Tag: Ailey Citigroup Theater

Joffrey Concert Group @ Ailey Citigroup

~ Author: Oberon

Saturday February 17th, 2024 matinee – The Joffrey Concert Group offering a program of four works by three choreographers at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The dancers were all technically adept and physically attractive, and the performance was enhanced by excellent lighting. While each ballet was enjoyable to watch individually (and to listen to, at least until someone pumped up the volume), being performed one after the other made for an afternoon lacking in contrasts.

Chicago-born Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater principal dancer Vernard J Gilmore has created “Dawn Of Love”, which opened the show. The work’s six movements do offer some variety of pacing and atmosphere, all basically coloured by the power and intensity of the music by Prince, distinctively played by the Vitamin String Quartet and mixed by long-time collaborator, DJ April Reign.

“Dawn Of Love” gets off to a big-beat start with “Not Afraid” in which four couples wend thru various ballet partnering motifs. “Neverending” begins with the women, soon joined by the men – the music has a hoedown feeling. A steady beat pulses thru “Specks of Hope“, danced by a trio of women, and then there is an ethereal solo, “I Will, I Am” danced poetically by Mari Murata, with her lovely pointe work. (I should note that, throughout the evening, some of the women were on pointe and others in soft slippers). A pointy duet for Annika Davis and Sydney Williams opens “Diamonds and Pearls“, danced to an insistent beat. The other women join, and finally the men. The ballet concludes with a duet for Breeanna Palmer and Faahkir Bestman entitled “Nothing…”; the stage is bathed in a red glow, and the music has an oddly Appalachian feel. Although this duet went on a bit too long, it was very finely danced. An extra bravo to lighting designer Michael Faba.

There were no bows after the opening work, and after a brief pause Bradley Shelver’s “Random People With Beautiful Parts” commenced. The music draws on the Hilliard Ensemble’s recordings of J S Bach; the piece is in three sections, beginning with a solemn air of ritual. Traditional ballet combinations weave into the music, and a sense of light vs darkness develops. An interesting motif of skidding on pointe is introduced, reminding me of Mauro Bigonzetti’s gorgeous “Luce Nascosta” for NYC Ballet (2010). There’s a lot happening in this opening section; the eye is constantly drawn from dancer to dancer.

Mr. Bestman joined Yumeno Takechi for the ballet’s central pas de deux, set to a pulsing beat. Then trilling percussion opens the dramatic finale, in which several individual dancers had a chance to shine, notably Charles Klepner. The dancing is showy and gets somewhat competitive as the music accelerates.

“The Relentless Nature of Dreaming” by choreographer Eryn Renee Young, is set to music by J.S. Bach and an original score by emerging composer Heather Cook. It’s been quite a long time since I last saw Ms. Young’s work: 2014, in fact, when I saw her excellent Bartok piece “Symphonie Miroir “. From the title of Ms. Young’s ballet on offer this evening, “The Relentless Nature of Dreaming“, I was envisioning an atmosphere of Shades or Wilis; but it’s actually the word “restless” in the title that most aptly applies.

The large cast (seemingly everyone in the Company) were clad in red (the men) and hot pink (the women), making quite a breath-taking sight as the lights came up. The women are divided into two groups: some in soft slippers and other on pointe. Neat patterns and myriad steps are skillfully choreographed. An exceptional solo, danced by one of the soft-slipper girls, was a highlight of the opening movement, but I can’t tell you her name.

The second section of Ms. Young’s ballet is danced to “Be My Water Tonight” by Heather Cook. For some reason, this was played at a very high volume; the dancing – at times quite animated – could have been really engaging, but the music was simply earsplitting. The song eventually turns watery, as if submerged (thus the word ‘water’ in the song’s title); there is so much going on for the dancers but it all gets lost in the musical overkill. The ballet ends with an elaborate final pose.

Closing the program is “OOF”, choreographed by Mr. Shelver. Set to music by Machito, Sunny and the Sunliners, and Balkan Beat Box, it sustained the high-energy, rather relentless feeling of the program. There were passing moments when it seemed a mood-swing might happen – one such was a male solo which commenced in a pool of light – but the idea was not developed: it simply melded into an ensemble.

