Haglund's Heel

NYCB's second week of mixed results

The most incredible thing is that even though it's the Year of the Rabbit again -- and again, and again, seemingly everywhere we go with choreographer Justin Peck's works -- it really should be the Year of the Firebird. What a fabulous flock we have in the making! Isabella LaFreniere and Ashley Hod are both simply divine in the principal role.

Ashley Hod's debut in the title role on Tuesday evening revealed all the anticipated perfect lines and generous jumps, but what stunned us was the bending beauty of her upper body and port de bras during the Firebird's bourree solo. This was, perhaps, Hod's most significant debut to date and secured her place as a major ballerina in the company -- one who is just now entering the sweet spot of her career. Her work respectfully reflects the traditional Balanchine style from the time he led the company while just beginning to incorporate an individual style. It's as though we are watching a flashback that has been updated.

Miriam Miller was captivating in the role of the Prince's Bride. All that length and bend combined with the ever increasing expansiveness in her dancing really demanded that we watch this character in every scene she appeared.

This production of Firebird is rich in so many ways that it almost leads to sensory overload. The stirring Stravinsky music, the overpowering scenery, the nightmarishly appealing Kastchei costumes, the ravishing Firebird, and the brilliant choreography create a theatrical experience that Haglund could sit through night after night. In fact, now that we have two new Firebirds who are burning brightly, we want to see the rest of the latest class of soloists illuminate the role. Kikta, Miller, Nadon, and even the little Von Enck would all be very individual stunners as Firebirds.

As for Justin Peck's new Copland Dance Episodes which premiered last evening, let's just blurt it out: No, not ever again. First, most of the Copland music we heard last evening (Rodeo, Appalachian Spring, and Billy the Kid) wasn't just used previously for dance, it was commissioned by choreographers who had specific artistic plans for its use. The music is stirring, just as stirring as the Stravinsky works that Balanchine commissioned. Why doesn't Peck "re-work" those into his own vision? Answer: Because he knows that doing so would be bad form and would neither enrich the art nor stand up to the art for which the music was originally made.

Copland Dance Episodes included only a few moments of inventiveness. It was an interminably long, intermissionless 72 minutes. Peck applied his formulaic choreography in the same way that he has applied it in his other works. It was the same swoopy, gosh-this-is-fun-to-do-but-tiring-to-watch choreography that tried way too hard to be hip and accessible. The formula applied to the costumes as well: women in leotards dyed to look like various colored underpants and tops; the men in various colored tights and shirts. All the colors were apparently derived from the front panel curtain designed by Jeffrey Gibson seen here:

The most interesting moment of the ballet came during the Appalachian Spring music when Haglund looked away from the stage and glanced up into the darkness at the people in the side tiers: a single line of still, serious faces slightly illuminated by the stage lighting who could have been Worshipers in Martha Graham's landmark Appalachian Spring. Miss Graham's masterpiece. Miss Graham's commissioned score. Miss Graham's 1944 story of a community of 19th century American pioneers in Pennsylvania. Miss Graham who built her own company from scratch and included Asian and Black dancers long before most any other company. Miss Graham who nurtured Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp.

Back in 1958 when Miss Graham's Appalachian Spring appeared on TV, Haglund was deep into ballet's circus side and didn't appreciate the brilliance of this composition. Years later, another visit to her Appalachian Spring brought an emotion-filled appreciation of Graham's brilliance, inventiveness, style, and her extraordinary dancers. In this 1958 video, Graham performs in her mid-60s along side Matt Turney (pictured right) and Yuriko. A character similar to the stiff and serious Preacher, danced by Bertram Ross, would later show up in Paul Taylor's Speaking in Tongues but with a less than wholesome side.

The one redeeming characteristic of Peck's ballet was that it conveyed how much the dancers like to dance together as a large group and how they support each other as a little democracy. Principals danced among the corps as much as they were featured alone. Corps dancers were spotlighted throughout the ballet. Everyone was having a wonderful time on the stage. Haglund was looking at his watch.

Without a doubt, the New York City Ballet Orchestra saved the night. What a joy it was to hear them dive into Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man at the opening of the piece. But no amount of fanfare would help what was about to take place on the stage. Take us back to Firebird, the most incredible thing -- pronto.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a fiery stiletto for hot feet, is bestowed upon Ashley Hod for debut as the Firebird.

