Brazilian Deborah Colker’s company may rarely visit New York, but going by 4 Por 4 at New York’s City Center through Oct 25, the choreographer does not lack ambition. The program features four simply-titled dances with distinctive sets by different artists whose visions lay the thematic groundwork.
Each dance’s visual environment sets parameters for the choreography, whether it be mood or physical limitation. The opening dance, Corners, is just that—six mobile cutaway room corners that constrain the dancers or challenge them to escape and enter from above. Whether by intent or not, the womens’s slick gyrating movements and stiletto heels conjure images of go-go dancers. Men replace them (not wearing stilettos), eventually climbing upon the units and jumping down from what appears to be an alarmingly high distance. The dated music adds to the pseudo-club atmosphere that quickly becomes repetitive and is distinctly lacking in irony. read more
Paul Taylor Dance Company is performing 19 works in nearly three weeks at City Center, through March 15. This is both a gift and a curse. The sheer breadth of his work is dazzling, and it is brought into stunning clarity by his amazing company of 16. The downside is choosing which programs to see.
Breadth, you say? I can hear some eyes rolling from here. Some people think they know everything about Paul Taylor, whose company has been around since 1954. Yes, Taylor has developed his own modern language, the basics of which become as identifiable as ballet’s fundamentals. A run with straight arms alternating and head in opposition, a jump with bent legs and curved arms… familiar. But what he has done is turn this language—this elegant, reliable modern vocabulary—into the foundation on top of which he builds his ideas, structures, patterns. It is so familiar that it’s easy to take for granted, or peg as merely repetitive, but I see it more like ballet—infinitely malleable. read more
Ah, New York, the ring of fire that all good ballet companies must eventually jump through, despite facing large financial hurdles (well, chasms, actually) and a critical gauntlet. Miami City Ballet makes its first major New York run at City Center from Jan 21-25, and artistic Edward Villella is bringing the big stuff in two programs: Balanchine, plus a Tharp.
Other than the very largest and most prominent (such as NYCB and the Kirov) only a few companies around the world have reputations for performing Balanchine to exacting standards, and MCB is one of them (Suzanne Farrell’s company, based in DC, is another). read more
ABT’s big New York season takes place in the summer, when they mainly feature lavish productions of well-known ballets such as Swan Lake and La Bayadère. But their annual two-week City Center seasons are often more exciting, featuring contemporary choreographers’ work, or smaller-scaled repertory. Also, frequently cast in prominent roles are younger company members who might be hidden beneath wigs or carrying a spear at the Met.
This fall’s run, Oct 21 - Nov 2, features choreography by Antony Tudor, whose work looks wonderful on ABT. The City Center stage is also just the right size for his poetic, often searingly dramatic or comedic ballets. read more
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