Balanchine: The City Center Years (Program II)

Program II of “Balanchine: The City Center Years” at New York City Center on Thursday.

My favorite tonight goes to Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe of The Royal Ballet in “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux”. What a beautiful presentation of my favorite duet. WOW!!! 😍😍😍

I wasn’t the only one who fell in love with them. The crowd cheered so loudly that the house re-opened the curtain for them to take an extra bow.

After seeing Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz of NYCB perform the piece this spring, I didn’t think anyone could possibly come close. However, within seconds of coming onto the stage, after the first spin and the first lift, Anna Rose was already signaling to us that we’re in for a treat.

Anna Rose and Marcelino had an incredible chemistry between them that brought the duet to a different level.

I also love every aspect of Anna Rose’s presentation. The way she lingered in the air just a bit longer than expected at the end of a turn. Her facial expression, her eyes, her glaze alone could tell endless stories. Technically, she travelled backwards in her arabesque faster than anyone I’ve seen. Her fish dives at the end were the most daring of a leap into a fish dive that I’ve seen. Like I said, I didn’t think anyone could possibly outshine Tiler but she just did!

San Francisco Ballet put on a beautiful performance of “Divertimento No 15” featuring a talented female lead cast of Frances Chung, Dores André, Sasha De Sola, Koto Ishihara, Ana Sophia Scheller accompanied by Ben Freemantle, Angelo Greco, and Lonnie Weeks.

Maria Khoreva, Anastasia Nuykina, Daria Ionova, and Xander Parish put on an emotional rendition of “Apollo”. Bravo!

I also love the pairing of Maria Kowroski and Abi Stafford in “Concerto Barocco” by New York City Ballet.

Classic New York City Ballet

“Classic New York City Ballet” by New York City Ballet was amazing this afternoon!

“The Four Seasons” was absolutely gorgeous with 49 dancers (!!!) in the piece. Sterling Hyltin and Chase Finley perfectly captured Spring, but Ashley Boulder, Zachary Catazaro, and Roman Mejia stole the show with Fall. I enjoyed seeing two of my favorite ballerinas, Maria Kowroski and Tiler Peck, on stage together in “Oltremare” as well as Megan Fairchild in “Square Dance.” Also, the promenade of the Koch Theater was beautifully decorated with sculptures by Jihan Zencirli.

The Four Seasons, choreographed by Jerome Robbins with music by Giuseppi Verdi, presents a series of scenes depicting Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The opening scene of Winter was both elegant (dancers dressed in all white) and humorous (dancers rubbing their hands to keep themselves warm, against a backdrop of falling snowflakes). Sterling and Chase perfectly captured the exuberance of Spring with Sterling’s bright personality and Chase’s (and the boys’) leaps. They looked like young leaves sprouting and eagerly shooting into the air. Summer was hot and slow, and wonderfully conveyed by Ashley Laracey and Taylor Stanley. My favorite season goes to Fall which felt like a ginormous harvest celebration, filled with non-stop dancing, parades, and lots of impressive turns.

Oltremare explores the feeling of being an immigrant: Constantly moving, searching for a better life, yet never at home. While the central theme is all about emotions, the piece also features tons of highly technical moves. I felt Maria and Tiler, both highly expressively and also super technical, played the parts perfectly. Ashly Isaacs and Megan LeCrone were both lovely in their roles, too.

My favorite part of Square Dance goes to “square dancing” geometric group patterns with intricate ballet steps.

As a side note, I thought I was seeing doubles when the sisters, Claire and Emma Von Enck danced together in the Four Season. I had to check the program to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.

Here/Now Festival: Christopher Wheeldon

Had a wonderful time tonight at New York City Ballet Here/Now Festival featuring works by Christopher Wheeldon. Thrilled to see many of my favorite dancers on stage.

My favorite piece goes to American Rhapsody. Set to the music of George Gershwin, the choreography reminds me of An American in Paris: a love story filled with playful moments, cheerful music, and non-stop movements that make everything feel larger than life.

Unity Phelan was absolutely amazing in the lead role in American Rhapsody. Also loved her duets in Polyphonia especially the 9th piano piece. How is Unity only a soloist?????

Tiler Peck was incredible in Mercurial Manoeuvres with so much control, so much speed, and yet perfect stillness when the music demands it. So beautiful.

Finally saw Lauren Lovette in a lead role after two seasons with NYCB. Loved watching Maria Kowroski again. Bravos to Amar Ramasar and Russell Janzen as well.