danceviewtimes

Almost A Waltz

"Romance of the West Chamber"
Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre
Terrace Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
September 29, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

A romantic comedy of remarkable charm is what I saw and heard. Each performer on the stage of a Chinese opera must posses movement skills as well as voice and character. These the cast unquestionably had. Quite accessible to the Western ear compared to the more familiar, shriller Peking operas, "Romance" is an example of the Kunqu style which seems not as grandiose yet isn't a whit less refined. I can't relate much else about this style in general, other than that it is ancient, because the Kennedy Center's printed program proved to be uninformative, referring its readers to beikun.com - a website in Chinese. Alternate sources tell more but not all one wants to know about Kunqu opera. Perhaps, though, the 140 minutes of highly civilized entertainment "Romance" provides and the afterthoughts it prompts about human behavior ought to suffice.    

New Recruits

"Apollo," "The Four Temperaments," "Union Jack"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
September 23, 2011

By Carol Pardo
Copyright ©2011 by Carol Pardo

Balanchine’s "Union Jack" is a goulash of anglophilia full of contrasts and contradictions, in its premise, form and emotional take-away. It  veers from the funny and witty to the astonishing and moving. It can make you want to laugh and cry.

How To Make Art

"i like penises: a little something in 24 acts"
Kimberly Bartosik/daela
FIAF: Crossing the Line 2011
Danspace
New York, NY
September 23, 2011

By Martha Sherman
Copyright © 2011 by Martha Sherman

Kimberly Bartosik cloaked robust dance and art-making in piles of junk and a provocative title, but “i like penises: a little something in 24 acts” wasn’t as trivial as the title claimed. Set at Danspace as part of FIAF’s Crossing the Line 2011 Festival, the rapidly played acts slid from one to another. Three disciplined dancers and a graphic artist partner moved in and out of rapid solos and groupings in movement that was much more than a little something. For the record, the title was a red herring, and there was not a penis in sight.

More Rooms

"Rooms"
Limón Dance Company
Borden Auditorium
Manhattan School of Music
New York, NY
September 26, 2011

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2011 by Mary Cargill

Fusionworks, "a collaborative/interactive roster of artists", sponsored a performance by the Limón Dance Company to live music of Anna Sokolow's harrowing 1955 work "Rooms".  This was recently revived by the Limón company in honor of Sokolow's centenary, but it is hard to understand needing a hook to perform it, and the combination of the vivid, committed performances with the Manhattan School's Chamber Jazz Ensemble was simply shattering.  According to the program information, "Rooms" was one of the first works to use serious jazz and to use chairs as props.  These are fairly old hat by now, and often seem trite, but this abstract yet personal investigation of urban loneliness is timeless.

To Appear Sincere

"The Red Detachment of Women" Excerpts, "Swan Lake" Act 2, "The Yellow River" 
The National Ballet of China
Eisenhower Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
September 22, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson

Determination to do things right technically and spiritually showed in the company's performance. Whether the ballet was a Western classic ("Swan Lake") or a Mme. Mao heirloom ("The Red Detachment of Women") or a logo for today's communal capitalism ("The Yellow River"), these precisely trained dancers wanted to appear sincere. I fell in love them the last time they were here because they not only tried but triumphantly brought their ballets ("Giselle" Act 2 and "Raise the Red Lantern") to life. That didn't happen consistently this time, at least not on opening night. Still, there was much to admire. 

They Love Him

"Ocean's Kingdom"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 22, 2011

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2011 by Mary Cargill

Paul McCartney, that is, who in a blaze of publicity, dominated the New York City Ballet's fall gala as the composer and librettist of the new ballet.  Had his name been Paul McGillicuddy, the company probably would not have spent $800,000 to produce his ballet, and he wouldn't have been greeted with the echoes of nearly fifty year old squeals, but I suspect that any choreographer would have jumped at the opportunity to use the music. After all, melodic, atmospheric, rhythmic, vivid and danceable scores don't turn up everyday.  There were apparent nods throughout the score to other composers--Debussey in the misty overture, Stravinsky in the knotty music for the bad guys, and even Tchaikovsky in the mini-apotheosis, but it has lovely melodies and distinctive rhythms, and was both clear and enjoyable.  The evening opened with the orchestra rising to ground level to give a "see the music" tour of the new score.  The conductor, Fayçal Karoui, introduced the excerpts, and spoke eloquently about their beauty; he did seem genuinely thrilled to play the score, and the audience seemed genuinely delighted with it.

