"Symphony #9", "Chamber Symphony", "Piano Concerto #1"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 17, 2016 

ABT continued its admirable commitment to its dancers in the Alexei Ratmansky "Shostakovich Trilogy", performing the three works together for the first time in the 2013 premiere. The company included a program note tying the works to Shostakovich and the Soviet period, describing the arc from the "hero's struggle in Symphony #9 to the

"Serenade", "Hallelujah Junction", "Duo Concertant", "Western Symphony"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 19, 2016

NYCB's Marketing Department presumably came up with the title "Classic NYCB II" for this program, more aspirational than descriptive, perhaps, but "Serenade" is certainly timeless.  There were two debuts, Rebecca Krohn as the Waltz Girl and Russell Janzen as her partner.  Krohn's willowy tendrils curved around the choreography, but she seemed a bit

"Dances at a Gathering", "West Side Story Suite"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 13, 2016

The all-Robbins program consisted of the fragile "Dances at a Gathering" and the robust "West Side Story Suite", two very different approaches to youthful relationships, which, seen together, have some striking similarities, one of which was committed and well-rehearsed dancers. "Dances at a Gathering" is a difficult work to perform, since it needs both a

"Sylvia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 11, 2016, matinee

by Mary Cargill 
copyright © 2016 by Mary Cargill

After the veritable flood of guest stars appearing the last few seasons, ABT's focus on its own dancers is a welcome change. There is only one official guest star (Alessandra Ferri) and two "exchange artists" (though what is being exchanged is not clear). One, Xander Parish, appeared in "Sylvia" with Isabella Boylston (a debut)

"Sylvia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 9, 2016

"Sylvia", with its luscious Delibes music, gloriously traditional sets and delicate and inventive Ashton choreography, is a perfect spring-time gift, a calm visit to a world where love conquers all and even villains are rational. (Orion is not a dangerous force of nature, inexplicably out to destroy, à la Rothbart; he just wants a beautiful girl but has a rather rustic way of courting her.)  

"Ballo Della Regina", "Kammermusik No. 2", "Vienna Waltzes"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
May 8, 2016

The all-Balachine program opened with the pearl-hunting expedition of "Ballo Della Regina", continued with the male-dominated "Kammermusik No. 2" and concluded with "Vienna Waltzes", an extravaganza performed almost exclusively in character shoes.  The stylistic range, which New Yorkers can take for granted, is astounding.

Tiler Peck is someone New York doesn't take

“In & Out,” “Gêmeos,” “Something Tangible,” “I Am The Road”
Ailey II
Ailey Citigroup Center
New York, NY
April 1, 2016

The “All New” program of four world premieres by Ailey II showed the company as an effectual incubator of impressive talent through its performers, if not the choreo- graphers. The new works, all choreographed in 2015, by and large attempted to show too much too quickly, and on their own looked best in their more toned down and simple

“Keep,” “The Accidental,” “Grace Action”
Pennsylvania Ballet
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
March 30, 2016

Change is the essence of creative being, and Pennsylvania Ballet showed that under the new leadership of Artistic Director Angel Corella the company is embracing its future with particularly remarkable vitality.  The works the troupe brought on its first tour to New York in over a decade were all New Year premieres, all recently created ballets, and all set specifically on the dancers

"Knightlife", "Third Wheels", "Libera!", "Danse Baroque", "Murmuration"
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company 
Joyce Theater
New York, NY
April 15, 2016

The 16-member Studio Company, augmented with students from ABT's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, opened its brief New York season with several New York and one world premiere; the works varied in quality but the dancing was uniformly strong, gracious, and engaging. Two of the works, "Knightlife" and "Danse Baroque", used dancers from Level 7 of the

Flamenco, With Cautious Variations
Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
March 22, 2016

Juan Siddi presented his recently formed company’s New York debut with a statement about his creativity and his skill. The eight works that made up the program interlaced several of Siddi’s main themes: use of classical instruments of piano and cello, interactions of the dance with its music, and a sprinkling of ethnic styles that could have suggested flamenco’s

“Polaris,” “Also Playing,” “Esplanade”
Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 20, 2016 (matinee)

Dancing three very different works, Paul Taylor’s company presented an eclectic program that informed, amused and delighted. It may have been a richly packed afternoon, but the quality of the company’s take on the geometric “Polaris,” humorous “Also Playing,” and classic “Esplanade” made it seem to go by almost too quickly.

The structure of “Polaris,” in both

"Equinox", "Diversion of Angels", "Promethean Fire"
Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance
New York, New York
April 3, 2016, matinee

The final performance of the season was a demon- stration of Taylor's musicality, craft, and daring, and a salute to his dancers. The program opened with "Equinox" (choreographed in 1983) set to Brahms' First String Quartet, not exactly a score that brings to mind frisky youths.  But Taylor heard his own rhythms, and the deceptively simple work