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Naked in Illyria

“Jason,” “Ruins,” “Janet,” “Spirits of the Air,” “Dardanus Suite”
Christopher Williams (Douglas Dunn, guest)
92Y Buttenwieser Hall
New York, NY
June 28, 2015

by Leigh Witchel 
© 2015 by Leigh Witchel

If he wasn’t presenting an excerpt from an opera, Christopher Williams’ lush and theatrical dances always looked as if they were from an opera – but one with a buttload of male nudity. You couldn’t complain; he has good taste in naked men. Along with guest Douglas Dunn, he presented a program with a distinctive imagination.

Jason Collins and Janet Charleston in “Janet”

You Can’t Get a Mao with a Gun

“The Red Detachment of Women”
National Ballet of China
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
July 11, 2015

by Leigh Witchel
© 2015 by Leigh Witchel

“The Red Detachment of Women” may be the least subtle ballet ever, but it’s also the least boring. The ballet charges through its narrative with the speed and efficiency of a wind-up toy. There aren’t any kick lines; instead dancing soldierettes with rifles streak across the stage in split jetés. Misquoting the Gang of Four (the ‘80s band, not the political faction), the girls, we love to see them shoot.

Zhang Jian and Lu Di in “The Red Detachment of Women.” Photo © Stephanie Berger.

Antigona Flamenca

"Antigona"
Noche Flamenca
West Park Presbyterian Church
New York, New York
July 15, 2015

by Tom Phillips
copyright 2015 by Tom Phillips    

Whether to go along with the tyrant in power, or risk your life defying his whims, is the argument between two sisters – and the first high point of this fiery flamenco version of Sophocles’ Antigone. 

Antigone – or Antigona, in Spanish -- cannot bear to see the body of her brother Polyneices left to rot on the battlefield, where he and his brother Eteocles slew each other battling for power in Thebes. Ismene, her sister, would prefer not to look, to avoid the wrath of King Creon, who ordered a military funeral for Eteocles and a dog’s fate for Polyneices. The sisters confront each other with electric foot-stamping and acrobatic turns -- the power of Ismene’s conventional thinking against the lonely righteousness of Antigone.  And of course it is Ismene who survives, who slides back into the chorus, observing the woes that befall others.  

Photo:  Soledad Barrio as Antigona by Zarmik Moqtaderi

Raising the Bar

“Cinderella”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 4, 2015

by Leigh Witchel
© 2015 by Leigh Witchel

This is how it’s done, ladies. Marianela Nuñez stayed on after The Royal Ballet’s New York engagement to guest star with American Ballet Theatre in Ashton’s “Cinderella” and give a demon- stration in ballerina style.

Argentinean born and trained, Nuñez came to The Royal in her teens, and leapfrogged through the ranks, getting promoted after a year and a half by Anthony Dowell from Artist directly to First Soloist. Her career often tracked another one of the company’s precious imports, Alina Cojocaru, but Nuñez is less familiar to U.S. audiences. Both are dancers of major technical ability and understated grace, but in completely different ways. Cojocaru is an impossible waif: so artificial it becomes real. Nuñez is flesh and blood, radiating health rather than frailty: a real woman who just happens to be an extraordinary dancer.

Marienela Nuñez and James Whiteside in “Cinderella.” Photo © by MIRA

Levels

“Infra,” Divertissements, “Age of Anxiety”
The Royal Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
June 28, 2015 (matinee) 

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2015 by Marianne Adams

Mixed bill programs, particularly when brought by a company on tour, are usually a great vehicle for showing a company’s range. But if the Royal Ballet said enough about the impressive roster of British choreographers in its repertory with just the first cast, the second cast indicated that the depth of its performers’ bench, and their ability to excel in the British works, was less striking and more varied.

Photo of “Infra.”  Photo © by Bill Cooper.  

