Haglund's Heel

NYCB 5/14 – Contemporary Choreography I

        Tuesday evening’s Contemporary Choreography I program was not the spectacular, uplifting evening that we expected. 

 

        Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition was originally a hyperkinetic romp of artistry to Mussorgsky’s music which was inspired by an art exhibition of the work by Mussorgsky’s friend, painter Viktor Hartmann. Since the premiere of Pictures at an Exhibition nearly ten years ago, Ratmansky's homeland, Ukraine, has been shattered by Russian ethnic aggression which has, for the time being, re-shaped his artistic output. His most recent creation for NYCB last February, entitled Solitude, drew its inspiration from a journalist’s photo of a Ukrainian father kneeling over his son who had just been killed by a Russian bomb. Somehow Solitude with its clear imagery, some of which was also in Ratmansky’s earlier Pictures, reverse-informed that earlier work on Tuesday and made it decidedly more political than it was originally. The characters in Pictures at an Exhibition were far more dark, serious, and angry than they were a decade ago. When the men lifted the women from behind who then aimed one leg out in front like a rifle, it seemed to have a hostile and militaristic seriousness that was not present at the premiere in 2014. The solo for Baba Yaga, which originally depicted a whirling unhinged crazy character (Amar Ramasar) was on Tuesday more menacing when danced by Chun Wai Chan. Almost from the outset, the viewpoint from Solitude had suddenly influenced Pictures at an Exhibition. In any event, we’ve all seen enough of women holding their legs like rifles in Ratmansky’s choreography — and in Wheeldon's.  

 

        From a technical standpoint, Pictures at an Exhibition was strong and vivid. Mira Nadon’s uninhibited dancing in The Gnome was anything but the flailing abandon that audiences lapped up a decade earlier. Mira had absolute control over her wicked wildness. Her impulsivity was engineered to perfection. What a joy it was to witness this dancer apply her imagination to her art. Emma Von Enck, another protostar who is just heating up and was promoted to principal on Thursday evening, thrilled with her articulation and surprise punctuation of phrases. Alexa Maxwell showed great lyrical skills and promise in her adagio with Tyler Angle. A slight stuttering on an exit where she was supposed to rise from Angle’s torso was an insignificant blip in an otherwise beautiful pas de deux that brought us exquisite imagery such as Alexa “in flight” over her partner’s right shoulder.

 

        The opportunity to hear Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition played in its original piano solo form by Stephen Gosling is an opportunity that should not be missed. On Tuesday, his dazzling mastery over a grueling 35 minutes pretty much exceeded everything else on stage that night. 

 

        Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels received strong performances from Mira Nadon, Dominika Afanasenkov, Adrian Danchig-Waring and Joseph Gordon. It seemed a little subdued compared to the last performance of this ballet that we saw outdoors at Lincoln Center where Ashley Hod, Davide Riccardo, Emilie Gerrity, and Peter Walker devoured the choreography like a school of sharks and in doing so sent the Damrosch Park audience into a feeding frenzy.

 

          Gianna Reisen’s Play Time should be renamed Waste of Time. We cannot complain enough about the waste of money, time and talent that this nonsense represents. NYCB should be embarrassed about allowing this piece back on its stage. Actually, NYCB should be punished for allowing this piece back on its stage. There weren’t 30 seconds of watchable choreography. If the idea behind Play Time was to be obnoxious, juvenile, and TikTok-ish, well then, success! This piece had no chance whatsoever of succeeding because its musical foundation was sawdust. 

 

        Glass Pieces completed the evening with a gorgeous PdD by Unity Phelan and Adrian Danchig-Waring. How can we not miss the length of line that Maria Kowroski brought to this ballet? However, Unity’s lines were beautifully shaped, and Adrian’s extraordinary partnering created an effortless quality that nearly looked celestial. The soloists in the Rubric section were an odd collection of dancers who were either emotionally flat or trying way too hard to be dramatic —  while intentionally throwing their ribs out as far as possible. The Corps de Ballet was mostly fine on this first night, but lacked energy. Samuel Melnikov as the first man out of the gate during Akhnaten covered the stage impressively with his length and power.

