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| Oscar. Photo: Daniel Boud |
"Ballet is woman," said Balanchine, and indeed most of his ballets framed women in fierce solos and intricate ensemble sections, often with fewer men or men primarily in supporting roles. In general, ballet has focused on women in pointe shoes. So it is refreshing and a bit radical for the Australian Ballet to commission Oscar, by Christopher Wheeldon, a full-length ballet about the tragic life of writer Oscar Wilde following his great literary achievements, recenly presented at New York City Center. While there are two female lead roles—Constance Wilde (Benedicte Bernet) and the Nightingale (Jill Ogai)—the cast is predominantly men, given expressive passages and signature motifs beyond the usual demonstrations of strength or fraternal bonding.
Perhaps the most moving moment came before the curtain rose. David Hallberg, now artistic director of the Australian Ballet, emerged to greet us. He said that his first and last professional appearances happened on City Center’s stage, an amazing fact given his remarkable career at ABT and the Bolshoi, with performances around the globe. His tenure at ABT marked a peak in the company’s modern history; he was an audience favorite for his noble, eloquent movement, and his nonpareil, highly arched feet and precise technique. He imbued roles with a vulnerability and tenderness that contrasted with many of the more forceful readings by his peers.
Perhaps the most moving moment came before the curtain rose. David Hallberg, now artistic director of the Australian Ballet, emerged to greet us. He said that his first and last professional appearances happened on City Center’s stage, an amazing fact given his remarkable career at ABT and the Bolshoi, with performances around the globe. His tenure at ABT marked a peak in the company’s modern history; he was an audience favorite for his noble, eloquent movement, and his nonpareil, highly arched feet and precise technique. He imbued roles with a vulnerability and tenderness that contrasted with many of the more forceful readings by his peers.
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| Oscar. Photo: Curtis Browne |
You can feel the attention to detail and sensitivity in Oscar’s male dancers. Whether it’s coincidental, or the manifestation of a grand plan, the Australian Ballet has one of the finest men’s rosters in ballet. I imagine that Hallberg has encouraged this on all levels, from training, hiring, rehearsing, and performing.
Wheeldon has emerged as one of the top choreographers of full-length ballets, and of works of musical theater with a strong dance element. He has always been a strong ballet choreographer, with iconic works in large company repertories, as well as leading Morphoses, his own troupe, for a period. He has a fluency with story-telling and character-building on a loose, jazzy, appealing level. This is seen right away in Oscar, in an early courtroom scene, where the jurists wear black robes and wigs, and stalk about, straight-backed and haughty, wielding their benches like walking planks. Sentenced to prison for homosexuality, Oscar (Jarryd Madden) is tormented with delusions of Dorian Gray, one of his two renowned stories (the other is The Nightingale and the Rose) that intertwine throughout the work. He also imagines a much happier time with his wife and two boys, picnicking and playing outdoors. Alternating between natural elements such as trees, plants, and the moon and restrictive interiors (prison, the courtroom) provides visual piquancy and variety.
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| Oscar. Photo: Daniel Boud |
Jody Talbot, a frequent Wheeldon collaborator, wrote the cinematic score. Wilde is feted as a literary hero, surrounded by fans; he air-autographs books, spinning in pencil turns, flicking his hands as if to say “voila,” soaking up the adoration. The stage transforms into a speakeasy; a pair of “female” dancers provoke the male patrons with can-can kicks and skirt swirls. Just as quickly, we’re back in prison with Oscar, consumed by visions of his creations. Gray (Maxim Zenin) and Wilde’s friend Robbie (Jett Ramsay) demonstrate a refined line and polish that were Hallberg hallmarks during his performance career, but all of the many dancers flaunted excellent technique. At times, a bit of manic chaos arose between the rapidly changing sets and props (by Jean-Marc Puissant), carried along by Talbot’s score that shifted from swelling orchestrations to sombre string solos.
Wheeldon knows how to entertain, and certainly knows how to employ ballet in a grand, sweeping passages as well as gestural manners, as well as respect its history. And how nice to welcome back David Hallberg, who will always occupy a special place in New York's dance world.
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| Mazurkas. Photo: Hisae Arihara |
Modern master choreographer José Limón was represented the same weekend at the Joyce Theater, where his namesake company performed, now under the direction of Dante Puleio. Limón’s lovely suite, Mazurkas (1958, to Chopin) led off the program, a display of his eloquently simple choreography, largely free of embellishments and frippery. In this paean to the composer's homeland of Poland, pairs, small groups, and solos unspooled to the live piano played with finesse by Michael Scales. It was the first time the entire charming suite had been performed since 1964.
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| Join. Photo: Ben McKeown |
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| Join. Photo: Kelly Puleio |
To a dramatic score by frequent collaborator Ambrose Akinmusire, the dancers lined up, body pressing to body, forming a centipede, energy rippling subtly through the collective organism. Suddenly one performer rose above the others, lofted by unseen effort. In a pair, each alternated suspending the other, legs around the waist. Explosive solos featured loose, big jumps. Another soaring dancer falling backward, then forward, both seemingly dangerous and completely safe.
While Barton has been choreographing for many years, and has been widely commissioned, is it possible she is still under-recognized? Another corrective to that will be her upcoming work with Akinmusire at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater in late October, A a | a B : B E N D. It's a chance to see more polished, theatrical work from Barton.
