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Home Ballet Magazine Ballet, Contemporary, and Modern Dance Performance Reviews

New York City Ballet Balanchine + Wheeldon Review: Superhumans and Spirit Animals

Mimi LiubyMimi Liu
February 19, 2025
in Ballet, Contemporary, and Modern Dance Performance Reviews
Reading Time: 6 mins read
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New York City Ballet Balanchine + Wheeldon Review 2025

New York City Ballet Balanchine + Wheeldon Review: Superhumans and Spirit Animals

New York City Ballet Balanchine + Wheeldon Review 
February 16, 2025 | David H. Koch Theater – New York, NY, USA

There was no room for humanness in today’s triple bill at the New York City Ballet.

 

During the first half of the performance, George Balanchine’s dancers, synonymous with superhumans, move beyond technique and soar above humanity. His quote ”See the music, hear the dance” undeniably echoes in both Divertimento No. 15 and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, blurring the lines of what is possible.

After intermission, I saw Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals for the first time. And although ballet ubiquitously surveys the human condition via the animal kingdom – be it Swan Lake, Tales of Beatrix Potter, or even performing a lame duck turn – there is no doubt that Carnival takes the cake for honoring other creatures.

New York City Ballet Balanchine + Wheeldon Review

The quintessential Balanchine piece, Divertimento No. 15 opens the show, and shines like a crown. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s score of the same name, is the only pieces by the composer that Balanchine ever used.

The dancers resemble the best of Tiffany’s.

With blade-like precision, the ladies flash classy little pale-blue bows in their tutus and the men are dapper in matching suits. The whole thing reminds me of the charming Blue Box Café.

On display are five female principals – Megan Fairchild, Sara Adams, Unity Phelan, Emilie Gerrity and Erica Pereira, each trying to outshine the other’s bravura. The three leading men, Chun Wai Chan, Charlie Klesa and Andres Zuniga, dance musically by-the-book, regal and supportive.

Far and near, the crystal clean corps de ballet provides pristine embellishments for the octet, not uncommon in the hierarchical land of Mr. B. They chainé on demi-pointe, partner the lead ballerinas as they penché, and pas de bourrée with quiet elegance.

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There is a sudden shift of energy when Adams pauses for her solo, executing the Balanchine technique with respectable style. Next, the petite Pereira runs on, abandoning her proper mannerisms and surrendering herself into some hip-leans a la Who Cares?.

Tiptoeing from stage left, Phelan leaps into her power followed by a reverence received with raving applause. The newer principal, Gerrity, establishes herself holding her gaze at the audience as long as possible before she turns and pulls off some gleaming arabesques.

Chan, the male principal, stretches for airtime in his jetés, forever a prince.

And finally there is Fairchild, the effortless and timeless veteran principal, mastering the speediest allegro – which she’s probably performed in her sleep by now – making everything look look deceptively easy.

As far as turnout goes, Phelan’s reigns. Her pas de deux with Chan gives a nod to Balanchine’s Diamonds where she breathtakingly holds her développés towards the sky.

Adams and Klesa showcase a taffy-like pas that melts my heart (I actually drew a heart in my notes!).

And later, the ballet echoes other Balanchine’s works – a line of penchés from Themes and Variations, the repeated relevé arabesques with one hand on the waist from Western Symphony, and the linking arm walks from Concerto Barocco. 

Balanchine’s next showstopper piece, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,  made me ponder: what makes a dancer a star?

Indiana Woodward, with much critical acclaim these days, tastefully dances with rubato, showing off her gorgeous feet on pointe and possessing a calm confidence that is surely arresting. While she’s a star, I sensed hesitation during some difficult lifts and turns with her partner Joseph Gordon.

In the coda, the ballerina performs two fish dives that fly into her partner’s arms. Woodward did them easily, but did not fly. The final press lift where the ballerina is expected to arch her back and legs split skyward… well, I didn’t see the split.

Despite some shortcomings, Woodward is still the best technician at the show, suspending every moment where suspension was needed.

NYCB's Indiana Woodward in George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Erin Baiano.
NYCB's Indiana Woodward in George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. Photo by Erin Baiano.

Gordon impressed. His manège was airy, decisive and split-ty. He was on for all his turns, even drizzling in a triple a la seconde.

Someone said at intermission: “They were pretty darn good!” Indeed, I agree, applauding the two principals for surpassing humanity for 9 minutes straight.

Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals captivated me on a more personal level.

The ballet centers around a boy named Oliver who goes to the Museum of Natural History, falls asleep, and dreams of all the people in his life as animals. Imagine seeing your world become a zoo! And what would your spirit animal be?

The fifty-dancer cast in Carnival moves wildly to Camille Saint-Saëns’ masterful score. And having a celebrity like John Lithgow narrate alongside the choreography felt like merging Broadway with ballet. A little gimmicky, but effective.

Wheeldon studied the animals’ natural maneuvers and reinterpreted their movements to fit sophisticated ballet dancers. There are fourteen sections total, each one representing an animal in abstract fashion.

For example, Oliver’s classmates become hyenas who love contemporary dance; his teacher, a lion that fouettés (danced by Christopher Grant); he school nurse dances as a cross-dressing elephant (danced by Lithgow himself), the lady librarian throws fists like a kangaroo but mysteriously turns herself into a mermaid (portrayed by Phelan).

I especially enjoyed seeing how Wheeldon imagined two old ladies as turtles (Grace Scheffel and Rommie Tomasini) umbrellas serving as their shells, dancing out a dragged out can-can.

Principal ballerina Sara Mearns, famous for mastering the role of Odette from Swan Lake, played Oliver’s aunt who morphs into a swan wearing white gloves and character shoes, the latter perhaps the reason why the performance felt underwhelming. Mearns mostly danced with her back facing the audience, accompanied by a frown. I wish she projected more, especially when facing away from the audience. And why didn’t Wheeldon put her on pointe, like the rest of the cast?

Before the swan folds her wings, Sierra Griffith appears portraying a traditional Odette from Swan Lake in a white tutu (and on pointe), bourrée-ing across the stage while flapping her arms. I think this element was added to stress the significance of swans in ballets, but it ultimately was a distraction from Mearn’s performance.

In the end, the dancers all return for a finale number, posing like the cover of an enchanting children’s book. I left with one question in mind: What animal did Oliver see as himself?

The contrasting winter program at City Ballet made me feel like a hummingbird who seeks out life’s nectars. The point of it all: let go of your humanness and submerge in something sweet.

Featured Photo of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15. Photo by Erin Baiano.

Tags: New York City Ballet
Mimi Liu

Mimi Liu

Mimi Liu is a full-time middle school dance teacher with the New York City Department of Education. She also teaches at The Brooklyn Ballet, as well as on her own YouTube channel Plié For The People. Mimi attended the American Ballet Theatre New York summer intensives three years in a row as a teenager, then graduated from the Boston Conservatory where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in Dance. After moving to New York City, Mimi earned her M.F.A. in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and her M.A. in Dance Education from Hunter College on Full-Tuition Scholarship. Mimi is certified in levels Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and she is enthused by anything ballet!

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