Melia Kraus-har - Page 2

Both Erhlich and Armitage's welcoming remarks suggested ambivalence with the scope of this work; Erhlich even said, "we'll just see", and so the evening began. Combined with movement in a setting designated for tactile education, On the Nature of Things depicted a frenetic doom.

Sunday, January 18th, BAM Howard Gilman Opera House swelled with anticipation for Mariinsky Ballet in Alexei Ratmansky's Cinderella, conducted by Valery Gergiev. In Ratmansky's hands, the tale occurred in the Russia of the 1930's and in the manner of Mikhail Zoshchenko's satirical, to-the-point storytelling.

Shouts and sighs intermittently filled The Peter Jay Sharp Theater on Sunday, December 14th in response to Juilliard Dance Division's New Dances: Edition 2014. Choreographers Austin McCormack and Loni Landon (both Juilliard Alumni), Kate Weare and man about town Larry Keigwin each presented a work on each class of students. The Juilliard family represented alumni, teachers, and choreographers from several decades filled the house.

Anna's Americana by the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble on December 4th provided a glimpse into Anna Sokolow's investigation of the human condition in the intimate space of The Theater at the 14th Street Y. Alan Danielson's Are We There Yet (2000) accompanied three works by Sokolow, Preludes (1984), Homage to Edgar Allan Poe (1993), and Frida (1997). Directed by longtime Sokolow dancer and Bessie recipient Jim May, the program underscored the focus of Sokolow's voice through the decades of her work.

Jessica Lang Dance premiered The Wanderer at BAM Fisher in a wintery diorama that showcased Artistic Director and Choreographer Jessica Lang's comprehensive design. Starting a few minutes late on Friday, December 5th allowed time to observe the stage. Five white trees made of coiled rope hung from the ceiling, four white ledges protruded from one wall, a white ladder dangled in the balcony, and a white marley floor tracked a U-shape filled with black marley. In this minimalist scape, Lang's dancers morphed from beings to elements of nature with Schubert's libretto (The Fair Maid of the Mill).

Mikhailovsky Ballet paid homage to universal struggles for justice in their opening performance of The Flames of Paris at the Koch Theater, Friday, November 15th. Originally created to mark the 15th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, The Flames of Paris as a narrative succeeded because it appealed to the people (any people group experiencing the desperate, unifying force of oppression) while paralleling the arch of a traditional story ballet.

No ghouls or ghosts in Program C at John Ryan Theater in the annual Wave Rising Series, although the three piece program had its share of tricks, treats, and characters. Deviated Theatre's The Short Forever presented aerialists in its dance opera; The People Movers Not So Shiny bicycle jaunt dwelt on the meaning of success; and White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company's Eternal NOW excerpts put the dancers through a virtuosic obstacle course.

At long last, Benjamin Millipied's L.A. Dance Project premiered in New York City (his home among other creative homes) at BAM. The success of the October 17th program seemed to surprise the dancers themselves--sheepishly continuing to bow upon the audience's insistence.

Tuesday, October 14th, marked the midway point of New York City Center's Fall for Dance and represented companies from three continents: South Africa's Vuyani Dance Theatre in a spiritual meditation, Sara Mearns and Company in full Broadway fanfare, Trisha Brown Dance Company's reconstruction of Son of Gone Fishin', and, National Ballet of China in a 16th century tale.

New York City Center's October 10th Fall for Dance program smartly suited up with Lucinda Childs' Concerto and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (which indirectly featured Sara Mearns of New York City Ballet) in Ohad Naharin's Minus 16. Sandwiched between those uplifting works were William Forsythe's U.S. premiere of Neue Suite by Semperoper Ballett Dresden and a hip hop duet with Sebastien Ramirez and Honji Wang. Traditionally, the span of each Fall for Dance program granted City Center an edge in the battle for audiences in dance's busiest season. This night was no different.

American Ballet Theatre's Shakespeare Celebration on July 2nd delved into magical mishaps while bidding adieu to dancer Yuriko Kajiya. The evening began in a lush wonderland of Frederick Ashton's The Dream and ended with the choppy waters of Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky's The Tempest. Driven by patriarchy, both ballets presented hierarchy and tradition as precariously shifting power schemes.

Boston Ballet's fiftieth anniversary tour culminated in an in-your-face Lincoln Center season. Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen took risks - a victory lap outside of the company's home city on the home stage of hallmark American ballet companies - but he looked pretty pleased as he strode up the aisles of the David H. Koch Theater on the June 29th matinee. Rightly so, since his company delivered three New York premieres in Program One with William Forsythe's The Second Detail, Jose Martinez' Resonance, and Alexander Ekman's Cacti for a full throttle experience.

Wednesday, May 28th, New York City Ballet presented a program bookended by Balanchine. Concerto Barocco articulated propriety and decorum in delicate glances; Jerome Robbin's Other Dances promulgated gentle desire in the pas de deux; Benjamin Millipied's Neverwhere delved into power plays; and Balanchine had the last laugh with the exuberant laissez-faire Who Cares?

The young dancers of Columbia University and Barnard College fell back and forth in dance repertory and dared to add their own voices to iconic works at the matinee performance at Miller Theatre, Saturday, April 26th, 2014. Each of the four works provided unique challenges: Andrea Miller's Fall Recover Recover tested their capacity for the essence of modern dance technique, Twyla Tharp's Treefrog in Stonehenge demanded the stamina of a jazzercise class, Martha Graham's Lamentation Variations asked students to reflect upon Graham's legacy with their own minds and bodies, and Robert La Fosse's Concerto for Mr. B thrust the dancers on to their toes.

Claire Porter's Portables acted as "grammarians," joyfully drowning in their words. Sen-tence, created by Porter et al, explored the syntax of language structure at Joe's Pub Friday, April 25th, 2014. In five vignettes, Porter's ensemble dedicated themselves to the most basic and yet often most important words of everyday vocabulary: prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and pronouns. As Ms. Porter's librarian character admonished the audience, "What would we be without…without. Or, over, under, next to, behind, during, and between."

Dancer Rocio Molina and vocalist Rosario La Tremendita transformed flamenco as feminist and modern in Afectos (Feelings), their U.S. Premiere on March 21st. Accompanied by double bassist Pablo Martin, Molina and Tremendita captivated at Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC). With sensuous simplicity, they claimed their place in a tradition predominantly guided by the male voice in an eclectic program.

Martha Graham Dance Company embraced "Myth and Transformation" as its rallying theme and looked to Greece to fulfill that charge at their New York City Center gala performance on March 19th. The company took great care, as it has in recent seasons, to engage and educate their audience throughout the performance. Extensive program notes, accompanied by Artistic Director Janet Eilber's narrative interludes and projected text in the opening piece, Graham's Clytemnestra, strongly guided that aim. Eilber reminded the audience that Graham considered herself "doom eager," seeking to reside in a state of free fall, much like Clytemnestra. Graham's greatest triumphs often reside in her heroines' fall from grace.

The celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Paul Taylor's choreographic career filled the stage and the screen - computer screens that is, with announcements regarding the company's future trajectory - in the way that only Paul Taylor can. The choreographer's choices, both in his dances and dialogue, cover the spectrum of ideologies. Throughout his career, Taylor allowed himself to be in the moment, whatever the moment, and continues to contribute in a very important, seemingly endless conversation: how modern dance maintains its relevance alongside contemporary dance without losing its heritage. A few Taylor twists this season: six dollar tickets, added alumni performance, and anticipated diversified repertory with works from other choreographers.

Gelsey Kirkland Ballet ambitiously presented, per the program notes, an "eclectic program…beginning and ending with ballets by Marius Petipa."