Review of National Ballet of Cuba at Spac
Review: NYCB return to SPAC an intimate beloved letter of the alphabet to fans
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Classical story ballets, like "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty," are commonly all about glamour and spectacle. There are glittering costumes, elaborate sets, a full orchestra in the pit and a series of romantic pas de deux, interspersed with party scenes populated by dozens of corps members.
That was non what New York Urban center Ballet presented when the company returned to SPAC Wednesday night for a joyful reunion with devoted local fans. But they offered something as enchanting, in an entirely different way.
The Saratoga premiere of "On and Off Stage: Brusque Stories," with a cast of just xv dancers and 2 pianists (Nancy McDill and Alan Moverman), gave viewers a glimpse behind the scenes and a chance to experience the human being side of these superhuman performers. Designed to adapt COVID restrictions, the new format comprises brief excerpts from eight ballets, with host Maria Kowroski and the company members sharing historical details and personal reflections virtually each piece of work. (During the residual of the company'southward run, "Brusque Stories" will alternate with a program of excerpts from five Balanchine masterworks, hosted by Gonzalo Garcia.)
Nosotros hear how the three dancers in Jerome Robbins' "Fancy Gratuitous" (Amar Ramasar, Spartak Hoxha and Lars Nelson) envision their characters—so we get to encounter them embody those personas with jazzy swagger. We learn that Miriam Miller apposite her facial expressions in a mirror for the scene in "A Midsummer Night'southward Dream" when she falls in love with a donkey while spellbound—then we savour her completely disarming admiration in the comical duet with Nelson. And we celebrate Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara's debut in the technically demanding "Rose Adagio" from "The Sleeping Beauty," a tour de force of balances and développés.
The programme too featured 3 pas de deux depicting enchanted birds: Odette from "Swan Lake," portrayed with poignant vulnerability by Teresa Reichlen, partnered by Tyler Angle; a pair of frothy, fluttering bluebirds (Sara Adams and Hoxha) from "The Sleeping Beauty"; and George Balanchine's "Firebird," in which Reichlen and Ramasar showed their fiercer, edgier sides. Excerpts from Robbins' clever "Mistake Flit," in which one dancer can't quite keep up, and Balanchine's folk dance–inspired "Western Symphony" added yet more flavors to the mix.
The host likewise had her moments in the spotlight. Afterwards 25 years with the company, Kowroski is prepare to retire this coming flavour, and her reminiscences drew from a rich and varied career, including many summers at SPAC. She recalled a nighttime when a thunderstorm knocked out the electricity, leaving her on a pitch-blackness phase; a July product of "The Nutcracker" in 100-degree oestrus; and a memorable operation of "Midsummer" surrounded past fireflies. SPAC, she said, is "a truly magical home away from habitation." For audiences, having a new layer of connection with their beloved company simply adds to the magic.
Dance review
New York City Ballet's "On and Off Stage: Short Stories"
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: SPAC, 108 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, NY
Length: 90 minutes, no intermission
Repeats: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Saturday; alternates with "On and Off Phase: All Balanchine" at ii p.m. Th and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Sabbatum
Tickets: $30–$105
Info: 584-9330 or https://spac.org
Source: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Review-NYCB-return-to-SPAC-an-intimate-love-16316323.php
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