Wesley Doucette - Page 4

Justin Peck's newest work, 'The Decalogue,' was placed at the far end of a daunting program this past Thursday as part of New York City Ballet's expansive 'Here/Now' festival. Following Lynne Taylor-Corbett's resonate 'Chiaroscuro,' Jorma Elo's sublime 'Slice to Sharp,' and Peter Martins' transportive, if overlong, 'Stabat Mater,' the sting of anticlimax would have been difficult to avoid for even the most robust work. The evening's narrative was moving to an aesthetic statement, but riding these pieces was also a burden of archaic catharsis which 'The Decalogue' is not equipped to shoulder. However, if dislodged from the context of the program, Justin Peck's newest work represents his most mature excavation of dance form and gives hope that ballet can be not simply dressed up in new fashion, but have its soil tilled for invigorating innovation.

A review of three works presented at the New York City Ballet's 'New Works' program.

Wesley Doucette on the presentation of MOURNING SUN in Uganda as discussed in an interview with performer Adrian Baidoo.

Wesley Doucette on FJK DANCE's 'Mundo'

A look at Anatomiae Occulti's development presentation of Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd.'

A review of the New York City Ballet 'American Composers' program featuring: 'Glass Pieces' by Robbins, 'Thou Swell' by Martins, and 'Stars and Stripes' by Balanchine.

BWW Reviews 'Swan Lake' by ABT starring Maria Kochetkova.

A review of ABT's performance of 'Sylvia' at the Met Opera House.

A Q&A with PS122 Gala's Honorees: Annie B Parson and Paul Lazar

A review of Robert Carsen's direction of 'Les Fetes Venitiennes,' as performed by Les Arts Florissants and L'Opera Comique at BAM.

Justin Peck's 'Most Incredible Thing' headlines this program of new works.

Ethan Mordden's guide of Sondheim's work, process, and aesthetic.

Career Transitions for Dancers Presents Star Studded Retrospective at City Center.

Noche Flamenca and Soledad Barrio collaborate to reconstruct the totemic Greek tragedy.

A discussion of the life and process of renowned performer/choreographer Maureen Fleming.

Review of ABT's timeless recreation of Tchaikovsky and Petipa's 'Sleeping Beauty' as staged by Ratmansky.

Wendy Whelan's 'Restless Creature' is an experiment in choreographic development worthy of cultivation.

The Danish choreographer August Bournonville, who predates the NYCBallet's founding by a century, still delights audiences with a repertory cultivated from his Royal Danish Ballet. His aesthetic sparks with joyful spontaneity, and even his most tragic works seem lightly brushed with a pastel warmth. The New York City Ballet attempts to reconcile their modernist magnitude with Bournonville's unselfconscious vitality in their 'Hear the Dance Denmark' program, which includes first act divertissements and the second act 'La Sylphide.'

Jonah Bokaer, renowned as the youngest ever Cunningham performer, continues his exploration of sculptural vitality in 'Other Myths.' At the Lightbox event space the audience clusters itself around a taped off dance floor. One by one the dancers stoically invade the dance space, accompanied by a pulsating soundscape and attired in dystopic humorless garb. Variations of the choreography are presented on the walls behind the audience. One of the videos presents the action from a stable perspective at a museum. The other video is a more raw/handheld point of view during a light rain.

Noche Flamenca performs at Joe's Pub.