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  • Pointe & Pirouettes @ MMAC: Francois Perron

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    Monday February 21, 2011 – A day-long ballet fete at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center which featured classes taught by Francois Perron and Wendy Whelan as well as toe-shoe fittings provided free of charge by various manufacturers of the satiny slippers.

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    I arrived to watch Francois’ class at 10:30 AM. I had never met him before; he’s a tall and very charming gentleman and I really enjoyed listening to him give the exercises and combinations with his delicious accent from the Parisian boulevards. Francois had a studio full of students and he called them to order and plunged into the plies without preamble.

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    The best description of Francois Perron’s class is, it’s a lyrical experience. His style brings out the musicality and grace of the dancers. He said one thing that struck me as so essential: “Elegance is the key.” Beyond that were some more specific suggestions: “Glue your bellybutton to your spine” (if I could master that one I would look 20 pounds thinner!) and “You won’t gain any strength from (over-bending) your wrists.” He pointed out the importance of always closing tendus in a complete 5th, especially tendus to the back, and the necessity of keeping the feet fully pointed no matter how fast you are moving.

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    There were several notable dancers in the class; Kyle Hiyoshi (above), currently at SAB, stood out for clarity and smoothness of technique and a really nice presentation. There were others I’d love to single out but I don’t know their names: here are some of the girls I kept my eye on. Shoot me a comment if you recognize them:

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    There were others, too often too far out of the range of my small camera. I also felt a bit like an eavesdropper shooting them at their work, but I guess it is something they need to get accustomed to as dancers.

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    In many of my pictures the dancers flashing by me appeared on my little screen only as a blur of movement.

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    The class progressed to what seemed to me to be some pretty demanding center work. The students swept across the floor in pairs after which Francois gave them additional tips. If I was a young ballet dancer here in New York City, I’d want to take class from Francois every week. There’s an old-world feeling in his method that should not be lost.

    Following Francois’ class I ran over to Thai Basil for a delicious solo lunch, then made a quick trek to Lincoln Center to check the NYCB lobby casting sheet for changes in their final week and there ran into Wendy Whelan – wearing the most fetching coat – who was en route to MMAC to teach. Half an hour later, I was in her studio along with Matt Murphy who took time from his busy schedule to come and photograph one of our mutually favorite ballerinas giving class. That story will be found here, along with Matt’s photos.

  • Pointe & Pirouettes @ MMAC: Wendy Whelan

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    Monday February 21, 2011 – New York City Ballet’s principal ballerina Wendy Whelan gave an afternoon class at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center as part of their day-long Pointe and Pirouettes event. I asked Matt Murphy, dance photographer de luxe, to meet me there and he was happy to since he is as big a fan of Ms. Whelan as I am.

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    Wendy’s classroom was filled to capacity with dancers from many levels. Rather than ‘talking down’ to some of the youngest dancers, Wendy set the pace and complexity of the exercises and combinations quite high, giving the girls a taste of what they’ll need to be prepared to do as they dance into the future. Wendy gave gentle and helpful corrections, mixed in with more specific remarks about body placement and keys to projecting the movement into the performing space. 

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    One thing she spoke of which I think is sometimes not given enough attention in class is using the eyes while you are dancing. Not only must you watch where you are going, but you need to look to your hand in an extended port de bras or to your foot in develope to say to the audience: “Look how beautiful this movement is!” Sure enough, I’ve seen her do this so many times when watching her from my high/side perch at NYC Ballet performances: she’ll look right up along her arm and hand and right into my eyes. This kind of contact draws the viewer into the dance and makes it personal. How wonderful to find among the photos Matt sent me this very image, above. (Of course all the professional ballerinas know  this ‘eye-language’, but there’s something extra captivating about peering thru your opera glasses into Wendy’s gaze.)

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    I loved her barre excercise based on envelope, a move I hardly ever think about – and how beautifully she executes it. This in fact was one thing about the class that I found most intriguing: how difficult it is to look at anyone else when Wendy Whelan is in the room. But despite the allure of watching her demonstrate, she deflects attention to the students; she treats them all as colleagues and fellow travelers on the path that turns work into art.

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    Despite the studio being filled to bursting, I couldn’t help but wish that even more students could have had the benefit of taking Wendy’s class.

    There were a few dancers in the room that I recognized from other visits to MMAC…

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    …including the young ballerina Amy Gilson (above) who caught my eye and Matthew’s lens.

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    One of the most distinctive and delightful people in the New York City dance world, Deborah Wingert – an outstanding teacher and priestess of Terpsichore in her own right – took Wendy’s class. Kokyat and I are especially enamoured of Ms. Wingert and her lovely spirit.

