Oberon's Grove

Rehearsal: Intermezzo Dance Company

Above: Shoshana Rosenfield and Kurt Froman rehearsing for Intermezzo Dance Company; click on the image to enlarge.

Thursday August 29th, 2013 - Craig Salstein, founder of Intermezzo Dance Company, invited me to a Company rehearsal today at the ABT Studios. Choreographers Lisa de Ribere and Gemma Bond were working on the 2nd and 4th movements - respectively - of the Verdi string quartet which will be shown at Intermezzo's premiere performances in October.

Intermezzo Dance Company will debut at the 92nd Street Y with a programme celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian opera composer Giueseppe Verdi. Craig Salstein, a serious opera-lover, will honor the Maestro with a setting of the composer's string quartet as well as a fantasia of melodies from the dramatic opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (A Masked Ball), specially arranged for these performances. Four choreographers - Marcelo Gomes, Lisa de Ribere, Adam Hendrickson and Gemma Bond - will each set a movement of the quartet, while BALLO will be choreographed by Raymond Lukens. Tickets for the performances are on sale now: click here to order.

Craig has put together a handsome roster of dancers, including established favorites and some exciting newcomers. It was great to see everyone today, and if they were for the most part moving too fast for my camera to capture, I do have a few images to share:

Kurt Froman

Aran Bell warming up

Shoshana Rosenfield and Nancy Richer

Nadezhda Vostrikov, Carlos Lopez and Kaitlyn Gilliland

Nancy Richer, Rina Barrantes

Kaitlyn Gilliland, Stephen Hanna and Nadia Vostrikov getting notes from Gemma Bond

Kaitlyn!

Carlos and Nadia

Striking a melodramatic pose: Carlos Lopez

Rina, Kaitlyn and Stephen

Aran Bell

Carlos and Nadia, one of my few actual dance shots that turned out

Kaitlyn Gilliland and Sarah James

Nancy Richer, Gemma Bond

Carlos Lopez. I met Carlos this past Spring when he danced with Lydia Johnson Dance.

Another of the Intermezzo choreographers, Adam Hendickson, is creating the 3rd movement of the string quartet as a pas de deux for Kaitlyn Gilliland and Stephen Hanna. I'm hoping to watch a rehearsal of this part of the programme soon.

Meanwhile, a short film featuring all the Intermezzo dancers moving to music from Verdi's NABUCCO is in the works.

In the Studio with Miro Magloire

Above: Holly Curran and Traci Finch rehearsing for New Chamber Ballet

Wednesday August 28th, 2013 - Miro Magloire, always one of the busiest people on the New York City dance scene, is busier than ever these days. Not only is he preparing for the upcoming performances of his New Chamber Ballet (September 6th & 7th at City Center Studios) but he is also creating five new works for the Austrian Cultural Forum's Moving Sounds Festival for a performance on September 20th, as well as looking ahead to New Chamber Ballet's tour to Germany.

For the Moving Sounds Festival, New Chamber Ballet will team up with the Argento Chamber Ensemble for a program of five new ballets - and a revival - to music by contemporary Austrian and American composers. A world premiere collaboration with composer Michel Galante, a new work to a new score by composer Nina C. Young, and new creations to scores by Beat Furrer, Georg Friedrich Haas, and Arthur Kampela will be featured. The program - which will also include a revival of Miro's ECHOES to music by Anton Webern - takes place at the Bohemian National Hall, Czech Center, 321 East 73rd Street, NYC on September 20th. Visit the Festival's page here.

I stopped in at Ballet Hispanico today where Miro and his dancers - Elizabeth Brown, Sarah Atkins, Holly Curran, Amber Neff and Traci Finch - were working on some of the new rep. Composer Nina C Young dropped by to see the piece Miro is creating to her score.

