Balanchine: The City Center Years - 11/1/18

Balanchine: The City Center Years – 11/1/18

            Before the New York City Ballet found their abode in Lincoln Center in 1964, George Balanchine and his dancers were resident to City Center - a cozy and quaint theater that allowed the NYCB to blossom to its world-renown status.[1] For its 75^th anniversary, City Center decided to stage a program with eight ballet companies:

1) American Ballet Theatre

2) The Joffrey Ballet

3) The Mariinsky Ballet

4) Miami City Ballet

5) New York City Ballet

6) Paris Opera Ballet

7) The Royal Ballet

8) San Francisco Ballet

I’d imagine that some devoted Balanchine connoisseur consider the program as an unkept menagerie that cannot encompass the style of dancing required for Balanchine’s repertories.[2]^,[3] Others, like me, see this as an opportunity to showcase the diversity of dancers from around the world and bring freshness, diversity to programs that I see often with only one company.

Apollo

I saw Apollo in April and was not very fond of the ballet. The last Apollo I saw (Chase Finlay) lacked an adolescent quality; throughout the ballet, Apollo grows as the three muses teach him the ways of life, yet when Mr. Finlay danced it, I did not see that. His dancing looked a bit uninterpreted and thoughtless. Given all the controversy with Mr. Finlay, I am quite glad I won’t see his Apollo again.

However, Xander Parish, trained at the Royal Ballet and recruited to the Mariinsky Ballet, not only showed the growth of Apollo, but he also interpreted Apollo as an adolescent who needed bearings. The first section when Apollo starts to strum his instrument, Mr. Parish looks fixated and a bit frustrated with his unrefined skill, as many young people would be when starting an instrument. However, as the ballet progressed, Mr. Parish’s dance did as well. He started as a youngster figuring out his limps and position for the first time and ends as a grown man who was the product of the three muses. A very stunning performance and beautiful interpretation.

Concerto Barocco

Though one of the most iconic Balanchine Ballets, this was actually the first time I saw it. Choreographed to Bach’s Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, Concerto Barocco showcase the corp de ballet’s dancing and capability. The corp never leaves the stage and rarely stop. The perfect ballet for those in the upper rings, like I usually am, because it is only there one can appreciate the formations.

I am always amazed and love the corp de ballet at NYCB. In this performance, they outshined the principals. Usually Maria Kowroski mesmerizes the audience (and me) with her artistry, but in this performance, I do not think she was at her best. However, the couple next to me were thrilled with her performance so perhaps my opinion is not the majority. Abi Stafford’s dancing has grown on me, and I think she is starting to dazzle more than she has in the past. Overall, a very nice performance, particularly from the corp de ballet.

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux

Tschaikovsky’s Pas de Deux is my favorite ballet; I probably have watched all the videos of it on Youtube, and even have the third movement as my alarm clock ringtone. I have enjoyed most of the renditions of the ballet – ones from Russian dancers, NYCB dancers, PNB dancers – but there are differences between them all. However, they should be celebrated.

Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marelino Sambe’s dancing of the ballet was a showstopper, as it usually is. They bring a very youthful aura to the stage; they experiment with what their given in an effort to recognize what is best for them. Ms. O’Sullivan, more delicate in her variation than I’ve seen others, brought a nice airiness and slowed down the showstopper to allow the audience to digest what they’ve seen. However, she must work on her spatial orientation. Perhaps a very minute detail, good space organization elevate the performance for those on the upper rings. Mr. Sambe, with his huge jumps, tours, and turns, contrasted with Ms. O’Sullivan in his showy, kid-like, enthusiasm. His dancing showed an eagerness for the big league – I think he’s ready.

Diverimento No. 15

I have only seen snippets of Diverimento on social media, but never really understood what it was, and to be honest, this was my least favorite ballet of the program. Maybe it was because there were so many principal dancers and all of their variations melted into one in my head or because there was less information about this ballet prior for me to do my research. Though the San Francisco Ballet proved their standing as a world-class company with the beautiful pointe work from both the principals and the corp de ballet members, the ballet seemed to drag on. However, I need to give a shoutout to the dancer who did the third variation (Koto Ishihara). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3BfT-SiKLk – I think this Megan Fairchild dancing the Third variation. Please correct me if I’m incorrect). Her speed and grace were impressive!

I hope you enjoyed my commentary! Please leave me a comment if you have something to say about the ballet, history, or anything!

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[1] Gottlieb, “The History of George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet.”

[2] Seibert, “City Center’s Balanchine Festival Lacked a Balanchine Quality.”

[3] “Different Ballet Methods.”