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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.

Searching for Meaning and Dance in the Genes

“Autobiography”
Company Wayne McGregor
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
March 3, 2018

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2018 by Marianne Adams

British choreo- grapher Wayne McGregor is known for pushing boundaries and finding unconven- tional inspirations, but the New York premiere of his uniquely personal new work showed the artist overreaching. The release of “Autobiography” came at the time of the 25^th anniversary of the artist’s creative life and to craft it the choreographer sequenced his own genome, using the chromosomes of his own DNA to inspire the work’s 23 sections and tell his story. While the idea seemed promising, the final product was as difficult to read and as much of a mystery as the actual human genetic code.

Photo of Company Wayne McGregor in "Autobiography." Photo © by Andrej Uspenski

Bolshoi, Untamed

“The Taming of the Shrew”
The Bolshoi Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
July 28, 2017

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2017 by Marianne Adams

The famed Bolshoi Ballet has given New Yorkers many tastes of its excellent classical repertory during the company’s visits over the years, but has gotten some under- standable criticism for those selections -- the classics are great, but was the company stuck in time and where were the new works? This year’s presentation of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” which was set on the company in 2014 to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, was the troupe’s answer. While I’ve never been part of the camp that criticized Bolshoi for sticking with the old – after all, having a chance to see a gorgeous, expertly danced “Swan Lake” is hardly ever a bad thing – the new ballet did make me wonder why the troupe waited so long to dazzle us with the new, and when could we see more?

Photo of Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov. Photo © Jack Devant

Storytelling

“El Pintor,” “Pá Triana Voy,” “Sentio,” “Caminos,” “A Solas,” “A Mi Manera”
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
BAM Fisher
New York, NY
May 17, 2017

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2017 by Marianne Adams

In a short run at the BAM Fisher theater, Carlota Santana’s spirited company presented impressive flamenco technique, a cherished relationship with the dance form and generous storytelling through dance. The intimate setting of a small stage allowed for a closer connection to the dancers and their expression, and the performance amounted to a memorable night of richness of soul and substance. 

Photo of Isaac Tovar, Antonio Hidalgo, Angel Muñoz in “Caminos.” Photo © by Christopher Duggan.

Hard Work, and a Wedding

“Don Quixote”
American Ballet Theatre
The Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 16, 2017

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2017 by Marianne Adams
 
For her debut in the role with American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland presented the crowd with a robust but not particularly enthusiastic Kitri, and fellow debutants Jeffrey Cirio as Basilio, Luciana Paris as Mercedes and Calvin Royal III as Espada enlivened the production with joyful and appealing dancing. The ballet wasn’t perfect, but the shining moments shone brightly, even if that light did not come from where one expected it.

 

Photo of Misty Copeland and Jeffrey Cirio in Act 1 of "Don Quixote." Photo © by Rosalie O'Connor

 

Stand and Dance

“Chiaroscuro,” “Slice to Sharp,” “Stabat Mater,” “The Decalogue”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 12, 2017

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2017 by Marianne Adams
 
The main event of the evening was the world premiere of Justin Peck’s fourteenth ballet for NYCB called “The Decalogue,” but as the audience waited for the fresh and new, the company dusted off and presented three ballets of the somewhat old.  All dating back to 2006 and into the 1990s, the works that led up to the big reveal of the night were Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s 1994 ballet “Chiaroscuro,” Jerma Elo’s 2006 “Slice to Sharp,” and Peter Martins’ 1998 “Stabat Mater.” All fared well at showing where the company’s recent choreography stood, even if they looked distinctly of a different era when compared to what Peck had in store for the audience to culminate the night.

 

Photo of Rebecca Krohn and Jared Angle in Justin Peck's "The Decalogue." Photo © by Paul Kolnik

 

Cheers To That

“Mercurial Manoeuvres,” “Polyphonia,” “Liturgy,” “American Rhapsody”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 25, 2017

by Marianne Adams
copyright © 2017 by Marianne Adams
 
A program of works by just one choreo- grapher can do wonders at revealing that creator’s weaknesses and strengths.  With no one else’s craft for the works to be compared to, hide behind or shine over, the creator is presented to the audience as all they are, and for his part, Christopher Wheeldon really let his talent glow throughout the evening.

Photo of Unity Phelan and Amar Ramasar in "American Rhapsody." Photo © by Paul Kolnik