Here are some photos I took of the new works in rehearsal:

Ellizabeth Brown and Amber Neff

Traci Finch and Holly Curran

Amber Neff

Elizabeth Brown

Holly Curran, Amber Neff

The final half-hour of the rehearsal time was devoted to Amber Neff working on the solo IN A SIMPLE BLACK DRESS, one of my favorites among Miro's ever-expanding repertoire of intimate ballets. Here are some images of Amber rehearsing this solo:

In the Studio with Kensaku Shinohara

 

Click on the image to enlarge.

Wednesday August 28, 2013 - I stopped by at Far Space today where dancer/choreographer Kensaku Shinohara was rehearsing a work for four dancers that he'll be presenting on September 29th, 2013 at the Dumbo Arts Festival. Performance detail here.

Currently titled MATH TIME, the evolving work will most ilkely have a new name - possibly 1000 DESIGNS - by the time of the Festival performances. The piece was shown at Bryant Park in early August, so it is structurally completed; today Kensaku and his dancers were working on fine-tuning and nuances.

Here are some images from the rehearsal:

Ellyn Sjoquist and Lynda Senisi

Lynda Senisi, Damani Pompey and Ellyn Sjoquist

Ellyn

Jake and Damani

Kensaku, Jake and Damani discuss the fine points

Jake Bone, Damani Pompey

Lynda, Ellyn, Jake

Halcyon @ The Di Menna Center

Above: pianist Ta-Wei Yu of the ensemble Halcyon

Monday August 26th, 2013 - Halcyon gave an evening of piano trios at the Di Menna Center, a high-ceilinged yet intimate space on the lower level of the Baryshnikov Arts Center building. The hall proved very felicitous for musical clarity, and an attentive and appreciative audience maintained a deep silence between the movements of each trio, rewarding the musicians with enthusiastic applause at the end of the evening.

Opening with the Arensky piano trio No.1 in D minor, the players immediately established themselves as technically accomplished and vividly communicative musicians. The opening movement glows with Tchaikovksian beauty of melody, suffused with shades of quiet longing. Violinist Hilary Castle, in a gorgeous ruby-red gown, brought a feeling of poignant lyricism to the opening theme, with pianist Ta-Wei Yu matching her in a sense of rhythmic flow. Cellist Luke Krafka's velvety sound - a consistent pleasure all evening - seemed very much at home in this music which veers from feelings of melancholy to hope. The playful second movement materailizes as an 'Arensky waltz'; this gives way to the poetic Elegia-Adagio where the playing of the three musicians was passionate and inspired. In the concluding movement, earlier themes re-appear as the piece builds to a dramatic conclusion.   

The second work, Haydn's piano trio No.39 ("Gypsy") in G major dates from 1795, during the composer’s time in London, and contains some of his most innovative keyboard writing. The work also features solo passages for the violin; if the cello is less prominent here, it does provide beautiful textures. Ta-Wei Yu's nimble playing was very much to the fore here, with felicitous nuances of dynamic and colour. The three musicians attained a high level of expressiveness in the finely-moulded second movement: really impressive music-making. It's the trio's final 'Hungarian' rondo movement that has led to dubbing this piece the 'Gypsy' trio: here Ms. Castle went to town with her flourishes à la zingarese whilst the two gentlemen kept pace in a breath-taking rush to the finish. The musicians played with infectious joy.

I have a special place in my heart for the two Mendelssohn piano trios: they are my favorite chamber works and in fact it was a chance hearing of the first trio on the radio lo! these many decades ago that made me realize there's other music beyond opera that is rewarding to hear. This evening, Halcyon played the Mendelssohn piano trio No.2 in C minor as their final offering and it was a wonderfully personal experience for me to hear it played live. The three players showed a lovely affinity for the work's almost painfully beautiful melodies. The performance left me deeply satisfied and feeling at peace with the world.

The Current Sessions: Volume III Issue II

Above: singer/composer Julie Hill (background) and dancers Chloe Felesina and Ian Hussey in Colby Damon's Let me Live. Photo by Corey Melton.

Saturday August 24th, 2013 - Down to The Wild Project, an intimate venue in the East Village, for the latest installment of the Current Sessions, a series of performances featuring the work of contemporary choreographers of the Now and Next generations. With mix-it-up programming, each evening in the run produces a unique experience. Allison Jones and Alexis Convento are the co-founders of this ongoing project, and they've put their stamp on the series which started in 2011 and continues to hold a unique place on the New York City dance map.

Colby Damon
's Let me Live (above photo) opened the evening impressively, with a string quintet playing Julie Hill's evocative score live onstage. Ms. Hill's plaintive, unamplified singing wove thru the shiningly lyrical textures of the strings; her natural voice lent an air of vulnerability to the piece. Dancers Chloe Felesina and Ian Hussey performed Colby's pas de deux with perfect expressiveness; their complex relationship veers from tenderness to traces of violence. In its unity of music, movement and mood this piece made a strong impact.

Roya Carreras' A Table is an intimate domestic drama performed by Ms. Carreras, Leslie Curtis and Alexandria Yajl. "I remember but not every time, never is order" describes the state of a woman,  perhaps in the stages of Alzeheimer's, struggling with daily tasks while an attendant couple - perhaps real, perhaps imagined - inhabit her world to mysterious effect. Stylized movement and a layered score construct the situation, giving way to a melodious rhythmic solo (danced with one shoe off) a l'Espagnole. A lemon and some potted marigolds come into the scenario. An air of hopelessness seems to seep in, and a feeling of long days and unresolved, thwarted emotions. The individual performances of the three dancers were strong and moving.

Above: from dyad

Allison Jones and Hayley Jones took the stage for dyad, a fantastic duet in which the two girls - in 'nude' tops - danced in stylized and often synchronized moves to a Sam Silver soundscape. Sam Hart's projections of both kozmic abstractions and glowing solid colours gave the dance its electric setting, while the intense shadows cast by the two dancers added a striking visual dimension. The piece is vivid, the dancing hi-energy and exciting to watch.

Two of Gotham's smoothest movers - Christopher Ralph and Daisuke Omiya (photo above) - performed Gregory Dolbashian's witty duet Go H.A.M. The boys have just started getting their groove on when the music halts, freezing them in ballet poses. They start again, but it keeps happening. After several thwarted attempts to do their own thing, Dai and Chris surrender to Mozart (the opening duet from NOZZE DI FIGARO) and carry on their competition in a fusion style. The crowd loved the piece and the two boys who danced it.

Charli Brissey made a fine impression with her engaging mixture of naturalness and quirkiness in a solo work-in-progress Human Friend, described as "....an experimental embodiment of queer animalism and social awkwardness." The dancer effortlessly held the stage with her gamine physique and quiet intensity; eye contact with her viewers kept us in firm focus as the work unfolded.

Hayley Jones returned for the final piece, LoudHound Movement's A Sentinel Without Lips. Hayley was joined by Kacie Bobitt and Sarah Stanley in this darkish, unsettling work which is planned as part of an upcoming installation. Synchronized duets and intense solos mirror the mind-states of the three women; their humming casts an eerie quality into the soundscape, and again shadows on the wall play a part in the works overall mystique. Allusions to eating disorders and a sense of despair are present, and so is an offbeat lyricism that keeps us engaged. Again - as all evening - the dancers excelled.

All performance photography by Corey Melton.

The Wild Project is a great space, and I loved running into some danceworld friends: aside from Allison and Alexis, Giorgio Bovo, Elise Ritzel, Colby Damon, Gregory Dolbashian and Bennyroyce Royon were all  out on this refreshingly cool summer's eve.

US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #3

Above: Victoria Duval of the USA

Friday August 23, 2013 - A beautiful day at the US Open qualifiers, marred only by an on-court temper tantrum from Canadian Frank Dancevic. The sky grew overcast as the day went on, but no rain fell and there was a nice afternoon breeze...ideal conditions both for playing and watching.

I started off at Court 17 watching - for a change - a women's match. America's Victoria Duval (above) gave an impressive display of her talents in a fast-moving match against Croatia's Tereza Mrdeza. Victoria pretty much dominated throughout; Tereza managed to get her foot in the door, and she pulled off some nice shots; but she just didn't have the weaponry to respond to Victoria's steady onslaught. I love Court 17 by the way: the new and oddly cozy stadium-style court.

Above: Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina threw a monkey-wrench into Amir Weintraub's hopes for a win today; the crowd was very much behind the Israeli but the crafty Argentine seemed to have a sharp overall game plus the passion needed to overcome his taller and - perhaps - more polished opponent. 

Above: Somdev Devvarman of India had to overcome a very strong showing by Britain's James Ward. Ward pulled off some impressive shots; after Somdev won the first set the Englishman took control and evened things up. It looked like it could go either way, but Somdev's steady style prevailed. I really like watching him play.

Above: Somdev Devvarman

Above: Go Soeda of Japan; Go's been a favorite player of mine for several seasons now and today I got to watch him having a practice session and then - later - his match against Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.

I like Hernych, he plays a good game and it didn't surprise me that he took the first set, following an extended tie-breaker.

Then Go dug in and persevered thru two more hard-fought sets. The crowd was pro-Go all the way and  there was an air of celebration when the Japanese secured the win.

Go Soeda after the match

Japan's Tatsuma Ito (above) took the first set of his match against Frank Dancevic. Ito plays beautfully, strong and steady. Dancevic took the second set. Throughout the first two sets, Dancevic threw minor hissy-fits whenever he felt he'd gotten a bad call. But in the third set he staged a full mad scene, halting play completely while he debated with the chair umpire at length as Ito stood waiting patiently at his end of the court. The crowd finally gave Dancevic a much-deserved round of booing; in my view he should have been fined a point for delaying play.

Dancevic finally resumed playing and eventually he won the match, but his behavior was inexcusable. Everyone gets bad calls...and I hate to tell you this, Frank, but I watched a couple of your shots go long today and they weren't called out. Poor sportsmanship leaves such a sour taste; I'll never want to see another Dancevic match. He may have won today, but Ito is the classier player.

US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #2

Above: Japan's Go Soeda

Wednesday August 21, 2013 - Back to the US Open for the second day of the 2013 qualifying tournament; it was much hotter than yesterday and there were considerably larger crowds at most of the matches. I had a good time though I may not go back for the two remaining days: I no longer enjoy being in the sun for such long stretches of time.

At 11:00 AM two Chinese players had their matches on nearly-adjacent courts: Ze Zhang (above) faced the Austrian Martin Fischer on Court 15...

...while Di Wu (above) played France's Josselin Ouanna on Court 12.

Ze Zhang has a lot of natural talent; he began rather casually and lost the first set but then he really perked up and played some brilliant points. He won the second set and the tide had clearly turned. An exciting third set produced a tie-breaker and althought Zhang lost, he really played impressively. 

Di Wu (above) is a dynamic, compactly built player. Facing the taller and stronger Mssr. Ouanna, Di Wu had his work cut out for him. Ouanna hits big, but Di Wu never flinched; he simply played his own game and outclassed the Frenchman time and again. Ouanna may have been off his best form (he's a very fine player) as he called for the trainer at one point. For a moment I thought he might withdraw, but he gamely continued and Di Wu moved on to secure the victory.

Di Wu after the match.

I shuttled back and forth between the two matches and they each wrapped up just in time for me to grab a seat at Court 11 where Go Soeda (above), a great favorite of mine, played an exceptionally clean and brilliant match against Austin Krajicek. Krajicek is a powerful player; he serves big and employs plenty of driving force. Go stuck with his steady, sure-handed style of play, winning a high percentage of his first-serve points and keeping unforced errors to a minimum.

