NYCB rehearsal 6-16-10

[chiapuris]

NYCB rehearsal 6-16-10 3:00-5:00

I consider myself very lucky to have seen yesterday a technical rehearsal

of a Peter Martins ballet titled Mirage that's premiering later this month.

It's a fascinating work for two reasons: a Calatrava mobile that is the

'set' of the piece, and secondly the score by Esa-Pekka Salonen (co-commisioned with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles

Philharmonic) in the form of a violin concerto, also titled Mirage, after its first section.

The work is probably 20-30 minutes long. Hard to tell, because we saw it

in sections, with technical light and set settings in between.

The dancers (in couples) are Jennie Somogyi and Jared Angle,

Kathryn Morgan and Chase Finley, and Erica Pereira and Anthony Huxley;

I may be wrong about the last two men named: with Morgan was a taller blond

dancer, with Pereira a shorter dark-haired dancer.

There is a corps of 4-6 couples.

The musical score is interesting (for dance) because it has super-fast allegro movements as well as calming life-affirming adagios-both relating in their way to the beat of the human heart.

The Calatrava architectural piece is a stage marvel making the work something of a gesamtskunstwerk, an all-embracing art form.

It first appears as a two-dimensional suspended metal piece, with two semi-circles touching, the bottom a horizontal line.

At different points in the work the flat bottom line folds until, when adagio movement begins, the bottom flat line folds in half, forming a perfect circle.

Eventually, at the end of the first (and central adagio), the circle opens slowly and

starts tipping so that you become aware that it is three dimensional, with the metal ribs within the semi-circles tautly stretched to a short pole set vertically to the semi-circles.

By the end of the piece the mobile brought to mind a bird, a space ship, or maybe, better, an episodic, cosmic mandala.

The central pdd of Somogyi and Angle was riveting double work that once

she was lifted and placed horizontally on his shoulders and slowly carried

off following the route of entry, the circle above started opening up, as a bud becoming a full bloom, or following foreplay.

Kathryn Morgan was amazing in the clarity of her finished line. Pereira was precise in the staccato quality of her allegro, and the men were, altogether, excellent partners.

[liebs]

That's right, Anthony Huxley is dark.

[SCchck]

Thank you for your remarks, chiapuris. You are right about the men, Anthony Huxley and Chase Finlay. I have been awaiting this piece with great anticipation, and hearing your thoughts gives me much to look forward to. Can't wait to hear the music, see the set, and most importantly to me, experience the dancers interpretation of Mr. Martins choreography. Glad to hear you left the theater with a positive outlook. Very glad you realize that indeed, you were lucky to be there!!! Can't wait for Tuesday!!!