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Where's the Ballet?

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: "Red Sweet" (Jorma Elo/Vivaldi, Heinrich Igniaz Biber)
Tulsa Ballet: "Por Vos Muero" (Nacho Duato/Old Spanish Music)
The Joffrey Ballet:  "Age of Innocence" (Edwaard Liang/Philip Glass and Thomas Newman)
Ballet Across America, Program III
J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
June 18, 2010

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2010 by Alexandra Tomalonis


The three days of Ballet Across America gave us a chance to see what nine very different companies were dancing in 2010, and the answer seems to be: not much ballet. This has been an issue for some years now. Some artistic directors and choreographers used to say, "But we are doing ballet!" That didn't work, so now one is more likely to hear that ballet is of a former time and this is the dance of our time (nice try) or "It doesn't matter what it's called as long it's good," which could be a point if the works were actually good. But the fact remains that people expect to see what they buy a ticket to see, and, just as when one goes to a modern dance festival or Hip Hop Night one does not expect to see "Agon" or "Lilac Garden", when one goes to something called "ballet" one expects to see ballet. Friday night was mostly contemporary dance night at Ballet Across America, and, from what I overheard as I roamed around at intermission, I was not the only one baffled at how little ballet was on view. What's going on out there across America?

"Spartacus" Resurrected

"Spartacus"
The Bolshoi Ballet
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.  20010
February 16, 2010

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2010 by Alexandra Tomalonis

There aren't many ballets with war, or political revolution, as their subject, and even fewer that glorify war. There is August Bournonville's "Valdemar," nearly 200 years ago, with battle scenes so realistic that it is said generals studied them, but that's about it. You'd have to go back to the 18th century to see men dancing in military formations. And then there's Yuri Grigorovich's "Spartacus," once the calling card of the Bolshoi Ballet during the late 1960s and '70s. The full ballet was last danced here in 1974. The second act served as the centerpiece of one of those wonderful Highlights Programs in the 1980s, and the work looked down at heel. It seemed of its time -- the Cold War -- and its time had passed.

ABT's Birthday Offerings

"Birthday Offering," "Seven Sonatas," "The Brahms-Haydn Variations"
American Ballet Theatre
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
January 26 and 27, 2010

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2010 by Alexandra Tomalonis

On January 11, 1940, Ballet Theatre danced its first performance. Its week-long Kennedy Center appearance, then, was a few days past its 70th birthday, a notable achievement (and the company was looking quite young and strong). ABT didn't make much of the birthday, but I think a toast is in order, and a thank you for performing at the Kennedy Center so consistently, and for bringing such an interesting and substantive triple bill: Frederick Ashton's celebration for his company's birthday (its 25th),  a rich new work by resident choreographer Alexander Ratmansky, and Twyla Tharp's "The Brahms-Haydn Variations," which, if not on the same level as the other two works, is a good company showpiece.

Three Master Works

"Mozartiana," "Dances at a Gathering," and "Stravinsky Violin Concerto"
New York City Ballet
Opera House
J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
December 9, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

There was a palpable buzz outside the Opera House Wednesday night for the opening of the Kennedy Center's ballet season (all due respect to Pennsylvania Ballet's "Nutcracker" over Thanksgiving). The people I talked to and overheard were excited about the ballets, especially "Dances at a Gathering," which we don't often have a chance to see, but also the program as a whole. "Not a clunker on it!" I heard behind me, and the fellow was right. This was one of the strongest programs we've had in recent years (up there with the last two Royal Ballet programs) and certainly the strongest from New York City Ballet. That the company could give us so rich a season while it was dancing "Nutcracker" back home at the same time is remarkable, and it was also good to see the company at the beginning of its season rather than at the end.

Pennsylvania Ballet's "Nutcracker" at the Kennedy Center

"The Nutcracker"
Pennsylvania Ballet
Opera House
J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
November 24, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright © 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

Is the quest over? The Kennedy Center has been trying for several years to find a "Nutcracker" that suits the house, and with the Pennsylvania Ballet's production of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker," it may have finally found the right one. The costumes and sets are lovely, there's plenty of magic for the children and dancing for the fans. Best of all, if this is your first "Nutcracker" you might actually want to come back and see more ballet!

