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The Power of Love

“Giselle”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
Nov. 20, 2024

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2024 by Denise Sum

The story of “Giselle” hasn’t changed since its premiere in 1841. Today, “Giselle” is all about the performances. There is a reason this romantic era ballet has endured as long as it has. No other work so perfectly embodies romantic values – idealism, emotion, the supernatural and the irrational. The National Ballet of Canada has been performing Sir Peter Wright’s version since 1970. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke… 

Svetlana Lunkina with Artists of the Ballet in "Giselle". Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic.

Taylor Cubed

"Arden Court", "The Word", "Syzygy"
Paul Taylor Dance Company
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
November 21, 2024

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2024 by Mary Cargill

This all-Taylor program included works showing some of Taylor’s frequent  themes, from the bright, cheerful “Arden Court”, through the dark and somber “The Word”, and finishing with the bursting energy of “Syzygy”, all danced with an impressive power.  The works, for all their differences, had Taylor’s confident and imaginative use of structure to reinforce the various moods.  His distinctive vocabulary, so full of stag leaps, bouncy jumps, sudden pauses, and creative lifts is a choreographic language of apparently infinite accents. The dancers all moved with a powerful commitment, but the veteran Madelyn Ho got an especially vigorous workout, as she was featured an all three works, an astounding achievement.

Paul Taylor dancers in "Syzygy" photo © Whitney Browne

Bodies in Motion

"Body of Work", "Rhapsody", "Silent Screen"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
Nov. 9, 2024

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2024 by Denise Sum

The National Ballet of Canada returned home looking energized after touring in London and Paris last month. They opened their Toronto season with a mixed program designed to attract classical and contemporary ballet fans alike. No classicist could resist Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Rhapsody”, a dazzling exemplar of bravura technique. Created for the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov, it remains one of the most stunning (and challenging) ballets in any company’s repertoire. “Rhapsody” was paired with “Silent Screen”, the first work from prolific choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot acquired by the NBoC. “Silent Screen” marries film and dance, blurring the lines between them and showcasing León and Lightfoot’s unique contemporary style. Rounding out the program was a solo choreographed and performed by principal dancer Guillaume Côté, “Body of Work”, as part of his farewell season (he will retire in June 2025 at the end of the 2024-2025 season). 

Guillaume Côté in "Body of Work". Photo by Bruce Zinger. 

Throw The Book Out

“Crime and Punishment”
American Ballet Theater
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
November 1, 2024

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2024 by Marianne Adams

As a novel, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” can be deeply intellectually rewarding or torturously challenging.  As a ballet, Helen Pickett’s adaptation, which premiered during ABT’s fall season, was solely the latter.  Set over twenty scenes to commissioned score from Isobel Waller-Bridge, the work felt like it was based on the CliffsNotes version of the book, not the actual classic literary text.  Thus, the viewing experience was reduced to a quest to find salvage in the quality of the company’s dancers.

Photo of Breanne Granlund as Raskolnikov. Photo © by Kyle Froman

Let There Be Light

"Aureole, Vive La Loïe" "Recess", "Funny Papers"
Paul Taylor Dance Company
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
November 8, 2024

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2024 by Mary Cargill

There was a lot of light and cheer in the evening’s dances, including the premiere of Jody Sperling’s homage to Loïe Fuller, an early modern dancer whose voluminous costumes and imaginative lighting inspired thousands of Art Nouveau lamps.  It opened with Paul Taylor’s “Aureole”, his light-filled vision of a world full of Handel and white dresses and closed with his “Funny Papers”, a cockeyed look at some playfully silly popular songs.  Another premiere, “Recess”, by the resident choreographer Lauren Lovette, was also slightly cockeyed, featuring grownups bouncing through some well-known childhood games.

Lisa Borres Casey in Paul Taylor's "Funny Papers" photo © Whitney Browne.

 

The Spirit Lives

"The Traitor", "Scherzo", "The Quake that Held Them All", "Two Ecstatic Themes", "Missa Brevis"
Limón Dance Company
Joyce Theater
New York, New York
November 6, 2024

by Mary Cargill 
copyright © 2024 

The Limón Dance Company’s Joyce season presented a generous program, with revivals of three significant Limón works, “The Traitor”, “Scherzo”, and “Missa Brevis”, The first and final pieces emphasized Limón’s spiritual qualities and command of movement, while “Scherzo” was a delicious playful romp.  The company also offered a solo by Doris Humphrey, “Two Ecstatic Themes”, and a new work by Kayla Farrish, “The Quake that Held Them All”, inspired by a lost Limón lost 1951 work “Redes”.

Limón Dance Company in "The Traitor" photo © Kelly Puleio