School of American Ballet Workshop Performances on May 30th

We attended both the matinee and evening performances of the School of American Ballet's 2015 Workshops on Saturday, May 30th.  I also attended the final dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon when the cast for the Tuesday evening gala performance danced.  These performances are always a highlight of our ballet calendar (as they are for many other New York City ballet lovers).  

The Peter Jay Sharp Theater in the Julliard School provides a comfortable venue for the SAB workshop every year.  It seats nearly 1,000 people and has wonderful sightlines for ballet from most seats.  We always sit in the same seats -- seats I refer to as the 'Miriam Pellman memorial seats' since we sort of inherited them after Miriam passed away.

I wrote about the program for this year's Workshops in my post of March 16th which you can read here:

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-program-for-2015-sab-workshops.html 

What I did not realize when I published that post was that the 2015 Workshop Performances would be celebrating the 20th year of Rudolf Nureyev Scholarships for young male dancers at SAB.  Hence, the emphasis on male dancers in this program -- where they outnumbered the young women for the first time in the 51 year history of the Workshops.

While these (mostly positive) remarks concentrate on the execution of this program, the 'dance recital' format of the first half makes it nearly impossible to completely ignore the flaws (there's nowhere else to look when there are so few dancers on stage).  My apologies for any negative remarks to the students and faculty members who have worked hard over the last several months to perfect these performances.

'Harlequinade':
Thirty-two students, ages 9 to 14, perform as Polichinelles, Harlequins, Pierrettes and Pierrots, and Scaramouches -- all stock characters from Italian commedia dell'arte

Music by Riccard Drigo, choreography by George Balanchine
Staged by Dena Abergel and Arch Higgins 

Balanchine was well-known for choreographing dances for children that challenged their capabilities while still recognizing their limitations.  Ms. Abergel and Mr. Higgins have prepared these adorable young students beautifully and they were warmly received by an audience that included many adoring parents, siblings and other family members.  

The only gaffe came from Andrews Sill, the conductor, who failed to cue the students for their final bows at the matinee -- leaving them stranded in the spotlight and unsure just how to proceed.  Fortunately, there were enough youthful leaders in the group to prevent total chaos -- and by the evening performance Maestro Sill remembered that his duties on this piece don't end with the last note from the orchestra.

'William Tell' Pas de Deux:
Alston Macgill & Christopher Grant (Saturday matinee & Friday dress rehearsal)

Larisa Nugent & Kennard Henson (Saturday evening)

Music by Giacomo Rossini and choreography by August Bournonville
Staged by Darci Kistler

Alston Macgill (17, Savannah, GA) is something of protoge of Darci Kistler -- who coached her in Balanchine's 'Swan Lake' for the 2014 Workshops as well as in this work.  Ms. Macgill and Christopher Grant (19, New York, NY) are somewhat mismatched for this work.  Christopher -- who won a Wien award in 2014 -- is an ebullient and out-going performer who lights up in front of an audience, while Alston is more reserved and reticent as a performer.  They executed the steps of the difficult Bournonville choreography beautifully, but their respective efforts to modulate their inherent performing personalities undermined their efforts to convey the flirtatious courtship at its heart to the audience.

Christopher Grant and Alston Macgill in the pas de deux from Bournonville's 'William Tell'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for The School of American Ballet

Larisa Nugent (16, Ellicott City, MD) and Kennard Henson (17, Baltimore, MD) were better matched in the evening.  Larisa has a flirtatious sparkle that played off Kennard's inherent courtliness.  Their choreographed courtship was delightful and brought out the meaning of Bournonville's steps while making their difficulty look effortless.

