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Flavors of American Cool

“The Brahms-Haydn Variations,” “Deuce Coupe,” “In the Upper Room”
American Ballet Theatre
The Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 31, 2019

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

ABT’s Tharp Trio program was in some ways all about the once-new ways of looking at dance, and in others an unequivocal way to underscore the “American” in American Ballet Theatre. The three Twyla Tharp works -- the crowd-pleasing modern “In the Upper Room,” the neo-classical “Brahms-Haydn Variations,” and the completely new to the company, blended-styled “Deuce Coupe” -- showed an American approach to classicism and a very American way of blending forms of dance, innovating, and integrating freedom into musical movement. 

Photo of the company in "In the Upper Room." Photos © Marty Sohl.

Looking Through the Roots

“Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantaisie,” “Sonatine,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 8, 2019

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

With its “All Balanchine” program, New York City Ballet turned to the older works of its founding master – George Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantasie,” “Sonatine,” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.”  This particular evening had many debuts, allowing for a fresh look at the company through the older works, and also proving that the company’s classics are alive and well in the hands of NYCB’s debutants and veterans alike.  

Photo of Alston Macgill in “Scotch Symphony.” Photo © Erin Baiano

All American Dance

“Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” “Barber Violin Concerto,” “Diamonds”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 5, 2019

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

New York City Ballet’s “Barber, Broadway & Balanchine” program, showing Balanchine’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “Diamonds,” and Peter Martins’ “Barber Violin Concerto,” at first seemed like an odd mix of repertory give the ballets’ vastly different styles. But combining dance hall theatrics, strong American modern dance flavor, and of course one of the best examples of Balanchine’s nod to classicism, actually made a point about the company itself and its fairly unique ability to present such varied, all-American works.

Photo of Sara Mearns in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." Photo © Paul Kolnik

Modern Takes

“Hallelujah Junction,” “Herman Schmerman,” “The Exchange,” “Concerto DSCH”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 24, 2019

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

One of the most exciting things about New York City Ballet as a company is the sheer number of new choreographic works it manages to usher into the world season after season.  That it has whole programs devoted to 21^st century choreographers is a testament to that, and those tend to be my favorite evenings as they give a real chance to look at new works in their own context, without reference to the classics. The second of such two programs staged during the company’s spring season offered ballets by William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Matthew Neenan and the company’s departed artistic director, Peter Martins. None of them were premieres, but the program succeeded at showing the rich, if not flawless, state of modern classical dance. 

Photo of Brittany Pollack in William Forsythe’s Herman Schmerman. Photo © Paul Kolnik

Classical Styles

“Significant Strangers,” “Counterpoint,” “Blind Revelry”
Tom Gold Dance
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
New York, NY
April 3, 2019

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

The spring program by Tom Gold Dance at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, lasting only two days, was brief but choreogra- phically engaging. Tom Gold’s three works selected for the evening presented whimsical partnerships with the world premiere of “Significant Strangers,” theater with the New York premiere of last year’s dramatic “Blind Revelry,” and distinctly more modern craftsmanship with the 2017 duet titled “Counterpoint.” While the program could have benefitted from better dancing, the evening was an abundant exploration of classical style.  

Photo of Evelyn Kocak and Michael Sean Breeden in Tom Gold's “Significant Strangers.” Photo © by Eugene Gologursky

It’s All in the Music

“Serenade,” “Mozartiana,” “Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 26, 2019 (matinee)

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2019 by Marianne Adams

You cannot go wrong with the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky or the choreography of George Balanchine, and so in some ways New York City Ballet’s “All Tschaikovsky/ Balanchine” program, a fairly regular staple of the company’s seasons, was set up for success. The many debuts in two of the bill’s works wouldn’t have made or broken the overall impression of this performance, but as it happened mostly delighted with fresh but faithful interpretations.   

Photo of Lauren Lovette and Ask la Cour in “Serenade.” Photo © Paul Kolnik

Of Ancestry and Present Moment

“Estrogen/Genius,” “Distant Kin,” “North Star,” “Mudan 175/39”
Garth Fagan Dance
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
November 2, 2018

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2018 by Marianne Adams

Garth Fagan Dance returned to the Joyce Theater this fall for less than a week, but was determined to make the most of the appearance. Each night’s program presented the company’s two new works, Garth Fagan’s “The North Star,” which was a celebration of the life of Frederick Douglass, and Norwood Pennewell’s “Distant Kin,” so the audience had an opportunity to see the premieres regardless of their chosen performance night.  The rest of the bill consisted of two older works, which for the Program B performance I attended were Fagan’s 2017 protest piece again Harvey Weinstein “Estrogen/Genius,” and excerpts from Fagan’s 2009 work “Mudan 175/39.”

Garth Fagan Dance dancers in “Distant Kin.” Photo © by Julie Lemberger

All That’s New and Nothing Old

“Reclamation Map,” “Balamouk,” “Midnight Raga,” “The Crane Calling (exerpt)”
Fall For Dance Festival – Program 3
Tayeh Dance with Heather Christian, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, National Ballet of China
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 5, 2018

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2018 by Marianne Adams

In the middle of this year’s Fall For Dance Festival, Program 3 was an assembly of all premieres – two of the works were new to the U.S. audience, the other two altogether new creations. It may not have been the strongest offering of the festival, but it was eclectic and, by omitting any tried and true favorite from the mix, also a bit daring and remarkable.

Photo of Tayeh Dance in “Reclamation Map.” Photo © by Paula Lobo

A Splendid Bouquet of Dance

“Bach Cello Suites,” “Dances of Isadora Duncan – A Solo Tribute,” “Bzzz,” “The Barbarian Nights, or First Dawns of the World (excerpt)”
Fall For Dance Festival
Boston Ballet, Sara Mearns, Caleb Teicher & Company and Cie Hervé Koubi
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 1, 2018

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2018 by Marianne Adams

Perhaps the best attribute of the Fall For Dance Festival, this year in its 15^th season, is its ability to expose viewers to works and artists they may not otherwise see or know to seek out.  On opening night, Program 1 did just that, offering the audience aesthetic purity in the New York premiere of Jorma Elo’s “Bach Cello Suites,” a joyful taste of the past with Lori Belilove’s “Dances of Isadora Duncan – A Solo Tribute,” a hip reimagining of tap in Caleb Teicher’s world Ppremiere of “Bzzz,” and exhilarating rawness and acrobatics with Hervé Koubi’s “Barbarian Nights, or the First Dawn of the World.”

Photo of Boston Ballet in "Bach Cello Suites." Photo copyright © by Stephanie Berger

Statement Pieces

“Embattled Garden,” “Histoire,” “The Legend of Ten”
Martha Graham Dance Company
New York City Center
New York, NY
April 11, 2018

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2018 by Marianne Adams

Martha Graham Dance Company opened its season at New York City Center by reaffirming its identity as a troupe of multitalented dancers that may have Graham in their hearts, but whose bodies belong in a whole range of diverse choreographies. The opening night gala program offered an expertly danced world premiere by Lucinda Childs called “Histoire,” a company premiere of Lar Lubovitch’s “The Legend of Ten,” and a Graham classic – “Embattled Garden.”  These works were as different as could be in modern choreography style, but all seemed native to this adept troupe.

Photo of Lloyd Knight and Anne Souder in Lucinda Childs’s “Histoire.” Photo © by Ani Collier.