The heat index reached its apex during this match; the air was still and heavy and we were all baking under the intense sun. I don't know how the players kept up the pace. After Go took the first set I went off to get hydrated and saw that my other Japanese guy, Tatsuma Ito, was about to start his match. Since they were showing the Soeda match on the big screen, I could keep tabs on that while watching Tatsuma play against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Japan's Tatsuma Ito

Each player had his contingent of supporters in the crowd and there was a good atmosphere; the sun was beginning to drop into the West and a lovely breeze kicked up. I really enjoyed this match and watching Tatsuma calmly and methodically dismantle his opponent. Damir had some exciting moments but Tatsuma simply soldiered thru and wrapped up the win in just 70 minutes of playing time.

Tatsuma Ito after the match.

I'd planned to go back for more tennis on Thursday but I'm sunburnt, and rain is predicted. I think I just need a day to chill. We'll see who moves on to the Friday matches and then decide whether to go back for the final day.

US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #1

Above: Robby Ginepri

Monday August 20th, 2013 - Robby Ginepri hit a career high in 2005 when he finished the season ranked #15 in the world. Thereafter he remained a force on the tour but never equalled his 2005 record. A biking accident in 2010 side-lined him for almost a year. To be honest, I'd sort of forgotten about him and I guess I assumed that he'd retired. He'll turn 31 this year, and when I saw his name among the players listed for the US Open qualifying tournament this week, it was a bit like a blast from the past.

Last summer I'd almost given up on the Open; the constant use of cellphones during play is so distracing, as are the large of small children who have no clue as to what tennis is all about and invariably get cranky very quickly ("I'd rather go to the playground!" whined one tiny girl being dragged around by her mother today); food and beverages are absurdly expensive ($5 for a normal sized bottle of Coke), and off-duty linesmen and ball-kids love to congregate around the courts during matches and chatter away: "Did you see ELYSIUM yet? Awesome...blah blah blah". But today it was not overly crowded and for the most part I was able to concentrate on the actual playing.

The seats at the outer courts of the Tennis Center can be exceptionally uncomfortable: hard, bare metal that heats up like a stovetop in the summer sun. Invariably people taking seats during a match find their butts getting baked: first contact can really be alarming. Thus I normally prefer to stand (it's also easier for taking pictures). But this summer they've extended the 3-row metal seating bleachers almost the full length of the court so you can't stand by the court-rail any more and get all into the match. Since hardly anyone watches a complete set these days, there's a lot of coming and going, and clambering over other people.

The tall, lanky Israeli player Amir Weintraub is being hosted in NYC by the building manager of our apartment complex. Augie asked me to check out Amir's match and since it was the first match of the day, I started there. Amir was playing the American Noah Rubin; Rubin was heavily favored by the large and fairly attentive crowd. Amir took the first set and seemed destined to win in two sets; but Noah fought back hard, delivering some great shots. After Noah won the second set, I needed to head over to Court 7; but I ran into Augie later and he told me that Amir - deservedly - had prevailed.

On Court 7, the Indian player Somdev Devvarman (above) was facing Brazil's Fabiano De Paula. I'd seen Somdev at the US Open in 2009 and I was really impressed, but today was the first time I've seen him since. I went up high into the bleachers and found a solitary vantage point. I enjoyed the match tremendously because I could really concentrate; and up above court-level a gentle summer breeze and passing fluffy clouds made for a perfect tennis-watching experience. 

Somdev for the most part dominated the action; his serve is breakable but when it's on it's really on. His shots go deep and his sense of placement is keen, and despite some frustration with questionabe line calls he moved steadily onward to a straight-set win. Mr. De Paula had some fine moments but Somdev's victory seemed inevitable. 

Somdev, after the match.

Then I ran over to Court 17, the new 'stadium-style' court, where Robby Ginepri and Giovanni Lapentti (of Ecuador) were already into the second set. Robby had taken the first set but Giovanni wasn't about to give in. The crowd was lopsidedly pro-Robby, understandably, and the American clearly didn't want to disappoint. A hoped-for win at 5-4 didn't materialize, and the set went to a tie-breaker in which Robby eventually secured victory.

Robby Ginepri

Lapentti and Ginepri after the match.

ABARUKAS + vivake @ MMAC

Sunday August 18, 2013 - One of my few opportunities to try a new dance company, since their performance happened to fall on one of my rare free days: Abarakus Contemporary Dance Company gave two performances at MMAC this weekend where they were joined by the hip-hop company vivake.

vivake opened the show, dancing Scar. The Company, led by Vivake Khamsingsavath, is made up of sexy boys and beautful girls, and they danced up a sultry summer storm in this darkly alluring piece. All clad in black, and illuminated by the fine lighting design by David Opara, the dancers exuded sensuous energy. Vivake himself is an ultra-charismatic personage, a dancer who put me very much in mind of such super-smooth Gotham movers as Bennyroyce Royon and Norbert de la Cruz. I look forward to seeing this dynamic group again.

I loved looking at the cast listings this evening and finding familiar names: Lizzy Zevallos dancing with vivake and Guang-Lei Hui dancing with ABARUKAS. I really enjoyed seeing both of them again.

ABARUKAS offered Yoshito Sakuraba's "Lullaby to Mr. Adam"; this note from the choreographer had me expectng a narrative dancework:

"Lullaby to Mr. Adam emerges from from an idea of a complete separation from reality, imagining myself returning to the past.   I imagine myself walking to my home where I lived and loved when I was little.   The moment I start imagining that, I continue to recall a letter from the first girl I fell in love with, the barbershop I used to go to, streets where I'd bicycle to school, a sky where there were fireworks in the summer, friends I played basketball with, and my grandma, whom I loved but never expressed that to her.  I've lived through everything and everyone's memory.   And they lived through mine.   I still have the letters from the girl."

But the choreographer is not a literalist; the piece is abstract and opens with a ritualistic passage in which we meet the dancers one by one. As with vivake, ABARUKAS is a Company loaded with talent. As individuals and as an ensemble, they danced with vivid commitment. Plenty of solo opportunities were afforded as the dancework unfolded. The choreography is gestural, scupltural, and - again - excellently lit by Mr. Opara. 

Adan Jiminez Aguillar, a tall and stage-commanding presence, had a central role in the piece commencing with a passage in which he shoots - and then revives - his fellow dancers. He's cast as a rather tyrannical type, though in the end he manages somehow to redeem himself. Guang-Lei Hui is a very fluid mover and a strong partner, and Shawn Rawls showed some remarkable break-dancing skills in his solo. Adan has a sustained, powerfully lyrical solo danced to the evening's most poignant musical theme. The women - Caitlin Cantrell, Erin Dillon, Rebecca Quintrell, and Tsai-Hsi Hung - danced beautifully and allowed their individual personalities to emerge as the work surged forward.

The denouement of the piece comes as each dancer steps forward to slap Adan's face - he endures this, and expects the same from Guang-Lei who instead gently lays his hand on Adan's shoulder. A perfect final image as the light fades.

But no - there's more to come. Another ensemble passages melds into a spacious duet for the striking Erin Dillon and Adan which ends with yet another ideal final tableau. But no - the work continues on. It's all well-crafted and very finely executed, but after two false endings things seem to be stretching on a bit too long; a judicious paring down and some re-arranging of the various segments could produce a more cohesive and impressive overall effect. Nevertheless, the performances of the dancers overcame any slight misgivings about the structure of the piece.

Jessica Lang Dance @ The Joyce

Above: dancers Clifton Brown and Kana Kimura of Jessica Lang Dance; photo by Kokyat

Friday August 16th, 2013 - The Joyce's Ballet V6.0 festival draws to a close with performances by Jessica Lang Dance making their Joyce debut with in a visually rich and musically inspired programme. Jessica Lang’s choreography has been on my A-list since I saw her Astor Piazzolla ballet Oblivion danced by the ABT Studio Company a few years ago. Jessica comes to The Joyce fresh from her operatic-directing debut at Glimmerglass (Pergolesi's STABAT MATER) and a sold-out run for her Company at Jacob's Pillow. Tonight's performance at The Joyce was also a sell-out.

The evening commenced on a high note and soared onward from there. To music of Antonio Vivaldi, Jessica's 2010 A Solo in Nine Parts seemed to immediately captivate the audience. Her excellent company of dancers came on, all clad in summer-white, and danced their hearts out in this ballet which drew to mind Paul Taylor's most joyous works.

Performed against a sea-green back-panel, Jessica's choreography looked clean and clear. and she has ideally visualized the Vivaldi score. Woven thru the ensemble passages are solos for each of the nine dancers. The central slow movement is a pas de quatre for Julie Fiorenza, Laura Mead, Kirk Henning and Milan Misko. Each dancer in the ensemble made his or her mark: Sarah Haarmann, Claudia MacPherson, Kana Kimura, Todd Burnsed, and Clifton Brown. Clifton in particular danced superbly in three of the four works shown tonight; he's one of the most fluent and charismatic dancers of our time.

Clifton Brown's partnership with Kana Kimura, a striking dancer with a mystical presence, was the highlight of the second work, i.n.k. In this ballet which fuses music, dance and film to hypnotic effect, Kana and Clifton perform a remarkable adagio which ends with a thrilling slow backbend from Kana, supported in Clifton's arms. The audience seemd to hold their collective breath as the dancers executed this unusual passage with complete control.

i.n.k. overall is enthralling. The black-clad ensemble move before a glaring white back-panel, sometimes dancing with their shadows. Meanwhile drops or waves of dark ink splash across the screen. The crystalline score by Jakub Ciupinski, the costuming of Elena Comendador, Nicole Pearce's lighting, and the captivating film elements (KUSHO by Shinichi Maruyama, edited by Tetsushi Wakasugi) all combine to make this poetic dancework a 21st century jewel: imaginative and beautifully executed.

The evening's second half kicked off excitingly with Aria, a quartet set to Zenobia's tragic/frantic aria "Son contenta di morire" from Handel's RADAMISTO. In this world premiere performance, three boys (Todd Burnsed, Kirk Henning and Milan Misko) in grey tights and bright red shirts sail thru the strongly musical choreography with the delicious Laura Mead the object of their attention. Laura, in a flame-red frock and dancing on pointe, gave a vivid and impetuous performance. Mr. Burnsed is her primary partner, though she often seems to want to evade contact altogether. My only slight concern here was that the singer on the chosen recording sometimes seemed slightly below pitch.

Pianist Taka Kigawa took the keyboard to play Schumann live for the evening's concluding work, From Foreign Lands and People; Taka's playing was refined and beautifully supportive of the dancing. Like everything else on the programme tonight, this ballet was visually impressive. The midnight-blue-clad dancers move on, over, and under glossy black architectural pieces which they skillfully manipulate and re-arrange throughout the ballet. Pools of white light enhance the shifting landscape as the dancers clamber onto, slide down, and even partner the oblong boxes. The mood of the piece veers from playful to poetic, dictated by Taka's playing.

Milan Misko, a long-limbed dancer I have seen performing with TAKE Dance and the Lubovitch company, seems to have found an ideal dance-home in Jessica Lang's style.  And Clifton Brown's dancing - all evening - was a marvel: his solo in the concluding work was astonishing in its clarity and expressiveness. If Mlles. Mead and Kimura stood out among the other dancers by virtue of their featured roles, the entire ensemble deserve bouquets for their impressive performances in this vastly pleasing evening of dance.