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Home , Circus Polka, Enjoy Your Rabbit, Jenifer Ringer, Jewels (ballet), Jonathan Stafford, Justin Peck

Ballet Beat June, 2014 A Newsletter from For Art’s Sake Vol. 17 No. 1

Welcome to Saratoga Springs and the 49th season of have mastered her combination of crystalline technique and the New York City at the Saratoga Performing Arts expressive range, and her fi nal Saratoga performances will Center. carry a special poignancy. As Ballet Beat goes to print for the 17th consecutive Two of the world’s most exciting young talents have year, SPAC and NYCB have announced a restoration of a created new works for NYCB. Soloist , whose two week residency for 2015! This is wonderful news and we Year of the proved 2013’s runaway hit, returns with congratulate both organizations for their work in making an even grander work, Everywhere We Go, to music by Rabbit this possible. Mr. Balanchine’s vision goes on! composer (July 9, 10m, 12m). Created for 25 dancers, it features seven of the company’s best, including NYCB’s Saratoga 2014 Season— , , , and . A Week of Welcomes and Farewells The other new ballet, Acheron, to Poulenc (Gala, Though once again limited to a single week, the 2014 July12), comes from English whiz Liam Scarlett, who retired season at SPAC comes crammed with from dancing at 26 to choreograph. Like Peck, Scarlett has wonderful dancing, by two brilliant young a keen musical ear and a gift for moving groups of dancers choreographers, and a farewell to a world- strikingly about the stage. Scarlett also plumbs emotional class ballerina. depths in his pas de deux. , who has made In addition to twenty-fi rst century work, the week summers sparkle in Saratoga since includes fi ve ballets by company co-founder George joining NYCB in 1986, will Balanchine, the twentieth century’s greatest choreographer. retire this fall. Her last SPAC In a season that also brings the to SPAC, appearances come in Jerome Balanchine’s , to Glazunov (July 8, 11), Robbins’ , and in advertises NYCB’s exciting American-accented version of two pas de deux Christopher Russian classicism. “America,” Balanchine insisted, “is now Wheeldon made for her, home of .” A late Balanchine, Walpurgisnacht This Bitter Earth Ballet, to Gounod’s ballet music from Faust (July 8, (performed 10m, 12m), evolves from classical order in the opening July 10 and movements to a wild rampage, dancers crisscrossing the at the July stage in great crashing waves. 12 matinee) Balanchine’s love of both America and England inspired and the second two big ballets. He spent much of the late 1930s and early half of After 1940s choreographing for Broadway and Hollywood, and the Rain (Gala, his 1970 Who Cares? (July 8, 9, 10m) uses 16 great Gershwin July 12). For songs to fl aunt his show-biz side. and Ask la 2012’s This Bitter Cour will lead the festivities. In 1976, Balanchine celebrated Earth, a densely melancholy dance, Max Richter composed America’s bicentennial in typically droll fashion, by paying a synthesized string setting of ’s rhythm and tribute to Great Britain. , which concludes the blues song, borrowing ’s vocal. In the British-themed Gala (July 12), pulls together thrilling 2005 After the Rain, to Arvo Pärt, Whelan’s duet follows military precision marching, joky music hall turns, and an an opening in which balletic poses—legs thrust in the exhilarating set of naval dances into an irresistible ballet for air, for example—undergo modernist meltdowns. The 72 dancers. pas itself ranges tenderly from the tentative to the bold, The fi nal Balanchine work, which plunges us into with overhead sideways lifts. The pair feel naked, almost childhood, offers an ideal chance to acquaint your favorite precognitive, like new creatures setting out into a strange young person with ballet. His version of Andersen’s The new world. Steadfast Tin Soldier (July 8, 12m), comes from his 1955 Over nearly three decades, Whelan has brought us the Bizet ballet, Jeux d’enfants, and its romance between the tin ferociousness of ’ , the psychological soldier and the toy ballerina has great charm and a little and sexual profundity of ’s and heartbreak. Young balletgoers will also love Jerome Robbins’ Stravinsky Violin Concerto, the classical dazzle of Balanchine’s (July 10m, 12m). Stravinsky’s romping music and Diamonds, the romantic Balanchine in La originally accompanied a ballet Balanchine made for circus Sonnambula and , and much more. Few ballerinas elephants. In 1972, Robbins used it for a ballet with 48 girls, other. The entire cast of both ballets danced their hearts from teens to tweens to teenies. A top-hatted ringmaster