NYCB Week 1 Like discovering new treasure every day

Many of us sit in the theater night after night wishing we could see this or that dancer in a new important role that s/he seems on the cusp of being ready to dance. We can already picture the dancer's musicality, the arabesque at an important point in the music, and how the budding artist will either surge through or struggle with the tempi. At NYCB we are often rewarded with seeing early career debuts in major roles. It’s invariably an exciting event, if not always perfectly successful. But the dancer debuts that we must wait for – sometimes wait a dozen years or more – can turn into treasure before our very eyes, treasure that the passing years have made more valuable, more beautiful. 

Saturday afternoon we found gold in 15-year veteran Ashley Laracey’s New York debut in Concerto Barocco with Teresa Reichlen and Ask la Cour. Actually, more than just gold – golden South Sea cultured pearls, Mikimoto style. The years have added a rich luster to Ashley’s dancing which has always been refined and secure. When one looks through her translucent, serene stage presence, one sees a shimmering rainbow of musical color. The pairing of Ashley with the much taller Teresa Reichlen might have looked askew for a few seconds, until one realized that they were, fittingly, baroque pearls – bold in their differences but also complementary. 

 

The Saturday afternoon performance included several other debuts including Tyler Angle’s first performance in Agon opposite Maria Kowroski. He managed all of the partnering superbly. However, he has spent so many years as Maria’s romantic cavalier that making the switch to her fierce competitor didn’t register as persuasive. His heart was in it, but he seemed slightly lost as to how to convey the idea of a contest.

 

Emilie Gerrity’s debut as Sanguinic in The Four Temperaments at the matinee was pitch perfect. Thank goodness we have one current interpreter who doesn’t confuse this role with Agon. Emilie's optimism, enthusiasm, and charisma were all on point. Her angularity with determined expression in the PdD with Zachary Catazaro (also debuting) seemed like risk-taking inherent in the sanguinic personality as opposed to engaging in conflict. And oh my goodness, what a statement her arabesque makes! 

 

On Sunday, Sara Mearns enjoyed a successful debut in Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux opposite Tyler Angle who was making his New York debut in the role. These 14-year veterans have had spilling-over-the-top full careers while dancing the widest range of repertory at NYCB. Yet, even they have not danced every Balanchine role that every NYCB dancer wants to tackle. Balanchine was a prolific choreographer who simply made too many masterpieces to fit into one dancer’s career. 

 

The excitement of this performance was connected to our knowing exactly where the high pressure points were in the choreography and feeling relief, joy, and pride when the dancers sailed through most of them. While we didn't observe a new pinnacle in virtuosity and didn't expect to, just seeing both dancers successfully execute difficult combinations not frequently present in their reps was satisfying. Was there anything particularly musically sensitive about the performance? No, but there is enough musicality built into the choreography to satisfy anyone. Was it unusual to see such a tall ballerina take on Tschai Pas? Both Suzanne Farrell and Merrill Ashley danced it brilliantly but it generally seems to be cast with medium to smaller ballerinas noted for virtuosity.

 

The large contingent of SAB students in the 3rd and 4th rings roared their admiration for this debut, one they hope will be in their own futures. Sara will be a pleasant addition to the crew that regularly dances Tschai Pas so long as Tyler Angle is always there to catch her. Presently, there are not a lot of men in the company with the strength and skills needed to steer Sara’s Lamborghini around the racetrack in something like Tschai Pas.

 

During the past week, we revisited Chase Finlay’s and Zachary Catazaro’s Apollos. Both are now more fully realized portrayals, although Catazaro still needs to find a way to persuade us of Apollo’s testing youth stage and also avoid romancing Terpsichore. In Finlay’s performance, it was an instance of life imitates art. His muses, all master ballerinas with a collective tenure of more than a half century, had this Apollo focusing on rising to their level. 

 

Maria Kowroski as Terpsichore invited the eager Apollo to discover music by coaxing him along behind her and sharing her love for the art form. Their pas de deux thankfully didn’t cross that sensitive line to romance but rather stayed on the mentor side throughout. We noticed in both performances that following the swimming-on-the-back section, Finlay truncated the back bend noticeably before the end of the music which kind of splashed cold water on the whole moment. 

 

Teresa Reichlen’s Calliope was fascinating because we rarely see Teresa force expression in her face as is required in this role. Sara Mearns’ Polyhymnia was delightful, a real joy to watch in every way. This combination of tall, experienced muses opposite the developing Finlay was one of our most favorite casts of Apollo in years. All three muses expressed pride and amusement in the young Apollo’s maturing before their eyes.

 

The company’s intensity and vibrancy peaked with performances of Symphony in Three Movements on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Lauren King, having recently acquired the principal role in the magenta-pink leotard, soared through the knee-tucking assembles and ripped the battements to the ponytail with impressive command. We don’t think that there is any valid artistic reason for holding back that smile, however.

 

Joseph Gordon was brilliant in Symphony in Three Movements and Agon. The stretch and upward trajectory of his grand jetes were breathtaking. He certainly appears stronger than a year ago and is dancing with an authority that commands the eye’s attention no matter who else is on stage.

 

But, of course, Symphony in Three Movements is about the Corps de Ballet – particularly the ladies in white leotards who tear up the stage with the force of modern day wilis on a rampage. Christina Clark, Miriam Miller, and Isabella LaFreniere anchored the tall end of the opening diagonal image of feminine power – their stunningly beautiful limbs propelled by Stravinsky’s powerful rhythms.

 

Haglund somehow found himself at all seven performances last week. It was a pleasure to revisit Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on Saturday evening. While the choreography still looks arbitrary in places, the composition as a whole is mesmerizing. Wendall Harrington’s Kandinsky-inspired projections which dance on and off the back screen almost as if they are part of the ensemble are worth the price of the ticket. But the greatest pleasure of Saturday evening was sitting front left in close proximity to Stephen Gosling’s piano. His treatment of Mussorgsky’s piano score was absolutely thrilling.

 

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a simple Balenciaga don’t-mess-with-me spiked slingback, is bestowed upon the Corps de Ballet of Symphony in Three Movements.

 

Comments

[Shawn]

This review is even more envy-provoking for an out-of-towner than usual, so, um, thanks!

Recently saw Pinchas Zukerman perform the Double Concerto with our local symphony. Much faith in humanity was restored. Concerto Barocco might be the piece I'd most like to see live.

[Haglund]

Lucky you! Pinchas Zukerman is a favorite of mine. When he was the director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, I would go every Sunday to hear him play violin or viola, or see him conduct -- or do both. I can imagine that his Double Concerto was quite the treat.

[Marta]

hi Haglund,

Terrific review, thanks. I was at the Sunday April 29 performance and was especially excited to see Tschai PdD for the first time in the theater. I was disappointed not to see Peck or Fairchild with de Luz, and frankly didn't have high expectations for Mearns & Angle. I was particularly surprised by Angle's relatively fast feet. You summed it up perfectly: No new pinnacle in virtuosity, but ... "seeing both dancers successfully execute difficult combinations not frequently present in their reps was satisfying." And fun. I enjoyed Catazaro's Apollo but it seems still in the potential stage. Tombeau is not one of my favorite Balanchines, but Symphony in Three is, and this performance was great!

[Haglund]

Thanks, Marta. I agree that Catazaro's Apollo character is still unrealized. The temptation is to say it has something to do with his physical appearance which makes it hard to suggest Apollo's immaturity. But Adrian Danchig-Waring has the same "problem" and resolved it through his acting with such authority that he was 100% believable. Catazaro will find his way through the role eventually, I'm sure.