"Ocean's Kingdom"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
September 22, 2011
Paul McCartney, that is, who in a blaze of publicity, dominated the New York City Ballet's fall gala as the composer and librettist of the new ballet. Had his name been Paul McGillicuddy, the company probably would not have spent $800,000 to produce his ballet, and he wouldn't have been greeted with the echoes of nearly fifty year old
"The Little Humpbacked Horse"
Mariinsky Ballet
Lincoln Center Festival 2011
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 12, 2011
"The Little Humpbacked Horse", choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to a score by Cesare Pugni in 1864 for the Mariinsky, was the first ballet based on a Russian theme. Over the years, many hands have reworked it, and the current version has only the story to connect it with the original. Pugni, et al. were
"Swan Lake"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 2, 2011
Life certainly isn't fair to poor Odette, a beautiful woman trapped in a swan's body, in love with a man who seems easily confused, and who manages to condemn her to death. But the most unfair part of her fate seems to be that she is constantly trapped in peculiar versions of "Swan Lake", which, in spite of the glorious White Swan pas de
"Coppélia"
American Ballet Theater
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, New York
June 16, 2011
ABT's current version of the 1870 French comedy is based on the version Frederic Franklin danced in the 1930's, which was set by Nicholas Sergeyev from his notation of the Russian version of Marius Petipa; a distinguished lineage, indeed. There are similarities between this and the New York City Ballet's version (set by Alexandra Danilova, Franklin's frequent partner, who also danced the Sergeyev version), especially
"The Sleeping Beauty"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 9, 2011, Matinee
"The Sleeping Beauty", the grandest of ballets, is the final program of ABT's summer season. The much-maligned production has improved markedly since its 2007 premier, but it is still profoundly flawed. The sets and most of the costumes tend to minimize the production; the sets by their general tackiness and boxiness, which limits on the dancing space, and the costumes by
"The Bright Stream"
American Ballet Theater
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, New York
June 9, 2011
It is clear that the Cold War is well and truly over--the hammer and sickle is decorating the Metropolitan Opera House's front curtain, introducing a comedy about life on one of Stalin's collective farms. Of course, life was not a comedy during that period, and, except for remote areas of academia and old issues of the New York Times, everyone
"There is a Time", "Chrysalis", "The Emperor Jones"
Limón Dance Company
Gerald Lynch Theatre
John Jay College
New York, NY
June 7, 2011
The Limón Dance Company faces the same issues of all companies trying to continue without their founding choreographer. Some, like Cunningham, have decided that memory is the best preservative, but the Limón Company has heroically tried to maintain the founder's works while judiciously adding modern ones. This program is a good example--one familiar piece, one
"Jewels"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, N.Y.
June3, 2011
"Jewels", Balanchine's three-act salute to dance style, and perennial audience favorite, has returned to the spring. It does still sport the 2004 rethinking by the original designer Paul Harvey, which are oppressive and gaudy. The mysterious "Emeralds" evokes a messy green swamp rather then French elegance, but the Raymondaesque costumes by Karinska still work their magic. There was other magic, as Tiler
Spring Performance
Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet
Miller Theatre at Columbia University
New York, NY
June 2, 2011
Gelsey Kirkland, so famous for her magical performances, has set up a ballet academy in New York, stressing, as she wrote in the program of the first season's spring performance, both Vaganova and Bournonville styles (including mime and character dancing) and especially the theatrical aspect of dance. She presented a wide-ranging program which included visits to Spain and Denmark, with
"Giselle"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 28, 2011
ABT's version of the most famous Romantic ballet is, fortunately, straightforward, clear, and by and large, dramatically strong. The basic structure has not been rethought, so the story of the poor peasant girl and her faithless swain remains as moving and powerful as ever. This season, ABT has imported a number of guests, and the Royal Ballet dancer Alina Cojocaru danced Giselle. She
"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 19, 2011
The perennial charmer of a ballet was danced with great verve by two Cuban-trained dancers, Xiomara Reyes and Rolando Sarabia, a guest from the Miami City Ballet. ABT's production does have its faults--the gypsy scene looks like Hungarian goulash served by MacDonald's, but when danced well, it has a sunny and infectious charm. Reyes is a very fine Kitri, with a natural sweetness to
Balanchine Black & White
"Monumentum Pro Gesualdo/Movements for Piano and Orchestra", "Apollo", "The Four Temperaments"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, New York
May 5, 2011
Yes, a program of all black and white is not balanced, and the individual ballets would probably look more distinctive if they were set in a different context, but a stunning debut (Chase Finlay in "Apollo") and a vibrant and shimmering performance of an unqualified masterpiece "The Four