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Classical Ballet Gloriously Alive

San Francisco Ballet
Program 3
"Variations for Two Couples," "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude," "Manifesto," "The Kingdom of the Shades"
War Memorial Opera House
San Francisco, CA
February 24, 2015

by Rita Felciano
copyright © Rita Felciano 2015

If anyone has doubts about the viability of Western dance's classical language, the four works that grace SFB's program 3 should convert even the most entrenched skeptic. It's not that these pieces -- the newest a world premiere, the oldest dating back to 1877 -- are flawless but that they grapple with a demanding vocabulary that yet is porous enough to let in fresh air. SFB rose to the challenge of pure, intricate and pristine dance with performances that were as disciplined as they were vibrant. A pleasure all the way around.

San Francisco Ballet in "Manifesto." Photo © Erik Tomasson 

 

School Figures

"Square Dance", "Harlequinade"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 25, 2015

by Mary Cargill 
copyright © 2015 by Mary Cargill

"Square Dance", Balanchine's witty salute to American folk dancing by way of European courts, is a dance of crisp and gracious symmetry gilding a warm center.  Erica Pereira, who danced the lead in the 2006 SAB performance, made her debut with the grownups. Her SAB version was meticulous, precise and uninflected, adjectives which, unfortunately, applied to her debut. She had an air of wispy eagerness and tended to give the steps the same emphasis, so that little insouciant leg flicks were delivered as strongly as the gargouillades. Technically she had few problems and the final footwork series was clear and sharp, but her dancing was one-dimensional and, with only a few glimpses at her partner, directed straight to the audience, like a student reciting lines.  

 Photo: Taylor Stanley in "Square Dance"; Photo © Paul Kolnik.

More is Less

“Sleepy Hollow”
The Washington Ballet
Eisenhower Theater

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Washington, D.C.
February 20, 2015
 
by Ashley McKean
copyright ©2015 by Ashley McKean

Washington Ballet’s “Sleepy Hollow”—the third segment in Septime Webre’s series of original ballets inspired by American literature— was as busy as a three-ring circus. A notable musical performance took place in the orchestra pit, where composer Matthew Pierce both conducted and performed (as a member of the orchestra) his original score, together with choristers from the Washington National Cathedral Choir. Another show was put on by the ever-changing multi-media sets designed by Hugh Landwehr and inspired by landscapes and portraiture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, complemented by life-size puppetry designed by Eric Van Wyk, dynamic lighting by Clifton Taylor, and plenty of eye-popping special effects. On top of all this, the dancers were tasked with conveying a complicated storyline based loosely on Washington Irving’s short stories. Although the production brimmed with creativity, the dizzying effect of all the embellishments was too much of a good thing, and I wondered if the concept underlying this ballet might have been better fit for a Broadway stage or a movie theater, where the dancing could comfortably take a backseat to the theatrics. Even so, moments of stellar dancing by the company’s ever-committed dancers offered respite throughout the evening.

The Washington Ballet in "Sleepy Hollow." Photo © Theo Kossenas

Balanchine Italian Style

"Square Dance", "Harlequinade"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 18, 2015

by Carol Pardo
Copyright ©2015 by Carol Pardo

The New York City Ballet is being exceptionally generous in its programming of works by George Balanchine during the 2014-2015 season. This, the third Balanchine program of the winter, also bears the moniker "Hear the Dance: Italy", a nod to the scores by Italian composers which underpin both "Square Dance" and "Harlequinade". The former, set to string works by Vivaldi and Corelli, has a lead couple backed by six more. The costumes are a few shades from inclusion on a "Balanchine Black and White" program, but share that aesthetic. The set is a blue cyclorama. "Harlequinade" sits at the other side of the spectrum. The sets evoke Pollack’s Toy Theatre, and like the corps costumes, their colors celebrate the invention of aniline dyes. There’s a cast of what seems like thousands, from young students of the School of American Ballet to senior dancers. Balanchine is looking back to the Russian Imperial Ballet of his childhood. Both ballets, however, demonstrate the durability of classicism. "Harlequinade" turned fifty weeks before this revival; "Square Dance" is eight years older.

Reborn to Play

Jack Ferver’s “Chambre”
American Dance Institute
Rockville, Maryland
February 20, 2015
 
by George Jackson
© 2015 by George Jackson
 
Those inaugurating the new bus service between the center of DC and ADI missed most of the pre-performance commentary on “Chambre” by choreographer-writer Jane Comfort. It had been a “champagne” ride out to Rockville through heavy rush hour traffic. The passengers sipped brut and played a guessing game to make time pass pleasantly. The only thing said about what we were going to see was that it would not be about pirouettes. True, because Jack Ferver plays with dance as much as he does with acting, stand-up comedy, drag, musicality, space and place. All these things seemed intended not for diversity’s or bravura’s sake but to make Jean Genet’s drama “The Maids (Les Bonnes)” as astonishing again as it had been when it was new in 1947. Ferver keeps the core of Genet’s plot and also the essence of each character. Expression, including language and mood, has been updated from post-World War 2 to today. This is Genet reborn.

