I’m not sure Clotilde would have agreed with the pace at which Litton took “Barocco,” however. Though there were some benefits to his brisk tempi—purity, togetherness—it felt airless. The tight corps and strong leads were chasing the music instead of riding it. In principle, I don’t mind a speedy “Barocco.” The tap influence in the choreography pops. But when the pas de deux couple cannot run around the diagonals of corps women in time to make their lifts or développés, and the principal women can barely grab hands when they run in to meet on center in the 3rd movement, you know the music is a hair too fast. Nothing should look forced in “Barocco,” it is a glimpse of utopian harmony. In the adagio, Unity Phelan and Andrew Veyette got through their tasks, but the word “navigating” kept coming to mind. They were focused on getting through the traffic instead of luxuriating in Bach’s richness. It is a shame to rush someone with lines as pretty as Phelan’s. She is one of the rare few who can soar overhead in full splits, let us enjoy it.   

Litton also took “Allegro Brillante” at a clip, but the quicksilver Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia were unfazed. From the moment they blazed onstage—finding room to pause in the rapid switches in fourth position in their entry step—these two hyper-musical dancers were precisely on time without looking hurried. I often liken Peck to a hummingbird; she moves so swiftly that she creates moments of stillness within lightning-fast passages. Mejia can match her: his quick lunges in the men’s dance were sharp but not spastic. Neither of them would ever be caught flailing. Peck nailed the double-triple turn sequences in croisé and effacé in her solo, alighting gently in tendu each time. And her chaînés in the cadenza! She performs these strings of turns like no one else I’ve ever seen, phrasing through shifts in momentum as she goes. The corps of 8 also did an excellent job. They handled the frenetic “Mad” section well at that fast pace. The men had to pull their partners down out of the air as quickly as they heaved them up. I enjoyed euphoric, flying moments from Sara Adams and Mary Thomas MacKinnon. This was an “Allegro” for the ages. You can’t start a season off better than that!