NYCB Matinee, Sunday, May 4th

SUNDAY MATINEE, MAY 4, 3 PM

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I

(Conductor: Sill)
LES BOSQUETS (Woodkid/JR): Lovette (debut 4/29), Lil Buck+
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THIS BITTER EARTH (Richter, Washington/Wheeldon): Whelan, T. Angle
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BARBER VIOLIN CONCERTO (Barber/Martins): Reichlen, Janzen (debut 2/19), M. Fairchild, J. Angle [Solo Violin: Delmoni]
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HERMAN SCHMERMAN PAS DE DEUX (Willems/Forsythe): Kowroski (debut 4/29), Ramasar (debut 4/29)
NAMOUNA: A GRAND DIVERTISSEMENT (Lalo/Ratmansky): Hyltin, Bouder, Mearns, R. Fairchild, M. Fairchild, A. Stafford, Ulbricht
+ Guest Artist

'Les Bosquets' created by the French visual artist JR (with choreographic assistance from Peter Martins) to an original score by Woodkid (orchestrated by Bruno Bertoli) is an artistic collaboration that had its first performance on April 29th.  Unfortunately, it lacks sufficient focus and comes across as an 8-minute jumble of disparate ideas.   

Corps in 'riot' scrum in 'Les Bosquets' by J R (with help from Peter Martins),
photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

Cite des Bosquets is a housing project in the Paris suburb of Clichy-Montfermeil where JR created an art exhibition in 2004 by pasting the photos of young residents onto the buildings.  This became the visual background for urban riots that occurred in 2005.

The initial images of 'Les Bosquets' are of the 40-member corps portraying those riots.  Men carry women across the stage, the women's rigidly extended legs seem to be rifles or bayonets of the riot police.  Here the music is staccato and militant.  The corps formations exaggerated by huge shadows thrown on the backdrop gradually show the chaos of the riots before coalescing into a scrum of rioters -- perhaps recalling a scene from 'Les Mis' -- which is followed by a blackout.

Lil Buck (guest artist) & Lauren Lovette in 'Les Bosquets' by JR,
photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

Lauren Lovette, appears as 'the journalist' covering the riots wearing a stiff white costume that could allude to the crumpled paper used by JR in his winter art project on the floor of the theater's promenade, .  Her distinguishing gesture is one arm held up to her face as if holding a camera.  There is nothing else distinguished about her performance except her beauty and selflessness in appearing in this thankless role.

Lil Buck, the noted Memphis Jooking megastar (and NYCB guest artist), appears as 'the artist'.  Part of their encounter is performed against a huge animated backdrop of them (or parts of them) performing the same steps  created by the cinematographer Graham Willoughby.  The music here is more soothing and peaceful -- at least sometimes a piano solo performed by Gordon Grant at the side of the stage (another distraction).

Lil Buck is a dance prodigy who has appeared at Damien Woetzel's Vail International Dance Festival and toured China with Yo Yo Ma.  See his performance of the 'Dying Swan' with Yo Yo Ma here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9jghLeYufQ

His jooking (a form of hip-hop dance) is fluid, sinuous and sensual -- he uses sneaker pointe work, splayed ankles, rippling appendages, undulating torso, moon walks, contortions, and much more, all connected with immaculate timing to the lyrical music.

Unfortunately, the impact of Lil Buck is overwhelmed by the rest of this production.  The huge moving images on the backdrop isolate specific body parts of both Lil Buck and Ms. Lovette, overwhelm the movements of the live dancers. The corps screens and distracts from some of his movements without providing any choreographic density or substance.

Lil Buck with corps in 'Les Bosquets' by J R, photo by Andrea Mohin for New York Times

The final image of the 40 corps members standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the front of the stage may or may not form the 'eyes' which their unitards have been so carefully designed to create.  This tableau was obviously created for someone sitting at the director's table in the 15th row of the orchestra and did not 'read' as more than a blur from our seats on the side of the second ring.  It really sums up this works problems though:  it was conceived by a brilliant visual artist with a fixed point of view and insufficient experience dealing with bodies in motion.

Corps in unitards that form 'eyes' in 'Les Bosquets' by J R, photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

'This Bitter Earth' is a gorgeous pas de deux created by Christopher Wheeldon for Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle.  It was done as part of a larger work ('Five Movements, Three Repeats') that Wheeldon choreographed for Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists, which was first seen at the Vail International Dance Festival in 2012.  The music is a re-orchestration by Max Richter of Dinah Washington's 'This Bitter Earth'.

