Tchaikovsky's Night
"Serenade", "Andantino", "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux", "Swan Lake"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
February 11, 2022
New York City Ballet had scheduled a marathon of Peter Martins' "Swan Lake", but like so many plans, it had to be revised, though echos of that eternal bird did remain in the programing. The audience did get a full evening of Tchaikovsky's music, a pas de deux set to the music originally written for the Black Swan, and Balanchine's take on Ivanov's white act.
"Serenade" opened the program, casting its spell, as those ghostly, moonlit dancers flew through their Kaleidoscopic formations with a compelling energy. Sterling Hyltin as the Waltz Girl gave her dancing an intriguing arch as she moved from youthful happiness in her first dance, with delicate, rippling arms and a quiet confidence to a more uneasy, withdrawn feeling in the second one, as she kept pulling ahead of her partner and looking back, as if she knew she was losing something. Amar Ramasar, in his debut, danced with an unobtrusive grace, showing off Hyltin's elegant, light lifts. Aaron Sanz as the man who abandoned her had a brooding melancholy without any Byronic histrionics. It is a shame though that the recent costume "refreshment" didn't do anything about the mens' outfits since both dancers deserve something a bit more dignified that those blue Dr. Denton's.
Emilie Gerrity was striking as the Dark Angel, moving with an irresistibly implacable sensuality. Erica Pereira was an energetic Russian Girl, though her dancing had little shading as she threw herself into those lovely stretched shapes, and her performance, though technically precise and elegant, as a bit placid. The moment where she site on the floor offering her sand to her fellow dancers, which can be a profoundly moving picture of support, understanding, and true companionship, had the air of a girl sharing her lipstick.
Indiana Woodward made a surprise debut in Jerome Robbins' "Andantino"; she danced it at Jacob's Pillow in 2018 and was scheduled for her New York City Ballet debut next week. She and her partner Gonzalo Garcia were well-matched in the lighthearted, youthful, and sunny piece, set to the second movement of Tchaikovsky's "First Piano Concerto". Garcia's plush jumps and soft elegance suits the choreography, and both dancers had charm without coyness. Though Robbins does treat the music rather as wallpaper it has a straightforward and natural romp and it was a fine showcase for the dancers.
Balanchine's "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux" (in NYCB's spelling) is a more familiar showcase, a thrilling challenge both technically, with as many opportunities for bravura flourishes as "Don Quixote", and musically, with the luscious bounding steps matches so perfectly to the music. In 2018 Tiler Peck suggested to Damian Woetzel, the director of the Vail Dance Festival, that he invite the teen aged Roman Mejia to Vail, and they danced this pas de deux there. This was Mejia's New York City Ballet debut and as expected, the couple electrified the audience. There were technical feats galore but the bravura was musical, not brash and it's the glow, not the glitter that lingers.
Peck's fouettés were especially impressive, as she played with the steps, raising and lowering her arms above her head confidently and securely, as if the music was pushing them up. She danced with a bubbling, effortless joy, letting the melody ripple through her arms and feet, phrasing her dancing so that nothing seemed emphatic or studied. I did see Violette Verdy dance this, and Peck has the same pink champagne quality. Mejia matched her spontaneity and joy, bursting into a flourish of turns and jumps. Yes, his landings were not always precise but I wouldn't trade his generosity and energy for all the perfect fifths in the world.
Balanchine's "Swan Lake" is a bit of a "Reader's Digest" version, rushed and abridged, with most of the story left out; "Why are there swans floating around in that Arctic wasteland and who is that hulking black creature" novice ballet goers must wonder. But the outline is there and occasionally complete paragraphs of Ivanov show up, especially in the White Swan choreography. Sara Mearns, with Russell Janzen as her prince, was a strong, powerful, and wild Odette, struggling against her fate. She danced the pas de duex with a slight restraint, hopeful but wary of this impulsive stranger, keeping her eyes down and away from him while her body seemed to yearn for his protection. She made it a narrative poem, not a simple valentine with flapping arms and gooey eyes.
Ashley Laracey and Emily Kitka led the Pas de Neuf and the Valse Bluette respectively and they both had a dramatic cogency, dancing with a gentle melancholy that prefigured Odette's fate. They, and the rest of the evening, did Tchaikovsky proud.
copyright © 2022 by Mary Cargill
