Here is a gallery of Kokyat's images from the studio showcase performance by Lydia Johnson Dance of Lydia's works set to music of Philip Glass and JS Bach. Read about the evening here. In the topmost photo, Laura DiOrio, Robert Robinson and Jessica Sand in the Philip Glass work entitled SUMMER HOUSE. Click images to enhance.
Additional photos from SUMMER HOUSE:
Laura DiOrio & Robert Robinson
Laura and Robert
Robert Robinson, Jessica Sand, Laura DiOrio and Lisa Iannacito McBride
Passing by the State Theatre yesterday en route to The Met, I stopped in to check the lobby casting sheet for the coming week at New York City Ballet. A number of dancers are out this Winter recuperating from injuries, surgeries and illnesses. This has necessitated various shifts in the casting and one such change on the list jumped out at me: Devin Alberda will be replacing Gonzalo Garcia in the upcoming revival of Wayne McGregor's OUTLIER.
In 2007, Devin made an outstanding impression in the opening solo of Christopher D'Amboise's ballet TRIBUTE. The Paul Kolnik photo at the top shows Devin in the D'Amboise/Bach piece. Since then Devin has shone in the Spanish dance in NUTCRACKER and in the corps-ensembles in several ballets, most notably the recent performances of Ratmansky's CONCERTO DSCH.
Cast changes make you feel two ways: sorry that the scheduled dancer is unable to perform, and happy and excited for the person who takes over. I'll be seeing OUTLIER twice and look forward to Devin's performance.
Monday January 24, 2011 - The presence of Dmitry Hvorostovsky (Simon) and Ferruccio Furlanetto (Fiesco) in the cast provided ample reason to see SIMON BOCCANEGRA at the Met this season. Above, the two singers in a Marty Sohl photo.
The evening began with the announcement that James Levine was ill and John Keenan would replace him on the podium. This was OK with me since I very much enjoyed Keenan's conducting of RHEINGOLD in the Spring of 2009. Tonight he paced the Verdi opera very well and supported the singers to fine effect.
Hvorostovsky's voice falls so pleasingly on the ear with its mellow warmth. His phrasing and breath control are impressive, his dynamic range and the sheer beauty of sound place him in then topmost echelon of singers today. He had the power for the Council Chamber scene and Keenan was very supportive of the baritone in this taxing music. Above: the baritone in full regalia, photographed by Mary Sohl.
Furlanetto's voice is huge, dark and so expressive of the mixture of anguish and anger that Fiesco must express in the Prologue. Later in the duet with the tenor, Furlanetto's voice registered with effortless power and reminded us how an authentic Italian basso - a rare breed these days - should sound.
Midway thru the Prologue, as Hvorostovsky and Furlanetto were singing, a telephone rang loudly; it did not sound like a cellphone but rather like an old-fashioned land-line phone. Really annoying.
Ramon Vargas (Gabriele) sounded much better tonight than he did in last season's ATTILA. His vocalism was clear and melodious. He's such a likable singer; it was nice to hear him sounding so good. Completing the male contingent, Nicola Alaimo was a sturdy Paolo and Richard Bernstein a strong-toned Pietro.
The only detriment to the evening was Barbara Frittoli's singing as Amelia. The soprano, so mavelous in her first Desdemonas here in 1999, has since tackled roles outside her natural comfort range and that, plus the inevitable passage of time, have left her with a wide and steady beat to the tone. After realizing what was happening to her voice, Frittoli pulled back from certain repertoire choices but alas, not soon enough. The damage was done: that she is sometimes able to control the problem by keeping the voice at piano is impresive, but whenever she sings louder and higher it can become quite unpleasant. A pity, because it used to be such a lovely instrument. She looks good and all her verbal and stage instincts are on the mark. But the sound is so off-putting.
Despite the soprano's fluctuating tone, I would have stayed to hear the rest of the opera. But the intermission dragged on; at 10:05 PM the musicians were still not back in the pit. No way was this performance going to end at the stated time of 11:00 PM. These long breaks render a big disservice to the audience: at times you almost forget what opera you are seeing.
A few years ago Joe Volpe wisely began to offer a lot of early-curtain evenings; Mr. Gelb swept that good innovation aside - sometimes he even has an 8:30 starting time. Combined with his endless intermissions this makes opera-going seem almost like a chore. And now with our beloved MTA cutting back on service, late-nights especially, people get home at ungodly hours.