'The Sleeping Beauty' Wedding Pas de Deux:
Clara Ruf-Maldonado* & Dammiel Cruz* (Saturday matinee & Friday dress rehearsal)

Sasohan Huttenbach & Alec Knight (Saturday evening)

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky and choreography by Peter Martins after Marius Petipa
Staged by Yvonne Borree* and Jonathan Stafford

*  Recipients of 2015 Mae L. Wien Awards

This pas de deux is a minefield of difficult adagio partnering and bravura solo passages -- not for the faint of heart.  Clara Ruf-Maldonado (18, New York, NY) and Dammiel Cruz (17, Woodhaven, NY) have both studied at the School since they were children and are among the finest dancers in this year's Workshop (witness their 2015 Wien Awards).  Ms. Ruf-Maldonado dances Princess Aurora with grave authority and natural radiance.  Mr. Cruz is strong and confident as Prince Desire.  They have tendency to clench up for the difficult partnered moves and then show (too much) relief after they are completed.  Clara stumbled slightly on the pirouette at the end of her long menage of chaine turns and jetes (at the same spot at both the dress rehearsal and matinee performance) and one of their fish dives went awry at the matinee -- but they recovered quickly and went on to beautifully danced solos in the coda.  Overall their performances were tremendously exciting.

Dammiel Cruz and Clara Ruf-Maldonado rehearsing 'The Sleeping Beauty' pas de deux.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor for The School of American Ballet

Sasonah Huttenbach (17, Brooklyn, NY) and Alec Knight (19, Brisbane, Australia) displayed a different stage presence in the evening.  They are both tall and slender and they make this pas de deux seem light and celebratory.  Mr. Knight expresses his love for his bride through his joy in dancing.  Ms. Huttenbach shows a bit too much tension in the most difficult passages, but is lovely elsewhere and assured in her solo passages.  Sasonah and Alec struggled through the treacherous fish dives, but they displayed great rapport with each other and a shared determination to recover and move on to their radiant coda.
 

Alec Knight and Sasonah Huttenbach rehearsing 'The Sleeping Beauty' pas de deux with Yvonne Borree.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor for The School of American Ballet

It's obvious that Ms. Borree and Mr. Stafford had prepared these dancers with great care.  Both student couples presented themselves beautifully and proved they could rise from small mishaps to prevail with dignity and grace.

Valse Fantaisie:
Emma Von Enck & Ethan Fuller with Misses Kaitlyn Casey, Audrey Lawrence, Lucy Nevin & Gianna Reisen (Saturday matinee & Friday dress rehearsal)

Leah Christianson & Thomas Davidoff with Misses Constance Doyle, Rachel Hutsell, Courtney Nitting & Samantha Riester (Saturday evening)

Music by Mikhail Glinka, Choreography by George Balanchine
Staged by Suki Schorer

'Valse Fantaisie' is one of those short, 'huffy' ballets that tests the stamina of all six dancers even though it is only a little over eight minutes long.  All of these dancers proved to have both the energy, the technical dexterity and the musicality for this exhilarating work.

Selected and coached by Suki Schorer, both casts are exceptionally strong.  Emma Von Enck (17, Brecksville, OH), partnered by Ethan Fuller (17, Indialantic, FL) at the matinee, is an exquisite ballerina -- obviously with a core of steel.  Her slowly rotating pirouettes with beautifully articulated arms and deeply arched back are a treasured after-image and her perfectly executed menage of bourrees and jetes done at lightning speed with supreme musicality was a highlight of the afternoon.  Mr. Fuller has wonderfully articulated beats and high, airy jumps.  Their partnered passages were short, but lovely.

Emma Von Enck and Ethan Fuller rehearsing Balanchine's 'Valse Fantasie'.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor for The School of American Ballet

The evening performance lead by Leah Christianson (18, Batavia, IL) and Thomas Davidoff (16, Marietta, GA) was only slightly less spectacular -- marred by a slight bobble on a supported pirouette done at breakneck speed.  Mr. Davidoff has wonderful elevation and Ms. Christianson dances with great energy.  The four corps ladies of both casts danced with precision and musical acuity in some of Balanchine's trickiest and most exposed choreography.  Suki Schorer must be extremely proud of the work of all twelve students in this demanding work.

