Cedar Lake Does “Decadance”
January 14, 2008
I had such a good time at the Cedar Lake dress rehearsal and blogger meet-up on Wednesday that I decided to attend one of the company’s performances. The one-time performance of Ohad Naharin’s Decadance (which Cedar Lake performed this past summer) sold out weeks ago, but thanks to Caleb Custer, who does audience outreach for Cedar Lake and helped organize Wednesday’s event, Allison and I were able to secure two standing room spots for the Sunday evening performance. Many thanks, Caleb!
Decadance is a compilation of excerpts from ten of Naharin’s past works. It is not just a showcase of his talent as a choreographer, but also a reworking and adaptation of themes and movement, and a carefully organized piece that weaves the various excerpts into an organic whole. The beauty of Decadance is that it coheres. In the program notes, Naharin explains, “Decadance is about reconstruction: I like to take pieces or sections of existing works and rework it, reorganize it and create the possibility to look at it from a new angle. It always teaches me something new about my work and composition…”
In the opening sequence, from Naharin’s Virus (2001), the dancers stand still in a line downstage. One by one, they explode into quick, electrifying movement, and then return to their places in the line. Every few minutes, they all turn to face stage left and their fists pump the air. If I had been seated while watching all of this, I imagine I would have been very fidgety, since my impulse was to join them in the kinetic and exhilarating movement. Standing was just as challenging, but I resisted the urge to rush on stage. Later in the program, several audience members did have the opportunity to dance with the dancers. Dressed in suits and swaying to music by Pablo Beltran Ruiz, the dancers wander into the aisles and each invite an audience member onto the stage. Everyone dances and jumps around to a techno version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and then the dancers lead their audience companions in a choreographed dance to Arvo Part’s “Fur Alina”. There is a wonderful balance between set structures for the Cedar Lake dancers and the opportunity for improvisation for the audience members.
Other highlights of Decadance include an excerpt from George and Zalman (2006), in which five women repeat phrases of movement that coincide with the recording of a woman’s voice, which is also repeated with accumulated instructions: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities. Ignore Beethoven. The spider. The Damnation of Faust. Just make it, babe. Make it…” Although the dancers repeat the same movement throughout this excerpt (which was approximately 15 minutes long), they change formations and each have solos while the others stand in the background. Jessica Lee Keller is absolutely riveting here. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out what it is about her movement quality that makes her stand out, but she is beautiful to watch.
The layered choreography of George and Zalman is also evident in Anaphaza (1993), the most memorable and thrilling section of Decadance. The dancers, seated in a semicircle of chairs, repeat sharp, high-energy movement that accumulates as the music progresses. Naharin uses an electric version of “Ehad Mi Yodea” (a traditional Passover song) that he and the Tractor’s Revenge arranged. The most striking aspect of this excerpt is the repeated “wave” that the dancers complete as they fling themselves from their chairs, with their arms overhead, and collapse to the floor. As the piece progresses, they strip themselves of their black shoes, pants, and jackets, until they’re only wearing gray briefs and tank tops.
Decadance gives the dancers many solos and opportunities to show themselves as individuals, but it is clearly an ensemble piece, as the dancers often move in unity. There are moments of tenderness and intimacy in the duets, as well as moments of sadness and pain throughout, but Decadence is satisfyingly optimistic and refreshing. These qualities would certainly not be so apparent if it weren’t for the Cedar Lake dancers’ willingness to fully commit themselves to Naharin’s choreography and vision. They dance with incredible intensity and physical prowess, and always look in command and control of the enormous stage. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in April’s Glassy Essence.
Read more about Naharin, his movement language called Gaga, and the three months of rehearsals that Naharin had with Cedar Lake’s dancers to prepare them for Decadance here.
(All photos by Paul B Goode, courtesy of Cedar Lake)
Blogger Meet-Up and Performance at Cedar Lake
January 11, 2008
On Wednesday night, I attended a dress rehearsal of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet at their incredible space (which used to be a studio for photographer Annie Leibovitz) on West 26th Street. Several other dance bloggers and I were invited for a pre-performance meet-and-greet, a dress rehearsal, and a discussion with artistic director Benoit-Swan Pouffer. This was a very special event for NYC dance bloggers, not only because we got to meet and schmooze with one another, but also because it was the first time (as far as I know) that a dance company welcomed a group of bloggers to a dress rehearsal, making it clear that Cedar Lake values and appreciates dance bloggers’ input and ability to do some good PR as much as the dance critics from newspapers and magazines. That being said, I encourage you to check out my fellow bloggers’ posts about this event – Doug Fox, Philip, Tonya, and Kristin have all written about (and/or photographed) the evening. Hopefully, this is only the first of many blogger meet-ups and invitations to dance companies’ dress rehearsals.
During the pre-performance schmoozing, it was a pleasure to meet the people whose blogs I read regularly. I also had the amazing opportunity to meet ABT principal and Winger blogger David Hallberg, and Tonya and I spotted Danny Tidwell, a finalist in last summer’s So You Think You Can Dance. I also saw Maya Collins and Gwyneth Muller of New York City Ballet.
