Above: Maria Kowroski photographed by Matt Furman. Maria danced AGON this evening at New York City Ballet, winning a spectacular ovation after her pas de deux with Amar Ramasar.
Saturday February 18, 2012 evening – I’ve been going to New York City Ballet less and less these days. The dancers and the ballets still excite and entice me but the way things are being run there is a real turn-off. I’ve had to pick and choose my programmes carefully, and I have missed some debuts that I’d love to have seen but simply couldn’t afford to attend. Meanwhile the presence of two recent disasters on the programming meant there were whole weeks when there was no cause to go.
Tonight was my only chance to see AGON and Tchaikovsky SUITE #3 this season; it was unfortunate that the other work on the programme was INTERPLAY, one of my least-favorite ballets. Compounding the tedium of the Robbins work, we had to sit thru an ‘introduction’ to Morton Gould’s third-rate music before the ballet started. To say that it was well-danced is an under-statement but in a way the better it’s danced the sorrier I feel for the dancers strapped with this juvenile, gee-whiz drivel.
INTERPLAY put me in a pissy mood. But the moment the curtain rose on the four men – Adrian Danchig-Waring, Amar Ramasar, Craig Hall and Sean Suozzi – at the start of AGON, the stars fell into perfect alignment and all seemed right with the world. This euphoric feeling continued through the evening’s concluding Tchaikovsky SUITE #3 as well. On the podium Clotilde Otranto (Stravinsky) and guest conductor Daniel Capps (Tchaikovsky) illuminated the music of these two geniuses, properly eradicating the insipidity of the opening Gould.
In AGON Maria Kowroski had one of those nights that great ballerinas sometimes have when their technique and artistry transcend the music and the steps and transport the audience to an exalted state. Magnificently partnered by Amar Ramasar, Maria was on fire from her first entrance. Moving through the sculptural poses of the pas de deux, her sensational legs and line were molded by the magnetic Amar into improbable designs that only a genius like Balanchine could have conceived. As the duet progressed the two dancers went beyond the physical into some cosmic otherworld. They slumped into their final pose and were engulfed in a tidal wave of applause and cheers; they had to step forward and bow three times and even then the audience were reluctant to let the ballet proceed. At the end of AGON, Maria and Amar were called out for an extra bow as the crowd went wild. So wonderful to hear this kind of enthusiasm. And they deserved every bit of it.
But it was that kind of AGON…right from the start, actually. Sean Suozzi’s dynamic solo set the ballet on its marvelous trajectory; my hat is ever off to Sean for the edgy brilliance and unstinting personal commitment of his dancing. He was spectacular tonight. Amanda Hankes and Ashley Laracey remind us of how rich in ballerina treasures our corps de ballet is.
In a striking tour de force role debut, Megan LeCrone yet again served notice that she is one of New York City Ballet‘s most fascinating dancers. Her strength and clarity of movement underscore her distinctive look, giving her performances a compelling quality; I always feel an extra twinge of anticipation when I see her name on the casting list. Tonight she was especially impressive. Her two charismatic cavaliers were Adrian Danchig-Waring and Craig Hall; they danced their duet vividly, like young gods cavorting on Olympus. We are so lucky to have them.
AGON always seems like a big ballet but really there are only a dozen dancers involved; tonight’s quartet of supporting ballerinas was particularly attractive: Marika Anderson, Dana Jacobson, Gretchen Smith, and Lydia Wellington. These girls appeared again in various capacities in the concluding Tchaikovsky SUITE #3 where – in fact – the entire corps shone with individual and collective dazzle.
In the haunted ballroom, the pale dreamer (Ask LaCour) conjures up a luminous vision of feminine perfection (Sara Mearns). Backed by a sextette of long-haired beauties, the couple dance a hypnotic, dreamlike duet of pursuit and evasion. Sara Mearns was radiantly voluptuous and Ask LaCour questingly poetic as they moved to the heart-stopping theme of the Elegie; Ask can only fleetingly hold onto his ideal as she eludes him time and again. At the end, Sara sweeps into an iconically deep backbend as a farewell gesture before vanishing altogether from this vision of romantic rapture, leaving Ask alone in his reverie. The moment stabs me in the heart every time.
Janie Taylor has only to step onto the stage to make my heart race; her captivating allure and mystery enslaved me yet again in the Valse Melancolique where her sylphlike figure and glorious hair were set afloat on Balanchine’s ethereal waltz. Jared Angle, ever the ideal cavalier, treated his ballerina like the treasure she is. This brief film, which I have watched a hundred times and will watch hundreds more, captures a bit of Janie Taylor’s unique magic.
In an evening of ballerina splendors, Ana Sophia Scheller once again made me long for her Nikiya, Giselle and Aurora as she swirled thru the restless pirouettes and fouettes of the Scherzo. In a floaty, gauzy gown the Argentine beauty sailed on the music with a glamorous air: simply intoxicating. Antonio Carmena was her high-leaping cavalier; it is always a great pleasure to see Antonio onstage. Among the corps, Callie Bachman was particularly luscious.
After all this, something truly grand was needed to cap the evening and as the lights went up on Theme and Variations, the youthful royal couple Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz stood ready. They danced superbly: who needs champagne when you have Megan and Joaquin to get you high?! Megan’s elegant pirouettes and her Aurora-like charm seemed absolutely perfect this evening while Joaquin gave a performance remarkable both in its execution and in his handsome, princely appearance. Such a pleasure to watch this celebrated partnership tonight.
Outstanding THEME demi-solistes this evening: Gwyneth Muller, Amanda Hankes, Lauren King and Brittany Pollack – each a ballerina of unique qualities. Their cavaliers were Andrew Scordato, Christian Tworzyanski, Devin Alberda and Austin Laurent; Austin has been looking especially good ths season. The full bevy of corps beauties and handsome young danseurs filled the stage for the finale, moving in Mr. B’s gloriously structured patterns to bring the evening to a fantastic finish.
My special thanks to photographer Matt Furman for allowing me to use his portrait of Maria Kowroski.
Oberon's Glade 