Mary Cargill

"Goddesses & Demonesses"
Blanca Li Productions
New York City Center
New York, New York
March 31, 2017

Blanca Li is a Spanish choreographer with modern and flamenco roots, and in 2015 she teamed up with the renowned Bolshoi dancer Maria Alexan- drova to create an exploration of womanhood refracted through various Greek myths. She used their two amazingly strong bodies, imaginative lighting by Caty Olive (who knew Venetian blinds could be so beautiful?), stunning video wizardry by Charles

Le Sacre du Printemps (the Rehearsal)", "The Open Door", "Brandenburgs"
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
March 26, 2017, matinee

The final performance of Paul Taylor's New York season featured three Taylor works set to great music (by Stravinsky, Elgar, and Bach), outstanding dancing, and one farewell, as Francisco Graciano make his last New York appearance with the company.  The afternoon opened with Taylor's oblique take on Stravinsky's "Rite

"Continuum", "Ports of Call", "Syzygy"
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
March 24, 2017

In addition to the standard two new Taylor pieces, Paul Taylor's recent New York seasons have featured works by other choreo- graphers, with predictably mixed results.  Lila York, whose "Continuum" had its New York premiere this season, danced with Taylor in the 1970s and 1980s, and has choreographed many pieces since retiring from dancing.  The

"Danbury Mix", "Ports of Call", "Black Tuesday"
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
March 18, 2017, evening 

Paul Taylor's takes on heroic and absurd America were on view Saturday night, as each work dealt with aspects of American life.  "Danbury Mix", choreographed in 1988 for the New York City Ballet's American Music Festival, combines (or mixes) three excerpts from pieces by Charles Ives (of Danbury, Connecticut, the program explains)

"Served", "Counterpoint", "Oasis"
TomGoldDance
Gerald W. Lynch Theater
John Jay College
New York, NY
March 14, 2017

Tom Gold, a former soloist with the New York City Ballet, has been choreographing for his small company (made up of a revolving group of dancers, several from is old home company) and for his sixth New York season he presented one premiere and two works from 2016, an impressive output. His choreography is musical, light-hearted and very enjoyable and his dancers look

"Scènes de Ballet", "The Two Pigeons"
A Tribute to Ashton
Sarasota Ballet
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota, Floria
March 10, 2017, March 11, matinee, 2017, and March 11, evening 2017

Iain Webb has directed the Sarasota Ballet for ten years, and helped celebrate this milestone by presenting an all-Frederick Ashton program.  Though tin is the official tenth year wedding gift, Webb's programing was pure gold, giving the audience the Sarasota Ballet's premiere of Ashton's 1948 

"Fast Forward", "Gravity", "Anna's Last Day", "Sunrise", "Dark Forest"
New Chamber Ballet
City Center Studio 5
New York, New York
February 11, 2017

Miro Magloire's all-female six-member New Chamber Ballet performed five of his works in his usual home, the modest, informal Studio 5.  It has no wings, lighting, or sets, which allows the audience to get up close and personal with the dancers.  Magloire, as usual, introduced each piece, making it seem as if the audience were

"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
February 12, 2017, evening

Peter Martins' version of "The Sleeping Beauty" is a bit like the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead – when it is good, it is very, very good, and when it is bad it is, not horrid certainly, but certainly disappointing.  Both aspects were on view Sunday night.  Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle as the

"Allegro Brillante", "Swan Lake", "The Four Temperaments"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 31, 2017

The well-balanced, all-Balanchine program wasn't given a name by the marketing department, but it could have been called "Salute to Maria Tallchief", since both "Allegro Brillante" and "Swan Lake" were choreographed for her and Sanguinic in "The Four Temperaments" was one of her important roles. Tallchief was a dancer of power and majesty, characteristics which, in their own

Miami City Ballet: "The Fairy's Kiss" by Alexei Ratmansky
Works & Process
Peter B. Lewis Theater
Guggenheim Museum
New York, NY
January 29, 2017, afternoon

The Miami City Ballet is premiering Alexei Ratmansky's "The Fairy's Kiss" in February, set to Stravinsky's "Le Baiser de la Fée".  Stravinsky's music was inspired by both a Hans Christian Andersen story and the life and music of Tchaikovsky. The original tale, "The Ice Maiden," is a dark and complex

"Fearful Symmetries", "The Shimmering Asphalt", "The Times are Racing"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 26, 2017

For the past several years New York City Ballet has celebrated Balanchine with at least one new work under the rubric of "New Combina- tions", honoring Balanchine's statement "There are no new steps, only new combinations". This year the two premieres, by Pontus Lidberg and Justin Peck, showed that new combinations are hard to come

"Allegro Brillante", "Swan Lake", "The Four Temperaments"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 18, 2017

The current programming scheme of performing three similar ballets together took a welcome break on Wednesday, as New York City Ballet presented a varied triple bill, proving that variety is really spicy. The all Balanchine program had three varied works: the exhilarating opening, a drama, and a black and white masterpiece.  The newest of these works, "Allegro