There are works in the Balanchine canon that are widely admired but not widely loved. Until last night, I would have characterized the double-team ballets of Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra as in that basket. They are two brief Stravinsky-scored leotard ballets that are always programmed together, even though they are extremely different. Monumentum is courtly and baroque, Movements jazzy and spiky. Audiences clap politely.
Until last night. Mira Nadon and Adrian Danchig-Waring absolutely blew the doors off and I saw the ballets anew, especially Movements. Nadon is a naturally sultry, sensual dancer and she made Movements sexy. Provocative, even. Full of alluring hip swings and sassy leg kicks. It’s Rubies before Rubies. Nadon was maybe less at home in the formal, sober Monumentum, but that is a small quibble. Adrian Danchig-Waring was so adept at partnering her that all the convoluted holds and lifts looked natural and easy. It was a remarkable performance and (unusual for these two ballets) led to a loud, prolonged ovation at the curtain call.
The program started with Mozartiana. Tiler Peck debuted in the role a few years ago, and I was looking forward to a deepening interpretation. Suzanne Farrell (the role’s originator) has been back to coach the role. Instead, Peck and Mozartiana remain an awkward fit. She dances all the steps perfectly. She has such control, she is able to turn exactly when the music repeats, and to stop her pirouettes exactly when the music stops. But that kind of laser precision works against the lyrical wit of Mozartiana. Peck also lacks the flexibility for the deep backbends in the Preghiera. Peck is no doubt one of the world’s greatest ballerinas, but this role brings out the least in her.
Her partner Anthony Huxley absolutely sailed through his variations, but he and Peck had very little rapport. They barely looked at each other the entire ballet. Huxley used to dance this with Sterling Hyltin, and I remember the joyous way they used to smile at each other throughout the ballet. That chemistry was not present with Tiler Peck. Troy Schumacher was somewhat imprecise in the Gigue. The overall performance was well-danced but sterile.