 

        The HH Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon piano man Stephen Gosling for his superb solo playing of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

 

 

NYCB Tonight!

Very much looking forward to hearing Stephen Gosling play this tonight at NYCB:

 

NYCB Spring Gala 5/2 Gimmicks and Gowns

        New York City Ballet galas are never about good taste. Wear all your jewelry, find a dress that borders on ostentatious, judge everyone’s state of thinness — that’s what they’re about.

        So last Thursday’s gala began with the company sparkling in some of its most precious jewels, Rubies, but then it waltzed out works that were the equivalent of Kmart jewelry — no offense to Kmart intended. Both new pieces — instead of being celebrated at a gala — should have been workshopped and gone through out-of-state "try-outs” followed by critical editing before landing on the New York stage. NYCB’s habit of just throwing stuff out on stage to see if it works before (and without) providing oversight from producers and editors wastes a lot of money. 

 

        Justin Pecks’ new pas de deux for Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, Dig the Say, confused gimmick and theme. It was desperate to be cool, right down to the rag headband that Mejia wore to insure that we understood that the dancer was engaging in sweaty sport as though we wouldn’t get that from watching him bounce a red ball against the wall. The dance was a crazy quilt of Tiler's and Roman's' favorite steps which now show up in this choreographer's works like tired cliches. Inviting the PUBLIQuartet to force Vijay Iyer’s erratic and esoteric composition onto the audience was, again, desperate to be cool. We’re all constantly wowed by what Tiler and Roman can do in terms of classical technique, but why waste it on drivel? In a short time, ABT’s Aran Bell and Gillian Murphy will be guesting with NYCB for an evening. Why not reciprocate with a guest slot for Peck and Mejia in ABT’s Le Corsaire or Don Quixote? Just thinking out loud here . . . 

 

        Amy Hall Garner’s Underneath, There Is Light, can be commended for effort for how it swept lines of dancers across the stage and promoted dramatic moments that only the choreographer could possibly understand. The costumes, black for the first part of the dance and sunny cream for second part of the dance, tried to help us along in understanding the title and concept. But the hodgepodge of music and steps just didn’t amount to very much. 

 

        Contrast all this with the Balanchine/Stravinsky Rubies excerpt from Jewels that thrilled with its themes, musicality, structure, and individual interpretations. We’re not sure that we have ever seen anyone go after Rubies the way Mira Nadon did in the gala performance. Hers was such a bold in-your-face performance that she nearly made the audience blush — while it also headed for cover. Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley delivered the always-appreciated superb performances — their energy and wit driving their sparkling rapport. The corps de ballet was in fine form. Piano soloist Stephen Gosling ripped into the Stravinsky score and spurred the dancers right to the outside edge of possibility. It was a tremendous performance from all.

 

        Oftentimes when new works premiered by NYCB have not succeeded, their problems have begun with the choice of music. In coming seasons, what we need is a program offering along the lines of Conductors’ Choices where NYCB’s full team of conductors chooses an evening of music that will enthrall and uplift the audience, and then the company invites choreographers to make new ballets to it. Some smart choices would be Brahms, Mozart, Bruch, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven. Then, NYCB’s marketing department should take aim at the audience in Geffen Hall and tantalize them with solicitations of “Come hear the greatest classical music in the most comfortable seats in all of Lincoln Center” and “Tired of trying to enjoy great classical music while sitting in a chair that is like an economy seat on Spirit Airlines? Come across the plaza and sit in our plushy seats with lumbar support AND extraordinary leg room while we play gorgeous Brahms and Mozart. The concession food and drink are the same, and customers don’t have to walk the length of an airport terminal to find a bathroom.You’ll never want to leave.”  This is simply a helpful suggestion — if NYCB wants better new works, it should start by demanding better music.

 

        The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Jada Dubai creation that features all the Jewels - Rubies, Emeralds, and of course Diamonds, is bestowed upon Mira Nadon for her stylishly uncompromising Tall Girl in Rubies.