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    As the class flew by, I felt an urge to clamber up onto the piano and set the clock back by a half-hour or so just to keep Wendy and the dancers there a bit longer.

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    I’ve saved the best for last. I am not sure how Matthew managed in this crowded and bustling studio setting to capture this portrait of Wendy but I am so glad that he did, and I’ll let him keep the secret of this capture all to himself. It’s one of my favorite images ever of this fascinating dancer.

    My thanks to Wendy, Francois Perron, Matt Murphy, MMAC‘s Erin Fogarty and the publicist Michelle Brandon Tabnick – and all the dancers – for a beautiful late-Winter day full of dance.

    All photos by Matthew Murphy.

  • Sara Mearns in CORTEGE HONGROIS

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    Paul Kolnik’s photograph of New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns in Balanchine’s CORTEGE HONGROIS. Read about the performance here.

    Click on the image to enlarge.

  • A Winter Sunday At the Met Museum

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    Sunday January 30, 2011 – Met Kokyat at the Met Museum today. For some reason, depite huge crowds in general, certain galleries were rather quiet. We saw lots of things we hadn’t seen before. Above: Sleeping Muse (bronze 1910 by Constantine Brancusi).

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    Head of Brother Onufrio by Girolamo Campagna c. 1615-1620

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    Madonna (detail from larger canvas) by Ettore Crivelli, late 15th century

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    Back panel for a church choir stall, Mainz 1723-1736. This piece was a gift to the Met in 1952 from the great Wagnerian tenor Lauritz Melchior.

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    Saint Mark, gilt wood Germany mid-18th century

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    Winter, or La Frileuse, bronze by Jean-Antoine Houdon 1789.

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    Lucretia by Philippe Bertrand c. 1700

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    Portrait of a Woman, marble medallion by Henri, Baron de Triquenti 1850.

    I’ve put several images from today’s Met visit in a Facebook photo album here.

  • Scheller’s CORTEGE/Revival of OUTLIER

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    Saturday January 29, 2011 – Ana Sophia Scheller’s debut in the prima ballerina role of Balanchine’s CORTEGE HONGROIS was a big attraction for me this afternoon at New York City Ballet. Kokyat photographed the Argentine ballerina last November when she appeared with Avi Scher & Dancers.

    CORTÈGE HONGROIS: *Scheller, Askegard, Laracey, *Hankes, Lowery, Suozzi
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    OUTLIER: Bouder, Kowroski, T. Peck, Hyltin, Whelan, Ramasar, R. Fairchild, *Alberda, De Luz, *Tworzyanski, Hall [Solo violin: Nikkanen]

    The two ballets are so well-contrasted in every regard, making for a really satisfying visit to the ballet this afternoon. Andrews Sill was on the podium and gave the Glazunov a lush romantic treatment; along with the excellent violinist Kurt Nikkanen, the orchestra made the OUTLIER score so darkly radiant.

    Ana Sophia Scheller’s Raymonda is a gorgeous princess, regal but not haughty. With her classic poise, technique and beauty, the ballerina gave her dancing a special sense of allure and mystery. One especially lovely moment came near the end of the adagio when she swirled through a series of pirouettes which seemed almost to be in slow-motion: really dreamy. I’ve always loved watching Scheller and would give anything to see her as Kitri, Gamzatti, Juliet, Giselle, Aurora or Swanhilda. Her originally-announced partner, Jonathan Stafford, was replaced by Charles Askegard whose fluent partnering I think we tend to take for granted, but we shouldn’t.

    Savannah Lowery and Sean Suozzi were a grand gypsy couple. They rightly conveyed an underlying sexual tension during the slow opening of the czardas, then burst into joyous swirling dance when the tempo quickens. (Sean’s upcoming debut as the Prodigal Son is circled in red on my calendar: February 8th). The solo variations were danced tonight by Ashley Laracey and Amanda Hankes, much to my delight, and the pas de quatre danced by Mlles. Adams, Brown, Dronova and King was extremely fine. The big corps look superb in the green-white-gold costuming and the whole ballet is such a pleasure to watch…and to hear.      

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    I really liked Wayne McGregor’s OUTLIER at its premiere last May and thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again this afternoon. It’s vastly dfferent from anything else in the repertoire; there are some production photos here. In the above Paul Kolnik photo, Tiler Peck in the ballet’s opening moments.

