Lucía Aspiroz Larrosa and Roberto Zuccarino in Social Tango Project performs this week at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. (Photo by Christopher Duggan) Tango can save the world.
At least a small bit of it by creating a utopian space where race, gender, age, sexual orientation and citizenship status lose their power to divide. You can’t despise a person with whom you are dancing cheek-to-cheek. That is the message and the aim of Social Tango Project, a charming ensemble from Buenos Aires that invites the world to unite in the language of the dance. And it’s first appearance at Jacob’s Pillow on Wednesday night in the Ted Shawn Theatre demonstrated not just its generosity, by sharing the stage with the amateur dancers of the Albany Tango Society, but also its firm belief that everyone can tango. Over the years, I’ve seen many tango shows. Often they are staged in a hot and smokey nightclub with equally hot and smokey dancers who show off their hot and smokey moves. This was different. Here, 10 dancers portrayed the average person – one who by day goes about his business and by night seeks respite in a tango class and milango. Opening to a film backdrop of a cityscape, likely the city where tango was born, a musical quartet strikes the opening rhythmic chords. A woman (Lucia Aspiroz Larrosa), unsuccessfully hailing a cab or bus, sees a happy couple and then a group joyfully headed in the same direction. She follows and finds a milango – a tango dance party where the music and dance are enticing. Of course, the story progresses to her shy attempts to partner up, her first formal lessons, an infatuation with her partner and finally freedom to dance without limitations – an acceptance of all in this haven brought about by tolerant tango. While Social Tango Project clearly sought to appeal to nondancers with its message, the artists of Social Tango were of the highest caliber. The musicians were top notch with Fulvio Giraudo at piano, Horacio Romo on the bandoneon, Humberto Ridolfi on violin and Cristian Basto on bass. Their musical interludes, that showed the skills of a keen percussionist, were as fascinating as tango’s flash. It is a captivating dance – a mix of slow steps and slides with sudden quick twists of the hips and thrust of the legs that flick back and forth. But with Social Tango Project, the dance’s old reputation as stand-up sex slips away. Rather, it takes on a new meaning, a balm to keep the peace, to unite an increasingly divided world, an antidote to hate. After seeing Social Tango Project, I’m a true believer. If everyone tangoed, it would be a better world.
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Mira Nadon and Peter Walker took center stage in George Balanchine’s "Stars and Stripes." (Photo by Erin Baiano) New York City Ballet staged its final program offering on Friday night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center – one that was meant to be a full-on dazzler and indeed it was.
The all-Balanchine program pulled out some of the choreographer’s iconic spectacles – his one-act version of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” his salute to American patriotism in “Stars and Stripes,” as well as his charming “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” and an excerpt from the third act of “Coppelia” with 24 adorable girls framing four soloists. There was much to love in this family-friendly program. But let’s start with “Swan Lake.” Long-time principal Andrew Veyette debuted in the role of Prince Siegfried with fellow debutante Isabella LaFreniere. I’m surprised it took so long for Veyette, who has been a principal since 2007, to capture that role as he appeared made for it. His sincere passion for the bewitched swan Odette held sway as he pursued her in the sky and on the ground – seeking a brush of her face or arm or an embrace of her delicate frame. LaFreniere was lovely, an ideal blend of vulnerable exquisiteness, as she fluttered through her struggle to come to terms with unfulfilled love. And when the two had to part, a few tears were likely shed at their tragic loss. All this is set in a glacial backdrop, designed by Alain Vaes, that reflects Odette’s captor’s icy persona. That was followed by another sad love story, with music from Bizet’s “Jeux d’Enfants,” between the kissing doll and tin soldier. Erica Pereira and Daniel Ulbricht danced the roles of the innocent toys who discover romance under the Christmas tree. Ulbricht is convincing as the stiff-legged soldier who hands his heart to the little pink doll who spinning easily makes her dizzy. Thus, their sweet love ends as she stumbles into the blazing fireplace. The Festival of Bells in Act III of “Coppelia,” to music by Delibes. While the amazing scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian was no where to be seen, which was a disappointment, the waltzing children were a delight. Of course, “Stars and Stripes,” to orchestrated Sousa marches, was, as always, a crowning finale that aroused the audience to claps and cheers even before that last note was played. The entire cast was impressive. Particular note should be given to Mira Nadon as Liberty Bell and KJ Takahashi leading the third regiment of men in “Thunder and Gladiator.” Nadon, with Peter Walker as El Captain, was unstoppable – flirting with her decorated beau and the audience with her confident petit allegro and split jumps. And those en pointe marches -- a move that united all of the dancers -- were spot on to the mood. Takahashi, for his part, was a bouncing and spinning tower of energy that also kept the audience cheering in a dynamic patriotic parade. Of course, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, under the baton of Andrew Sills and direction of Andrew Litton, continues to amaze with its range and abilities. Bravo to all. Today is the company’s last performance. Catch it now because it will be a long wait until next summer when New York City Ballet should returns. Emilie Gerrity and Davide Riccardo performed in Ulysses Dove's dramatic "Red Angels" on Thursday night. (Photo by Erin Baiano) Since Jonathan Safford and Wendy Whelan took leadership of New York City Ballet, they have made a conscious effort to expand the company’s rather narrow range and vision by expanding its choreographers’ tent.
