BalletNext—Chamber Ballet Takes a Leap

Katilyn Gilliland and Michele Wiles in Surmisable Units. Photo: Stephanie Berger

There's been a boomlet of chamber ballet companies in the city in recent seasons, particularly those led by members or alumni of the two biggies, ABT and NYCB. No doubt membership in these companies is the dream of any ballet dancer, but once gained, a number of factors might lead to artistic frustration—the lack of lead roles, stalling in rank, falling out of favor, injury, stagnant repertory assignments, and age, among numerous other things. But many dancers who depart the two big companies may still be in the prime of their physical gifts. And so we see new projects being undertaken, such as BalletNext, led by Artistic Director Michele Wiles.

One of the pleasures of this proliferation is to be able to see impeccable dancers such as Wiles, once a principal with ABT, in a more intimate setting. Not every skilled dancer has the ability to project to the rafters, and Wiles, despite her immaculate balance and line, is among the subtler of dramatists. But in a theater the size of New York Live Arts, she connected with the audience in a way she hadn't seemed to in larger theaters. The same can be said of ex-NYCB principal Stephen Hanna, who danced one work on the program; always a solid partner, his pleasing, if unshowy, demeanor could be somewhat lost in the Koch Theater. Additionally, Wiles has rounded out her company with excellent dancers, most notably Kaitlyn Gilliland, another NYCB alum; it's a gift to see this luminous dancer's endless lines and captivating, mysterious gaze in such a context.

The highlight of the all-Brian Reeder choreographed program at NYLA was Surmisable Units, a somewhat technogeek title for an intriguing dance. The anchor was the parlor trick performance by Ben Laude of Steve Reich's Piano Phase (alternating performances, incredibly, with Juan Carlos Fernandez-Nieto—it's difficult to believe that more than one person could pull this off), a work for two pianos. Laude sat between two pianos at right angles, somehow playing both at once. Solos by a revolving cast on stage right, and behind the pianos, repeated slicing arms and upper body movements, as pairs or individuals performed larger-scale passages at stage left. One or two dancers would slide under the pianos (something we saw recently by Justin Peck as well), and continue their arm gestures while lying down. Gilliland and Wiles paired up, partnering one another and holding hands while walking the perimeter. Capezio is credited for the long-sleeved, colored tops and short skirts, somewhat evoking figure skating outfits.

Jens Weber and Michele Wiles in Different Homes. Photo: Stephanie Berger

Different Homes, a NY premiere to Britten's Cello Suite no. 1 (played by Elad Kabilio), featured Wiles with Jens Weber. There's a modernist sensibility to this dance which suits the cool Wiles; she does not cater to the audience to gain its affection. Here, the presentational style is straightforward, showing us form and shape, at times rendered with attack. The pair sways during the breaks in musical movements, maintaining momentum in this engaging duet. Reeder doesn't try to turn ballet on its head, instead tweaking it with the occasional flexed foot coupé, right-angled arms, or by sending rippling energy up the body and arms from relevé-ing feet. 

The company also reprised Picnic (2012), with the fleeting suggestion of a narrative. This Tudoresque mood piece with shifting group dynamics showcased the talented dancers, including Tiffany Mangulabnan (who tossed off some perfect-split grand jetés), Brittany Cioce, and Sarah Atkins. It also demonstrated the dramatic and stylistic range of which BalletNext, and Brian Reeder, are capable. 

Ephemera—Performance Notebook, Hurricane Sandy edition

Hurricane Sandy is on the way. City's shut down, and one of the odd benefits of the subway being halted is that the near-constant subterranean rumbling is also temporarily stopped. 

