NYCB - Fancy Free, Rondo, Solo, Episodes 1/31

        Haglund stopped himself before he made the mistake of asking the young woman in front of him in the orchestra, "Did someone pay you to wear that obnoxious hat?" The baseball cap, pictured right, boldly says "Yes, I'm a Trump girl 2024." The word "girl" is in red lower case letters below the bold white uppercase letters of Trump's name. Since the woman seemed like she was hankering to deliver anyone she could a Boebert beatdown, Haglund shrunk back into his seat and covered his old brittle bones with his camouflage coat from under which he snapped this blurry photo.  He was afraid even to scowl at her -- unlike many others in the audience who were not within her striking distance and felt safe to show their disapproval.

        Thank goodness we found distraction in the fabulous dancing during the evening. Fancy Free's cast included several debuts -- Maxwell Read as the Bartender; Lauren Collett, Indiana Woodward & Malorie Lundgren as the new Passers-by; and Jovani Furlan as the new squid -- among veteran sailors Daniel Ulbricht and Joseph Gordon. These last two could have been holed up at Rudy's on 9th Avenue during Fleet Week. After their final unsuccessful pursuit of the lovely Ms. Lundgren, they probably went back to Rudy's and hung out with the pig. Over the years, that pig has worn quite a few white Dixie Cups among other styles.

        Fancy Free was a total delight mainly because veterans Gordon and Ulbricht knew how to convey their characters as well as any sailor knows how to tie a bow line or a clove hitch. Gordon's sailor had come ashore in New York City fewer times than Ulbricht's sailor but both were game ready for everything the city could offer them. Ulbricht with his swagger and eager jumps; Gordon with his coltish suaveness, somewhat untried, but nevertheless self-assured; Furlan with his winning attitude but obvious concentration on the steps -- all created very distinctive characters. These were not three sailors on leave; these were three fully drawn characters who just happened to be sailors on leave.

        Indiana Woodward and Lauren Collett as the two main Passers-by played their roles fairly well and danced them expertly, but we were always aware that they were "playing" their roles. These characters shouldn't be played as caricatures.

        Isabella LaFreniere and Mira Nadon debuted in the rarely performed Jerome Robbins' Rondo which was created in 1980. The ballet is for two women both dressed in skirted leotards with only a shade of difference in the pink colors -  one had more peach undertones while the other had more violet hues. Anyone familiar with Balanchine's Symphonie Concertante would immediately recognize the concept in Robbins' piece of the two women answering and quoting each other with the same or similar steps. The steps themselves and the mood of the piece were similar to other piano ballets created by Robbins except this time he summoned Mozart instead of Chopin for his inspiration. Much of the ballet's success during this evening was due to the extraordinary instruments of LaFreniere and Nadon. To see each artist featured on an uncluttered stage performing Robbins' complex musical phrases as though they were simple conversations was quite wonderful.

        Anthony Huxley performed his Solo by Justin Peck to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. Again, it was the individual qualities of a special dancer that made this so watchable. First created for NYCB's Digital Spring Gala film during the COVID-19 shutdown during which Huxley performed in practice-type clothing, Solo now sports a distracting Raf Simons costume design of sleeveless coat over a red long-sleeved leotard atop black tights with white spots. But the theme of a solitary individual grappling with his solitary thoughts on a stage by himself was not disturbed. The swoopy, sometimes manic choreography expressed by Huxley's articulate feet was similar to other Peck dances including his sneaker ballets.

        Balanchine's Episodes closed this particular program which kind of declined energy-wise after starting with the high energy of Fancy Free. But Episodes is a compelling work that was expertly danced by those in the company who specialize in Balanchine's black & white canon. The opening episode featuring the stark, clear geometry of Megan LeCrone and Andrew Veyette also featured corps dancers who are noted for being Theme specialists in The Four Temperaments where line means everything.

        Emily Kikta and Alec Knight in the second episode were brilliant. Kikta's glorious height and beaming face grab the stage light like no other dancer currently in the company. She makes us watch her. Knight is doing fine, progressing well, and we hope that we don't again lose him for any length of time to injury. His career has had enough interruptions just as it seemingly got going.

        Unity Phelan and Harrison Ball in the third episode fared well thanks to Ball's sensitive partnering and Phelan's lovely leg extensions.

        Miriam Miller and Russell Janzen led the final "Musical Offering". While Miller is clearly a different type of dancer than others who have graced this role, she brought a calm, thoughtful interpretation without any underlying angst to her dancing. Physically, she and Janzen were a beautiful, mesmerizing match. Their gears meshed so well that we can't wait to see them together again.

        The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a filled-to-the-brim beer boot, is bestowed upon Daniel Ulbricht and Joseph Gordon for their continued brilliance and ever-evolving interpretations in Fancy Free.

 

Comments

[Jennifer Hennelly]

Thanks for a nothing if not entertaining review ( on many levels).. and a special 🌟for mentioning my "Favorite lucky Pig" that I have "high-fived" while passing...for years 😉

[Haglund]

Thanks, Jennifer.

I hope I didn't insult the pig by calling him "the pig" but I honestly couldn't remember his given-name or surname. (It's not Rudy.) Someday I'll have to drop in there and ask.

[Jeannette]

Thanks for the reports…and your candid photos, Haglund. Oh, that Hat Wearer, LOL!

Now I don’t feel so bad about missing the new Peck. He seems to favor groups in simple dance wear. A lot of typical looks and formations, judging by photos in other reviews.

Have you seen the other new work that premiered this season - by Ms Jinakunwiphat? Maybe that one was better than the Peck?

[Haglund]

Have not yet seen the Jinakunwiphat piece. I intended to see the premiere, but it was preceded by Ratmansky's "Voices" which literally drove me out of the theater that evening. I don't care what he was trying to "say"; neither the dance nor the theater aspects of it worked.

[Gstavella]

H, The ‘T’ word aside, (T for traitor, that is) an adult, wearing a baseball cap, with a ‘message’ , in a theater, (one not showing movies) after 6, just says ‘Classy’ to me. And an adult woman labeling herself ‘Girl’ is desperate. But to give her a break, perhaps she was confused and thought this was her local Cineplex, and was just asking around where she could get a extra large tub of popcorn.

[Tacold]

The pig's name is Baron Von Swine.
:)

[Haglund]

OMG! Given, middle, and surname. Thank you so much!