“Apollo”, “Jeu de Cartes”, “Petrouchka”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 1, 2006

“All-Star Stravinsky” is the title of ABT’s evening of short ballets, presumably designed to entice a triple-bill-shy audience into thinking it will see an assembly of star dancers. It may have been a gimmick, but it was also accurate. The evening opened with “Apollo”, with the new principal David Hallberg, with Veronika Part (Terpsichore), Michele Wiles (Polyhymnia), and Stella

“Donizetti Variations”, “Two Birds with the Wings of One”, “Fancy Free”
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
May 25, 2006

The New York City Ballet continued its Diamond Project with the premier of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s “Two Birds with the Wings of One”, to the music of Bright Sheng (“Two Poems from the Sung Dynasty” and “Chi Lin’s Dance”), sung by Lauren Flannigan. The very helpful critic’s notes explained the background of

“Liebeslieder Walzer”, “Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet”
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
May 16, 2006

This all-Balanchine, all Brahms (via Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’ “Piano Quartet in G Minor”) evening had more variety, morerichness, and more beauty than any comparable two hours I can think of. “Liebeslieder Walzer”, that grandmother of all piano ballets, remains one of the most subtly dramatic works of art ever made. Four very well-off couples from 19th century

“Intermezzo”, “The Unanswered Question”, “Backchat”, “Étoile Polaire”, “Ugha-Bugha”, “A Stair Dance”
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY

April 29, 2006

The Diamond Project included a modest little solo for Kaitlyn Gilliland, an apprentice, in the middle of a generous (or indulgent) evening of Eliot Feld ballets, most new to the New York City Ballet. The evening opened with the NYCB debut of “Intermezzo”, choreographed in 1969 for Feld’s American Ballet Company. "Intermezzo" has

Purchase Dance Company
Spring Concert
Pepsico Theatre
Purchase College, Purchase, New York
April 21, 2006

One of the most exciting, but unheralded, developments in the current dance scene is the dedication of college dance programs to reviving older works. College programs have the time, the staff, and the will to coach and rehearse these ballets, something that professional companies often lack. So while Nijinska’s undisputed modern masterpiece, “Les Noces”, hasn’t been seen in New York for years, the

“Donizetti Variations”, “Octet”, “Fancy Free”
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
February 11, 2006

Balanchine’s “Donizetti Variations” is an Italian bon-bon, obviously inspired by the fleet, gracious, and warm-hearted dancing of Bournonville. Like so many of Balanchine’s plotless romps, it gives the feeling of starting in the middle of a longer work, one set in some mythical land where Spain, Italy, and Denmark meet, and where everyone is young and beautiful.

“Monumentum Por Gesualdo/Movements for Piano and Orchestra”, “Klavier”, “Symphony in C”
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
January 24, 2006

New York City Ballet has for the past few years called January 24, Balanchine’s birthday, “New Combinations”, based on Balanchine’s quotation “There are no new steps, only new combinations”, and has used the occasion for one of the season’s premiers. This birthday present was a new work by Christopher Wheeldon, and

“Les Sylphides”, “Apollo”, “The Green Table”
American Ballet Theater
New York City Center
New York, NY
November 2, 2005 

ABT gave a rock solid program to a rock solid audience (the season has been selling very well) on Wednesday night. Although each of these ballets is an acknowledged masterpiece with a capital “M”, the performances didn’t look precious or fragile, they looked alive.

None more so than Ethan Stiefel’s “Apollo”. Last year, the Guggenheim’s invaluable Works

“Les Sylphides”, “Afternoon of a Faun”, “Paquita”, “Rodeo”
American Ballet Theater
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 22, 2005 Matinee

ABT’s women were front and center at this matinee, beginning with a sprightly “Les Sylphides”, led by Irina Dvorovenko and Gennadi Saveliev. The conductor, Ormsby Wilkins, kept things at a lively clip, and, from reports, it was a much more vibrant performance than earlier in the week. Dvorovenko danced the Mazurka with a delicate and playful flirtatiousness,

"Coppélia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 23, 2004 

Like all comedies, Coppélia is hard do put across without being condescending or coy. In their respective debuts, Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes, had mixed, though technically brilliant, results. Murphy is a phenomenal technician, but playfulness and charm do not seem to come naturally, so Swanilda is a challenge. She has obviously worked very hard on the character, and the opening mime scene was

"Stravinsky Violin Concerto", "Cortège Hongrois", "Symphony in Three Movements
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
Sunday, June 27, 2004 

The final performance of the Balanchine celebration was, appropriately, an all-Balanchine program. But, equally in keeping with the injury-plagued season, the scheduled Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 had to be scrapped because there was no one available to dance the male lead. 

Stravinsky Violin Concerto, with its astringent and witty

"Allegro Brillante", "Scherzo a la Russe", "Duo Concertant", "Tschaikovsly Suite No. 3"
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
Sunday June 20, 2004

This all-Balanchine program promised to be a refreshing affirmation of the virtues of choreography, and in many cases, it was. Kyra Nichols danced Allegro Brillante; though she certainly does not have the ease or the power of earlier years, she still enters like a clipper ship parting the waves, blown