so soon be having an opportunity to visit the Graham dancers in their new home, but thanks to the kindness of Lloyd Knight (above, photo by Kokyat) who I’d met earler this year when he was working with Emery LeCrone, I had the unbelievable good fortune to spend the better part of an afternoon watching the Graham Company preparing for their upcoming performances in Akron, Ohio and at the Vail International Dance Festival. Lloyd was a perfect host, sending me in advance a list of the works they’d be rehearsing, introducing me to everyone and periodically checking in with me when he wasn’t busy dancing. Janet Eilber, the artistic director, gave me a gracious welcome.

The last time I was in the ‘Cunningham space’ all the windows were covered with cardboard; today the windows were bare and despite the overcast sky, a gentle light filled the spacious studio. Views of the Manhattan skyline and of the Hudson River enhance the setting. In the eleventh floor elevator lobby, a friendly painter was sprucing things up with shades of rose and violet; an open door led out onto the roof.

I was sorry to have just missed Katherine Crockett’s run-thru of Lamentation, but I did have a lovely conversation with her – she’s one of my dance idols – before she slipped out of the studio. Mariya Dashkina Maddux swirled thru the solo Serenata Morisca, a dance that is fiery and provocative and performed in a gypsy skirt. This solo, dating back to around 1916, was based by Graham on a Ted Shawn piece. Andrea Murillo performed the iconic Lamentation (1930) and a bit later she also danced the Serenata Morisca. A passionate duet, Conversation of Lovers from the 1981 ballet Acts of Light, was given a breath-taking interpretation by Xiaochuan Xie and Tadej Brdnik. With each of these works I was drawn deeper and deeper into the power and mystery of the Graham style. I was so grateful to talk with Denise Vale, the former Graham principal artist who is now the Company’s senior artistic associate; taking time from her coaching of the dancers, she helped me to actually see what I was watching. In a few sentences she illuminated my perception in ways that reading a dozen books about Graham most likely could not.

To see a new work before its premiere has been an exciting dividend of being a blogger; Doug Varone has made an unusual and evocative work for four men and a bench which is set to the darkly haunting Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit. Lloyd Knight, Tadej Brdnik, Maurizio Nardi and Abdiel Jacobsen are the dancers in this work which has the feel of contemporary ritual; it is sensuous without being sexual and the bench tends to become a fifth dancer. The work will debut at Vail in August.

Mariya Dashkina Maddux, Tadej Brdnik and Lloyd Knight took on the familiar roles of the married couple and the preacher man in Appalachian Suite, and then they were joined by Ms. Murillo for Embattled Garden.

It was after 5:00 PM when Embattled Garden began, and the dancers had been working since noon. Where they found the energy shall remain a mystery, but I’ll never forget the experience of watching what amounted to a private performance of this vivid ballet, replete with the Noguchi set pieces. Only the dancers, Ms. Vale and myself were in the studio; Mariya (Masha) and Tadej were Eve and Adam, Andrea was Lilith and Lloyd the sinister Stranger. They gave a full-out rendering of this dramatic work, thrilling in intensity and so wonderful to contemplate in this space.

Of all the days not to have a photographer available! My regular photographers were all out-of-town or otherwise occupied and so I planned to take some pictures myself. But my Leica seems to have developed a serious problem and so I have no documentation of this wonder-filled afternoon.

The dancers were all so kind and generous; Tadej, who seemed to dance all afternoon, is a delightful guy, upbeat and amusing. I simply had a great time.

Above: Justin Lynch in Amanda Selwyn’s DETOUR, photo by Kokyat.

Friday June 22, 2012 – Last season my first encounter with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre was a very satisfying experience, so I was looking forward to tonight’s performance of DETOUR at New York Live Arts. I had met Amanda at her studio earlier this year and was taken with her as a personality and with her creative style.

DETOUR proved just as engaging as Amanda’s FIVE MINUTES had been last year. Several factors gave the evening a special place among recent dance events: an evocative collage of music was effectively blended with varied sonic colours and tempos, excellent lighting and projections, changes of costuming which gave each section of the work its own flavour, very fine and committed dancing, and a nearly-full house that seemed keenly attentive. At 50 minutes, DETOUR held our focus wthout over-staying its welcome. Overall, an ideal evening of dance.  

DETOUR is set in three sections, each with sub-sections, which flow into one another. The dancing takes place in a dreamscape (design: John McDermott) in which floating translucent columns, lit from within, shift quietly to create new pespectives for each movement of the work. The back-panel is drenched in ever-changing rich colours; projections and shadowy films of the dancers complete the visual aspect of DETOUR which seems to shift from illusion to illusion as the dancers come and go. 

