Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Alexei Ratmansky and William Forsythe debut notable new works informed by the pandemic: BERNSTEIN IN A BUBBLE & THE BARRE PROJECT (BLAKE WORKS II)

• By drediman
• March 27, 2021
• No Comments

This week, I streamed a pair of notable premieres from two of the dance world’s marquee choreographers, William Forsythe and Alexei Ratmansky. Here are my thoughts on their new pieces.

THE BARRE PROJECT (BLAKE WORKS II)
CLI Studios / William Forsythe / Tiler Peck
Live-streaming on March 27

With little else to do during the recent Covid-19 ridden months, New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck, world-renowned modern dance choreographer William Forsythe, and CLI Studios teamed up to produce The Barre Project (Blake Works II) (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), in my opinion one of the more exciting and stylishly captured new works of dance to come out of the pandemic so far. Having been conceived, rehearsed, and performed during lockdown, the work is very much informed by the current difficult reality facing dancers and dance-makers. The film even weaves in bi-coastal process and rehearsal footage (over Zoom!), documenting the logistical challenges faced by the team leading up to the performance.

Set to James Blake’s textured score, the work takes its inspiration from the ballet barre, making it the visual and thematic focal point of the piece. There, we find Ms. Peck and a trio of male dancers (Brooklyn Mack, Lex Ishimoto, and Roman Mejia – all excellent), in various configurations, engaging in what appears to be stylized training – what else can dancers do at the moment? But by the climax of the episodic work, the quartet has broken free of the barre, erupting into a thrilling, full-throttle dance break. The ballet bares all the hallmarks of Mr. Forsythe’s dense, cursive style, in which fluid and fluent physical motion is accented by sharp, angular movements. However, there’s also an exhilarating sense of joy and clarity here that I hadn’t experienced in the choreographer’s previous works.

Thankfully, Ms. Peck – whose virtuosic musicality is already the stuff of legends among dance fans – and company more than do Mr. Forsythe and his rapid fire choreography proud. Indeed, I’m so glad to see Ms. Peck dancing up a storm – during a pandemic, no less! – after having suffered a potentially career-ending injury a few years back. Here’s hoping that this collaboration between dancer and choreographer doesn’t end here. Ms. Peck’s astonishing talent as a dancer seems perfectly suited to Mr. Forsythe’s detailed aesthetic, and I’d love to see him create more works especially for her.

ABT LIVE FROM CITY CENTER: A RATMANSKY CELEBRATION
American Ballet Theatre / New York City Center
On-demand through April 18

Then we have ABT Live from City Center: A Ratmansky Celebration (RECOMMENDED), which comes to our homes the same week that artistic director Kevin McKenzie has announced his exit from the company at the conclusion of the 2022 season after 30 years in the leadership role. Shot live earlier this week on the hallowed stage of New York City Center, one of the city’s major dance venues, the evening is a classy tribute to Alexei Ratmansky, ABT’s artist in residence for over a decade now and one of the most well-versed and versatile choreographers currently working in dance (and one of my personal favorites).

Most notably, the program features the world premiere of the choreographer’s Bernstein in a Bubble, which fittingly concludes the evening. Like The Barre Project (Blake Works II), the ballet empowers its dancers to break loose from the pandemic’s metaphoric chains and dance with freedom as part of a company. Set to the fanfare and jubilance of Bernstein’s “Divertimento”, Mr. Ratmansky brings wit, sunny personality, and a natural feel for the music that has marked many of his past creations. If it’s not an instant Ratmansky classic, the work nonetheless more than serves its purpose of telegraphing the excitement and joy that’s just around the corner for all of us.

Preceding Bernstein in a Bubble, the intelligently-curated program also showcases excerpts from various Ratmansky pieces over the choreographer’s tenure at ABT. Altogether, these snippets succinctly highlight the eclectic facets of his considerable choreographic talents – from his deep knowledge of and respect for the classical ballet heritage (“Rose Adagio” from his re-staging The Sleeping Beauty), to his sensitive way with musical phrasing (the second movement of Seven Sonatas), to his capacity for exquisite emotion (the pas de deux from The Seasons). Happily, the ABT dancers handily met the nuanced demands of the evening. Indeed, they look fit and ready to perform when the inevitable time comes.