National Ballet of Canada in NYC (City Center)

[uptowner]

Has anyone gone to see National Ballet of Canada at City Center? The tickets seem to be selling really well and its only a few performances. I am curious about any reports from the audience! 

[Rosie2]

I haven't seen anything yet - not even the gushy reports/pictures usually posted by the company.   There were two reviews - good one in Broadway and total nasty one from New York Times.  Lucky ticket sales are not dependent on that one as the majority of tickets were sold before opening.    I'd like to have gone but not possible this time.   

[vipa]

1 hour ago, uptowner said:

Has anyone gone to see National Ballet of Canada at City Center? The tickets seem to be selling really well and its only a few performances. I am curious about any reports from the audience! 

I'm going to the Sat. Matinee. I'll post my thoughts. Sara Mearns gave a positive shout out on IG! She must have been there for the opening show.

[vipa]

I just got back from the Sat. afternoon show and had a wonderful time. I'd highly recommend it. A few impressions.

The only piece on the program that I was familiar with was Concerto, choreographed by MacMillan. I thought today what I've always thought. It's a pleasant, straight forward piece with a glowingly beautiful middle movement, which is the only memorable part of the ballet (I danced one of the other sections back in the day, and remembered embarrassingly little of it). I'm not familiar with these dancers but in checking the program, Naoya Ebe was a stand out in the first movement and Tina Pereira was lovely in the second.

The program opened with David Dawson's Anima Animus to music by Ezio Bosso. I'm not familiar with Dawson's choreography, but this piece made me hungry for more.  I particularly loved the partnering which was inventive but felt totally organic, lifts evolving out of movement with no preparations. Sections were repeated and echoed by different couples and trios, which give the structure an emotional fullness and musicality. I carry images from the ballet in mind, even sequence of movement that were particularly beautiful. I liked the score very much, and would love to see this piece again. The lead women, Calley Skalnik and Genevieve Penn Nabity were very impressive.

Chrystal Pite's choreography was what drew me to the program in the first place. I've only had the opportunity to see a few of her works live, but I am a fan. Angels' Atlas didn't disappoint. Everything comes together to make the whole - choreography, music, lighting, backdrop, costumes. etc. I felt like I was taken into another word. The experience was almost immersive. I was moved. Pite is amazing at moving large group of dancers and creating movement and formations that have tremendous impact.

The company should be pleased. As far as I could tell the house was packed, and the reception from the audience was huge, especially after the Pite piece.

Lastly, I read the NYT Gia Kourlas after I saw the performance. Needless to say I disagree.

Edited April 2, 2023 by vipa

[nysusan]

I pretty much agree with Kourlas (which is unusual). Went to the first 2 performances. The first time out I loved the first 15 minutes or so of Anima Animus but then I thought it got repetitive. Somehow I liked it a lot more the second time around and thought the dancers, as a group, were really compelling. It was the same cast so I don't know what the difference was.

I had seen ABT do Concerto years ago - maybe in the 70s - and I remember enjoying it. I enjoyed it again and  thought Pereira was beautiful in the 2nd movement but not so beautiful as to make me feel like I had to see her again , like I feel about Ogden and Lunkina.

I left after 10 minutes of Angel's Atlas on Thursday and left after Concerto on Friday, it is definitely not my thing.

All in all I am glad I went to see them but thought the whole thing was pretty mediocre.

[abatt]

I saw the program twice.  Thursday night, where I skipped Pite's Angels Atlas.  The second time I saw the program was last night, and stayed for the entire duration.

 

I liked the Dawson piece.  It was repetitive, but I found it engaging in spite of the repetitiveness of the choreography.  Overall the company looked much better by Saturday night.   Concerto was very enjoyable, but Ratmansky's ballet Concerto DSCH to the same score is better.  

I didn't like Angel's Atlas.  No pointe work.  Monotonous.  Lots of fast and furious arm movements.    This confirmed that I am simply not a Pite fan. Great lighting and scenic designs.  I'm a little surprised that Wendy Whelan has not yet engaged Pite for a NYCB commission.  

