AISLE SAY Jacob's Pillow
DANIEL
ULBRICHT/BALLET 2014
Artistic Director:
Daniel Ulbricht
Jacob’s Pillow/Ted Shawn Theatre, July 16-20
“Whether longtime dance-lover or newcomer to dance, no one should miss
this rare opportunity to see Daniel (Ulbricht) and a remarkable cast of New
York City Ballet dancers in their prime, performing an illuminating spectrum of
dances by some of the most important choreographers of our time.” This is the
introductory comment by Ella Baff. Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob’s
Pillow, and the
performance, running July 16-20 at the Ted Shawn Theatre, makes her words an
understatement. The programme comprises four pas de deux, one solo and the
Robbins-Bernstein ballet, “Fancy Free”.
Furiant, choreographed by Justin
Peck, opens the
evening with dazzling speed and precision. Set to the music of Antonin Dvorak,
and danced by Teresa Reichlen and Robert
Fairchild, the pas de deux demonstrates mastery of space and athletic refinement.
Immediately following, is Pas de Deux
from Two Hearts, set to the original music by Nico
Muhly and
choreographed by Benjamin Millepied. Whereas the first piece
explodes with vibrancy, Pas de Deux from
Two Hearts is languorous and elastic. Movement is in stark contrast to the
tempo-testing drive of Furiant, and Tiler
Peck and Tyler
Angle luxuriate in
the extended embraces that define what plays as close to time lapse dance as I
can imagine possible. The first half of the programme ends with Sunshine, a solo by Ulbricht himself.
Choreographed by Larry Keigwin, and set to “Ain’t No Sunshine”,
the sheer dynamism of Ulbricht’s range leaves the audience cheering and
shouting their praise as the houselights come up on the intermission.
Fancy Free is the evening’s second half.
Set on the original design by Oliver Smith, which evokes Edward Hopper’s
New York in all its loneliness and longing, the ballet is a classic in American
ballet repertoire. The collaboration of choreographer, Jerome
Robbins, and composer, Leonard Bernstein, was the first of many future
endeavours, and this ballet soon after became the basis for the stage musical, On the Town. The story of three sailors
on leave in Manhattan is now almost iconic. And familiarity with the musical
makes Fancy Free even more
pleasureable. As though watching the early sketches of an artist preparing the
final canvas, the ballet certainly stands on its own, as it has done since its
premiere in 1944. But the added dimensions of spoken and sung sentiments, which
are the natural extension of the dance, evoked a greater urgency as the guys on
leave did their utmost to make a lifetime out of their twenty-four hours in New
York City. To experience Fancy Free
by this company is as close as we can get to what it may have felt like seeing
it seventy years ago when the image of high-stepping sailors couldn’t but evoke
‘terrible longing’ as the war continued to rage in foreign lands. (As I left
the theatre, several audience members referred to the film version, wherein
Gene Kelly defined himself for all time as that grinning, dancing tar in
whites. Kelly was innocence, audacity and overheated sexuality without a cynic’s
bruised worldview.)
Ballet 2014 is also something of a change in
Pillow programming – far less edgy, much more traditional in presentation
and style, and wholly heartwarming. This is an evening for sitting back, standing
and cheering. At intermission I felt that I had been feeding on whipped cream –
in the best way – and as I left the Pillow, my appetite had been richly
satisfied with a balanced serving of nostalgia borne of honesty and humanity.
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