Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Paul Taylor launches the inaugural City Center Dance Festival and Mark Morris’s timeless, undisputed masterpiece returns to BAM

• By drediman
• March 27, 2022
• No Comments

This week, the works of a pair of legendary dance-makers graced the stages of two beloved New York performing arts institutions. Here are my thoughts.

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY
New York City Center
Through March 31

This past Wednesday, Paul Taylor Dance Company (RECOMMENDED) launched the inaugural City Center Dance Festival. Running through April 10, the maiden festival also includes Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Martha Graham Dance Company. Arguably, the main draw of the opening night program was the premiere of Pentimento choreographed by Lauren Lovette, a recently-retired New York City Ballet principal who was just appointed to be Paul Taylor Dance Company’s resident choreographer. If dance’s conceit of a red scarf that’s passed around (giving each member of the company a chance to shine) seems a bit heavy handed, I nevertheless admired Ms. Lovette’s eagerness to depict a loosely drawn narrative, which is one of the signature features of Paul Taylor’s own choreography. The work is a step forward for Ms. Lovette as choreographer, which I suspect was the result of having the opportunity to work with contemporary dancers (as opposed to classical ballet dancers, for whom she’s choreographed in the past). The evening also represented a sort of changing of the guards – the company is currently comprised of young dancers who are still developing in the Taylor aesthetic (grounded, versatile). The program was bookended by two Paul Taylor classics – Roses and Brandenburgs. Although I’ve seen the these beloved dances danced with more finesse, their aggressive athleticism and iconic tableaus were greatly missed and certainly a sight for sore eyes. Thankfully, each of the company’s upcoming festival performances features live music courtesy of the great Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP: L’ALLEGRO, IL PENSEROSO ED IL MODERATO
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Through March 27

Then we have Mark Morris’s evening length L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (lovingly referred to simply as L’Allegro) (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which this week returns to New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House for only a handful of performances. Set to Handel’s oratorio of the same name, the timeless, harmonious work can simply be described as an ode to humanity. Indeed, it’s an invigorating depiction of the gamut of the human experience – the joys, the sorrows, the humor, the love, the community, the camaraderie, the significant, the mundane, and so forth. The piece is also a captivating portrait of man’s relationship with and place in the natural world. That Morris’s choreography depicts all these with the utmost musicality, wit, and grace (thematic elements weave in and out of the evening with so naturally) is what makes the work a richly satisfying and undisputed masterpiece. His company’s current roster of dancers is a robust combination of familiar and fresh new faces. Each of them has an unadorned and disarmingly unforced way of moving to music and, collectively, their inspired ensemble work is a joy to behold. In summary, I can’t think of a more life-giving and life-affirming piece of art (it’s almost like the choreographic equivalent to Beethoven’s Ninth), which is made all the more necessary after the two years we’ve just had. The live music – conducted vibrantly by Colin Fowler – came courtesy of the MMDG Music Ensemble, the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and Downtown Voices. L’Allegro is food for the soul, and in my book, should be mandatory viewing for all.