The show opens up with Christopher Wheeldon’s Commedia, a piece where the dancers are wearing white unitards, designed by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, with printed patterns of black much like a mixed up checkerboard.  They also wear what looks like colorful “doo-rags” that cover their eyes like a mask.  The choreography is fun and light and great to watch as the eight dancers move to music by Igor Stravinsky.  Their technique is impeccable and they are sooooo “in” it.  (This is what I love about classical ballet that I think many current day dancers need to remember in performance).  The piece is so musical that the dancers have to become their characters in order to successfully pull this piece off.   It isn’t enough to just perform the art; they must BE the art.  And, in this case, the dancers do just that.  Moreover, to our delight, Wheeldon’s choreography, though starting from a great classical sketch, seamlessly adds contemporary elements of floor work, body undulations, and flexed feet creating a yummy funky mix.

Next on the program is Leaving Songs, a piece about the mystery of death and passing on to another side.  This piece, choreographed by Tim Harbour, is performed so beautifully, so delicate; it’s gorgeous to watch as the dancers dance with clear balls that look like huge bubbles. My favorite part about this piece is the intricate cannon effect used where all the dancers commit to steps one beat away from each other, traveling around the stage to finally unfold into a striking image.

Up next is my favorite piece of the night, Softly As I Leave You, choreographed by Lightfoot Leon, which has me “google-ing” the hell out of the two dancers, Drew Jacoby, and Rubinold Pronk.  Fire, Fire, Fire!!  That is all I have to say.  I watch and I am nothing but compelled to scream out “BEAUTIFUL!!!" when it is finished.  Drew opens the piece dancing inside a coffin-like box propped-up on one side so that the audience can see her dancing within it. The movement is intricate and quirky and EXTREMELY full of passion.  She is so committed to each step that I think the box is going to fall over!  Rubinold emerges next (and I have to mention the fact that he is lying there in darkness the whole time, but I am so intrigued by Drew that I don’t even notice).  Now….Rubinold is a powerhouse.  Let me say it again…POWERHOUSE!  I mean, just graceful, masculine, technical, everything.  The two together are just wonderful. They express such passion,  I feel exactly what the title suggests…  the pain of leaving.

The show is summed up with a piece choreographed by Alexis Ratmansky and performed to one of my favorite pieces of music, “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel.  For Bolero, the work consists of an eclectic mix of jazz-like and contemporary movement which occasionally just explodes as if to come from pure emotion without thought to satisfy technique.  I adore how the choreography hits every single nuance of the music.  The dancers have numbers on their costumes and almost always take turns doing solos and duets in numerical order; but don’t get me wrong, there is nothing predictable about this piece.   I will say though, that at times of unison, the dancers are not always moving completely together; however because they are so fierce… who cares?  Clearly, they are "moved" and clearly, it seems as if the dancers love the music as much as I do.  Live, ya’ll.  Bravo! 

Overall,  Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company is definitely now one of my favorite dance companies.  As for this "must-see" show, Christopher Wheeldon has put together a wonderful concert with a magnificent company of gorgeous dancers to watch.  I am inspired.

IDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn   
Performance:  Morphoses/ The Wheeldon Company
Choreography:  Christopher Wheeldon, Lightfoot Leon, Alexis Ratmansky, Tim Harbour
Venue: City Center, New York City
Show Date: October 31, 2009 at 8pm
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Christopher Wheeldon is a jack-of-all trades as he takes on City Center in Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company’s third season.  He serves as artistic director, fundraiser, promoter, spokesperson, and host for the evening as he welcomed the audience at the start of Sunday’s matinee performance to sit back and enjoy the show.  Mr. Wheeldon’s underlying goal for the company is to bridge the divide that sometimes can occur between a ballet company and its audience. His hope is to attract an audience who is new to ballet through collaborations with different kinds of artists and the utilization of film as a way to show his company in their everyday, down-to-earth lives.  Within the show, Mr. Wheeldon presents us with an up-close-and-personal look at his dancers during their residency at Martha’s Vinyard this summer. The video shows the dancers in rehearsals, working on the dances, but it offers us another side to them as they hang out with each other or share a meal together. It is a successful attempt at showing the audience that yes, dancers are people too.

Mr. Wheeldon’s first piece to begin the program is Continuum (2002).  Dense and spiky music, composed by Gyogy Ligeti for the piano and harpsichord, depict within the dynamic score energy changes that evoke the feeling of a windmill or some sort of machine that relies on nature as its energy source. The dancers’ movements are naturally driven and unlike some ballet which can appear ornamental, Christopher Wheeldon’s dancers are moving from deep within.  The dancers wear forest green costumes which also evokes a natural quality to their movements. The gorgeous combination of duets, performed radiantly by Edward Liang and Danielle Rowe and the ever breathtaking Wendy Whelen and Matthew Prescott, add layers to this enchanting ballet. The Harpsichord Pas de deux, which occurs midway through the ballet, is played in rapid succession which, as Mr. Wheeldon explains at the beginning of the performance, is inspired by sparring between his cats and dog.  The use of a horizontal plane, in addition to the dancers moving with their backs parallel to the floor, connotes an animalistic quality to the dancers as well as the feeling that these ballet dancers can actually do modern dance as well!  What an amazing feat to be these beautiful ballerinas who are also able to perform modern dance styles.

