"Apparatus Hominus"
Tom Gold Dance
Florence Gould Hall
New York, New York
November 9, 2018
Tom Gold, the former New York City Ballet soloist who now has a small company of semi-regular dancers, many of whom also work for other companies, presented what was billed as his inaugural fall season with an hour-long work originally choreographed for the TurnPark Art Space, an outdoor sculpture garden in the Berkshires. The printed program included pictures of some of the artwork which
"The Four Temperaments", "Pas de Trois (Glinka)", "Pas de Deux from Agon", "Divertimento No. 15"
The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet
Balanchine: The City Center Years
New York City Center
New York, New York
November 3, 2018, matinee
The City Center's brief Balanchine celebration made the wide appeal of Balanchine's choreography clear on this Saturday matinee as the varied program had no performances by Balanchine's own company. These performances had different accents, some
"Serenade", "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux", "Tarantella", "Symphony in C"
Miami City Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet
Balanchine: The City Center Years
New York City Center
New York, New York
October 31, 2018
When Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established the New York City Center 75 years ago, the current president Arlene Shuler's gracious opening speech reminded the audience it was New York's first performing arts center. Several years later, in 1948, it became the
The Balanchine Woman
Studio 5
New York City Center
New York, New York
October 25, 2018
The New York City Center is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and to salute the Center's crucial role in the development of the New York City Ballet has arranged an impressive array of Balanchine ballets to be performed by several companies, a glorious mini-festival celebrating the choreographer. The intimate, innovative Studio 5 series started the party with a presentation by the former
"The Exchange", "Judah", "The Runaway"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
September 27, 2018
New York City Ballet's 2018 fall gala followed a familiar pattern: three new ballets with costumes by three fashion designers preceded by a brief film focusing on some of the issues these designers had working with ballet dancers for the first time. There was one difference; the evening opened with the entire company on the stage listening while
"Jewels"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 19, 2018
The second night of New York City Ballet's fall season featured several debuts in the ever-popular "Jewels", as well as luminous performances by the established gems, Tiler Peck, Sterling Hyltin, and Sara Mearns. Though not credited, Mimi Paul, Patricia McBride, and Edward Villella provided some extra coaching, and presumably they deserve some of the credit for the delicate detail and
"There Where She Loved", "Monotones I & II", "La Chatte", "Les Patineurs" (pas de trois), "Méditation from Thaïs", "The Two Pigeons" (final pas de deux)
Sarasota Ballet
Joyce Theater
New York, New York
August 18, 2018 matinee
Sarasota Ballet's Saturday program honored Sir Frederick Ashton on the thirtieth anniversary of his death with an all-British program, beginning with Christopher Wheeldon's "There Where She Loved", and continuing with Ashton's astounding "Monotones I & II", followed by four shorter works illustrating Ashton's
"Monotones I & II", "Symphony of Sorrows", "There Where She Loved"
Sarasota Ballet
Joyce Theater
New York, New York
August 14, 2018
The Sarasota Ballet, a small company run by the British dancer Iain Webb, has a rich and varied repertoire and is especially known for its commitment to the works of Sir Frederick Ashton, which they dance with admirable style and elegance. But a company cannot exist solely on a historical legacy, and Webb has the same issues
"Whipped Cream"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 5, 2018
by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2018 by Mary Cargill
ABT's spring season may be winding down, but the company is still showing off its dancers and in the final week, devoted to Alexei Ratmansky's "Whipped Cream", Arron Scott danced his first Boy and Calvin Royal III made his New York debut at Prince Coffee. Both dancers gave their parts a distinctive slant
"Whipped Cream"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 4, 2018,matinee
Alexei Ratmansky's witty, frothy, and dance-filled 2017 ballet returned for the final week of ABT's spring season. The season may have been winding down but the dancers looked fresh and eager, even on a sweltering July 4 matinee. The simple story involves a young boy (Gabe Stone Shayer in his New York debut) who eats too much whipped cream while
"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
June 30, 2018, matinee
by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2018 by Mary Cargill
"Don Quixote", with choreography attributed somewhat loosely to Petipa, is a sunny take on a piece of Cervantes' sprawling story, an explosion of energy in make-believe Spain. But at its heart, it can be a gentle and genuine love story as the heart wins out over the pocketbook, and an effective performance
"What Counts", "This, and My Heart Beside...", "Trio Sonatas", "Undercurrent"
Lydia Johnson Dance
The Ailey Citigroup Theater
New York, New York
June 7, 2018
Lydia Johnson's chamber ballet troupe presented one premiere ("Under- current") and three recent works in its New York season. She has a great respect for music, shown by the detailed credits; unlike many programs, hers included both the composer and the title of the work, as well as the specific recording which was used, so