Those of us who remember the days when New York City Ballet visited regularly have lamented their long absence over the past years. The company now presents four ballets with a reduced cohort of 30 dancers, at Sadler's Wells.
Justin Peck’s Rotunda was, on the face of it, a good choice as an opener: the fleet, complex choreography displays the dancers at their fizzing best and the simple concept of exploring the interactions within a group is relatable, but there are some moments that make the piece feel overly long. The dancers are in practice clothes against a plain cyclorama, so it isn’t particularly exciting visually, and Nico Muhly’s propulsive music becomes wearing as the piece progresses. A bigger stage would have shown it to better advantage. Peck is skilful in relating his choreography to the music and the dancers, in customary City Ballet fashion, give it their all. Megan Fairchild’s speed and attack never fail to impress; Gilbert Bolden III, with his charismatic stage presence, reinforced my previous impression that he is on an upward path and it was wonderful to see Daniel Ulbricht in superb form, his technical prowess and charming personality undimmed.
Fairchild was back in Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, a beautiful piece but one that requires the two dancers and two onstage musicians to create an intense artistic bond that reaches out to fill the auditorium. Fairchild and the excellent Anthony Huxley, both top-class technicians, danced superbly but couldn’t quite generate the almost spiritual tension seen in other casts. Plaudits to solo pianist Elaine Chelton and solo violinist Kurt Nikkanen; it can’t be easy to focus with a pair of dancers cavorting around you.
Pam Tanowitz is a hot property at the moment. I generally find her ballets somewhat impenetrable but I greatly liked the pas de deux she made for Anna Rose O’Sullivan and William Bracewell at the Royal Ballet, Dispatch Duet. Her piece Gustave Le Gray No.1, like Duo Concertant, features on onstage pianist (Stephen Gosling playing a score by Caroline Shaw): there is a witty moment near the end where his piano is pushed by the dancers from stage right to stage left, as he continues to play while walking. Visually striking costumes are the principal feature of this piece; in repose they appear to be flowing full-length kaftans, but as the dancers move we discover that they are red unitards with a slashed overlay. The impact of the piece relies too heavily on the shapes contrived via these robes and too little on the choreography itself, which is somewhat pedestrian, although beautifully interpreted by Adrian Danchig-Waring,Naomi Corti, Emily Kikta, Ruby Lister and Mira Nadon.
So far, so middling, and overheard conversations during the two intervals confirmed that this was the general view. However, we were in for a stunning treat to close the show, in the form of Kyle Abraham’s Love Letter (on shuffle). Wow, what a piece of art this is. Music by James Blake, witty costumes by Giles Deacon and Abraham’s intriguingly innovative vocabulary come together to create a ballet that I could watch over and over again.
It opens with the magnificent Taylor Stanley alone on stage, dressed in an Elizabethan-style suit of hose and tunic with matching tights, all in a reinterpreted camouflage pattern. As he launches into a solo filled with quirky twists and turns, utilising the entire body but respecting the fact that that body is classically trained, I could feel the entire audience metaphorically sitting up and taking notice. The other dancers join him, dressed in the same camouflage fabric in varying styles: some of the women wear glamorous full-skirted dresses, others wear leotards, the men wear unitards with open backs frilled in white, with a white bow at the neck. White frills are used as highlights in varying ways on each costume: a neck ruff here, wrist cuffs there. At one point two men appear in huge feathered headdresses.This piece must be pure joy to dance. Roman Mejia shone as always; Quinn Starner revealed star potential in her speedy solo, dancing with glittering precision; there’s a beautiful duet for Emily Kikta and the ever-stylish Peter Walker; best of all is a sublime pas de deux for Stanley and Jules Mabie, taking us through the human experience of romantic love, with a touching resolution as the curtain falls. Stanley is a uniquely communicative artist, particularly when working with Abraham. This piece was worth the wait, culminating in a thrilling explosion of art.
