New York City Ballet Matinee on Sunday, February 21st

SUNDAY MATINEE, FEBRUARY 21, 3:00 PM

'21st Century Choreographers'

ASH: *Laracey, *Catazaro [Conductor: Capps]
     pause
THIS BITTER EARTH: **Mearns, T. Angle
     pause
THE INFERNAL MACHINE: *Phelan, *Chamblee [Conductor: Capps]
     intermission
JEUX: Mearns, *Lovette, Danchig-Waring, *Hall [Conductor: Capps]
     intermission
PAZ DE LA JOLLA: Hyltin, Ramasar, T. Peck [Conductor: Sill]

  *  First time in role at Saturday Matinee, February 21st
**  New York City debut at Saturday Matinee, February 21st

New York City Ballet's '21st Century Choreographers' program was on our subscription series.  Since we had watched Justin Peck's creation of 'Paz de la Jolla' in the movie 'Ballet 422', we were anxious to see the result on stage.  The rest of the program was not new to us -- we had seen several of these works close to the dates when they were first introduced to the Company's repertory.

'Ash' is a busy, energetic work by Peter Martins to a score by Michael Torke.  It was created in 1991 when the original cast was Wendy Whelan and Nilas Martins backed by four couples: Yvonne Borree, Rebecca Metzger, Monique Meunier, Kathleen Tracey, Albert Evans, Arch Higgins, Russell Kaiser and Ethan Stiefel.  At Sunday's program it was danced by Ashley Laracey and Zachary Catazaro with Sara Adams, Laine Habony, Ashley Hod, Unity Phelan, Devin Alberda, Cameron Dieck, Spartak Hoxha and Sebastian Villarini-Velez.

Devon Alberda, Cameron Dieck and Spartak Hoxha in Peter Martins' 'Ash'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The general design of 'Ash' reminds me of Balanchine's 'Square Dance' -- the hierarchy of principals and corps, the use of call and response, the dancers' general glee with their performances.  Ms. Laracey was sunny, but a little generic; Mr. Catazaro seemed subdued and underpowered.  Among the corps, I was particularly impressed with Mr. Alberda's crisp delivery of his solo passages and also enjoyed the sparkle added by Ms. Phelan, Ms. Adams and Mr. Dieck.

Christopher Wheeldon created 'This Bitter Earth' for Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle as part of a larger work, 'Five Movements, Three Repeats', first performed at the Vail International Dance Festival in August, 2012.  As a stand-alone pas de deux it entered the Company's repertory at the 2012 Fall Gala.

Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle in Christopher Wheeldon's 'This Bitter Earth' in 2012.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet 

The music by Max Richter and Dinah Washington comes from the soundtrack for the movie 'Shutter Island'.

Partnered by Tyler Angle, Sara Mearns made her debut in the work the previous day.  Sara's dramatic temperament and extraordinary amplitude fit nicely into Wheeldon's duet of convoluted shapes and tricky partnering.  Tyler provides strong, somewhat stoic support.  'This Bitter Earth' is not a favorite ballet of mine -- more a piece d'occasion than a repertory staple -- but cast with first rate dancers like Sara and Tyler it makes a positive impact.

Peter Martins created 'The Infernal Machine' for Diamond Project V in May, 2002, to music of the same name by Christopher Rouse.  The original cast was Janie Taylor and Jock Soto.

The score is filled with odd ticks and jolts and sputters.  Unity Phelan and Preston Chamblee -- two of the Company's emerging young talents -- made their debuts in this work at the previous day's matinee.  Chamblee is a steady, confident partner while Phelan provides a feline intensity.  Martins gives them complicated, manipulative partnering moves that can often look awkward, but here they seem appropriate for the astringent score.
    

Preston Chamblee and Unity Phelan in 'The Infernal Machine' by Peter Martins.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Here is a brief YouTube clip showing these two dancers in this work which has just shown up on the Company's website:

https://www.facebook.com/nycballet/videos/10156630720785529/

'Jeux', the ballet by Kim Brandstrup to the Debussy score, was new last fall.  You can read about my initial reaction here:

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2015/10/nyc-ballet-performance-on-friday_23.html

I concluded those comments by questioning whether 'Jeux' (and several other new Fall Season works) would hold up on repeated viewings -- it does not.  Sara Mearns was again extraordinary as the blindfolded woman who is cast aside.  Adrian Danchig-Waring again offered strong if nonchalant partnering for her as the jock with the ball.
  