Recently I received a questionnaire from the Met; obviously they are running a study to see how they can improve attendance. One question was: should there be more early start-times? Duh! Volpe found out that early curtains were popular and instigated the change, then Gelb came lumbering in and swept it under the carpet. Now he's spending money on a marketing study to see if people would like to start their opera evenings earlier. Wake up, Peter...you're going around in circles!
Meanwhile the number of empty seats at recent performances of RIGOLETTO, FANCIULLA, TOSCA and now BOCCANEGRA indicates that something is truly amiss at the Met. Even with various discount schemes, rush tickets and papering the House cannot be filled. High box office results don't fund the opera, of course, but it's a matter of atmosphere: seeing all the empty seats is a bummer and I'm sure the singers look out into the House and wonder what's become of the public. At times the Met seems to be dying while the doctor in charge is clueless as to how to save it.
Sunday January 23, 2011 - Lydia Johnson Dance in a showing of works set to music of JS Bach and Philip Glass. The performance took place at Peridance where Lydia will be teaching daily starting on Monday January 24th and running throughout the week. Top photo: Shannon Maynor and Eric Vlach of Lydia Johnson Dance, a snapshot I took during the pre-show warm-up.
Tonight two spacious connecting studios were converted into a theater for the presentation and the place was packed, with people standing or sitting on mats after all the seating had been filled.
Kokyat and I got there early to photograph the dancers preparing, as well as a run-thru of the Bach. His pictures are forth-coming. Once the doors opened the place became abuzz as people settled in; on a freezing night it was warming to see two people we like very much - Kerry Shea and Emily SoRelle Adams - among the crowd.
The new work to music of Philip Glass is entitled SUMMER HOUSE and in it four dancers depict the reveries and recollections of a summer spent together in a cottage on some un-named shore. Much of the work is presented with the dancers seated, lounging lazily or daydreaming. Yet for all its surface calm there are undercurrents of romantic tensions and unresolved relationships which give the work nuances that stretch beyond mere pleasantries. The four dancers - Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Jessica Sand and Robert Robinson - beautifully convey the surface lyricism while keeping us guessing as to what has transpired in this house during their stay. We don't know who they are or what has led them to spend the summer together, and it is exactly this mystery that makes the piece so intriguing. The Glass music resonates with nostaglia, longing, tenderness and regret by turns. The simplicity and relative stillness of the movement strikes me as deceptively demanding for the dancers: while there are not a lot of steps, there is an atmosphere to be maintained and a type of physicality that in its way is quite taxing. These dancers performed beautifully, which is exactly what we have come to expect from them over months of watching them in the studio. SUMMER HOUSE, when it is lit and costumed, will be something to see...and to hear.
The untitled Bach work is very different: ritualistic and emotive by turns, the piece often has several different things going on at once. Here the dancers are very active indeed, with passages of partnering - including a poignant duet for two men - and moments of solo opportunity for one dancer or another. A raised platform near the rear of the staging area gives some of the partnering elements a different dynamic. One recurring theme is a diagonal of dancers which melts into individual, duo or trio themes only to re-form again later.
The dancers in the Bach included the four from the Glass - Jessica, Lisa, Laura and Robert - who were joined by Eric Vlach, James Hernandez, Shannon Maynor and Or Sagi. Shannon and Or are new to the Company and they are already fitting in nicely and showing us their attractive qualities of movement and expression.
Kokyat and I were happy after the presentation to meet many people who follow my blog, and I was happy to deflect all their kind comments to my photographer-friend because in dance - more than anywhere else - a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
Saturday January 22, 2011 - The inimitable Wendy Whelan in Balanchine's MOZARTIANA, the ballet which opened tonight's celebration of the choreographer's birthday at New York City Ballet. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
MOZARTIANA: Whelan, J. Angle, *Huxley intermission PRODIGAL SON: De Luz, Kowroski, la Cour, Brown, *Anderson, Suozzi, Hendrickson intermission STARS AND STRIPES: Bouder, Veyette, Pereira, Muller, Ulbricht
How great to have Wendy Whelan leading off the Happy Birthday celebration with her epic clarity and grace in the Preghiera. Her performance seemed like an hommage not just to Mr. B but to Tchaikovsky, Mozart, to music and to life. Over the years I have always counted on Wendy to show me why dance is not just important but essential. She's never failed me in this regard.
