Above: Carlos Lopez and Kerry Shea in rehearsal
Thursday June 6th, 2013 - Lydia Johnson Dance opened at Ailey Citigroup Theater tonight with a musically diverse programme: scores by J S Bach, Henryk Gorecki, and Osvaldo Golijov as well as a selection of Schubert lieder were transformed into danceworks by the imaginative Ms. Johnson and her lovely troupe of dancers. Having been privy over recent weeks to Lydia's creative process, I loved seeing the final result this evening.
As a guest artist, the wonderful Spanish danseur Carlos Lopez appeared in three of the evening's works; his musicality and deeply emotional response to the composers' works gave a perfect lustre to his dancing. I can't help but think that he inspired all of the dancers with his artistry and commitment.
Many elements go into the creation of an evening of dance, and this season Lydia Johnson Dance had the great good fortune to work with Deborah Wingert, a former New York City Ballet dancer and now a stager for the George Balanchine Trust and one of New York's foremost teachers. Working with Lydia's dancers in the studio, Deborah's innate sense of poetic movement enhanced their individual performances as she made suggestions that brought out the nuances of Lydia's choreography. Spiritual sisters of the dance world, Lydia and Deborah draw inspiration from the music and from their wealth of experience to make movement sing for us.
For in fact, music is the key to Lydia Johnson's success as a choreographer. Her unerring good taste in musical matters is a reassuring element when you attend her performances. Having followed her work for four years now, I can honestly say I've never found myself thinking "Why is she choreographing to this?" This evening's presentation had the added benefits of excellent stage management (Kelly Brown), lighting (Renee Molina) and sound (Joel Wilhelmi).
It's always a sure thing to open a programme with Bach (how many evenings at NYC Ballet have commenced with Balanchine's CONCERTO BAROCCO?). Beyond that Lydia has turned to the darkish realm of Henryk Gorecki for her striking 2009 ballet, DUSK, and then found some real treasures among the works of Osvaldo Golijov for her excitingly-paced premiere of NIGHT OF THE FLYING HORSES. Lieder by Franz Schubert cast a spell over dancers and viewers alike in the nocturnal resonance of the concluding NIGHT AND DREAMS.
The rhythmic pacings of Bach must be reassuring to anyone who choreographs or dances to his music. And while CHANGE OF HEART has its celebratory, allegro phrases they are woven amid passages of lyrical partnering depicting consolation and a kind of spiritual tenderness. Duets for Laura DiOrio with Carlos Lopez and Sarah Pon with Blake Hennessy-York display these dancers' individual characteristics, with Carlos then joining Sarah and Blake in a pas de trois. A passage for female ensemble - Laura, Sarah, Katie Martin, Min Seon Kim, Alessandra Giambelli and Lisa Borres - gives way to a duet for Blake and Carlos; when the music repeats, the boys are joined by Eric Wlliams. A pas de six follows and then Laura and Carlos reappear leading into the final ensemble.
The immediacy of the contrast between the Bach and the Gorecki that followed it made a stunning impression as the lights rose on DUSK. Here the women have donned long black dresses and appear in stylized, ritualistic movement as four men observe from the four corners of the stage. The rather nightmarish quality of the Gorecki harpsichord concerto suggests a turbulence beneath the surface. Kerry Shea, the Company's red-haired priestess, brings a Graham-like authority to her stance and gestures. Her acolytes - Katie Martin, Laura DiOrio, Sarah Pon and Lisa Borres - move thru mysterious rites, bending and extending; their raised arms seem to evoke the sunset.
In the second movement, the girls have doffed their black gowns and appear in creamy tunics. A series of inter-woven duets bring the men into play: Darion Smith, Anthony Bocconi, Eric Williams and Carlos Lopez each dancing with one of the girls. An agitato solo for Carlos is a highlight among these fleeting moments, and there is another Graham-like passage for two trios. Some of the women re-appear in black as night finally falls. It was a great pleasure to see this work again with its blend of ritual and mystery.