Wendy Whelan & Tyler Angle in Christopher Wheeldon's 'This Bitter Earth',
photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

This program (which premiered on Tuesday, April 29th) marks Wendy's return to the stage following hip surgery last fall.  Neither dancer appeared to be conscious of any possible impairment or need for caution.  They threw themselves into Wheeldon's typically complex partnering.  Wendy gives herself totally to Tyler as they become a living sculpture molded to the sad, contemplative taped music.  Tyler is the latest in a long line of strong, confident partners to join Wendy in Wheeldon's exploration of the possibilities of the classical pas de deux.  The ovation that followed 'This Bitter Earth' was both a fervent 'welcome home' to a beloved artist and a deserved acknowledgement of a lovely performance.

Peter Martins' 'Barber Violin Concerto' is partially one of his best works.  Originally created for the company's American Music Festival in 1988, it's first cast consisted of two NYC Ballet principals (Merrill Ashley and Adam Luders) and two guest artists from the Paul Taylor Dance Company (Kate Johnson and David Parsons).  After the initial seasons, the Paul Taylor dancers' roles have been assumed by company dancers with varying degrees of success.  In the first movement (allegro) Martins' contrasts the ethereal style of the classical ballet couple (Teresa Reichlen and Russell Janzen on Sunday) with the grounded style of the modern dance couple (Megan Fairchild and Jared Angle on Sunday).  Motifs are established for each couple which correspond to the music. The two couples appear to be ignoring each other. 

Ashley Bouder, Jared Angle, Teresa Reichlen, Ask LaCour (front to back) in Martins' 'Barber Violin Concerto', photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

The second movement (andante) is a pas de deux for the classical ballerina and the modern dancer (Tess and Jared) in which the two partners gradually reconcile their different dance styles and connect with each other. We have seen this movement more persuasively danced -- here Jared seemed to shed the earth-bound modern dance impulse too readily for the refined air of ballet and Tess failed to allow the unwinding of the ballerina's centered classical ballet style to happen gradually.  Letting her hair down in the final moments seemed too abrupt a surrender, rather than a gradual resignation to the earthy elements of modern dance movement.

The third movement (presto in moto perpetuo) pairs the classical danseur (Russell) with the modern dance pixie (Megan). This movement is basically one extended joke as the modern dancer buzzes around the aloof danseur like a demented mosquito.  

You'll probably find the ballet's abrupt conclusion here only slightly less annoying than this movement itself.  It's unfortunate that Barber didn't compose a fourth movement, which could have provided Martins an opportunity to craft a more fitting and less anti-climactic ending for this ballet.  Still two thirds of a wonderful work is better than none at all.

The 'Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux' is excerpted from a longer work by William Forsythe to a commissioned electronic score by Thom Willems for the Diamond Project in 1992.  Maria Kowroski and Amar Ramasar made their New York City debuts in it on Tuesday, April 29th, although Maria had performed it with New York City Ballet Moves (the smaller touring company) on tour. 

Maria Kowroski & Robert Fairchild in Forsythe's 'Herman Scherman Pas de Deux',
photo by Jeff Wheeler for Minneapolis Star Tribune

It has typical Forsythe angularity,  quirkiness and off-balance moves that can be either compelling or affectless.  There is little room for injections of dancers' personalities among the extreme hyper-extensions and off-kilter spins.  Maria and Amar are efficient and almost robotic in executing the difficult moves.  The two dancers, initially in dark costumes against a rectangle of blue light, studiously avoid any rapport, leaving and returning to the stage unexpectedly.  Eventually Maria returns with a pleated yellow skirt over her black leotard (and bare legs).  Shortly afterward Amar leaves and returns wearing a similar skirt (kilt) with bare chest and legs.  The audience chuckles, but the austere dancing continues as if nothing extraordinary has happened.  The ballet ends without ever engaging the audience in more than a bad joke.

Alexei Ratmansky's 'Namouna: A Grand Divertissement' is a big, long ballet that premiered at the company's Spring Gala in 2010.  There is a corps of 16 women and 8 men, a hero (Robert Fairchild in a sailor suit), three potential heroines (Sterling Hyltin, Ashley Bouder and Sara Mearns), three 'extraterrestrials' or something (Megan Fairchild, Daniel Ulbricht, and Abi Stafford).  

The piece is set to a suite by Edouard Lalo excerpted from his 1882 ballet 'Namouna' which had a libretto by Lucien Petipa. In the ballet, set on the island of Corfu, the title character is a beloved slave girl who is sought by a bankrupt nobleman.

