Saturday June 23, 2007 matinee - Wanting to see RAYMONDA and STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO this season meant having to see DYBBUK again. That's the drawback of the block programming: you're always making deals with yourself - "OK, I'll suffer thru x in order to see y and z". In the event, this afternoon's performance surprisingly made me see the Robbins ballet in a different way.
The performance opened with the lush and tuneful score of Glazounov's RAYMONDA VARIATIONS. The corps and soloists in this very pretty ballet reminded me today of a garden full of pink roses. Andrew Veyette {portrait by Paul Kolnik} seemed in Bluebird mode in his first solo laced with beats and bravado. He skillfully partnered Ashley Bouder {super-Kolnik photo, though not this ballet!} who is tackling two demanding Balanchine roles back-to-back this week: RAYMONDA and RUBIES. She gave a performance of staggering virtuosity, striking in its detail and endearing in its youthful romantic spirit. She and Andrew were on a roll this afternoon and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and reveling in the fancy footwork. In the finale, Ashley in a phrase of hopping arabesques, traveling backwards, pulled up into a balance that literally made time stand still. At the end she took a fearless leap into Andrew's arms right at the footlights.
Faye Arthurs led off the variations with the treacherous hopping solo which she delivered with such cool clarity that the audience began to applaud before she finished. This piece must be a real killer but Faye made it look like a breeze. {That's Faye in the Mark Lyon photo, left}. Next was Abi Stafford: well, I wish I could think of another word for Abi besides 'delightful' but that's what she is. Her phrasing is so persuasive and her swift pirouettes where her leg suddenly flashes out to the side were brilliantly handled. Gwyneth Muller was dancing on a grand scale with full-bodied lyricism and a great smile. Alina Dronova's mercurial footwork and Ana Sophia Scheller's perfect pirouettes and total charm completed a winning cast. I told Susan during the intermission that I was curious now to see a complete RAYMONDA; it's one of her favorite ballets.
I have to admit I was dreading DYBBUK. I know some people sat it out altogether. Waiting for the houselights to dim I was trying to think of how I could find a key to enjoying this piece. Since it is the dancers themselves who are the big attraction for me at NYCB I decided to try to focus on individuals rather than on the narrative. So the curtain rose and of the boys onstage I decided to watch William Lin-Yee; I stayed with him thru the whole opening segment. Following his steps and gestures closely I found them so clearly relating to the music. I began to listen to the score more attentively as I watched what Will was doing {I also realized what a musical dancer he is}. By the time Adam Hendrickson and Tyler Angle came on I was starting to buy into the piece. The appearance of Amanda Hankes & Georgina Pazcoguin, two dancers I love to watch, kept me glued to the proceedings; meanwhile the score was starting to intrigue me more and more with the two strong baritone soloists Christopher Schaldenbrand and Philip Horst adding a darkish dimension.
I would never have thought of casting Rachel Rutherford and Joaquin de Luz together in a ballet {well, maybe as Titania and Oberon} but what an inspired pairing it proved to be. Rachel has always enhanced the stage picture at NYCB with her slightly aloof beauty; her very slender and utterly graceful figure looked superb in the wafting white dress, her long blond hair an added enhancement. Joaquin was amazingly intense; we all know what a fantastic virtuoso he is but as Chanon he revealed a powerful dramatic commitment that surprised me. The passion of these two dancers drew me strongly into their story. {Rachel photographed in Central Park by Raymond Meeks; Joaquin in a Paul Kolnik portrait}.
The Kabbalah Variations, the one part of the ballet I've always liked, was again a highlight. To anyone who might have questioned whether Robert Fairchild was ready for the soloist designation Rob gave a resounding answer with his thrillingly committed dancing of the first solo. He danced with total abandon and vivid dramatic accents. Scarcely to be outdone, Adrian Danchig-Waring replied with his own intensely personal solo. Christian Tworzyanski and Jon Stafford kept the level high. An oasis of calm was provided by the Maiden's Dance in which Rachel - dancing with hypnotic lyricism - was backed by the very attractive quartet of Hankes, Pazcoguin, Glenn Keenan and Stephanie Zungre who all looked so striking in their white dresses; they put me in mind of that eerie film, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. Allen Peiffer provided a very finely-danced solo as the Messenger. And so, with great help from Maurice Kaplow on the podium and thanks to the dancers and most especially to Rachel & Joaquin, I had a DYBBUK revelation.
STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO looks so vital and clean, you'd swear Balanchine created it yesterday instead of 35 years ago. Arturo Delmoni was the violin soloist with just the right blend of edge and flow and the orchestra under Paul Hoskins propelled the piece with very danceable tempi. This is one of those ballets where the corps does so much 'enhancing' that it poses the problem of who to watch. Ellen Ostrom has been looking so fine this season, I really hope she gets more chances to step out. Beyond that it was a corps-watcher's feast: Faye, Pauline, Dena, Saskia, Savannah, Glenn & Gywneth. An embarrassment of riches. Oh yeah, and there are guys in the ballet too - Craig Hall for one. In time he will surely step into one of the leads in this piece...either one, actually.
At first I thought Sterling Hyltin seemed a bit 'small' for her role but in her pas de deux I saw that the casting was right. Nilas Martins has the cool partnering style for Stravinsky honed to perfection and he showed off Sterling's blend of steel and delicacy so well as their duet progressed. You don't need opera glasses for Amar Ramasar; he has the projection and good old-fashioned sex appeal that virtually lights up the house. He could easily get by on that alone but he also has a great knack for accentuating the steps and gestures with just the right jazzy touch. His face mirrors both the joy of what he's doing and the allure of whoever he's dancing with, in this case Maria K of the legendary legs. They got the chemistry going big time, Maria showing an almost demure veneer with flashes of ironic flirtiness. Amar and Maria: a fun match-up and let's have more!
Before the performance Wendy Whelan stopped to say hi and then Pauline Golbin stopped to say hi to her so I had the unbelievable opportunity of having two of my idols all to myself for a few minutes. This for me was the equivalent of a sports fan getting to chat with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods at the same time. I tried to keep my cool and not say anything too foolish while the two of them were just adorable. They let me take a photo and then Pauline pulled one of her famous hats out of her bag and they posed again. I'll have the results in a day or two. Meeting them the day after meeting Kristin and Faye made me feel like a chocoholic in a Godiva store. Thanks, girls!
Sounds like a lovely day! I saw this program a few weeks back, and saw Joaquin and Megan dance Raymonda and they were fabulous. When I saw the casting posted for the second Dybbuk cast, I too thought the Joaquin/Rachel pairing seemed odd, although they are two of my favorite dancers I didn't think they'd work well together. I am so glad to hear that I was wrong!
Posted by: Sarah | June 25, 2007 at 09:10 AM
Sometimes the casting of dancers you would not expect to 'click' turns out to be just what a ballet needs.
Posted by: Philip | June 25, 2007 at 05:56 PM