Mary Cargill

"Play"
Ballet Arizona
Joyce Theater
New York, New York
February 22, 2012

Ib Andersen, the elegant, understated, and irreplaceable New York City dancer (and for those of us with a long memory, Bournonville stylist extraordinaire) returned to New York as the director of the 35 member Ballet Arizona.  Not surprisingly, these dancers embody some of his best traits; elegant, open upper bodies, modesty, precision, musicality, and the strength to make everything look easy.  The dancers, from a

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Le Tombeau de Couperin", "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux", "Who Cares?"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
January 17, 2012

The New York City Ballet's winter season opening night had no gimmicks, no so-called theme, no major debuts.  It was "just" an all-Balanchine evening, and pretty pink-and-white Balanchine at that.  But it  had some enjoyable, entertaining, and magnificent

"Arden Court", "Cry", "The Hunt", "Revelations"
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
City Center
New York, NY
December 24, 2011

Robert Battle's first season as the director of the Alvin Ailey Company began with a complete triumph, as he acquired Paul Taylor's sublime "Arden Court".  The Ailey dancers attacked the quick, difficult, and witty choreography with their unique physicality, and captured the uplifting, joyful spirit of the Taylor Company.  It was like watching champagne bubbles do an

Pilar Rioja
Repertorio Español
New York, NY
December 6, 2011

Pilar Rioja, looking much younger than her seventy+ years, gave a series of farewell performances on the wonderfully intimate stage of the Repertorio Español.  She ranged from full-blooded flamenco to a more gracious filigreed fandango, alternating (so she could change costumes) with haunting flamenco singers and guitarists.  The setting was powerfully simple--a stage, a spotlight, and a black background; no gimmicks, just music and

"The Garden of Villandry", "Sinatra Suite", "Private Light", "In the Upper Room"
American Ballet Theatre
New York City Center
New York, NY
November 8, 2011

ABT opened its weeklong City Center program with a gala completely bereft of fouettes, and a minimum of point shoes.  The brief welcoming speech by Kevin McKenzie seemed to imply that the dancers were relieved not to be romping through the Spring blockbusters, and that he was glad he could feature some of the

"The Music of Elliott Carter Interpreted"
Works & Process
Peter B. Lewis Theater
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York, NY
October 2, 2011

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2011 by Mary Cargill

The Guggenheim's intriguing Works & Process series featured Elliott Carter, very much alive at almost 103, and two young choreographers, Emery LeCrone and Avichai Scher.  They were given the same short five pieces of Carter's to choreograph, and the evening featured the two works, interspersed with

"Rooms"
Limón Dance Company
Borden Auditorium
Manhattan School of Music
New York, NY
September 26, 2011

Fusionworks, "a collaborative/interactive roster of artists", sponsored a performance by the Limón Dance Company to live music of Anna Sokolow's harrowing 1955 work "Rooms".  This was recently revived by the Limón company in honor of Sokolow's centenary, but it is hard to understand needing a hook to perform it, and the combination of the vivid, committed performances with the Manhattan

"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

"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.

"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

"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 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