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SenseDance at the Ailey Citigroup Center

 

 

One night this season at ABT, I met this interesting-looking guy with arty glasses and longish blonde hair tied back into a neat pony tail. I’ve seen him at many performances around the city and often wondered who he was. Well, we sat next to each other and got to talking; I asked him if he was a dance writer. Turns out no, but he’s a German choreographer, named Henning Rubsam, and his small company was just about to have its season at the Ailey theater, to which he invited me.

So, Tuesday night Dea and I went. The company’s repertoire is a combination of ballet and modern dances, and Mr. Rubsam’s choreography is nicely varied and richly detailed. There were nine shortish pieces on the program, which is nice — seriously, I LOVE when a choreographer can make his/her point without too much superfluous crap bulk.

The first and last pieces were perhaps most complex. The first, Merciless Beauty, mainly consisted of soft, lyrical ballet by two sets of male-female partners, the women smiling brightly in pretty pink leotards and chiffon skirts, the men in dark brown capri-length tights. But what was most intriguing was when the light, playful dancing was interrupted by the presence of a character in a black shiny trench coat — danced by Rubsam himself — who took the stage rather nonchalantly, then began madly stamping the floor, flamenco-like, then morphing into more modern dance, into a set of flexed-footed, sinister-seeming kicks. The background, once a pleasing pastel, was now night black, in its center a stark, bright yellow moon. Eventually, Rubsam lay down, perhaps in exhaustion, and put his head to the ground as if listening for something within the earth. The other dancers cautiously approached him, and, sitting or standing behind him, all lay their heads sideways, one by one atop his, all faces bearing serene smiles, making for this large moon-faced effect.

In Cloudforest, the last piece, having its premiere, the whole ensemble of ten dancers, all dressed in flowing cream-colored clothes, filled the stage, dancing at times solo, at times in pairs, and at times performing group lifts — often all simultaeously — darting, sliding, bourreing on tip toe, rolling or crawling on the floor, swerving around and between each other as they made their way around the stage, sometimes looking as if one had nearly missed crashing into another. It reminded me of the “Diamonds” section of Balanchine’s Jewels, where the floor is so packed and formations are so complicated-looking, by the end you’re in awe that there were no accidents.

In fact, much of Rubsam’s ballet choreography reminded me of Balanchine, in both its beauty and sinister qualities. At one point in Cloudforest several men carried one woman high above them in the style of the Serenade ending, as if she were flying, or perhaps as if she were in a coffin and they pallbearers. The music in this last piece was intensely unsettling and allowed for a number of interpretations. Mr. Rubsam combined Bach, Barber, Brahms, and Debussy, setting scores atop each other, for an, obviously, cacophonous, traffic-jam-sounding effect. The music, combined with the movement — lyrical but on an overcrowded stage with dancers intentionally not always dancing in unison or even performing the same type of movement — made for a kind of crazed, demented beauty.

My two favorite pieces — Caves (from 2006) and Amaranthine Road (making its premiere) showcased my favorite dancers of the night — Maria Phegan and Rachel Hamrick (who has sky high extensions and gorgeous lines) — and reminded me a bit of Balanchine’s almost fright-filled seduction scenes, like that between new wife and warrior husband in Bugaku, and the Siren’s seduction of the Prodigal Son.

The choreography of Caves in particular, I found to be very evocative. The man seems to be an innocent human who’s accidentally lost his way and wound up in this frightening, subhuman world, the lair of this creature — a kind of cross between a spider and a crab — danced by the wonderfully expressive Phegan. The way she splays her legs, feet up on pointe, back bent over and fingers touching the ground, then taking large, crab-like steps across the floor, is so eerie, so creepy. The man is intrigued but frightened. Eventually they dance together, she wends her limbs around him, he is hers.

SenseDance is so titled, the website says, because Rubsam aims to provide dance appealing to all the senses. Indeed, the background scenes are often lush — often consisting of large, colorful, detailed paintings, the lighting provides richly shaded texture, and Rubsam is very particular about the music he uses, which always adds to the fullness of the dance. Caves is set to a gypsy-like guitar score by Ricardo Llorca, each pluck of a string enticingly, forebodingly suggestive. Many of the dances are set to eerie piano music by Beata Moon that adds to their disquieting, fantastical beauty.

My only qualm is that some of the dancers were just not up to par, and Mr. Rubsam’s choreography deserves better. I felt like there was a lot of promise, but generally better dancers (aside from the aforementioned) are needed to pull it off.

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The Times Liked Center Stage 2

“Some of the acting is stilted in spots, but the dancing is fantastic. And the leitmotif of class resentment is an apt one for the times.” Scroll down to the bottom to see the short review. The critic is a television not dance writer. I guess it shows what different audiences’ expectations may be. Via Selly whose review (with a good many comments) is here.

