“Signature Works” From American Ballet Theater Presents an Eclectic Mix

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Wednesday, 30 October 2024 13:39

Written by Jack Angstreich

Cassandra Trenary and Herman Cornejo in Sinatra Suite. Photo: Emma Zordan.

At Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, on the evening of Saturday, October 26th, I had the considerable privilege to attend a superb mixed program—entitled “Signature Works,” presented by the marvelous American Ballet Theater.

The program began exhilaratingly with its most splendid selection, The Kingdom of the Shades, a glorious excerpt from Marius Petipa’s popular La Bayadère from 1877, seen here in a staging by Natalia Makarova from 1974. About the work, which scarcely could be be surpassed as an example of the pleasures afforded by classical ballet, she said:

The Kingdom of the Shades is one of the most important creations in the history of classical ballet. It is Marius Petipa’s choreographic masterpiece, and remains timeless—exemplifying Petipa’s vision of classicism in its eloquence, harmony, precision, and its crystalline execution. I tried to put more inner spiritual meaning into this act, which is my contribution to the Shades. The corps de ballet, descending one by one from the Himalayan Mountains are hallucinatory visions in the mind of the warrior Solor. Tormented by repentance and his love for the murdered temple dancer Nikiya, in his mind he sees the poetical image of Nikiya, her spirit multiplied into infinity.

The beautiful Romantic score is by Ludwig Minkus, here excellently arranged by John Lanchbery and confidently conducted by David LaMarche. The scenery was designed by Pier Luigi Samaritani and the attractive costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, with effective lighting by Toshiro Ogawa. The cast was extraordinary, magnificently led by Hee Seo—who is one of the finest ballerinas in the company—brilliantly partnered by Isaac Hernández. Also wonderful were Yoon Jung Seo, Sierra Armstrong and Sunmi Park, while the marvelous corpsde ballet were simply stellar, with very few imperfections.

Also remarkable was George Balanchine’s exquisite, famous Sylvia Pas de Deux from 1964–staged by Marina Eglevsky—set to another memorable Romantic score, here by Léo Delibes, expressively conducted by Charles Barker. (The costumes are by the celebrated Santo Loquasto and the lighting is by Nananne Porcher.) This also had an amazing cast most notably starring Gillian Murphy—arguably the greatest ballerina in the company—also admirably partnered by Daniel Camargo.

Enjoyable too was the sexy Sinatra Suite from 1983, by the renowned Twyla Tharp. The score—five songs performed by Frank Sinatra—is, of course, indelible: “Strangers in the Night,” “All the Way” (with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn), “That’s Life,” “My Way,” and “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” (with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer). The original costume designs are by Oscar de la Renta, with lighting by Jennifer Tipton.) Again, the cast was outstanding, including Herman Cornejo—still probably the best male dancer in the company—partnering Cassandra Trenary who continues to beguile.

More substantial was the mesmerizing final piece, Tharp’s In the Upper Room from 1986, staged by Shelley Washington with Blane Hoven. The sensational score is by Philip Glass—and the ballet is a worthy counterpart to the even more stunning Glass Pieces by Jerome Robbins. (The costumes are by Norma Kamali, with lighting again by Tipton.) This too had a superior cast including amongst several others: Devon Teuscher, Murphy and Armstrong again, Joseph Markey, Cory Stearns, Catherine Hurlin, Isabella Boylston, and Thomas Forster, but one dancer unexpectedly surpassed all the others in magnetism, the fabulous Aran Bell.

The artists deservedly received a very enthusiastic ovation.

“Choreographers of the 20th and 21st Centuries” at Lincoln Center

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Monday, 28 October 2024 13:20

Written by Jack Angstreich

Devon Teuscher in In the Upper Room. Photo: Rosalie O’Connor.

At Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, on the evening of Sunday, October 20th, I had the considerable pleasure to attend a superb mixed program—entitled “Choreographers of the 20th and 21st Centuries”—presented by the extraordinary American Ballet Theater.

