Above: dancers Justin Faircloth, Corinne Hart, and Claire Westby in Cherylyn Lavagnino's TALES OF HOPPER; photo by Charles Roussel
~ Author: Oberon
{Note: this article has been updated with production photos by Charles Roussel}
Tuesday February 25th, 2020 (dress rehearsal) - Today, choreographer Cherylyn Lavagnino kindly invited me to attend the dress rehearsal of her newest creation: TALES OF HOPPER. It's a collaboration between Ms. Lavagnino and composer Martin Bresnick, inspired by the works of the American painter Edward Hopper. Two earlier works from Ms. Lavagnino's treasure chest were also on the bill: Triptych and Veiled.
Hoping to get the clearest possible vision of the Hopper piece, I had asked the choreographer if I might attend the dress rehearsal rather than a performance so that my concentration would be unbroken. As a further enhancement, I had earlier watched a studio rehearsal of one of the ballet's solos danced by Sharon Milanese; Ms. Milanese's dancing that afternoon really moved me, and made me eager to see the entire piece. Although a dress rehearsal, the participating dancers and musicians were all at performance level.
This evening's musicians: Elly Toyoda, Lisa Moore, and Ashley Bathgate; photo by Charles Roussel
TALES OF HOPPER is a dance-theater work in which eight of Edward Hopper's Americana masterpieces are brought to life. Mr. Bresnick’s original score is performed live - and excellently - by Lisa Moore (piano), Elly Toyoda (violin), and Ashley Bathgate (cello). Transparent set pieces, designed by Jesse Seegers, are re-configured to suggest the locale and mood of each of the Hopper paintings. The set changes are carried out by the dancers during blackouts between the vignettes. Frank DenDanto III created the lighting designs, and Christopher Metzger designed the 'period' costumes (the Hopper period, that is: the 30s thru the 60s); both gentlemen get top marks for their work, which were key elements in the evening's success.
A Prologue opens TALES OF HOPPER; violin and piano are heard in music with a nostalgic air; the cello soon joins in. All of the Company's dancers take part, costumed as the 'characters' they will eventually play.
Sharon Milanese (above) appears as the woman in Hopper's 1952 painting Morning Star. As the lights come up, the dancer is slowly awakening. The music is thoughtful, and Ms. Milanese - a compelling dancer with a strong theatrical sensibility - is perfect as this restless and vulnerable creature. The music becomes quite passionate; as the lights fades, the dancer is left to her thoughts.
Above: Emma Pajewski, Phil Strom, Gwendolyn Gussman, and Dervia Carey-Jones in People of the Sun
Five dancers bring folding chairs to the stage for People of the Sun, Hopper's 1960 painting showing a group of people enjoying the sunshine on a patio as they gaze out over an open field. The silence is broken by brief commentary from the violin, and by quiet laughter from Gwendolyn Gussman; she, Dervia Carey-Jones, Emma Pajewski, Malcolm Miles Young (reading a book), and Philip Strom constantly re-align their chairs so as to get the full benefit of the sunshine.
Justin Faircloth (above) has a solo vignette in the 1940 painting Gas, wherein a young service station attendant fritters away his time between customers by bouncing a ball. The piano offers jagged chords, the cello rocks gently, the violin stammers. The attendant pumps gas, gives a car wash, tinkers with an under-body. Then he hits the floor for some pushups.
Above: Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez in The Office at Night
A plucking cello interlude takes us to the Office at Night (1940) where a secretary (Lila Simmons) and her boss (Oscar Rodriguez) are carrying on an after-hours affair. A mysterious dropped document is a bone of contention between them; they are alternately amorous and antagonistic. They embrace, have a steamy duet, and find tenderness at the end.
The magnetic Kristen Foote (above) is a cinema usherette in NY Movie (1940). Aside from some latecomers, the audience is already enjoying the film, and the usherette is biding her time by occasionally breaking into dance steps or miming lines from the movie.
Above: the duet from NY Movie, with Ms. Foote and Malcolm Miles Young
Pensive music heralds the appearance of a handsome man (Malcolm Miles Young) who is perhaps real or perhaps a silver-screen illusion. They dance a romantic/passionate duet; a brooding atmosphere develops musically, and the usherette resumes her solitary post. This might have been my favorite "Hopper tale" tonight, but I think if I were to see the piece repeatedly, I would probably favor a different episode every time.