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Ailey Ascending

 

Am getting very excited about Alvin Ailey’s upcoming season at City Center (which is good because I’ve been a bit depressed lately about ABT‘s departure…)

As part of Ailey’s 50th Anniversary celebration, there’s a new book out of photos of the dancers by one of my favorite dance photographers, Andrew Eccles. Eccles just seems to capture the body, both at rest and in motion, like no one else. His images are so glorifying, somehow simultaneously heroizing and humanizing.

A selection of those photos will be shown at the June Kelly Gallery beginning this Friday, November 14th, through December 9th.

 

I just happened to be at the Ailey studios tonight for a performance by SenseDance (which was very good — will review shortly) in the basement theater, and saw this sweet photo upstairs in the lobby of artistic director Judith Jamison with Michelle Obama and the two first daughters. My friend, Dea, who accompanied me and who takes lessons at the studio, said the day after the election the place was loaded with festive flowers and balloons and posters congratulating America.

 

Next to it was the updated poster of Ailey dancer headshots. Several new faces, including Yannick LeBrun (making the move from the studio company to “Ailey proper” — yes!) third row from bottom, all the way to the left.

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I Love Cody Linley Beyond Words…

So this week, each contestant does two dances — one Standard, one Latin — and in the Latin routine each must do a 15-second solo. Hmmm.

Cody & Edyta: Cody’s still dancing with Edyta. I hope Julianne is okay. They bring his (TV?) friends on to say how hot Edyta is, how cool their routine, etc. Yawn.

Excellent Foxtrot though! He was a real gent. Very elegant, very sophisticated. I didn’t see any mess-ups on the footwork, no odd lines, and very flowing with broad sweeping movements, like Foxtrot should be. He looks a slight bit more nervous with Edyta than with Julianne, but he still came through for her and was a good partner on the supported tricks. I agree with Bruno – his “most grown-up performance yet.”

Mambo: Ahhhhhh — I LOVE this one! I love him, I love him, I love him. Okay, he is definitely not the polished, sexy Latin dancer — but that’s why I love him so much. He’s just so fun. He tries so damn hard, he’s so energetic, he’s so works those hips and those shoulders and that pelvis all so well. Awesome splits jumps — that boy is flexible — and he did a very good, difficult ronde over her head. He’s definitely a little more nervous dancing with Edyta. At one point you could tell she said something to him, perhaps told him to hold a beat, slow it down a bit. But I just don’t care; I love him too much. I want him to win: Cody! Cody! Cody!

Ahhhahahah: Hostess Samantha: “Did you ever imagine you’d be dancing with an almost totally naked woman on TV?” Cody: “Well, I may have imagined it, but I never expected it.”

Brooke & Dereck: Hmm, I found their Tango a bit off. I saw a few odd lines from her, knees not straight, especially on that lunge, and at times it looked like her weight wasn’t evenly centered, like she had one hip jutted out, which is not Standard, not Tango. It might have been the asymmetrical waistline of her dress though. It really looked like she had one hip up. I agree with Len — geez, the only one with the guts to be the least bit critical.

Her Mambo was much better than her Tango. She did her solo up front — good idea, get it over with at the top. She didn’t do all that much — mainly swivels, but they were very good, and very spicy and exciting. Cute choreographic theme with her pulling him toward her, practically beating him emotionally into submission. Some very deep dangerous-looking dips.

Maurice & Cheryl: Very fun Quickstep. Elegant but sprightly, exactly how it should be. He has a soft, laid back, jazzy look that is all his own. He still looks a bit nervous whenever they go into closed position though. But he shouldn’t be. He has all the footwork down and can move at the right speed. It is very hard to dance with a partner like that, to move so fast, running around the floor perfectly in sync with another, to whom you’re attached at the hip. Just shows you how partner dancing — especially Standard with that close handhold, that martini-glass shape the two of you have to make with your bodies — is so hard and nerve-wracking. As it turned out, he had no reason to be nervous though. “Putting on the Ritz” is my favorite song for Quickstep, by the way.

The Paso Doble is his dance. He has the perfect character – -strong, imposing, powerful, as Bruno said — for that dance. Excellent solo with some very difficult moves. Marvelous continuous turns, perfect spotting, wonderful cape work. I’ve never tried it, but I don’t think that’s easy! And excellent rhythm as always from him. Only thing for him to work on vis-a-vis this dance, is his hips. They should be just a bit more forward.

Lance & Lacey: Well, he’s still got the pigeon toes and they’re driving me crazy. I’m sorry, I know it’s my thing that I always harp on, but it completely destroys the line and marks one an unprofessional. Those side-steps were painful to watch with the toes going directly inward. But it was only when he was dancing solo that it was bothersome; when he danced with her he had a more elegant, smooth look, and was a good, supportive partner. Very good rise and fall action. Cute choreography too: I like the little swively, slow jive kick things in the middle.

I didn’t like the Samba at all. There was no hip / pelvic action whatsoever. He was completely straight-postured. It looked like a jazz / theater routine, not an Afro-Latin dance. I do appreciate how hard that routine must have been for him to memorize — there was a lot there in terms of intricate footwork and difficult tricks. Yes, yes, yes — thank you Len, for backing me up on those pigeon toes!!! Lacey just has to work with him on form more. Give him a little less intricacy in terms of footwork and work with him on his body movement.