out in tribute to their friend and colleague. Jon says “It was cracks his whip and puts them through their paces, a an overwhelming display of love and support and I am so funny commentary on ballet school. The girls spell blessed to have so many wonderful people around me”. out a special set of initials at the end—whom will What is it about storms and Fayette retirements? they honor this year? Anyone who attended James’ 2005 SPAC retirement will Robbins’ other work, the 1983 Glass Pieces remember a torrential downpour that doused the audience (July 9, 11) includes one of his greatest and performers and caused a power outage, while James and dances, the middle movement, Façades, his wife kept dancing which Wendy Whelan will dance with oblivious to anything but each other. Adrian Danchig-Waring. A haunting So a snow storm on February 9th was woodwind melody, backed by no surprise as Jenny’s retirement day circuitous strings, accompanies their arrived. She chose two ballets that perfectly mysterious pas de deux, performed captured the many facets of her talents. Dances before a silhouetted line of women at a Gathering was a ballet Jenny knew intimately, advancing slowly across the back having danced all fi ve female roles over her career. of the stage, against a graph-paper It was, fi ttingly, a gathering of friends dancing grid. The opening movement contrasts together one last time but also, through the pedestrian movement—hordes of dancers evolution of role after role, the perfect closure walk across the stage in all directions—with to this remarkable ballerina’s struggles and four dancers attempting to make contact and triumphs during the course of her life. As discover meaning, while the closing section the pink girl, Jenny could be sweet and turns Glass’s percussive music into a modern playful or free and tempestuous. ritual. Her pas de deux with Jared Angle Three rarely seen works round out the brought me to tears. “Dancing this pas season, one from NYCB ballet master in chief , de deux will be an everlasting joy to me. I was privileged whose 2005 Todo Buenos Aires, to Astor Piazzolla, whisks to dance it with Jared Angle, my friend and one of the best us to Argentina for some hot on pointe (July 10, partners in the company, and I was able to truly trust him 12m). Angelin Prelocaj’s 1997 La Stravaganza (July 10, 11) and relax into the peacefulness of the pas de deux without brings the baroque into collision with today, using music worrying that anything would go wrong….it was as if we by Vivaldi and several electronic composers. And Vespro were alone in another world.” In her fi nal ballet, Union (July 10), Mauro Bigonzetti’s 2002 evening piece to Bruno Jack, Jenny’s delicious sense of humor as the Pearly Queen Moretti’s music, explores desire and suffering in a series was able to shine through. But the joke was on her when of pas de deux, with a libretto drawn from the writings of the playbill erroneously referred to her role as the Pearly Michelangelo. King opposite Amar Ramasar’s Pearly Queen! It was evident Though once again a small package, many wonderful by her radiant smile, exuberant high kicks and occasional things come in NYCB’s too-brief season. It will go by in a come-hither fl irting that no one enjoyed the occasion more fl ash, so it is not to be missed. than the Dancing Queen herself. Jay Rogoff Best wishes to Jon and Jenny in their new careers and personal transitions. Jon will still be within the New York The Humble Prince, The Dancing Queen and City Ballet “family” as Ballet Master and teacher at the The Pearly King Bid Farewell School of American Ballet. In August, he will marry NYCB It was fi tting that chose Memorial soloist Brittany Pollack. Jenny will be busy in Los Angeles Weekend for his retirement performance because it was as the Dean of the new Colburn Dance Academy (husband truly an event to remember. Dancing in the Emeralds and James will be the Associate Dean), and mom to Grace and Diamonds sections of , Jon was able to demonstrate Luke. From coast to coast, the future of ballet is in good his superb partnering, a skill he says “I always loved and hands. spent my whole career trying to master.” The Emeralds Mary Anne Fantauzzi section became extra special with Jon’s sister Abi and friend dancing the leading female roles. Emeralds Music was one of Jon’s fi rst principal roles as a young company This year at SPAC, an astonishing number of works member. The chemistry among the cast members, complete to be presented by New York City Ballet feature the music with warm smiles and endearing glances, enhanced the of 20thth and 21stst century composers. In fact, there are lush set with an air of lightness and joy. The pairing of entire performances where the oldest music featured is and Jon in Diamonds was exquisite. “Sara and under one hundred years old and there is no single program I had a very exciting debut together in Diamonds when we that doesn’t feature music composed in either the 20thth or were both soloists.” The humble prince and his dazzling 21stst century. ballerina created electricity on stage with bravura technique With so much to choose from, even contemporary and a shared love of the choreography, music and each music has proven to be too large a theme to explore. And

