Mary Cargill

“Robert Schumann’s ‘Davidsbündlertänze’”, “Union Jack”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
May 17, 2014, matinee

“Robert Schumann’s ‘Davidsbündlertänze’” is an awkward title for a subtle and profound work.  The four couples represent various aspects of Schumann’s (and by extension any artist’s) feelings; the two most obvious are Clara the loving and supportive wife, and Clara the wild and slightly dangerous muse.  The two other couples represent

"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, New York
May 14, 2014

The opening scene on "Don Quixote", with the Don and Sancho Panza, is as close to the original as the frivolous, silly, and endearing ballet gets, as Quixote (Victor Barbee) and his side kick (Luis Ribagorda) mimed their search.  A vision of Dulcinea appeared, and Barbee slowly dropped to his knees, reverently bowing to beauty.  This simple moment encapsulated so beautifully the underlying

"Raymonda Variations", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Le Tombeau de Couperin", "Symphony in C"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 10, evening, 2014

The marketing department could come up with nothing more imaginative than "All Balanchine", but that didn't matter to the audience, which turned out despite the lack of an advertising hook. Though there really was a hook, beautiful ballets danced very well, which seemed to be enough.  The whipped cream music of

"Sthayee", "Aahne nila shaila", "Shivashtaka", "Bhavayami Raghuramam", "Sakhi he", "Omkarakarini"
Rahul Acharya and Vidhya Subramanian
The World Music Institute's "Dancing the Gods"
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
New York University
New York, New York
April 26, 2014

The World Music Institute, an organization presenting music and dance from a range of countries to New York audiences, sponsored a weekend of classical Indian dance, called "Dancing the Gods".  The Saturday night performance might have been called "Dancing Gods", as

"Perpetual Dawn", "Fibers", "Troilus and Cressida (reduced)", "Black Tuesday"
Paul Taylor Dance
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 19, 2014

Paul Taylor recently announced that his company, previously dedicated to his works, will be changing format to include other modern choreographers, so this may be the last season of all-Taylor all-the time.  Though the concentrated dose of Paul Taylor will be missed, this is actually a hopeful sign--he obviously wants the company to continue (he is 83)

"Airs", "American Dreamer", "Mercuric Tidings"
Paul Taylor Dance
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 12, 2014

Though spring apparently has forgotten New York, Paul Taylor can warm up the coldest weather.  The company returned to the Koch Theater, with its grand vistas, not to the more familiar City Center.  But economics insist that the company rely on taped music, which sounded a bit tinny in Balanchine's hall.  But nothing can really dampen the dappled serenity

"Raymonda Suite", "Leaves are Fading Pas de Deux", "Ballebille", "Flames of Paris", "Pas de Quatre" "Cavalry Halt"
Gelsey Kirkland Ballet
Peter Norton Symphony Space
March 7, 2014

Gelsey Kirkland established a ballet school in 2010, with an emphasis the dramatic aspect of dance; she has classes in mime and character dance, two arts which are often shortchanged in today's emphasis on strength and power.  This year, she has established a company, made up of both professionals and students from

"KaitlynCaitlin", "Take...Taken...Taking", "The Air turned White", "The Book of Esther: The Journey of Queen Vashti and Queen Esther"
Ariel Rivka Dance, with Texture Contemporary Ballet and Trainor Dance
Ailey Citigroup Theatre
New York, NY

Three comparatively new companies shared the Ailey stage in an interesting and varied program, and the cast, with one exception, was all female.  "KaitlynCaitlin", choreographed by the modern dancer Caitlin Trainor for herself and the ballet dancer Kaitlyn Gilliland, opened the program. 

"Acheron", "Afternoon of a Faun", "Walpurgisnacht Ballet", "La Valse"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
February 26, 2014

The evening was an all-French affair, featuring a quartet of Gallic composers; it was also the last chance I had of seeing Janie Taylor, whose official farewell will be covered later, but whose iridescent presence couldn't help but haunt the dancing.  "Acheron", the new ballet by the Royal Ballet based Liam Scarlett to the "Concerto

Pacific Northwest Ballet: Petipa Exotique
Works & Process
Peter B. Lewis Theater
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York, NY
February 23, 2014

The audience in New York's Guggenheim Museum watched a rare recreation of some of the French Marius Petipa's Russian choreography danced by performers from Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet, based on manuscripts in the Harvard Theatre Library's Sergeyev Collection, originally smuggled from Russia by the refugee Nicholas Sergeyev, and sold to them by the heirs of the British dance

"Dances at a Gathering", "Union Jack"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 9, 2014

Jerome Robbins' "Dances at a Gathering", the most famous of the piano ballets, is also one of the most fragile.  The dancers must have vibrant yet complimentary personalities to create that self-enclosed, nostalgic world. For me, many recent performances are haunted by ghosts of former dancers, and it has seemed to be a series of unconnected slightly saccharine exercises.

"Concerto Barocco", "Kammermusik No. 2", "Who Cares?"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 21, 2014

City Ballet opened its Winter season crisply, with three Balanchine works and one intermission. The scrupulous architecture of "Concerto Barocco" is really indestructible, as those glorious patterns weave in and out.  At times, though, the corps looked a bit tentative, and there were a few near misses.  There were no misses from Sara Mearns, dancing the second