Thursday May 27. 2010 - After the Works and Process evening at the Guggenheim on Monday, I was especially looking forward to seeing (and hearing) the Millepied/Escaich ballet WHY AM I NOT WHERE YOU ARE again at New York City Ballet. I liked it a lot at its premiere and learned more about it at the Guggenheim where - among other things - Benjamin revealed that he had asked Thierry Escaich for two additional minutes of music to be added in to the score to expand on a calmer moment in this otherwise quite turbulent scenario.
To open the evening, one of my favorite Peter Martins ballets: MORGEN is both intimate (six dancers) and grand (set amid towering columns and to the big Strauss orchestrations). Tonight this series of duets was danced very well - the couples who 'find' one another by curtain-fall are Darci Kistler and Charles Askegard, Jenifer Ringer and Nilas Martins, and Sterling Hyltin and Jared Angle - but true enjoyment was derailed by the over-vibrant sound of the singer. With so many un- and under-employed sopranos in NYC these days, they should have been able to find someone better.
Paul Kolnik's photo of the Santiago Calatrava set for WHY AM I NOT WHERE YOU ARE. As a designer, Kokyat was especially curious to see the Calatrava setting which he loved. The Thierry Escaich score was played with insistent pacing from Faycal Karoui pushing the dancers into a frenzy as the nightmarish ballet unfolds. It's a ghost story really and - as with many nightmares - it can be quite beautiful.
Sean Suozzi's tour de force perfection in the central role is complimented by the innocent lyricism of Kathryn Morgan's dancing; Katie soon finds herself in a dream from which there is no escape. These two dancers vividly conveyed their fleeting romance amid the ominously swirling corps: it is a doomed romance since forces beyond their comprehension have seized control of the ballroom. In a magnificent performance, Sara Mearns danced with unabashed, thrilling abandon which was matched by Amar Ramasar's ominously handsome presence and spacious dancing. Together they conspired to seal the fate of the novice lovers.
Balanchine's AGON looked particularly sleek and lean tonight following the romance of the Martins and the colourful passions of the Millepied. In a top-notch cast, Andrew Veyette's keen, athletic dancing had real command; Ashley Laracey and Rebecca Krohn gave their vivid duet a dash of irony at its end. Teresa Reichlen looked superb as she was tossed around by Tyler Angle and Craig Hall; the two boys danced their duet with sportive clarity. Tess and Maria Kowroski effortlessly flung extensions skyward.
In the pas de deux, Maria and Sebastien Marcovici gave the audience a thrilling fix of Balanchine black-and-white magic. As they moved thru the physical extremes of stretch and control, there were murmurs of appreciation from the House: Balanchine looks so alive.
What a beautiful photo of Agon. That's one ballet I haven't seen in its entirety - at the SF Ballet gala, Sofiane Sylve and Anthony Spaulding danced a pdd from it that was stark and enthralling. Thanks for posting!
Posted by: jolene | May 28, 2010 at 02:11 PM