Auspicious Beginnings
It's been open season for new chor-eographers. In addition to the new works as part of the Diamond Project for New York City Ballet, "New Ballet Choreographers," September 13, 15, and 16, opened at the newly stage-surfaced Miller Theatre at Columbia University. In conjunction with "Works in Process at the Guggenheim" museum, four newly commissioned ballets by emerging choreographers were presented. Miller's mission is to present new ballets to new music performed live, in the immediacy of a small (688) theater. Everything worked, the live music, the choreography, an enthusiastic audience and especially the dancers gleaned from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre II.
Edwaard Liang, a superb dancer at NYCB contributed two pas de deuxs, "Softly as I Speak," to music by Philip Glass, and "Für Alina," to piano music of the same name by Arvo Pärt. Maria Kowroski's angulated tibias and broken wrists were duly manipulated by Albert Evans into a lyrical approach to a parting-and-return theme. Liang's "Für Alina" with Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall (both from NYCB) was another matter. Mysterious, with an effective play with dramatic lights-on-lights-off, the work belongs in a major company's repertoire. Whelan is now a mature artist who can pull out a subtext of a work where there may not have been one.
Brian Reeder's "Them" had Joseph Gorek pointing a finger at three couples as accuser, manipulator, magician or puppeteer. The new music was a quartet by Jefferson Friedman and provided Gorek, endless opportunity to perform jumps and tours with no direct response from the group. Reeder has almost a European eye in his separating one dancer from the rest as observer, instigator and passive commentator.
Tom Gold, a performer at NYCB, pulled off a finale that began with reminiscent '60s sounds of quasi Indian music by John Zorn with tunes from a Masada songbook, and the women in tunics with no trousers in flaming colors, with a few sequins on Ashley Bouder's coral tunic. She performed a cheeky, seductive duet with Sean Suozzi who came bounding in and out of the scene, whirling about and leaving without too much interest in the harem.
All in all, because of the level or the performers, new choreography has interest. Better than familiar choreography poorly interpreted.
The New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the new York City Ballet, sponsors fall and spring sessions over the course of two weeks, to provide new choreographers with studio space and dancers from New York City Ballet and advanced students from the School of American Ballet to experiment. Since the fall of 2000, a total of 42 choreographers have participated. The sessions provide a unique opportunity for new choreographers, in the best of conditions, to work and develop. Contact for more information by e-mail: NYChoreoInst@nycballet.com.