Sterling Hyltin and the Unbearable Lightness of Being

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 16 February 2016

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“Sterling Hyltin's... pliés when coming down from pointe or landing from jumps were delicate sighs”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: David H Koch Theater, New York City on 14 February 2016

La Sylphide (August Bournonville)

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 2 (George Balanchine)

New York City Ballet

Sterling Hyltin, Dancer

Andrew Veyette, Dancer

Daniel Ullbricht, Dancer

Brittany Pollack, Dancer

Georgina Pazcoguin, Dancer

Sara Mearns, Dancer

Ask la Cour, Dancer

Savannah Lowery, Dancer

Kristen Segin, Dancer

Sarah Villwock, Dancer

Cameron Grant, Piano

New York City Ballet Orchestra

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

Royal Danish Ballet bounce through Bournonville's A Folk Tale

Zoë Anderson, 17th October

Though Bournonville himself saw A Folk Tale as his finest work, it’s rarely performed outside Denmark. The Royal Danish Ballet bring fleet-footed buoyancy to it all.

****1

Pure Bournonville bounce: Johan Kobborg's La Sylphide in Prague

Deborah Weiss, 14th May

The Czech National Ballet bears all the hallmarks of a group of dancers who are hungry to learn and to embody whatever is offered to them.

*****

BRB2 in Carlos Acosta's Classical Selection is full of vitality

Graham Watts, 25th April

With five founding dancers in BRB2, this inaugural dance salad was embellished with other ingredients including the addition of seven members from the main company.

****1

A roller-coaster of diverse dance as ENB celebrates its 70th

Graham Watts, 17th January

A slick and stylish celebration at the Coliseum of this great company's achievements over 70 years.

****1

The Royal Danish Ballet "an expression of joy" in New York

Ivy Lin, 9th July

The program notes include a quote by August Bournonville that says, "The Dance ... is essentially an expression of joy." And in this short but sweet program the company proved that it can still give a master class in showing the joy of The Dance.

*****

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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.

La Sylphide: Sterling Hyltin and the Unbearable Lightness of Being