    The ballet begins in silence: a vivid circle of red illuminates the stage floor as the orchestra starts to sound the very quiet opening phrases of the Thomas Ades score. Then Tiler Peck and Craig Hall begin to move slowly, almost warily at first. The work proceeds, highlighted by a series of duets: Maria Kowroski and Robert Fairchild, Robert with Amar Ramasar, Wendy Whelan with Craig Hall (to an especially gorgeous theme in the score). Debuting Devin Alberda has a duet with Sterling Hyltin, both dancers so light and luminous in their movement. An ensemble passage is danced to an intriguing tom-tom rhythm with strings and woodwinds. Meanwhile, the lighting is really striking throughout the ballet – it’s good to see it from ‘above’. Ashley Bouder looks great with her hair in bangs and with her stellar dancing taking on an restless element. Christian Tworzyanski and Joaquin de Luz are wonderful to watch although – along with Wendy Whelan – I wish they had more to do. In fact OUTLIER is one of those rare works that I wish was longer! I’ll catch it two or three more times this Winter because who knows when we might see it again.

  • Parsons Dance @ The Joyce

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    Thursday January 27, 2011 – Great dancing from Parsons Dance at The Joyce tonight, performing five works by David Parsons and a new piece by Monica Bill Barnes. Kokyat and I recently got to watch the Company rehearsing and thus became familiar with some of the newer faces in the troupe. An enthusiastic audience saluted the dancers with applause and cheers at the end of a well-paced programme. The Company are at The Joyce thru February 6th; read about specially discounted tickets here. Top image: Abby Silva Gavezzoli, Eric Bourne and Sarah Braverman photographed by Paula Lobo.

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    The evening began with BACHIANA, a work which I saw at its first public showing (even before its official premiere) at Jacob’s Pillow on August 29, 1992. I knew even then it would become a Parsons classic and it looks great nowadays with it’s vivid dark red costuming and excellent lighting. This piece is a great programme-opener for it immediately serves notice both of the choreographer’s freedom-of- movement style and the joy therein of the Parsons dancers. One fanciful motif is the men head-standing for quite a long time. For all its fast-paced, celebratory dancing, an outstanding highlight of the piece is the adagio duet danced by Abby Silva Gavezzoli and Miguel Quinones in which they slowly make their way across the stage together in expressive partnering combinations to the strains of the Bach Air on a G-String. Photo of Eric Bourne, Steve Vaughn and Miguel Quinones in BACHIANA by B. Docktor.

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    Miguel Quinones, in my humble opinion one of Gotham’s most extraordinary male dancers, speaks about the new duet PORTINARI – which David Parsons has created for Miguel and the blonde beauty Sarah Braverman – here. The dancers are pictured above in a Paula Lobo photo. Kokyat’s images from a rehearsal of this duet may be found here.

    The duet was inspired by the life and work of the Brazilian painter Candido Portinari, best known for his panels War and Peace at the United Nations headquarters here in New York. Portinari died in 1962 from lead poisoning induced by his constant use of lead-based paints.

    For this duet, David Parsons turns to the very familiar music of Samuel Barber: the Adagio for Strings. As with his use of the Bach Air in BACHIANA, David’s choreography makes us listen to the music afresh. Miguel ‘creates’ Sarah – his Madonna and muse – with his brush. Their duet is quietly ecstatic and builds to a fantastic pose with Sarah standing on Miguel’s shoulders; from there she takes a breath-taking plunge into his arms. But the story isn’t over: the painter then descends into sickness and death, with the woman consoling him. As he expires in her arms the light fades and the dancers are drawn into shadow. The audience watched the two dancers in awed silence; Sarah and Miguel give a perfect and memorable interpretation of this duet.

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    In David Parsons’ 2003 work SLOW DANCE, three couples dance in a somewhat confined space to music of Kenji Bunch. This work is quite different from anything else in the Parsons repertoire…

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    …the dancers looked fine and reveled in some high lifts that decorate the piece. Photo: B. Doktor.

    Parsons Dance rarely perform choreography by anyone other than David Parsons but this season they have added Monica Bill Barnes’ LOVE, OH LOVE to their repertoire. Despite being perfectly danced and ‘acted’ by the Parsons troupe, the work’s mildly amusing qualities are offset for me by the use of pop love-anthems that – while appropriate for the theme – are too loud and go on too long. I couldn’t wait for it to end. I know it’s meant to be ironic, but the musical overkill is too much. Irony and brevity must go go hand-in-hand to be really effective. Nevertheless: excellent work by the dancers.