Bravo to that. But it can be unsettling to place new works from dancemakers outside the fold into the mix with pieces by geniuses like George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, as well as that of dance-making stars like Christopher Wheeldon and Justin Peck – whose works dazzle dance audience around the globe. Case in point was Thursday evening at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Peck’s 2017 “The Times Are Racing” and Ulysses Dove’s “Red Angels” from 1994 were balms at the all-contemporary program, mainly because the two new works, both SPAC premieres, did little to engender confidence in the company’s choreographic choices. Amy Garner Hall’s “Underneath, There is Light,” with music by Jonathan Dove, Michael Zev Gordon, Ottorino Respighi, Aldemaro Romero and William Grant Still, started off grand. It had an urban feel – like Robbins’ “Glass Pieces” ‑‑ but on steroids. The group of men, including the elegant Principal Chun Wai Chan, held the audience’s breath as they ran across the stage and soared en masse through tours en l’air. It was invigorating. Yet, the tone changed when the lights brightened and the women appeared in sparkling yellow gowns as if they were the sun. The men, now only in leotards, lifted the women to the heavens as if they all landed in Nirvana. While this half was pleasant, there was no transition and thus confusing. It left an impression that Hall’s dance was adrift. It was promising, but not quite there. Pam Tanowitz’s “Gustave Le Gray No. 1,” to piano music by Caroline Shaw, was more confusing and tedious. Pianist Stephen Gosling performed on stage while four women, in intriguing red costumes by Red Bartelme and Harriet Jung, milled about. Clearly, the dancers were connected to each other, glancing and watching each other, and frequently touching each other to move in unison. There was a humorous moment too when the dancers moved the piano to the other side of the stage as Gosling continued to play. But the interesting costumes and music could not make this “le gray” dance anything more than a failed experiment in the company’s outreach efforts. Back in the 1990s, the company did try to draw in new choreographers through the Diamonds Project. Many of those ballets never saw light after their premieres. However, “Red Angels” from that time period survived and rightly so. Danced on Thursday by Dominika Afanasenkov, Emilie Gerrity, Joseph Gordon and Davide Riccardo, the piece to Richard Einhorn’s electric violin score, “Maxwell’s Demon,” packed as much punch as it did at its premiere. Cast in red lighting, this is a bold work in which the dancers, placed under spotlights, looked to be shooting lightning through their stabbing arms and legs before they flew away into a vat of fire. Also wonderful was Peck’s “The Times Are Racing.” This sneaker ballet is not just a heart-stopper as it is a race, it’s also deep. It reminds us that we share a DNA sequence (the dancers make one with their bodies) and thus no matter how separate we feel or how high we rise above the crowd, we are one. Harrison Coll and Peter Walker are fantastic as the two men who aggressively square off and India Bradley and Taylor Stanley, who are equally dynamic, as the two who unite in a touching duet. There is so much to see in “The Times Are Racing,” that despite sitting through other works that are less than stellar, I would highly recommend it for Saturday night, the ballet’s last show this summer at SPAC. Joseph Gordon and Unity Phelan danced "Diamonds" in George Balanchine's "Jewels" on Wednesday night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Erin Baiano) Why is it that New York City Ballet sparkles more at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center than it does in New York City?