The choreography is athletic and at times quirky, with something of a gypsy tinge to it. The final duet, set to “I Only Have Eyes For You“, was danced by Joliana Canaan and Faakhir Bestman, and was beautfully done.

What was lacking in the evening was a feeling of emotional connections between the dancers; seldom was any tenderness expressed, though in fact the extroverted nature of the ballets rarely called for it.

As to the music, there seems to be a tradition in this performing venue that music will be played in the theatre for a half-hour before curtain time, and during the interval. This means that the scores the choreographers have chosen to set become part of a larger sound scheme, diminishing their effect.

~ Oberon

February 17, 2024
BalaSole: VISAGES

Thursday October 24th, 2013 – Roberto Villanueva’s BalaSole Dance Company presenting VISAGES, a programme of solo danceworks, mostly self-choreographed, which was given at Ailey Citigroup Theater. Roberto provides a rare opportunity for dancers to perform solo works in professionally-staged productions before sizeable audiences of dance-lovers. His ever-changing roster of dancers is marked by diversity of race, body-type, age, style and individual expression.

Christa Hines (above) performed the opening solo entitled Falling Together, Falling Apart which was choreographed by Teal Darkenwald. Wearing a soft white belted tunic and heavy black boots, the dancer began in silence, moving haltingly about the space and periodically collapsing to the floor. The plaintive voice of Mimerose Beaubron seeps into our senses as the dancer continues her struggle against unseen forces. Ms. Hines, with an appealing quality between vulnerability and hope, signaled the start of a programme which was especially strong in its musical offerings.

Janina Clark performed the solo Sining (Art) to the delicate sounds of the koto. In a black tunic with a ruby-red sash, the dancer moved gracefully across the space, evoking images of a young geisha dancing alone in her own private world.

Steven Brown’s solo Revealed was set to a haunting rendition (in Italian) of Nadir’s aria from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers sung by the late tenor Salvatore Licitra. I had never heard this particular version before, and it was quite moving. Mr. Brown’s performance – he remained stationary throughout, communicating with his expressive arm and hands – had a reverential and introspective quality, and he sustained the mood beautifully.

Ursula Verduzco, the tall and stately ballerina, let her hair down for the solo Nothing To Hide, danced to the contemporary lyricism of Yann Tiersen. Eminently at home on the stage, and using the space with expressive assurance, the dancer’s sense of urgency moves inevitably to a silent scream. This solo was a cohesive blend of music, movement and personal commitment.

Jason Garcia Ignacio, a compact and muscular dancer from the Philippines, used harpsichord music by Louis Couperin to excellent advantage for his handsomely-danced solo My Brother’s Keeper. Jason’s supple body, finely lit to delineate his sculpted torso, showed compelling flexiblity in some deep backbends (that’s Jason in the costume-photo at the top of this article).

The evening’s most unusual work, Go To The Limits Of Your Longing, was created and performed by Anna Brown Massey (above).

Ms. Massey’s solo opens with vocalist Julia Patinella seated onstage, clapping a rhythmic phrase. As dancer enters (above photo), Ms. Patinella bursts into song: her is voice rich, earthy and powerful. The dancer takes a seat across the stage and her entire solo is performed from this seated position, with Ms. Massey using her arms, hands, shoulders and neck to convey an interior monolog. The voice of Ms. Patinella filled the hall with passionate clarity.

Looking striking with her long hair and vivid make-up, dancer Katherine Alvarado showed a strong dramatic flair in her solo Distancia; the music, by Max Richter, seems Glassian at first but then evolves into expansive, full-blown lyricism. Ms. Alvarado, in a backless black outfit, used her entire body as a communicative vessel.