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    In a tour de force, Miguel Quinones (Gene Schiavone photo, above) performed the imaginative and wildly popular solo CAUGHT in which a flashing strobe light makes the dancer appear to be literally dancing on air. Miguel, who danced in every single piece tonight and was still full of energy in the final NASCIMENTO, moved miraculously thru the over-100 jumps which constitute the choreography of CAUGHT, leaving his beautiful torso bathed in sweat as he finally ‘landed’. At the end, the crowd screamed wildly for the dancer: a demonstration of awe and affection which Miguel received with modest grace.

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    NASCIMENTO begins and ends with Abby Silva Gavezzoli (Elena Olivio portrait above) alone onstage. Abby’s sexy and lush dancing sets the pace of this colorful work in which the Parsons dancers revel in their choreographer’s signature style: witty, spacious, affectionate and vital. The music of Milton Nascimento, the appealing Santo Loquasto costumes and the excellent lighting by Howell Binkley (all evening) conspire to make this an exciting closing number.

    Now in his third decade of presenting dance, David Parsons remains at the top of his game. His newest works, PORTINARI and RUN TO YOU, seem destined to take their places among the Parsons classics that always make his New York seasons so enjoyable. And his current roster of dancers are as exciting and dynamic as any to be seen in our dancing City.

  • Another SWAN @ NYC Ballet

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    Due to the extraordinary demand for tickets, New York City Ballet have announced an additional performance of the Peter Martins SWAN LAKE for Friday February 11th. Sara Mearns is scheduled to dance Odette/Odile that evening. Photo of Sara by Damon Winter.

    It’s amusing to hear people attribute the great interest in these SWAN performances to the recent film BLACK SWAN. But the last previous revival of Martins’ SWAN LAKE was also a sellout, and that was long before the movie was made. 

  • Lydia Johnson Dance: Class @ Peridance

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    Friday January 28, 2011 – Went dashing thru the snow (now slush, actually) to the East Side to watch a class at Peridance offered by a choreographer whose work I especially like: Lydia Johnson. Lisa Iannacito McBride of Lydia’s company (above, a studio photo by Kokyat) called the large group of about thirty students to order promptly at 11:30 AM and started to teach them a passage from Lydia’s work entitled DUSK, set to music of Henrych Gorecki. 

    I’ve seen Lisa dance many times but she’s also a really fine teacher; looking chic in a deep-purple satiny leotard, Lisa began the phrase and the students immediately picked up the basics. Laura DiOrio and Jessica Sand of Lydia’s company were on hand to help the dancers with tips on how they each execute the phrase. From watching the three girls, I saw how they are each able to achieve their unique shading of a danced expression while always remaining in the context of the basic qualities of movement.

    These classes where a phrase is taught are always so interesting to me because as a frustrated shoulda-been dancer, I’m continually amazed by how quickly the dancers in the studio can translate the instructor’s movement into their own bodies. Once Lisa went beyond the initial steps and gestures, I was throughly lost but the young dancers picked it up and ran with it. Within minutes they were working the passage and then the group broke into smaller units and took turns spiffing it up.

    Lydia sometimes addressed the dancers, speaking of the imagery that she had in mind when creating a given movement, but she steered clear of saying what the dance was supposed to ‘mean’; her remarks were more in terms of finding the freedom of each dancers’ individual expression than in trying to impose an interpretive boundary. I think this is why her own dancers always look so good: they filter the steps and gestures thru their own bodies and spirits, making individual statements while always maintaining the atmosphere that the music creates.

    As the session progressed, the group was broken down still further into four units and each performed the phrase as a canon, starting in different corners of the room. By the end of the class, they were starting to look like a Company.

    Lydia’s dancers Eric Vlach and Or Sagi were dancing, and so were two dancers I was familiar with: Justin Lynch and Danielle Schulz. There were other familiar faces but I can’t put names to them. The time sped by and all too soon the studio was emptying as another group of dancers stood waiting for the space. Many of the participants in Lydia’s class were headed to other classes or rehearsals, or to the jobs they hold down to pay the bills since dance jobs are not all that plentiful these days. Still, I find the idea of this life of dancing – of physical work to an artistic end – so fascinating.  

    Even if I’d known that one could make a life in dance and even if I’d pursued it, by now I would be retired. But who knows? I might have gone from dancing to having my own dance company. There are certainly plenty of dancers in New York City who would look great performing, and who deserve the opportunity to do it.

  • Fantastic POLYPHONIA @ NYC Ballet

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    Wednesday January 26, 2011 – Christopher Wheeldon’s POLYPHONIA returned to the New York City Ballet repertoire tonight in a striking performance with a cast led by Wheeldon muse Wendy Whelan. Photo of Christopher above is by Peter Hapak.