2 within the list of composers whose music accompanies this which Balanchine masterfully mimics in the choreography, summer’s ballets, there’s a very wide range of musical styles especially in the ballet’s closing section, “I Got Rhythm” from the popular songs of George Gershwin to the atonal which, believe me, they all do. circus tunes of , the pulsing rhythms of Philip While the music in Union Jack is “traditional” and Glass to Arvo Part’s haunting melodies and beyond. With so therefore much of it is likely to be older than the one many possible directions, I thought it would be interesting hundred or so years I’ve been referring, it too features songs to discuss the use of songs—and the music of — and since it also features music arranged in ballet. by including it here seemed As a musical style, the song is an extremely varied appropriate. type of composition, easy to defi ne and identify Like the Gershwin songs in Who Cares? but often diffi cult to categorize, as the form much of the music in Union Jack is both includes hundreds of years of history and very familiar and very hummable. I fi nd this countless musical genres. Many ballets to be particularly true of the ballet’s third incorporate songs as part or all of their and fi nal section with its nautical theme and accompanying music including several accompanying sea chanteys. among this summer’s SPAC repertoire. This Bitter Earth, with choreography by One ballet that doesn’t fi t that description is , is the only song ballet Justin Peck’s new work Everywhere We Go. The ballet is this summer whose music includes the words. It’s set to a commissioned score by Sufjan Stevens, an active also performed to a recording, something fairly singer-/composer of who unusual for New York City Ballet. This short has now completed his second collaboration with Peck. piece is set only to a version of the song of Consisting of nine movements for orchestra and piano, the same name featuring the famous vocals the piece is Stevens’ fi rst original orchestral work, though of Dinah Washington. The music you’ll he has considerable experience as an instrumental hear accompanying the ballet is actually composer. While the prolifi c Stevens’ work is varied, his an electronic mashup of “This Bitter Earth” songs often feature a range of instruments as well as long and an orchestral piece “On the Nature of Daylight” by Max introductions and frequent instrumental passages. It’s an Richter, a classically trained composer whose work is often a interesting musician who serves as songwriter and orchestral demonstration of crossover between varied styles of music, composer; ballet attendees last year may have seen Peck’s for example incorporating electronics with traditional ballet Year of the Rabbit which is set to an arrangement of classical instruments. This rendition of “This Bitter Earth” Stevens’ Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle (thus fi tting is melancholy but with rich underlying orchestrations. The here) based on the . orchestral music creates a beautiful melodic counterpoint to Another noted song and classical composer, albeit the vocal line. of songs of a slightly different type, is George Gershwin. As always, attending the New York City Ballet at SPAC Although George Balanchine will offer you a wide variety of music. Of course the words and George Gershwin had “ballet music” bring to mind certain classical styles. The planned to create a ballet 2014 programs provides a few opportunities to hear such together in the 1930s, due to 19th century works as Gounod’s “Faust” (Walpurgishnacht the composer’s untimely death Ballet) and Glazuov () along with the collaboration never occurred. traditional 20th century gems and some of the Balanchine fi nally created Who freshest compositions of our time. Cares? to Gershwin’s music in 1970. Alisa Forman While Gershwin wrote numerous classical works, only his songs, from Retirements musicals of the 20s and early 30s, On March 1, 2014 husband and wife are utilized in Who Cares? You may be Sebastien