BWW Reviews: NEW YORK CITY BALLET Showcases Three Minimalist Masterpieces in 'Balanchine Black & White I'

The spring 2015 season of the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center boasts not one but two programs featuring George Balanchine's minimalist masterpieces that are affectionately referred to as the "leotard ballets" by dancers and devotees alike. On the evening of May 1st, "Balanchine Black & White 1" proved once again that plotless ballets stripped of elaborate sets and costumes do indeed achieve Mr. B's goal of focusing on the movement and the music. What is so remarkable is that each of the three works on the bill, all of them with the dancers in practice clothes, is uniquely compelling. This feast of Mr. B's earliest neoclassical creations holds the audience in thrall from start to finish without ever becoming repetitious.

"Concerto Barroco", one of three ballets that were on the opening program of the New York City Ballet in 1948, has definitely stood the test of time. Set to a score by Johann Sebastian Bach, the work is a perfect example of Balanchine's iconic quote "See the music, hear the dance". The two lead ballerinas, on this occasion Teresa Reichelen and Sara Mearns, are the visual equivalent of the solo violins. For me, Reichelen and Mearns are far more perfectly paired in these roles than Mearns and Maria Kowrowski were when I last saw "Concerto Barroco" in January of 2014. Reichelen and Mearns projected genuine rapport even as they danced with individual attack and flair.

Justin Peck partnered both of the ladies gallantly and tossed off his variations with appealing ease. Now well known as choreographer, Peck is clearly also still in his dancing prime. The corps of eight women deserves a mention as well. They were well rehearsed and moved through the serpentine patterns flawlessly. The audience gave them an especially enthusiastic ovation. The violinists, Arturo Delmoni and Nicolas Danielson, took well-deserved bows as well.

In contract, "Episodes", choreographed in 1959 to the twelve-tone music of Anton von Webern, is decidedly more avant-garde. Of the four scenes, the most mesmerizing one was danced on a darkened stage with follow spots for Savannah Lowery in white and Jared Angle in a black unitard. She has an instantly recognizable build that is leggier and more substantial than that of most of NYCB's dancers, yet she moves with both power and fluidity. Together, Lowery and Angle performed the inventive lifts, including the infamous one that puts her upside down on his back, with admirable assurance.

"The Four Temperaments" to the music of Paul Hindemith, which premiered in 1946 with City Ballet's precursor the Ballet Society, remains a testament to Balanchine's genius. The ballet is a perfect closer, featuring a stellar cast of principals plus a corps for a total of 25 dancers that fill the stage in the final breathtaking moments. Based on the medieval concept that we all have four psychological humors or temperaments -- melancholic, sanguinic, phlegmatic, and choleric -- with some more dominant than others depending on the person, the ballet comes closer to having a story line than the other two on the program. Amar Ramasar, a perennial audience favorite for very good reason, was at his emotional and physical best in the "Phlegmatic" solo. Every flick of the wrist, every sidelong glance, and every off-center pose conveyed the inner-directed and peace-seeking demeanor of this aspect of human nature. Cast against type, since he so often dances more dynamic roles, Ramasar let us know that he is capable of making a quieter presence equally convincing.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the consummately sparkling Ashley Bouder leading the entire cast in the fourth variation, Choleric. She bursts onto the stage, the ideal personification of the confidence and command that characterizes this temperament. I am always amazed anew at the way even her facial expressions beam themselves out across the footlights into the far reaches of the house. She is a true talent who keeps growing in skill and passion with each successive season.

"Balanchine Black & White I", with a different cast, will be danced again on May 6th at 7:30 p.m. "Balanchine Black & White II" -- "Apollo", "Agon", "Duo Concertant", and "Symphony in Three Movements" - will have two more performances, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. and May 9th at 2 p.m. Catch one or more of these if you can, but be sure to get to the theater on time. A new policy at the Koch, which I heartily endorse, specifies that "in deference to the viewing and listening pleasure of the audience in the auditorium, and to the performers onstage, there is no late seating. Latecomers will be seated only during an intermission or when the curtain has dropped for a pause in the performance. Patrons who leave the auditorium before or during a work will also not be reseated until the pause or intermission." Applause, applause!

Photo by Paul Kolnik

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