Ballet Twists on Style

New York City Ballet Wendy Whalen with fellow members
of the company in "Opus 19: The Dreamer" on Tuesday.

 A dancer extends a leg forward above hip-height, then, keeping that leg outstretched, starts to fall forward in the direction it is pointing.

Yet when men wearing formal tunics and women in tutus do it to Mozart, in rhythmically melodic phrases that also include small steps both intricate and precise, we feel how much Balanchine transformed classical style.

The ballet in question is "Divertimento No. 15" (1956), one of the quintessential statements on classical ballet and one of the most subtly subversive.

When that transfer of weight happens with legs parted more than 90 degrees, the thighs have a casually heroic quality.

The company was beginning the third week of a season that has been almost all Balanchine, and the dancers have kept rising to meet one challenge after another.

The concerto ballet is a genre in which most choreographers pay homage to Balanchine anyway; it was he who definitively established the three-movement concerto structure in terms of male-female chivalry, having it reach its most intimate moments in the central movement.

Mr. Martins deftly shuttles the four or five tiers of his ensemble (23 dancers in all) on and off stage until, eventually, a series of pas de deux provides what little heart this ballet has.

Get the article in full: Three Twists on Classical Style, in Movement and in Character

American Ballet Theatre Hosts Spring Gala

Alina Cojocaru, left, and Isaac Stappas perform
from "The Sleeping Beauty," -photo by Gene Schivone

And nowhere is the depth of American Ballet Theatre's "bench" more apparent than at its annual spring gala, where it displays nearly all its world-class dancers in greatest hits snippets.

On Monday, previewing the love it will shower on this much-admired dancer, it invited dancers from Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet to perform "Majisimo," a piece created in 1965 for the National Ballet of Cuba that combines Hispanic dance with traditional ballet.

Also dancing was Carreno's compatriot at ABT, Xiomara Reyes, and she seemed energized by the experience, dancing with particular gusto and verve, especially in a series of turns so speedy they drew cheers from the audience.

Marcelo Gomes was his usual dashing self in two excerpts that required his expert partnering skills.

Get the full scoop at:
 Passion and Spectacle at ABT's Spring Gala Show

[GETTING] The Balanchine Core

Balanchine in the flow

That little transition from standstill to motion always carries something of the drama of the moment when the sculptor Pygmalion's statue Galatea comes to life.

Though almost 30 years have passed since he died, he's still the Pygmalion for whom dancers the world over keep bursting into pulsating life.

In many of his ballets the color, decoration and formal style of the costumes give the flavor of the drama that's to follow.

During Balanchine's lifetime a particular sense of adventure attached to several of these ballets, because their music was still modern and difficult.

The choreography served as a guide, lighting up the music's structure and drama from within so that they became encompassing and absorbing.

This music still isn't easy listening, and the nature of the poetic drama in each piece remains arresting and highly ambiguous.

The female and male principals --- Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley on Tuesday --- keep introducing steps that are promptly taken up by the intimate corps de ballet.

When the ballet was new, it had a square-dance caller onstage ("See those feet go wickety-whack!"), offsetting the European music with American tradition.

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To go in depth, see: Stripped Down to Black and White, Revealing Balanchine at His Core

Spring Gala: New York City Ballet

Spring Gala by The New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet Spring gala: magnificent and amazing...nothing less would do.

Guests arrived and walked the red carpet looking amazing...classy Betsy J made her entrance holding her guest by a leash tied around her neck. Hmmmm...

The guests got to enjoy first the cocktail reception and then much-much more.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by the ballet.  The entire evening was a treat!  And an experience to remember...

Read more at: New York City Ballet Hosts Spring Gala

Google Doodle Celebrates Martha Graham's 117th Birthday

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