The Curtains of the NY State Theater
December 4, 2008
The digitizing of LIFE’s images, which Kristin wrote about on The Winger, is indeed a valuable addition to Google Image. After searching for ballet and the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater), I discovered some revealing photos: Sometime in 1967, the sparkly gold and silver curtain was replaced with a diamond-patterned curtain, and the current curtain has a slightly different pattern. After doing a little more research, I learned that the NY State Theater has had four different curtains, and the current one has been in use since 1982. I wonder, will a portion of Mr. Koch’s $100 million gift be used to adorn the theater with a 5th curtain?
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride at the NY State Theater, 1967 – photo by Gjon Mili
Karin von Aroldingen, Robert Weiss, and Patricia McBride, later in 1967 in front of a different curtain
photo by Gjon Mili
Damian Woetzel in front of the current curtain, June 2008 – photo by Evan
Today I stopped by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center to check out New York Story: Jerome Robbins and His World, the library’s exhibit commemorating the tenth anniversary of Mr. Robbins’ death. A large room on the first floor of the library is divided into sections that each focus on a different aspect of his career: Broadway, Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Ballets: USA, which was a chamber-sized company that Robbins created in 1958 and which toured extensively. A brief section on his childhood, which explains that he was born in 1918 in Manhattan (as Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz – his parents were Russian) and raised in New Jersey, includes several family photographs and some of him dancing. There is a particularly nice one of him on a sunny beach leaping over his own shadow “a la Peter Pan”. In addition, I learned that Robbins not only danced, but also painted, sketched (some of his sketches are on display), played piano, made collages, took photographs, and enjoyed writing – certainly a multi-talented individual from a young age.
I was amazed by the size and breadth of the collection. Robbins apparently never threw anything away, and donated many photographs to the library near the end of his life. Upon his death, many more photographs were found in his apartment and contributed to the library’s collection. In addition to the plethora of photos – not only of Robbins but also of the dancers with whom he worked throughout his career – the exhibit displays several original costumes from his ballets. Two simultaneous slideshows on the walls show photographs of NYCB dancers – past and present – performing in his works. And six different videos show excerpts from Robbins’ ballets and Broadway shows, as well as clips from interviews and rare footage from studio rehearsals. After seeing Julie Kent and Gonzalo Garcia perform Other Dances a few weeks ago at NYCB, I particularly enjoyed watching Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova in a 1980 excerpt from that ballet. Finally, the exhibit included a clip from NY Export: Opus Jazz, The Film (not yet released), featuring NYCB dancers Rachel Rutherford and Craig Hall in the central pas de deux.
Jerome Robbins working with Natalia Makarova on Other Dances, while Mikhail Baryshnikov looks on (photo by Brownie Harris, 1980)
The exhibit’s videos, photographs, costumes, and text combine to create a diverse, in-depth look at Robbins’ career and the significant contribution he made to American dance. I highly recommend checking out the exhibit before it closes on June 28th. For more information on hours and location, click here.
NYCB dancers in the final pose from Robbins’ Glass Pieces, photo by Paul Kolnik
Tuesday evening’s program at New York City Ballet took the audience on a musical journey from Bach’s solo piano and solo cello pieces, to an early twentieth century violin concerto by Alban Berg, to Philip Glass’s minimalist music of the 1980s. The performance was as choreographically diverse as it was musically, which speaks to the talent of choreographer Jerome Robbins.
2 & 3 Part Inventions, set to Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias for piano, was performed by eight advanced students from the School of American Ballet, as it was during its 1994 premiere. The formal yet light-hearted mood of the piece was nicely conveyed by the dancers, and the clear formations and disciplined movement reflected the uncomplicated music. I don’t think this piece would look nearly as good if it were performed by older, more experienced dancers, because the choreography and simple piano music offer a youthful innocence that can best be captured by students.
Nicolas Le Riche in A Suite of Dances, photo by Jacques Moatti
The formality of 2 & 3 Part Inventions gave way to a more casual atmosphere in A Suite of Dances, a solo that Mikhail Baryshnikov premiered with his White Oak Dance Project in 1994 (and which I was fortunate enough to see). The piece has a fun, playful feel as the dancer interacts with the on-stage cellist, reflects on the music, and then seems to improvise a string of movement to complement it. Nicolas Le Riche, appearing as a guest artist from Paris Opera Ballet, started sitting on the floor at the feet of cellist Ann Kim. He rose to standing as she began to play selections from Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello. Le Riche was rather heavy on his feet and needed to be lighter and sprightlier in his jumps. The piece is an opportunity for the male dancer to infuse the work with his own sense of playfulness, and I can recall how successful Baryshnikov was in this respect. Le Riche, however, looked tired and lethargic, and lacked the finesse that is essential for this role.
