Pacific Northwest Ballet All Balanchine Review
November 14, 2024 | Digital
“Who is Balanchine?” said no ballet fan ever.
On the off chance you don’t know who Balanchine is, you might consider him our Shakespeare, our Beethoven, our Michael Jordan. His stylistic innovations not only helped define American ballet but also helped revolutionize ballet as a whole.
Every so often, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) – a company grounded in the Balanchine tradition – delivers a program dedicated to his enduring influence. PNB’s latest All Balanchine program, captured as part of the company’s ongoing digital offerings, featured a tastefully selected trio of works representing 47 years of choreographic brilliance.
Pacific Northwest Ballet All Balanchine Review
The program opened with Square Dance, a 25-minute stamina-busting celebration of American ballet’s folk-dance roots.
True to Balanchine’s signature style, the stagecraft is modest, absent of extraneous costumes or sets; it’s all about the dancers and their relationship with the music.
As to the choreography, "modest" is far from the first word that pops into mind.
It’s a virtually relentless allegro, full of springy footwork, tight turns, darting arabesques, and dynamic partner work performed in shifting geometric patterns. Still, there’s an unshowy elegance to it. Every movement was crisp and polished, executed with an almost sculptural sharpness. This was especially true of Leta Biasucci who, exhibiting a rare kind of control, seemed almost to defy the rushing tempo.
In the middle of an otherwise whirlwind of a ballet, Kyle Davis’s adagio solo came as an unexpected treat. But it wasn’t this contrast that made him stand out. It was the way he carried out each step with a contemplative, almost reverent, quality that was visually absorbing.
The real heart of Square Dance, however, lay in the corps who, even with all the intricate partnering and patterning (at breakneck pace, mind you), never faltered. They flitted easily from one sequence to the next, managing to stay near flawlessly in sync.
The second piece on the program, Prodigal Son, served to show the versatility of Balanchine as a choreographer. Where the emphasis in Square Dance was on movement quality, Prodigal Son – Balanchine’s second oldest surviving ballet – is best characterized by its strong dramatic arc.
Based on the biblical parable of the prodigal son, Balanchine’s work chronicles a reckless youth’s emotional and physical journey from rebellion to redemption.
As the prodigal son, Lucien Postlewaite was, dare I say, perfect.
Every aspect of his performance – his explosive jumps, his top-like turns, his expression of wide-eyed wonder, etc. – aligned in perfect harmony to breathe life into his character.
Elle Macy, too, thrived in the heightened expressiveness of this piece. As the towering Siren, Macy charged her role with a striking blend of elegance and dangerous, seductive allure.
The company made its best impression, though, in the third piece, Stravinsky Violin Concerto.
Once described fondly as “the most visual music composition Balanchine…ever choreographed,” Stravinsky Violin Concerto is a choreographic labyrinth, composed of a series of complex, almost awkward movements and spatial relationships that demand both physical and intellectual agility – like an intense game of Human Knot through a neoclassical lens.
Far from feeling chaotic, there was an immense thrill in the unpredictability of the piece. Take, for instance, the pas de deux between Christopher D’Ariano and Macy. There seemed to be no thought nor hesitation in the way they navigated the space, just an intuitive connection between one another and the music.
It was surprising, exciting, and plain impressive.
Featured Photo of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s principal dancers Leta Biasucci and Kyle Davis in George Balanchine’s Square Dance. Photo © Angela Sterling.
