NYCB Spring Gala: two appealing world premieres

Galas actually terrify me. The cameras, the dresses, the speeches, it’s very overwhelming for someone who has social anxiety. But my biggest fear in galas is that my reaction to the new works being premiered won’t match the enthusiasm of the audience. There is nothing quite as anxiety-inducing as the thought that I’m being a wet blanket.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached New York City Ballet’s spring gala. And it was all there. The cameras, the dresses, the speeches, the new works. And yet at the end of the evening, I left strangely … relieved? Both world premieres were appealing and pleasant.

The first world premiere was Justin Peck’s Dig the Say, starring everyone’s favorite supercouple, Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia. The music by Vijay Iyer sounds very modern, and the curtain rises to Mejia wearing a costume (by Humberto Leon) that looks like athleisure-wear. Mejia and Peck are competing with a big red ball that they throw against the back wall stage. The pas de deux was playful and a bit precious. At one point, Mejia throws the ball into the wings, but Peck “bounces back” into his arms. It’s a cute joke. I don’t know if I would have repeated the same joke four times but …

But when it came to Peck and Mejia’s variations, one finally got that Dig the Say is a send-up of the gala warhorses like the Le Corsaire pas de deux, or the Don Quixote pas de deux. Peck’s variation and coda was basically, “Hi, everyone, I’m Tiler Peck! Watch my tricky off-balance pirouettes and multiple fouettés!” Mejia’s variation and coda was, “Hi everyone, I’m Roman Mejia! Watch me fly across the stage in a manège of coupé jetés and barrel turns, and then watch me finish with pirouettes à la seconde!” The coda ended with a big, fancy one-armed, overhead lift.

Do I really need to see Dig the Say programmed a lot? No, but it was fun, and whetted my appetite for a Tiler Peck/Roman Mejia Don Quixote. Maybe guesting at ABT? Dig the Say was a good gala piece.

The more substantial piece was Amy Hall Garner’s Underneath, There is Light. It featured a large cast, music from five different composers (from Jonathan Dove to Ottorino Respighi), and rather impressive costumes from Marc Happel.

When the piece began with Jonathan Dove’s Run to the Edge and a bunch of dancers actually running across the stage, I thought it was going to be the typical spiky, neoclassical choreographic debut. But as the work progressed, it became more likeable. The Cumba y Congo from Danzas de Panama was springy, bright and catchy. The best part of Underneath, There is Light was the final section, set to the lush Pines of Rome by Respighi. The women shed their black gowns in favor of sheer, shimmering yellow gowns. (The men shed their handsome black costumes for unfortunate gray leotards.) The music turned dreamy and contemplative.

Garner has a real eye for showcasing both the company as a whole and individual dancers. Miriam Miller can struggle in roles that require a lot of technique. Here, she was allowed to show off her sculptural glamour. Junior corps dancer Grace Scheffel (subbing for an injured Isabella LaFreniere) was elegant and striking. Emma von Enck radiated that kind of bouncy cheer in the Danzas de Panama section. Mary Thomas MacKinnon was majestic and authoritative in the final Respighi section. Gilbert Bolden III and Chun-Wai Chan partnered with skill and aplomb throughout.

Underneath, There Is Light was soothing, expansive, and uplifting. I could see it becoming a regularly revived work.

The evening started with Balanchine’s Rubies, a surefire audience pleaser and appropriately snazzy beginning. It was led by a veteran cast. Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley and Mira Nadon as Tall Girl are all experienced in this ballet and that experience showed in a pleasing if somewhat toothless performance.