 

 

observations 1/22

It was an extraordinary Saturday filled with memorable performances by New York City Ballet, but what is wrong with this composition?

Twelve men principals to a mere six women principals?! Can management stop discounting its women's talent and make an effort to achieve principal parity? Just the optics are highly disturbing, but what's behind this inequity?

 

NYCB on fire 1/20

        Tiler Peck's fabled Allegro Brillante was on display last night at NYCB. She and Roman Mejia gave a pristine and glorious performance. No complaints about Mejia’s lines last night. His arabesques were stretched to the limit and surprisingly turned-out. Tiler’s own arabesques were subdued with many achieved via an overly opened hip, but that was a minor quibble in a performance that was filled with brilliant articulation, thrilling speed, and a generosity that conveyed that she was out there for us, not herself. Wow wow wow.

        The corps was fantastic. The women (Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara, Ashley Hod, Olivia MacKinnon, Emma Von Enck) were exceptionally in sync while moving at open-throttle speed. We must remark that if we don’t see Emma Von Enck as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty this season, we will be extremely disappointed. If she is relegated to Bluebird or Canary, we just won’t go because the injustice would be too great. It’s quite possible that we in New York have never, ever seen a dancer who is more suited to the role of Aurora, and it would be an absolute travesty if we had to wait until this Sleeping Beauty cycles around in a few years to see her in the role. The corpsmen last evening were tops as well. My goodness, the cabrioles derrière by Christopher Grant were of such beauty and length that they took our eyes away from the principals.

        Christopher Wheeldon’s now 20-year-old Liturgy reveals the genesis of many of his later oft-repeated ideas: flag-like arms, draped bodies on the floor, acrobatic coupling, dragging the women around. It’s of historical interest but we’re grateful that Wheeldon’s work has grown more substantive as the years passed and has developed in the area of storytelling as in his extraordinary ballet, The Winter’s Tale. However, we wouldn’t mind seeing his early Mercurial Manoeuvres pop up on NYCB’s calendar more often. Unity Phelan and Chun Wai Chan performed the Liturgy pas de deux with precision and maximum extensions. Both looked handsome in the costumes by Holly Hynes.

        Walpurgisnacht Ballet was a mood lifter after the dark seriousness of Liturgy. It’s a hairy ballet, that’s for sure. Two dozen women flying around at top speed in their fushia-crimson-viva magenta gauze with animated hair dancing its own choreography was quite the lovely sight. Emilie Gerrity, in her debut of this principal role, milked the music for all its worth. She didn’t bang out the choreography but rather served it up with clarity, authority, and warmth in a very pleasing interpretation. Tyler Angle was her capable partner. Erica Periera shimmered in her solo.

        Firebird has become 5-alarms since Isabella LaFreniere took over the role last year. Good heavens, what an extraordinary and beautiful performance she delivered last night. Okay, the mammoth Chagall scenery helped. A lot. But LaFreniere, besides looking positively stunning in Karinska’s tutu, was resplendent with pure academics and intelligent musicality. The accelerating circle of saut de chat that finished with a gargantuan leap to exit the stage was breathtaking. When she later arrived on stage and began her bourree solo, lawlessness broke out in the audience. iPhone cameras lit up everywhere. Someone even engaged the flash to catch her image. Yeah, the Chagalls helped, but LaFreniere was simply spectacular. Hers is not a performance that anyone should miss.

        Jared Angle served as Prince Ivan and Megan LeCrone gave a lovely, unusually warm and very open performance as the Prince’s Bride. Gilbert Bolden III’s Kastchei was fantastic as well.

        Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, hot wings with sauce, is bestowed upon Isabella LaFreniere, a blazing talent, for her performance as the Firebird. 

 

 

 

NYCB All Balanchine 1/18

        NYCB continued to build steam on its second night of its wonderful All Balanchine program of Donizetti Variations, Haieff Divertimento, Valse-Fantaisie, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Cast changes revealed a new spectrum of principal artistry while a do-over gave many corps members a second chance to organize themselves on stage.

