Review: BALLETX at Kennedy Center

BalletX opened a four-night run at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater on Wednesday. As a company lauded for choreographic innovation, BalletX exceeded expectations in four new works that display versatility of skill and breadth of aesthetic pursuit.

“Beautiful Once” by Jodie Gates opened the evening with graceful power. 

To a genre-defying score by Ryan Lott, dancers dressed in soft grays moved passionately in a choreography that was engrossing all the way through. The artistic and emotional power of this piece, like many works of modern art, is difficult to put words to. It was the best part of the show. 

Next, “Heros” by Takehiro Ueyama was a poignant appreciation of Japanese people and culture. 

Created to honor the dedication and perseverance of Japanese citizens after World War II and through the modern day, Ueyama’s choreography combined pedestrian movement with daring stunts to create a contemporary dance full of surprises.  

Dressed in red monochrome oversized formalwear, dancers performed authentic gestures of daily life, like steadying oneself on the subway and putting on a blazer. Wooden chairs enriched the architecture of the stage and served as platforms for dancers to stand, run, and jump on. 

After intermission, we saw “Mapping Out A Sky,” Matthew Neenan’s foray into musical theater ballet, a term which I will now coin (if contemporary ballet is ballet but less codified, consider musical theater ballet to be ballet but make it Bob Fosse). Set to piano arrangements of songs by Steven Sondheim, dancers in thick black and white stripes struck poses, made animated expressions, and gestured vivaciously. 

Finally, dancers performed commercial-style contemporary ballet in Justin Peck’s “Become a Mountain.” The athleisure costuming, white sneakers, and naked stage with all wings and curtains removed gave this piece a college dance company rehearsal vibe. The movement was clean and allowed the skill of the performers to shine through.

Each piece in this concert was preceded by a short video featuring an interview with the choreographer and rehearsal footage. For “Beautiful Once” and “Heroes,” the films added significant context without revealing too much. The deeply collaborative nature of Jodie Gates’ choreography was demonstrated in her interaction with dancers and praise of lighting designer Michael Korsch and composer Ryan Lott. 

Takehiro Ueyama offered critical perspective in his interview on his personal and familial history in Japan post-World War II, which added a layer of meaning to his choreography that may have been lost without the preceding film. 

The visual elements of “Mapping Out A Sky” and “Become a Mountain” would have been more impactful, in my opinion, without video beforehand. Matthew Neenan’s choreography was playful and jazzy, and his explanation of Sondheim’s interpretation of the human condition detracted from the fun of theatrical interpretation. The lack of stage dressing in “Become a Mountain” would have been more surprising and engaging if I did not see it on a small screen immediately before it was revealed in performance. 

The beauty of new work is its urgency- it is happening at the present. To know that the artists who created these works live contemporaneously as we do gives the meaning of the works and our interpretation a bite of relevance. With an ongoing fervor, BalletX offers boldly exceptional performances of fresh ideas and art of the now.

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