Splashes of Cuban Spice

“Havana Rakatan” 
Ballet Rakatan 
New York City Center
New York, NY
February 18, 2015 

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2015 by Marianne Adams

Coming on the heels of the recent thaw in the U.S.- Cuban diplomatic relations (though not as its result), Cuba’s “Havana Rakatan” turned up the heat on the cold February night in New York with its dazzling United States debut. Composed of the Ballet Rakatan dance company and a son cubano music band Turquino which performed live onstage with the dancers, the performance presented over 500 years’ worth of Cuban dance and music, and an engaging look at this country’s unique history and culture.

Photo of Ballet Rakatan in “Havana Rakatan.”  Photo © Johannes Granseth

Treasure Chest

Program B: “Frontier,” “Steps in the Street,” “Lamentation Variations,” “Errand Into the Maze,” “Snow Falls in Winter,” “Echo”
Martha Graham, Michelle Dorrance, Liz Gerring, Bulareyaung Pagarlava, Annie-B Parson, Andonis Foniadakis
Martha Graham Company
Joyce Theater
New York, NY
February 17, 2015

by Martha Sherman
copyright © 2015 by Martha Sherman

It can’t be said that everything in Martha Graham’s canon holds up after almost 90 years, and the troupe has had its share of challenges since Graham’s death in 1991. But there wasn’t a miss in the second of several mixed program evenings at the Joyce, either in the crisp formal Graham treasures, or in the works created by several contemporary artists and set on the company. The intriguing mix of new work included several variations on Graham’s iconic “Lamentations,” and a new stage design by Frank Gehry for an older work, as well as an iconoclastic, witty dance theater offering by Annie-B Parson.

Photo: Ying Xin in “Echo.” Photo © Brigid Pierce.

A One-Night Stand to Remember

Nederlands Dans Theater 2
"I New Then," "Shutters Shut," "Sara," "Subject to Change"
Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco, CA
February 16, 2015

by Rita Felciano
copyright ©2015 Rita Felciano

Serendipity did its share to make the San Francisco debut of Nederlands Dans Theater 2, the junior member of the venerable institution now in the hands of long-time company members Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot, a pleasant evening of mostly appealing choreograph but above all high-quality performances. The concert became possible less than two months ago when the company found itself on hiatus between engagements in Portland and Los Angeles. City Dance, a local studio, bravely stepped into last-minute presenters' shoes. Unknown to them, by a stroke of luck the Dutch Consulate had also scheduled a "California - Netherlands Sustainability Summit" for the same week. So instead of just learning about Holland's physical ecology, participants got a glimpse at the country's cultural map. This large audience also helped fill the 1,000-seat theater, and they were willing to be entertained. NDT 2 delivered.

NDT 2 dancers in "Sara." photo copyright Rahi Rezvani.

 

Tales of the Danish Southwest

“Napoli”
Ballet Arizona
Symphony Hall
Phoenix, AZ
February 14-15, 2015

by Leigh Witchel
copyright © 2015 by Leigh Witchel

Bringing “Napoli” to America is at once a slam dunk and a hard sell. The choreography is magni- ficent, intricate in both content and form. But the libretto – with a medallion of the Madonna as a miraculous plot device – seems to hinge on superstitious and outdated beliefs. On top of that, the original Act 2 is lost. Later attempts were confused enough that it was nicknamed the “Brønnum” act – after the Copenhagen restaurant you’d visit to sit it out.

Nayon Iovino in “Napoli” Photo © by Alexander Iziliaev

Enduring Representations

“Satyric Festival Song,” “Embattled Garden,” “Lamentation Variations,” “Rust,” “Chronicle”
Martha Graham Dance Company
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
February 12, 2015

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2015 by Marianne Adams

Though the theme of Martha Graham Dance Company’s winter season was “Shape & Design,” Program A appeared to be more about history and the endurance of Martha Graham’s innovation and use of modern dance to convey a message. Following a short silent film by Peter Arnell which organized over 2,000 still photographs into what appeared to be a highly sophisticated video footage of distinctly Graham-style movement and which played as the audience was still getting to their seats, the evening’s program contained three original works by Graham, three “Lamentation Variations” inspired by Graham’s “Lamentation” piece, and a separate work created for the company by the Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato.

Photo of Natasha Diamond-Walker and Lloyd Knight in “Embattled Garden.”  Photo © by Brigid Pierce