Gifts of Youth

“I New Then,” “Shutters Shut,” “Sara,” “Schubert,” “Some Other Time”
Nederlands Dans Theater 2
Jacob’s Pillow
Becket, MA
July 10, 2015

by Martha Sherman
copyright © 2015 by Martha Sherman

It’s hard to argue with the youth and ebullience that form the irreplaceable core of Nederlands Dans Theater 2. The pieces choreo- graphed specifically for this group exploited their particular skills as well as the quality of their energy. The artistic director of NDT2, Paul Lightfoot, and artistic advisor, Sol León, choreographed three of the five works shown; they know their charges and showed them at their best. At the heart of the choreography is simple, crisp movement combined in unusual, rigorous ways. It turns out, that's enough.

Xanthe van Opstal and Clément Haenen in "Some Other Time." Photo © Christopher Duggan.

Doomed Innocence

“Romeo and Juliet”
American Ballet Theatre
The Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 18, 2015

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2015 by Marianne Adams

It was a long time coming, but Russian ballerina Evgenia Obraztsova, and her signature role of Juliet, finally made it to New York. The Kenneth MacMillan version of the ballet that ABT puts on season after season may not be the best vehicle for Obraztsova’s iteration of Shakespeare’s famous heroine, but the trademark innocence with which she dances the role nonetheless shone through, and blended elegantly with the assured romantic style of Herman Cornejo as her Romeo. 

Photo of Evgenia Obraztsova in “Romeo and Juliet.”  Photo © by Rosalie O'Connor.

Present Company Accepted

“Infra,” Divertissements, “The Age of Anxiety”
The Royal Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
June 27, 2015, evening

by Leigh Witchel
© 2015 by Leigh Witchel

Once you’ve hooked them with the classics, pitch the new stuff. Following its opening program of two signature works from mid-century, The Royal Ballet dis-played more recent items in a solid mixed bill. When the choreography wasn’t mem-orable, the dancing was.

Wayne McGregor’s “Infra,” made for the com-pany in 2008, would resonate with anyone who’s ever traveled in London – or New York City – at rush hour. A sketch of city life, the sonorous music was by Max Richter. (Who else? Alas, choreographers are lemmings when it comes to choosing music). Julian Opie’s décor took your Lite-Brite set from the ‘60s and blew it up into an animated banner above the stage that displayed an endless stream of pedestrians. It stole focus from the dancers at first, then like any other crowd, you blocked it out.

Eric Underwood and Melissa Hamilton in “Infra.” Photo © by Bill Cooper

Not Quite Ready for the Big Time

SPF8
B'Way Theater at ODC
San Francisco, CA
July 8, 2015
San Francisco, CA
by Rita Felciano
copyright © Rita Felciano, 2015

The Bay Area for some time has claimed to be home to the second largest dance community in the country. Whether this is correct or not, this is the place where many young dancers take their first step from performer to choreographer. One of the reasons is a rather remarkable program that gives them what they need most: time and space. The non-profit SAFEHouse for the Arts' RAW (residents artists workshop) offers newly minted and experienced choreographers three to six months, fours hours a week of free studio space. At the end of the year, producer and brainchild behind the program Joe Landini culls those works he deems ready for a professional presentation at the Summer Performing Festival (SPF) in ODC's beautifully equipped B'Way Theater. Unfortunately, some of what was shown on the opening night of the Festival's eighth season had the feeling of a student recital: earnest, competent for what it was, and well performed. What I missed too often was the rigor, daring and spark that can make new choreography exciting and challenging for dancers and audiences alike.

Kristin Damrosch & Company in "opaque". Photo: Lynn Fried

Fusion

"The Peony Pavilion"
The National Ballet of China
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
July 8, 2015

by Mary Cargill 
copyright © 2015 by Mary Cargill

"The Peony Pavilion" was written in 1598 and the love story, basically a mixture of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Orpheus and Eurydice," is a mainstay of Chinese opera. The Lincoln Center Festival showcased the 20  hour version in 1999, an explosion of colorful costumes, singing and acrobatics. This year, the Festival presented another take, a two-hour distillation by the National Ballet of China. The ballet company was founded in 1959 and based firmly on Russian training. (Pyotr Gusev was instrumental in setting it up.)  The dancers still show their Russian background; like many of their Slavic sisters, the women are willowy, with long arms and sway backs that help them whack their heads. They dance with a uniform precision and soft style that made the corps work very impressive.

Women's corps in "The Peony Pavilion. Photo © Stephanie Berger Photography, Inc.