Wednesday, January 20th marked the world premiere of the ballet “The Lady With The Little Dog” at the New York City Ballet. It’s based on a short story by Chekhov, and presented to honor the 150th anniversary of his birth. The choreographer, Alexy Miroshnichenko, has dedicated it to the great ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, for her 85th birthday.
Miroshnichenko is, of course, Russian, a ballet master and resident choreographer at the Maryinsky Theater, and Chief Ballet Master of the Perm State Opera and Ballet. This is his first work for an American company. The story revolves around a man and a woman who meet, have an affair, part, come back together, and seemingly walk off into the sunset at the end.
This much is clear, as is the obvious expertise of Sterling Hyltin and Andrew Veyette (photo above), who dance the two leads. They have wonderful chemistry on stage, and work together to create the illusion of effortless, spontaneous movement within the piece. They also both look terrific stripped down to next to nothing.
What’s less clear is why the “angels” who seem to be engineering their fate are represented as eight male dancers clad in dove gray, and why these angels function through movements which are fey to the point of being comic. What is the point of the thin carpet the angels keep rolling and unrolling across the stage? And what happened to the little dog in the beginning, anyway?
All this serves more as a distraction than as good theater, and the audience would have been better served by being shown a shorter, cleaner ballet, which focused solely on the couple involved. There’s also just no graceful way for a man to zip and unzip his pants on stage, although Veyette comes as close as anyone could to overcoming the innate awkwardness of the moment. He and Hyltin are both totally lovely; and while I disliked having my attention drawn away from them, I was also appalled at the loud booing that echoed through the house when choreographer Miroshnichenko appeared on stage. Balletomanes, there is no excuse for this sort of rudeness.
“Agon” opened the bill, with music by Igor Stravinsky, and choreography by George Balanchine. The first of the three one act ballets of the evening, it’s an interesting window into how the great choreographer took simple, classic movements, and turned them on their ear to create unique dance. Four male dancers appear on the stage; they are wearing black tights, white T-shirts, and white sox. They begin and end the performance in fifth position, and in between, they are followed by several patterns of dancers. The most applause was received, not surprisingly, by Wendy Whelen and Albert Evans for their stunning Pas de Deux. Tall, elegant Theresa Reichlen is also outstanding in her Bransle Gay (de Poitou) with her excellent partners, Tyler Angle and Adrian Danchig-Waring.
The last ballet on the bill was the robust “Cortege Hongrois,” with music by Alexander Glazounov, and choreography by George Balanchine. (Photo above shows Marie Kowroski and Jonathan Stafford) A combination of classic ballet and folk dance, with colorful costumes in white, green and gold, this was simply a delight for the senses, and gave the evening an upbeat ending. I particularly noted a young blonde ballerina whose name I don’t know. She brought great joy to the piece, not only through her superb dancing, but also with the radiant smile on face, which lit up the theater. Note to dancers: acting really does count, and appropriate facial expressions can separate a wonderful dancer from a potential star.
If you haven’t been to the David H. Koch Theater since its renovation was completed in November, you are in for a treat. There are now—praise the lord!—side aisles in the orchestra; the new maroon seats are roomy and comfortable, and the ample legroom is much appreciated. The acoustics are also better. And dare I say it, best of all, the ladies’ room has been redone, with more stalls, resulting in less nervous waiting in line before the curtain goes up.
I’m glad to report that the backstage area has also been made more comfortable for the performers. The news that the dancers have had their dressing rooms renovated seems a good step toward acknowledging that their artistry is an incalculable contribution, not just to the New York City Ballet, but to the culture of New York City itself.
Photos by Paul Kolnik
New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center
212-721-6500, nycballet.com
Michall Jeffers is an accomplished cultural journalist. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. She writes extensively, both in print and online. She is an active member of Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association, International Association of Theatre Critics, Dance Critics Association, and National Book Critics Circle.