The event opened magnificently with its strongest work: George Balanchine’s glorious Ballet Imperial from 1941, staged here by Colleen Neary, with exceptional stage and costume design by Jean-Marc Puissant and effective lighting by Mark Taylor. The piece is set to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s second Piano Concerto—here admirably performed by soloist Emily Wong and wonderfully conducted by David LaMarche—a distinguished Romantic opus that is seldom played and is overshadowed by its enormously popular predecessor—I have some ambivalence about the selection of such a concerto as the basis for choreography but Balanchine nonetheless achieves a characteristically brilliant spectacle even if this may rank just below his very finest accomplishments. The production featured a marvelous slate of dancers—amongst the primary cast, Christine Shevchenko above all and Chloe Misseldine were stellar, ably abetted by Calvin Royal III. The remarkable secondary cast included Sunmi Park, Fangqi Li, Sung Woo Han and Jose Sebastian, with enchanting support from the fabulous corps de ballet.

Also compelling was Neo from 2021 by Alexei Ratmansky—probably the greatest contemporary choreographer that employs a classical vocabulary—which is set to music by Dai Fujikura—here performed by Sumie Kaneko—with costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. A brief duet, the piece does not have the grand ambition of Ratmansky’s greatest works, such as his glorious Namouna, but it was dynamically danced by an exquisite Isabella Boylston, confidently partnered by Jarod Curley, here replacing James Whiteside.

The evening concluded arrestingly with Twyla Tharp’s mesmerizing In the Upper Room from 1986–here staged by Shelley Washington with Blane Hoven—set to a incandescent original score by Philip Glass, with costumes by Norma Kamala and lighting Jennifer Tipton. The work is a worthy counterpart to Jerome Robbins’s astonishing Glass Pieces, even if it is not quite of the same eminence as that supreme masterwork. An amazing cast was especially noteworthy for the dancing of Devon Teuscher, Gillian Murphy, Hee Seo (here replacing Boylston), Hurlin again, and above all Aran Bell, who was truly superlative.

“Innovation Past and Present” Showcases Great Choreographers with The American Ballet Theater

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Friday, 25 October 2024 15:14

Written by Jack Angstreich

Scene from La Boutique. Photo: Kyle Froman.

At Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, on the evening of Thursday, October 17th, I had the exceptional pleasure to attend American Ballet Theater’s marvelous program of three dance works by different choreographers entitled “Innovation Past and Present,” featured as part of its fall season.

The event began splendidly with the enchanting La Boutique, which received its world premiere with these performances and was choreographed by Gemma Bond and set to the wonderful music by Gioachino Rossini orchestrated by Ottorino Respighi for Sergei Diaghilev’s famous 1919 Ballets Russes production, La Boutique Fantasque, by Léonide Massine, to which the new work is very much an hommage. (Ormsby Wilkins—who conducted confidently—and Charles Barker contributed to rearranging the score.) The attractive stage and costume design is by Jean-Marc Puissant, with effective lighting by Clifton Taylor.

The excellent cast was headlined by principals Isabella Boylston—who was superb—and Thomas Forster, along with Chloe Misseldine, Michael De La Nuez, Breanne Granlund and Jake Roxander. Also, notable in secondary parts were Sierra Armstrong, Jose Sebastian, Remy Young and Jacob Clerico, with strong—if maybe slightly underehearsed—support from the stellar corps de ballet, which shone in all the pieces on view.

Another striking world premiere was Kyle Abraham’s compelling Mercurial Son, which also employed a classical vocabulary although to avant-garde, rather than nostalgic, ends. The unconventional score is by Grischa Lichtenberger, with costumes by Karen Young and lighting by Dan Scully. Another superior cast included Skylar Brandt—who was especially remarkable—Léa Fleytoux, Granlund and Roxander again, Kanon Kimura, Melvin Lawovi and Calvin Royal III.

The event closed stunningly with the magnificent realization of a seldom produced, underappreciated masterpiece of 20th-century classical ballet, Harald Lander’s Études from 1948, which is set to delightful music by Carl Czerny brilliantly adapted and orchestrated by Knudåge Riisager. The choreographer has said about it:

Études means so much to me, because this ballet is an expression of myself, and of my thoughts on dance. Dancing is not just delivering some steps to the audience. The purpose of ballet is, increasingly so, to combine spirit, dance, and music!

The amazing ballerina Devon Teuscher shone at the head of a dazzling slate of dancers that also included the indelible Jarod Curley and Andrew Robare.

Ballet Theater’s fall season runs through November 3rd.