Wheeldon and Pyres at NYCB When the math doesn't work

        Arriving at our blessed $38 seats for our first view of Christopher Wheeldon’s new “abstract” work for New York City Ballet entitled From You Within Me, we were met by a front scrim bearing the stunning atmospheric painting by Kylie Manning. Rich marine blues and greens suggested a water scene, perhaps the ocean or a glen or an inlet surrounded by lush landscape. It was a lovely reminder of ABT’s Swan Lake curtain. Noting that Wheeldon had chosen to use the same Schoenberg music that ABT’s Antony Tudor used for his dramatic Pillar of Fire and had lifted a line for the title from the Dehmel narrative poem which inspired both Schoenberg and Tudor, we began to wonder, “How could Swan Lake-ish scrim + Pillar of Fire music + Dehmel narrative reference = abstract ballet?” 

        Soon the dancers appeared behind the scrim at the side of the stage entangled in a blob of humanity from which individual dancers dramatically reached up and out before sinking back into the blob which was rotating counter-clockwise. As individual dancers withdrew from the blob, we immediately noticed the geometric beauty of the back zippers on their red, very see-through mesh unitards which led directly down to the straight cracks in their exposed buttocks. We wondered, “How could Swan Lake-ish scrim + Pillar of Fire music + Dehmel poetic reference + red baboon butts = abstract ballet?” 

 

        Sara Mearns, arguably NYCB’s most melodramatic ballerina, devoured Wheeldon’s phrases in solos of whipping arms, spinning turns, expressions of torment, and the expansive movement for which she is known and prized, but we wondered, “How could Swan Lake-ish scrim + Pillar of Fire music + Dehmel poetic reference + red baboon butts + melodramatic ballerina = abstract ballet?” 

 

        We’re still wondering.

 

        Wheeldon was unmistakably inspired by the dramatic undercurrent and emotional riptides present in Tudor’s famous work. The stilted pointe poses and the torso angst alone made that argument. He seemed to want to simulate the mental turbulence that Tudor found within Schoenberg’s music without the benefit of a storyline — thus, we had unfocused emotion and dramatic reachings without any indication for what the dancers were reaching. It was a story ballet of mostly blanks that the viewer was supposed to fill in as he wished. Like Flo sings, “That’s not my job.”  A ballet that suggests a storyline but doesn’t deliver is not an abstract ballet; it’s a half-cooked story ballet, that’s all.

 

        So what about the choreography — assuming it was abstract? Not all that interesting, we’re afraid. Wheeldon excels in group movement, but solos and PdD can frequently look generic — like they might show up in any of his other ballets. A PdD exquisitely danced by Peter Walker and Aaron Sanz included the obligatory gymnastics and entanglements of our time, but the movement itself — except for some perfectly wonderful arabesques — wasn’t visually interesting as abstract movement, although we’re sure that it must have been challenging and interesting for the dancers to perform. Unfortunately, whether the dancers love (or hate) dancing the choreography is no measure of how satisfying the audience finds it.  

 

        Alysa Pires’ new choreography, Standard Deviation, never made it outside 68% of the data set of steps that we see in most contemporary choreography - not even one standard deviation. It was beyond boring, teetering on tedious, and made more unwatchable by the dancers’ unattractive unitards that went up to their necks and looked straight out of Discount Dance Supply. Dancers solemnly made various geometric forms with their arms while standing or motoring around in lines and while trying in vain to find some importance in what they were doing. Then, like a Hail Mary Pass thrown by the hopelessly losing quarterback, Pires sent Tiler Peck to center stage to do fouettes. Cringe-worthy is being too kind. 

 

        In sum, we’re glad that these new dances aren’t on the schedule for next season, not even for $38.

 

Comments

[Mtm]

thank you Haglund for affirming my unstudied opinion. I was there tues night. First off, I was totally distracted by the length of time the scrim was down. Then, although I loved the backdrop, I did not like the costumes for tje reason you mentioned.
Regarding the music: though it was lovely, I kept thinking it was the score to a Douglass Sirk movie. I could close my eyes and listen to that alone but putting it together with the choreography was a disconnect and disturbed me.
Standard deviation is what you said. Lol the fouettes!
But my biggest complaint was following it all up with "the times are racing"
This was the third ballet of the night that began in a huddle.What is up with that?? The music and the bland choreography was too much and I left within 5 minutes. That's one of the only times I can remember wanting to bolt. Never again!

[Haglund]

Mtm -- I think Wheeldon has evolved so far as a storyteller that it may be too hard to go back to making "abstract" ballets. He certainly should have stayed away from famous story ballet music as an inspiration for an abstract dance. I'm truly looking forward to seeing his latest story ballet Like Water For Chocolate next month at ABT.

[Allie Kenney]

Mtm: I have heard that, when NYCB first moved into the State Theater, Balanchine tried to encourage potential ballet goers by pointing out the "popular prices" and reminding people they had a full symphony orchestra and if people didn't like the ballet they could just close their eyes and enjoy the music! Couldn't help think of that when I read your post.

[Laura]

I truly do not understand the fad of new choreography always starting with a group of dancers in a big cluster. It's not interesting. It's not unique. I can appreciate that it's difficult to create something truly original, especially when coming off the tails of a genius like Balanchine. But please, please, stop clumping dancers together and calling it ballet.