'Stars and Stripes', Third Regiment-Thunder and Gladiator:
Aaron Hilton with Messrs. Sam Ainley, Darius Black, Gilbert Bolden III, Josiah Cook, Christopher D'Ariano, Dallas Finley, Alec Knight, Marc LaPierre, Wilson Livingston, Marc LaPierre, Wilson Livingston, Luke Potgieter, Xhosa Scott & Saxon Wood (Saturday matinee & Friday dress rehearsal) 

Xhosa Scott with Messrs. Ainley, Black, Bolden, Nathan Compiano, Cook, D'Ariano, Finley, Hilton, Livingston, Alexandros Pappajohn, Potgieter & Wood (Saturday evening)

Music by John Philip Sousa adapted & arranged by Hershy Kay, choreography by George Balanchine
Staged by Jock Soto

I worried in March that this excerpt from Balanchine's patriotic John Philip Souza ballet would not have the military precision that it should and in part that proved true.  Lines were sometimes slightly askew and air turn landings wandered from the formation.  Jock Soto wisely dropped the white gloves, which would have accentuated these issues.  Overall, though, this work provided a wonderful showcase some for some of the talented young men who are current beneficiaries of the Nureyev scholarships.

Josiah Cook and Christopher D'Andrea rehearsing for Balanchine's 'Stars and Stripes'.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor for The School of American Ballet

Aaron Hilton (18, Washington, DC) was exemplary as the regimental leader at the matinee -- dancing with elevation and elan.  His slightly wandering pirouettes a la second were cleverly disguised (by Balanchine) amidst a circle of the surrounding troops executing a menage of rotating jetes -- to deserved applause from the audience. 

Aaron Hilton with Messrs. Saxon, Scott, D'Ariano, Pappajohn, Bolden and Potgieter.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor for The School of American Ballet

Xhosa Scott (16, Baltimore, MD) -- performing the leader in the evening performance -- is an extraordinary jumper. Lithe and wiry, he executes jetes, beats and air turns with enormous elevation and seeming nonchalance.  

I must also express delight with Darius Black (16, Voorhees, NJ) anchoring the back left corner of the formation at both the matinee and evening performances with great solemnity and concentration as he performed the final phrases of a canon that has swept diagonally across the regiment from right to left -- alone.

Fanfare:
Thirty-four students portraying instruments of the orchestra -- a total of at least 50 students performed in the Saturday matinee and evening performances and the Friday dress rehearsal

Music by Benjamin Britten based on a theme by Henry Purcell, choreography by Jerome Robbins
Staged by Susan Pilarre and Christine Redpath

'Fanfare' is the 'go out there and have fun' ballet of this program.  Susan Pilarre is well-known for staging these pieces for each Workshop program and Christine Redpath is a highly regarded ballet master for the Robbins repertory at NYC Ballet.  It's possible in this work to single out special performances while enjoying the entire group for their energy and enthusiasm.

One of the best performances on Saturday came from Joscelyn Dolson (19, Superior Township, MI, also a 2015 Mae L. Wien award recipient) as the Harp at the matinee.  Ms. Dolson dances with an inner radiance and outward calm.  Her performance seems to say 'I'm dancing for myself, but it's all right if you want to watch'.  I'd love to see her take on the Violette Verdi role in 'Emeralds' some day.  That luminous introspective quality is seldom achieved these days.

Joscelyn Dolson as the Harp in Jerome Robbins' "Fanfare'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for The School of American Ballet

Darius Black and Xhosa Scott were excellent as the 'Alphonse and Gaston' of Bassoons.  Their deadpan -- but with a twinkle in their eyes --routine brought a chuckle at each performance.  Eric Beckham (19, Columbia, SC) and Thomas Davidoff as the dueling Trumpets in both Saturday performances also brought a laugh.  On the other hand the 3-man Percussion section -- often the high point of hilarity in 'Fanfare' -- seemed a bit tired.  Alicia Holloway (18, Morgantown, WV) was an effectively morose Oboe in the evening and Christopher D'Ariano (17, New York, NY) was the shamelessly self-important Double Bass at both performances on Saturday.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Bravo to all of the students and faculty members of the School of American Ballet who have worked tirelessly to prepare and perfect this 2015 Workshop program.  Watching these performances over the years we often tend to forget that these are ballet students, not (yet) professional dancers.  We wish them all great success as they pursue the next challenges of their lives -- whether it's further training at SAB, going on to dance on the ballet stages of the world, or trying completely different endeavors.    

