Monday, February 12

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Carla Escoda for Bachtrack.

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The central pas de deux in Hallelujah Junction, starring Alexa Maxwell and Joseph Gordon, registers as a striking sequel to In a Landscape, full of melting lines and tricky but seamless partnering transitions, like one long exhale – until they exit in a spectacular series of flying turns. There is a sense of drama here, driven partly by the pianos’ ominous placement, floating high above the dancers – the clatter of the pianos, sometimes insistent, sometimes calm, like instructions from air traffic control. The silvery vertical panels edging the wings reinforce a sense of airspace. Four dynamite couples charge boldly, if somewhat untidily, across the stage in terse strings of turns, jumps, kicks and flicks at tempi and rapidly changing rhythms that make Ballo look like a stroll. KJ Takahashi in black appears to be on a mission to nudge the lead couple into the ensemble, his arsenal of classical bravura moves delivered with urgency, notably grands pirouettes that practically achieve lift-off.

Mary Cargill reviews the company for danceviewtimes.com.

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The nineteenth century roués of the Parisian Jockey Club were after excitement too, and insisted seeing a ballet in the middle of an opera so they could enjoy watching women’s legs after dinner; this rather disreputable practice has given us some of the most luscious, danceable tunes around.  Balanchine used Verdi’s ballet music from “Don Carlos” not to show off his dancers’ legs but to show off one dancer's sparking feet—it is a salute to Merrill Ashley’s diamond sharp technique.  The original ballet told the story of a peasant looking for a pearl and some of the underwater feel remains, as the all-female corps occasionally makes little swimming gestures with their arms, but there is no real story, just a feast of joyful, bouncy dancing.  Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley were danced the lead couple.  Fairchild is smaller and less commanding than Ashley, but she has a vivid and pristine technique, and the glorious hops on point and quick changes of direction were secure and sparkling; she radiated fun. Huxley flew through the elegant petit batterie, flowing through his jumps and turns, and made the tricky partnering look easy.