Sara Mearns and the ensemble in Kim Brandstrup's 'Jeux' to the music of Debussy.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Craig Hall and Lauren Lovette were new in this performance -- Craig as the cad who casts Sara aside for Lauren's flirty seductress.  Mr. Hall certainly has the matinee idol looks and strong partnering technique for the part, but he lacks the intense focus Amar Ramasar brought to the role.  With her gorgeous looks and sparkling presence Ms. Lovette makes seduction look simple.

Nevertheless, 'Jeux' is a disappointing ballet that doesn't offer new rewards on repeat viewings.  The vaguely sinister atmosphere and the harsh lighting on the women's bare legs also distract from it's appeal for me.

Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla' which was the subject of the movie 'Ballet 422' was both old and new to us -- old in that we had watched its creation in 'Ballet 422', but new in that we had never seen the complete ballet on stage.  The ballet is set to Bohuslav Martinu's 'Sinfonietta la Jolla for Piano and Chamber Orchestra'.  Here is a description of the work written by Dr. Richard E. Rodda from a Harrisburg Symphony program:   

The opening movement is based on traditional sonata form and utilizes two basic thematic types. The first is bustling and active, filled with rapid figurations passed among the instruments; the second derives from the songfulness of folk music in its lyricism and chordal texture. A pleasing balance is achieved between these two contrasting elements without ever losing the exuberance and spontaneity that enlivens Martinů’s music. The second movement, slow in tempo and soulful in expression, uses folk song models to such an extent that Brian Large, in his study of the composer, labeled it “a virtual fantasia on Czech folk songs.” The finale is a vivacious rondo indebted to the irresistible closing movements of Haydn, whose music Martinů was studying closely at the time he composed the Sinfonietta.  

Justin created a ballet set on the beaches of Southern California where he grew up -- sun drenched by day and moonlit by night.  The cast was led here by Sterling Hyltin, Amar Ramasar and Georgina Pazcoguin (replacing Tiler Peck).  The 15 other dancers were a mix of soloists and corps -- most from the original 2012 cast.  They are all individually costumed in what I would characterize as Eisenhower-era beach wear designed by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung.

Costume sketch for 'Paz de la Jolla'  by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung.

Following the structure of Martinu's music, Justin's choreography begins with lively beach games interspersed with the stirrings of summer romance between Amar and an outsider, Sterling.  The moonlit central section is a romantic duet for Sterling and Amar often engulfed by shimmering images of surf or coastal fog for the ensemble, their bright beach wear now shrouded in silvery translucent smocks. 
 

Ensemble in translucent smocks during the central movement of Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla'.
Careful inspections shows Amar Ramasar and Sterling Hyltin partially visible behind the ensemble.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet 

In the final rondo the full cast engages in more beach frolics with Sterling now integrated into the larger group.

By now, we are familiar with some of the signature movement motifs that run through Justin's choreography.  What is amazing is how well he adjusts them and integrates them with the music he has chosen so that they produce a unique result.  Here's a video from the Company which highlights Justin's creation of 'Paz de la Jolla':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86qGrO9fJFY

Better yet, seek out the movie 'Ballet 422' which provides even deeper insight into Justin's creative process.

Here's a short promotional video from the Company with snippets from 'Paz de la Jolla':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG5YxO89hO4

Final image of Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla' with Tiler Peck, Sterling Hyltin and Amar Ramasar.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Gina Pazcoguin, replacing Tiler Peck apparently on short notice, has been with 'Paz de la Jolla' from its earliest rehearsals.  She dances with sparkle and wit, but lacks Ms. Peck's indelible stage presence.  The costume (designed for Ms. Peck) did Ms. Pazcoguin no favors.  Sterling Hyltin and Amar Ramasar seemed to be an unlikely romantic couple on paper, but with Justin Peck's choreography the improbable becomes indelible.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

For me, the best impressions in this program were made by Unity Phelan and Preston Chamblee -- together in Martins' 'Infernal Machine' and separately in the ensembles of Martins' 'Ash' (Ms. Phelan) and 'Jeux' (Mr. Chamblee).  They are young dancers to watch as they progress further up through the Company's rich and diverse repertory and (hopefully) find themselves inspiring choreographers in roles made for their unique abilities.

Comments on 'Ballet 422'

We saw 'Ballet 422' Friday afternoon at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center -- a classy venue with a nice 'take-out' cafe, Indie, and $9.00 tickets for seniors -- $3.00 less than the nearby multiplex.

Poster for 'Ballet 422'

'Ballet 422' is a documentary film about the making of Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla' -- the 422nd ballet created for New York City Ballet -- which premiered during the 2013 Winter season.  Unlike many documentaries, it does not use either voice over narration or on-camera interviews.  A few stark chapter headings let the audience know where we are in the timeline to the premiere which starts two months before the opening night.