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    Opening the evening was the stunning image of the NYCB corps women, pony-tailed and is white leotards, in the iconic diagonal which heralds the start of Balanchine’s SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS. Moments after curtain-rise, Daniel Ulbricht came bounding into view; he was soon joined by the vibrant Sterling Hyltin in a high-jump contest: so great to see these two very accomplished dancers giving such vitality to their every move. Savannah Lowery has been out for a while but she came roaring back with a grand performance where she pulled off a triple series of pirouettes climaxing each set with a wonderful Balanchine-off-kilter moment. Sean Suozzi’s energy stood out. In the pas de deux, which starts with that whimsical tune, Abi Stafford and Sebastien Marcovici looked great together; I cannot recall having seen this partnership before and it’s a good one. The ten demi-solistes kept my opera glasses on high alert and the corps girls – including some of the newest Company faces – did well. Faycal Karoui and the orchestra gave the Stravinsky score a fine flourish.

    Wheeldon’s POLYPHONIA premiered at NYCB in 2001; for me it’s the work that put the choreographer on the map. I was at the first night and was bowled over by it. And I had the same reaction to tonight’s performance. The Ligeti piano music, by turns quirky and mysterious, was played by Cameron Grant and Alan Moverman. Mark Stanley’s lighting sets the dancing off with some marvelous shadowplay, and the deep-purple Holly Hynes costumes are an added asset.

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    No one speaks Wheeldon with such clarity and expressiveness as Wendy Whelan; returning to this role that was crafted on her body, the great and enigmatic ballerina astonished once again with her supple movement, daringly stretched poses and her flair for creating drama from the abstract. Everyone who recalls Jock Soto in this ballet will have kept a mental gallery of images of the great Whelan/Soto partnership: they were unforgettable together. But Tyler Angle has put his own stamp on this work with his cool, magnificent partnering and his dancing, which in the past couple of years has taken on a unique lustre. He’s now among the most riveting danseurs I’ve encountered over the past four decades. Photo of Wendy and Tyler above by Erin Baiano.

    Power and beauty seem to have been the watchwords in casting this revival, encapsulating in the 30-minute work the current state of NYCB’s roster: an embarassment of riches. Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar are spell-binding not only in physical allure but in the way they channel their personal magnetism into the movement. They are just so great to watch together. Tiler Peck continues to show us in every performance what an astonishing and versatile dancer she is: her technique amazes, her ever-deeping artistry is a true pleasure to behold. In their enchanting waltz, Tiler and the equally impressive Andrew Veyette made me smile in admiration. Andrew has really got the knack for being a contemporary cavalier, and he and Amar turned their duet into a highlight of the ballet. 

    Sara Mearns danced with quiet radiance in her solo (created originally on Alexandra Ansanelli) and added another compelling performance to her catalog. Her Raymonda in CORTEGE HONGROIS last week was equally fascinating, these two ballets testifying to her expressive range. In the company of these stars, Chase Finlay looked wonderfully at home, his dancing and partnering not only impressive in the moment but also as a promise of things to come.

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    Normally I don’t stay when I’M OLD FASHIONED (Paul Kolnik photo, above) is the closing work on the programme due to my general aversion to Hollywood or Broadway-style ballets. But Maria Kowroski is having such a glorious season that I felt like I really wanted to see her dancing tonight. She was just splendid of course, dancing with Tyler Angle (who subbed for his brother Jared). And Rebecca Krohn and Jenifer Ringer looked and danced divinely as well, partnered by those handsome dudes Justin Peck and Robert Fairchild respectively. The corps looked spiffy and the choreography is actually pretty good.

    But tonight I realized what’s always really killed this piece for me. No, it’s not the comparison people always make between how Fred and Rita move in the film to how the NYCB dancers move onstage. No, that doesn’t irk me: Fred and Rita are in their element and the ‘live’ dancers are working in a hybrid style for all that it’s grounded in classic technique.

    No, it’s the music that ultimately makes this ballet unappealing to me. Of course the actual Jerome Kern song I’m Old Fashioned is a gem. But Morton Gould’s arrangement of it is lackslustre, and it’s sad to see great dancers dancing to third-rate music.

    The ballet also suffers from cliches: “You bumped into me!”, “That guy cut in on me and stole my girl!” “Let me gaze at the skyline for a moment.”  After a while, despite the excellence of the dancing, the piece makes me restless. But it was good to see Maria, Becky and Jeni.

  • Images from POLYPHONIA

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    Photographs by Paul Kolnik from the current revival of Wheeldon’s POLYPHONIA at New York City Ballet. Read about it here. Above: Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar.

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    Above: Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle.

    My thanks to the folks at NYCB for their swift photo service!