New York Notebook—Dorrance and Ailey

Josette Wiggan-Freund and Joseph Wiggan in the Nutcracker

There are some compositions that are basically siren songs for dance makers, which simply must, at some point, be choreographed to, rocky shore be damned. There’s Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Ravel’s Bolero, and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, which suffers most in redundancy due to the work’s seasonal nature. Over the past couple of weeks, I caught the last two treated by, respectively, Lar Lubovitch for Ailey and Michelle Dorrance/Hannah Heller/Josette Wiggan-Freund for Dorrance Dance. 

The Nut, a Joyce commission, is a joyful, hip, brief addition to the canon. (Its official title is a paragraph, not likely to be printed in full—a wink acknowledging that it will be referred to as the Nut.) Mostly tap danced, with some sneaker-shod street moves, it uses Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn’s “Nutcracker Suite,” a jazzy, brass-heavy, uptempo selective rendition that dares you to sit still. The abbreviated party scene quickly introduces Clara (Leonardo Sandoval)—tall, awkward, with childlike wonder, in a teal chiffon dress. Her parents are real-life siblings and tap power duo Joseph Wiggan and Josette Wiggan-Freund in a killer, swingy half-waistcoat (costumes by Andrew Jordan). Drossy’s arrival signals the shift into fantasy, where the toys and rodents grow, and the rats‚—led by a crisp, snazzy Heller—multiply and intimidate the humans, throwing what look like cheese balls.

Holiday Dance: As Regular as the Seasons

Tiler Peck in Balanchine's Nutcracker. Photo: Paul Kolnik

This particular moment in the calendar year is, for a dance fan, a comfortable, cinnamon-scented one. Thanksgiving means the next-night opening of New York City Ballet's Nutcracker, by George Balanchine, with its magnificent tree, authentic-looking snow, and richly detailed party scene. It's a chance to see the varied talents and facets of the magnificent company, from Maria Kowroski as Sugarplum Fairy, cooly radiant and controlled; Tiler Peck (Dewdrop), a virtuosic jazz musician on pointe, able to bend time to her will with her crystalline technique and musical ear; Erica Pereira (Marzipan), precise and delicate; Chase Finlay and Georgina Pascoguin (Hot Chocolate) bold and alluring. And of course, the key—all the well-drilled children as party-goers, little trees, angels, and candy canes. With its lavish sets and costumes, and enduringly rich score by Tchaikovsky, it's a well-burnished holiday tradition.

Linda Celeste Sims, Rachel McLaren, and Alicia Graf Mack. Photo: Andrew Eccles

Beginning Nov 28, Alvin Ailey takes up residence at City Center for the month of December, as usual—always a joyful, invigorating thought. It seems as woven into the fabric of the city's holiday calendar as NYCB's Nut, and now ABT's Nutcracker by Ratmansky at BAM. This year at AAADT, the repertory consists of, appropriately, ever more dances by Artistic Director Robert Battle (four) including a new production of Strange Humors, and what feels like an organic winnowing of dances by Mr. Ailey, including Memoria, Night Creature, Streams, the iron-clad Revelations, plus excerpt medleys of his works called Ailey Classics. 

Other highlights include a world premiere by Kyle Abraham, who blends styles to make his own voice; Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort; From Before by Garth Fagan; and a new production of Ronald Brown's Grace, which remains one of the gems of Ailey's rep. Speaking of: the inimitable, elegant Renee Robinson, who created the central role in Grace, is retiring after a remarkable career, and will be celebrated on Dec 9 at 7:30, as well as by leading all performances of Revelations for the first two weeks of the season. Another retirement of note: Executive Director Sharon Gersten Luckman retires after this season and will be feted on Dec 4; that program includes Ohad Naharin's Minus 16. As long-time Ailey faces move on, the company's performance schedule remains steadfast. 

Nuts and Frauleins, 12/18/08

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NYCB's Nutcracker and Doug Elkins' Fraulein Maria

http://www.thirteen.org/sundayarts/blog/performance/nuts-and-frauleins/123/

A list of holiday traditions in New York runs longer than my arm, but two are essential. One is New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker, which always conjures seasonal spirit, even in annual viewings. Another is Doug Elkins’ Fraulein Maria at The Public Theater’s Joe’s Pub, which couldn’t be more of a contrast, but which left me ridiculously giddy. At heart, they sum up the best of the city at holiday time. Any time, really.

The first act of George Balanchine’s Nutcracker, to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, shows that it was created in a different era. Essentially one long family party scene ending with a frothy snowflake ballet, it shows a patience for details and an indulgence in small children that wouldn’t be made nowadays. Balanchine’s focus on Christmas as a kids’ holiday is clear when you realize how incidental the adults are. Of them, only the mysterious Herr Drosselmeyer has any import, and that’s because he bears lavish (and simple) gifts, thereby dispensing power. But the real scene stealer always has been the enormous tree that never stops growing, making even the multi-headed Mouse King look tiny. Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s amazing set also includes snow-laden pine bowers, charming and ominous at once and an enchanting setting for the human and artificial snowflakes besetting the stage.

Act II is a dance travelogue, more gifts being offered, that unspools after Marie watches Fritz do a mime recap. Little angels criss-cross the stage. Nationalities/attributes are represented by various food stuffs. Spain/chocolate, China/tea, Arabia/coffee, high energy/candycanes, Germany/marzipan (led by the dynamic Tiler Peck), grace/dewdrop. (If anyone knows what dewdrop—not a food—stands for, speak up. Obviously I don’t.) I saw the incomparable Maria Kowroski as the Sugarplum Fairy and the serviceable Charles Askegard as the Cavalier.