WALPURGISNACHT BALLET: Mearns, Danchig-Waring, Lovette, Villwock, Isaacs [Guest Conductor: Christensen]
This program 'a la Francaise' was put together as an evening of all French music. With the announcement that Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici were retiring, it was subsumed into their farewell performance. However, the most exciting dancing of the evening came in Balanchine's 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' to the ballet music from Gounod's opera, 'Faust'.
Balanchine had originally choreographed to this music for productions of the opera at the Opera de Monte-Carlo in 1925; at the Metropolitan Opera in 1935; and at the Opera Nacional in Mexico City in 1945. Balanchine created this particular choreography in 1975 for a production of 'Faust' by the Paris Opera where it was danced by the Paris Opera Ballet.
It was first performed as a stand alone ballet by the NYC Ballet in May, 1980, with Suzanne Farrell, Adam Luders and Heather Watts leading the first cast. One of my ballet friends recalls that Balanchine created a scandal by using the bombastic music obviously intended for a showy male variation for one of Farrell's variations. Farrell recalls that Balanchine came in at the last minute to 'rearrange and rechoreograph' the work after it had been staged for NYC Ballet by Brigette Thom of the Paris Opera Ballet.
The entire ballet is a celebration of femininity. Luders was an excellent partner, but not the epitome of virility on stage (we referred to him as the 'white rabbit' because on stage he was so pale and always appeared to be scared of his own shadow). As the only man in the cast, Adam's primary functions were to partner Farrell, perform one innocuous variation, and catch her when she made a spectacular leap onto his shoulder at the finale.
Balanchine used a typical ballet hierarchy for this work -- a corps of 16 women, four demi-soloists, two soloists, a secondary ballerina, and the principle couple.
The cast on Saturday evening was splendid. Adrian Danchig-Waring (who had debuted in the role the previous Wednesday) looked virile, partnered Mearns with gracious ease and danced his scant variation with panache. Lauren Lovette (who had also debuted on Wednesday) danced with great musicality in the secondary ballerina role. She's a gorgeous young woman whose dancing projects warmth and confidence.
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| Sara Mearns and Ask La Cour in 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet', photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
Sara Mearns has made 'Walpurgisnacht' one of her signature roles, completely displacing memories of Farrell and Kyra Nichols, the two other great exponents of the role. The lovely Gounod music seems to emanate from Sara's pliant lower back, radiate through her arms and legs, and linger in her fingertips and toes. She doesn't dance to the music so much as she becomes it.
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| Sara Mearns in 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' by Balanchine, photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
This is no mean feat when the orchestra, under guest conductor Henrik Vagn Christensen, threatened to disintegrate at Sara's feet. Her diagonal of alternating chaine turns and pirouettes literally replaced the disjointed jumble of notes coming from the pit.
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| Corps women in finale of 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' by Balanchine, photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
The finale of the ballet is always a bit of a mess with all of the women loosening their hair and dancing in barely controlled abandon (it is after all 'the witches sabbath') -- leading to Sara's final triumphant leap onto Adrian's sturdy shoulder.
'Walpurgisnacht' is far from top drawer Balanchine, but when it is performed by such outstanding dancers it becomes irresistible.
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