Above: Rachel Rutherford and Jared Angle, photo by Jaqi Medlock.
On Saturday June 25th at City Center Studio, invited guests saw a preview of works by Tom Gold which will be performed during an upcoming tour to France and Israel, winding up at Bilbao where Balanchine's AGON pas de trois will be specially added to the repertoire (danced by Amanda Hankes, Russell Janzen and Stephen Hanna) at the Guggenheim Bilbao for a performance in conjunction with the Museum's Picasso exhibit, saluting the connection between Balanchine, Picasso and the Ballets Russes.
"Remain calm!", I said to myself as I walked into the studio ante-room to find several of my idols all in one place, stretching and chatting. Tom Gold has gathered together an impressive group of his friends from New York City Ballet for this tour: Abi Stafford, Sara Mearns, Rachel Rutherford, Gretchen Smith, Likolani Brown, Amanda Hankes, Jared Angle and Russell Janzen. Tom is also dancing himself (looking great, by the way) and Stephen Hanna will also be dancing though he wasn't there today. I asked photographer Jaqi Medlock to meet me there so I'd have some photos to share.
Today in the studio we saw Tom's works Mozart Variations, Gershwin Preludes and Elemental. On the tour, his Astor Piazzolla ballet Tango Fantasie will also be revived. The repertoire will further include Balanchine's WHO CARES?, Robbins' IN THE NIGHT, and three classic pas de deux: SWAN LAKE (White Swan), NUTCRACKER and SLEEPING BEAUTY.
Tom said: "I have created a new pas de deux for Rachel Rutherford and Jared Angle (above) to the Gershwin Preludes. Rachel has been with my group since almost the beginning and I wanted to create something very special for her as she is retiring this year and as a thank you to her for always being a wonderful participant in my creative process."
Rachel looks to be on peak form...
...and she and Jared have such a nice rapport.
Here are some more of Jaqi Medlock's images from the rehearsal:
Abi Stafford
Jared & Abi
Sara Mearns
Russell Janzen
Likolani Brown
Likolani & Russell
Willy Burmann and former NYCB ballerina Stacy Caddell discussing fine points with Sara Mearns and Jared Angle.
The mood in the studio was light-hearted (Sara and Jared, above); the dancers head up to Saratoga for NYCB's July 5th opening, playing at SPAC for two weeks before Tom's tour begins.
Tom Gold Dance plan to perform here in New York City in the coming months. Needless to say, it will be a red-letter occasion.
