NYCB 1/24 – What a difference a day makes

        Well, well, well – just had to wait 24 hours to get the real opening performance of the Winter Season. What an evening of spectacular dancing!

        Fancy Free was so good Wednesday night that Haglund wanted to hit the re-set button to play it all over again. My goodness, did Jacqueline Bologna ever make her debut as the Passer-by in purple a star turn. She and Harrison Coll had charisma and rapport in spades during their pas de deux. Never did they drop character during their silken treatment of Robbins' inventive choreography. Never did they or any of the other performers drop character while sitting around the side table during the individual solos. Lauren Collett as the Passer-by with the red purse nailed her character as well. She toyed with the sailors and was always in control of the situation. No victim here. Sebastian Villarini-Velez and Daniel Ulbricht (subbing for Roman Mejia) fully depicted their characters with brilliant dancing throughout the ballet. At Tuesday's performance, Haglund thought that Fancy Free was ready for a good, long rest in the repertory. But after Wednesday's performance, he can't wait to see this cast again on Saturday afternoon!

        One thing we forgot to mention in yesterday's review which we were reminded of last night: During the second sailor's variation, he approaches the bar stools, jumps over one, and performs a double tour. Repeat. Seeing the double tours from the back make it painfully clear when the dancer fudges by swiveling the hips a quarter turn (or more) in plie before jumping. It's one of those wince-inducing lapses that no one wants to see.

        In the Night received rich interpretations from all three couples. Indiana Woodward and Joseph Gordon were sublime in the first pas de deux. Their expansiveness yielded a lush musicality. Emilie Gerrity and Tyler Angle (subbing for Aaron Sanz) relayed the emotional comfort of a long, successful relationship. Then came Tiler Peck and Gilbert Bolden III as the explosive, emotionally charged couple. Their performance spanned everything from George & Martha to Romeo & Juliet. So bold and well-played and exceptionally well-danced. In Bolden, Peck has found her dramatic match.

        The Four Seasons had a more even performance than the previous night. The highlight of this performance was Ashley Laracey and Adrian Danchig-Waring in Summer. My goodness, it's hard to think of a more lyrically beautiful dancer than Laracey. Her subtlety spoke volumes about the beauty and value of restraint. Her gorgeous lines in arabesque had the delicacy of a bird. While Danchig-Waring is not a whiz-bang technician, his strength in form and attention to detail, to repeat, illustrate the value of restraint.

        David Gabriel, Erica Pereira, and Andres Zuniga danced the Winter segment. Erica was not in her best form on this night and looked quite tired. Gabriel and Zuniga were a good match technically and clearly were more ready to dance than Erica. Olivia MacKinnon was a surprise success with Jovani Furlan in Spring. Her beautifully shaped leg positions and expansive dancing were immediately likeable. Obviously a very strong technician from the waist down, Olivia only has to educate her upper body and port de bras and bring some personality (beyond a fixed smile) to her performances in order to make herself more ready for principal roles. Unity Phelan and Andrew Veyette were a smoldering Fall in contrast to the razzle dazzle Fall of Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia the evening before. Both interpretations are welcome and immensely enjoyable. Gotta say that Veyette is really hanging on to his technique with the exception of the arabesque. His turns a la seconde were as clean as Mejia's the night before but better shaped with a more strongly pointed foot. He didn't jump the supporting foot up under him like Mejia did, but then Mejia's trick really didn't offer anything other than gymnastic appeal. Cainan Weber as the goatish fawn in Fall was sensational. Those of us who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s can recall Mighty Mouse and his "Here I come to save the day" song/ear worm played by the Mitch Miller Orchestra. Weber has that same appeal with a Mighty Mouse muscular physique of brawny shoulders and tiny waist and a huge, huge technique with which to power himself around the stage. Eagerly looking forward to seeing his Puck one day.

        Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a stunning Jimmy Choo stiletto with teardrop heel, is bestowed upon Jacqueline Bologna for her huge debut in Fancy Free. It was a long overdue opportunity. Let's hope we see her featured more prominently in the future. The Thursday matinee Emeralds in Saratoga this summer would be nice since Haglund already has his train tickets. Just trying to help out here . . .

 

 

Comments

[elfantgirl]

Thanks for this review Haglund. Glad to see you attending regularly again! Sounds like a marvelous night.

So happy to hear you sing the praises of Jacqueline Bologna. Her strong and elegant performances have caught my eye quite a few times. With City Ballet's deep bench, she hasn't had many opportunities to really shine in featured roles. I've long thought she was ready for bigger things. Hope she continues getting her chances and making the most of them.

[Haglund]

Jackie arrived within quite a stellar cohort: Alexa Maxwell, Ashley Hod, Olivia MacKinnon, Isabella LaFreniere, Unity Phelan. It had to have been hard to get attention as a corps member back in 2013-2014 with all that talent percolating. Some of them are now just getting started with important roles. I think Jackie has a special sparkle on stage that makes it easy to pay attention to her. Hopefully more opportunities await her.

[Kristen]

I'm so not a fan of Fancy Free. It makes me cringe watching it. It's like 40 minutes of mild sexual harassment. I really think it needs to be retired. There's not a woman in the audience not slightly disturbed by what's she's seeing on stage.

[Haglund]

Thanks much, Kristen, for your comment.

I'm not sure how anyone can speak for all the women in the audience. Look at the applause and cheering from them! Fancy Free is not meant to represent or comply with today's behavior standards. It's a snapshot of a time 80+ years ago when the world was far different than now. I'm sure there are people who also try to apply presentism to Romeo & Juliet, Manon, and who cringe if Charlton Heston shows up on the screen in The Ten Commandments--the poor women were whipped, the horses were whipped, the men were whipped. Men & women alike flock to James Bond movies that feature sexist, misogynistic views of women. Why pick on ballet?

The Passerby with the Red Purse in Fancy Free has choices to make about how to portray her character. Maybe try to see another cast that makes different choices.