Stravinsky: A collaborator of consequence

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.