The evening took a darker turn in In Memory of…, which is one of several Robbins pieces that addresses death and loss. Alban Berg composed a violin concerto in 1935 that was dedicated to his friend’s eighteen-year-old daughter, who had died of infantile paralysis. In three distinct sections, Robbins’ choreography illustrates the young girl when she was strong and healthy; then shows her illness and death; and finally, portrays her journey to heaven. Wendy Whelan, in a pale pink dress, was delicate and vulnerable in the principal role. She danced with youthfulness and joy in the opening duet with Jared Angle, who was an elegant and attentive partner. Whelan wove through a corps of dancers who appeared on stage, suggesting that she was fully immersed in a community. In the second section, Charles Askegard was a menacing, powerful death figure that seemed to envelop and nearly suffocate Whelan. He manipulated her body and pushed and pulled her into different lifts and turns. She grew more and more lifeless as their duet continued, and at one point, curled her body around his thigh and covered her face with her hands, nearly giving up and allowing death to take over. The pace and violence with which death consumed her was alarming, but the final section, in which Whelan and the corps were dressed in white, illustrated her arrival in heaven and Robbins’ acceptance of mortality as a part of life.
NYCB dancers in the third section of Glass Pieces, photo by Paul Kolnik
Glass Pieces is one of my favorite Robbins ballets, which has a lot to do with my appreciation of Glass’s music for this piece: Rubric and Facades from Glassworks, and excerpts from the opera Akhnaten. The pedestrian movement in the first section reflected the repetitive structures and momentum of Rubric. The large corps – with the women dressed in colorful leotards and skirts and the men in satiny tights and shirts – rushed about the stage in a repetitive pattern. There is a distinct urban feel to the piece as the dancers walked quickly, avoiding one another and focusing on their destination. Three couples in neon unitards appeared amidst the chaos, soaring with leaps and jumps and carefully maneuvering their way through the crowds. Rebecca Krohn and Tyler Angle stood out for their precision and clarity. Every so often, Angle made eye contact with his partner and the other dancers (while the others seemed to avoid any eye contact with their peers), adding a refreshingly human dimension to his performance.
In the piece’s second section, a line of women in silhouette traverse along the back of the stage, their simple pattern of movement reflecting the hypnotic, repetitive rhythm of Facades. Maria Kowroski was mesmerizing and other-worldly in her pas de deux with Philip Neal. She floated onto the stage in a lift and seemed to dance a few inches above everyone else. The two dancers disappeared as seamlessly as they had emerged. Percussive rhythms of Akhnaten were the focal point of the third section. My eyes were continually drawn to Adrian Danchig-Waring, the clear leader of the cluster of men who moved as a pack, stomping and making distinct changes in direction. The stage became more crowded and chaotic as the women entered, and the piece ended memorably with the dancers in silhouette, their arms thrown upward and backs arched. As thrilling as this section of Glass Pieces is, it would be even more powerful if it included the female opera singing that one hears on recordings of this music. The high-pitched voice adds an ecstatic energy that I think would only intensify the ballet’s finale.
Aszure Barton – Witty and Wild
May 24, 2008
Aszure Barton at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Dance Magazine – April 2008
photo by Matthew Karas
During my first semester at Barnard, Aszure Barton, post-modern’s “it” girl, choreographed an ensemble piece for about fourteen dancers for the departmental dance performance at Miller Theater. I remember feeling riveted by the movement. It was feisty, quirky, fierce, and intensely emotional. Since then, Barton has been on my radar, so I was thrilled to see her featured on the cover of last month’s Dance Magazine, which celebrated women choreographers. In the cover story, Barton discusses her childhood, experiences as a dance student, and her approach to choreographing for various companies and for her own dance group, Aszure & Artists. Here’s one statement from Barton that has really resonated with me:
I am interested in how people move, but much more fascinated with what moves them.
Unfortunately, the beautiful studio photographs of Barton that appear in the printed magazine aren’t online, but you can at least get a feel for what they’re like based on the cover shot by Matthew Karas. Read the full article about Barton here.
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Hell’s Kitchen dancers rehearse Aszure Barton’s Come In at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, 2007
photo by Andrea Mohin
