American Ballet Theatre -- Sunday,November 2, 2014

On Sunday afternoon, November 2nd, we went to the State Theater for American Ballet Theatre's matinee.  There were some casting changes announced at the start of the program, but the p.a. system is so mushy that I couldn't catch the changes -- here's what was in the printed program:

Sinfonietta (Jiri Kylian/Leos Janacek)
       Company

Bach Partitia (Twyla Tharp/Johann Sebastian Bach)
       Misty Copeland, Gillian Murphy, Stella Abrera, James Whiteside, Marcelo Gomes,
       Calvin Royal III
       Violin Soloist: Charles Yang

Gaite Parisienne (Leonide Massine/Jacques Offenbach)
     Hee Seo, Isadora Loyola, Herman Cornejo, Marcelo Gomes

Jiri Kylian's 'Sinfonietta' choreographed to Leos Janacek's music of the same name was first staged for Nederlands Dans Theater in 1978 and premiered at ABT in 1991.  It is danced
by 14 dancers against a backdrop of a stylized landscape of a low plain surmounted by a clear blue sky.  The men wear loose shirts and tights and the women wear knee-length dresses of various colors with soft shoes.  The set and costumes for ABT's production are by Walter Nobbe.

Cast in the final moments of Jiri Kylian's 'Sinfonietta'.  Photo by MIRA from ABT website

The orchestra, conducted by Charles Barker, is augmented by a brass choir of 10 musicians on the stage aprons during the first and fifth (final) movements.  The sound was glorious and provided a strong platform for the dance.

Created nine years after Robbins' 'Dances at a Gathering', the format of this work is hardly original -- a group of dancers coming together in various combinations to interact and celebrate their connection to the earth.  Yet it is viewed as Kylian's masterpiece. 

Much of the cast swirls on and off stage in the four outer movements.  The central movement is a pas de six for three couples -- Veronika Part with Blaine Hoven, Devon Teuscher with Thomas Forster, and Isabella Boylston with Calvin Royal III (according to the printed program).  Each couple sometimes danced independently of the others; sometimes two couples danced the same steps while the third danced different steps.  Since we don't know the ABT dancers very well, it's hard to pick out any dancer for special recognition, but the overall work struck me as disappointing and the level of dancing as unexceptional.

ABT dancers in Santo Loquasto's costumes for Twyla Tharp's 'Bach Partita'.  Photo by Gene Schiavone

Twyla Tharp's 'Bach Partita' was choreographed in 1983 for ABT to Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin'.  It was revived in 2013 by Susan Jones.  The Bach was played in the pit by Charles Yang -- I'm sure played very well, but solo violin music is not a great favorite of ours -- more to be endured than enjoyed. 

The costumes by Santo Loquasto are incredibly unattractive -- short skirts and sleeveless tops for the women; short shorts with sweater vests over T-shirts for the men, all in beige and dove grey; knee-length dance dresses in mouse brown for the 16-woman corps that appears in the final movement.

There are three principal couples -- Misty Copeland with James Whiteside in the first movement; Gillian Murphy with Marcelo Gomes in the second; and Stella Abrera with Calvin Royal III in the fourth.  The third movement is a pas de six for the three couples.  In the first movement Copeland and Whiteside are joined by four demi couples who also appear with Murphy and Gomes in the second movement.  In the fourth movement, Abrera and Royal are joined by three different demi couples.  In the fifth movement the three principal couples are joined by all seven demi-couples and the corps of 16 women.

Stella Abrera with Calvin Royal III, Gillian Murphy with Marcelo Gomes, and
Misty Copeland with James Whiteside in the third movement of Tharp's 'Partita'.   Photo by Darren Thoms

Tharp's choreography is less quirky and mischievous than much of her work for ABT during the Baryshnikov era (1980-1989).  The blips and squiggles that often seem so effortlessly right in her work are kept to a minimum in 'Partita'.

Copeland and Whiteside were limpid in the first movement.

Misty Copeland and James Whiteside in Tharp's 'Partita'.  Photo by Julieta Cervantes for NY Times

Murphy and Gomez danced the second movement with great technical assurance and sensual undercurrents.

Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomez in Tharp's 'Bach Partita'.  Photo by Gene Schiavone

Abrera and Royal bring flair and polish to their fourth movement pas de deux, but they lack rapport.

The seven supporting couples all danced with crispness and enthusiasm;  the 16-woman corps less so (maybe they were thinking 'why do I have to wear this ugly brown dress?').  It was certainly the most interesting choreography of the afternoon and was generally well-danced.

The biggest disappointment of the afternoon was 'Gaite Parisienne'.  The ballet by Leonide Massine to the music of Jacques Offenbach was created in 1938 for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.  It joined the ABT repertory in 1970 (I remember that production fondly because Mimi Paul, a favorite ballerina, danced the Glove Seller).

Michael Smuin as the Peruvian and Mimi Paul as the Glove Seller in the 1970 ABT production of 'Gaite Parisienne'.
Uncredited photo from internet

Wikipedia says of the 1988 ABT production (revived last spring) that it features 'cartoonish sets by Zack Brown and extravagantly patterned and colorful costumes by French fashion designer Christian Lacroix'.  I'll add the designs are chaotic and distracting.

The set features an inner proscenium arch that is too small for the State Theater stage, cutting off views from supposedly full-view seats and adding to the overall clutter of the production. Massine was primarily a choreographer of character, creating movements that define each dancer's identity -- the gauche, antic Peruvian; the preening, supercilious officer; the grandly swanning La Lionne; the shy, insecure Baron; the pushy, competitive Flower Girl; and the confident, ardent Glove Seller -- are clearly drawn by their movements.

Unfortunately, Massine was less assured at using choreography to focus audience attention on specific characters or activities -- a severe handicap in this messy production.  Superstar dancers like Herman Cornejo as the Peruvian and Marcelo Gomes as the Baron are simply swallowed up in the visual chaos.  Cornejo may be a wonderful dancer, but as the Peruvian he just seemed silly.

Herman Cornejo as the Peruvian with the admiring Cocodettes (ladies of the evening)  in 'Gaite Parisienne.
Photo by Andrea Mohin for NY Times

Hee Seo has long, beautiful limbs and an exquisite line, but as the Glove Seller -- a role that is all about glamour and passion -- she is far too restrained and surprisingly unmusical.  She ignored crescendos and climaxes and often seemed a half beat behind the pit.  As the only character en pointe, the Glove Seller really must validate the suitability of this work for the company's repertory. 

Hee Seo as the Glove Seller and Marcelo Gomes as the Baron in 'Gaite Parisienne'.
Photo by Gene Schiavonne

Marcelo Gomes as the Baron is a strong and gallant partner, and the role requires little more.

Secondary characters and groups seemed inadequately rehearsed and danced with little panache or enthusiasm.  The Can-Can Dancers seemed particularly bland in what should be a rowdy dance of extremes.

Charles Barker lead the orchestra in a lovely, nuanced performance of the Offenbach score.  If only the dancers had responded with an equally musical performance on stage the the crazy quilt set and costumes could have been forgiven.  Alas, in their Lacroix creations and with indifferent dancing, the dancers simply added to the visual cacophony.