The second piece of the performance, Softly as I Leave You (2009), is a quiet duet which was reworked by husband and wife team, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon.  The piece begins with Drew Jacoby confined to a 300-lb black box which both restricts her and provides her with the ability to challenge these limits.   At times appearing resigned to her life in the box, she dynamically will switch into escape mode, realizing that there is something more to life than her existence in the box.  Rubinald Pronk appears with his amazing physicality and control.  Jacoby and Pronk are similar in their movement styles, appearing both controlled and cool in their movements, but also ferocious and exaggerated in other movements.  Softly as I Leave You evokes a combination of feeling regret and the process of letting someone go.  It is extremely sentimental, probably to a fault, but this gushiness is almost completely overlooked because of the amazing dancers.  Both Jacoby and Pronk save the day in what otherwise would have been considered a hackneyed theme about loss and letting go.

Rhapsody Fantaisie (2009) is the epitome of Wheeldon’s aims to combine different art forms. Los Carpinteros, a Havana-based collective created the memorable set designs for the dance. The pieces are three dimensional floating cones which create a fantastical image of romance and sensuality.  In addition to the set design, the costumes are designed by Fancisco Costa, the Women’s Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection.  Rhapsody Fantaisie is a beautiful romantic ballet for six couples.  Mr. Wheeldon uses classical steps combined with sleek changes of weight shift in nature between whimsical duets and heartier group dances which are reminiscent of folk dance circles.  Similar to Continuum, the dancers are moving in and out of ballet and modern dance styles. The dancers continue to shine, in particular Melissa Barak.  Despite the fact that she performs a duet with Wendy Whelen, she is able to hold her own and prove herself next to this dancing diva.  Mr. Wheeldon’s choreography is extremely flattering on his dancers, especially the women who are able to be delicate and feminine and, at other times, articulate and sharp.  Wendy Whelen tops off the piece in the final duet where she dances with Andrew Crawford who must yield to all of Whelen’s power!  Despite her delicacy, she still appears to claim the stage which is truly a remarkable accomplishment.

Criticized for merely being a pick-up company with no real identity of it’s own, Christopher Wheeldon should be proud of how far his company has come since its inception three years ago.  Despite the fact that Wheeldon is unable to pay his dancers full-time, his company still feels like a cohesive organization.  The video at the beginning of the performance definitely helps to change my perception of these dancers.  I have always been under the impression that these types of dancers are all prima donnas who are all trying to outdo each other.  I am fairly confident now that this is not the case, and the dancers actually enjoy working together to produce a wonderful show.  Til next time…

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Amanda Keller
Performance:  Morpheses/ The Wheeldon Company
Choreography:  Christopher Wheeldon
Venue: City Center, New York City
Show Date:  Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 3pm

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Fall for Dance is a wonderful, relatively new program (founded in 2004) that features excerpts from the works of over twenty-five international dance companies over a ten evening run.  This is a great opportunity for the public to be exposed to a wide variety of dance, and perhaps develop an affinity for certain artists, resulting in continued patronage. Tickets are only $10, making Fall for Dance a fantastically affordable event.

This year Fall for Dance is recognizing the 100th anniversary of Ballets Russes by including eight pieces that are the classic works or contemporary works inspired by repertoire from Les Ballets Russes, including Noces with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.  Les Ballets Russes is historically one of the revolutionary dance companies created by Serge de Diaghilev in the early 20th century. Diaghilev revolutionized the theater with his blending of various art forms into the production of a dance performance, incorporating the works by top notch choreographers, painters and composers such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Michel Fokine, Leonid Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, Pablo Picasso, Leon Bakst, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.  Fall for Dance follows the path set out by Diaghilev by bringing together diverse dance artists into one performance, to the annual delight of audiences in New York City.

Martha Graham Dance Company

Diversion of Angels

The Martha Graham Dance Company is as inherently American as Coca-Cola.  The dancers make such clean shapes, articulate expressions.  Guttural contractions spur movement.  Figures dance in patterns of shapes repeated like video game animation. Ladies wear lovely dance dresses designed by Martha herself, elegant, free flowing skirts that wrap modestly around to cover the legs. The men are topless wearing shiny tan tights, eye candy better than Dove chocolates-thank you, Martha!   With fingers touching at the breastbone, palms open, elbows extending upwards to reveal the inner softness of the arms forming the shape of a heart, I fall in love with the Graham dancers. This classic Graham piece is indeed all about love, featuring three women dancers in bright colors of red, yellow and white- highlighting certain aspects of the female life experience.  The woman in white embodies a mature person enjoying her golden years, gracefully gliding about with a smooth air of poise and sophistication.  The lady in red displays moves that are passionate and romantic.  The girlish dancer in yellow spritely darts about with evervescent leaps.  The women in this ballet are graceful and powerful, and I am grateful to Martha Graham for bringing such positive, classy images of women to the stage.  Diversion of Angels is a lovely work worthy of its place in the repertoire of American dance.