Jared Angle danced with velvety smoothness and he and Wendy look great together; they seemed to be truly enjoying the experience of dancing Balanchine's combinations. Jared's sense of nobility and his beautiful arms and hands are very pleasing assets to behold in this ballet.
Anthony Huxley, the 2010-2011 Janice Levin Dancer honoree, debuted in MOZARTIANA. Looking like a hign-born page from some fantastical royal court, Anthony danced with quiet brilliance of footwork and a very appealing presence: elegant and with just a touch of the enigmatic. This past Autumn I watched Anthony taking Jock Soto's class at SAB and was hypnotized by his superbly pointed feet: an essential component in ballet but not always so clearly evident.
Again the plush dancing of Gwyneth Muller, Dara Johnson, Gretchen Smith and Marika Anderson in the Menuet was of particular note. And the four petite ballerinas from SAB also did very well and won a big round of applause.
Maria Kowroski (in Paul Kolnik's photo) as The Siren in PRODIGAL SON. This is one of Maria's signature roles and how thrilling it is to encounter her in this ballet again. The luxuriously leggy ballerina is on peak form this Winter and tonight she gave a stunning portrayal of this iconic role. I can easily imagine Balanchine and Felia Dubrovska looking on from their skybox and applauding Maria's performance, and Diaghilev dropping his monocle in astonishment. Brava, brava, brava!
Joaquin De Luz has had a tremendous season at NYCB so far this Winter...and we're only just finishing the first week! Contemporary virtuosity (in CONCERTO DSCH), romance, humor and spectacular dancing in a Robbins classic (DANCES AT A GATHERING) and now a beautiful and deeply moving portrayal of one of the greatest male ballet roles ever created: the Prodigal Son. Joaquin's fearless technique and abounding energy in the opening scene evolved into his sense of wonder in the sexual awakenings of his scene with The Siren. In his degradation and despair, Joaquin got right to the heart of the matter with a direct emotional current to the audience; his final scene in asking forgiveness from his father was heart-breaking.
So nice tonight to see Maria and Joaquin taking solo bows after this tremendous performance and to hear the packed house giving them huge roars of well-deserved applause and cheers.
Ask LaCour as the father is an awesome presence: silent and mysterious. The moment when Joaquin climbs into Ask's arms at the end and Ask wraps his errant son in his cloak is so wrenchingly conveyed by these two artists. Likolani Brown and new-to-the-cast Marika Anderson continue the Company's tradition of casting these brief but moving roles from among some of my favorite dancers. In the tricky demands of their combative duet, Sean Suozzi and Adam Hendrickson excelled. Faycal Karoui and the NYCB orchestra gave Prokofiev's colorful, evocative score its full due. A splendid performance all round.
Ashley Bouder and Andrew Veyette, seen above performing at the New York Stock Exchange during the Christmas season (great photo, yes?) led the cast of STARS AND STRIPES. Ashley, celebrating her sixth anniversary as a principal ballerina, gave a dazzling performance: playful, sexy and technically vibrant. Andrew looked dashing and kept pace with his ballerina: not an easy task when Bouder is on this kind of form. They were liberally applauded throughout the piece and hugely cheered at their curtain calls.
Erica Pereira and Gwyneth Muller led their regiments in fine style (though some spacing issues need fixing in Gwyneth's platoon) and...
...Daniel Ulbricht put the final dollop of frosting on the evening's Balanchine birthday cake with a mind-blowing performance garnished by air turns of astonishing whiplash speed and landings of silken softness. In one passage Daniel found an interesting rhythm of slowing down slightly and then finishing the sequence with a pop; this was repeated four times in different directions. This tiny detail is so characteristic of Daniel's artistry, along with his generosity of spirit.
Friday January 21, 2011 - Any performance at New York City Ballet that opens with Erica Pereira (above) onstage is off to a fine start. Tonight the young ballerina made her debut in the soloist role in Balanchine's WALPURGISNACHT.
