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Tackling Tradition

"Le Corsaire"
The Washington Ballet
Eisenhower Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
April 7, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Give them A for effort. Even the ablest, bigest and least poor of ballet companies struggles with "Le Corsaire". It is an antique with a contrived story, cardboard characters, tricky staging, compiled music and lots of demanding dance. Because the dance can charm, thrill and on occasion be sublime, audiences want to keep seeing "Le Corsaire" and dancers want the challenge of tackling its diverse roles. For this new production the Washington Ballet managed the finite resources it has cleverly. The results include some triumphs, some disappointments and much venting of energy. Nothing was disastrous. A lot was learned. On stage, two stars emerged - Kara Cooper and Brooklyn Mack. Behind the scenes, the lodestar was Anna-Marie Holmes who pulled the performances, choreography and music together.  

Black, White and Blush

"Monumentum", "Movements", "Duo Concertant", "Apollo", "Symphony in 3 Movements"
New York City Ballet & Orchestra
Opera House, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
April 5, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Lots of latecomers to opening night of New York City Ballet's week of Balanchine's "black and white" choreographies due to halted traffic near the State Department! Washington is a diplomatic town which takes the comings and goings of dignitaries in stride, so the curtains parted just a little late. Empty seats filled quickly during the brief pauses following the first couple of ballets. How diplomatic, though, was it to start with "Monumentum" and "Movements", a pairing that's also performed by the Kennedy Center's own Suzanne Farrell Ballet? Specially featured in "Duo Concertant" and "Apollo" were new casts. It was ultimately "Symphony in 3 Movements" - with its trio of ballerina bathing suits each a blossom in a different shade of pink, its white clad and pony tailed female corps gnashing to go, its men in their white tops and black tights looking strong and Stravinsky's biggest score that night sounding grandiose as played by the company's own orchestra - which left not the slightest doubt about the New Yorkers' excellence.   

Different Chip

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble
Lincoln Theater
Washington, DC
March 25, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

We have been waiting a while for the rebirth of Dance Theatre of Harlem as a ballet company of international stature. The DTH Ensemble isn't intended to be that. What the group's directors, Virginia Johnson (artistically responsible for all DTH activities from training to performing) and Keith Saunders (specifically in charge of the Ensemble), must have wanted with this first program was a step in the right direction. How right was it?

The Human Complaint

"Brief Encounters", "Three Dubious Memories", "Also Playing"
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Eisenhower Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
March 24, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Can one cut Paul Taylor up into three parts - teller of tales, dance maker and music user? No artist is ultimately divisible, but let me try temporarily in respect to the three pieces his company brought to
Washington. As author, he likes to juxtapose horseplay, slapstick and the sly, the subtle. His choreography has substance - it is flexibly tenacious like top notch cotton. Dancers can wear the movement comfortably, and the company's current crop does so with a distinctly sexy elegance and ease. Music is approached practically. Taylor appreciates the support it gives his stories and dances - it is there to serve. Do the Taylor stories and movement, though, make a point?

Meant for One or Several?

"Chaturanga"
Sharmila Biswas's Odissi Vision and Movement Centre
Eisenhower Theater
The Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
Washington, DC
March 14, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

This festival has featured the Indian classical  dance of soloists more than that of groups. What soloists! Week 3, though, began with an Odissi company. Is the tradition as suited to corps dancing as to that of individuals?

India: from Diverse Puppetry to Dancing which has a Dab of Paris

"Images of Truth"
The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust
Eisenhower Theater
The Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
March 12, 2011 at 6 PM

Shantala Shivalingappa's "Swayambhu"
Terrace Theater
The Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
March 12, 2011 at 7:30 PM

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Puppets can mimic human behavior in astonishing ways, or make it seem trivial. Fine dancing can combine techniques, but how do India's fragrances and Paris's perfumes mix? Among the Maximum India festival's presentations Saturday were two dance performances - one of puppetry and the other  of Kuchipudi classicism.

Passionate Minimalist

Malavika Sarukkai's "Energies Auspicious & Fearsome"
Terrace Theater
The Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
Washington, DC
March 10, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Malavika Sarukkai dares to use one arm rotating, one foot stamping or to stand perfectly still. The rotation is radical for Bharata Natyam styling but pure. Her foot's impact on the floor symbolizes dance's power. Her stance is a testament to classicism's endurance. Having reduced technique to minima, she'll splurge on a feast - full portions of footwork patter, arm assertions and torso postures that are fluted, folded or proudly straight. The thematic of Sarukkai's choreography is mainstream Indian - about creative divinities and their epic battles - yet its manifestations in space and time - square formations, circles, serene centers and infinitely many melodic rhythms - are universal and, yes, personal.

Tradition & Change

3 Dance Companies: Tanusree Shankar, Dakshina / Daniel Phoenix Singh, Ragmala
Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
Washington, DC
March 9, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Intriguing instances of change in India's dance traditions were on display Wednesday at the Kennedy Center. Looking at Tanusree Shankar's choreography was like opening a time capsule from British colonial days. Daniel Phoenix Singh, a diaspora choreographer, deliberately and perhaps instinctively senses Western ways. Ragamala Dance, a diaspora company directed by Ramee and Aparna Ramaswamy, has evolved just as it might have at home in India - from within the artform. 

Some Sorts of Serpents

Kalbelia - Dance of the Snake Charmers
Gulabo Sapera & Party
Millennium Stage North
Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
March 8, 2011 at 6 PM

"Sarpagati - Way of the Serpent"
Daksha Sheth Dance Company
Terrace Theater
Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
March 8, 2011 at 7:30PM

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Sapera's dozen - they dance, make music and do stunts - would get attention anywhere. In India I could see them setting up their acts in a busy market square and putting a damper on commerce. At the Kennedy Center they drew an overflow crowd into the north foyer and held everyone. Even the standees seemed ready to last hours because the Party was having such fun doing the entertaining. Much of the music, made by five men and a boy, was percussive - pleasantly so and with pulse. There was, too, a type of windpipe played with virtuosity. Most of the dancing and singing was done by five women and a girl who were colorfully gowned but one man was a singer too and another, Sapera, and the boy also danced. At first I could see no snakes. 

The Forgetful Prince

"Shakunthalam", a Dance Drama
The Natayalakshana Company
Eisenhower Theater 
Kennedy Center's Maximum India Festival
Washington, DC
March 7, 2011 

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Legends of the forgetful prince linger in the IndoEuropean imagination. "Shakuntalam", like "Swan Lake", is ostensibly about a princess under a curse. Yet at the core of these yarns is the enigma of the young man who can not clearly remember who it is he loves. In "Swan Lake" the prince mistakes a pernicious impostor for the pure princess to whom he promised to be true. In "Shakunthalam", the  prince fails to recognize the very woman who first aroused his ardor. Why?