The ruby-red dresses of the women gave a splash of colour that heralded the rich palette of Osvaldo Golijov's music for the first of two new works on the programme: NIGHT OF THE FLYING HORSES. The music veers from celestial to earthy, from sensuous to jagged, as the score propels the dancers thru driven combinations one moment and serene encounters the next. Laura DiOrio, a dancer who has developed a beautiful expressiveness over the past couple of years, opens the work to the sound of heavenly voices. She is observed - and sometimes echoed - by Kerry Shea. An intense and intimate (though not really romantic) duet for Kerry with Eric Williams (one of many finely-matched dancer pairings in the evening...they are sublime here) unfolds to a transcription of the aria "Je crois entendre encore" from Bizet's PECHEURS DES PERLES; and Blake Hennessy-York moves thru a dynamic solo as the music accelerates like a race car.
Katie Martin, long-limbed and elegant, has a lovely solo and there is a passionate duet for Laura DiOrio and Anthony Bocconi. Eric Williams rushes in with Sarah Pon in an overhead lift; she suddenly plunges down into his arms and he swirls her around, red skirt flying. The dancers traverse the diagonals, following one another in restless individual movement motifs. As the boys twirl their partners the ballet seems to be ending, but there is a quiet coda danced by Sarah and Blake.
In NIGHT OF THE FLYING HORSES, Lydia Johnson has taken the complexities of an unusual score - with its elements of folk-dance, tango, dreamy adagio, angelic voices and pulsating rhythms - and transformed it into a broad canvas of movement which entices the eye just as the music ravishes the ear. The red dresses (kudos to Jessica Sand Blonde and Benjamin Briones for these!) give an added dash of spice to this unusually rich and savory ballet.
Singers have told me that when they program Schubert lieder in their recitals, they invariably save songs like "An die Musik" and "Nacht und traume" for the end of the evening because it is almost impossible to sing anything else after performing these deeply personal sound-poems. And so it became inevitable that Lydia's new NIGHT AND DREAMS would close the evening. And how wonderful to experience it in a theater full of clearly enraptured viewers.
The girls wear vintage silk slips with lacy bodices and the boys are in black shorts and white t-shirts. They all enter on a diagonal moving upstage, each boy carrying a sleeping girl. The slumberers are passed from dancer to dancer before moving offstage again. This simple entree sets the scene for the quiet unfolding of the piece, which flowers with graceful inevitability against the haunting words and melodies of the Schubert songs.
NIGHT AND DREAMS is essentially an ensemble work though it gives lovely expressive opportunities to all the dancers involved. Elise Ritzel, a Company apprentice, appeared briefly and I wish we'd seen more of her during the evening...and of Darion Smith, a tall dancer with a beautiful stage presence. Anthony Bocconi has proved a great addition to Lydia's roster, dancing and partnering superbly all evening. A solo for Blake Hennessy-York showed off his luxuriant phrasing and handsomely expressive floor work. The women of the ensemble - Lisa Borres, Alessandra Giambelli, Min Kim, Kate Martin, Sarah Pon and Laura DiOrio - each bring their distinctive qualities to this work and all seem to sense the transportive power of Schubert.
Kerry Shea and Carlos Lopez danced in perfect harmony, their duet a lyrical visualization of the music. In his solo, to "An die Musik", Carlos displayed his impeccable attitude turns and compelling beauty of line. The other dancers return for the poignant "Nacht und traume"; a sense of calm envelops us as Kerry and Carlos join the ensemble, peering off into the moonlit night.
In NIGHT AND DREAMS, Lydia seems to have surpassed herself yet again. Avoiding the literal, she ventures to the heart of the music in ways that few active choreographers have managed to find. Her vocabulary is unique and could be codified, much as Isadora Duncan's has been. But beyond technique, Lydia understands the emotional colours of the music and she has the dancers to do her work proud.
Note: photos from the dress rehearsal will appear here soon.