At the time, Justin was still a relative choreographic neophyte.  His ballets 'Year of the Rabbit' (October, 2012) and 'In Creases' (July, 2012) preceded 'Paz de la Jolla' into the Company's repertory.  At 25, Justin was still a member of the Company's corps de ballet.

Justin Peck working on 'Paz de la Jolla' in the studio.  Photo: still from 'Ballet 422' by Jody Lee Lipes

'Ballet 422' simply watches as Justin goes through the days leading up to the premiere.  For his music he has selected 'Sinfonietta la Jolla' by Bohuslav Martinu a score for small orchestra and piano soloist from 1950 which was commissioned by a small musical group from La Jolla, CA, a suburb of San Diego -- where Justin grew up.  The selection of the music seems to lead to the ballet's design -- the beach at La Jolla in 1950.

Justin is working with a cast of 18 -- three principals (Sterling Hyltin, Tiler Peck, and Amar Ramasar), 10 corps women and 5 corps men.  The thematic idea of trios -- two women and one man -- seems to occur throughout the ballet as it develops.

The film shows Justin working on a solo with Tiler Peck and a duet with Sterling and Amar in the studio.  For a young corps dancer, he seems both assured and circumspect -- coaxing and coaching them in dancing the passages as he has envisioned them.  There is a nice sense of give and take between Justin and the dancers to achieve what is either possible or comfortable for them within the framework of his creative vision.

With the corps dancers, Justin seems a bit more assertive, going over movements until they are done to his satisfaction.  With all of the cast, Justin knows what he wants and seems to have the knack of getting it from each of them.  The film shows a humorous moment as Justin works out a move when Tiler and Sterling have to brace Amar as he falls back.  Initially the ladies apply unequal strength, causing Amar to slip sideways.  It takes several tries before they get it to Justin's satisfaction without dissolving in giggles.  

Albert Evans is the ballet master working with Justin on 'Paz de la Jolla'.  At one point Albert halts a rehearsal to give Tiler a 5-minute break -- required by the dancers' and musicians' union contracts.  At other points, as Justin develops the piece Albert is there to record and remember the sequences, since he will be responsible for restaging the work and rehearsing other dancers who may take over from the original cast.  Albert also gives Justin a sounding board for his notes and thoughts as the rehearsals proceed.

Sketch of costume for Tiler Pack by Reid Bartelme & Harriet Jung from the NYC Ballet archives.

Justin is seen with the lighting designer, Mark Stanley, and his lighting crew working out the lighting that will give the ballet the on-stage atmosphere he's looking for.  Justin goes over costume ideas with the designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung and interacts with them and Marc Happel, the head of the Company's costume shop.  Later some of the dancers try on the costumes to make sure that they give Justin the look he's after while still allowing the dancers to dance the steps he's created for them.  Each dancer has a different costume to give the effect of a crowded summer day at the beach circa 1950.

Costume designs for 10 of the 15 corps dancers by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung from the NYC Ballet archives.

Cameron Grant, the Company's principal piano soloist, is a presence throughout the creative process -- playing for studio rehearsals as the ballet is developed and then in the pit as piano soloist for orchestra rehearsals with Andrews Sill conducting the orchestra.  Just before the final rehearsal, Grant suggests that Justin give the orchestra a pep talk to thank them for their efforts and rev them up for the premiere.  Following the rehearsal Justin asks the conductor for time to say a few words.  It is a touching moment as the neophyte takes the advice of a mentor (Grant) to get the orchestra's buy-in to his creative process.

While the creation of the ballet proceeds, the rest of Justin's life goes on in parallel.  He takes company class, dances in the repertory, goes home to an empty apartment in Morningside Heights.

Finally, the night of the premiere of 'Paz de la Jolla' arrives.  Justin dons his dark suit, white shirt and tie, puts on his round horn-rimmed glasses and mingles with the Company's benefactors before the premiere.  He takes his seat in the second ring and watches 'Paz de la Jolla'.  Justin seems pleased with the result.  When the curtain comes down he rushes down to the stage to take part in the curtain calls.

Then, negotiating the deserted hallways backstage to his dressing room, he takes off the suit, puts on his costume and make-up and goes on stage to perform in the corps for the last work of the program -- Alexei Ratmansky's 'Concerto DSCH'.

'Ballet 422' was directed and photographed by Jody Lee Lipes.  Lipes is the husband of Ellen Barr, a former New York City Ballet dancer, who is now the Director of Media Projects for the Company and one of the film's producers.  To me, it was a surprise that Peter Martins doesn't appear in the film and gets minimal coverage in the credits.  Did Peter really stay that far in the background?