        The biggest moment of the evening came when Christina Clark and Peter Walker debuted in Haieff Divertimento. The geometric beauty of this pair was undeniable; their length must be measured in kilometers. We finally understood the ideal for whom the male figure was searching in this ballet. When that ideal finally appeared before him, he would not be able to prevent her from eventually slipping through his fingers and disappearing into the shadows. That “slipping through the fingers” is figuratively speaking, of course, because Walker’s partnering was astonishing, and the debuting ballerina’s confidence and reliance on her partner was equally so.

        When Christina Clark walked onto the silent, empty stage to begin her solo, there was an audible gasp from an audience member “She’s gorgeous!” Indeed. As we may have mentioned before, Clark has all of this Zakharova-stuff going on for her that demands our attention. And she can move like the wind, far faster than one expects a dancer of her blessed height. Walker seemed to delight in being the one to put this ballerina on everyone’s map much the same way Adrian Danchig-Waring knew that he was launching Isabella LaFreniere to the forefront in Chaconne in a recent season. These guys never get enough credit for ensuring the beautiful performances of the ballerinas.

        Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette led Donizetti Variations with great flair although the arabesque lines were more modest than needed. Veyette pulled out all of the pirouettes including a handsome set of accelerating single revolutions with arms out to the side. Peck’s speed, musicality, and hops on pointe were delicious. There is something slightly cruel about the choreography where the ballerina pirouettes in front of her partner who then picks her up in a little jumping turn from which she lands right on her toes. The ballerinas always smile through it but they must be thinking ouch, too.

        The corps de ballet in Donizetti seemed spruced up — particularly the men. The young apprentice, Charlie Klesa, shook off his nerves from the opening night and really corralled our attention with his beautiful feet, strong lines, and significant height. Also in last night’s corps, the young Rommie Tomasini had much more success with her featured solos.

        Valse-Fantaisie received an uplifting performance from Indiana Woodward and Roman Mejia. We love seeing Indiana fly around in traditional tulle and often think of how much we have missed her in Emeralds. When oh when oh when oh when oh when are we going to get back our Jewels? Roman’s full-out effort was admirable; however, he needs to find some discipline in his aerial lines. The corps women (Olivia Boisson, Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara, Olivia MacKinnon, and Mimi Staker) were stunningly beautiful.

        Stravinsky Violin Concerto delivered the thrills to end the evening with the cast of Emilie Gerrity, Russell Janzen, Unity Phelan, and Taylor Stanley. It was so good to see Janzen who is still making his way back from his long injury layoff. We can all be as patient as needed. The ladies of the corps were sharp as could be whereas the gentlemen seemed out of sorts perhaps because of the strange assortment of sizes and their very individual musicalities.          

        So far this week, life at the ballet has been pretty darn great. Our second H.H. Pump Bump Award, a crystal-laden Louboutin that would look lovely on the feet of a Symphony in C second movement ballerina, is bestowed upon the blossoming Christina Clark for her striking debut in Haieff Divertimento.

 

 

NYCB plays to its strengths in the Winter Season opener

        We're grateful to be back among the civilized herd of NYCB regulars who appreciate the genius of Balanchine and can chat intelligently about the bright performances on the stage before them. Speaking about the well-balanced four-bill of Donizetti Variations, Haieff Divertimento, Valse-Fantaisie, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, one said, "This is the unpretentious real deal." Thank goodness nobody replied that the pretentiousness will arrive next week.

        Tuesday night's opening performance of the Winter Season may not have revealed the tidiest corps de ballet, and there was an old-time sense that some newer members had been thrown into the deep end of the pool, so to speak, to either sink or swim. Everybody eventually made it to the safety of the pool's edge. As the night progressed, things improved.

        Donizetti Variations, set to music from his opera Dom Sebastian (not Don Sebastian as misprinted in the Playbill), has a Bournonville bounce and cadence without adherence to Bournonville's strict style. Occasionally the port de bras lowered to accentuate what the feet were doing, but mostly this was a festive romp filled with deceptively difficult challenges for the dancer's entire body. We had the luxury casting of Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley leading the first night. Surprisingly, this was Huxley's debut in the role, but he danced it as though it had been created on him. His skimming allegro, compact pirouettes, and instantly airborne jetes seemed as effortless as breathing. Watching Megan Fairchild make song of the steps was the first of several uplifting performances of the evening. The beautiful shapes of her supported grand jetes and the cheery, boundless energy in her grand pas de chats were all achieved with a twinkling joy and not an ounce of hubris. The corps de ballet definitely needed more rehearsal, and the polish of Mary Thomas MacKinnon is what they should aspire to in the future.

