Miami City Ballet
"Fanfare," "Bugaku," "Theme and Variations."
Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts
Naples, Florida
February 15 and 16, 2011
by Tom Phillips
copyright 2011 by Tom Phillips
“Flower and plant have no conscious will,” wrote Samuel Beckett of Proust’s representation of sexuality. “They are shameless, exposing their genitals.” I thought of this while mesmerized by Haiyan Wu and Isanusi Garcia–Rodriguez performing Balanchine’s “Bugaku.” Like stamen and pistil, they were drawn inexorably to each other, then crushed together by a force beyond them. Wu indeed was shameless, splaying her crotch at the climactic moment, yet at the same time impersonal and demure as a daffodil. You don’t have to be Asian to dance “Bugaku,” but it probably helps. The Chinese-born Wu brought a delicacy and calm to this ceremony that I have never seen from a western dancer. And she brought out the brilliant hybrid nature of this 1963 creation – bold classic ballet steps wedded with the turned-in, half-hidden gestures of eastern dance.
"Bugaku” was the centerpiece of Miami City Ballet’s second program in Naples, another of Edward Villella’s festivals invoking the glory days of New York City Ballet. And it’s the company as well as the repertory that recalls those days. From principals to apprentices, Villella has put together an ensemble that comes to dance, and looks stronger than ever in the corps and soloist ranks that make the neo-classical repertory fly. We got a good look at the whole high-spirited bunch in a program that built from Broadway buffoonery to Russian grandeur.
Robbins’ “Fanfare” was the curtain-raiser, a bit rocky as the Naples Philharmonic didn’t seem quite up to speed on this orchestral showcase. But the dancing sparkled in many spots: Sara and Leigh-Ann Esty as fluttering twin flutes; Amanda Weingarten as the sprightly oboe; Stephen Satterfield and Marc Spielberger as full-bodied, mock-solemn bassoons. My favorite though was a serene series of low and intermediate lifts by the violas, Didier Bramaz and Tricia Albertson. They embodied the instrument’s unique ability to soar in the middle range.
“Theme and Variations” made a glittering classical finale, with Albertson and Renato Penteado in the lead roles. The principals were nearly outshined, though, by a dazzling quartet of demi-soloists: Ashley Knox, Zoe Zien, Sara Esty and Jennifer Lauren. They seemed delighted by the escalating challenges of Balanchine’s choreography, and finished with an air of exhilarated triumph.
Miami City Ballet is marking its 25th anniversary with a trip to Paris for three weeks in July, its first tour abroad in more than a decade. Bringing classical ballet back to its original home in 21st-century style, they could be the talk of the town.
Copyright 2011 by Tom Phillips