Is it the open air, the acoustic, the audience? While that will remain a debate for the decades, it is true – and none more true than on Wednesday night. The opening performance of the ballet and orchestra’s short summer stay glowed and we have George Balanchine’s “Jewels” to thank. I must admit “Jewels” has never been one of my favorites – yet that triptych achieved all that it was meant to achieve — embodiment of a precious stone and all the romance, flash and elegance that it engenders. The ballet, which premiered in 1967, is in three acts, “Emeralds,” to the music of Gabriel Faure, “Rubies,” to the music of Igor Stravinsky and “Diamonds,” to the music of Peter Ilytich Tchaikovsky. And each brings to it a reflection of a particular country’s style – “Emeralds,” France; “Rubies,” America; and “Diamonds,” Russia. And while “Emeralds” is a slow simmering wooing the viewer with a lovely stroll through a forest glade. But in the end, it leaves the viewer with just a savory scent, a whiff of wonderment. Yet “Rubies” leggy sass and “Diamonds” surging energy of palatial portions clings to the mind’s eye – perhaps because these are the styles that most represent Balanchine. At the core, he was trained in the classical Russian style that he shared and then adapted to pioneer the faster, jazzier American style. Of course, New York City Ballet dancers are at the apex of that style. And Emma Von Enck and Anthony Huxley in the pas de deux and Mira Nadon as the soloist with the male quartet were exceptional on Wednesday. Von Enck and Huxley are sharp as they kick up their legs, trot and shimmy. Yet they are also soft, melting from their explosion of energy in a playful expression of feigned exhaustion. Miller was also daring as the commanding figure who appears with four men who arranged her like a mannequin or sculpture. Though more than 50 years old, the ballet remains fresh. Balanchine outdid himself in “Diamonds,” which is stunningly gorgeous in its architectural display of dancers and in the courtship between the two lead dancers – Unity Phelan and Joseph Gordon. The ballet begins with a brief opening for the female corps de ballet and then slips into the encounter between the couple who tentatively circle each other before gently touching hands. Here the woman is revered and the man, a means to help her express her virtues. Phelan is understated as she swoons in backbends and gains strength from her guiding partner. Gordon, for his part, symbolically flexes his muscles and drew cheers in his solo of grand jetes in a circle. Throughout, he stayed cool and composed, not a hair out of place. The “Diamonds” finale is impressive with the couple and 34 dancers endlessly moving to the crashing of Tchaikovsky’s last notes until the last moment when Gordon slips on bended knee for his princess. This same cast repeats this performance on Thursday afternoon. I would recommend, dear reader, you go. Joseph Sissens, Francisco Serrano and Liam Boswell performed Christopher Wheeldon's enchanting "For Four" at Jacob's Pillow. (Photo by Christopher Duggan) In all of its years, nearly a century, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival has struggled to accommodate the world’s largest, most important ballet companies. But this week, in an amazing effort of timing and funding, The Royal Ballet has settled into the Berkshires for a week of shows both in the Ted Shawn Theatre and the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage. And the appearance is a triumph – not so much artistically, spiritually. It gives devotees of ballet hope that the many obstacles to staging ballets can be overcome and that the art, which is in transition as its losing audiences and facing issues of gender and race, will survive.
The Royal Ballet assured the audience of that with a powerful world premiere in the Shawn by the recently knighted Wayne McGregor, “Figures in a Landscape” that was itself inspired by the Pillow’s expansive hills and forests. Yet before that, the program offered a primer in classical ballet with pas de deux from Marius Petipa and George Balanchine and then a nod to Royal Ballet’s history with works by founding father, Frederick Ashton and his successor Kenneth MacMillan. But among the most successful of works shown, as it was modern and beautifully crafted, was from another Royal Ballet dancer turned choreographer – Christopher Wheeldon — whose “For Four” to music by Franz Schubert enthralled. And if that wasn’t enough, the company opened with an excerpt from Pam Tanowitz’s “Secret Things” from 2023. Even though the stage was too small for one of the Royal Ballet’s evening-length extravaganzas – it was an embarrassment of riches. Because of that, the program ran a bit long. Yet, for those like myself who do not travel to the United Kingdom regularly, every dance and every dancer – including international star Natalia Osipova – was savored. These dancers are not only excellent technicians, but fine actors who languageless emotive skills are hailed. And rightly so as they carried us along in tidbits from old standards from “Giselle” and “Diana and Actaeon” as well as “Manon” and “Carousel.” There is no room in this review to offer the praises of each piece, but take my word for it, balletomanes will be pleased. However, the newer pieces from McGregor and Tanowitz show us where the Royal Ballet is headed and it’s obvious they are in fine hands. McGregor, whose “Woolf Works” just finished a triumphant run at American Ballet Theatre, is a marvelous architect of things seen and unseen. His “Figures in a Landscape,” with music by Nicholas Becker, John Cage, Ben Frost and Abraham Marder, was designed for five who appear as bird and deer-like creatures who move and interact with each other through a shadowy, but expansive space. The atmosphere was amplified by the opening of the great barn doors at the back of the Shawn stage – offering the dancers a backdrop of glowing trees, fireflies and moths. At times, lights would blaze out at the audience, noting the strong sunrise on a summer day. I can’t imagine “Figures in a Landscape” being as effective in any other setting. Lastly, Tanowitz’s “Secret Things” to string quartet music by Anna Clyne, beautifully played live, was a glimpse through a mysterious world where the dancers appeared one-dimensional marionettes. But left to their own devises, they break loosen their strings and restrictions. It was a modern “Petrushka” with a happier, but elusive ending. Hee Seo starred in American Ballet's Theatre's production Wayne McGregor's "Woolf Works," with music by Max Richter, on Saturday afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. (Photo by Marty Sohl) British choreographer Wayne McGregor has shattered what is seemingly fixed — time, gender and death – in what could be a ballet for the ages in his ode to Virginia Woolf.
