Repertory programs traditionally don’t bring in as much audience as story ballets to companies like Pacific Northwest Ballet, but this year’s rep programs and next year’s line-up should have people hastening to McCaw Hall.
Friday night saw the opening of this year’s Director’s Choice, Peter Boal’s own choices of three ballets: all contemporary, all different, all riveting in their own individuality.
Paul Gibson, longtime PNB dancer and, since his retirement in 2004, one of the company’s ballet masters, choreographed his “Rush” for PNB in 2002, but has tweaked it for this month’s reprise. What struck this viewer most was the way he shaped the choreography in the space. It was like turning a kaleidoscope, seeing the groups of dancers move apart and come together in constant motion and ever-changing patterns over the whole stage.
In this strong ballet, Gibson uses a solo pair, danced here by Lesley Rausch and Jerome Tisserand in seamless partnering; four semi soloists of whom Benjamin Griffith shone particularly as did Leta Biasucci’s swift clean moves; plus twelve more dancers. While Gibson created within an entirely classical tradition, everything about “Rush” absorbed the attention and fit the Martinu concerto to which he set it, and was complemented by both Mark Zappone’s costumes and Lisa Pinkham’s lighting. One of the most effective moments had Tisserand dancing in the light, with four men dancing behind him only in silhouette.
Alejandro Cerrudo created “Little Mortal Jump” for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2012. With shadowy lighting throughout by MIchael Korsch, it begins with a fast and furious dancer (Price Suddarth) making a spectacular leap into the pit (luckily the music is recorded, no musicians or instruments to land on) and another, backlit, who appears high up on the back wall and slithers down to the floor. From this unusual start, six men and four women are, solo or paired, engaged in sinuous movement which is not a struggle nor an argument nor sexy, but endlessly fascinating, notably James Moore and Leah Merchant as well as Elizabeth Murphy and Dylan Wald.
Smoke wafts around at times, large rectangular black boxes get moved around the stage and performers appear or disappear from behind them. At one point two dancers, (all wear black) remove red-lined coat and seemingly stick them to the wall. To this watcher, props distract from the choreography itself, but the audience loved it.
The final work, “Year of the Rabbit” by the young and admired choreographer Justin Peck, premiered with New York City Ballet also in 2012. The premise is based on the Chinese signs of the zodiac and six of the seven sections celebrate those, the sixth, “Year of the Lord,” being a breathtaking slow pas de deux danced by Noelani Pantastico and Benjamin Griffith. In the large cast, Boal, as is often his wont, features members of the corps de ballet in solo roles.
A dancer to watch, Angelica Generosa, who took the lead in “Year of the Ox’’ and shared in “Dragon” and “Boar,” was perfectly balanced, light on her feet, clear and musically phrased in all her movements with a compelling sparkle. Matthew Renko, in the lively title role in “Rabbit,” also had balance and rock solid security in all his many tricky moves. One of the most charming, thanks to the dancers, was “Dragon,” in which a blithe spirited Generosa and a quicksilver Pantastico were partnered by Griffith, who matched them both.
Peck-designed costumes, short light blue pleated skirts trimmed in white for the women and blue tights with darker sections for the men, made it easy to see all the moves, while the score by Sufjan Stevens was arranged for the ballet by Michael P. Atkinson.
This was an edge-of-your-seat exciting program from start to finish. I can’t imagine next season will be any less so. At the beginning, Boal came out to announce it. All but one (Maillot’s Cendrillon, his take on Cinderella) are repertory programs, but what programs! One’s all Broadway, one’s all French (either premiere or choreographer), one includes Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition;” lots of Balanchine, Stravinsky, Beethoven as well.