Tangueros del Sur

Romper el Piso (excerpt)

With choreography by the Artistic Director Natalia Hills, this world premiere tells the tale of tango in earth riveting steps.  The dancers emerge dressed in earth tones, as if dressed in the leather and wood that if pieced together, create the drum.  United in rhythm they circle up stepping in time; the group becomes the embodiment of a drum.  The whole of the work is presented exceptionally, with a simple yet fantastic stage design that dramatically underscores and supports the development of the dance.  This performance would be a wonderful gift or date opportunity filled with passionate displays of physical romance.  The music is superb, certainly something one might plug onto their iPod while riding the NYC Subways.  The stage experience is unbeatable, as the pulsating music is played live by musicians onstage.

A glamorous woman dances a seductive tango with a man, who rips away her black dress at the end of the dance, to reveal that the flashes of hot pink satin we thought were just underskirts are actually of a slip dress.  The woman now in pink is approached by a new dancing partner and a new sultry dance begins.  The fast footwork in these tangos is impressive as it is dangerous, some seriously spiky sharp stilettos kicking and strutting about weaving and darting about other legs and feet.  These dances will leave you craving more hotness than a single serving of Doritos Nacho Cheesier! This company offers a fresh perspective on tango, apart from the overly sexualized and bare-all takes on tango recently popular in shows such as “Burn the Floor” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Here the tango feels real, shown from its organic beginnings to its sophistication and popularity among socialites; this dance is meant for everyone.  The dancers in this company are stylishly sexy with class, engaging the audience with intent gazes, and powerfully owning up to the dance. Even the final bows are utilized choreographically incorporating dance and a glimpse into the dancers’ celebration of that moment shared onstage.  Bravo, dancers!

 
Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company

Softly as I Leave You

Softly as I Leave You is a must-see work with psychologically intricate choreography by Lightfoot Leon.  Lightfoot Leon is actually two people, husband and wife, and perhaps it is from this beautiful living relationship that such beautiful art is created.  Centerstage is a closet-like box in which former Alonzo King’s LINES dancer Drew Jacoby seems trapped.  She slides down one side, bouncing side to side, morphing grotesque movements into graceful geometric presentations.  A captivating duet that captures the importance of what’s not being said, this piece forces you to look in between the lines to discover the meaning of the movement. Though a duet, this piece is emotionally riveting as the action happens more through solos, enhancing the subtlest interactions between the dancers.  One dancer’s still presence on stage is highlighted in the lighting, creating suspense and landscape for the other’s intensely focused solo:  Drew Jacoby slowly pacing the stage as partner Rubinald Pronk demonstrates the dexterity of his limbs.  One poignant moment in the ballet is when Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk are seemingly trapped together in the box, lifting each other alternately supporting, though visibly estranged.  Left alone in the box, Rubinald Pronk sinks defeated as Drew Jacoby steps out of our lit view into an unknown future of unseen space, and lights fade on the stage.  Softly as I Leave You speaks to the soul with a beautiful blend of music by Arvo Part and Johann Sebastian Bach.  At the conclusion of the ballet, I sense the audience’s heart-wrenching reactions. . .  I am sitting a few seats behind Artistic Director and Founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, Christopher Wheeldon, who looks pleased with the presentation of the piece, all the while accepting well deserved compliments from those around him.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

Noces

Noces features music by Igor Stravinsky, and choreography by Stijn Celisin.  The curtains rise as four long lonely pews are seen angled about the stage with one man sitting hunched over at the end of each. The stage looks skeletal with no wings exposing the rope and chain riggings backstage, chandeliers dangling and a backdrop with the appearance of an empty church.  The dance features abstract depictions of societal views of the marriage ritual.  Incredible staging organizes twelve couples occupying the space, moving about chaotically then aligning in perfect formation.  Intense and provocative, the women wear incredible individualized costumes inspired by wedding gowns yet looking as if they just stepped off a runway.  The dancers’ faces are painted like sinister clowns and at times the men seem to be manipulating their partners like puppets.  The piece is powerful and full of unanticipated twists and well-coordinated movement of set pieces. . .  a definite must-see!

This Fall for Dance program is wonderfully arranged with a wide variety of dance.  There is certainly something for everyone, and the performances are indeed priced for everyone!  It is a real treat to see such different dance forms within the same evening.  Fall for Dance is a hot ticket, so make sure you keep your calendars marked for when tickets go on sale next year, because they will go fast!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Lea McGowan
Performance: Fall for Dance 2009
Choreography: Martha Graham, Natalia Hills, Lightfoot Leon, Stijn Celisin
Venue: City Center, New York City 
Performance Date: Thursday September 24, 2009
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