“Woolf Works,” which originated with the Royal Ballet, just finished up its run at American Ballet Theatre, crashing its audience on rocks of poignant regret, transformation and ultimately demise. It’s an abstract, modern-day “Swan Lake” with no clear story line, but with a soul that is just as fantastic. McGregor, with composer Max Richter, created an evening-length triptych based on three Woolf novels: “Mrs. Dalloway,” “Orlando” and “The Waves.” At first viewing on Saturday afternoon, the three vignettes stand strongly on their own. But after further reflection, one glided along on the thread of Woolf’s and McGregor’s thinking — one in which past haunted our futures, one in which social mores can crush tendencies and ultimate spirits. And the whole thing was told by taking down the wall of linear narration. The curtain rose to “I now, I then” from “Mrs. Dalloway” in which Hee Seo played Clarissa, a woman torn between her husband Richard, danced by Cory Stearns, and Peter, danced by Aran Bell. Her mind played between two representing a proper life and one of bliss – and her ultimate sobering choice being staid respectability. That paralleled the story of the traumatized World War I veteran Septimus, danced with heightened honesty by Calvin Royal III. He flashed back to the war, and the loss of his comrade-in-arms Evans, danced by Patrick Frenette. The memory was so persistent that he chooses to jump to his death – a move in the ballet that caught the audience’s breath. The stage design by Cigue was simple, beautiful and effective. Three giant rotating squares served as doors and windows for the memories to emerge from their shadows. However, the second act’s stage design for “Becoming” from Woolf’s “Orlando” was configured solely by lighting and lasers that astounded. Designed by We Not I, the lights and lasers constructed a world where the past raced ahead to a time where firm gender lines melted and morphed into a heart-pounding stew. Here, the cast of star dancers including Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt and Royal exploded into a swirling, electric and contemporary proclamation of bodily freedom. This section was so dynamic that it appeared as a finale and an impossibility for the dancers to return for a third act. But indeed they did, this time for the somber ending, noting Woolf’s suicide by drowning. “Tuesday,” based on “The Waves,” began with narrator Gillian Anderson reading a letter written by Woolf telling a loved one her madness is back, she is hearing voices, she can’t concentrate and is no longer able to work, writing, “I can’t fight any longer.” Here, Seo returned as Woolf reaching for sanity and the sea. Projected above the stage was video of a slow-moving wave that builds as children played on the sand and creatures from the water’s depth engulfed Seo into their fluid depths. Seo was ideal for this role – fragile but willful, thus strong and beautiful. Driving it all is the amazing score by minimalist composer Richter, telling McGregor’s tales with skill and drama. One final note: It's not necessary to know Woolf’s writing to be swept away by “Woolf Works.” McGregor and Richter have created a masterpiece that will live on in the imaginations with or without the inspired narration. And that is perhaps the point. Regardless, rumor has it that “Woolf Works” will be repeated in successive season. I hope that is true. New York City Ballet performed George Balanchine's eye-popping "Symphony in Three Movements" on Saturday afternoon in an all-Stravinsky program. New York City Ballet’s most consequential collaborator and composer, Igor Stravinsky, was celebrated on Saturday afternoon in a matinee that surveyed the modern sweep of his sound. And as seen at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, Stravinsky’s musical range inspired not just company founder George Balanchine but choreographers that followed — Christopher Wheeldon and Justin Peck.
