Avi Scher & Dancers

Sunday July 28, 2009 matinee - Avi Scher and Dancers at City Center Studio 5. I've known Avi for a couple of years since Wei and I met him one night on the A Train, but in fact I had previously only seen a small sample of his choreography and I'd never actually seen him dancing. So this afternoon Kokyat and I skipped a potential visit to the NYIBC gala dress rehearsal and went instead to the Studio where Avi had gathered an outstanding troupe of dancers who repeated a programme they had danced to a standing ovation at Jacob's Pillow on Friday night.

To have major artists from the New York City Ballet dancing your work is quite a coup for a young choreographer; to have found dancers to share the floor with these NYCBers who can more than hold their own is also a feather in Avi's cap. To see the City Ballet dancers - Abi Stafford, Dena Abergel, Jared Angle, David Prottas and Christian Tworzyanski - at close range was a thrill for me; to find them dancing Avi's genuinely inventive and attractive chroreography in the company of a beautiful and very talented ensemble made the afternoon a particularly joyous one. 

Avi had a full house, a standing-room-only crowd as the dancers took the floor in the opening work, Last Dance.  Premiered in March 2008 in Providence, Avi created Last Dance as a tribute to Jenn Jansma, a former dancer with Carolina Ballet who passed away from cancer at age 21 in February 2008. To music by Dustin O'Halloran, Yann Tiersen, and Sara McLachlan, Avi has created a glowing piece that celebrates the beauty of human movement in full lyric sweep. Avi's choreography immediately shows his musicality and sense of structure, with the dancers so attractively dressed in muted colours.

Above, John Ross photo of Abi Stafford in Ratmansky's RUSSIAN SEASONS. I've been in love with Abi Stafford since she first set foot onstage at the New York City Ballet as a mere slip of a girl being thrust into leading roles on the spur of the moment. Watching her literally grow up before our eyes, I've come to appreciate not just her technical finesse and musicality, but also the freshness, clarity and sincerity of her personal expression. Seeing Abi up close was really a joy today, partnered in the opening passages of LAST DANCE by the remarkable David Prottas. David, a member of the NYC Ballet corps de ballet, already has a fan club (whether he knows it or not) and in the past couple of seasons he has started to be featured in more prominent roles where his suave technique and personal charisma mark him out for still bigger opportunities. Alexsandra Meijer, a unique beauty, is also partnered by David; Alexsandra and Abi seem to be two aspects of one woman. Avi gives them steps invested with quiet rapture. David leads a trio of boys, joined by Alexander Dutko and Ja'Malik, while three women (Elysia Dawn, Victoria North and Nancy Richer) appear as Graces...or perhaps, as Fates. Avi structures the ensemble with a sense of ritual. As a tribute to an artist passing before her time, LAST DANCE is luminous.

Val Caniparoli's fast-paced and witty duet Aquilarco (1999) was originally created for San Francisco Ballet and was today danced by Racheal Prince (above) and Avi Scher, to music by Giovanni Sollima. Racheal is a dark-haired young woman with a strong technical grounding and a very appealing stage presence; she moves with speedy assurance which well-compliments Avi's buouyant dancing and natural charm. A clapping motif gives Aquilarco an extra touch of originality.

Our Love's Defense, a New York Premiere by Avichai Scher, was spectacularly danced and dramatized by Melissa Hough (above) and Christian Tworzyanski as antagonistic lovers who reject, torment and repulse one another while all the time their mutual passion seethes below the surface. Gloves and tee-shirts come off as the combat reaches fever pitch; but they can't live without each other. The audience went wild after this piece which Melissa and Christian delivered with total commitment. They should have come back for an extra bow. "Did you get my message?" 

No Matter What with music by Aphex Twin and Adam Lewis is danced by the girls in soft slippers and a trio of men. A central couple remain steadfast against waves of sometimes-ominous intruders on their relationship. Surrounded by a strong ensemble (Robert Colby Damon, Elysia Dawn, Alexander Dutko,  Racheal Prince, and Nancy Richer), Victoria North and Ja'Malik are two of the NYC dance scene's most persuasive movers. Victoria is a tall blonde girl whose dancing is at once commanding and lyrical. Ja' is a compellingly strong and sexy young man with extreme flexibility and a powerful mystique. Any opportunity to watch Victoria or Ja' dancing should be seized upon by the Gotham dance crowd. Above photo of Victoria by Andrea Mohin.    

The World Premiere of Mirrors by Avichai Scher deals with our perceptions of others and the difference between private and public behavior as well as the vanity and insecurity associated with viewing one's own reflection.  Mirrors opens with a solo by the inimitable Dena Abergel; clad in purple, she seems self-absorbed but also furtively aware that she is being observed. Always a great presence on the stage at NYC Ballet, I truly enjoyed savoring these moments of watching Dena at close range. Dena's headshot above, by Paul Kolnik.

 

A duet for Jared Angle and Alexsandra Meijer (above) follows; Jared is of course an impeccable cavalier and again Ms. Meijer's unique visage and serene technique gave great pleasure. Abi Stafford's solo gave us another opportunity to delight in her radiant security on pointe. The trio of Melissa Hough, David Prottas and Christian Tworzyanski commences on the floor, but then the restless sleepers awake to dance to the music by Elena Kats Chernin and Dustin O'Halloran which ripples and pulsates magically beneath Avi's intriguing choreographic statements.

View Matt Murphy's photos from Avi's performance at Jacob's Pillow here.

Comments

[jim]

Phillip:

Astute observations as always.
I too love Abi, and I was happy to see Dena get a nice solo for a change. Of course I loved all our NYCB dancers, but what an ensemble of beautiful and wonderful dancers.

Where did Avi find them?
JIM

[Philip]

From what I am hearing it seems Dena may be commencing a new career phase but I hope she will continue to dance with Avi and other smaller companies. She has always seemed to me to be one of the most gracious and deeply feminine of dancers.

I think Avi finds dancers from meeting them in class or dancing with them at other gigs. Whenever I go to dance events I always get the feeling that all the dancers in the NY ballet world know each other.

[Michael]

Yes, what a fascinating and enjoyable performance! There was such a great energy throughout. It was a thrill to see the NYCBers in a setting like that, and the rest of the ensemble was wonderful. I totally agree about Racheal Prince: a complete delight.

[Andrea]

David Prottas Fan Club? I'm a charter member!