Mary Cargill

" First", "The Saloneers", "thunder rolling along afterward", "Walk Me Through"
New Dances: Edition 2016
The Juilliard School
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
December 7, 2016

Juilliard Dance presented new works choreographed for each of their four classes.  Since the choreographers (John Heginbotham for the 2020 class, Katarzyna Skarpetowska for the 2019 class, Pam Tanowitz for the 2018 class, and Matthew Neenan for the 2017 class) needed to use all of the dancers, the

"The Sleeping Beauty"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 28, 2016 and June 29, 2016, matinee

The charming moment when the 16-year-old Aurora celebrates her birthday by dancing along a line of violin-holding pages has, over the years, become a technical tour de force with Aurora rising on point, rolling down through her foot into a series of unsupported arabesque penchées while beaming at the audience. Alexei Ratmansky has returned the diagonal

"The Golden Cockerel"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 8, 2016, matinee and June 9, 2016

Ballets inspired by the 1905 Russo-Japanese War are rare, but the ignominious and humiliating defeat of Russia by the here-to-fore unheralded Japanese was a profound shock to the Western powers. Rimsky-Korsakov reacted by composing an opera based on a Pushkin poem which was an adaptation of a Washington Irving story inspired by studying Moorish Spain--multiculturalism in action. Pushkin Russianized the

"Le Corsaire"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 1, 2016, matinee

There are pirates galore in "Le Corsaire", as well as, like Gilbert and Sullivan promise, some glorious things, primarily by Petipa, which unfortunately means the men must play second fiddle, choreographically, to the women, no matter how high and often they jump. ABT has dropped its flimsy 2013 redesign to return to its 1998 Bolshoi production. The pop-up book look of the sets has a

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 29,2016

The final "A Midsummer Night's Dream", New York City Ballet's traditional salute to summer, ended the season with a flourish, with two announced debuts, Lauren Lovette in the second act divertissement and Harrison Ball as Puck (though in fact he had made his unscheduled debut earlier in the week).  It also featured Sara Mearns and Gonzalo Garcia as the warring

"La Fille Mal Gardée"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 24, 2016 

There was much to crow about in ABT's revival of Sir Frederick Ashton's "La Fille Mal Gardée", including the fact that after 13 long years ABT is finally dancing it again.  It tells an old story – poor girl, ambitious parent, lowly suitor, rich looser – with wit, humanity and charm, and, as in all good comedies, love wins out.  (As Oscar

"La Fille Mal Gardée"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 25, 2016 matinee

The Widow Simone's first entrance in Frederick Ashton's "La Fille Mal Gardée" is rarely greeted with the same storm of applause as that of her daughter, but the Wednesday matinee's Widow was the revered dancer Marcelo Gomes, trying out his clogs for the first time. I did see Stanley Holden, the original Widow, who danced it like an old-time, well-loved music hall performer,

"Symphony #9", "Chamber Symphony", "Piano Concerto #1"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 17, 2016 

ABT continued its admirable commitment to its dancers in the Alexei Ratmansky "Shostakovich Trilogy", performing the three works together for the first time in the 2013 premiere. The company included a program note tying the works to Shostakovich and the Soviet period, describing the arc from the "hero's struggle in Symphony #9 to the triumphant

"Serenade", "Hallelujah Junction", "Duo Concertant", "Western Symphony"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 19, 2016

NYCB's Marketing Department presumably came up with the title "Classic NYCB II" for this program, more aspirational than descriptive, perhaps, but "Serenade" is certainly timeless.  There were two debuts, Rebecca Krohn as the Waltz Girl and Russell Janzen as her partner.  Krohn's willowy tendrils curved around the choreography, but she seemed a bit bland, giving

"Dances at a Gathering", "West Side Story Suite"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 13, 2016

The all-Robbins program consisted of the fragile "Dances at a Gathering" and the robust "West Side Story Suite", two very different approaches to youthful relationships, which, seen together, have some striking similarities, one of which was committed and well-rehearsed dancers. "Dances at a Gathering" is a difficult work to perform, since it needs both a cohesive group

"Sylvia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 11, 2016, matinee

by Mary Cargill 
copyright © 2016 by Mary Cargill

After the veritable flood of guest stars appearing the last few seasons, ABT's focus on its own dancers is a welcome change. There is only one official guest star (Alessandra Ferri) and two "exchange artists" (though what is being exchanged is not clear). One, Xander Parish, appeared in "Sylvia" with Isabella Boylston (a debut). Parish,

"Sylvia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 9, 2016

"Sylvia", with its luscious Delibes music, gloriously traditional sets and delicate and inventive Ashton choreography, is a perfect spring-time gift, a calm visit to a world where love conquers all and even villains are rational. (Orion is not a dangerous force of nature, inexplicably out to destroy, à la Rothbart; he just wants a beautiful girl but has a rather rustic way of courting her.)  ABT's