Of course, Balanchine was his closest artistic ally and they made a powerhouse team – a fact made clear in “Symphony in Three Movements.” This taut, aggressive sound of the opening movement pelts ears with short hits on the strings and piano followed by screeching horns and booming drums. Stravinsky said it was inspired by his impressions of World War II. An army of corps de ballet whirling their arms and stabbing the floor with their toes seem to be calling the world to arms. While Balanchine denied that his ballet was also a reflection of the war, it truly feels as such. The second movement, a pas de deux danced by Unity Phelan and Adrian Danchig-Waring, feels safer with more airy sounds of flute and oboe. At first, Danchig-Waring holds Phelan close, entwining their arms and touching cheek-to-cheek. But then the two separate, reaching and wiping their hands across the sky as if searching for something more. The sense is an incomplete and cool pairing. The ending returns to its forceful start with the entire ensemble deployed in a final tableau that has the women standing with arms extended as if blocking entry while the men are crouched as if ready to spring forth into battle. The afternoon started, however, with the charming “Scenes de Ballet,” by Wheeldon and featuring the ballet students from the School of American Ballet, the training ground for City Ballet dancers. In front of a stunning backdrop by Ian Falconer of a ballet studio, Wheeldon draws on Stravinsky’s tender side illuminating a young dancers dream – becoming a ballet dancer – and the work it takes to get there. With a barre center stage, the youngest dancers scurry to the barre and around the studio. Slightly older dancers appear, demonstrating the how they have advanced and so on. The oldest dancers who are learning partnering are the ideal as seen by a young dancer, hands and chin resting on the barre, staring quietly at their pas de deux. What I most liked was the ending. All of the students took hands, walked in a circle that tightened onto itself – emphasizing that ballet is an art handed down from dancer to dancer and the circle never ends. Or at least that is the hope. Peck’s bright and humorous “Pulcinella Variations,” to Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella Suite,” completed the afternoon program. While all of the dancers – in their festive and colorful costumes – showed off their agile leg and footwork, two stood out – Anthony Huxley in “Tarantella” and Jules Mabie in “Toccata.” Huxley with his sleeve ribbons bouncing, rebounds again and again, a dashing creature at home in the air. Mabie, on the other hand, stood out for his beautiful precision. Of course, Sara Mearns was perfect for “Serenata” and Tiler Peck with Chun Wai Chan captivated with her endless good cheer. Stravinsky would have been pleased. Suidy Garrido Suidy Garrido is warm. She is the flamenco dancer who is the sun of Spain, radiating a balminess that tickles one’s skin, but leaves one certain that she is capable of unleashing a scorching burn.
Certainly, she stands out as the bailaora with flair, but her show at MassMoCA on Saturday night showed that Garrido, her dancers and musicians are also polished and tight. Suidy Garrido Flamenco Company is refined, a group of hypnotists whom the audience was happy to fall under its precisely staged spell. The shine of her woven 100-minute show was obvious in the four backup dancers who accompanied her. Their first appearance, dragging chairs behind them, rattled with synchronized stepping that framed Garrido and echoed her rapid foot falls Their dances with canes, fans and fringed shawls was also choreographed with exactitude. Garrido had everything in hand. Garrido, of course, endearingly spun her own tale with a smile. The rapid polyrhythms pounded by her sole and heels demanded all attention. And of course, like all gorgeous bailaora, she topped her dancing with the arms that transformed her into a swan or butterfly. She flew above her raging feet. Her musicians were impressive – especially guitarist Jose Luis de la Paz whose strumming sounded like three guitars. No one can get more from the wood and wire than he. I liked that Garrido didn’t fall into the flamenco trappings. Aside from the lighting at the start, no one was dressed in the ubiquitous red, nor were there any castanets (however, I did miss them) and Magela Herrera’s flute played a strong role – transporting the listener to an ancient time. Garrido also ended the evening in slacks – not something one sees on American stages where audiences are used to seeing trains of ruffled skirts. There were also no male dancers, which was also unfortunate. Her company, based in North Miami, does include them. But this version of her show appeared scaled down with fewer dancers, like a cost saving measure. It was also difficult to see as the museum’s Hunter Center did not deploy its platform for raised seating. This was a terrible idea because to fully enjoy flamenco, or any type of dance for that matter, one should see the feet. There was some live video to accompany the dance, but it was infrequent. I stood up, when needed, in the back. Regardless, the sights and sounds of Garrido and company was sweetly gratifying. Savion Glover reveals tap dance is more than a sound in "The Last HooFeR STaNDinNG." I must admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of jazz tap or Savion Glover. I know that his talent is massive, but his rambling rhythm shows with his interacting with the musicians more than the audience has always annoyed more than entertained.
Thus, it was with some trepidation that I returned to his performance on Saturday night at the Egg. I’m so glad I did because this time Glover didn’t hide behind or play to the other musicians – he was it. As expected, the rhythms of his versatile and musical feet astounded. But this was a new Glover, one that dropped his shield to reveal a human struggling with issues of loss and mental health. His dancing, once just simply impressive, is now a stereo system on high volume, blasting out the message to listen to the patter as if it were a healing balm. And he convinced us that this is so. “The Last HooFeR STaNDinNG, an 80-minute work, is a reminder that his slender frame is heir to a long line of dancers who pioneered and perfected the art. Through their feet, the artists at the Hoofers Club in Harlem, was a language that not all in today’s social media-obsessed world can bother to be cued into. As that time period’s sole survivor, Glover has a lot to share. But knowing audiences don’t always understand the language, he accompanied his dancing on a center-stage platform with an interpreter who spoke the words his feet were conveying. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The evening opened with a plaintive alto saxophone, played by Jalin Shiver, beckoning audiences to come close. Glover, on the drums, (yes he plays drums too) accentuated his call by hitting an occasional note until the saxophone faded and Glover’s urgent drumming consumed all. After about 10 minutes, the music stopped, he laced up his shoes, the drum set was hauled away and Glover took centerstage. With the exception of one sip of water, he danced for an entrancing hour uninterrupted. With just a heartbeat and a church bell tolling as his soundscape, his feet, and his interpreter (Tatum Thompson or Dr. Voice 4 Now) shared the lessons and his devotion to the sound that was offered by his mentors – mainly Jimmy Slyde. More importantly, he seemed to note that the lessons of the heart and mental health were the most crucial to learn. Cast in a red light, Glover looked to be on fire – as if to say this is an emergency. Dr. Voice 4 Now tries to “talk him down” as he expertly mimics the steps of the legendary members of the Hoofers Club – including Lon Chaney, Sandman Sims, Buster Brown, Chuck Green and Gregory Hines. The program left me knowing that the Tap Dance Kid has grown up. As the last hoofer standing, he honors his predecessors and that in itself is healing for heart, mind and soul. As the scrim came down on his dancing, the show’s narrator Divad Sanders or D.tHa’ScHiZ stepped forward to ask for no applause. Silence is a sound too. As the last hoofer standing, Glover knows all too well. Ballet X will repeat its performance on Sunday at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Spa State Park. X represents the unknown. Yet Ballet X revealed its dazzling colors on Saturday night at the Spa Little Theater.
This contemporary dance ensemble blazed across the stage in a program that left its audience tipping back on its heels after witnessing its versatility, speed and heartiness. In a program of works by Jorma Elo, Jamar Roberts and Jennifer Archibald, Ballet X demonstrated that it can’t be pinned down – rather it’s a servant to the many choreographers and styles who meet and meld with this talented company. Ballet X set the stage with its opener – Elo’s “Scenes View 2.” As in other Elo’s dances, the piece grabbed attention for not only the bright balletic moves – pirouettes and jetes – but the hundreds of intricate gestures like semaphoric arms, wobbly heads, hands that wipe the floor or slap a bottom and exploratory feet that scuttle sideways before their bodies are launched skyward. All this was pressed on urgently to Bach’s “Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 in D minor” that left audiences stimulated. This terrific curtain-raiser was juxtaposed by Roberts’ thoughtful “Honey,” a work that portrait the intimate moments in three relationships. Of the three couples, Ashley Simpson and Jared Kelly stood out. He carried her about, maintaining her “on-a-pedestal” status. Their connection was intense, leaving audience with not only the visual of their dynamic, but it’s dysfunctional heart too. Happily, the piece ended with Francesca Forcello and Jerard Palazo in a sweet, mature relationship – in which care for each other overrode sexual passion (of the first couple) and ego. Seeing that ending was a sigh of relief. The program ended with “Exalt,” by Archibald. The piece, that blended house and middle eastern music, transitioned unevenly. However, overall, the work showed off Ballet X’s range (they can dance house too) and boundless energy. Thus, while the switch from classical ballet to hip-hop came as a poke to the ribs, the forceful dancing that honored the music and styles overtook that annoyance. Still, the dance could be smoothed out. Finally, the evening included a bonus – an excerpt from Matthew Neenan’s lovely “Credo” that was danced by 10 Skidmore College students. An ode to India, the piece was a symphony of tableaux to which the dancers successfully and carefully wove. The performance will be repeated at 2 p.m. on Sunday. |
Wendy
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