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The Weight We Carry

"death"
Fact/SF
CounterPulse Theater
San Francisco, CA
Sept, 27, 2018

by Rita Felciano
Copyright © 2018 Rita Felciano

Sometimes a show leaves you slightly dissatisfied because it didn’t quite hit its target. Yet with choreographer/Artistic Director Charles Slender-White’s “death” chronological and imaginative time, the examination of the audience/performers’ relationship, the ingenious use of Counter Pulse’s physical space, and the slippery topic of this inquiry, you couldn’t help admire the endeavor's complexity. FACT/SF’s three male (Slender-White, Keanu Brady and Kegan Marling) and six female dancers (Michaela Burns, Morganne Mazeika, Catherine Newman, LizAnne Roman Roberts, Isabel Rosenstock and Amanda Whitehead) brought "death" to life They gave powerful individualized performances. Each of them ultimately had a double: a transparent plastic body cast of themselves. They became potent images of the question about what we live with after a substantial loss.

FACT/SF's dancers in "death". Photo: Robbie Sweeney.

Fashionistas

"The Exchange", "Judah", "The Runaway"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
September 27, 2018

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2018 by Mary Cargill

New York City Ballet's 2018 fall gala followed a familiar pattern: three new ballets with costumes by three fashion designers preceded by a brief film focusing on some of the issues these designers had working with ballet dancers for the first time.  There was one difference; the evening opened with the entire company on the stage listening while principal Teresa Reichlen read a statement (written by Reichlen and fellow principal Adrian Danchig-Waring) affirming the importance of their art and stressing the respect the NYCB dancers have for it and for each other.  This quite appropriately got a heartfelt round of applause, and the audience, as it has throughout the season, was eager to show its appreciation for the dancers who have been performing with heroic and inspiring dedication.

This dedication was clear through all three ballets which were danced with an energetic verve.  Unfortunately the choreography itself did not always equal the dancing and the somewhat artificial (or perhaps commercial) yoking of ballet and extreme couture produced mixed results.

New York City Ballet dancers in "The Exchange" photo © Paul Kolnik.

Friday Night LIghts

“Concerto Barocco,” “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” “Symphony in C”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 21, 2018

by Michael Popkin
Copyright © 2018 by Michael Popkin

The first Friday night of the Fall season at New York City Ballet felt like a breath of fresh air. Not that everything was perfect -- far from it, the principal dancing in particular alternated tours de force in some ballets with slack efforts or curious interpretations in others. But taken as a whole and particularly at the level of the soloists and corps de ballet, the company danced its core Balanchine repertory with a verve and attack that haven’t been consistently seen here in years.

Photo © Paul Kolnik of Tiler Peck in “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux”

Debuts in "Jewels"

“Jewels”
New York City Ballet
David Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 23, 2018

by Gay Morris
Copyright © 2018 by Gay Morris

New York City Ballet presented performances of George Balanchine’s “Jewels” over the past week, with a young cast taking major roles in the “Emeralds” section on Sunday. Each of the three ballets that makes up “Jewels” shows a different aspect of Balanchine’s major stylistic interests. “Diamonds” looks to his Russian heritage, “Rubies” to his American experience, and “Emeralds” to a neo-romantic mode that was most evident in his European years of the 1930s. 

Teresa Reichlien and Russell Janzen in "Diamonds" from George Balanchine's "Jewels."  Photo by Paul Kolnik.

 

Polished Jewels

"Jewels"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 19, 2018

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2018 by Mary Cargill

The second night of New York City Ballet's fall season featured several debuts in the ever-popular "Jewels", as well as luminous performances by the established gems, Tiler Peck, Sterling Hyltin, and Sara Mearns.  Though not credited, Mimi Paul, Patricia McBride, and Edward Villella  provided some extra coaching, and presumably they deserve some of the credit for the delicate detail and nuance shown by the dancers.  

NYCB dancers in "Rubies" photo © Paul Kolnik

Beauty in the Simple Unexpected

“Make Believe”
Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre
Dance Place
Washington, DC
September 15, 2018

by Arielle Ostry
copyright © 2018 by Arielle Ostry

As a choreographer, Rosie Herrera never fails to surprise. Her past creations range from melting a chocolate bunny with a blowdryer to throwing a girl into a birthday cake. In her company’s most recent performance at Dance Place, an inflatable bounce house takes over as an unexpected but welcomed element, representing the innocent ease that characterizes a child’s ability to believe. This past Saturday, the Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre presented original imagery in "Make Believe," exploring how a relationship with faith can change drastically over time.

Photo: Rosie Herrera in "Cookie's Kid." Photo by Adam Reign.

 

A Mixed Bill in Every Way

"Stabat Mater" "Mad Brass"
Garrett + Moulton Productions
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, CA
September 6, 2018

by Rita Felciano
copyright © Rita Felciano 2018

Using less experienced dancers as a backdrop to soloists can boast of a long tradition in Ballet. But when Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton, each after long independent careers in contemporary dance, decided to bring a "movement choir" of not-yet professional dancers to their co-choreographies, they stepped into unknown territory. Former tapper, theater director and Merce Cunningham dancer Moulton was best known for the intricacies of his Ball Passing projects; Garrett for richly textured and musically responsive choreography. Between them they have created works both haunting and hilarious. In their most recent premieres, the Janus-faced double bill of “Stabat Mater” and “Mad Brass”, they offered both. One looked at suffering and longing for a reprieve; the other celebrated individuality and light-hearted togetherness.

Miche Wong and Nol Simonse in "Stabat Mater". Photo: RJ Muna