HUGO MARCAHND Artist At The Center

Review by Celia Ipiotis

City Center was the site of a dance happening when Hugo Marchand adorned the stage with a collection of beautiful dancers in an assortment of chamber pieces ending with Maurice Bejart’s throbbing all-male  Bolero.

When Bejart unveiled the all-male Bolero version in 1983 at City Center, the audience was shocked; I know, I was there. Now remember, in 1981 the NY Native had just declared the existence of  “gay cancer” and by 1983, many men had succumbed to AIDS. So the positioning of a male in the central, provocative role ( originally choreographed for a female) flanked by a chorus of bare chested men was considered scandalous. Despite the shock, no one to my recollection ran out of the theater. 

While known to be a popular etoile with the Paris Opera Ballet, Marchand has a larger vision that includes curating productions that can reach larger audiences through lower-cost tickets. His appearance at City Center is a result of a year-long collaborative residency called “The Artist at the Center” initiative. This enabled him to envision the evening’s offerings and build a tightly curated and effectively cast program. 

In the opening night offerings, George Balanchine was represented by Sonatine, a jaunty pas de deux set to Ravel and played live by Elena Bonnay. When speaking Balanchine, dancers must be succinct and clear. No need for extra flourishes, and that was exactly how it was performed by Lenore Baulac and Germain Louvet. 

Balanchine’s succinct ballet to Ravel was juxtaposed against Igor Stravinsky’s vibrant score driving The Firebird, choreographed by Maurice Bejart. By disposing with the traditional story line, the Bejart Ballet Lausanne dancers in boxy pants and tops (by Roger Bernard and Joelle Roustan) pounded out the rhythm with their feet (more in keeping with another famous Stravinsky ballet The Rite of Spring) and the mystical Firebird materialized in the form of the high-jumping, acrobatic Konosuke Takeoka.

Known for his architecturally sound works, Hans Van Manen’s Trois gnossiennes to Erik Satie, matched the spareness of the music to the pas de deux with Lenore Baulac and Hugo Marchand. A modernist piece, the angular steps included an overhead-lift with Baulac on her back in a bug-like position. Strong arabesques, and flexed feet scored the outlines of the choreographer’s geometric forms.

Carolyn Carlson, a former Alwin Nikolais dancer, relocated to France in the early 1970’s and carved out a well-established choreographic career.  Her L’Esprit de Bleu, Pas de deux from Signes saw Dorothee Gilbert and Germain Louvet effectively sculpt the broad arcs made by swinging arms, nex to running supported leaps and hands designating the contours of each other’s bodies. 

One of the most potent pieces was delivered by Marchand and Gilbert in Angelin Preljocaj’s L’Abndon from Le Parc set to Mozart. The couple formed a single unit that breathed and moved in tandem. When he raised her white clad form, she resembled a cloud puff floating in the air.

The most mesmerizing move came when he lifted her, and their faces met in an elongated kiss while eloquently and heartbreakingly surrendering to a timeless embrace.  Fully mesmerizing, the kiss was a poignant meditation on love and separation.

For the finale, Marchand returned as the central dancer (La Meladie)  in the climactic unfolding of Ravel’s popular Bolero. Marchand stood on a raised platform, surrounded by bare chested men ( Le Rythme) from Bejart Ballet Lausanne.  Minor accumulation of movements built into a crescendo of motion. Bolero began with Marchand rocking, hips tilted forward and back. Arms shot out, accenting the symphonic notes, straightening and curving them, bent at the elbows in “touch down” position.

Movements expanded into larger shapes, particularly for Marchand who levitated off the platform and stretched his long limbs like a rapacious bird. Finally, the ballet built to the final fevered pitch. The men rushed the platform and suddenly–silence — until the audience’s roar of approval.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis

Photos by Curtis Brown and Maria Helena Buckley