Above: Justin Faircloth and Claire Westby in Sunlight in a Cafeteria
Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958) commences with shimmering piano sounds. Justin Faircloth is nursing a cup of coffee when Claire Westby saunters past, intentionally dropping a glove. Justin is captivated. Then the openly provocative woman passes her admirer a note...and wanders off.
Above: Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart in Nighthawks
With Nighthawks (1942), Ms. Lavagnino continues the 'story' of Sunlight. As Justin's wife (or girlfriend), Corinne Hart (fetching in a deep green frock, which sets off her auburn hair) has found Claire's note; the music (cello and piano) has a searching quality. Feeling betrayed, Ms. Hart confronts Mr. Faircloth: their romance breaks down. Claire Westby returns, and, after a tense trio, Justin chooses Claire over Corinne.
Above: Claire Westby in Automat
Automat (1927) extends the story line of the two previous movements to its finish. Ms. Westby, disheveled and run down, is alone with a cup of coffee. What's transpired in the interim, we don't know. Claire's gorgeous flower-flecked dress - now rumpled - reveals her legs as she rolls about on the floor in a sensual frenzy. She finally composes herself and again sits alone. The dancers now all return to the stage for a final tableau which unites the characters of all the eight tales of Hopper.
Following the interval, the stage has been cleared for Cherylyn's ballets Triptych (excerpt - 2012) and the 2016 Veiled. Both works explore spirituality in different contexts, and they looked wonderful in this open and finely-lit space...and both were beautifully danced.
Above: from Triptych
Triptych is performed to the music of François Couperin: his Troisième Leçon à deux voix). With the men of the Company aligned upstage, Claire Westby performs a quiet solo with expressive port de bras; Claire prepares us for the entrance of the women - Dervia Carey-Jones, Gwendolyn Gussman, Emma Pajewski, and Lila Simmons - each a unique beauty and personality. The men - Mssrs. Faircloth, Strom, Young, and Rodriguez - come forward now, and Ms. Carey-Jones distinctively leads off a series of dances.
A duet for Malcolm Miles Young and Gwendolyn Gussman has a rapturous quality, whilst Emma Pajewski and Justin Faircloth's lyrical partnering is poignantly musical. A pas de quatre for Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Westby, and Pajewski follows: they are dancing in a state of grace. A pas de trois joins Lila Simmons, a dancer whose wide-ranging emotional palette always captures my attention, with Phil Strom and Justin Faircloth. Ms. Carey-Jones joins this trio, leading on to a finale for the full cast. Of Triptych tonight, I wrote in my notes: "...a slice of Heaven."
Above: from Veiled
The notion of Heaven was sustained as the evening concluded with Veiled, a dance for female ensemble set to Martin Bresnick's Josephine the Singer, performed by violinist Elly Toyoda. Danceworks that speak of sisterhood always end up fascinating me, and I found Veiled to be a particularly engrossing experience: one of those ballets I could watch over and over.
The women are prostrated as Veiled ballet commences, with Ms. Todaya's violin sounding in its highest range. As the piece unfolds, rituals of prayer, supplication, and consolation pass before our eyes; the atmosphere is paradoxically intense and calming.
I can't find words to sufficiently praise the six women who danced Veiled tonight: Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Hart, Pajewski, Simmons, and Westby each had an inner glow that made them captivating to watch. Two duets passages - one for Claire Westby and Corinne Hart and another for Lila Simmons and Emma Pajewski - particularly moved me, but in fact everything about this ballet resonated richly.
After a series of brief, fleeting solos, the women form a circle; then they dance in a stylized chain, holding hands. The violin shivers, a prelude to hesitant lyricism that finally reaches unearthly high notes. As the light fades, the women huddle; they seem wary, but also safe in the community of sisters.
Near the end of Veiled, Emma Pajewski (above), kneeling in prayer with an expression of hope on her lovely face, became an iconic image for me. In this Year of the Women, Ms. Lavagnino's Veiled is truly something to behold.
All photos in this article are by Charles Roussel. A gallery of additional production images from Mr. Roussel may be viewed here.
~ Oberon