New York City Ballet Matinee on Sunday, February 7th

SUNDAY MATINEE, FEBRUARY 7, 3:00 PM

BALLO della REGINA: Megan Fairchild T. Peck, Garcia, Pollack, Adams, Maxwell, Gerrity [Conductor: Sill]
     pause
KAMMERMUSIK NO. 2: Krohn, la Cour, A. Stafford, Danchig-Waring [Conductor: Sill; Solo Piano: Grant]

TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3:  [Conductor: Capps]
     ELEGIE: Reichlen, Catazaro;
     WALTZ: Laracey, J. Angle;
     SCHERZO: Pereira, Carmena;
     THEME & VARIATIONS: Tiler Peck M. Fairchild, Veyette De Luz

The all-Balanchine program on Sunday, February 7th, gave us a chance to revisit two works that we'd not seen in quite a while -- 'Ballo della Regina' and 'Kammermusik #2' -- two very different works that Balanchine created in January, 1978.

For 'Ballo' Balanchine used the ballet music from Verdi's opera 'Don Carlo'.  Nancy Goldner writes that while there is a hint of a plot (about a fisherman searching for a perfect pearl) the ballet's real "subject is technique".  The ballet was created for Merrill Ashley and Ib Andersen.  Mr. B. used Ashley's legendary technique for a brilliant series of solos and duets with Andersen, interspersed with variations for four female soloists backed by a corps of 12 women.

George Balanchine working on 'Ballo della Regina' with Merrill Ashley and Ib Andersen.

On the 7th we had expected to see Tiler Peck make her debut in 'Ballo della Regina', but instead Tiler was replaced by Megan Fairchild (and in turn Tiler replaced Megan in 'Theme and Variations').  While Megan is a technically accomplished ballerina, she lacks the ultimate radiance that Tiler might have offered in this role.  Gonzalo Garcia was elegant as her cavalier.

Megan Fairchild in 'Ballo della Regina'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Of the four soloists -- Sara Adams, Emilie Gerrity, Alexa Maxwell, and Brittany Pollack -- I was particularly struck by Ms. Pollack and Ms. Gerrity in this performance.

For 'Kammermusik #2' -- which premiered just two weeks after 'Ballo della Regina' -- Balanchine used the second of seven pieces of chamber music (kammermusik in German) that Paul Hindemith composed between 1923 and 1933.  It is really a rather acerbic concerto for piano and orchestra.  In the ballet, two principal couples dance to the piano part in counterpoint to an ensemble of eight men who dance to the orchestra music.  The original principals were Karin von Aroldingen, Colleen Neary, Sean Lavery and Adam Luders. 

'Kammermusik #2' has a quality of austere vivacity that Sunday's cast -- Rebecca Krohn with Ask la Cour and Abi Stafford with Adrian Danchig-Waring -- captured fairly well.  However, Ms. Krohn and Ms. Stafford are not physically well matched, which becomes obvious when they dance together. Ms. Krohn tends more toward austerity while Ms. Stafford tends more toward vivacity.

Abi Stafford and Rebecca Krohn with the male ensemble in 'Kammermusik #2'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The male ensemble was very well drilled in their spiky, convoluted visual counterpart to the orchestra.  At times they offer an eerie, pared-down premonition of the corps in Jerome Robbins' 'Glass Pieces' from 1983.

The male ensemble in 'Kammermusik #2'.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The program closed with Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Suite #3' from 1947 ('Theme and Variations') and 1970 (first three movements).  This ballet always seems schizophrenic to me.  The first three movements are in Balanchine's lush romantic mode (a la 'Serenade') with long floating chiffon gowns, loose hair and shadowy lighting behind that annoying painted scrim.  The final movement is in his Russian imperial style with tutus and tiaras amid glittering chandeliers and grand columns.