A strong house beat set Delphina Parentiv (above) in restless motion for her solo Body Rebellion. A vivid gestural language and space-covering combinations marked the dancer’s high-energy performance which drew an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

Roberto Villanueva’ s solo Seconds Remain The Same showed this magnetic dancer’s presence and his flexibility of physique as he moved across the stage in a contemplative state, seemingly lured by some far-off vision. Eventually the dancer is seen in silhouette as he retreats from us into the distance.

The BalaSole tradition of opening and closing their programmes with ensemble works created in a brief rehearsal period was particularly rewarding tonight as the dancers introduced themselves (and bade us good-night) to the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, marked by celebratory getures and a series of pas de trois in which individual personalities emerged. The evening’s performers were joined by emerging artist Ashley Peters who – it seemed to me – deserved a solo shot. Maybe in the next BalaSole show?

I apologize for the darkness and lack of focus in some of these photos from the dress rehearsal: I am still trying to capture motion, but I have a long way to go…

…though I can do well enough when dancers stand still (Jason and Christa, above).

October 24, 2013
Rehearsal: Zvi @ Steps Repertory Ensemble

Wednesday March 27th, 2013 – Choreographer Zvi Gotheiner is setting his dancework “Chairs”, which premiered in 1992, on the Steps Repertory Ensemble who will be performing it during their upcoming season at Ailey Citigroup Theater. My friend Joe and I dropped in at a rehearsal today to see how things are developing.

For this dancework, Zvi uses music culled from film soundtracks, Rachmaninoff etudes, and Russian Orthodox
sacred music. Today we were watching the dancers work on specific passages…

…stopping periodically to refer to a video of a live performance which gave us an idea of how the work will feel when it’s costumed and lit. Mindy Upin and Lane Haplerin, above, having a look.

There’s a tremendous sense of energetic flow in the choreography, particularly in a quartet passage…

…and Zvi spent some time working out partnering details with dancers Jake Bone and Lane Halperin (above); their duet has a restless, space-covering energy.

We’d just missed a sampling of a duet for two men (David Scarantino and Clinton Edward Martin, above) but just from the phrases we saw, and a few sneak peeks at the video, “Chairs” is clearly a very interesting piece.

Most of my photos today looked like this:

So we’ll have to wait for the performances to get the full impact of what “Chairs” will look like. Just as I did a few months when I checked out Manuel Vignoulle’s rehearsal, I really loved the atmosphere at the Steps Rep studio. And it’s lovely to chat with the Company’s director Claire Livingstone.

In addition to Zvi’s “Chairs”, and the Vignoulle creation, the programme will feature works by Shannon Gillen, Ricky and Jeff Kuperman, Yesid Lopez and Nathan Trice.

March 27, 2013
BalaSole: VOCES

Sunday January 27, 2013 – Roberto Villanueva’s current programme for BalaSole, entitled VOCES, was originally scheduled for late October 2012 but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. The presentation finally took place at Ailey CitiGroup Theater yesterday and today, with a slightly different lineup of participating dancers than originally planned. The performances played to sold-out houses both nights.

Roberto Villanueva created BalaSole Dance Company as a platform for dancer/choreographers to present their work in a concert setting. For each BalaSole presentation, ten artists are usually chosen in an audition process. In the time frame between audition and performance, Roberto mentors the dancers and helps them get their solos stageworthy. A week before the performances, the entire group work on new ensemble pieces which will open and close the show. Roberto creates a solo for himself, and his dancing is always a highlight of the evening – as it was again tonight. Fine lighting and sound enhance the work of the particiating artists, and Roberto has developed a faithful following so that the dancers have a chance to be seen in a very auspicious setting.

Tonight’s collection of dancers was a strong one, with some beautiful individual work. The ensemble pieces were set to the heavy, relentless beat of Black Violin as the dancers – all clad in black – moved in unison or in canonic phrases in smaller groups against deeply-hued changing colours on the back panel.

I sometimes wish the performers (both here and in general on the dance scene) would give a bit more thought to their musical choices. So many pieces seem to come with a rather anonymous, vaguely ominous sound track. It usually works, but if they would put a bit more thought into their music something really memorable might result.