Warren & Kym: Oooh, I loved the Tango — very rhythmic! I loved the upbeat music for a change. He is so musical, he put his foot down perfectly on those beats. And there were some very difficult Argentine hooks, with his foot pushing hers down, just at the right moment and with just the right amount of force. Unlike Maurice, he doesn’t seem nervous at all in the close-handhold. He’s just as good a partner as he is on his own.

What a fun Jive. Technically the movement wasn’t right: he was jumping into the air rather than drawing the movement toward the ground, to make it weighted and to allow his hips to work. But how fun anyway. Why does it have to be a perfectly proper Jive? Though he obviously looks nothing like the man, the solo was kind of like a Fred Astaire-ish tap dancing routine: light as a feather (even given his size) and joyful as can be.

So, overall my favorite is Cody. I also like Warren and Maurice, but it’s time for someone other than a sports star to get this title!

 

By the way, in the world of pro competitive dancing, Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko take tops in the Kremlin cup! Have got to go to that someday…Â

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Christmas is Coming…

 

…and it’s getting cold! Which I hate. Cold makes me think of death. Although, I was just skimming my newish Complete New Yorker (which I won by taking one of those New Yorker marketing surveys — people actually do win those!) and I ran across a review from 1988 by Arlene Croce of Edward Villella and Miami City Ballet, which I read with interest since it’s kind of timely (the company will be coming to City Center in January for the first time in a while). Anyway, in explaining why Villella had a bit of a hard time getting his company off the ground, Croce noticed that ballet seems to thrive in cold climates where people wear heavy coats, like Russia and northern Europe and New York. Too much sun, too much natural beauty, and no indoor culture. Anyway, will try to think of winter that way: it’s because I’m freezing my tush off that I have ballet in my life…

 

 

So, I had my class — first in I don’t know how long, but over a year at least. It was advanced Cha Cha at Stepping Out, with Jules Helm (above, in jeans and black shirt), a very nice, patient, and thorough teacher (we began with 20 minutes of stretching, working just about every part of the body, including the foot, which not many teachers spend time with and which I need because my feet tend to cramp. So I didn’t need my set of ridiculously shallow warm-up plies that I did at home, during which I nearly twisted my hip out of its socket… I am really prone to hurting myself…)

I was sent to the studio to write a review of the class by Explore Dance. It was a very comfy, homey, social atmosphere, not at all threatening, which was good because I’d intended to take the intermediate class, but, long story short, ended up in advanced. The routine Jules taught us was fun and challenging without being too crazy hard and I managed to get the steps down, though my technique was heinous and I’ve once again forgotten how to balance in heels (not that I ever knew). At one point I nearly flew over sideways after a double spiral (two spins in which you put one foot in front of the other and turn a full rotation without picking your feet off the ground) and took my partner down with me. The male students were thankfully very nice though — which was a welcome change from some of the other studios I’ve been to. Anyway, will post to the (serious) Explore Dance review when it’s up.

Oh and my old teacher Luis was there (teaching now at three studios); so fun to run into him!

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Sunday Perusing

If you’re having a lazy Sunday afternoon, here’s some reading. Some of these links are a bit old; you may have read them already:

Joan Acocella on San Francisco Ballet (she likes at least two of the same dancers as I, and gives a good overview on the company and reasoning behind its repertoire);

Robert Gottlieb reviews a new book on Balanchine by Nancy Goldner (whose writing sounds comfortably accessible, almost bloggy!) in the NY Review of Books;

Apollinaire Scherr on how to view a Wheeldon ballet, and suggestions for Wheeldon’s future in this troubled economy;

James Wolcott, in his usual hilariously hyperbolical manner, recounts his experience with ABT’s new ballet Citizen;

Alex Ross explains what went wrong between the original Doctor Atomic and the Met’s version of the opera;

Claudia La Rocco laments Gerard Mortier’s decision not to take on the directorship of New York City Opera and wonders what will happen with the planned Brokeback Mountain opera (which I was really looking forward to);

Counter Critic reflects on the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

Happy Sunday, everyone. I’m off to cover my first dance class for Explore Dance. First, meaning, I’ve never written formally about a dance class before… Please wish me luck!

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If You're In NY With Nothing To Do Tonight…

…go see Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at City Center (the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary). I’m off to a publishing seminar today and don’t have time to write a full review, but the program is varied and rich: first a fun new Hungarian-style dance, Jangle; then a long, enthrallingly complex piece called Men’s Stories (different interpretations of which I’ll be very interested in); and ending with the beautifully lyrical, spiritual Dvorak Serenade. The dancers are excellent and Lubovitch’s choreography varied, complex, and evocative, with many surprising twists and turns. And somehow his audiences always seem to contain the most attractive bunch… I’m off, but here is Philip on last night (same program as tonight).