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New Horizons

"Company", "Tower"
Mazzini Dance Collective
Roulette
Brooklyn, New York
October 16, 2013

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2013 by Mary Cargill

The Mazzini Dance Collective performed as part of a program of new music presented by the American Modern Ensemble.  (Annmaria Mazzini is the ensemble's choreographer-in-residence.)  This group, as the affable introduction explained, presents "adventurous modern music".  Not too adventurous, though, as the works all had rhythm and structure. The first half was all music, featuring an eclectic group of instruments--xylophone, cello, piano, augmented by a violin and a flute.  Live music, as the hostess pointed out, is a rare luxury for many dance companies (including, sadly, Mazzini's former company, Paul Taylor) and the performance showed clearly why the connection of the two arts is so vital.

Potomac Pantry

Velocity DC Dance Festival - Program 2
Forum, Lobby & Main Stage of Harman Hall
Washington, DC
October 12, 2013 at 6:30, 7:15 & 8 PM
 
by George Jackson
copyright 2013 by George Jackson
 
No question about variety and lots to see. But was there enough of any one thing for the audience to sink its teeth into? Yes, Anna Menendez’s flamenco made itself felt like the earth’s force of gravity. Our eyes became meteors, pulled from wayward paths into her relentless orbit and set aglow. In just about a minute her volley of sole stepping, heel stamping and toe tapping generated dancing that had substance, form, feeling and meaning. Essential was the contrast between Menendez’s upper body that ranged proudly yet pliantly above the flashing, compelling footwork. A minute later, Menendez luxuriated in stretching and winding her torso, shoulders and arms and stepping surely, rather slowly, and thoughtfully to accompany a short passage of classical piano. Artistry is possible in the rush of Velocity!

Short Stories

"La Sonnambula", "The Prodigal Son", "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
October 9 and October 11, 2013

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2013 by Mary Cargill

"All Balanchine Short Stories" was the somewhat cumbersome name the marketing department came up with for the triple bill.  It is a bit misleading, since the ballets are really poetic examinations of events , not straightforward narratives.  Nor are they "all Balanchine" since in each case, he was assigned the music and the libretto. (This is perhaps why they work so well, since stories were not Balanchine's strong point.)  Stories are also not City Ballet's strong point, and none of the three works, despite some strong performances, had a consistent dramatic coherence.

I Know You’re Talking, But I Just Can’t Hear You.

"Sider"
The Forsythe Company
Brooklyn Academy of Music
New York, NY
October 9, 2013

By Leigh Witchel
Copyright © 2013 by Leigh Witchel

God forbid anyone should be able to understand a real artist. That seems to be what William Forsythe thinks, because his “Sider” – a 70 minute dance theater piece created last year investigating drama and language – is deliberately, maddeningly obscure.

Fall for Dance Festival — Program Two

"Vibhakta," "Selected Play," "Light Beings," "Gloria"
Nrityagram, 605 Collective, HeadSpaceDance, Dance Theatre of Harlem
New York City Center
September 27, 2013

by Kathleen O’Connell
copyright © 2013 by Kathleen O’Connell

One of the delights of a Fall for Dance performance is the audience. The packed house is alive with an infectious, happy buzz that’s as irresistible as champagne. The point of the festival is variety: it aims to hook everyone on something. And the crowd is open-minded in the best way: ready to take everything offered on its own terms and to have a good time. At the second program of five, they responded as warmly to the barefoot, silk-draped practitioners of Indian classical dance as they did to the ballerinas in chiffon and the contemporary troupe in street clothes and sneakers.

In Search of Fun

"Carnival of the Animals," "Jeu de Cartes," "The Four Seasons"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
October 6, 2013

By Carol Pardo
Copyright ©2013 by Carol Pardo

Programs once again have names at the New York City Ballet; and this one was "Just for Fun". No leotards, no atonal music, no strain--just sit back and relax. "It isn’t overly complex, just great fun and an easy watch." So says Christopher Wheeldon of his "Carnival of the Animals," last seen at the then New York State Theater nearly eight years ago.  Wheeldon’s summary places the work in this program but understates the skill and imagination required to blend music, plot, spoken text, movement, and characters (most of them animals to boot) all held together by a child dancer in the lead.

Sound and Sex

"SOUNDspace," "Mo(or)town/Redux,""Fratres,""The Rite of Spring."
Dorrance Dance, Doug Elkins Choreography, etc., The Royal Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company
Fall for Dance Festival, Program 4
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 2, 2013

By Leigh Witchel
Copyright © 2013 by Leigh Witchel

The fourth program in the exuberant onslaught of Fall for Dance started with a bang and ended with a gangbang. But from start to finish, it was also intelligently composed, diverse and emphasized strong choreography as well as performance.

The first two dances were abridged versions of works done at smaller venues. Michelle Dorrance revived her 75 minute tap work “SOUNDspace” excerpted to about one-third the length. The short version worked very well, achieving mass and scale while concentrating the structure.

Story Time

"The Arrogant King", "The Perfect King", "The Story of the Stories", "The Ascetic Prince", "The Trojan King"
Rajika Puri in Sutradhari Natyam
Ailey Citigroup Theater
New York, NY
October 6, 2013

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2013 by Mary Cargill

In the question and answer session after the performance, Rajika Puri explained that she is trying to be a bridge, to show her Western audience the meaning behind the stories her dances tell.  She sings her own lyrics, often in English, a convention, she said, not used in traditional performances, where the audience has grown up with the stories. As a Westerner, this makes the performances richer for me, though there is a nagging feeling that I will always watch from the outside, that the stories will inevitably be just stories, and not part of my culture.  However, art can be enjoyed on many levels, and the generosity, love, and beauty of the performance made the evening a joyful one.

Tipping Their Hats

"The Moor’s Pavane,""The Turn,""Sombrerísimo,""Symphonía India"
American Ballet Theatre, Colin Dunne, Ballet Hispanico, INTRODANS
Fall for Dance Festival, Program 3
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 1, 2013

By Martha Sherman
Copyright © 2013 by Martha Sherman

Fall for Dance demands variety: something – and something different – for everybody. In the third program of this tenth season, the festival offered dance from four countries: a world premiere, two U.S. premieres, and the return of a classic. The world premiere, Ballet Hispanico’s "Sombrerísimo," choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, was the highlight of a diverse and energized performance.

A World of Tastes - Fall for Dance, Program 1

“The Devil in the Detail,” “Esencia Tango,” “The Bright Motion,” Fé Do Sertào”
Richard Alston Dance Company; Gabriel Missé and Analia Centurión; Sara Mearns and Casey Herd; DanceBrazil
New York City Center
New York, New York
September 25, 2013

By Michael Popkin
Copyright 2013 © by Michael Popkin

For its 10th anniversary feast of low-cost dance for all, Fall for Dance, New York City Center’s annual smorgasbord, put a hearty geographical mix on the table.  Ranging from the nouvelle cuisine of contemporary British dance, to the rice and beans of Brazilian proletarian theater, the program stopped for snacks on the way: tango in Argentina and New York City for ballet. It was indeed mixed fare, serving every taste from lowbrow to high, but with something to please just about everyone.