Above: Maria Kowroski in Balanchine's DIAMONDS; photo by Paul Kolnik
Peter Martins said of Maria Kowroski that her elevation to the rank of principal ballerina at New York City Ballet was "inevitable" from day one. And it happened so fast: she joined the Company as an Apprentice in 1994 and five years later attained the Principal designation. I feel so fortunate to have been there from the start, watching her career unfold.
Over the passing seasons, Maria's performances have radiated with the distinctive glow that is the trademark of a great ballerina. Her range has been vast: she excelled as the a witty Girl in Green in DANCES AT A GATHERING, as a leggy Broadway babe in SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE, in the stately adagio of SYMPHONY IN C, as the sleek temptress in PRODIGAL SON, as an iconic Swan Queen (in both the Balanchine and Martins productions), as the wryly hilarious "hat girl" in THE CONCERT, as a magnificent Firebird, as a spectacular Red Angel in Ulysses Dove's ballet of that title, as an ideal Titania in MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, and as a triple treat in JEWELS, wherein she was equally gorgeous in each "act" : Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. She looked as stunning in such leotard ballets as AGON and STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO as in the be-jeweled gowns of LIEBESLIEDER WALTZES and VIENNA WALTZES.
Watch Maria in motion in the AGON pas de deux with Amar Ramasar here, scrolling down the page once the link opens.
Maria and Ask la Cour perform the pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon's AFTER THE RAIN at sunrise on a September morning in lower Manhattan. Watch here.
Here is a Maria K gallery:
As the Firebird
As The Siren in PRODIGAL SON; a Paul Kolnik photo
Maria's great partnership with Charles Askegard (above in SERENADE), who made the leap from ABT to NYC Ballet to dance with her, brought forth some of her most thrilling performances. I especially loved their dancing together in Helgi Tomasson's PRISM.
Maria in AGON with Albert Evans
In AGON with Jock Soto; photo by Richard Termine
Dancing with Edwaard Liang for Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses in Central Park; photo by Kokyat...
...and with Jason Fowler at Vail; photo by Erin Baiano.
MOZARTIANA with Philip Neal
A once-in-a-lifetime pairing of Maria Kowroski and the Joffrey Ballet's magnifique Fabrice Calmels, for the Monterrey International Dance Festival in 2014.
With Ask la Cour in AFTER THE RAIN
After VIENNA WALTZES, with Amar Ramasar, Sterling Hyltin, and Gonzalo Garcia; Amar, Sterling, and Gonzalo performed at Maria's gala this afternoon
Maria with Tyler Angle in SWAN LAKE; a Paul Kolnik photo
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For her farewell program his afternoon, Maria chose pieces by Balanchine, Wheeldon, and Bigonzetti; the Company performed my favorite Jerome Robbins ballet: OPUS 19/THE DREAMER.
A scene from Balanchine's CHACONNE opened the performance, with Maria and Russell Janzen in the principal roles. Clothilde Otranto was on the podium, beginning a game of 'pass the baton' which continued through the afternoon. Special kudos to flautist Scott Kemsley for his exquisite playing; he deserves a credit in the Playbill. A roar of applause and bravas greeted Maria's entrance; she and Russell danced with a deep sense of lyricism.
Andrews Sill then took up the baton for the atmospheric OPUS 19/THE DREAMER, which Sterling Hyltin and Gonzalo Garcia danced so beautifully. Kurt Nikkanen played the Prokofiev 1st violin concerto splendidly - it's such a great piece of music! - and Mr. Kemsley and harpist Sara Cutler added their artistry to this musical highlight of the day. In the opening passage of the ballet, Gonzalo was simply mesmerizing; this is a perfect role for him, and Sterling was the perfect partner. Bravi!!
Maestro Andrew Litton now joined the festivities to conduct an excerpt from Christopher Wheeldon's DANSE A GRANDE VITESSE which was danced by Maria with Tyler Angle. Tyler, his head now shaved, has always been a terrific partner for Maria, and so it was great to see them together again tonight. The couple make a spectacular entrance here, Maria in a stunning overhead lift: the crowd went wild. Propulsive music (by Michael Nyman) set the excerpt on its way; later, the music takes on a hymn-like feeling, and then becomes animated. It ends with Maria again aloft. As the curtain fell, a gigantic ovation erupted; after a couple of bows, the lights came up but the audience continued to cheer for another minute or two, not realizing that Maria was changing her costume for...
...AMARIA, a pièce d'occasion created by choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, which celebrates the partnership of Maria Kowroski and Amar Ramasar; the dancers' first names are enshrined in the ballet's title. Onstage, pianist Craig Baldwin played Scarlatti sonatas. Each dancer has a solo, then join in a rather restless duet. The mood overall is darkish and somber. Their bows together were extremely moving for me; they seem to be two dancers who have always been there for each other.
Balanchine's SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE, one of the few ballets by the Master that I can't stand, closed the show. The recently-retired Ask la Cour made a brief comeback to honor his long-time colleague, Maria, at her farewell. Tyler Angle and Daniel Applebaum took the other leading roles. The ballet looks terribly dated and corny now, though it gives us the chance to revel in the gorgeous Kowroski gams. The music is so annoying; I couldn't wait for it to end. But the rest of the audience greeted the piece - and then the bowing ballerina - deliriously.
And so we bade farewell to the inimitable Maria Kowroski. Many of her partners - past and recent - joined the long parade of friends presenting her with bouquets and embraces. The last to appear were Maria's husband with their young son...and again, the audience went nuts.
As the prolonged ovation - the volleys of bravas, the golden streamers falling about her, the enthusiastic and very genuine admiration from her colleagues - swept on, countless visions of the great ballerina in her many wonderful roles danced by in my head.
But one memory that has always lingered in my mind had nothing to do with Maria's actual dancing. One evening a few years ago, Wei and I were at the Metropolitan Opera House for an ABT performance. During the intermission, we came out from the auditorium and noticed a commotion at the foot of the grand staircase. We walked over, and there was Maria in a stunning cream-coloured gown, be-jeweled and elegantly coiffed. She was graciously accepting compliments and signing autographs when a woman approached with her tiny daughter, who might have been all of three years old. The child, who was simply fascinated by the tall ballerina standing before her, didn't say a word, but - prompted by her mother - held out her playbill for Maria to sign. Maria knelt down and spoke quietly to the girl, and signed her name. When she stood up, the girl remained totally transfixed. It was such a charming moment.
~ Oberon