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Easy Watching

"Western Symphony", "The Unanswered Question", "Tarantella", "Stars and Stripes"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 26, 2023

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

It is odd to program two upbeat Americana closing ballets on the same program, but the audience didn’t seem to mind the lack of variety; only the brief, darkly mysterious “The Unanswered Question” interrupted the bouncy evening.  There were several fine debuts, including Roman Mejia, NYCB’s boy wonder, exploding as El Capitan in “Stars and Stripes” and sending the audience home in a haze of excitement.  Both “Stars and Stripes” and “Western Symphony” (the opening ballet) are witty explorations of the classical style hidden behind their folksy auras.  They are symphonic, with the traditional four movements (“Western Symphony” originally had a scherzo between the adagio and the finale), formal corps patterns, hoe downs and square dances instead of mazurkas and czardas and, in “Stars and Stripes” a Petipa-style grand pas de deux, with an adagio, solo variations, and a bravura coda.  Even the raucously American baton and trumpet so proudly flaunted in “Western Symphony” are surely cousins of Esmeralda’s tambourine and all those parrots in “La Bayadère”.

NYCB in "Western Symphony" photo © Paul Kolnik

More Jewels

"Jewels"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 23, 2023 matinee

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

This performance of “Jewels” featured two sections with new faces (Indiana Woodward and Emile Gerrity in “Emeralds” and Unity Phelan in ”Diamonds” made their debuts earlier this week) and one familiar one, as Tiler Peck returned to “Rubies”.  “Emeralds” is the most fragile of the three and life, as they say, isn’t fair, and neither, unfortunately is ballet.  Ballet is a visual art, and appearances do matter.  Certainly not every dancer needs to be pin-up material, but a dancer’s looks shouldn’t damage the overall mood of the ballet.  “Emeralds” is a romantic, chivalric fantasy, with idealized knights and ladies and unfortunately, in spite of his smooth, unobtrusive partnering, Tyler Angle with his bald head and bulky physique did not elevate “Emeralds” to the realm of fantasy and looked completely and distractingly out of place in the Pre-Raphaelite atmosphere.  

Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia in "Rubies" photo © Erin Baiano

Voices of Experience

Jewels
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 22, 2023

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

In the midst of the many debuts during NYCB’s week-long Jewelathon, NYCB assembled a veteran cast of ballerinas, with Ashley Bouder and Ashley Laracey in “Emeralds”, Megan Fairchild in “Rubies”, and Sara Mearns in “Diamonds”, and showed that experience can be just as exciting as debuts.  There were new faces among the men, though, with Chun Wai Chan (with Bouder) and Peter Walker (with Laracey) making their second appearances.

Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen in "Diamonds" photo © Erin Baiano

Some New Jewels

"Jewels"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 21, 2023

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

New York City Ballet’s all-Balanchine fall season opened with a week of the ever-popular “Jewels”, Balanchine’s salute to mood and style.  The lush romanticism of “Emeralds”, the American cockiness of “Rubies”, and the Russian grandeur of “Diamonds” call for much more than accurate steps, as the dancers need to convey an inner life; these works may be plotless but they are not pointless.  The September 21st performance had a number of impressive and accomplished debuts, and one disappointment, when Aaron Sanz, who was to debut as the second male lead in “Emeralds”, was replaced by Adrian Danchig-Waring.  Not that Danchig-Waring was in the least disappointing, but Sanz, which his romantic presence and dynamic imagination, would seem a natural for “Emeralds”.

Emma Von Enck and Jovani Furlan in "Rubies" photo © Erin Baiano