NYC BALLET AND ROBBINS

Review by Celia Ipiotis

When NYC Ballet was formed, George Balanchine invited Jerome Robbins to  help build the company’s repertory. An incomparable story-teller, Robbins arrived with a hit under his belt, “Fancy Free.” Choreographed for American Ballet Theater in April of 1944, Robbins engaged the services of the then young composer Leonard Bernstein and set designer, Oliver Smith. Remarkably, by December of the same year, the ballet was converted into a full fledged Broadway musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

A perpetual favorite, Fancy Free relies on the athletic and comedic talents of its cast. Three salty sailors on leave — Daniel Ulbricht, Harrison Coll, and Sebastian Villarini-Velez–rock the town in search of companionship.  Rather than use balletic pantomime, Robbins speaks through universal gestures like high spirited waves, and tips of he hat, haughty hair tosses and jaunty jabs.

Robbins expertly develops each character through gesture and three distinctive solos. First in line, Ulbrecht pops up in a “dirt-devil” spin landing in a split. Later  his arms lock overhead in a victory clutch. The nonstop romp whips him to the bar where he chugs a bit of courage, jumps on top the bar and veers into a balance bar routine until jumping off, legs split, landing without a hitch. Coll saunters into an “ah gosh” solo of lyrically swinging legs and arms, exerting a romantic, nonchalance that opens into wide slides side to side. Finally, Vallarini-velez gets a cheeky solo full of booty shaking, snaky Latin hips and rhythmic hand claps. Apparently imagining a partner, he  slyly dances  by himself while keeping an eye on the two women, Lauren Collett and Jacqueline Bologna, watching.

From the sunny mood of Fancy Free, Robbins slips into another character study; this time, showcasing three couples representing different emotional states of mind. In the Night (1970) is performed to four of Chopin’s nocturnes, effectively played by Elaine Chelton. 

Indiana Woodward and Joseph Gordon breeze through a quiet duet full of elongated arms and legs, lyrically threading the two in mirrored movements side by side, seemingly breathing as one.

In a more spirited mode, Emilie Gerrity and Aaron Sanz, dressed in rust outfits. Full of acrobatic lifts and poignant refrains  the duet is topped off by Gerrity’s body being whipped upside down, legs vertically pulled tight together, head near the floor, held at the waist by Sanz.

Highly tempestuous turns  and physical tugs draw Tiler Peck and Gilbert Bolden III into an animated conversation full of emotional charges and mid-air embraces. A pleasure to see Peck return to the repertory, her intrinsic musicality and technical precision perfectly suits Robbins’ development of narrative through movement and music.

The evening closed on the mirthful The Four Seasons (1979) to a score by Guiseppe Verdi (best known for his operas). Divided into Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, each section exudes its own flavor. 

Dancers in white tutus resembling either Nutcracker’s “Snowflakes” or Swan Lake’s “Swanettes,” hilariously crouch down shivering in winter’s chill. Sprightly hops on point by Olivia MacKinnon marks Spring along with her attentive partner Jovani Furlan. The longer and more languorous movements of Summer link Ashley Laracey and Aaron Sanz in an almost continuously connected pas de deux.

Unity Phelan and Andrew Veyette easily negotiate the tricky partnering that includes punctuation points at the end of whirling turns and lifts in constant motion. The pas de deux is disrupted by the mischievous faun, Cainan Weber, who like any good jester tears up the space in split leaps, head spinning turns and air gulping leaps. This draws the program to a happy end.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis