POLARIS: Gerrity, Mann, Isaacs, *Finlay, Stanley, Applebaum, Kayali, Scordato
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THE BLUE OF DISTANCE: Woodward, Phelan, Adams, Catazaro, Carmena, Chamblee, Villarini-Velez [Solo Piano: Chelton]
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COMMON GROUND: Laracey, Maxwell, Reichlen, Ramasar, Huxley, Janzen, Gordon [Conductor: Sill]
ESTANCIA: T. Peck, T. Angle, Veyette [Conductor: Litton]
THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING: Stanley, Hyltin, Ramasar, la Cour, Janzen, *M. Fairchild [Conductor: Litton]
'Polaris', 'The Blue of Distance' and 'Common Ground':
'Polaris', 'The Blue of Distance' and 'Common Ground' were all new last fall. You can read my comments about the ballets here:
In this performance of Myles Thatcher's 'Polaris' Emily Gerrity and Chase Finlay replaced Tiler Peck and Craig Hall in the leading roles. Ms. Gerrity offered a bold and vibrant view of the outsider. Mr. Finlay, newly returned from serious injury, seemed cautious and bland.
In Robert Binet's 'The Blue of Distance' only Antonio Carmena and Preston Chamblee remain from the starry original cast. Of the new additions I felt that the three women -- Sara Adams, Unity Phelan and Indiana Woodward -- proved alluring as the three 'mermaids'. They and Messrs. Catazaro and Villarini-Velez fulfilled my October prophecy that this is a work that could be danced by a less starry cast without losing its impact as a hypnotic ensemble piece.
'Common Ground' by Troy Schumacher remains troubling chiefly because the costumes are so distracting. The commissioned score remains interesting and Troy's choreographic response to it is skillful and lively. The original cast seemed even better at this performance -- Troy has brought out the best in each of the seven dancers. Teresa Reichlen, Ashley Laracey, Anthony Huxley and Russell Janzen all caught my eye for the way they took advantage of the choreographic opportunities Troy provides them.
'Estancia':
Christopher Wheeldon created 'Estancia' for the Company's 2010 Spring Season to a score by Alberto Ginastera, the great Argentine composer. The Ginastera score and libretto had been commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein in 1941 for George Balanchine to choreograph on their American Ballet Caravan -- one of the earlier iterations of what became New York City Ballet. That company disbanded, however, before Balanchine could undertake the project.
The scenic designs for Wheeldon's 'Estancia' are by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, who provided designs for several new ballets presented that season. I believe that collaboration with Calatrava was a precursor of the Company's annual Art Series. Calatrava is the architect of the recently opened Transportation Center at the World Trade Center which is featured in this video from Cole Haan featuring five NYCB dancers Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild, Craig Hall, Adrian Danchig-Waring, and Gretchen Smith:
For 'Estancia' Calatrava created a front curtain that is an abstraction of a stampeding herd of longhorn cattle:
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| Santiago Calatrava's design for the front curtain of 'Estancia' by Christopher Wheeldon. |
The cast for this performance included most of the original 2010 cast -- Tiler Peck as the Country Girl, Tyler Angle as the City Boy, and Andrew Veyette as the Wild Horse. I missed Gina Pazcoguin as another wild horse -- a role that seems diminished in this staging. Perhaps Wheeldon has done some tinkering since 2010 or perhaps Ms. Pazcoguin wasn't available.
'Estancia' opens with a singer, Steven LaBrie, singing 'El Gaucho Martin Fierro', Ginastera's setting of a poem by Jose Hernandez that inspired him to develop the libretto and write the score. It sets a contemplative mood which is echoed in the opening scene of ranch workers going about early morning chores on the estancia.
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| Tyler Angle, the City Boy, arrives at the estancia. Tile Peck, the Country Girl (center) and the Country Folk disdain his fancy dress and fine manners. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
I wasn't persuaded by Wheeldon's telling of this tale in 2010 and I'm not sold on 'Estancia' by this performance either. He offers some interesting steps and motifs for the wild horses and uses four long poles effectively to suggest a corral.
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| Tiler Peck as the Country Girl tames the Wild Horse, Andrew Veyette, in Christopher Wheeldon's 'Estancia'. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
'The Most Incredible Thing':
Justin Peck's new work 'The Most Incredible Thing' was obviously the big draw on this program. With costumes and sets by Marcel Dzama and a commissioned score by Bryce Dessner, 'Incredible' is based on a fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
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| Marcel Dzama (sets & costumes), Justin Peck (choreography) and Bryce Dessner (music). |
The Creator (Taylor Stanley) creates a fabulous clock that produces wonderful displays for each hour in the day. He presents the clock to the King and his daughter. Everyone agrees that the clock is the most incredible thing and they begin preparations for the wedding.
But, the Destroyer (Amar Ramasar) arrives just before the wedding of the Princess to the Creator. He smashes the clock. Everyone agrees that the destruction of the clock is the most incredible thing. The King is forced to give the Destroyer the hand of the Princess in marriage.