This was the casting for tonight:
WALPURGISNACHT BALLET: Whelan, Askegard, *Pereira, Pazcoguin, Dronova DANCES AT A GATHERING: T Peck (replacing Ringer), Mearns, M. Fairchild, Kowroski, A. Stafford, De Luz (replacing Millepied), J. Angle, Ramasar, Carmena,Tworzyanski (replacing J. Stafford)
CONCERTO DSCH: *Mearns, T. Angle, Scheller, Veyette, *Ulbricht
Erica's solos were beautifully danced, her presence calm and lyrical...until the finale where her hair came down and she joined in the wild allegro whirlwind that climaxes this ballet. Wendy Whelan and Charles Askegard were again in the principal roles; Wendy is so light and appealing in this ballet. And Chuck Askegard could write a book on the art of the ballet cavalier. The big corps of balletic beauties looked super and kept my opera glasses darting swiftly from one to another.
DANCES AT A GATHERING is always something of a problem ballet for me. I really want to like it more than I do. I love Chopin and I've always loved to see the various castings of the ten great roles over the years. But at a point about 2/3 of the way thru, I always find myself quietly thinking: "Isn't this almost over?" I know the famous story of Robbins showing Balanchine what he'd started to create and Mr. B reportedly saying: "Make more!" And Robbins did just that: more and more and more. Regardless of who is dancing or playing, I start feeling a bit hostile near the end. But - because of the opportunities given to the dancers that are scattered throughout this long work, I always end up going to see it.
Tonight Susan Walters played lovingly and a first-rate group of dancers gave me lots of beautiful things to watch. There were three changes from the announced cast: Tiler Peck replaced Jenifer Ringer, Joaquin De Luz replaced Benjamin Millepied (thus there were no Portman sightings) and Christian Tworzyanski replaced Jonathan Stafford.
Tiler and Joaquin were just fantastic: in their solos, in ensembles and most especially when it was just the two of them dancing together, they are so full of beauty, poetry, and expressive energy. I love the above Erin Baiano photo of Tiler and Joaquin dancing to Chopin at the Vail Festival 2010.
Sara Mearns was dreamily gorgeous in Mauve, Maria Kowroski elegant and whimsical in Green, and Abi Stafford danced with Springtime freshness in Blue - her warmth especially welcome on this frigid night.
Megan Fairchild talks about her role in DANCES AT A GATHERINGhere. Above photo by Henry Leutwyler. Megan is so perfectly cast in Yellow, her dancing so bright and easy and her girlishness melding into a more sophisticated feeling as the ballet nears its end. Technically she is in total command. And her hair looked so pretty with braiding encircling the coiffure. Megan's duet with the dashingly boyish Antonio Carmena was a highlight of the evening.
Amar Ramasar (above) has one of his best roles in Green where his handsome presence, long limbs, space-filling movement and theatrical range - from romantic to witty - add up to perfection. Jared Angle's dancing in Purple has a beautiful sense of poetry; he and Tiler look really nice together. For many seasons Kipling Houston owned the Blue Boy role; tonight Christian Tworzyanski made me think of Kipling more than once. That in itself is a high compliment in my book.
Sara Mearns made her debut in CONCERTO DSCH, another addition to her ever-expanding repertoire. She looked tantalizing and danced with her inimitable lyrical intensity. In the virtuoso trio, Daniel Ulbricht made a very impressive debut opposite the superb Scheller and a super-charged Andrew Veyette.
Following up on his big success in MOZARTIANA earlier this week, Tyler Angle was simply magnificent in tonight's DSCH. His dancing was passionate and his partnering of Mearns compellingly tender and sincere. Tyler's swiftly becoming one of the finest dancers of our time and I look forward to his continuing exploration of the vast NYCB repertoire; the range of possibilities seems endless. Kokyat photographed the dancer (above) last year when he appeared in a duet created by Avi Scher.
Thursday January 20, 2011 - Maria Kowroski opened this evening's programme at New York City Ballet in the Preghiera of Balanchine's MOZARTIANA. I hadn't seen Maria in this ballet for a while and was really looking forward to it. Above: Maria on the cover of the DVD of Bringing Balanchine Back. What? You haven't seen it yet? Tsk, tsk. Go get a copy now and watch it.
