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Three Couples Times Three

"After the Rain," "In the Night," "Western Symphony"
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
February 18, 2006
 
by
Leigh Witchel
copyright ©2006 by Leigh Witchel

When the time comes to celebrate Wendy Whelan’s life and career, her biographers might just begin with “After the Rain”. Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet is now a year old and missing Whelan’s other half from a long partnership, Jock Soto. The first part of the dance, for three couples, is high-gloss contemporary ballet. Very soundly made, it doesn’t break new ground technically or emotionally. However Wheeldon, a gentler and more classically aligned choreographer than William Forsythe, shows us how Forsythe’s work may be assimilated into classical ballet. Balanchine’s distorted the classical line into a neo-classical one by pushing the pelvis forward; Forsythe exaggerated that further and distorted the upper body as well with wheeling and circling arms from contemporary and club dance. Wheeldon also incorporates this distorted arm and torso work. As with Paris Opera dancers who dance Forsythe, Sofiane Sylve is most interesting in these distortions because her dancing is so academic. It doesn’t matter what Wheeldon gives her to do, she still looks classical in it; she becomes a filter for the vocabulary and an anchor to classicism. Teresa Reichlen and Jason Fowler made their debuts in roles created by Maria Kowroski and Ask La Cour. Reichlen is more sharp and angular than Kowroski and she’s using it to her advantage to get flavor in her dancing.

In the second half, the other couples clear the stage and Whelan returns with Sébastien Marcovici. He’s now bare-chested in pants instead of tights; she’s wearing a simple rose leotard and her hair and feet have been unbound. This year will mark Whelan’s second decade at NYCB. In that time, we’ve seen the best qualities of her dancing: her courage, intensity and close-to-brutal honesty. Christopher Wheeldon gave her a role that summarizes those gifts and resets them so that we see not just courage but vulnerability, not just intensity but tenderness, and not just honesty but angelic compassion. The music (“Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Pärt) is the barest contemplation for violin and piano.  Whelan and Marcovici dance a private conversation; the steps substitute for the questions and tentative reassurances that are the best we can manage when no one knows the real answers. The extremity of Whelan’s body is used differently than almost any other role she’s done. She bends back into a bridge much like the famous ones Karin von Aroldingen did in “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”, but then the man gently lifts her. Nothing is a barrier to intimacy.  It took Soto’s retirement to provoke this ballet out of Wheeldon, but how nice to see his heart in his dances.

“In the Night”, one of Jerome Robbins’ series of ballets to Chopin, is also for three couples.  The conceit of the work is that we’re getting a glimpse into the private behavior of these couples.  When the three couples finally meet at the end they try to maintain a social façade together, only to be pulled back to the privacy of their duets.  As intimate as the ballet insists that it is, the intimacy here is public and theatrical.  We see a youthful couple, a decorous couple and a tempestuous couple.  It may feel artificial but it’s handsome artifice. Tyler Angle is beginning to get a few plum roles; this one can make use of his Romantic beauty but one hopes he doesn’t start to rely on that.  He partnered Rachel Rutherford attentively; it’s one of those parts (she has a few) where she seems to hide from us in the darkness. Kyra Nichols made an infrequent appearance in the second pas de deux with Philip Neal. It’s an intelligent repertory choice; she wore her years lightly. Jenifer Ringer used to dance the third pas de deux with her husband, James Fayette; here Marcovici danced with her.  As with Soto, Fayette can be reassured that they have not replaced his partnering.  It could have been worse; Marcovici only stumbled over Ringer once and it only seemed as if he might drop her out of an overhead press a single time. 

“Western Symphony” used to have four couples, now there are three. Balanchine deleted the Scherzo to pare the ballet down to three movements but retained the couple for the finale.  A shadow couple, “run-on principals” in company slang, dance the role. The ballet celebrates the happiest conventions and myths of the American West.  Jennie Somogyi has her most elegant manners for this; yet another of her “first movement” parts.  She’s a highfalutin’ city girl moved out West.  As in the Costermonger pas de deux, Nilas Martins’ happy, loose dancing is close to a shock.  The part is extremely forgiving about line and precision so Martins gives it his all and turns in an ingratiating performance.

Adam Hendrickson made his debut in the second movement; it was to be Megan Fairchild’s as well, but that was pushed up to Thursday when she covered for Ashley Bouder. As is usual for Hendrickson, he put a lot of thought into the characterization. Some of the choices he made aren’t going to be fully refined for a few performances but we saw the beginnings of a wry commentary on Western heroes; Tom Mix with four corps girls to accompany him instead of Tony the Wonder Horse. Fairchild was funnier than in her unplanned debut though she could sharpen the humor further.  Hendrickson’s jumps are impressive. His partnering isn’t rock-solid on hard lifts or catches but he has the excuse of size: what’s Marcovici’s excuse?

The balletomanes have been clucking over Sara Mearns since her Cinderella debut in “Swan Lake”. The balletomanes are right. She’s lush but not exotic; there’s something warm and familiar about her.  Her fourth movement, partnered amiably by Charles Askegard in his best aw-shucks manner, was accomplished. Temperamentally the role is far from Odette and Odile but technically it contains several of the same challenges and can be used to strengthen a dancer. She did double fouettés without a hitch and the diagonal of extensions with a daring arabesque penchée. She could fill the void left by the departures of Monique Meunier and Carla Körbes.

Volume 4, No. 7
February 20, 2006
copyright ©2006 Leigh Witchel
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last updated on February 20, 2006