COURTING THE NEW IN NEW YORK CITY.COURTING THE NEW IN NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK CITY BALLET NEW YORK STATE THEATER, LINCOLN CENTER NEW YORK, NEW YORK MAY 1-JULY 1, 2001 Three better-than-average premieres highlighted the New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Ballet's spring season. Variations Serieuses, by Christopher Wheeldon, the company's newly appointed resident choreographer, revealed once again his flair for bringing out the personalities of his dancers as well as dressing the stage imaginatively. Ian Falconer, who designed Wheeldon's 1999 Scenes de Ballet, came up with another inspired conceit: We see the stage as if standing in the wings, with the house and footlights footlights Row of lights set across the front of a stage floor to light the scene. The oil lamps and candles in use in the 17th century eventually gave way to gas and electricity. to the left and the backdrop to the right. Some of the spoofing is almost as inspired--Maria Kowroski, the prima from hell, diving offstage into the house; Damian Woetzel, a danseur on the make, flirting outrageously with the corps girls; Kathleen Tracey, a no-nonsense stage manager who daydreams she is a sylph sylph spirit inhabiting atmosphere in Rosicrucian philosophy. [Medieval Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 1055] See : Air ; pianist Nancy McDill, who has a fit over tempi tem·pi n. A plural of tempo. . With music by Felix Mendelssohn (adapted and orchestrated by Mack Schlefer), the choreography itself is mundane, indebted to Fokine and Ashton, but above all to Jerome Robbins, whose ballet The Concert not only parodied classical manners but also poked fun at human foibles and fantasies. Wheeldon gives us a potpourri of their choreography, rather than fully developed dances that stand on their own. And because he sets them far upstage, behind "legs" that remain in place throughout the "performance," they are never fully visible. Variations Serieuses is clever, enjoyable, but ultimately facile. Far more interesting--and original--is Peter Martins's new work, Morgen. Set to ten songs by Richard Strauss, it is lush and romantic, a revisiting of past relationships and loves. There are three couples. The ballet opened with Darci Kistler, a goddess leading us through the maze of memory, drifting among Doric columns designed by Alain Vaes. Kistler is a shadow of the ballerina she once was, but in her mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" bourrees and the plasticity of her lifts with Jared Angle, we glimpsed the old magic. By contrast, Janie Taylor was all passion and waywardness. She flung herself into leaps and dazzling lifts, challenging Nilas Martins to contain her, unmindful of positions, of correctness, of anything except the movement--the very image of youthful impetuosity im·pet·u·os·i·ty n. pl. im·pet·u·os·i·ties 1. The quality or condition of being impetuous. 2. An impetuous act. Noun 1. . Finally, there was Jenifer Ringer, partnered by Jock Soto. Vaes (who also designed the costumes) dresses her in deep purple-blue, the color of midnight passion and ripe sexual love. There was a smoldering smol·der also smoul·der intr.v. smol·dered, smol·der·ing, smol·ders 1. To burn with little smoke and no flame. 2. ardor ar·dor n. 1. Fiery intensity of feeling. See Synonyms at passion. 2. Strong enthusiasm or devotion; zeal: "The dazzling conquest of Mexico gave a new impulse to the ardor of discovery" in the many unusual lifts and a sensual pleasure in the deep, arching cambres. Much of the partnering was close, with a strong erotic undercurrent. The season's third premiere, Richard Tanner's Soiree soi·ree also soi·rée n. An evening party or reception. [French soirée, from Old French seree, from seir, evening, from Latin , showcased the company's youngest talents. Set to movie-style music by Nino Rota, the ballet is a modern, plotless harlequinade, with three charming but very different pairs of lovers and a corps of twelve. With her light, wafting jump and impish imp·ish adj. Of or befitting an imp; mischievous. imp  ish·ly adv.imp , unexpected balances, Taylor made a delicious Columbine columbine, in botany columbine (kŏl`əmbīn), any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. in the first pas de deux pas de deux (French; “step for two”) Dance for two performers. A characteristic part of classical ballet, it includes an adagio, or slow dance, by the ballerina and her partner; solo variations by the male dancer and then the ballerina; and a coda, or , darting flirtatiously flir·ta·tious adj. 1. Given to flirting. 2. Full of playful allure: a flirtatious glance. flir·ta past Angle, her lovestruck Pierrot, who followed in hot pursuit. Tanner's second duet, for Carla Korbes and Seth Orza, capitalized on her beautiful line, unusual flexibility, and lyrical presence, while his third, for Ashley Bouder and Andrew Veyette, highlighted her exceptionally powerful jump, which drew audible gasps from the audience. Carole Divet's sherbet-colored "puff" tutus added to the playful atmosphere. This season, as in recent ones, corps dancers stepped into principal roles at the eleventh hour. Bouder's debut in the title role of Firebird after only an afternoon of rehearsal was intermittently thrilling, thanks to her virtuoso technique and air of authority; if only she had been given time to work out the tricky partnering. Even more spectacular was the rise of Korbes, back after two years spent recovering from a foot injury. Radiant in Balanchine's Divertimento divertimento Eighteenth-century chamber music genre consisting of several movements, often of a light and entertaining nature, for strings, winds, or both. Though the name was applied (c. No. 15 during the first week of the season, she replaced an injured Kowroski in Organon or·ga·non or or·ga·num n. pl. or·ga·nons or or·ga·nums or or·ga·na 1. An organ. 