Aaron Gregory’s choice of Zoe Keating is a good one, his solo #Lovesick had a nice hesitant stillness to it. Lauren Alpert, a beautiful dancer I know from her performances with Columbia Ballet Collaborative, brought elements of classical ballet to her spacious solo, Surface Interface. Emily Pacilio’s somewhat androgynous presence and her gorgeous dandelion-coloured leotard, maintained our focus as did her use of chiming Eastern/gamelan style music (her solo an except from Keeping Company With Cage). In 2 tears in a Bucket, Troy Barnes made a handsome impression in a solo limned in weeping and despair, though rays of hope seemed to manifest near the end. My companion Javier Chavez and I were both impressed by Sarah J Ewing in her solo Inside Looking Out which further benefitted from Dario Marinelli’s harp-textured, other-worldly score.

Excellent lighting enhanced Morgana Rose’s well-danced solo Sacred, and then Roberto Villanueva’s solo – again turning to Black Violin for his music – was so expressively danced in a tuxedo and open white shirt. Roberto moves so sinuously, his face always beautifully poetic in the lighting. the solo Ssssssssshallow was – he told me – rather a last-minute affair. I never would have guessed, so compelling was his presentation. Nicole Calabrese moved from a chair into a pool of light in her restless solo Chaos/Contained, and Javier and I both especially loved Jessica Cipriano’s moonlit solo We Could What If All Day with its opening setting of spoken poetry. The final solo came from Andrew Nemr, the first tap-dancer to appear in a BalaSole programme; his dancing was subtle and savory, performed to his own music in a solo called Node Beat.

The closing ensemble work had a sexy sway, and then Roberto bade us goodnight, inviting us to the next performances which will be happening in July.

I’d like to urge all my dancer-friends – in whatever genre and at whatever point in your dance-career – to take Roberto’s next audition (Sunday March 24th – details here). BalaSole‘s concept is a unique one which provides a rare opportunity to present your work in a theatrical context to an audience who really care about dance.

January 27, 2013
The Dancers of BalaSole’s SPECTRE

Above: Julie Halpin, one of the dancers who appeared in BalaSole‘s SPECTRE which was presented at Ailey Citigroup Theater. Kokyat photographed the participating artists at the dress rehearsal on September 24th. Details of this programme, which gathered dancers from diverse backgrounds, will be found here.

Here are some of Kokyat’s images of the individual dancers:

Lauren Putty

Ellena Takos

Daisuke Omiya

Jasmine Domfort

Allison Kimmel

Gierre Godley

Cailin Murtha

Ren Xin Lee

Peter Mills

Courtney J Cook

Roberto Villanueva

All photos by Kokyat. Visit a Facebook gallery of his dance images here.

September 24, 2011
BalaSole @ Ailey Citigroup Theater

Saturday September 24, 2011 – Earlier this year we discovered BalaSole, the brainchild of dancer/choreographer Roberto Villanueva. In a series of concerts, Roberto brings together dance artists of varied backgrounds and provides them with a platform to show their work both as creators and dancers. For his July 2011 presentation, Roberto had assembled a very interesting mix of dancers and styles; for tonight’s showing, entitled SPECTRE, an equally fine line-up came together in a very appealing programme. A large and attentive audience at Ailey Citigroup Theater clearly enjoyed this well-paced and finely lit production.

Click on the images to enhance.

The participating dancers in BalaSole’s concerts win their spots in the programme thru an audition process. Entrants come from all over and they spend a week here in NYC preparing for the performances. Each BalaSole production opens and closes with an ensemble piece put together by the dancers and supervised by Roberto Villanueva. The creation of these two pieces turns a group of solo artists into a collective.

Roberto chose a setting of the familar ‘White Swan’ theme from the Tchaikovsky masterpiece for the opening and closing dances tonight; at first rendered on the celesta, the music then goes into a rather grandiose disco beat: off-putting? Not in the least…actually I thought it was a lot of fun. It gave us an opportunity to see all the dancers – clad in long black skirts – before the solo presentations started. In Kokyat’s photo above: Gierre Godley and Ellena Takos.

Following a brief pause so she could slip into costume, Lauren Putty (above) opened the procession of soloists with a space-filling solo set to a song by Sade. As with almost all the dancers, Ms. Putty’s solo was self-choreographed. Laced with vivid leaps and showing the dancer’s strong dramatic presence, this piece – entitled Reflections – got the evening off to a fine start.

Her tutu-like skirt tied in the back with a large black bow gave Ellena Takos (above) a Degas feeling but her style was contemporary, well-suited to her choice of an Alicia Keys song. I Love You, I Love You Not shows a woman in a romantic quandry, sometimes collapsing to the stage like a crushed marionette.

Daisuke Omiya from Japan has a long resume of experience as a tap dancer but now he’s working on developing a broader style of modern dance. Using an industrial-sounding track from Aphex Twin, the slender danseur moved fluently – but with an edge – in the gritty solo Life Sound which made me think at times of Marco Goecke’s contemporary classic Mopey.

Beautiful and exotic, with luminous eyes, Jasmine Domfort (above) rose from a pool of light to dance Counter Existence, set to Arvo Part’s quietly radiant Spiegel im Spiegel played by Angele Dubeau and La Pieta. Using her hands and even her hair as expressive tools, she created a highly personal atmosphere.

Allison Kimmel (above) began her solo Pursuit with a slow backbend. Dancing to music by Max Richter (excellent choice: a first-rate exponent of the contemporary-classic genre), Ms. Kimmel let the music lead her from pensive to animated as she seemed on a quest for someone or something that eluded her. We saw Allison earlier this year at TAKE Dance‘s summer intensive; we love seeing dancers we’ve seen before…

…which was another reason we were so entranced by Gierre Godley’s performance of Kept? We first saw Gierre (above) in November 2010 dancing with Eryc Taylor Dance. For Kept?, Gierre also used a Max Richter score and he danced it with an intense air of mystery. Drawing his shirt up over his face, a shroud-like image gave the work an ominous feeling; throughout, Gierre’s hands were spell-binding.

Following a brief intermission, Cailin Murtha’s solo Corner of Your Heart had a lamenting quality. Using music of Kurt Bestor and Sam Carlson, the dancer in a simple black dress conveyed an aura of regret and resignation.

Ren Xin Lee (above), dancing an excerpt from Somewhere…We Hear choreographed by Kuik Swee Boon to music of David Darling, conveyed the anxious vulnerability of a traveler in a strange land. With her heavy suitcase in tow, the dancer reminded us of the uncertainty of immigrants searching for a new life.

With his slender form clad in ripped blue-jeans, Peter Mills looked very much an au courant young man, but his solo actually had a timeless quality, greatly enhanced by the music of Dario Marianelli in which instruments from cello to musette were heard. Moving into an agitated state, the dancer’s trembling form confronted the audience directly as From Behind ended.

M.E.A.N. is a solo by Courtney J Cook in which the dancer, in dark trousers and a white shirt, fidgets nervously and paces about restlessly as she deals with a romantic breakdown. “It’s over,” says singer Jill Scott succintly. As evening falls, Ms. Cook lights up another cigarette to sooth her nerves.

Julie Halpin’s solo Alone begins with the dancer seated in a straight-back chair and wrapped in a red scarf. Music by Fire Horse propels the dancer into activity but she eventually resigns herself to her lonely vigil. For what or whom is she waiting?

Percussive fanfares precede a ritualistic yet lyrical solo danced by Roberto Villanueva in white briefs and a long sheer white veil. Set surprisingly to Chopin, this work (entitled Be) evoked images of some of Isadora Duncan’s mythic solos. Roberto danced this in a state of serene contemplation…

…kneeling silently as the drums marked the end of the rite.

All the dancers returned for a Tchaikovsky finale: a fantasy of black swans who have wandered far from the lake.

Final curtain call.

All images by Kokyat. Photos of the individual dancers here.

September 24, 2011