Oberon's Grove: Robbins & Chopin at NYC Ballet

Friday June 6, 2008 - Rob expressed an interest in seeing this programme and I picked tonight because Damian Woetzel (left) was dancing his classic role in DANCES AT A GATHERING for the last time and Gonzalo Garcia was debuting in OTHER DANCES. We had seen Gonzalo in OPUS 19/THE DREAMER and were so thrilled by his performance that we immediately booked a repeat. The other enticing aspect of tonight's casting was a guest appearance by ABT's Julie Kent. The anticipatory atmosphere in the house was palpable and I half-expected Damian to be greeted by an ovation when he stepped onstage at the beginning of GATHERING but something about the simple dignity of his bearing and his sense of wonder on entering the space where he will soon be dancing for the last time held the audience in a state of silence which was quite beautiful.

I think that DANCES AT A GATHERING is a ballet which can seem like a masterpiece or it can seem a bit too long and lacking in variety. And I usually think it is the viewer's mood and ability to concentrate that governs how we react to it. The quietude of the solo piano music stealing into the darkened theatre can have a lulling effect after a while; the ballet is invariably well danced but it is the emotional quality the dancers bring to their roles which makes GATHERING a success - or not. Certainly tonight's performance with its final opportunity to see Damian in a role that suits him so ideally made an unforgettable experience.

The dancers all certainly had a sense of the occasion; emotions at times seemed about to bubble over but it was actually Damian himself who kept things on an even keel. Each time he appeared the ballet centered itself again. His duet with Yvonne Borree brought out Yvonne's lovely sense of surrender; elsewhere her playfulness helped to keep the atmosphere from getting too wistful. Rachel Rutherford is so appealing in this ballet as she finds the right balance between expansiveness and refinement; Rob had seen her the previous evening in IN THE NIGHT and was very taken with her. Ashley Bouder in Yellow keeps turning the great roles in the NYCB repertoire into personal triumphs; this one suits her to a T combining her peerless technique with a mischievous quality. When the ballet turns more pensive near the end, Ashley now has the range to shift into a more contemplative state. Abi Stafford's performance is brimming over with a sense of joy and Sara Mearns perfectly embodies the Girl in Green.

The men were excellent with a special 'bravo' for Jared Angle; in the midst of his hugely impressive season he has found another beautiful role. Amar Ramasar's long arms and legs create a hypnotic effect and he covers space so effortlessly. Antonio Carmena is lively and technically polished; he and Ashley play off one another to delightful effect. Jon Stafford was the sort of quiet, anchoring force of the performance. The full set of 'tosses' has now been restored and Jon's in the position of 'catch man' so that when the fearless Bouder literally flew into Jon's arms the audience burst into applause.

Near the end of the ballet comes the singular moment when Damian lovingly places his palm on the floor to say: "Here we have met and danced"; tonight the gesture reverberated thru the house. At the end an insistent ovation finally drew Damian out for a solo bow and everyone stood up to express their affection and gratitude.

There was a sort of sense of excited reverie (contradiction of terms?) after GATHERING as people felt both the thrill of Damian's performance but also the regret that his dancing days are soon to end. But as ever in the dance world, things must go forward. There is no other choice. The images of the great dancers and personalities stay with us but the dance goes on.

In OTHER DANCES the extraordinary Gonzalo Garcia offered assurances that the next wave of dancers are already putting their own stamp on the immortal Robbins and Balanchine roles. Earlier this Spring, Gonzalo took up the torch from Peter Boal and Damian with astonishing performances in OPUS 19/THE DREAMER. Tonight in OTHER DANCES he joined the pantheon of elite danseurs who have appeared in this long pas de deux. The beauty of line and carriage as well as the nobly romantic expression which Gonzalo shows in this ballet ideally complimented his partner, ABT's elegant and divine Julie Kent. NYCB warmly welcomed the visiting prima ballerina; Julie made me wish she could be a more frequent guest at 'our house' since - peerless Swan Queen, Nikiya and Medora that she is - there are an awful lot of Balanchine and Robbins roles I'd love to see her in. She and Gonzalo had a fine rapport and Julie was radiant at the end when a bouquet of peach-coloured roses was presented.

I'm not sure an all-Chopin evening is a great idea; surely the most effective programmes are those that offer musical contrasts. But THE CONCERT was fun tonight with Sterling Hyltin showing a nice flair for comedy (and dancing very well) and several amusing character players including Andrew Veyette's henpecked, vengeful husband and Gwyneth Muller's priceless wife with her droll efforts to maintain a sense of decorum. It was fun seeing Tom Gold again - he has supposedly 'retired' but sneakily has reappeared for this and is also announced for MOZARTIANA. In a priceless bit of casting against type, NYCB have taken one of their most glamourous gals, Georgina Pazcoguin, and turned her into the nerdy, bossy misfit. The hilarious vignette of the out-of-sync corps de ballet is always the highpoint of THE CONCERT.