American Ballet Theatre Review: American Splendor
July 7, 2022 | Metropolitan Opera House – New York, NY, US
Also known as a “rep evening” to dancers, a mixed bill program is a chance to showcase the breadth of talent in a company’s ranks. American Ballet Theatre, helmed as America’s National Ballet Company© and the penultimate source of classical ballet in the United States, shows off their dancers in a rousing, dazzling, and delightful program.
It’s near impossible to see "Theme and Variations", or hear the iconic Tchaikovsky score and not think of American Ballet Theatre.
Choreographed on the company by George Balanchine and receiving its world premiere in 1947, the majestic piece is celebrating 75 years of performances. Harking back on his homeland of imperial Russia, Theme exudes lavishness from the five hanging chandeliers to the sparkling kokoshnik style tiaras atop the ballerinas’ heads.
When Theme starts a program, audible gasps and eager applause follow the rise of the curtain. There’s the wonderful percussive boom of the mini overture; then the curtain reveals columned wings, chandeliers, and fourteen dancers standing in pristine fifth positions. It’s quite a magnificent way to start a show.
Leading the group are Devon Teuscher and Joo Won Ahn as the principal couple. I’ve seen Teuscher on several occasions in the same role on other opening nights and she is consistent. Calm, cool, and queenly, she seems to rule over the glittery on-stage world.
This is the first time I’ve seen Ahn in the lead and there are two very particular spots in which he stood out. The first being a small solo in which he does two twisty pas de cheval into a jeté battu jump. He ate up the stage, his legs like broad stroking paint brushes. The second commendable moment is at the start of his second solo. Ahn performs the sissonne rond de jambe step from two legs instead of from one, admirably the more difficult and truer to the original option.
It is a beautiful ballet, however it felt as if there was a reliance on the steps alone for excitement rather than the dancers sparkling through them. Pas de chat were missing the signature Balanchine sprightliness and quick footwork was out of time amongst the dancers.
Although ABT excels in luscious port de bras (there was a moment for the eight female corps members when they all melted into a cambré back that was breathtaking) much of the piece felt reserved. The moments of richness would have stood out more had it been accompanied by much needed sharpness of the lower body.
Highly anticipated was the NYC premiere of Alonzo King’s elusively titled "Single Eye".
For exposition, he gives us a single quote:
“If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”- Matthew 6.22.
In a quest for more information, I became overwhelmed (the eternal side effect of the internet) with multiple interpretations from engaging the third eye to many mentions of lamps. In much the same way, King’s choreography is abstract and euphuistic. There were opportunities to incorporate eyes in a backdrop or costuming or steps and yet, there were none. Literal interpretations are out the window here and the piece is better for it.
Costumes and sets by Robert Rosenwasser were cosmic. Flowy dresses and tunics and graduating rings likened to Saturn’s on leotard leg lines imbued an elevated Jetsons feel.
Technological sounds of adding machines and trains layered on piano notes helped place us on a dusty planet (perhaps our own?) somewhere along the arc of time.
But most importantly, it was done in a chic way. Simple drop sheets in shiny metallics and dramatic lighting, done superbly by Jim French, was all that was needed to escape.
King uses impressive organic transitions that blend from one quality to the next; it was as if I had been gently carried across gradually shifting textures.
The first section contains a more distinct mixture of ballet and broken lines; the dancers hover in suspended attitude turns only to invert their legs, create sharp corners of their elbows, and flex their feet. The multi-faceted music, by Jason Moran with additional sounds by Bernie Krause, echoed the same with abrupt piano notes and the unsatisfying interlude of tech.
The music changes into a hurried melody and by this time, the dance is sharp, robust, less clearly ballet mixed with something else, however still echoing bits of the opening.
Bursting from the wings are Jacob Clerico and Michael de la Nuez. Each more magniloquent with every step, Clerico is risky and uninhibited while De La Nuez (who managed to get thunderous applause from the audience) is zealous and confident. I love to see the corps de ballet shine.
Accompanying them in this section was Alexandra Basmagy, Breanne Granlund, Courtney Lavine, and Chloe Misseldine. The quartet displayed King’s geometric moves in a magnetic fashion, drawing us in. Misseldine, in particular, is quick and commanding.
Capping off the piece is a culminating pas de deux between Skylar Brandt and Calvin Royal III. Well-paired, the couple mirror each other equally in both sinewy and athletic quality. Royal shows off elegant lines while Brandt excels in the smooth and sharp, making even the quieter moments exciting.
Through deep leans on each other, soft pulling and pushing, and a trusting gaze between partners, the pas seems to want to communicate hope – although nothing is definitive in this ballet. Pleasantly nebulous in both message and form, the open ending is stunningly simple.
You can’t go wrong by finishing a show with a party, which is exactly what Jessica Lang’s "ZigZag" is.
I reviewed it in 2021 and feel much the same now as I did then, it’s a closer. Filled with recognizable songs sung by the renowned Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, it’s a foot-tapping, singalong inducing, good time. Lang sews with humor threaded through her dance needle; the dancers do the worm, embody the New York City skyline, even form a human Skip It. Derek McLane’s backdrop, two humorously fat chevron lines, is instantly playful.
Part of the fun in watching it is seeing the absolute joy on the dancers’ faces. Leading the cast are Isabella Boylston, Katherine Williams, Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell, Eric Tamm, and Royal.
What’s wonderful about a rep piece as opposed to a full-length ballet is that while the principals are magnificent (Bell’s swagger, Royal’s enviable coolness, Hurlin’s electric energy across every inch of her body) the corps get to show off as well. In Just One of Those Things, propelled by the music’s pulsing drum beats, the ensemble dancers are stupendous.
As I left the very crowded opera house, Bennett’s words “what the world needs now, is love, sweet love” were etched into my mind. I thought of the dancers’ beaming grins, the advantageous corps de ballet, the intimacy of King’s piece…. and I felt a little more hope than I did entering the Met that evening.
Featured Photo for this American Ballet Theatre review is a scene from Alonzo King’s Single Eye. Photo: Marty Sohl.
