A New Opus

As the first evening that Gonzalo Garcia has programmed as Miami City Ballet artistic director, “American Rhythms” provides a glimpse into the future of one of America’s most prominent “Balanchine” companies. The centerpiece of the program is the revitalization and company premiere of Jerome Robbins’ “N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz.” Additionally, George Balanchine’s “Allegro Brilliante” and Patricia Delgado’s world premiere of “Push the Buttons of the Civilized” bookend the program, which runs through October 26 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

Guillermo Dominguez and Peyton Anderson in “N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz” by Jerome Robbins. Photograph by REN Media, courtesy of Miami City Ballet

Garcia tapped Zac Posen, the creative director of GAP, for the redesign of Robbins’ 1958 ballet. Choreographed in 1958 following Robbins’ success with West Side Story, “Opus Jazz” is danced in sneakers to Robert Prince’s jazz score, reflecting the energy and vitality of youth in 1950s New York City. “Much of the material for Opus Jazz was remnant of what Jerry [Robbins] was thinking of that didn’t make it into West Side Story,” Scott Altman, the executive director of Miami City Ballet, explained. “He basically took some of that intellectual property and turned it into ‘Opus Jazz.’”

Garcia recognized the appeal of Robbins’ work for MCB audiences, but believed it could be updated to reflect contemporary tastes. “We thought that the steps and everything are really so relatable,” he said. Garcia ran his idea by his former mentor, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, a repetiteur with the Robbins Rights Trust, who had worked for Robbins as a dancer and later as an assistant. “Frohlich and I have a very close relationship,” Garcia said, “and I had a very open conversation with him about ‘Opus Jazz.’ We are always looking at ballets that are incredibly successful but slightly unapproachable for some of the younger generations.”

Miami City Ballet in “N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz” by Jerome Robbins. Photograph by REN Media, courtesy of Miami City Ballet

Garcia then recruited Posen, who happens to be married to New York City Ballet principal dancer Harrison Ball. Posen already understood the needs of dancers to be able to move flexibly in their clothing, said Garcia, adding “he was very keen right away on finding fabrics that allow for the dancers to find their beautiful positions and find different types of designs for different types of bodies.” Once designs were underway, Posen’s team from GapStudio traveled to Miami to fit the dancers and Garcia subsequently made a trip to New York City to work with Posen’s team, the designs packed away in his suitcase.

The collaboration with GapStudio was only one essential ingredient for the re-design of the ballet, according to Garcia. The other would be stripping the ballet of the New York City Ballet backdrop in favor of a bold, “nude” stage lighting design by Brandon Sterling Baker. Garcia said this more minimalist, contemporary look allows the dancing to take center stage. “It’s just about the dancing and the lighting that creates the different moods,” he said.

Principal Dancer Alexander Peters, who previously performed “Opus Jazz” with Philadelphia Ballet, is the only Miami cast member to have performed the ballet in its original incarnation. “The general public in Miami doesn’t know dance as intimately, nor do they know these classic canon works,” said Peters. “Revamping things so that it feels fresh and relevant for the audiences in South Florida is integral to be successful.”

Miami City Ballet in “N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz” by Jerome Robbins. Photograph by REN Media, courtesy of Miami City Ballet

Nonetheless, Garcia said that he hopes to honor the Balanchine DNA of Miami City Ballet. Moreover, he understands Balanchine’s legacy: as a former principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet under Helgi Tomasson, himself a former dancer with New York City Ballet, Garcia transferred to NYCB and later served as repertory director for NYCB upon retiring. “Balanchine and Robbins have always been part of the conversation in Miami City Ballet but also in my life as an artist,” said Garcia. During his pre-curtain speech on the Saturday October 17 evening performance at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, he explained the significance of bringing back “Allegro Brilliante,” which the company performed in its inaugural program in 1986 under the directorship of Edward Villella.

“American Rhythms” is also Altman’s first program with the company since taking on the executive director role this past June. Altman hopes that Miami City Ballet’s presentation will inspire more companies to rediscover the work. He envisions MCB touring more in the future and said he would love more audiences to see the unique interpretation of the work. But Miami remains a rich place for the company to thrive in the twenty-first century. “We have a thriving ecosystem in Miami where people are always ready for the next new thing,” he said.

Remarking on the opening performance, Garcia reflected, “seeing it live last night, I was 100% sure that we did the right thing. There was a young audience last night in Miami which I was very happy to see. I talked to a lot of them, and for a lot of them, their favorite piece of the evening was ‘Opus Jazz.’” He added, “a lot of the time, they were surprised when I told them it was created in 1958 because for them it felt like the most modern piece.”

Robert Steven Mack

Robert Steven Mack currently dances with The Sarasota Ballet and is an award-winning filmmaker. His writing has appeared in The New Criterion, City Journal, Law and Liberty, and The Wall Street Journal. Robert received his Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington, from which he also holds a BA in History and a BS in Ballet Performance from the Jacobs School of Music.

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