copyright © 2010 by Leigh Witchel
- “Donizetti Variations,” “Scotch Symphony” New York City Ballet
- “Mirage” New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
June 17, 2010
When Ashley Bouder first attempts a new role she often overwhelms it; selling it hard and adding shading later. She had made her debut in “Donizetti Variations” a few days before this performance, and the ballet can handle this approach. Bouder looks good in the role. Her interpretation has wit, but it’s more about force. “Donizetti” lets her to do crazy “Russian” pas de chats with her legs shooting up to her shoulder, acting like she does them every day while walking her dog.
Andrew Veyette was charming and amiable as her partner, but danced with unpointed feet and unstretched knees and he’s not strong enough a technician to get by on charm. Bouder also blew one or two turns, but she recovers so quickly without any loss of poise that you have to watch for mistakes to catch them.
In “Scotch Symphony” Georgina Pazcoguin got her second shot leading the first movement. Again, it’s a good role for her. Her performance was extroverted and energetic. She’s already shown her gifts in acting roles, and can use the challenge and stamina this part brings.
Kathryn Morgan led the ballet; both Pazcoguin and Morgan have glamour as well as technique. A gamine heroine, Morgan also has a gift for full phrasing. She never dances individual steps; she always dances the full sequence. For her the frontier is taming her extremities: she’s lovely, but floppy. As it did with Maria Kowroski, age will ameliorate this.
Like Pazcoguin, Morgan is a talented actress. Dancing with Robert Fairchild, all the moment to moment details are there. What remains unanswered is a sense of the greater arc of the character. Is this a woman, a sylph, or both at different times? For Morgan, the answer seems plain and simple, and maybe she’s right: the character is always a ballerina.
“Mirage”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
June 23, 2010
Of the five sets Santiago Calatrava created for the Architecture of Dance festival, two were painted drops designed in consultation with the choreographers. But the splashiest works, three sculptural creations, were already conceived when the choreographers, Benjamin Millepied, Mauro Bigonzetti and Peter Martins, started to work.
Millepied’s cool, modern set was a jarring contrast to his neo-Gothic ballet. Bigonzetti’s set hung safely out of the way, and the handsome golden discs would have suited any number of dances. Martins worked with the possibilities of his set, and made a dance that suited it.
What he had to work with was a mobile banded structure. It began as a double arch on the ground. After that, it slowly raised and formed an entry and pathway for the dancers. As the ballet went on and the halves hinged together to form a circle, and it tilted and moved into other shapes.The festival happened through Martins’ instigation, and he seemed to be working harder as a choreographer than he has in a while. You sensed the effort to not take the path of least resistance. The ballet looks like his work, but not just like his work.
Anthony Huxley, a young, short, corps dancer who is getting some featured roles, has even more effect. Many of the dancers Martins has cast move their torsos as a unit; certain ballet steps require it. Huxley has a mobile torso and a flexible center, and it makes the choreography look different than usual by loosening it.
Morgan was once again paired with Fairchild, though at the last minute. A casting change had Fairchild doing the premiere instead of Chase Finlay. No reason was given. Fairchild handled the complicated partnering with security; Morgan’s used to working with him. Huxley was working with Erica Pereira who was throwing herself around and looked winded.
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s atmospheric violin concerto offered a moody, half-hour score without an easy structure for dancing, but the haunting Nordic moods complement Martins’ choreography. Mark Stanley’s lighting was surefooted as usual, until the colored lights at the end – a cheesy touch.
“Mirage” is too long, and though it has some of Martins’ hobby horses in it, it was one of the better ballets in the festival. Along with Alexei Ratmansky’s “Namouna,” it bears repeated viewing.
copyright © 2010 by Leigh Witchel
Photos by Paul Kolnik
Top: Robert Fairchild and Kathryn Morgan in “Mirage”Bottom: Jennie Somogyi and Jared Angle in “Mirage”