But, the fantastical figures from the smashed clock rise up and vanquish the Destroyer -- and everyone agrees that the resurrection of the clock's figures to attack the Destroyer is the most incredible thing and they all celebrate the marriage of the Princess and the Creator.
We know the story because there is a synopsis printed in the program . . . and from a seemingly endless string of Facebook and YouTube postings from the Company. Unfortunately, the ballet itself muddies the plot rather than clarifying it. The first pas de deux for the Creator and the Princess, while lovely, precedes the creation and presentation of the clock. In fact, there is almost no connection established between the Creator and the clock.
After the clock is presented there is a series of divertissements for each hour led off by a solo for the Cuckoo (Megan Fairchild) representing one o'clock.
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| Tiler Peck as the Cuckoo. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
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| Rebecca Krohn & Adrian Danchig-Waring as Adam & Eve Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
For two o'clock there is a duet for Adam and Eve (Rebecca Krohn and Adrian Danchig-Waring) -- a sort of nightclub adagio for dancers in nude body-stockings with strategically placed vines and leaves.
Three o'clock is a trio for The Three Kings (Jared Angle, Daniel Applebaum and Gonzalo Garcia). It is unclear from their generic choreography and medieval armor if these are the biblical magi or some other kings. There is no gold, frankincense and myrrh -- just the shiny gold and silver armor and helmets and long metal staffs.
Four o'clock is the Four Seasons represented by an Empty Nest for Autumn (Brittany Pollack), a Crow for Winter (Marika Andersen), a Spring Bird (Gwyneth Muller), and a Grasshopper for Summer (Andrew Scordato).
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| Brittany Pollack as the Empty Nest and Gwyneth Mullet as the Spring Bird. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
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| Andrew Scordato's colorful makeup for the Summer Grasshopper. Photo by Barbara Anastacio for NYTimes |
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| The Five Senses (which is which?). Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes |
At six o'clock there is The Gambler (Daniel Ulbricht). I don't have a clue what he's doing here -- other than a few spectacular leaps and spins while wearing a black costume with six white dots on his chest -- oh, maybe he's trying to throw himself a good crap shoot.
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| Daniel Ulbricht as The Gambler. Photo by Barbara Anastacio for NYTimes |
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| The Seven Deadly Sins or The Seven Day of the Week. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
The Eight Monks arrive at eight o'clock looking more like Harry Potter wizards in long robes and tall, peaked hats that bobble as they move. They can't dance in these costumes, so they march around the stage looking frustrated and portentious.
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| The Nine Muses in 'The Most Incredible Thing'. Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes |
Ten o'clock brings back the Cuckoo in nicely avian choreography. But why does the Cuckoo get two of the twelve hours? budgetary concerns? appeasing a diva's demand for greater exposure?
Eleven children -- students of The School of American Ballet -- enter down a slide on the right of the clock. They are adorable and Mr. Peck has given them wonderful choreography that neither condescends to their youth nor over taxes their ability. More than doting family members in the audience will appreciate this section.
Finally, at twelve o'clock the entire cast of the divertissements assembles for a finale. Mr. Peck usually has great finesse in dealing with odd numbers of dancers, but here he assembles the Seven Deadly Sins, the Eight Monks and the Nine Muses in a three by eight column with the extra Muse plunked in front of the line of Seven Sins. He either ran out of time or inspiration or both for this recapitulation of themes from the divertissements.
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| Sterling Hyltin & Taylor Stanley as the Princess & the Creator lead the ensemble in the Twelve O'Clock finale. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
As the cast assembles for the wedding of the Princess and the Creator, the Destroyer suddenly appears. He is wearing silver armor with a two-faced helmet and a silver club in place of one hand -- we've been told Mr. Dzama was inspired by Marcel Duchamp chess pieces for this club. After using the club to smash the clock, the Destroyer forces himself on the Princess in an erotically-charged pas de deux:
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| Amar Ramasar & Sterling Hyltin as The Destroyer & the Princess. |
As the pas de deux ends, the clock pieces arise from the rubble of the clock and attack the Destroyer -- in a whimsical touch some of the eleven children cling to his legs as he thrashes about and the Three Kings in their armor finally have a purpose. The Destroyer is subdued and vanquished. The Princess and the Creator are united in triumph.
'The Most Incredible Thing' is neither an unmitigated disaster nor an unparalleled success. For me, Mr. Peck has placed too much faith in a strong-willed artistic partner (Mr. Dzama). Some of the costumes work very well, while others are too unwieldy for ballet. The overall effect of the costume and set designs is of clutter and distraction. Mr. Dessner's music works well without being distinctive.
The introduction of the Princess as the King splits in half is a real coup de theatre, but it's effectiveness was diluted by the videos that came out before the first performance:
Here is a link to a piece where Mr. Dzama and Mr. Dessner discuss their creative process -- among other things, it attempts to justify the mess that Mr. Dzama installed on the Koch Theater promenade and throughout the Theater's public spaces:
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| Justin Peck with Marcel Dzama's backdrop for 'The Most Incredible Thing'. Photo from The Last Magazine |
