Friday, February 28

[dirac]

A review of Justin Peck's "Rotunda" by Apollinaire Scherr in The Financial Times.

Quote

Nico Muhly is not an obvious choice as a composer for dance, despite a steady stream of assignments. Though his gorgeous instrumentation and playful if rigorous structures provide fine fodder for the choreographic imagination, the music lacks the usual dance requirement: rhythmic drive. But for Rotunda — Justin Peck’s 19th ballet for New York City Ballet since 2012 — the composer amps up the failure of forward propulsion until it takes on a fascinating rhythm of its own.

 

[dirac]

A review of Boston Ballet by Jeffrey Gantz for The Boston Globe.

Quote

Boston Ballet’s outstanding current production, “rEVOLUTION,” lives up to the title. George Balanchine’s “Agon,” to the Igor Stravinsky score, was recognized as a revolutionary masterpiece when New York City Ballet premiered it in 1957. Jerome Robbins’s 1983 “Glass Pieces” is a revelation in its own way, and William Forsythe’s 1987 “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated” evolves out of both Balanchine and Robbins. The program is riveting from start to finish, and so, on Thursday night, was the company’s performance.

 

[dirac]

A review of Houston Ballet by Natalie De La Garza for Houston Press.

Quote

Despite being an infant in one act and slumbering through another, Yuriko Kajiya’s Princess Aurora is the delightful, bright pink thread that holds this production together. Kajiya is the picture of girlish grace, perfect poise – and let’s talk about the control she displays during the much anticipated Rose Adagio, the sequence where Aurora is introduced to four potential suitors, balanced on pointe – one single pointe – and spun around. Kajiya handles those attitude promenades like a rock star, and examples of her exquisite pointe work pop up again during her pas de deux with Charles-Louis Yoshiyama’s Prince Florimund.

 

[dirac]

A review of Washington Ballet by Oksana Khadarina for DanceTabs.

Quote

The Washington Ballet’s new program titled Balanchine + Ashton showcased four works by the two great choreographers, who “forever shaped our art form,” as the company’s artistic director, Julie Kent, put it in her opening remarks. It was a festive, heartwarming evening as the Washington Ballet celebrated an important milestone: the 75th anniversary of The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB). To highlight this occasion the program opened with a charming Défilé, choreographed by Kent to the music of Leo Delibes and performed with utmost dedication and eagerness by a group of current TWSB students.