NYCB: Masters at work

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 13 October 2016

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“Robbins unlocked the mystery by painting Chopin’s music rather than setting steps to it”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: David H Koch Theater, New York City on 11 October 2016

Dances at a Gathering (Jerome Robbins)

The Firebird (Mikhail Fokine, George Balanchine)

New York City Ballet

Tiler Peck’s Symphonie Espagnole for NYCB is sprawling and ambitious

Ivy Lin, 9th May

A triple bill including Tiler Peck’s newest ballet for NYCB, does not entirely work. Too much blue light and sadness for one program.

***11

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Irresistible: Justin Peck’s The Wind-Up premieres at NYCB

Carla Escoda, 29th January

Never has Justin Peck seemed more compositionally assured, and paradoxically freer, than in his latest ballet, breaking the mold of past work that mostly celebrated the camaraderie of his generation.

****1

Dutch National Ballet's opener in New York: meandering and unfocused

Ivy Lin, 20th November

Dutch National Ballet returning to New York after more than 40 years should have been thrilling. The opening program, whilst beautifully danced, was somewhat muted.

***11

London City Ballet at the Linbury: joy and sorrow at its best

Deborah Weiss, 19th November

London City Ballet move into a new venue with absolute confidence and gravitas in a quadruple bill that says everything about their future and success.

*****

The Australian Ballet in Melbourne: three prismatic worlds

Ruth Ridgway, 4th October

In its triple bill Prism, The Australian Ballet gives the audience three different dance and sound worlds as well as showcasing fleet, athletic and precise dancing.

****1

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Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Andrew is currently a professional chef in New York City but he began life as a ballet dancer with the Hartford and Ohio Ballet companies. His writing also appears on the Huffington Post Blog and BroadwayWorld.com. His latest work, nominated for a James Beard Award, is “Return to the Rivers”, a Himalayan cookbook.

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