Though essentially an ensemble piece, solo opportunities for the individual dancers abound (Alexander Dones, above); they move thru various encounters – romantic, ritualistic or antagonistic – without taking on specific relationships. The ever-shifting patterns of movement and partnering suggest a dream in which perceptions vary from moment to moment. The dancers are sexy and strong, with unique personalities which Selwyn allows them to manifest while maintaining the spirit of a mysterious tribe. Other-worldly aspects of the piece meld into a communal finale in which an awakening is implied. 

Kokyat photographed the dress rehearsal of DETOUR and here is a series of his images from the work:

The opening ensemble: Illusions

Catherine Coury, Justin Lynch

Robert Vail, Justin Lynch, Fracisco Silvino

Jenny Gillan

Ensemble

Robert Vail

Joori Jung

Robert Vail

Mackenzie Tyler

Joori Jung, Justin Lynch

An additional gallery of photos from DETOUR appears here.

All photography by Kokyat.

More photographs from New Chamber Ballet‘s Spring 2012 repertory evenings; above: Elizabeth Brown and Sarah Atkins in Miro Magloire’s EMILIA, set to Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Klavierstück VII and VIII.

Also from EMILIA:

Holly Curran

Sarah Atkins

Holly & Sarah

Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth & Sarah

The following series of pictures are from Miro Magloire’s ALLEGRETTO, INNOCENTE, a light-hearted trio to music of Haydn:

Victoria North

Madeline Deavenport

Sarah Atkins

Victoria

Victoria, Maddie & Sarah in ALLEGRETTO, INNOCENTE.

All photography by Kokyat.

UPDATE: I happened to be at City Center last night and took a peek in at Studio 4 during Ian’s performance. It’s the first time I’ve seen lighting used in the Studio there and it was really intriguing. Gives the space an other-worldly quality. Now I can’t wait for tonight’s performance – the second and last.

The Studio Experience: I met Ian Spencer Bell earlier this year at a studio showing by the Martha Graham Dance Company. He recently contacted me regarding his upcoming performances at City Center Studio and – later this summer – at Jacob’s Pillow. Information here. In the top photo, Mara Driscoll and Nathaniel Darst.

At the DANY studios on May 5, 2012, Kokyat and I had a look at the work Ian has created, set to Olivier Messaien’s mind-bending Quartet for the End of Time.

Joshua Tuason, Jenna Liberati

Joshua and Jenna

Joshua & Jenna

Mara Driscoll, Joshua Tuason and Nathaniel Darst

Also to be shown is Ian’s solo work, SOCKET,of which he writes:

Here’s the information for the upcoming performances at City Center Studio:

Another work by British artist Theyre Lee Elliott has come my way, thanks to a reader who shares the above painting from her collection.

The connection between the artist and Oberon’s Grove began back in 2009 with this discovery, and I have really enjoyed the ever-expanding tale of Theyre Lee Elliott and his work here on my blog which has continued here, here and here as readers have sent personal recollections of the artist and samples of his work.

If a search has brought you to this page and you have a recollection of Theyre Lee Elliott or any of his work in your collection, please help keep the story evolving. E-mail me at:

[email protected]

Above: Michael Trusnovec and Amy Young in Paul Taylor’s MERCURIC TIDINGS, photo by Paul B Goode. Click on the image to enlarge.

Wednesday March 21, 2012 – My beloved friend Kokyat is back from his trip to Europe and we met up tonight at Lincoln Center for a super evening of dance by the Paul Taylor Dance Company. In the past couple of years we have met – and Kokyat had photographed – some of the great dancers of the Taylor troupe and so there’s an extra feeling of excitement seeing them onstage. We also loved running into Taylor icons Rachel Berman and Richard Chen-See.

For their Lincoln Center season, PTDC are showing a vast range of works from their repertoire (as well as two new creations). Tonight I got to see a pair of older works that I’d never encountered before, as well as the darkly amusing 3 EPITAPHS and the to-die-for MERCURIC TIDINGS. The dancers were on peak form from curtain-rise to the final ovation where the legendary chroeographer took a bow as the audience collectively went wild.

In JUNCTION (of tranquility and fervor) eight dancers is brightly-coloured body tights dance to music from Bach’s cello suites. Some of the time the dancers are merely walking, but the variety of the pacing and the constant shifts of mini-groupings keep our interest keenly in focus. The work has an oddly appealing mix of gestural formality with off-kilter partnerings. The excellence of the dancers signalled yet again the personal appeal and technical prowess of the Company’s current roster: Amy Young, Robert Kleinendorst, Michelle Fleet, Parisa Khobdeh, Sean Mahoney, Jamie Rae Walker, Aileen Roehl and Michael Novak each found ways to shine as individuals even though the costuming gave them a uniform look.