Banner for 'Ballet 422'

You can watch the trailer for 'Ballet 422' here:

http://www.magpictures.com/ballet422/

But you really should just go see the movie while it's in town.  It really does take you behind the curtain at New York City Ballet to see how the pieces of a very complex puzzle fit into place and to get a sense of how a young choreographer goes from 'let's put on a show' to actually getting the show onto the stage in something like his original vision.  Despite all of its insight it leaves you wanting to know even more.  It also leaves you wanting to see and savor 'Paz de la Jolla' in a live performance now that you know a bit about how it came into being. 

Of course, Justin Peck has gone on from 'Paz de la Jolla' to create even more ballets for New York City Ballet and other companies.  Just this week, his new ballet to Aaron Copland's orchestral suite from 'Rodeo' opened at NYC Ballet -- we'll see it on Sunday, February 8th.  He has been promoted from corps de ballet to soloist and has been named the Company's resident choreographer.  Benjamin Millipied, the director of dance at the Paris Opera, just announced that Justin will create a work for them in 2016.  This film is a glimpse at the creative process of one of the 21st century's most promising choreographers.  

Ballet Odds & Ends . . .

I just wanted to share a few bits about ballet that have recently come to my attention.

Wendy Whelan's farewell evening in her own words:

Here's a slide show of photos by Henry Leutwyler from Wendy Whelan's farewell evening on October 18th along with Wendy's comments on each:

http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/wendy-whelan-last-performance.html?mid=facebook_nymag#photo=1x00012

I was really impressed with the range and depth of her thoughts on her retirement from New York City Ballet.

Wendy Whelan's shoes for her final performance.  Photo by Henry Leutwyler

Second Season of city.ballet on AOL:

The second season of city.ballet is now up on AOL at:  

http://on.aol.com/show/517887470-city-ballet/518489161

There are 12 segments, each from 5 to 9 minutes long, covering various aspects of New York City Ballet.  The clips were taken during the company's preparation for the Fall Season that ended October 19th.  They feature several dancers and cover their lives both within the company and in the outside world.  Each segment is a small gem that can enhance viewer's understanding of what it's really like to be one of the exotic creatures that we see on stage a few times each year.  Gee, they're not so different from the rest of us!

city.ballet 'logo' from AOL

SAB Workshop on PBS 'Live from Lincoln Center:

PBS has announced that it will broadcast the School of American Ballet's June Workshop Performance on Friday, December 12th, at 9:00pm (hardly live, but certainly worth the wait).  The all-Balanchine program includes 'Serenade' (to Tschaikovsky's 'Serenade for Strings in C'); excerpts from Act II of 'Coppelia'; 'Swan Lake' (Balanchine's 1-act version); and the fourth movement of 'Western Symphony' (to Hershey Kay's music based on American folk themes).  You may recall my post about this program which you can read here:


http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html

There's a short PBS 'tease' clip of the students in 'Serenade' here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365363809/

You'll recall that I wrote about the workshop performances in my posting here:

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/06/school-of-american-ballet-workshop.html 

By the way that's my most popular post so far -- thanks for your support.

Addie Tapp (now a Boston Ballet corps member) and Preston Chamblee (now an apprentice at NYC Ballet)
performing George Balanchine's 'Serenade' in the School of American Ballet Workshop last June.
Photo is a still from PBS Live from Lincoln Center broadcast to be aired on 12/12/14 at 9pm.

'Ballet 422' coming to movie theaters near you:

The documentary movie 'Ballet 422', which was well-received at film festivals this fall will be opening in movie theaters in February, 6, 2015.  It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of New York City Ballet's 422nd original ballet -- Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla'.  You can see the movie's trailer here:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1484789521803444&set=vb.1400931226855941&type=2&theater

Look for movie theaters near you displaying this poster.

Nutcracker couples rehearse:

Finally, around the Rose Building (where both the School of American Ballet and NYC Ballet have their studios) we're starting to see George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' taking shape for its annual season (this year from November 28th thru January 3rd).  Ballet master Albert Evans was rehearsing with Teresa Reichlen (Sugarplum) and Ask la Cour (Cavalier) on Tuesday afternoon.  On Thursday afternoon Ashley Bouder and Joaquin De Luz were rehearsing the grand pas de deux before a studio doorway packed with rapt students plus the School's Executive Director, Marjorie Van Dercook, and me.  And many of the younger students are busy rehearsing to be guests in the Party Scene, Mice, Angels, and Candy Canes.  And the older students are learning the Dewdrop and Sugarplum variations and the grand pas de deux from the wonderful faculty -- many of whom have danced those roles themselves.

Teresa Reichlen as the Dewdrop in George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker'.  Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes