BALLET X

Review By Nicole Duffy

What is contemporary ballet? A curse and a blessing of the now is the wide-open field it operates in. Founded by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, and now directed by Cox, Ballet X is the premiere contemporary ballet company of Philadelphia, a company much admired throughout the concert dance world, particularly by current dancers and young audiences. The work speaks to this generation, in an art form that struggles to attract support.

The inhabitants of Neenan’s Credo moved with a curious, child-like shuffle that seemed to unite them as a group, with different members breaking away momentarily. Crisp gestures (a pointed index finger, or a held hand) and tightly-knit patterns felt like an organized family ritual or a gathering in motion. The sari-like loose chiffon pants and tops in pastels by Reid and Harriet gave away the choreographer’s inspiration from a trip to India, but the Western classical sound, a mix of Haydn and composer Kevin Puts, beautifully played live onstage by ensemble132, muted the Eastern references. The credo of the piece itself remained mysterious, but that was part of the charm.

Sophikio Simsive on piano and Zachary Mowitz on cello brought some heft to Honey, a work by Jamar Roberts in a long tradition of dances that portray the evolution of young love through the long haul. Conveying relationship dynamics through the body opens up the work to deeply personal interpretations. Anger and tenderness seemed to take turns as the salient emotions, and each couple brought an intensity to their phase, with young love, danced with some fire by Ashley Simpson and Jared Kelly, having the most dramatic and sometimes hostile interactions.
Control shifted back and forth, and as couples “aged,” the tender moments became sweeter.
Again, mystery prevailed and no answer given; the viewer’s own world constructs meaning.

Ballet X dancers’ full-on attack and commitment was on display in Jennifer Archibald’s Exalt.
Fusing technique with liberated, the rippling torsos and pelvic inflected gyrations, the dancers joined a long American dance tradition that began with works such as Gerald Arpino’s Trinity (1969) or Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe (1972), where dancers’ personalities and seemingly improvised vernacular moves are deftly inserted into an organized work. The women’s struts on pointe and men in long leather skirts were perhaps a little too cool, even as younger members of the audience hooted and hollered. The tug of war between a more abstract formalism and blatantly popular fun was on full display. Yet one doesn’t tire of seeing young people be themselves through dance. And speaking directly to young contemporaries through dance is a great way to give them joy, and bring them back for more.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Nicole Duffy