Heatscape (Bohuslav Martinu/Justin Peck):
First Movement: Emily Bromberg, Renan Cerdeiro
Second Movement: Tricia Albertson, Kleber Rebello
Third Movement: Andrei Chagas, Jennifer Lauren, Shimon Ito
Viscera (Lowell Liebermann/Liam Scarlett):
Jeanette Delgado, Renato Penteado, Kleber Rebello, Jennifer Lauren, Callie Manning, Zoe Zien
Francisco Renno, Piano
Bourree Fantasque (Emmanuel Chabrier/George Balanchine):
First Movement: Jordan-Elizabeth Long, Shimon Ito
Second Movement: Simone Messmer, Rainer Krenstetter, Emily Bromberg, Samantha Hope Galler
Third Movement: Nathalia Arja, Renato Penteado, Ashley Know, Neil Marshall, Zoe Zien, Chase Swatosh
Fourth Movement: Entire cast
Miami City Ballet was founded in 1985 and is just finishing its 30th Anniversary season. It's week-long appearance at the Koch Theater was the capstone of the anniversary celebrations -- the first time the Company had performed at Lincoln Center and their first appearance in New York City since 2009. They brought eight ballets spread over three programs on this visit. Their music director, Gary Sheldon, conducted the New York City Ballet orchestra for all seven performances.
Lourdes Lopez, the artistic director of Miami City Ballet since 2012, commissioned 'Heatscape' from Justin Peck in 2015. Justin used the Piano Concerto #1 by Bohuslav Martinu -- a composer whose 'Sinfonietta la Jolla' he had also used for his 'Paz de la Jolla' in 2013. The well-known street artist and graphic designer Shepard Fairey-- who created the 'Hope' poster of Barack Obama for the 2008 presidential campaign -- created the backdrop and Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung designed the costumes.
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| Company members in Justin Peck's 'Heatscape'. Backdrop by Shepard Fairey and costumes by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. Photo from Miami City Ballet website. |
'Heatscape' itself is a brilliant introduction to this company -- as sunny and open-hearted as its home city. The choreography is athletic and complex, but most of all it is immensely fun to watch -- and hopefully to dance.
The curtain opens with the entire 17-member cast lined up across the back of the stage facing Fairey's backdrop -- a huge red and orange sunburst with a wide border in a dark blue and gold border across the bottom, both inspired by Indian mandala patterns. They're wearing Bartelme & Jung's pale costumes -- short white dresses for the women and beige shorts with white tops for the men. They turn and race to the front of the stage before beginning to dance to the jaunty opening of the first movement (Allegro moderato). As the music shifts into a more contemplative mood a central couple (Emily Bromberg and Renan Cerdiero) emerges.
In the second movement (Andante) a different couple (Tricia Albertson and Kleber Rebello) dances a sensual pas de deux. There is a beautifully executed movement repeated several times, where Ms. Albertson rises through a hoop of Mr. Rebello's encircling arms. Mr. Rebello must be incredibly strong to sustain Ms. Albertson in the air supported on his extended arms.
The romping third movement (Allegro) is led by Andrei Chagas, Jennifer Lauren and Shimon Ito. Peck often devises choreographic patterns which intrigue and sometimes deceive the observer -- here two concentric circles of five and then seven dancers each. You initially think that you see a circle of men and a circle of women, but then you realize they are probably organized by height with a single tall woman mixed with four tall men and a shorter man with four short women. By the time you've figured that out, the circles have grown to seven members each -- again seemingly organized by taller and shorter without regard to sex. It reminded me of the moments in Balanchine's 'Agon' where the three quartets -- initially four men and two groups of four women -- suddenly become mixed and then resolve again by sex. It is all enormous fun for the observer and obviously for the company.
At the end the cast gathers at the back of the stage and then race to the front as the curtain descends.
Liam Scarlett's 'Viscera' to Lowell Liebermann's 'Piano Concerto #1' was created for MCB in 2012 and has since also been danced by the Royal Ballet -- where Scarlett is resident choreographer. The dark, partially translucent costumes are also by Scarlett.
The murky lighting design is by John Hall. I found what of Scarlett's choreography we could see through the gloom arduous with often clumsy partnering. The 16-member-cast was led by Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, Jeanette Delgado and Miguel Guerra, but the entire group floated on and off stage seemingly at random.
The program closed with Balanchine's 'Bourree Fantasque' to music of Emmanuel Chabrier. The work was staged for the Miami company by Susan Pillare -- who had also staged it for the School of American Ballet's 2010 Workshop Performances. It was one of the first ballets that Balanchine created -- in 1949 -- for New York City Ballet.
The first movement -- created for Tanaquil Le Clercq and Jerome Robbins -- is one of Balanchine's pairings of a tall, long-legged ballerina with a shorter partner. Both Le Clercq and Robbins were well-known for their wit.
Here the Miamians Jordan-Elizabeth Long and Shimon Ito had great fun with the taller woman/shorter man paradigm. In this movement the women all expertly manipulated fans while the men gave their best toreador impressions.
Balanchine created the second movement for Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes. The ballerina -- a relative of the Waltz Girl in Balanchine's 'Serenade'and the Elegie ballerina from his 'Tschaivkosky Suite #3" -- fades in and out of the ensemble as she is pursued by her ardent suitor. MCB's Simone Messmer and Rainer Krenstetter danced with poignance and longing as the thwarted lovers.
Balanchine set the third movement on Janet Reed and Herbert Bliss. The Miamians Nathalia Arja and Renato Penteado were dazzling in this performance.
The fourth movement brings the entire cast of 42 dancers on stage for a rousing finale featuring cadres of ballerinas from the three previous movements crisscrossing the stage in space devouring grand jetes.
The complexity of the patterns -- including more concentric circles -- that constantly change and resolve is extraordinary and offered a final example of the exuberance and joie de vivre that this company brought to the Koch Theater.
The curtain opens with the entire 17-member cast lined up across the back of the stage facing Fairey's backdrop -- a huge red and orange sunburst with a wide border in a dark blue and gold border across the bottom, both inspired by Indian mandala patterns. They're wearing Bartelme & Jung's pale costumes -- short white dresses for the women and beige shorts with white tops for the men. They turn and race to the front of the stage before beginning to dance to the jaunty opening of the first movement (Allegro moderato). As the music shifts into a more contemplative mood a central couple (Emily Bromberg and Renan Cerdiero) emerges.
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| Tricia Albertson and Kleber Rebello in the second movement of 'Heatscape'. Photo by Paul Kolnik |
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| Miami City Ballet dancers in Justin Peck's 'Heatscape'. Photo from Vanity Fair |
The romping third movement (Allegro) is led by Andrei Chagas, Jennifer Lauren and Shimon Ito. Peck often devises choreographic patterns which intrigue and sometimes deceive the observer -- here two concentric circles of five and then seven dancers each. You initially think that you see a circle of men and a circle of women, but then you realize they are probably organized by height with a single tall woman mixed with four tall men and a shorter man with four short women. By the time you've figured that out, the circles have grown to seven members each -- again seemingly organized by taller and shorter without regard to sex. It reminded me of the moments in Balanchine's 'Agon' where the three quartets -- initially four men and two groups of four women -- suddenly become mixed and then resolve again by sex. It is all enormous fun for the observer and obviously for the company.
 |
| Miami City Ballet dancers in Justin Peck's 'Heatscape'. Photo from Vanity Fair |
Liam Scarlett's 'Viscera' to Lowell Liebermann's 'Piano Concerto #1' was created for MCB in 2012 and has since also been danced by the Royal Ballet -- where Scarlett is resident choreographer. The dark, partially translucent costumes are also by Scarlett.
 |
| Jennifer Kronenberg and Miguel Guerra in Liam Scarlett's 'Viscera'. Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes |
The program closed with Balanchine's 'Bourree Fantasque' to music of Emmanuel Chabrier. The work was staged for the Miami company by Susan Pillare -- who had also staged it for the School of American Ballet's 2010 Workshop Performances. It was one of the first ballets that Balanchine created -- in 1949 -- for New York City Ballet.
The first movement -- created for Tanaquil Le Clercq and Jerome Robbins -- is one of Balanchine's pairings of a tall, long-legged ballerina with a shorter partner. Both Le Clercq and Robbins were well-known for their wit.
 |
| Tanaquil Le Clercq and Jerome Robbins in the first movement of Balanchine's 'Bouree Fantasque'. Photo by George Platt Lynes |
Here the Miamians Jordan-Elizabeth Long and Shimon Ito had great fun with the taller woman/shorter man paradigm. In this movement the women all expertly manipulated fans while the men gave their best toreador impressions.
Balanchine created the second movement for Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes. The ballerina -- a relative of the Waltz Girl in Balanchine's 'Serenade'and the Elegie ballerina from his 'Tschaivkosky Suite #3" -- fades in and out of the ensemble as she is pursued by her ardent suitor. MCB's Simone Messmer and Rainer Krenstetter danced with poignance and longing as the thwarted lovers.
 |
| Simone Messmer and Rainer Krenstetter in the second movement of Balanchine's 'Bourree Fantasque'. Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes |
Balanchine set the third movement on Janet Reed and Herbert Bliss. The Miamians Nathalia Arja and Renato Penteado were dazzling in this performance.
The fourth movement brings the entire cast of 42 dancers on stage for a rousing finale featuring cadres of ballerinas from the three previous movements crisscrossing the stage in space devouring grand jetes.
 |
| Mass grand jetes by the women of the second movement in the final movement of Balanchine's 'Bourree Fantasque'. Photo by Gene Schiavone |
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| Miami City Ballet dancers in the finale of Balanchine's 'Bourree Fantasque'. Photo by Renato Penteado for Miami City Ballet |
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