Well, it certainly was a metaphor for something - but for what? Lauri Stallings' first choreographic effort for ABT’s main company was interesting for its effect, but not its content. Stallings, a veteran of Chicago’s Hubbard Street Dance Company and influenced by both the very American style of its founder, Lou Conte, and the Euro- imports of his successor, Jim Vincent, managed to emulate their hyper-kinetic energy but never came close to their level of thoughtful craft.
But as every choreographer in the world – good, bad, and in between – knows, ABT’s phenomenal dancers will make their work look good – regardless.
And so it was that we watched the extraordinarily gifted Paloma Herrera and David Hallberg tug and push and jerk their beautifully trained instruments through repetitive Forsythian gobbledygook - some of it down right dangerous. Also in the cast were Isabella Boylston, Nicola Curry and Blaine Hoven. The final moments included Paloma continuing to dance in front of the curtain as it descended, nearly getting caught in front of it before she slammed to her belly and was dragged by her feet under it.
The ‘scenery’ was the back of the stage with all the pipes and vents exposed. Haglund guesses this ‘worked’ given the hissing and steam elements within the Max Richter music. Then there was the row of stagelights that rose further into the ceiling at the front of the stage – a gimmick that we saw in The Met Opera’s Anthony Minghella production of Madama Butterfly.
At one point while the cast was dancing, a group of ordinary citizens emerged from house left and wandered partway into the stage, glaring at the dancers, and then retreated. The point of that was – what?
Maybe after another couple of viewings Haglund will appreciate this more.
The program included a devilish and energetic cast in Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen. Craig Salstein, Kristi Boone, Simone Messmer, and Misty Copeland were all standouts.
The Leaves Are Fading with Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes was superb as well. Such craftsmanship in the choreography and sensitive musicality in the dancing – it was worth the price of the ticket by itself. Maria Riccetto, Veronika Part, and Hee Seo were mesmerizing. Isaac Stappas was romance personified. Roses to everyone. My one regret is that we won't be seeing Stella Abrera and Sascha Radetsky together again in this.
The final offering was Theme and Variations lead by Michele Wiles and Cory Stearns. Haglund loves Michele, but honestly, she’s got to address her hands. The unclassical organization of her fingers, with the pointer finger sticking out and the rest curving down instead of the two middle fingers slightly more curved than the two outside fingers, truly distorts her line. Michele’s interpretation of T&V is one of intense energy and maximization of pirouettes. It was all much appreciated. However, she threw too much force into her sous-sous and some releves causing reverberations through her body. In general, though, Haglund enjoyed Michele’s performance and especially likes having the opportunity to see so many different interpretations of T&V by ABT’s ballerinas.
The unfortunate part of T&V was Cory Stearns. He is so not ready for this assignment. He didn’t have the stamina, wasn’t pointing his feet, and his arabesques were as cheap as an ice skater’s. He never made a 90 degree arabesque the whole evening. What made things worse was that the corps and soloist men were filled with examples of dancers who would perform the lead much better than Stearns. Haglund recognizes that this kid is handsome, has a nice smile, and is tall. But listen, McKenzie, he needs to go back into the incubator for a while.
Haglund awards the T&V casting decision and the new CITIZEN two boots.
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