Of the three pieces on the program, I thought the first one, Symptoms of Development, choreographed by Jacopo Godani, was the most interesting because of its message about technology’s effect on human interaction. In the program notes, Godani explains, “The advancement of technology, media and a rapidly moving global society have worked against our development as caring human beings, and the pervasiveness of technology, business and so called ‘advancement’ is not respectful of human beings.” Symptoms is an exploration of this dilemma. At times the piece relied heavily on technology – the dancers spoke into microphones, and large speakers and projections on the scrim made the stage feel busy and chaotic – while at other times the stage was completely bare, desert-like and quiet, when the dancers connected with one another on a more emotional level. At the end of the piece, a male dancer stood alone downstage, and made a sweeping arm gesture to slash out the projection on the scrim. The eight highly sophisticated dancers moved fluidly and kinetically through this thought-provoking piece.
In the post-performance discussion, Benoit-Swan emphasized that Cedar Lake is a laboratory. He is interested in experimenting and getting the audience involved in the performances. Rather than have Cedar Lake be only a concert dance company, he wants the audience to interact with the dancers in a less formal setting. I have a feeling that the upcoming Glassy Essence will do just that. Set to premiere on April 24, it will be “an installation erasing the boundaries of the stage” as a barrier between the audience and the performers. More information about the installation and about the company is available here, and you can check out the Glassy Essence trailer here. I’m really looking forward to this, and to watching the growth of the very talented, innovative, and progressive Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet.
An Exciting Evening
January 9, 2008
Tonight, I had the pleasure of attending and being a part of this exciting event. It was a wonderful evening of dance and a lot of fun! More to come soon…
“Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner at Tiffany’s”: NYCB’s Jewels*
January 6, 2008
(photograph of George Balanchine and his Jewels, date unknown)
After a six-month break, I returned to the NY State Theater on Saturday night for my first performance of New York City Ballet’s winter season. Before I gush about Balanchine’s Jewels, I should mention that NYCB’s new black and white theme in the lobby looks beautiful. I love the large photograph over the ticket windows, and took a few minutes to watch the videos (thanks for recommending that, Philip!). Before the ballet started, I was reflecting on the fact that I have now attended NYCB for nearly two decades. Of course, before the age of seven, I tended to fall asleep for the last third of the program. But I’m still amazed at how I never grow tired of NYCB. I love seeing old repertory favorites, the creativity of new choreographers, and the overall evolution of the company.
The ample program notes for Jewels, which premiered in 1967 and is considered the first plotless full-length ballet, explained that each section is representative of a country: Emeralds is an evocation of France and all its elegance; Rubies illustrates coming to America; and Diamonds portrays the royalty of Russia and the Maryinsky Theatre.
I definitely saw elements of each country in the pieces, as well as aspects of various ballets. Emeralds could have been part of the forest scenes in Sleeping Beauty, with its lush green and mysterious quality. The lead pas de deux was danced beautifully by Ashley Bouder and Stephen Hanna. Bouder was lyrical, expressive, and very emotional – at times she looked like she was about to cry. She continues to prove to audiences that she can do anything. I’m used to seeing her in the explosive, firecrackers roles, but she looked just as comfortable and beautiful in the gentler Emeralds. I absolutely love the Fauré music for Sara Mearns’ solo (and have heard it many times for adagio combinations in class), but I would have liked to see Mearns finish every movement. She seemed to cut everything a tiny bit short rather than following through and keeping it fully polished.
Rubies is the most neoclassical of the three sections, with a bit of Broadway flash thrown in, too. It looks like a combination of Who Cares?, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and Agon. Teresa Reichlen was sassy, jazzy, and flirtatious as the soloist. She looked cool and confident. I loved when the four men held her by her wrists and ankles and manipulated her into various extensions. She towered over all of them! Megan Fairchild and Benjamin Millepied managed to keep up with the music, but they needed to dance with more attack. The push and pull, yes-no quality of the choreography is fabulous; the dancers really need to throw themselves into it.
I was nearly blinded by Maria Kowroski’s sparkling tutu and headpiece in Diamonds. Both she and her costume were absolutely dazzling. Her extensions never cease to amaze me, and she always looks so calm and collected. In fact, these are key qualities for Diamonds, the most royal and majestic of the three sections. When the large corps de ballet entered, the piece felt like a court scene from Swan Lake, but the choreography proved to be more interesting, both for the corps and the principals. The intricate partnering for Kowroski and Charles Askegard kept the audience ooh-ing and ahh-ing.
The updated sets were beautiful (especially the lush green backdrop for Emeralds – just gorgeous!), although I thought the gems hanging from the ceiling were unnecessary and looked a little silly. The scenery didn’t fully mesh with the classic Karinska costumes, but I’m sure (and certainly hope) the costumes will never be replaced. They fit perfectly with the music and Balanchine’s choreography for each section.
*Note: The title of this post is from a 1970 review by Clive Barnes, who said that Jewels is “like breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Tiffany’s.”
The Dancer to Beat
January 3, 2008
Teresa Reichlen, a soloist at New York City Ballet, is featured in today’s NY Times in an article that discusses her career, growth as a dancer, and of course, her height (The article also mentions that she’s a student at Barnard!). Reichlen has been on the rise for a while, and the article correctly points out that she has found a place for herself among some of today’s finest City Ballet dancers. Her dancing in Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” during NYCB’s Saratoga season last July blew me away, and she certainly stood out for her performance with Morphoses at City Center this past fall. I’m looking forward to seeing what the NYCB winter season has in store for her. For starters, she’ll be dancing the “statuesque sexpot” role (the words of Ms. Kourlas) in the “Rubies” section of Balanchine’s “Jewels” this weekend. Read the article here.
(photo of Reichlen with Edwaard Liang in Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain)