The Program for 2015 SAB Workshops

The School of American Ballet has just announced the program for the 2015 Workshops which will be on Saturday, May 30th at 2:30pm and 8pm, and Tuesday, June 2nd at 7pm (Workshop Gala evening).  In the style of it's affiliated ballet company (New York City Ballet) the program is titled '19th & 20th Century Masters: Petipa, Bournonville, Balanchine & Robbins' -- which in this case seems more like a catch-all than a catchy marketing tag.

The first section of the program will include:

Divertissement from Act II of  'Harlequinade', choreographed by George Balanchine to music by Riccardo Drigo.

Pas de deux from 'William Tell', choreographed by August Bournonville with music by Giacomo Rossini from his opera of that name.

Wedding pas de deux with variations and coda from 'Sleeping Beauty', choreographed by Peter Martins after Marius Petipa.

'Valse-Fantasie', choreographed by George Balanchine to music of Mikhail Glinka.

'Stars and Stripes', Third (Men's) Regiment, choreographed by George Balanchine to music of John Philip Sousa orchestrated by Hershy Kay.

After the intermission, the program will conclude with 'Fanfare', choreographed by Jerome Robbins to 'A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra' by Benjamin Britten. 

The first part of the program will provide a survey of various segments of the SAB student population as well as an opportunity for some faculty members to stage works they know from their performing careers.

'Harlequinade'
Programming the children's divertissement from 'Harlequinade' seems like a bit of a cop out, since it was just presented as part of the complete ballet during the final days of New York City Ballet Winter season.  But, when you take a look at the Company's Spring season you realize that the Company's Children's Ballet Masters, Dena Abergel and Arch Higgins, both SAB faculty members, are simultaneously preparing youngsters to dance in Balanchine's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' during the week beginning June 2nd.  

The 'Harlequinade' divertissement is one of Balanchine's most delightful suites of dances for children -- much of it fondly recalled from his own experiences dancing in Petipa's 'Les Millions d'Arlequin' during his student days at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.  It is performed by 32 children costumed as commedia dell'arte characters.  

Children's Divertissement from Act II of Balanchine's 'Harlequinade'.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet.

Here's a brief youtube clip from NYCB:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10155271230885529&fref=nf

'William Tell'
The pas de deux from 'William Tell' was choreographed by August Bournonville, the celebrated ballet master of the Royal Danish Ballet from 1830 to 1848.  During that period he created more than 50 ballets -- perhaps a dozen survive in some form today.  He also created the 'Bournonville' style of dancing which is known for its rapid footwork, lightness and natural epaulement.

Balanchine brought Stanley Williams from the Royal Danish Ballet to teach at The School of American Ballet in 1964.  From then until his death in 1997 Williams was a legendary member of SAB's faculty, training and nurturing generations of dancers.  Williams staged excerpts from Bournonville ballets for several of the early SAB Workshop performances.

In 1977 he assembled a selection of Bournonville excerpts into a work for New York City Ballet known as 'Bournonville Divertissements' -- which will be revived during the Company's 2015 Spring season.  A few years later Williams staged Bournonville's pas de deux from the opera 'William Tell' for the 17-year-old Darci Kistler and Ib Andersen -- who joined the Company in 1980 as a principal after training and dancing with the Royal Danish Ballet.  Here's a youtube clip of Kistler and Andersen dancing the 'William Tell' pas de deux:

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

Kistler and Andersen make the Bournonville technique look simple, but is notoriously difficult and can be very hard on the body.  

'Sleeping Beauty'
Peter Martins staged 'The Sleeping Beauty' for New York City Ballet in 1987 in honor of Lincoln Kirstein's 80th birthday.  While it is based on the original 1890 choreography by Marius Petipa, Martins made many cuts to streamline the ballet and changed the choreography to better utilize the Company's well-known speed and energy.  The entire second act wedding scene was staged as 'Aurora's Wedding' for the 2003 SAB Workshops with Ana Sophia Scheller and Tyler Angle dancing the wedding pas de deux.  Here's an excerpt from the Company's website of Tyler dancing that pas des deux with Tiler Peck -- watch for the three spectacular one-handed fish-dives:

http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/s/the-sleeping-beauty.aspx

Darci Kistler danced Princess Aurora in the original 1987 staging with Ben Huys as Prince Desire.  Jon Stafford also danced Prince Desire during his years with the Company.