Teresa Reichlin and Zachary Catazaro were suitably rapturous in the opening 'Elegie'.  Ashley Laracey and Jared Angle were able to wring some romance out of the 'Valse Melancolique' -- though more melancholy than waltz.  Erica Pereira and Antonio Carmena swept through the upbeat 'Scherzo' in a whirlwind of leaps and turns.

Tiler Peck in the 'Theme and Variations' movement of 'Tschaikovsky Suite #3'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Tiler Peck was in fine classical form in 'Theme and Variations', dancing with musical elegance and vivacity.  But Andrew Veyette seemed to be on auto-pilot --  either disinterested or distracted.  The four demi-soloist couples and the eight corps couples danced the concluding polonaise with precision and panache.  This viewer became more engaged with the frame than with the couple at its center.

Tiler Peck (center left) with Joaquin De Luz and other New York City Ballet dancers in the final moments of Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Suite #3'.
Photo by Andrea Mohin for NY Times

It's clear from watching this program that the top ranks of the Company are not uniformly engaged by the remarkable legacy of its founder, George Balanchine.  It's principal Ballet Mistress, Rosemary Dunleavy, does a remarkable job of keeping the ensemble parts in shape, but the other Ballet Masters, who work more closely with the principal dancers and soloists, do not uniformly have the same level of knowledge and commitment to the Balanchine legacy. It showed in this program.

NYC Ballet Seminar on Monday, January 25th

On Monday evening, January 25th, I attended the New York City Ballet's seminar entitled 'Meet the New Talent'.  Joan Quatrano moderated a panel of young dancers from the Company that included Harrison Coll, Cameron Dieck, Megan LeCrone, Unity Phelan, and Indiana Woodward.

Four of the five panelists (unfortunately not Mr. Coll) had danced the Sugarplum or her Cavalier in the Company's holiday season performances of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.  They talked about how they had learned that they'd be dancing these iconic roles, how they had prepared and been coached, and how they felt about their performances.

Megan LeCrone, Indiana Woodward and Unity Phelan watch from the wings as another ballerina rehearses the Sugarplum variation from 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.
Photo by Andrea Mohin for NY Times

Ms. LeCrone, a soloist who is 31, has been injured several times since she started as an apprentice with the Company in 2001.  Some of her injuries required surgery and significant recovery times.  She said that she felt that her chance to dance the Sugarplum had slipped away and is particularly grateful to Peter Martins for surprising her with the opportunity.

Ms. Phelan and Mr. Dieck made their debuts in the Nutcracker roles together.  They talked about how supportive the entire Company was at their first performance.  They received performance tips from some of the Company's most senior dancers which helped them overcome some of the stress associated with their debuts.

Ms. Woodward also talked about the support she received from the Company at her debut and how at her first entrance as Sugarplum she was literally blown onto the stage by all of the dancers watching from the wings.  Apparently, being blown onto the stage is a Company 'good luck' tradition for all new Sugarplums as they bourree out from the wings at their first entrance.

Although Mr. Coll didn't have the opportunity to dance the Cavalier, he did make an anonymous debut during the 'Nutcracker' run as the 'bed boy' -- usually a teenage student from SAB who crouches under the bed and propels it around the stage during the Snow Scene.  Having been a student at SAB since 2003, Harrison had danced in the Party Scene and as the Nephew/Nutcracker/Prince, but had somehow missed being the 'bed boy' and jumped at the chance when it became available in December.

The four younger dancers praised Megan for being a welcoming presence in the Company -- helping to ease their transition from student to apprentice to corps and offering encouragement and advice during their early years.

I suggest that Ms. Phelan, and especially Ms. LeCrone, stop playing with their long hair -- or better yet pull it up and away from their faces.  This nervous habit was distracting and often kept the audience from focusing on the interesting things they had to say.

All-in-all, this was an interesting discussion where the audience got to hear from a new generation of dancers in the Company.  Of the five only Harrison has a 'screen test' on the Company's website (http://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Harrison-Coll.aspx) so this was a good chance to find out more about what makes these kids tick.