ABT II
Joyce Theater
New York, NY
May 10, 2008 (matinee)
by Susan Reiter
copyright © Susan Reiter 2008
Bracing and beautifully shaped, Aszure Barton's "Barbara" unfolds with a deeply satisfying blend of inevitability and surprise. These seemingly contradictory qualities coexist quite naturally because Barton never ventures into predictable territory, yet every moment of the ballet reflects a keen insight and response to the wistful, charmingly simple yet poignant songs of the late French singer/songwriter for whom it is named. Many choreographers seem to wander aimlessly through the scores they select -- why did they choose this music, we are often left wonder -- but Barton pierces to the heart of these songs with delicate restraint. Add in her confident sense of structure and her knack for the odd yet resonant gesture, and you have just some of the elements that make this premiere that distinctly rare experience -- a new work that one immediately hopes to see again.
"Barbara" was one of two new works on this program by ABT II (which recently changed its name from ABT Studio Company) -- the junior, or "second" company, now directed by Wes Chapman, that has fed so many fine dancers into ABT over the past decade. The current roster features a particularly likable, talented group of men, but all thirteen dancers display not only technical aplomb but individual flair. In addition to presenting them with the contemporary challenges of Lauri Stallings' "slokas," this program also showcased their ability to perform the kind of 19th-century classics, in excerpted form, that are such a major portion of the senior troupe's current repertory.
Barton's work took its cue from the often childlike directness of Barbara's songs, which evoke wistfulness as well as whimsy with melodies that recall the charming simplicity of nursery rhymes. But a steady undercurrent of melancholy vulnerability reverberates through much of them. Barton not only avoids presenting stories or "relationships"; she upends expectations in every possible way, keeping us guessing but always making a case for where her dance goes next.
Her stage pictures are consistently clear, striking and evocative, right from the opening moment, when the nine dancers are seen in silhouette against a glowing white cyclorama, and launch into unison developpés. All wear sporty yet elegantly cut black and white costumes -- collared shirts and slacks for the men, tunics for the women -- yet one man has a white shirt with black collar, and one woman's tunic is black while the rest are white. But if this initially suggest they are the central figures, that proves to be less the case than one expects, and this is a very egalitarian work. Barton has a masterful way of beginning a section so that it seems to be one heading in a certain direction, then shifting gears, but never abruptly or without inner logic. What begins as a male duet soon includes all five men, then the women joining in, with lots of comings and goings along the way. But Barton sustains a momentum and focus; nothing feels random or disconnected from the music.
One hesitates to use the word "charm" in connection with "Barbara," for fear of suggesting preciousness, which is nowhere to be found. But the way Barton incorporates standard, basic ballet steps -- an ensemble sequence of tendus, arabesques and lunges that begins one section, for instance -- evokes the daily pursuit of perfection of young dancers such as these, and the tone of unaffected innocence and easy camaraderie is especially suited to this youthful troupe. Amid the work's invigorating momentum and ever-shifting groupings, one discerns an impressive restraint and clarity or design. And Barton is that rare choreographer these days who knows how to bring a section, or a ballet to a close, rather than let in meander off vaguely and inconclusively.
"Barbara" is the initial work to be commissioned as part of the Altria/ABT Women's Choreography Project, through which an additional female choreographer will create works for ABT in each of the next two years. (There is also an ongoing mentoring component for female dancers interested in trying choreography) It certainly gets the project off to an impressive start.
The other premiere, "slokas," happened to also be by a woman, Lauri Stallings. It is a serious, often striking work that somehow keeps the viewer at a distance, and did not succeed in allowing the dancers emerge as distinctively as Barton's work. At times it was overwhelmed by the portentous of its music -- a mix of Bach (an adagio for harpsichord and orchestra), Alexander Balanescu and Javier Navaratte, with much of it dominated by a steady, repetitive pulse. Slokas are Hindu prayerful verses that are chanted with the aim of achieving a steady and peaceful mind. There was nothing overtly devotional about the choreography, but it did sustain a purposeful seriousness.
Costumed in sleekly contemporary brick-red -- the women with bare legs and flesh-colored pointe shoes -- the dancers engaged in lots of angular, closely entwined partnering. The work was initially intriguing, despite its somewhat generic, stretchy post-Forsythe look, but got bogged down once duets became the main focus. Often, what was happening on stage felt inorganic and clinical, with some downright ungainly moments of connection. An exception was a duet for Sae Eun Park and José Sebastian which managed to be quietly evocative despite its bombastic music. At the end, she slipped away from their close, interlocking maneuvers, jogged off, and left him with his arms held in an empty embrace.
Park was the program's heroine, appearing in all four works. A first prize winner at the 2007 Prix de Lausanne, she has scintillating technique but her manner of performing is gently persuasive, never pushy. She brought decorous charm to the flashy tricks of the "Don Quixote" Pas de Deux that she performed with Sebastian, a long-legged dancer with his own impressive technical flair, tempered by an amiable boyishness. Her poise, warmth and creamy pirouettes offered much to admire, and her fouettés in the coda were remarkable, not only for the way she stayed mostly rooted in place, but for the easy, unforced variations -- doubles, a triple, hand on waist, arm raised -- she tossed in.
Learning the Act III sections of "Raymonda" that were staged for them by Irina Kolpakova must have been an invaluable experience for these young classical dancers. They are clearly still processing and incorporating the lessons of style and phrasing with which she has presented them here, and at times they looked somewhat stiff or snapped into positions abruptly. Certainly with time and experience they will allow such precise classical dancing to flow more naturally, but they already have absorbed the inherently noble refined bearing and precise footwork. Mara Thompson, despite a pasted-on smile, brought charm to her variation, and April Giangerruso evoked an air of mystery in her unfamiliar variation with a flowing white scarf. She uses her head and gaze with an innate beauty that cannot be taught, and her epaulement throughout was lovely.
Kaia Annika, as Raymonda, made the hand clap that launches her Hungarian-flavored solo audible, rather than just a gesture, and danced with admirable expansiveness and authority. Joseph Gorak was her elegant and dynamic partner. He is already quite the danseur noble, with impressive technical command and buoyant elevation. No doubt he, and many of the others, will be gracing larger stages before too long.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor:
Sae Eun Park and José Sebastian in "Barbara"
