Winter 2015-2016 Ball et Review

A Conversation with Review Winter 2015-2016

On the cover: Gillian Murphy in The Sleeping Beauty. (Photo: Gene Schiavone, ABT)

© 2015 Dance Research Foundation, Inc. 4 Washington, D . C. – Daniel Jacobson 8 London – Joseph Houseal 11 New York – Karen Greenspan 12 Washington, D . C. – George Jackson 13 Chicago – Joseph Houseal 14 Winnipeg – Gary Smith 16 Boston – Jeffrey Gantz 19 Augsburg – Gary Smith 21 Washington, D . C. – Lisa Traiger 23 New York – Susanna Sloat 24 Chicago – Joseph Houseal 74 25 New York – Elizabeth Kendall Ballet Review 43.4 29 Saratoga Springs – Jay Rogoff Winter 2015-2016 31 New York – Karen Greenspan Editor and Designer: 33 Saratoga Springs – Jay Rogoff Marvin Hoshino 35 Tokyo – Karen Greenspan Managing Editor: Jay Rogoff Roberta Hellman 38 A Conversation with Senior Editor: Peter Martins Don Daniels Associate Editor: 70 Don Daniels Joel Lobenthal 46 Pure Bastard Associate Editor: Larry Kaplan Eva Shan Chou 56 China Is Near Webmaster: David S. Weiss Susanna Sloat Copy Editors: 60 Paul Taylor’s American Barbara Palf y* Modern Dance Naomi Mindlin Photographers: Joanna Dee Das Tom Brazil 60 and Victoria Phillips Costas 70 ABT at the Library of Congress Associates: Peter Anastos Rachel Howard Robert Greskovic 74 A Conversation with George Jackson Sofiane Sylve Elizabeth Kendall Paul Parish Alastair Macaulay Nancy Reynolds 82 Further Annals o f Th e Sleeping James SuUon David Vaughan Beauty : A Questionnaire Edward Willinger 38 Sarah C. Woodcock 110 U. S.-Danish Dance – Nancy Reynolds 11 1 Music on Disc – George Dorris 116 Check It Out

Cover photograph by Gene Schiavone, ABT: Gillian Murph y as Aurora. and Anthony Huxley in La Sylphide . (Photo: Paul Kolnik, Ballet) 3 ballet review A Conversation with they’re dealing with good material. They just know. There is good choreography and not Peter Martins good choreography, and this is good. BR: So if you have grown up with Balan - chine technique, if you’re somebody coming Jay Rogoff out of SAB or the company, what will you find readily adaptable to Bournonville technique, BR: What led you to want to stage La Sylphide and what will you have to study; what will for ? It’s rather unlike a challenge and stretch you a little bit? lot of things that the company has done. Martins : Balletically, physically, it’s really PeterMartins :Well,itismyheritage.Igrew surprisingly similar to Balanchine. The whole up in the . Bournonville approach is very similar. Fast little footwork, was the Petipa of Denmark, if you will. What et cetera. Petipa was to Russia – , The Sleeping BR: Could you talk a bit about the upper Beauty , – Bournonville was to body in Bournonville, and how his approach Denmark, and he did all these wonderful to it differentiates him from other choreog - . I grew up with Bournonville – well, I raphers? didn’t grow up with him, he was gone! But the Martins: Bournonville did not like arms to material is phenomenal. ever go above your shoulders. He has the arms I always bring Balanchine into this conver - under the shoulders, and that is the biggest sation to legitimize him, because many don’t challenge physically of doing this work. You know about Bournonville. Balanchine and I don’t fly. talked about him all the time, and I’m not ex - BR: Does that apply to the legs also? For ex - aggerating. Balanchine adored Bournonville, ample,we’vereadalotaboutRatmansky’snew and he always used to say he was one of the Sleeping Beauty and the low arabesques in that best choreographers – he and Petipa. But even production. if he hadn’t endorsed him, I would have still Martins: No, not at all. The dancing – if wanted to bring him here, because I think the you’ve seen Donizetti Variations – Mr. B used to current generation of dancers deserves to be say to me, “Pure Bournonville. It’s my tribute exposed to his work. to Bournonville.” The real big difference is BR: Bournonville style, which is what you mime.Balanchinedidn’tusemimemuchinhis grew up with: Is it very different from Balan - ballets because he didn’t do those big , full- chine technique? When we’re watching LaSyl - length ballets much. But mime – that was the phide , or Bournonville Divertissements , which is area where I felt I had to spend time with the on a bill with it, what kinds of things should dancers and show them how to do that. we be looking for? How do you say, “I love you” right on stage Martins: It’s very similar to Balanchine. It’s so it doesn’t look silly? It’s actually very dif - fastfootwork,it’sverymusical –extremelymu - ferent. I was taught when I was little how to sical – and it’s structured in such a way that do it. You say, “I,” one hand [gestures with it’s just first-rate choreography. When I pre - right hand to mid-chest], “you” [gestures out - sented this to the dancers four or five months ward with right hand], “love” [gestures with ago,IwasalittlenervousbecauseIdidn’tknow both hands to heart]. You see, “I” is one hand. how they would take to it, because it’s a whole Don’t put it to your heart; you put it there. And new generation. And I was very taken aback then you say, “you,” and then you say, “love” byhowmuchtheylovedit.Dancersknowwhen – two hands. On the left side, because that’s Peter Martins spoke at a preperformance forum at where the heart is. the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during New And so little things like that – very impor - York City Ballet’s summer 2015 season. tant.Otherwiseitlookslikesignlanguage,you ©2015PeterMartins,JayRogoff 3 know? The audience has to understand what and I think that’s the best way, so they devel - it means. op their own character. BR: When you did your Sleeping Beauty and BR: Is there a lot of latitude for acting in the your Swan Lake , you decided to forgo most of ballet? Or would you not go so far as to call it themime. Andit’soneofthethingsthatmakes “acting ”? those ballets swifter and more efficient. Martins: Well, there are parameters, and Martins : There’s a lot of mime in those, too: withinthoseparameterstherehastobeafree - lots of “I love you” there , too! dom for them, too, in how they express them - BR: Okay. But for example, you cut out the selves. whole story of how the mother’s tears creat - BR: Did you set the ballet exactly as you ed Swan Lake . remembered it from when you danced it in Martins : Yes, because we have to end before Denmark, or did you make changes that were midnight! That won’t work in this day and suitable for NYCB? age. Martins: The only suitable change was to BR: That’s always seemed to me close to Bal - eliminate the intermission! I looked at this anchine’s idea that there are no mothers-in- ballet – I know it inside out – and I thought law in ballet. So why is mime so important to myself that there’s absolutely no need to here? That expression of “I love you” – what change one thing. That’s how sublime it is. I is that accomplishing that an intimate pas de liken it to – imagine changing Sere - deux does not accomplish? nade ! Criminal! And I feel the same way about Martins : Well, with a story ballet you have this. That is not to say I just dusted it off! to tell the story. And you don’t speak, obvi - Because pace has a lot to do with it – musical- ously, so you have to be able to express your - ity, how fast things go – so you have to stage self in mime. But people are not trained here it and arrange it without tampering with the in that craft. I thought that was probably my text, as they say. most useful contribution in this whole en - BR: Let’s talk a little bit about what we’re deavor. seeingtonight.WehavesomegreatBalanchine BR: When your dancers are learning the lined up. roles, when is learning the Martins : You have Square Dance , which is Sylph, when Joaquin De Luz is learning James, fantastic, to the music of Vivaldi and Corelli. do you ask them to focus on mime in the way You have La Valse , which is one of the greatest that other dancers would focus on steps, or do scores ever for ballet. And then Tarantella , you ask them to focus on a character? What which is another tribute to Bournonville. And kinds of cues do you give them to get them into SymphonyinThreeMovements . It doesn’t get bet - the world of this ballet that’s now 10 years ter than that. old? BR: How would you describe La Valse ? If Martins :Surprisingly,youhavetotellthem somebody hasn’t seen it before, how do you very, very little, because they’re so smart and prepare somebody for watching that? so adaptable, and they basically know what to Martins: Well, it’s one of his most dramat - do. I only open my mouth when they go astray. ic ballets. Romantic? It’s Romantic plus, be - I basically let them do it their way, because I’m cause there’s a little darkness in there, too. It’s not looking for clones. Up here we have two tremendouslywonderful.Imadethisprogram casts of the Sylph; in New York we had four tonight to show the breadth of Balanchine’s casts – and they’re all different. But they have oeuvre. to speak the language, so I definitely taught BR: Balanchine always worked with the as - them how to mime, and that includes all the sumption that if his ballets survived at all – characters. But they can do their own inter - and maybe he was speaking with false mod - pretation. I tell them very little, surprisingly, estywhenhesaidthat –that theywouldchange 40 ballet review Sterling Hyltin and Joaquin De Luz in La Sylphide . (Photo: Paul Kolnik, NYCB) agreatdealovertheyearsasnewdancerstook these ballets are danced better now than in up the choreography, and of course some of my generation. Because the dancers are es - those changes he made himself. How do you sentially better than we were. I mean, it’s re - balance the trust placed in NYCB for main - ally that simple. taining and preserving the Balanchine reper - BR: Their technical skills . . . tory, and the Robbins repertory, against the Martins: Yes, and their understanding. It’s certainty that new dancers, and new musi - just – it’s like the Olympics. I hate to compare cians, and new audiences are going to come it to sports, but my favorite subject is tennis. along, and that changes are going to happen? I was a big Björn Borg fan, but he would have In thirty-plus years, have you seen these bal - no chance against Federer today. And so it may lets change, and are you happy with the ways be a slightly odd explanation, but dancers are they are changing? like that. The people you will see tonight on Martins: You know, it’s going to sound a lit - that stage – I know them all because I know tle bit like a cliché, perhaps, but I do think what I have – and there’s no way we [in the winter 2015 –2016 41 past] could have done that. That’s how good dramatic flair. What kinds of things does she they are. But the texts of the ballets, the cho - bring to that ballet that make it look a little reography , remains the same. different from when, say, Patty McBride was BR:Solet’stakesomebodylikeSaraMearns, doing it, or even more recently when Janie who’s dancing La Valse tonight. She has a real Taylor was doing it?

Sara Mearns in La Valse . (Photo: Paul Kolnik, NYCB)

42 ballet review Martins: Well, she brings her own person - BR: One of the things we’re also going to see ality to it. She’s an artist. She doesn’t change this summer is the Saratoga premiere of one the choreography, but she imbues it with her ofyourballets,SymphonicDances ,toRachmani- personality, and herfeeling and verve, and her noff. Could you tell us a little bit about that take on the role, which is warranted . It’s what ballet – where that’s coming from, what it’s keeps these ballets alive, when new people like ? come in and have a different take, although Martins: I did some dances some twenty not changing it. years ago to music by Rachmaninoff. I love the BR: Do you think the kinds of things she music. It’s a big score, it’s a big ballet, it’s a does with La Valse – [to audience] La Valse is a lot of people. I liked it when I looked at it on romantic drama in which a young woman at tape, and I thought maybe we should bring it herfirstballabandonsherbelovedandwaltzes back. And when you bring it back, you bring with a mysterious stranger, and you can guess new people in there, and it has new life, new whothatstrangerturnsouttobe –JustinPeck! vitality; maybe it has new life and maybe not But since Mearns has such a dramatic flair, do – we’ll see. you think that Balanchine, watching her, BR:Wealreadyhavethegoodnewsthatnext would have said, “Too much! Don’t act so year will be choreographing a new much!” or do you think he would have let her work for us here. Any other surprises, or do have her head with it because her technique we know nothing yet? is so great? Martins: Well, the one thing I can reveal is Martins:Youknow,it’sagoodquestion,and that A Midsummer Night’s Dream was done here obviously I can’t answer it. But I will tell you fifty years ago . It opened SPAC, so we’re going one thing. I spent almost twenty years with to open with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have him, and I rarely ever heard him say anything asked my ballet mistress who’s in charge of to anybody. He let us do what we did. And he the children to take as many local kids as pos - freed us up. And as I said earlier, on rare oc - sible. I said, “If you have to spend a month, casions he would say, “What are you doing !” spend a month. We’ve got to get local kids.” But I’m telling you, he let us be. That was per - BR: Could you just reflect a bit on your time haps one of his greatest gifts to us. He was not, here over the years? What has changed about as some perceptions had it, a dictator. Not at Saratoga? all. And as I said, only on rare occasions – and Martins: When I first came as an arrogant I usually was one of those who got it – twenty-one-year-oldfromDenmark,Ididnot BR: Because he knew you could handle it? want to be in Saratoga. I wanted to be in the Martins: No, it was, “Dear, where did you city – New York – and I thought, “Why are we getthatidea?”Hewoulddothisonceinawhile. here?” And now, of course, fast-forward. You Very rare. So there was room for interpreta - can’t get me out of here. I think it is the most tion. beautifulplacetohaveasummerhomeforour BR: What about, let’s say , Tarantella ? When company. We are very, very lucky. you look, say, at Joaquin De Luz and , Nootherballetcompanyhasasummerhome what are they bringing to this ballet that may – not ABT, not San Francisco, not The Royal be different from what, say, Eddie Villella and Ballet, not the Paris Opera, not the Kirov, not Patty McBride did? Or is it more or less the the Bolshoi. But we have a summer home. Mr. same? B loved it, of course. I remember, toward the Martins: I don’t want to say “better,” but end of his life he lived ten minutes out of they’re very different. They’re different. It’s town, and he didn’t want to come in to SPAC veryhardtocomparepeoplewithlegends.Vil - because he was a vain man and didn’t want lella was the greatest thing then, but it’s dif - anyone to see him, so he made me go out and ferent times. show him the casting . I kept him involved. winter 2015 –2016 43 Tiler Peck in Tarantella . (Photo: Paul Kolnik, NYCB) He said, “No, you run it. Just put anyone on - ers of today are better technically and have stage you want to look at.” I said, “Mr. B, you more insight. How would you rate the chore - should know who’s dancing.” He said, “Look, ographers since Mr. Balanchine, from then I’m trying to let go. I like to stay here and eat until now – including yourself, sir? [Laughter ice cream.” He sat in his little house, ate ice from audience.] cream, and watched television. So I did all the Martins: Well! That is such a tough ques - casting, and I did everything, and I showed tion. I don’t want to give you a glib answer. him who dances, and whatever. But he loved Anybody who compares themselves to Balan - it, and I love it, and more importantly, the chine is a fool. It’s like Mozart, right? Mozart dancers and the orchestra. I just walked into or Bach. However, it doesn’t mean that what the backstage, and there were three young came after Mozart and Bach didn’t have va - girls,nineteenyearsold,andIsaidtothethree lidity, didn’t have merit. There’s been great of them, “Do you love it here?” “What’s not to music written after Mozart and Bach . Would love?” That’s the feeling of everybody. We love I compare it to Mozart? Maybe not. Same with it. Mr. B. BR: A few questions from the audience? Is anybody ever again going to do ballets Question: You said earlier that ballet danc- like ? Probably not. It does 44 ballet review n0tmeanthatballetisn’talive.Itdoesn’tmean ago and said to me, “What would you think if that it doesn’t talk to us today. It’s different, I did a ballet with fifteen boys and one girl?” and you can’t compare it. It has its own mer - And I said, “Uh . . . it sounds like a gimmick. it and its own value. I believe ballet is alive Canyouexplaintomewhy?”Andheexplained and well. it to me, and I said to him, “If you want to do Question: I just wanted to say that since you that with all the boys, and with one girl, good came on the scene, the men are dancing a lot luck.” You have to experiment – people have more, and that’s wonderful. They used to just to experiment, so it’s great. show off the women, but now they’re really Question:WeloveNYCB’sMidsummerNight’s dancing. Dream , but we saw Ashton’s with The Royal, Martins:Well,youshould showoffthewom- and in terms of the comment you made a few en! minutes ago about trying to find local kids, Question: But you see how wonderful the theyhadtheBrooklynChildren’sChoirsinging men are, and I swear it started with you. in the orchestra, and I wonder if that was Martins: That’s kind, thank you. Mr. B said somethingyouwouldeverconsiderforNYCB’s to me once – you may have heard this story, production? but I doubt it – we had lunch, and this is one Martins : We do have a live women’s chorus of my favorite stories. He said to me, “One day, for the production, but not children . On that, dear, we don’t want to have people like you I would have to call Balanchine collect. any more.” Question: What advice would you give Isaid,“Doyoucaretoexplainthat?”Hesaid, someone looking to enter the dance world to - “You see, you’re an import. I like you, you’re day, as far as choreography, dancing, or dance very nice, you can do things, you can dance therapy? very nice, you can partner, and you’re tall and Martins: You enter the dance world when not so bad looking. Everything is right, but we you’re seven years old. In order for you to have want Americans. So one day, when I’m long a career as a dancer, you have to be seven years gone, you’re going to have to produce Ameri - old. Six! We just lowered the age for the School can dancers. ” of American Ballet to six from eight. How do And I went, “Okay.” And then, of course, he youadviseasix-year-old?Youdon’t.Whatyou passed away, and fifteen years ago I started a try to do is make it enticing for them, to in - boys class at the School of American Ballet . It troduce them to a world that has the beauty was tuition-free – exactly fifteen years ago – of music and movement. and it was packed. Lots of minorities. It was The world of ballet is so beautiful, it can be fantastic, it was really groundbreaking, and so enticing, but it’s also so competitive, and guess who was one of the first ones in that short, and it can be brutal physically, and class, as a twelve-year-old? . even mentally it can be tough. You have to be Yes, and many others. I guess I recognized that ready as a professional as a seventeen-year- men – we need equal time in here, equal time. old . That’s really tough. So I’ve done my share to uphold our sex. But I think the best advice is you’d better love we’re still supporting the ladies – that’s our it, because if you don’t, then you’re not going primary function! to make it. You have to have your heart in it, BR: And of course Justin Peck’s new ballet and many other things . But I think you can [’Rōdē,ō: Four Dance ] uses fifteen men apply that to anything in life, not just danc - and one woman. ing. If you don’t have your heart in it, how are Martins: You know, he came to me a year you going to succeed?

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