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Summer Fun

In its Summer Series 2024, the Philadelphia contemporary ballet company offers three world premieres by choreographers Amy Hall Garner, Loughlan Prior and Stina Quagebeur. The extended run, July 10-21 at the Wilma Theater, is just about the only dance to be seen during summer’s dog days. And what a cool and breezy show it is. Just the boost we needed.

Performance

BalletX: Summer Series, with choreography by Amy Hall Garner, Loughlan Prior and Stina Quagebeur

Place

The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA, July 10-21, 2024

Words

Merilyn Jackson

BalletX in Loughlan Prior's “Macaroni.” Photograph by Vikki Sloviter for BalletX

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In her somewhat subdued curtain talk, artistic director, Christine Cox, announced BalletX got a much-needed boost too—in the form of a whopping $7.4 million behest from the late Joan DeJean, who died in December at age 75. DeJean, a longtime Penn professor and author of many scholarly and feminist-themed books, was also a devout fan of the company for many years. The gift is the largest the company, indeed, more than any local company, has ever received. It will be interesting to see if this encourages more artistic risks in the future. 

Cox also announced that BalletX would be leaving its home base, the Wilma for the last 18 years, in the fall to perform across the Avenue of the Arts at the Suzanne Roberts Theater, which has a larger seating capacity.

For now, the three commissioned choreographers gave us two colorfully delicious works to open and close the show, and one slightly darker, more linearly thematic work by Belgian choreographer Quagebeur, aptly titled “Everything InBetween.” Composer Jeremy Birchall’s original score gave us a penchant underpinning for this peek into couple’s therapy. The couple perched on a white settee pushed up and to different sides of the stage by a contingent of the company’s 13-14 dancers (different casting each night.) The couple (Francesca Forcella and Jerard Palazo) wore indigo blue tops and pants and the dancers in the background more faded shades of blue. This suggested they might represent past selves or past lovers. In one prolonged section, a woman has push and pull over Forcella with Palazo. Forcella’s duet with her was the most sensuous and poignant of several pairing both in the forefront and background. Are they saying goodbye at the end of an affair? Forcella and Palazo end on a note of uncertainty too.

Francesca Forcella, Jerard Palazo, and BalletX in Stina Quagebeur's “Everything InBetween.” Photograph by Vikki Sloviter for BalletX

Entertaining and informative videos of interviews with each choreographer by former Merce Cunningham dancer cum videographer Daniel Madoff preceded each of their works. This should not always be necessary, but Madoff’s amusing videos often give keener insights into a choreographers’ personality and intentionality. And for audience who haven’t had a few moments to read the program notes it offers an introduction that can help get them deeper into the work.

Garner is BalletX’s Toulmin choreographer-in-residence this year. As the opener, she presented the first of her three world premieres with BalletX. “Suite No. 46, Op. 1”, with a live string quartet and pianist onstage performing works by Vivaldi and Bach. It was the closest to a classical ballet the company has performed lately, yet the spirit was contemporary. The costumes reminded me of all the colors of Philly’s famed water ice, from pineapple to blueberry and mango to raspberry. The women in flared skirts, the men in long-sleeved, ruffed-waisted tops Susan Roemer by  that suggested the work’s Baroque inspiration. 

Contemporary phrases showed up in X’d bodies and sliders and complex non-classically executed partnering. With lots of little en pointe solos, Ashley Simpson’s was elegant and Skyler Lubin seemed to be dancing with her shadow as she looked down on it from her height. Her duet with Ben Schwartz kept the exquisite choreography flowing. All twelve dancers seemed to have a delicious go at their moment. Former Philadelphia Ballet dancer Peter Weil, Savannah Green and Itzkan Barbosa each took sumptuous turns in the spotlight.  

Michael Korsch lit all three works and for Garner’s piece, he chose bright downward, blended lights that let the costumes’ colors and the dancer’s shadows jump out.

Eli Alford and Ben Schwarz in Loughlan Prior's “Macaroni.” Photograph by Vikki Sloviter for BalletX

In colonial times, in London and America, men in foppish street wear who just returned from abroad with feathers in their caps, tight breeches, long split tailed jackets, and foppish handkerchiefs to wave off nasty scents, were called Macaronis.

New Zealand’s Loughlan Prior and composer Claire Cowan brought the evening to a close with a madcap romp through the history of the ditty Yankee Doodle. They called it “Macaroni.” Prior and Cowan surely did their homework on the song that has featured in many historic events since the 1750s and continues to evolve with current events. Both the choreography and Cowan’s zany score, along with Emma Kingsberry’s electric chartreuse bodysuits and stylized periwigs, created an atmosphere that celebrated post-Pride month.

Instead of lace handkerchiefs, “Macaroni’s” eight dancers wafted matching feathers. Jonathan Montepara dances with foot high headgear of macaroni-like curls and parries his feather like a fencing sword. Affected curtsies, slyly erotic duets, (did I see someone lick a neck or just imagine it?) and group vignette to close the show. For me, Cowan’s score hit all the right counterpointed notes. Each section of Prior’s dance ended or began with a jarring THWUMP! It punctuated the dance like a door opening or slamming and elevated the fun of this in your face, we’re here, we’re queer frolic. We dance. You should too.

Merilyn Jackson


Merilyn Jackson has written on dance for the Philadelphia Inquirer since 1996 and writes on dance, theater, food, travel and Eastern European culture and Latin American fiction for publications including the New York Times, the Warsaw Voice, the Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times, MIT’s Technology Review, Arizona Highways, Dance Magazine, Pointe and Dance Teacher, and Broad Street Review. She also writes for tanz magazin and Ballet Review. She was awarded an NEA Critics Fellowship in 2005 to Duke University and a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship for her novel-in-progress, Solitary Host.

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