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A Holiday Favorite

“The Nutcracker”
New York City Ballet
David Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
December 6, 2022

by Gay Morris
copyright © 2022 by Gay Morris

When New York City Ballet first presented George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” in 1954, New York Times critic John Martin wasn’t happy. He thought it betrayed Balanchine’s dedication to abstraction, which, he said, had revolutionized ballet. But, as so often happened, Balanchine knew best. He added the full-length narrative work to New York City Ballet’s mostly plotless repertory, and it is still a hit to this day, not to mention a major source of revenue for the company.

With these thoughts in mind, I joined the crowd at Lincoln Center on Tuesday evening for one of the many “Nutcracker” performances, with varied casts, that New York City Ballet offers annually from late November through December. And once again, the ballet showed why it has become as much a part of New York’s festive season as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and neighborhood caroling.

Graham at the Pillow

“Errand into the Maze,” “Cave of the Heart,” “Cave”
Ted Shawn Theater
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Friday, August 18, 2023

by Gay Morris
copyright ©2023 by Gay Morris

Martha Graham was at the height of her creative and performing powers when, in the 1940s, she began to make dances based on Greek myths. The Graham company offered two of these works at Jacob’s Pillow last week: "Errand into the Maze" (1947) and "Cave of the Heart" (1946). In keeping with the company’s current strategy of including contemporary works in the repertory, Israeli choreographer Hofesh "Shechter’s Cave "(2022) rounded out the program.

Photo: Martha Graham Dance Company in Hofesh Shechter's "Cave."

Hope Prevails

“Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus”
“Navy Blue”
Oona Doherty/OD Works
Ted Shawn Theater
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Sunday, July 30, 2023

by Gay Morris
copyright ©2023 by Gay Morris

To be honest, I was a little afraid of Oona Doherty. The press materials sent out by Jacob’s Pillow, where Doherty’s company, Oona Doherty/OD Works, performed last week, made her sound angry and aggressive. Who needs more negativity after two-plus years of pandemic trauma? But Doherty confounded expectations. To be sure, there is anger in her dance. She is a native of Northern Ireland, and it’s hard to believe anyone from that beleaguered land wouldn’t harbor some degree of anger. The surprise was that there was so much more than outrage. Doherty’s work has a complexity and richness that made me wish I had seen multiple performances, and not just one.

Sati Veyrunes watched by John Gunning in "Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus", Oona Doherty / OD Works, Jacob's Pillow 2023 Dance Festival. Photo by Becca Marcela Oviatt.

Love's Many Faces

“The Look of Love”
Mark Morris Dance Group
Ted Shawn Theatre
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 1, 2023

by Gay Morris
copyright ©2023 by Gay Morris

In the early 1980s, a young Mark Morris rode the cutting edge of the zeitgeist with works that gave an important place to gender identity and fluidity. Forty years later, his dances are those of an established master; no need to unsettle or provoke. However, Morris hasn’t lost his ability to sense the tenor of the times. Today the mood is more somber than rebellious, while at the same time demanding some relief from the gloom, and for many the tragedy, of the last few years. Morris’s “The Look of Love,” which opened the summer season at Jacob’s Pillow, satisfies on both counts through a clear-eyed view of romance. It reminds us that whatever happens in world events, love continues its eternal round of highs and lows. 

The Mark Morris Dance Group in “The Look of Love” photo © Christopher Duggan

Miami at the Pillow

“Diversion of Angels,” “Geta,” “Antique Epigraphs,” “Serenade”
Miami City Ballet
Ted Shawn Theater, Jacob’s Pillow
Beckett, MA
August 24 - 28, 2022

by Gay Morris
copyright © 2022 by Gay Morris

Since its founding in 1985, Miami City Ballet has had close connections with New York City Ballet and George Balanchine. The company’s technique and style are modeled on Balanchine’s teachings, while its first artistic director, Edward Villella, and its current one, Lourdes Lopez, were principal dancers with the New York company when Balanchine headed it. Those links were much on display in Miami City Ballet performances at Jacob’s Pillow last week. The company brought a program that included works by Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins and Margarita Armas.