'Valse-Fantasie'
'Valse-Fantasie' is a work for a principal couple and four corps women using Mikhail Glinka's 'Valse-Fantasie' for piano (1839) which he orchestrated in 1845 and again in 1856.  Balanchine first used this music in 1953 in a ballet for a male dancer and three ballerinas -- Nicholas Magallanes with Diana Adams, Melissa Hayden and Tanaquil Le Clercq.  In 1967 he used the same music as the second movement of a four movement work called 'Glinkiana' which used an assortment of other music by Glinka for other movements.  Mimi Paul and John Clifford led the second movement. 

Part of the cast from the 2010 SAB Workshop performances of Balanchine's 'Valse-Fantasie'.  
Photo by Paul Kolnik

In 1969 Balanchine restaged the second movement of 'Glinkiana' as 'Valse-Fantasie' -- a stand alone work for Suki Schorer and John Prinz.  In 1973 Balanchine supervised the filming of the ballet in Berlin with Sara Leland and John Clifford -- where the four corps women were Merrill Ashley, Susan Hendl, Deborah Flomine and Susan Pillare.  Here's the resulting film as a youtube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ZQdqqlRuM

It's light, frothy and entirely delightful.

'Stars and Stripes'
'Stars and Stripes' was created by Balanchine in 1958 and has been a beloved staple of the Balanchine repertory ever since.   The Third Regiment is for a principal man and twelve corps men.  

The men of the Third Regiment behind the two principals in the staging of the complete 'Star and Stripes'
for the 2009 SAB Workshop performances.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for SAB

The music is Hershy Kay's arrangement of John Philip Sousa's 'Thunder and Gladiator March'.  It requires precision and bravura from all thirteen men -- pristine beats, spins, tours, etc.  Here's a clip from the Company's website with Daniel Ulbricht as the principal man:
  
http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/s/stars-and-stripes.aspx

The white-gloved men dance against a dark background which accentuates any imperfection.  With more than two months to prepare for the Workshop, the students will be well drilled -- making this a potential highlight of the performances.  

'Fanfare'
Jerome Robbins' 'Fanfare' has been mounted several times for SAB Workshops -- the last time in 2008 when it was also performed by SAB students at the New York State [aka Koch] Theater as part of that Spring's Robbins Celebration.  

The finale of Jerome Robbins' 'Fanfare' at the 2008 SAB Workshop performances.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for SAB

It is set to Benjamin Britten's 'A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra' which uses musical themes by Henry Purcell to introduce the listener to each section and instrument of the orchestra.  Using Britten's musical cues, Robbins creates miniature dance caricatures of each instrument.  When Britten reassembles all of the instruments into a masterful fugue Robbins brings back the entire cast for a grand finale.  It is a work that allows the students to cut loose a bit -- especially the three men playing the percussion section.  

Gentlemen of the percussion section in the 2008 SAB Workshop performances of Robbins' 'Fanfare'.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Programming so many snippets and excerpts makes the Workshop performances seem like a provincial dance recital or an ABT gala program -- lacking the seriousness that they have often had in the past.  Personally, I wish that the School would return to the tradition of staging three substantial pieces -- often including one commissioned work or a long overlooked work -- for the Workshops.  Not too long ago, the SAB Workshops introduced us to Jerome Robbins' 'Two-and-Three-Part Inventions' and Christopher Wheeldon's 'Scenes de Ballet'.  Or reintroduced us to 'lost' ballets like Balanchine's 'Gounod Symphony' and 'Danses Concertantes' that hadn't been danced by the Company in decades.  

There is a decidedly male slant to this 2015 program -- it calls for 16 men and only 7 women (plus 32 children) in the first section and about equal numbers of men and women in 'Fanfare' (I believe 17 of each).  This, despite the fact that there are between 2 and 3 female students for each male student in the intermediate and advanced divisions.

Whatever the Workshop program, it always introduces New York's ballet lovers to outstanding young dancers who often go on to significant careers on the stages of the city, the country and the world.  Right now, I'm looking forward to seeing how the faculty will parcel out this year's excellent students between these diverse pieces.