Ratmansky has apparently utilized the 1882 libretto as a spring board for his divertissement's hazy plot -- a sailor searching for his true love.  Other than showing Ratmansky's great love of head wear, the costumes by Marc Happel and Rustam Khamdamov are more confusing than helpful in defining the characters.  Fortunately, there is Lalo's gorgeous, vaguely familiar score (nicely paced by Maestro Andrews Sill) and a group of stellar dancers.  So it's easy to sit back and enjoy the piece as a plotless dance divertissement.  

The corps women first emerge from the right wing in a long line across the back of the stage that then breaks into a circular dance.  They wear bright yellow pleated costumes with black caps that look like 'Louise Brooks' bobs and black neck bands.  Are they slaves? or just an anonymous group of dancer?

This is followed by a searching solo for Rob Fairchild.  He is joined by the corps women with bright shiny hand cymbals which they clap while he dances.

Robert Fairchild & corps (in 'Louise Brooks' caps) in Ratmansky's 'Namouna: A Grand Divertissement',
photo by Paul Kolnik for New York City Ballet

The three potential heroines emerge in various shades of blue and violet with short, stiff tutus and white 'bathing' caps.
Are they sea nymphs? higher priced slaves?  They dance a brief trio and introductory solos.

The three E.T.'s appear and dance a quirky pas de trois.  They are dressed in glittery copper outfits -- the women with the same short, stiff tutus, and all three wearing copper helmets that give them the look of World War I flying aces.

The corps men enter and engage in some dancing with Rob. They are wearing blue metallic tunics and conical metallic blue helmets.  They seem to be allied with the man in copper (Daniel Ulbricht) and their dances are vaguely militaristic.

Sara Mearns dances a solo wearing a long pleated dark blue gown, long white gloves and the white bathing cap. Mearns was in the original cast and both of her solos are tailored to display her distinctive qualities -- the supple back, the extreme extension, the explosive jump, the extraordinary musicality.  Her second dance involves interaction with the entire male corps who support and manipulate her in intricate promenades and lifts.

Sara Mearns in Ratmansky's 'Namouna: A Grand Divertissement',
photo by Kolnik for New York City Ballet

Ashley Bouder also in a long pleated lighter blue gown smokes a cigarette, fanning the smoke away with a wave of her hand, while dancing a kind of habanera for Rob .  This role was originally created for Jenifer Ringer who performed it with a kind of dry, come-hither humor.  Ashley's approach seems more sardonic and hard-edged, but equally seductive.  Toward the end of the cigarette dance, Ashley is joined by several corps girls, also smoking cigarettes.  They are now wearing the white bathing caps and short blue dresses with stiff skirts.

Abi Stafford and Megan Fairchild (the two E.T. women) enter for a perky dance that showcases their soubrette style.

Rob Fairchild and Dan Ulbricht engage in a combat dance complete with barrel rolls and other difficult technical moves.

The three heroines and the 16 corps women, now all in the short blue dresses and white bathing caps gather around the exhausted sailor and rock him to sleep. 

Robert Fairchild with Jenifer Ringer, Wendy Whelan, Sara Mearns and female corps in
Ratmansky's 'Namouna: A Grand Divertissement', photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Then the 19 women gather into a geometric 4 x 5 formation with one empty space.  This leads to Ratmansky's cleverest choreography, as they move in both straight and diagonal lines while the empty space shifts around the formation rather like a puzzle.  I'm mesmerized every time we see it.  The closest thing I can compare it to is Balanchine's movement of the four men and eight women in 'Agon' between the three 2 x 2 formations to achieve mixed-sex and same-sex groups of four.

Following this section, the stage fills with the entire cast who engage in a processional march that seems like it will end the ballet.  But it doesn't.  

The stage grows darker with a rippling wavy pattern on the floor.  Are we suddenly under the sea? Rob Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin perform a haunting pas de deux with lots of difficult lifts.  Ever since their debuts in Martins' 'Romeo+Juliet' Rob and Sterling have had a special partnership of trust and daring.  It served them well in this lovely duet.  The sailor's search has ended, he has found his true love, the curtain descends. 

After watching 'Namouna' three times I'm still not sure of the exact sequence of these dance events.  I do know that it's not necessary to piece them together into a narrative to enjoy this wonderful cast dancing inventive choreography to Lalo's lovely score.  As Mr. Balanchine said to an inquisitive dancer looking for her character's motivation, 'Just do, dear'.