But before the curtain rose, the orchestra pit rose to stage level and Faycal Karoui came out and started talking about MOZARTIANA and having the musicians play phrases from the Tchaikovsky score. This is all well and good for people who like this sort of thing...but I don't. Faycal is charming of course and it is nice to see the faces of the musicians and hear them playing as individuals. But the information has to be so general in order for the musical laymen in the House to comprehend it that it really serves no valuable purpose. Also the Preghiera is such a serene, spiritually pleasing way to start an evening of dance; you just want the House to go dark and to see the gorgeous Maria K immediately. Finally, the added 8 or 10 minutes of talk and examples pushed the programme just long enough into that purgatory when trains run with far less frequency. (Have you noticed how they raised the Metrocard fee while correspondingly cutting service?) Anyway, after half an hour on the platform I did finally get on a super-crowded A train.
Maria Kowroski's performance in MOZARTIANA was radiantly danced; whether skimming the stage in bourees or wafting her legendary extension heavenward, Maria was a complete joy to behold. Her Preghiera was luminous. Tyler Angle had the unenviable task of inheriting his role in this ballet from a perfect interpreter: Philip Neal. Tyler gave an impeccable performance, matching Maria in poise and expressiveness and assuring us that these danseur noble roles will be in very good hands for years to come. I must also commend Tyler for the great leap forward he has made in technical polish and presentation over the past couple of seasons.
Daniel Ulbricht (photographed by Henry Leutwyler, above) turns the soloist role in MOZARTIANA into a young prince. However many times you might see Daniel in a given part, he's never content to just come out and coast thru it. You always feel in watching him not just his technical wizardry but a thoughtful approach to each role - even the most purely virtuosic - that makes his every perfomance special. That's a great gift for a dancer to give us.
The quartet of ballerinas - Marika Anderson, Dara Johnson, Gwyneth Muller and Gretchen Smith - looked fine in their satiny black frocks and danced the Menuet joyfully. Their young counterparts from SAB also did very well and I was wondering: has any dancer performed both as a little girl and later as a Company ballerina in this work?
The revival of Ratmansky's CONCERTO DSCH (Kolnik photo, above) was to have featured a reunion of the original cast but due to Gonzalo Garcia's absence, Andrew Veyette made a debut in this ballet...a very exciting debut. In this piece (which I think is Ratmansky's best so far) Andrew and Joaquin De Luz perform wild virtuoso feats, spurring one another on to see who can leap highest, spin fastest and pull off the craziest aerial stunts. They were both just fantastic. Ashley Bouder also was sensational tonight both in her dancing and her facial expressions; in the first two weeks of this Winter season we'll have seen her as a romantic (VALSE-FANTAISIE), witty (DSCH) and severely contemporary (OUTLIER) ballerina. Her range is as impressive as her technique.
In the central pas de deux, set to a ravishing melody, Wendy Whelan and Benjamin Millepied danced with airy lightness and grace. The tenderness of their duet is an oasis of calm in this swirlingly colorful ballet. How simply gorgeous to see Wendy floating magically in high lifts. She and Benjamin were so poetic here. And a rose for pianist Elaine Chelton for her expressive playing of this tear-inducing theme.
At the premiere of CONCERTO DSCH a 'corps' of soloists and senior corps dancers made a major contribution to the work's success. For this revival a particularly impressive set of corps dancers appeared, each making a vivid personal impression. There is so much to take in while watching this ballet and I enjoyed focussing on each of these 14 dancers in turn. It was especially good to see Russell Janzen dancing again after quite a long hiatus.
Sara Mearns danced sumptuously in a revival of Balanchine's CORTEGE HONGROIS tonight. Sara, above as the Sugar Plum Fairy with Charles Askegard in a Paul Kolnik photo. Charles replaced Jonathan Stafford as Sara's partner tonight.
Sara's regal dancing, her beautiful line, her musicality and fearless technique mesmerized the audience tonight. For all her bejeweled elegance there is just a touch of the feral in Sara's presentation. This makes her doubly fascinating. Her solo was jaw-dropping in its security, clarity and lushness of expression. The crowd simply basked in her glorious performance. Charles Askegard had the ballerina well-in-hand and he spun off a long series of turns in the center with easy command as if to say "This is how it's done."
CORTEGE HONGROIS is like two ballets in one: the classical and the folk-inspired. Leading the Czardas were Rebecca Krohn and Sean Suozzi, both exuding star power in their fanciful costumes. Their back-up emsemble included such spirited folk-heros as Giovanni Villalobos and Vincent Paradiso, and it's always good seeing Henry Seth - dancing with Lydia Wellington.