Marcovici and , both familiar with the lyrics to such classics as principal dancers with New York City Ballet gave “Embraceable You”, “I’ll Build A Stairway their joint farewell performance in a program to Paradise”, and “I Got Rhythm”, but featuring favorite signature roles and showcasing the music as performed in the ballet a long and beautiful on-and-offstage partnership. is entirely instrumental. Hershy Kay, a Sebastien Marcovici, born and raised in composer known for his arrangements Paris France joined New York City Ballet in including those for many New York City 1993. Janie Taylor, a native of Houston Texas Ballet works (such as Union Jack which will began ballet training at age four, entered the also be performed this summer) created School of American Ballet in 1995 and joined the orchestrations featured in Who Cares? the company in 1998. Drawing on the composer’s own piano arrangements of his For their fi nal performance Janie and Sebastien danced songs, Kay’s versions preserve the recognizable melodies and together in Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun and George jazziness. Kay’s versions also play on the songs’ syncopation Balanchine’s . The program choices could not

3 have been more perfect. Ideally suited to Sebastien’s romantic partnering style and Janie’s ethereal quality, theirs was a glorious send off. Best of luck to Janie and Sebastien. We will miss you! Rhona Koretzky

Dance with the Dancers Returns This summer’s Dance with the Dancers proves to one of the most exciting since the program began in 1999. On Monday July 7 from 7:15-8:30pm, NYCB’s Andrew Scordato will teach a master class and movement combination inspired by the second movement of Glass Pieces. Via the internet, retired principal Jenifer Ringer will teach a movement combination inspired by the third movement of the same ballet from her home in L A. Mr. Scordato will return on Saturday July 12 from 9:45-11:00am to teach a ballet class and movement combination inspired by the Ballet Beat ‘shadow’ section of Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go. Both classes are located at My Gym Fitness Center, 2100 Doubleday Avenue is written and published by the members of (Rt. 50), Ballston Spa (across from Ocean State Job Lot). The cost For Art’s Sake is $20 per participant or $5 for a limited number of observers. Registration information is available at totalbodytrifecta.com/ Founded in 1998 to raise public awareness of dancewiththedancers or by calling 518-581-8025. New York City Ballet. Mary Anne Fantauzzi To learn more about our events and activities, call Rhona Koretzky at 518-587-7023. Saratoga Favorites Highlights NYCB at SPAC If you are a fan of New York City Ballet you won’t want to Contributing writers: miss the newest exhibit at the National Museum of Dance, 99 Shawn Banner South Broadway, Saratoga Springs. ‘Saratoga Favorites’ pairs Mary Anne Fantauzzi select NYCB dance reviews written by the late Mae Banner from Alisa Forman the Saratogian and Metroland newspapers with the illustrations of Rhona Koretzky her son Shawn. Jay Rogoff The reviews span the years 2001-2006 and include Mae’s poetic observations about Jewels, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Agon and others. Longtime audience members Illustrations by will feel nostalgic reading about retired dancers in featured roles. Shawn Banner :: shawnbanner.com Current fans won’t be able to resist thinking, “I just knew he/ she would become a principal” when they read about up-and- Typeset and layout by coming corps de ballet members from years past. Paul Chessare :: paulchessare.com Illustrator Shawn Banner is well known for his NYCB- inspired renderings for Ballet Beat for since its inception in 1998. Distribution by volunteers of His ability to capture the energy and essence of each ballet in his For Art’s Sake. simple black and white line drawings is truly a gift. Funding for this issue of Ballet Beat ‘Saratoga Favorites’ will have is graciously contributed by: its opening reception on Thursday, Lyrical Ballad Books July 10 from 5:00-6:30pm. The event is free and open to the Saratoga Dance, etc. public. Perhaps a few NYCB Total Body Trifecta, Inc. dancers may be in attendance to The National Museum of Dance read about their company’s past and see if they are included in Printing by this delightful exhibit. Alexander Blueline, Inc. For more information about www.alexanderblueline.com the National Museum of Dance and its special programs this Thank you everyone. summer, visit dancemuseum.org or call 518-584-2225. In Memoriam Mary Anne Fantauzzi Mae G. Banner

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