Georgina Pascoguin kicking out the jambs in Bachground with Ballet Next. Photos: Paul B. Goode

Ballet Next at the Joyce

• The post-big company phase in the careers of ex-principals Michele Wiles (ABT) and Charles Askegard (NYCB)
• Caught one of two bills
• A duet (Stravinsky Divertimento) by NYCB soloist Georgina Pascoguin and Askegard, who choreographed it. He partners well; she excels in character roles for NYCB, but here, with no specific narrative, looked mainly fierce
• Brian Reeder's Picnic for six dancers is based on a film about some girls who go missing
• Victorian style cotton frocks and black tights/toe shoes an effective metaphor for a stifling era, but they also disguise the body and its lines
• Michele Wiles the mysterious central figure, proving she has lost none of her pinpoint balance or turning ability
• Mauro Bigonzetti's BachGround (ouch) shows his effective dramatic lighting and flair for visually bold imagery
• The six dancers, wearing black skirt-backed shorts, sit on chairs upstage and frantically pivot them 180º to demarcate solos and duets
• Muscular movements with Bigonzetti's trademark neurotic gesture arms/hands
• Live music in the Askegard and Bigonzetti a nice touch
• This ambitious week run that showed some range could have benefitted from more rehearsal

Pina Bausch's "...como el musguito..." at BAM

• Her continuous involvement of viewers through the dancers' entering and exiting via the side stage-house steps, and up the side aisles, is overlooked as a means of establishing audience connections. 
• The dancers can appear larger-than-life onstage—glamorous, handsome, beautiful, hair silken or musculature perfect, but when they move among us, they become one of us. 
• Come to think of it, nearly every time it was a woman using this pathway
• The women reminded me of the Wilis from Giselle (or a similar massing of forlorn women, from Swan Lake or La Bayadere, etc.) as they drifted onstage in their evening gowns, heads hanging down, barefoot, like some sort of sorority of sad souls
• It became perhaps a bit too easy to see everything through the filter that Pina was ill while creating this, even if she was unaware of the illness  

Ensemble Basiani of Tblisi, Georgia at Church of St. Mary the Virgin

• Transcending Time all-traditional program part of the White Light Festival
• Traditional folk songs and hymns, all-male, a cappella, choir of the Georgian patriarchate from Tblisi
• Powerfully visceral experience as a viewer
• Ranged from fog-horn like, loud, demonstrative singing to soft, delicate lullaby volume
• Georgian-style yodeling ("krimanchuli") hit some high notes, but otherwise the range seemed to be contained to a middle octave
• They wore knee-length, military-feel navy blue coats with pewter decorations and black boots
• There's no subsititute for the authenticity of a choir like this, singing traditional songs in their native tongue

Stay safe and dry. See you on the other side of the hurricane, when the trains resume their rumbling.

See superb dancers for a pittance

Clifton Brown in Collective Body's Sunglasses

No secret that New York boasts some of the finest large dance companies in the world, such as Alvin Ailey, American Ballet Theater, and New York City Ballet. But there's a phenomenon happening that seems to be more and more common—dancers with such major companies perform freelance with, or depart to, younger troupes that perform in smaller spaces. For the most part, tickets to these shows are far less expensive than those companies where these dancers found fame, and can be an interesting option to see new work on a budget.

Michele Wiles of Ballet Next. Photo: Paul B. Goode

In the coming weeks alone, you can see Clifton Brown (for years, a star at Ailey), dance with Brian Carey Chung's Collective Body Dance Lab at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center on Sep 21 & 22; Michele Wiles and Charles Askegard (ex-principals with ABT and NYCB), founders of Ballet Next, dancing in their own company's week at the Joyce (Oct 23-28) alongside dancers from several major ballet companies in dances by five choreographers including Mauro Bigonzetti and Brian Reeder; and Satellite Ballet at Lynch Theater (John Jay College) on Nov 2, put together by NYCB corps member Troy Schumacher, who has corralled such on-the-rise NYCB hotshots as Lauren King, Ashley Laracey, David Prottas, and Taylor Stanley in work choreographed by Schumacher but that strives to emphasize the collaborative process.

Satellite Ballet's Epistasis

Chung, who danced with LINES and Karole Armitage, will present two works on a bill shared with Danszloop (from Chicago, with Paula Frasz as artistic director). Chung's Let's Pretend We're All Wearing Sunglasses combines verbal commentary on male guardianship and materialism with bursts of athletic movement that shows off the preternaturally leggy company of nine. Brown has a lengthy closing solo that demonstrates why he's considered among the finest of his generation—his serene, commanding presence, endless wingspan, and supple power are all apparent in Chung's often witty phrasing that emphasizes line and stage composition. Tickets start at $20 (and $10 for the other two shows), a bargain to see some of the finest dancers around doing what they love.