On Sat evening, Mayor Adams decided to pop in and give a curtain speech about how wonderful it is that the company came to visit us here in NY.

 

 

 

 

[uptowner]

At the last minute I got tickets for the Saturday night show (balcony)- my companion was a dancer (who will be a working professional in a few short months; currently still a serious student). We really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the Dawson piece from the balcony, watching how the dancers were in different formations across the stage-- and for me the costumes worked really well from there, creating a kind of optical illusion of each dancer splitting into two, or transforming, when they turned. The young dancer I was with was really taken by the partnering. I didn't find the dancing repetitive but at some point I felt like the music was not going anywhere new.

The second piece, Concerto, was pleasant to watch, "feels dated, but not in a bad way". It had a kind of sunny feeling, matched by the warm, simple costumes. (dancer also particularly liked the second movement.)

We both really liked the Pite, its only the second time either of us have seen her choreography. I think that might have been a little better viewed from lower down (for more immersive visuals of the projection in the back), though she uses the bodies of the dancers across the stage in interesting ways that were very clear from above. It seems to us her work is very dramatic and theatrical in a way that we rarely see in ballet and it captured our attention (though granted my experience with ballet is limited). I thought the company looked great, orchestra sounded excellent, and happy we went. It was funny when the mayor popped up to make a speech! 

[glassyeyed]

I saw the Saturday matinee performance (but was late, so missed the Dawson piece).  I enjoyed Concerto, but I felt as if the piece was too big and sprawling for the stage they were on, so the impact may have been less than desired.  I thoroughly enjoyed the second movement of Concerto, when I wasn't worried about anyone stepping on anyone else 😉 and could just enjoy the music and movement (which, for me, "matched" the theme of the whole production - that of music and choreography impacting emotions in a theatrical way). 

I LOVED Crystal Pite's piece, Angels' Atlas.  I found the choreography incredible and emotional with the body of dancers appearing to become a living, breathing organism.  In an odd way, this choreography reminded me a bit of Balanchine's Serenade piece in that I agree with Vipa (above) that

22 hours ago, vipa said:

Pite is amazing at moving large group of dancers and creating movement and formations that have tremendous impact.

I've never seen any of her choreography before, but I am a fan now, and will seek out more of her work.  Just an incredible experience for me as a theater goer.  

I'd never been to the New York City Center before, but it is quite intimate and I enjoyed seeing these theatrical and emotional ballet pieces up close and personal.  In my opinion, I thought the company represented itself quite well with clean and precise work that was artfully and loving done.

[volcanohunter]

4 hours ago, abatt said:

I'm a little surprised that Wendy Whelan has not yet engaged Pite for a NYCB commission.  

Pite is very, very busy. Angels' Atlas took years to arrange. 

[volcanohunter]

1 hour ago, glassyeyed said:

I LOVED Crystal Pite's piece, Angels' Atlas.  I found the choreography incredible and emotional with the body of dancers appearing to become a living, breathing organism.  In an odd way, this choreography reminded me a bit of Balanchine's Serenade

As it happens, when the National Ballet of Canada returned to the stage post-Covid lockdowns in November 2021, The program included Serenade and Angels' Atlas.

[canbelto]

I went to opening night and my review for bachtrack is here:

https://bachtrack.com/review-anima-animus-concerto-angels-atlas-national-ballet-of-canada-new-york-city-center-march-2023

[glassyeyed]

Well, Canbelto and I had vastly different theater experiences while watching this program, but I suppose that is part of the beauty of live theater, dance, and art, in general.  The performance speaks to everyone differently, and as an audience member we each bring our own filters, perceptions, knowledge and biases into our "viewing" role with us.  My sister (a professional costume designer), for example, saw and LOVED the Dawson piece and raved about how the black and white costumes changed the audience perceptions of the dancers' bodies.

Like any other artist, I suppose Ms. Pite and Mr. Dawson will have to endure the passage of time to see if their body of work transcends the slings and arrows of our current and inevitably limited human vision to become something great that future audiences treasure.  Art history is full of examples of the need for the lesson in patience and courage to keep practicing art regardless of criticism, even while the artist must listen to and consider it in order to change and grow in their art.