American Ballet Theatre’s final program of the fall season was an eclectic mix of modern and classic. It contained the only world premiere of the season and actually was a good snapshot of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the company: struggling to find new works that remain in the repertoire, but strong in its legacy ballets.
The positives for Juliano Nuñes’ Have We Met?! were: a lush, Max-Richter-like score by Luke Howard, and a romantic mood that bucked the current trend of contemporary ballet. It was so nice to see a modern ballet where people are in love.
The negatives: a rather muddled concept of love reincarnated that was incomprehensible without reading the synopsis. The ballet starts in 1928 where a soldier (Joo Won Ahn) is tormented by his wartime trauma. He falls in love with a woman (a stunning Chloe Misseldine), but their love is not enough to overcome his PTSD, and he commits suicide. This all takes place under the Manhattan Bridge.
Jump to 2038 (why?). We’ve now migrated to under the Brooklyn Bridge and vintage outfits have been replaced by spandex bodysuits that looked like the 1980s Jane Fonda workout clothes. But the 1928 couple has been reincarnated. The new couple are played by Isabella Boylston and Joseph Markey and they have the peaceful, happy love that eluded the 1928 couple.
The steps are fairly standard for contemporary ballet: a lot of overhead lifts, longing arabesques, balled fists to represent torment. If Nuñes wanted to do a “love reincarnated” ballet, surely it would have been better for the original couple to also play the modern couple? I didn’t see anything particularly memorable in the choreography, but it was nice to watch. And Chloe Misseldine was so beautiful and old-school Hollywood glamorous in her 1920’s style clothing and makeup.
Alexei Ratmansky’s Serenade After Plato’s Symposium (2016) is one of his best original works for ABT. It is a delightful study on male brotherhood and also (by extension) male ballet technique. There are seven men and one brief appearance by a mysterious goddess. The men dance variations that are obviously inspired by other famous classical variations. Sung Woo Han performed a solo similar to the “Theme and Variations” variation with its infamous series of double tours en l'air and pirouettes. Jose Sebastian’s solo bore a striking resemblance to the Melancholic solo in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments. Carlos Gonzalez did a fast series of chaîné turns. Jake Roxander’s saut de basques were amazing. This is Ratmansky at his best: reverent towards classical ballet, but also cheeky and fun.
As always with Ratmansky, there is a wonderful sense of community. The dancers sit onstage and watch each other dance. When a woman appears behind a curtain, dressed in a turquoise robe, it feels jarring, like this cozy fraternity has an intruder. SunMi Park and Michael de la Nuez were lovely in their pas de deux. The woman leaves and harmony is restored. Serenade After Plato’s Symposium is a jolly good time and already feels like a modern classic. Bernstein’s score is a huge reason why: it just bubbles along.
The finale of the evening was Balanchine’s classic Theme and Variations. This popular warhorse is nonetheless like basketball’s storied 50/40/90 club: only the most elite can join. It is basically 20 minutes of grand allegro for the two leads. In the past, ABT has struggled with putting across casts strong enough for this ballet’s Olympian demands.
Last night, however, Catherine Hurlin joined the 50/40/90 club with grace and aplomb. She had the speed, the precision and also an elegance and expansiveness that is not always present when NYCB dances this. In her first solo when she completed that whirlwind set of pas de chats and chaîné turns, I knew we were in good hands. Isaac Hernández danced the punishing male part decently: he does not quite have the endurance and explosiveness needed for the variations, but his partnering was expert. The following night, Chloe Misseldine and Daniel Camargo were gorgeous, lush, authoritative… and overwhelmed with the fast footwork of the ballet. If Hurlin received a gold medal, Misseldine’s was a very close silver.