        Haieff Divertimento is an "arty" piece that is dependent on length of line and the ability to achieve starkly clear geometry. While Indiana Woodward and Harrison Ball made an honest go of it, the ballet didn't seem to be a good fit for their individual talents. Here we saw some real standout dancing by corps women Jacqueline Bologna and Lauren Collett. Lauren possesses the length and innate glamour of a pint-sized Kowroski. Jacqueline is one of those corps women who is long overdue for a major principal role. She has that quality of being immediately likeable in addition to possessing killer legs and pristine feet.

        We may never have seen Erica Pereira jump as strongly as we saw in last night's Valse-Fantaisie opposite Daniel Ulbricht. Her composure, mature demeanor, luxuriant musicality, and soaring jetes (except for one exit) were a joy to watch. Ulbricht seemed to spur her on with his infectious joy, precision, and accelerating energies. Here, the corps women were impressive and radiant -- Olivia Boisson, in particular, sparkled throughout the glorious Glinka music.

        Stravinsky Violin Concerto closed the evening with riveting performances from Ashley Laracey, Joseph Gordon, Mira Nadon and Adrian Danchig-Waring. While the company has several dancers who achieve fine performances in this ballet, it now belongs to Ashley Laracey whose ability to combine strength and acutely accurate lines with delicacy gives her a unique place within the company. And it is hard to think of a more perfect partner for Joseph Gordon - physically and temperamentally. He danced like a dancer with goals, like someone who aspires to a greatness of his own design. As each familiar moment approached in his solos, we wondered in eager anticipation what he might make of it. He and Laracey dance SVC again on Thursday and next Wednesday. They simply should not be missed.

        Mira Nadon had a highly successful debut (subbing for Sara Mearns) opposite Adrian Danchig-Waring. There was a tendency to add individual detailing which sometimes cluttered the choreography, but all in all, it was a very strong, well-prepared performance. Adrian danced with a force and exhilaration that seemingly know no peak. Again, the corps women slayed: Olivia Boisson, Christina Clark and Mimi Staker to name three who controlled the stage. The men were far less ready although it was certainly a relief to see Spartak Hoxha back in the lineup and dancing with his customary authority.

        We are very much looking forward to tonight's performance which will feature Tiler Peck in Donizetti, debuts by Christina Clark and Peter Walker in Haieff, and another brilliant cast of Stravinsky including Russell Janzen. For now, we bestow the H.H. Pump Bump Award, a bejeweled Louboutin, upon Ashley Laracey for her standard-setting performance in Stravinsky Violin Concerto.

 

 

observations 1/5

Ya can't say it came as a surprise -- that is, Alexei Ratmansky becoming Artist in Residence at New York City Ballet after 13 years at ABT. Ya can't watch Emma Von Enck, Jovani Furlan, Jonathan Fahoury, Ashley Hod, Davide Riccardo, and others and not envision an upcoming new Ratmansky ballet. The way Emma Von Enck tore through his Concerto DSCH could have easily closed the deal for NYCB.

This is all good news. Good that Ratmansky's base will continue to be in New York. Good that ABT will be able to have him available to help keep his works energized in their repertory. Good that he will be surrounded by the ceaseless inspiration of the NYCB dancers. All good.

We're very much looking forward to the first week of the Winter Season and will be at most, possibly all, of the performances. The casting is irresistible -- particularly Stravinsky Violin Concerto with Gerrity, Janzen, Phelan, Stanley & Laracey, Gordon, Mearns, Danchig-Waring. How great to see that Christina Clark is getting a shot at Haieiff Divertimento. Would love to see her as Lilac Fairy later on.

The Winter Season should benefit from all those company Covid cases during Nutcracker. According to "experts", those who get the current Covid variety should be good for about 90 days before being ripe for their next case.

The first week of January is a happy one.