On the classical side, Ana Sophia Scheller (soon to appear in the principal role of this ballet - a must-see event) and Gwyneth Muller danced their solos beautifully and the quartet of Sara Adams, Likolani Brown, Alina Dronova and Lauren King were just peachy in the pas de quatre. Good to see Zachary Catazaro back after he missed a performance on Tuesday. Questing this corps of courtiers with my opera glasses I paused for a while to watch Alina Dronova and Chase Finlay dancing with such assurance and flair.
But really, everyone onstage all evening just gave and gave and gave, making this a particularly satisfying evening at the ballet.
Finally, the question of the evening needs to be answered: yes, Natalie Portman was there.
Sunday January 16, 2011 - The second work being rehearsed at Lydia Johnson's/Battery dance studio this afternoon was her as-yet-untitled Bach work which premiered last Spring. This piece will be part of her studio showing this coming Sunday January 23rd at Peridance. In Kokyat's photo above: Or Sagi and Robert Robinson.
Here are some of Kokyat's images from this rehearsal:
Laura DiOrio
Lydia has two new dancers this season: Or Sagi (above)...
...and Shannon Maynor, above with Eric Vlach.
Laura DiOrio, James Hernandez
Lisa Iannacito McBride, Or Sagi
Jessica Sand
Lisa Iannacito McBride, Robert Robinson
Or Sagi, Robert Robinson
Lydia working on details with Or and Robert
Or Sagi and Lisa Iannacito McBride
Shannon Maynor and Eric Vlach
Dancers in the studio: Shannon, Lisa, Laura, Jessica
The light in the studio this afternoon was so evocative. Above: Jessica Sand.
Following her free studio showing this Sunday evening, Lydia will be teaching at Peridance for a week. Details here. If only I were able to take these classes! But the body says "no"...
Tuesday January 18, 2011 - New York City Ballet have opened their Winter 2011 season with an all-Balanchine programme:
WALPURGISNACHT BALLET: Whelan, Askegard, Scheller, Pazcoguin, Dronova pause DUO CONCERTANT: Hyltin, R. Fairchild intermission VALSE-FANTAISIE: Bouder, Veyette pause THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS: Wellington, Tworzyanski, King, Peiffer, Krohn, J Peck, Marcovici, Somogyi, J. Angle, la Cour, Reichlen
In the top illustration, a fanciful rendering of a celebration of Walpurgisnacht, or Witches Sabbath. Clearly the women depicted have consumed far too many sugar plums to be mistaken for dancers. But...what is Walpurgisnacht anyway? Here is a brief description:
'Walpurgis Night was when, according to the belief of millions of people, the devil was abroad - when the graves were opened and the dead come forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel.'
Balanchine used the ballet music from Charles Gounod's heaven-or-hell opera FAUST and transformed the witches into glamorous gals dancing fervently with their hair streaming down. Into the mix, there's some purely classical moments along the way. Wendy Whelan's dancing as the queen of the coven was fleet-footed and vivid. A tiny slip and a brilliant save were swept away by the musicality and sheen of her performance. Charles Askegard is ever the genial cavalier and the remarkable beauty of Ana Sophia Scheller's dancing is always a complete pleasure. Alina Dronova and Georgina Pazcoguin were the very attractive demi-solistes and Marika Anderson, Likolani Brown, Amanda Hankes and Gwyneth Muller were the semi-demi-solistes, all looking lovely.
Sterling Hyltin and Robert Fairchild bring youthful energy - and tenderness - to DUO CONCERTANT. Played by Arturo Delmoni and Cameron Grant, the Stravinsky score has many felicitous passages; how I wish Balanchine had set the dancers in motion right from curtain-rise and not left the opening movement as a purely musical prelude. Sterling and Robert's freshness and vitality take their cue from the music; they look great together.
What a pretty quartet of ballerinas in VALSE-FANTAISIE: Sara Adams, Likolani Brown, Lauren Lovette and Brittany Pollack made a uniformly pleasing impression. Ashley Bouder's super-secure technique and Andrew Veyette's virtuosity are well-displayed in this Balanchine ballet. Ashley waltzes away in high style, pausing only to sustain her balances along the way. She has a great seanse of the give and take of the music. Andrew was debuting in this role and seemed to be having a great time.