Howling at the Moon

"Black Moon (La Lune Noir)"
Monstah Black and Major Andres Scurlock
Dance New Amsterdam
New York, NY
September 16, 2011

By Martha Sherman
Copyright © 2011 by Martha Sherman

Something about a black moon just doesn’t feel right – that luminous disk in the night sky is supposed to be white. Watching the world premiere of “Black Moon (La Lune Noir,)” you imagine that’s a feeling that black men have had in America for a long time – a world of contradictions, in which many things are just not right. Choreographer/performer Monstah Black and composer Major Andres Scurlock have created a “phunk fusion cabaret operetta” that is an artists’ mash-up of song, rhythm, poetry, movement and film, more an atmosphere than a story, about the African-American male experience.

Back to the Source

"Episodes," "Apollo," "The Four Temperaments"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 16, 2011

By Michael Popkin
Copyright 2011 by Michael Popkin

In the midst of six performances of Peter Martins' "Swan Lake" New York City Ballet went back to its source Friday night.  A welcome program of Balanchine's black and white ballets included a number of important debuts.  Robert Fairchild's first New York performance of "Apollo" was a highlight; the ballet continued to be danced as brilliantly as in the spring.  "Episodes" and "The Four Temperaments" got more uneven performances, with some sections better than others.  No matter - serious art was back in the house and ballets that are legitimate masterworks were performed with all or at least a fair degree of their natural power.  The evening elevated human experience instead of depressing it and what more can you ask of a night at the theater?

Richmond Cares

"Who Cares?" preceded by "Pas Glazunov" & excerpts from "Apollo" & "Nuevo Tango"
A Tribute to Igor Antonov
Richmond Ballet
Studio Theater of the Richmond Ballet
Richmond, Virginia
September 10, 2011

by George Jackson
copyright 2011 by George Jackson 

Igor Antonov's career as a danseur began in the Ukraine, is concluding in Virginia and has included considerable years in Germany. Trained in the Soviet Union's Vaganova curriculum at Kiev, Antonov won fans dancing for companies he joined - Donetsk Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Duesseldorf Ballet and again Richmond - as well as for companies that invited him to guest. His director at Richmond, Stoner Winslett, decided to start her 2011/12 season with a pair* of programs that are retrospectives of Antonov's choice roles. Initially the idea seems to have been to cast him in a different one or two of these parts at each performance during the September 8 to 18 run. However, Antonov demurred and chose instead to say goodbye in the same work on each occasion - George Balanchine's "Who Cares?". It pleases him to see the company's younger men, whom he has helped to rehearse and coach, do the other dancing. 

Balanchine, Forsythe, Kylián and Spoerli open the new season

"4 Choreographies"
Zurich Ballet
Zurich Opera House
Zurich, Switzerland
September 2, 2011
 
by  Horst Koegler
copyright 2011 by Horst Koegler
 
"4 Choreographies” announced  the advertisement for the opening of the Zurich Ballet´of the 2011/12 season.  Hardly very appetizing fare, it seemed. And yet an ambitious start, its four authors including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylián  and Heinz Spoerli, artistic director and chief-choreographer of the company.

And there was more to it. For Balanchine, the master, and Forsythe, than a strapping teenager who had just started his carrer as  a dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet,  had been the first colleagues who Spoerli had invited to Basle, Switzerland, his home-town where he had been appointed ballet director in 1973, then a youngster of 33 years, after his apprentice years in Basle, Cologne, Winnipeg, Montréal  and Geneve.