Robbins' Moonlit Meditation
SEASONS: "Watermill," "The Four Seasons"
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
May 2, 2008
by Susan Reiter
copyright © 2008 Susan Reiter

Some of New York City Ballet's programming, in this era of fixed programs, is forced and awkward, but the combining of these two completely different Jerome Robbins works does have an innate logic. In their extremely different ways -- "Four Seasons"(1979) is lively, colorful, uncomplicatedly entertaining, while "Watermill"(1972) is a contemplative exploration of stillness that demands intensely focused attentiveness -- they both employ the cycle of the seasons as a structural underpinning. But otherwise, they are so different that one has to remind oneself that Robbins created them within the same decade. And while "Four Seasons" is a proven program closer and showcase for breezy virtuosity that has found its place in the company's repertory, "Watermill," which banishes conventional ballet technique and requires extreme subtlety from its performers, makes highly infrequent appearances.