When the curtain rose on FOUR TEMPERAMENTS I felt we were in for something special. Throughout this ballet tonight I found myself thinking back to some of my first NYCB performances in the 1970s. Principals, demi-solistes and corps all displayed a uniformity of purpose and commitment with several individual standouts along the way. The music, as presented by conductor Faycal Karoui and featuring Nancy McDill at the piano, is so inventive and the more you hear it the more there is to discover.
Onstage at the start, Lydia Wellington and Christian Tworzyanski (Paul Kolnik photo, above) set the tone for the performance. This partnership came together rather late in the day from what I can deduce but they looked striking together; Lydia has a unique and vivid presence with a strong aspect of Balanchine-coolness. Christian was to have debuted in the third theme but moved into the first due to another dancer's injury. Lydia and Christian took all of this in stride and made a clear opening statement for Balanchine and Hindemith. I loved watching Lauren King and Allen Peiffer in the second theme as they introduce certain motifs that we'll see expanded on as the ballet progresses. Justin Peck looked superb stepping into the third duet; his partner Rebecca Krohn gave a fascinating performance - she is now one of the most intriguing dancers in this intriguing Company.
In the Sanguinic pas de deux, Jennie Somogyi (above, a Henry Leutwyler photo) and Jared Angle really captured my imagination with their expansive partnering and the power of their individual dance-personalities. Teresa Reichlen's Choleric is perfect casting; every time I see her in this role I am struck anew by her authority and clarity of movement. I always think how Mr. B would have loved Tess. Sebastien Marcovici (Melancholic) and Ask LaCour (Phlegmatic) gave strong performances, each using his arms and hands to positive expressive effect. The cumulative effect of all this dancing served to underline what an enduring masterpiece Balanchine has created to this Hindemith score.
Corps-watching in 4 TEMPS tonight was rewarding tonight, with some very fine performances: Meagan Mann and Georgina Pazcoguin in Melancholic and the quartet of Marika Anderson, Dara Johnson, Gwyneth Muller and Gretchen Smith who play such a key part in Phlegmatic. In Sanguinic Mary Elizabeth Sell again made a very fine impression and earlier, in the Gounod, she looked especially nice with her long, dark hair beautifully set off by the violet costume.
Some of my favorite dancers are absent this Winter season; if they are reading this they'll know who they are. The Company is loaded with talent and I love seeing new dancers coming up and taking on solo roles and creating a wave of the future. But it's not the same unless everyone is on board. So to those who are nursing injuries or illnesses: you are missed!
Sunday January 16, 2011 - Rehearsals for Lydia Johnson Dance are a favorite destination for Kokyat and me and this afternoon we were down at the atmospheric studio at Battery Dance - where we have watched Lydia's dancers at work many times over the past couple of years. Familiarity breeds increased admiration in this instance since Lydia and her dancers are some of our favorite people on the NYC dance scene. Above are Laura DiOrio, Robert Robinson, Jessica Sand and Lisa Iannacito McBride. Click on the image to enlarge.
Above: Laura DiOrio and Robert Robinson.
Two works were being rehearsed today: the first is Lydia's newest creation (still something of a work-in-process) set to piano etudes of Philip Glass. The dancework has a summertime theme with four people - are they friends, lovers or family? - in a house near some quiet shore on a late August afternoon. The sunlight streaming in thru the old studio windows today created a wonderful feeling redolent of daydreaming, lost loves and poetic remembrances. The dancers move from repose to a sort of tension that stays just below the surface: the peaceful atmosphere is not breached but there are undercurrents here.
Here are some of Kokyat's images from this lyrical work:
Jessica Sand
Jessica
Robert Robinson, Jessica Sand
Laura, Lisa, Jessica
Lisa
Lisa
Lisa
Laura and Robert
Laura and Robert
Lisa, Jessica and Robert
Laura and Robert
Starting on January 24th and running for a week, Lydia will be teaching at Peridance. Information here. To kick off their Peridance week, Lydia and her dancers offer a showing of works set to Glass and Bach on Sunday January 23rd at 7:30 PM.
Earlier this Winter, dancer Jessica Sand contributed an article to my blog describing an experience she had working with some young dancers in Poland. It's a beautiful story; if you haven't read it previously here is a link.