Danced (or rather shuffled, scuffed and bumped along) to old New Orleans jazz/funeral music, the 1956 3 EPITAPHS made me laugh aloud when I first saw it at The Pillow years ago. The five dancers are in overall grey tights with metallic fragments attached to the skullcaps which refract beams of light into the theater. The movement is klutzy, ape-like, droll. Removing their facemasks for the curtain calls we see a collection of beatiful visages: Eran Bugge, James Samson, Laura Halzack, Heather McGinley and Francisco Graciano.

I’m not quite sure what to make of the 1981 HOUSE OF CARDS, but I know I liked it and I adored the Darius Milhaud score (La Creation du Monde) which reminded me of a jazz concert played in a Gothic cathedral. I can’t say for sure what this ballet is about, but does it matter?  It’s quirky and makes for good viewing. Most of the dancers are clad in the red and black colours of a deck of cards, but then there’s a couple cavorting in pink (Laura Halzack and Michael Trusnovec) and a woman (Heather McGinley) who seems wrapped in aluminun foil. In one segment I particularly liked, three couples stand face-to-face as in a folk-dance. Francisco Graciano looked like a handsome young gypsy, and – although her distinctive red hair was covered here – I can only hope Ms. McGinley’s roles with the Company extend exponentially: she’s got a lot of star power.

Above: Tom Caravaglia’s photo of Laura Halzack and Robert Kleinendorst in MERCURIC TIDINGS.

The uplifting music of Franz Schubert (from his first and second symphonies) sets all these phenomenal dancers in motion for the concluding MERCURIC TIDINGS, a grandly lyrical and ritualistic work with thrilling structural elements and an achingly beautiful adagio (three featured couples in turn). The striking deep blue costumes (Santo Loquasto) accentuate the individual attractiveness of each dancer; the men are bare-chested, the women with their hair up like classical ballerinas.

Pacing motifs and stylized port de bras decorate the enemble passages, all underlined by a quiet sense of pure joy. Bodies beautiful: Michael Apuzzo, Michael Novak and Jeffrey Smith wear their costumes like a second skin while the girls (Eran Bugge, Jamie Rae Walker and Elizabeth Bragg) seem at times like nymphs who have strayed here from the Faun’s antique refuge.

In a star-turn featured role, Michelle Fleet (above) sails airily about, her gorgeousness captivating my opera glasses whenever she appears. 

The triptych adagio opens with heavenly dancing from Amy Young and Michael Trusnovec, two of Gotham’s most treasurable dance artists. After a while they are subtly replaced by the distinctive blonde Aileen Roehl partnered by Sean Mahoney, he of the magnificent physique. These two bring a nice intensity to their duet, which eventually gives way to the ravishing Laura Halzack dancing with another Taylor deity, Robert Kleinendorst. 

The cumulative effect of all these beautiful bodies, this soul-stirring music and Mr. Taylor’s perfect choreographic response to it evoked a sustained ovation from the House. The audience, so attentive throughout, couldn’t contain their delight in showering the dancers with applause, and when Paul Taylor himself walked onstage at the end, he was hailed as the dance hero he is.

tomgolddance, founded by former New York City Ballet soloist Tom Gold, are preparing to offer their first New York City full-evening of ballets at Florence Gould Hall on Monday February 27th. Ticket information here. New York City Ballet principal dancers Jared Angle and Sara Mearns are among the stellar line-up of featured dancers. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

tomgolddance have been touring for the past four years; Tom now presents four of his ballets for the New York audience, with music by Mozart, Desplat, Satie, Poulenc and Piazzolla. Photographer Matt Murphy and I stopped by a rehearsal last week where we watched some of NYCB‘s finest dancers working with Tom.

Abi Stafford

Gretchen Smith

Russell Janzen

Amanda Hankes

Abi Stafford, Robert Fairchild

Kristen Segin

Jared & Sara

Abi Stafford

Tyler Angle, Sara Mearns

Tom Gold

ABT soloist Simone Messmer, such an entrancing dancer, arrived just as Matt and I were heading out. We stopped to catch up with her for a few moments before she started dancing; kind of sorry we didn’t get to see her in action in the studio, but that’s one more reason to look forward to February 27th.

All photos by Matt Murphy, with my thanks to him for taking time out of his already-busy day to meet me at Tom’s rehearsal.