Lifted Spirits
Even at his most straightforward, Paul Taylor often imbued his dances with a sardonic wit. Whether invoking darkness or light, he did so with a wink.
Continue ReadingWorld-class review of ballet and dance.
It is not unusual for a New York City Ballet program to consist of two Peck ballets and a Ratmansky. But until last night, there had not been two different Pecks represented in such a scenario. Elite principal dancer Tiler Peck has made her first ballet for her home troupe, “Concerto for Two Pianos,” and it is masterful. In so doing, she has posed a unique problem for dance writers: forevermore we are going to have to use precious article space to explain that Tiler is no relation to Justin Peck, even though she is now also a bona fide choreographer. (We will also have to differentiate them. Honorifics feel bulky to me today, so I’ll use first names for clarity.) Oh dear, audience members are already so confused. I overhear queries about their relationship all the time in the seats. It would be so much more plausible if they were twins, or married, or at least distant cousins. So be it: “Tiler Peck: Choreographer” is clearly here to stay.
Performance
Place
Words
“Uncommonly intelligent, substantial coverage.”
Your weekly source for world-class dance reviews, interviews, articles, and more.
Already a paid subscriber? Login
Even at his most straightforward, Paul Taylor often imbued his dances with a sardonic wit. Whether invoking darkness or light, he did so with a wink.
Continue ReadingTalk about Gesamtkunstwerk! Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “SCAT!...The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar,” is just that—a total work of art: operatic in scale, replete with stellar musicians and singers, and the glorious dancers of Urban Bush Women, the troupe that Zollar founded in 1984, is also storytelling at its best.
Continue ReadingOf all of Shakespeare’s plays, “Hamlet” might seem the hardest to adapt into dance. Its long soliloquies and a titular character stymied by indecision do not immediately scream movement potential.
Continue ReadingComplexions Contemporary Ballet turned 30 this year, and their two-week residency at the Joyce Theater was a party.
Continue Reading
comments