“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.