Balancing Act

"Don Quixote"
Washington Ballet
Eisenhower Theater
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
October 15, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

Marius Petipa's "Don Quixote" is a complex, messy ballet of mixed lineage. It was made for the Bolshoi, which explains its emphasis on character dancing and liveliness; then transferred to the Maryinsky Ballet, where the second act dream sequence was added to appeal to the taste of the St. Petersburg balletomanes; then redone again, at the Bolshoi, by Alexander Gorsky, whose production was geared more to popular taste and a new century. Every production since has had bits and pieces of this and that, so in a way, it's a good 19th century work for a small company to try; there's no standard text, no Swans or Shades. In any "Don Q," though, there needs to be a convincing Spanish flavor, a mix of character and bravura classical dancing, and (most difficult of all) enough good character dancers to handle the many acting parts that are difficult for today's dancers to manage convincingly.

From Rags to Riches, and a Swamp; the Royal Ballet's "Manon"

"Manon"
The Royal Ballet
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
June 23, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

 If the Royal Ballet has a signature work these days, it surely must be "Manon," MacMillan's 18th century retelling of the greedy courtesan who must choose between love and riches, and makes all the right choices at the wrong times. The staging is by the company's director, Monica Mason, and exhibits an admirable attention to detail. The company obviously still believes in the ballet, which is beloved by many fans. I'm one of those who thinks, at best, it would be a good one-act ballet. It has some very nice pas de deux and a lot of filler, but the opening cast -- Tamara Rojo as Manon and Carlos Acosta as Des Grieux, the young student who loves her -- danced with such passion and commitment that they transcended the filler.

Identity Matters

"Chroma," "A Month in the Country," "DGV: Danse a Grand Vitesse"
The Royal Ballet
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
June 23, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

The Royal Ballet is becoming an almost-frequent visitor again (another gift of Michael Kaiser's direction), but even though we're seeing them once every two years or so, it's hard to take the company's measure on the basis of two programs danced in a single week. The company opened this time with a curious triple bill, two nearly-new pieces and one masterpiece that should be a company treasure. The two new works, to rather similar highly percussive scores, made Ashton's "A Month in the Country" seem an uneasy companion rather than a ballet that should show the company at its best, and made me wonder who is the Royal Ballet today?

Pirates, Flowers and Dancing Girls

"Le Corsaire"
Bolshoi Ballet
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
June 17, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

 Like many of the few surviving 19th century ballets, "Le Corsaire" has had many lives. Inspired by a poem by Byron, born in France (1856) as a vehicle for Carolina Rosati with choreography by Joseph Mazilier and a score by Adolphe Adam, "Le Corsaire made its way to St. Petersburg shortly thereafter, where first Jules Perrot, then Marius Petipa, staged several versions. The production that the Bolshoi Ballet is presenting this week is based on Petipa's last version, from 1899. The sets (by Boris Kaminsky) and costumes (by Yelena Zaitseva), are based on the 1899 designs, and are gorgeous. The corsairs (pirates) are dressed in Greek costumes -- white shirts and skirts over dark red trousers and boots; the women's dresses in the character dances are not only beautifully designed but have flow, and their tutus, especially in the Jardin Animé scene, manage to look old-fashioned without being fussy, and eminently danceable. It's a beautiful production, and the company dances it with a zest and confidence that makes you love them.

3 Epitaphs

"De Suenos (of dreams)", "De Suenos Que Se Repiten (of recurring dreams)" and "Beloved Renegade"
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Eisenhower Theater
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
March 27, 2009

by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2009 by Alexandra Tomalonis

Paul Taylor's latest masterpiece, the most recent in a very long line of masterpieces, is "Beloved Renegade," set to Poulenc's requiem, "Gloria" (the same score Kenneth MacMillan used for his ballet of that name). Taylor has choreographed requiems before, and this one reminded me of past dances, especially "Esplanade" and "Roses." I've always seen "Esplanade" as Taylor's farewell to his own career as a dancer; "Roses" was dedicated to Edwin Denby, then recently deceased; and "Beloved Renegade" was commissioned to the memory of James Harper Marshall by his wife and daughter.