“Valse Fantaisie”, “Change”,
“Passage”, “Dougla”
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Ballet Across America
Opera House,
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
May 28, 2019

This time Ballet Across America spanned just the nation’s East Coast, but from New York to Florida. Opening night was all Dance Theatre of Harlem’s. It started with company director Virginia Johnson, chic in a sharply cut suit, stepping in front of the curtains and briefly addressing the audience. Johnson

“Scotch Symphony,” “Duo Concertant,” "Sonatine", "Stravinsky Violin Concerto"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 24, 2019

That the musicians, soloists and orchestra alike  received the loudest and longest ovations throughout the night at this all Balanchine bill would probably have pleased the choreographer, who firmly believed that music is the floor for dancing. But that increasing volume and duration was in inverse proportion to the quality of the dancing. The evening

“The Seasons,” “Songs of Bukovina,” “On the Dnieper,”
American Ballet Theater
New York Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
May 23, 2019

American Ballet Theater’s spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House is, in part, dedicated to the works of Alexei Ratmansky, who is celebrating his tenth anniversary as artist in residence with the company. Last week there was an all Ratmansky program that featured a premiere, “The Seasons,” set to Alexander Glazunov’s well-known score, as well as two

“Judah,” “Dances at a Gathering,” "Stars and Stripes"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 17, 2019

The New York City Ballet presented a program that was simultaneously overstuffed and undercooked. The evening lasted more than two and a half hours, with a generous helping of dance, including four local debuts in "Dances at a Gathering", but underpowered, and leaving one peckish at its end.

The evening began with "Judah" intended presumably as a

"Exuberant Fanfare”, “At the Seams”,
“Lissajous” and “Du Vent et des Vages”
Bowen McCauley Dance Company
Terrace Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
May 18, 2019

The entire program was titled “An Awakening”, and without doubt the evening’s choreographers, Lucy Bowen McCauley and Ilana Goldman, displayed the ferment and sensitivity of nascent feelings. The joyous opener, “Exuberant Fanfare” by Bowen McCauley, was very balletic. Bodies were turned-out and limbs were streamlined or smoothly

“Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet,” “Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 15, 2019

The return of “Brahms-Schoenberg” to the stage was a highlight of the still unfinished season at New York City Ballet this week. The ensemble ballet of all ensemble ballets, the first work Balanchine made for at Lincoln Center after the company moved from City Center, showed Balanchine reveling in the space afforded by the larger stage with gorgeously elaborate

“Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantaisie,” “Sonatine,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 8, 2019

With its “All Balanchine” program, New York City Ballet turned to the older works of its founding master – George Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantasie,” “Sonatine,” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.”  This particular evening had many debuts, allowing for a fresh look at the company through the older works, and also proving that the company’s classics are alive and