New Directions

“Dichotomous Being: An Evening of Taylor Stanley”
Henry J. Leir Stage
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 30, 2022

by Gay Morris
copyright ©2022 by Gay Morris

Taylor Stanley projects a sense of mystery that seems an intrinsic part of his personality. It is as if his dancing is a means of self-exploration, a search for answers that may not yet be fully available. A principal with New York City Ballet since 2016, Stanley’s classical technique is pristine but never solely the point. His dancing, like his race and gender (he is bi-racial and refers to himself as “they”), is not singular but plural, a point made in his concert, “Dichotomous Being: An Evening of Taylor Stanley,” presented last week in performances at the Henry J. Leir outdoor stage at Jacob’s Pillow.

Taylor Stanley in "Redness," choreographed by Shamel Pitts.  Photo by Danica Paulos.

 

 

 

“An Untitled Love”

“An Untitled Love”
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham
Jacob’s Pillow
Beckett, Massachusetts
July 17, 2022

by Gay Morris
copyright ©2022 by Gay Morris

Kyle Abraham’s “An Untitled Love” is dedicated, in his words, to “Black love,” as evoked through the music of R&B artist D’Angelo. Abraham has been a fan of D’Angelo’s music since his college days. He developed his choreographic response to it over the last four years, which included two residencies at Jacob’s Pillow.

“Deep Blue Sea”

“Deep Blue Sea”
Bill T. Jones
Drill Hall, Park Avenue Armory New York, New York
October 3, 2021

By Gay Morris
Copyright 2021 by Gay Morris

When, on Sunday, the audience entered the Park Avenue Armory to see Bill T. Jones’ latest work, “Deep Blue Sea,” Jones was already there. He slowly moved through various patterns, as people flowed past him. Then he shifted to another part of the enormous space of the Drill Hall to go through more patterns, actions which he continued to execute in different parts of the space as the lights went down. Jones is nearing seventy, but he still moves with cat-like grace, and as “Deep Blue Sea” testified, he has lost none of the forceful energy for calling out racism that he exhibited in his early dances more than forty years ago.

Two Premieres at New York City Ballet

“Sky to Hold,” “Suspended Animation,” “Western Symphony”
David Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
New York, New York
October 2, 2021

by Gay Morris
copyright 2021 by Gay Morris

Last week, New York City Ballet premiered two works that pointed toward an expanding
reach into the twenty-first century. It is a healthy sign in a company that often seems to
have settled into a narrow repertory that looks to the past in works dominated by Robbins and Balanchine, and choreographers influenced by Balanchine or the Russian school.

Both “Sky to Hold,” choreographed by Andrea Miller, and “Suspended Animation,” by Sidra Bell, challenged what some undoubtedly consider the company’s duty to the old guard. For this, one can only thank directors Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan. Whelan in particular was adventuresome in pursuing new dance avenues after leaving City Ballet as a principal in 2014. With her return as associate artistic director in 2019, the repertory is being shaken up a bit. This is not to say a revolution has occurred. It is hardly that, but new directions are being explored, and they are welcome.

 

The Grand Union

“The Grand Union: Accidental Anarchists of Downtown Dance: 1970-1976”
Wesleyan, 2020
by Wendy Perron

by Gay Morris
copyright 2021 by Gay Morris

The Grand Union existed for a mere six years, from 1970 to 1976. Yet its performances were legendary, in good part because a number of its members were among the brightest lights of postmodern dance. Would we still be interested in the Grand Union if it had not included Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, David Gordon, Tricia Brown, Doug Dunn, and Barbara Dilly? I suspect not.

Balanchine and Stravinsky at New York City Ballet

“Dances Concertantes,” “Monumentum pro Gesualdo,”
“Movements for Piano and Orchestra,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”
New York City Ballet
David Koch Theater
New York, New York
January 21, 2020

by Gay Morris
copyright© 2020 by Gay Morris

In his opening remarks for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival, George Balanchine commented that Stravinsky, like Delibes and Tchaikovsky, “made music for the body to dance to.” A steady pulse and strict adherence to time made Stravinsky a consummate dance composer, providing, as Balanchine said, “a floor for the dancer to walk on.” But that was just the beginning. Throughout his choreographic career, Balanchine found seemingly inexhaustible sources for invention in Stravinsky’s diverse works.

Erica Pereira and Harrison Ball in George Balanchine’s "Dances Concertantes."  Photo by Erin Baiano.