Gotta ask one more time: Why isn't our New York City Ballet Orchestra playing its power to the masses at Carnegie Hall just like the Met Opera Orchestra does? The Shostakovich played last night by Stephen Gosling and conducted by our favorite Clotilde Otranto was electrifying. The orchestra simply out-did itself, and the dancers were not about to waste its efforts. In short, this performance brought back the excitement of its premiere fourteen years ago.
In Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH, Emma Von Enck, Sebastian Villarini-Velez, and KJ Takahashi switched on the high voltage without any warning to the audience -- their electricity arcing back and forth among one another. The aculeate pointes of Von Enck, the soaring spins of Villarini-Velez, and the seriously devastating allegro from Takahashi brought a fire to the house last night. It was just the type of fire that will inspire Ratmansky to return to NYCB to make more ballets.
Sterling Hyltin and Adrian Danchig-Waring had such an ease between themselves that their PdDs often looked like one piece as opposed to two dancers performing together. Their harmonious lines simply blended as one. It was so lovely to see them dance together.
The Corps de Ballet did not let up for one second in their energy and focus on implicit storytelling. Olivia Boisson, Ashley Hod, Olivia MacKinnon, and Mary Elizabeth Sell were standouts as were Victor Abreu and Alec Knight. We're on our way to getting Knight back after his long absence. He's had a number of important assignments this season. There's no need to press this comeback too fast; we can wait.
The evening's opening performance of Stravinsky Violin Concerto was huge. The kinetic energy was off the charts (no one conducts this better than Maestro Otranto) and the dancing was sublime. Ashley Laracey and Joseph Gordon were an extraordinary pairing, gorgeous in every note of music. Beautiful chemistry. Sara Mearns and Taylor Stanley also had a unique, playful chemistry which was fun to watch. We're just wondering what happened to the leotards in this ballet. They used to have such a pretty neck line, but now they seem to be stretched open at the front -- for what purpose? It brought back bad memories of Darci Kistler's white leotards that were obviously re-made to accent her late-age bodybuilding efforts.
The Corps de Ballet in Stravinsky was outstanding. There was so much going on and everybody was giving it their all. Every one of them was dancing like a star. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to watch this performance and listen to the magnificent New York City Ballet Orchestra play Stravinsky like they own it. They do.
Unfortunately, Haglund had somewhere to go and couldn't stay for Everywhere We Go. And so it goes . . .
The H.H. Pump Bump Award, fire in the feet at Lincoln Center, is bestowed upon Emma Von Enck whose explosive debut in Concerto DSCH will be remembered for a long time.
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