2. A set of principles for use in scientific investigation. organon pl. organa [Gr.] organ. and danced not one but four Titanias in A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and . Although clearly ballerina material, at present Korbes lacks the strength and commanding presence of a principal. There is certainly novelty value in casting youngsters over more seasoned dancers. But it is disturbing that those youngsters are frequently ignored when their novelty wears thin. Rather than developing, they appear stymied. A similar plight faces the company's soloists. Although Alexandra Ansanelli and Pascale van Kipnis made outstanding debuts in Midsummer (as, Helena and Hermia respectively), neither has the technical strength at present to take on ballerina roles. Especially uncertain is Janie Taylor's future, given the carelessness of her performances early in the season and the fact that she has not added ballerina roles to her repertoire. Why, for instance, was she not cast as Titania? And why was she passed over for La Sonnambula, for which her romantic waywardness would seem ideal? Such questionable casting is evident at the principal level as well. Jennie Somogyi, for instance, made a splendid Hippolyta in Midsummer--in fact, her thrilling leaps and lashing fouettes made it truly a principal role--but she was only second cast (until Monique Meunier canceled). She was passed over this year for Firebird, just as she was passed over last year for Ballo della Regina. (Abi Stafford got the role instead.) She brings grandeur to leotard ballets like The Four Temperaments and Episodes, and has the speed and stamina for virtuoso roles like the lead in Square Dance, which leaves Yvonne Borree shaking like a leaf. Borree has her strengths, but the lightness, musicality, and dreaminess that serve her well in Dances at a Gathering and as the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula are not enough for more challenging roles. Like Somogyi, Kowroski also seems undercast Un`der`cast´ v. t. 1. To cast under or beneath. . Yet her Odette this season, before an injury temporarily stopped her, was grandly scaled, beautiful of line, and so cold it burned with passion. Miranda Weese's debut in the role, on the other hand, was technically and emotionally complacent--a far cry from what she can do. Even more uninspired was Margaret Tracey, who brings to Balanchine classics like La Source and Scotch Symphony the musicality of a metronome metronome (mĕ`trənōm'), in music, originally pyramid-shaped clockwork mechanism to indicate the exact tempo in which a work is to be performed. It has a double pendulum whose pace can be altered by sliding the upper weight up or down. . The miracle is Wendy Whelan, now at the very top of her form, whose supreme control has given her a freedom that makes all her performances, even when she is miscast mis·cast tr.v. mis·cast, mis·cast·ing, mis·casts 1. To cast in an unsuitable role. 2. To cast (a role, play, or film) inappropriately. , artistically and kinesthetically kin·es·the·sia n. The sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. [Greek k thrilling. With Kyra Nichols pregnant, Helene Alexopoulos and Kistler were the senior principals. Although her technique is beginning to slip, Alexopoulos was as commanding as ever as the Siren in Prodigal Son, and the very soul of romance in the badly underrehearsed Elegie section of Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3. Kistler, who got most of the first nights, can no longer meet the technical demands of her repertoire. Meunier gave a few uninspired performances. By contrast, there is real strength in the senior corps. Rachel Rutherford shone throughout the season; Adam Hendrickson danced a marvelous Puck; his sister Jessy, Deanna McBrearty, Eva Natanya, Aesha Ash, Elena Diner, Carrie Lee Riggins, Melissa Walter, Aubrey Morgan, and Kristin Sloan revealed growing strength and maturing artistry. Among the junior corps are a growing number of American-trained African American men. Three of them--Darius Crenshaw, Craig Hall, and Henry Seth--were onstage, with Ash, in Tributary, one of many signs that ballet's racial profile is beginning to change. And more black viewers attended. Only twenty ballets by Balanchine were performed this season, only a handful of which were among his very greatest. Moreover, compared to the Robbins ballets, as well as new and returning works by Martins, Wheeldon, Tanner, Miriam Mahdaviani, and others, the Balanchine repertoire, with a few notable exceptions, was badly underrehearsed. Energy is not enough to unmuddy Balanchine's rushing patterns in Swan, Lake, not with twenty-eight swans. The opening sections of Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 looked like they barely had had a run-through. Miscast partners did not help. In the Scherzo scherzo (skĕr`tsō) [Ital.,=joke], in music, term denoting various types of composition, primarily one that is lively and presents surprises in the rhythmic or melodic material. , Tom Gold looked like Jennifer Tinsley's kid brother, rather than her lover, while in the Valse Melancolique, an ardent James Fayette seemed to be making love to a semaphore--Kathleen Tracey with a severe case of arm flapping. It's easy to ruin a ballet, even a masterpiece. NEW YORK New York City Ballet 92 Cisne Negro 94 Fort Worth Dallas Ballet 94 Alpha Omega Dance 96 NATIONAL Random Dance Company and The Royal Ballet 97 Urban Bush Women 100 Sara Shelton Mann 101 INTERNATIONAL MaggioDanza 102 West Australian Ballet 105 Tero Saarinen & Company Toothpick 106 See www.dancemagazine.com for exclusive online reviews of the following: New York: Neta Pulvermacher International: Adelaide: Australian Ballet |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion