BWW Reviews: Fall for Dance 2013 Opens at City Center

Every year, New York City Center offers performances by several dance companies, local and international, performing on this stage in the same evening, for affordable ticket prices. All tickets, this year, are $15.00. This is a two week Festival.

On the opening night of Fall for Dance, this year, Sept. 25, 2013, were four energetic performances. On this night, all the choreographies were danced to live music.

Opening the evening was the Richard Alston Dance Company, of London, England, in "The Devil in the Detail" to music of Scott Joplin. The piano was on stage (upstage right...to the left from the audience point of view), played with uplifting energy by Jason Ridgeway. The dancers took to the inspiration of the Joplin music with excitement, in an upright and bouncy choreography, strutting with a jazzy swagger. The dancers were uplifted and took the audience with them. Nathan Goodman was a dancer who attracted attention with his boundless energy and focus.

Richard Alston choreographed every note, which challenged the dancers to hit every note with a movement. This continued throughout the piece.

The Dancers were all costumed in clothes for a summer's day, giving one the feeling that they were accessible.

The next piece was presented by Gabriel Misse, admired for his tanguero style, is one of the great milongueros of this generation, and Analia Centurion, an accomplished tango dancer of stage and screen and director of Fusion Tango company. Misse and Centurion choreographed this work. Also dancing were Carlos Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes. Although there were only four dancers, there were several passionate couples, made possible by changes of costumes and attitudes, depicting the drama of different peoples' couplings. The dancing was excellent.

The musician, JP Jofre, Bandoneon, would appear on stage during interludes between scenes, playing his own compositions, adding to the effect of the drama.

The musicality of the dancers was brilliant, using their virtuosity to further capture the attention of the audience.

The third piece was danced by Sara Mearns, a New York City Ballet principal dancer and Casey Herd, a Het Nationale Ballet (Amsterdam) principal dancer. This was a world premiere, choreographed by Justin Peck, also of New York City Ballet, to Music by Mark Dancigers, "The Bright Motion". Mr. Peck has choreographed other works for New York City Ballet, including Year of the Rabbit.

The piano was on stage, again upstage right; and played beautifully by Cory Smythe.

Sara Mearns is strong and elegant, a Ballerina. She wore a white leotard with tasteful cutout details at the sides of the back and dark straps, at the back, only. Although her legs were bare, her upper body showed such elegance that she could have been wearing a ball gown. Casey Herd had little more to do than to show off his partner, which he did. Ms. Mearns is exquisite. The two are well suited in body type; and did look fine together. Mr. Peck's choreography suited them well.

The final piece of the evening was Dance Brazil, founded in New York City, in1977, by Jelon Vieira, who choreographed Fe Do Sertao, which he adapted for Fall for Dance, to an original score by Marquinho Carvalho.

The fusion of Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance, and Capoeira (the traditional dance/martial arts form that has it's origins in Africa and evolved in colonial Brazil as a means of fighting enslavement) make up this style of dance.

There were ten dancers, only two of them female. All were dressed in country dress. It was mainly the men who performed the Capoeira, which was stunning, with both acrobatic moves and grace. One of the men did a solo, partnered by a bee, created by a musician, which was particularly innovative.

There were three musicians, on stage, but, in the dark until the end of the choreography.

In all, it was a high energy evening to kick off the Fall for Dance Festival.