“Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus”
“Navy Blue”
Oona Doherty/OD Works
Ted Shawn Theater
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Sunday, July 30, 2023
To be honest, I was a little afraid of Oona Doherty. The press materials sent out by Jacob’s Pillow, where Doherty’s company, Oona Doherty/OD Works, performed last week, made her sound angry and aggressive. Who needs more negativity after two-plus years of pandemic trauma? But Doherty confounded expectations. To be
"Giselle"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 4, 2023, matinee
ABT celebrated the 4th of July with their solid version of the Russo/French "Giselle", a ballet with few fireworks though with plenty of drama. The two American leads, Devon Teuscher (in her New York debut) and Aran Bell, gave rich, detailed, and committed performances. Teuscher, a tall, regal dancer, is not a typical Giselle (she is a stunning Myrta, a
"Giselle"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 5, 2023 matinee
ABT's policy of giving as many principals as possible a shot at a role limits the opportunities to explore and to grow into a role--one or two performances of "Giselle" every few years makes it difficult to play around with different interpretations and also means that dancers get cast in roles for which they might not seem suited. But this policy does
"Romeo and Juliet"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 15, 2023
The last time Toronto audiences saw Alexei Ratmansky’s “Romeo and Juliet” was in March 2020. Just two days into the run, theatres in Toronto (and around the world) shut down when the pandemic hit. As the National Ballet of Canada gradually resumed live performances, the return to Ratmansky’s production marked a full circle moment. Dancers who have been
"Like Water For Chocolate"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
June 24, 2023, matinee
Balanchine once famously said that there are no mothers in law in ballet, but that is certainly not true, as his revered "The Sleeping Beauty" proves; no one has trouble figuring out the relation of the Queen to the Prince in Act III. But his point that ballet is not suited to complex plots is certainly valid, and Christopher
"Frame by Frame"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 2, 2023*
It is rare that a new work shows us something we truly have never seen before. When "Frame by Frame" premiered in 2018, it did just that. An ambitious, multidisciplinary collaboration between choreographer Guillaume Côté and famed Quebecois multi-hyphenate Robert Lepage, "Frame by Frame" is a homage to the life and work of Scottish Canadian animator Norman McLaren (1914-1987). In
“The Look of Love”
Mark Morris Dance Group
Ted Shawn Theatre
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 1, 2023
In the early 1980s, a young Mark Morris rode the cutting edge of the zeitgeist with works that gave an important place to gender identity and fluidity. Forty years later, his dances are those of an established master; no need to unsettle or provoke. However, Morris hasn’t lost his ability to sense the tenor of the times.
“Fancy Free”, Agon”, “Brandenburg”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
May 10, 2023
This program opened with Jerome Robbins’ first work, “Fancy Free” (1944) and closed with his final ballet, “Brandenburg” (1997), with Balanchine’s “Agon” in the middle. When “Fancy Free’s” three sailors first jumped out on the Ballet Theatre (now ABT) stage, the US was fighting World War II, and many in the audience would have recognized
“La Source”, “Namouna, A Grand Divertissement”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
April 29, 2023, evening
“La Source” and “Namouna” were both elaborate 19th century ballets first presented at the Paris Opera choreographed by Frenchman to French music. “La Source” (1866,) with music by Léo Delibes and choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon and “Namouna” (1882), with music by Édouard Lalo and choreography Lucien Petipa (Marius’ older brother), have complicated plots, full
“Concerto Barocco”, “Kammermusik No. 2”, “Raymonda Variations”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
April 20, 2023
The three ballets on this all-Balanchine program were all abstract responses to music with energetic corps and intense pas de deux, yet each ballet had its own distinctive character. “Concerto Barocco”, from 1941, is one of Balanchine’s greatest works, a jazzy take on Bach, celebrating female dancing (the lone male turns
The International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 25, 2023
The Erik Bruhn Prize is a beloved event for Toronto balletomanes. Established by Bruhn, former National Ballet of Canada artistic director and dance legend, the competition brings together young talents from international ballet companies with which Bruhn had relationships. Participants must be between the ages 18-23. It is a rare chance to see emerging artists from other companies who are
"Cinderella"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 10, 2023
James Kudelka’s “Cinderella” has been a perennial favorite at the National Ballet of Canada since its premiere in 2004. With its broad appeal, “Cinderella” was programmed over March break to draw in families and hopefully gain some new audience members for the company. Kudelka’s modern take on the familiar fairy tale has something for everyone – humor, romance, intricate