"La Source," "The Lady with the Little Dog," The Concert"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, N.Y.
June 17, 2010
By Carol Pardo
Copyright ©2010 by Carol Pardo
Almost ten years ago, Ashley Bouder made her debut in the soloist role in Balanchine’s "La Source," sweeping away the cobwebs that had threatened this lavender-scented homage to nineteenth century French ballet. Now she’s moved up and into the lead role, made for Violette Verdy in 1968. Bouder brought to this new assignment her impregnable technique and dance intelligence that knows each ballet is a different world. Here, she places her head and upper body very cleanly and carefully, particularly at the end of each solo, where Balanchine turns placement into a final witty flourish. Only the cozy flirtatiousness woven into the piece made her uncomfortable, but if other first performances are anything to go by, Bouder will find her way into it in subsequent performances, from the second on.
Her cavalier, Gonzalo Garcia, was also dancing "La Source" for the first time. Hours before the performance, the announcement went out that he would step in, ten days before his scheduled debut, for Benjamin Millepied. Garcia has the ballon for the part; his jumps hang deliciously in the air. With more time to prepare, he should grow accustomed to the speed required, and both dancers will grow more at ease with the the ballet's complex parthering. Balanchine made the "La Source" to teach John Prinz the demands of being a danseur noble, with a Gallic twist. Balanchine didn’t pull any punches. Nor did he leave anything out. The role is a killer.
Ana Sophia Scheller had the unenviable task, in yet another debut, of dancing the soloist role with memories of Bouder’s debut a decade before still hanging over the stage. Scheller can do anything. Her technique never fails her, but it doesn’t bring her joy either. Or so it has seemed until this season. She was unusually relaxed in a performance of "Divertimento No. 15". Here, she was not only doing all the steps, but smiling too. One hopes that the tension which has hemmed her in, like a student afraid to blot his copybook, is falling away.
The youth and enthusiasm of the eight members of the ensemble, all apprentices, also contributed to making "La Source" shine. Now if only the company would recostume the ballet. The ballerina’s mauve and pink costume has been refurbished with extra glitter in the skirt. It shines distractingly, candied rose petals and violets awash in too much sugar. The cavalier’s costume is a mix of apricot, melon and rust. Put the two together, as must happen, and the eyeballs boggle.
The evening continued with Alexey Miroshnichenko’s "The Lady with the Little Dog." The ballet is at its best in the first pas de deux in which the adulterous couple meets and succumbs to a growing mutual attraction. Thereafter the onstage stripping and dressing again becomes repetitive and confusing, and the ballet too long.
"The Concert" never seems long enough: no opportunity to laugh ever is. Maria Kowroski lent her Kewpie doll face and well-honed gift for comedy to the performance. Andrew Veyette, fresh from the male lead in "The Lady with the Little Dog" switched gears adroitly to become a middle-aged lecher. The timing of the performance as a whole still needs to be tweaked (though Kowroski knows that the shorter the death scene, the funnier it is). But Robbins’ accomplishment, making a ballet that is both witty and funny still comes through.