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 | Fall for Dance: Polyphonia |
08/11/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Robert Gottlieb |
New York Observer Homepage |
 | Dancers: Whelan |
 | "...Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia (his finest, I think), with its superb City Ballet cast more or less intact..." |
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 | Fall for Dance: Polyphonia |
08/11/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Brian Seibert |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Lovette, Whelan |
 | "...how wonderful to see the young corps dancer Lauren Lovette ... alone onstage for the sixth section’s solo, filling the whole theater with her heartbreaking, meditative presence." |
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 | All Wheeldon: Carousel, After the Rain excerpt, Variations Serieuses, Polyphonia |
29/09/11 |
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Pacific Northwest Ballet |
USA, Seattle, McCaw Hall |
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Reviewer: Alex Hudson |
Seattlest Homepage |
 | Dancers: Chapman, Cruz, Gilbreath, Korbes, Orza, Orza S |
 | "This was fine form for the PNB season opener. The company is so strong in their technical and emotional execution. The music was performed with at time aching beauty by the symphony orchestra and Wheeldon's choreography was gorgeous." |
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 | All Wheeldon: Carousel, After the Rain excerpt, Variations Serieuses, Polyphonia |
28/09/11 |
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Pacific Northwest Ballet |
USA, Seattle, McCaw Hall |
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Reviewer: Sandra Kurtz |
Seattle Weekly Homepage |
 | Dancers: Gilbreath, Imler, Korbes, Orza, Thompson |
 | "Uniting these four works is Wheeldon's mastery of the classical vocabulary; even if they're not made exclusively of such vintage steps, they're rooted in the ballet lexicon." |
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 | All Wheeldon: Carousel, After the Rain excerpt, Variations Serieuses, Polyphonia |
26/09/11 |
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Pacific Northwest Ballet |
USA, Seattle, McCaw Hall |
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Reviewer: Lynn Jacobson |
Seattle Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Chapman, Cruz |
 | "The most arresting piece is the shortest and sparest: An excerpt from 2005's "After the Rain" — a gentle, twining duet performed by Maria Chapman and Karel Cruz in costumes so whisper-light the dancers appeared almost nude." |
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 | All Wheeldon: Carousel, After the Rain excerpt, Variations Serieuses, Polyphonia |
25/09/11 |
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Pacific Northwest Ballet |
USA, Seattle, McCaw Hall |
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Reviewer: Alice Kaderlan |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Homepage |
 | Dancers: Chapman, Cruz, Korbes, Nakamura, Orza, Orza S |
 | "The three other works on the program showcased the full range of Wheeldon’s extraordinary skill, revealing why he has been called the most talented choreographer since Balanchine. Each ballet was completely different in style and feeling and each offered its own very special delights." |
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 | Dances at a Gathering, Duo Concertant, Fool for You, Polyphonia, After the Rain pdd, Hallelujah Junction |
03/08/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, Vail, Gerald R Ford Amphitheater |
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Reviewer: Kyle MacMillan |
Denver Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Hall, Krohn, Ramasar, Whelan |
 | "The variety overall was fine, but it was easy to question the inclusion of two works by ballet master-in-chief Peter Martins, who is competent enough as a dance maker but hardly one of the choreographic visionaries of the past half-century." |
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 | Dances at a Gathering, Duo Concertant, Fool for You, Polyphonia, After the Rain pdd, Hallelujah Junction |
03/08/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, Vail, Gerald R Ford Amphitheater |
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Reviewer: Alastair Macaulay |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Cooper, De Luz, Fairchild R, Hyltin, Lovette, Peck, Ulbricht, Whelan |
 | "“Polyphonia,” danced to piano music by Gyorgy Ligeti by four men and four women, shows an immediate and unflagging command both of choreographic accomplishment and formal academic-ballet energy. " |
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 | Apollo, Agon, Polyphonia, Tarantella |
15/07/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, Saratoga Performing Arts Center |
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Reviewer: Jay Rogoff |
Saratogian Homepage |
 | Dancers: Fairchild M, Fairchild R, Hyltin, Kowroski, Peck, Ramasar, Reichlen, Scheller, Ulbricht, Veyette |
 | "NYCB’s amazing depth promises memorable performances from virtually any cast, and the quartet in Thursday’s Apollo nailed that pledge." |
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 | Donizetti Variations, Polyphonia, Thou Swell |
01/06/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Alastair Macaulay |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Askegard, De Luz, Fairchild, Mearns, Pazcoguin, Peck, Ramasar, Reichlen, Ringer, Taylor |
 | "According to the 'Donizetti' attitude toward space and the body, everyone feels free to step out, way off balance, to claim peripheral space without causing offense, and to tip and thrust the pelvis in ways that may not be conventionally polite (though “Donizetti” is an intensely courteous ballet). The lack of inhibition is thrilling." |
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 | Sesven Deadly Sins, Vienna Waltzes, Afternoon of a Faun, Tarantella, Concerto Barocco, Divertimento No. 15, Polyphonia, and others |
24/05/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Robert Gottlieb |
New York Observer Homepage |
 | Dancers: Bar, Fairchild M, Hall, Hyltin, King, Kowroski, La Cour, Mearns, Peck, Reichlen, Ringer, Scheller, Somogyi, Taylor, Veyette, Whelan |
 | "How to explain the seismic shift in performance level at City Ballet? Everyone's asking, and no one has the answer. Certainly, rehearsing and dancing so much Balanchine has to be part of it: you don't learn a lot from dancing Thou Swell or Susan Stroman." |
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 | La Sonnambula, Divertimento No. 15, Polyphonia |
23/05/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Leigh Witchel |
New York Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle T, Fairchild R, King, Mearns, Scheller, Taylor, Whelan |
 | "Wendy Whelan staged a mini-comeback in Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia ... she looks rejuvenated, dancing with an otherworldly beauty in her moonwalk duets with Tyler Angle. Her limbs move slowly, like tendrils in zero gravity." |
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 | Modern Masters: Polyphonia, Off Screen, Symphonie Classique |
25/03/11 |
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Ballet Arizona |
USA, Phoenix, Orpheum Theatre |
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Reviewer: Richard Nilsen |
Arizona Republic Homepage |
 | "The evening was so delightful, so full of utter pleasure..." |
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 | For the Love of Duke, Polyphonia, Concerto DSCH |
05/03/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Evan Namerow |
Brooklyn Rail Homepage |
 | Dancers: Fairchild R, Lowery, Mearns, Peck, Ramasar |
 | "Stroman’s choreography never shows us anything other than Broadway pizzazz: 'Look at me! I’m here to impress you!' ... At a mere 30 minutes, I had had more than enough." |
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 | Classic Innovations: The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Polyphonia, In the Upper Room |
08/02/11 |
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Pennsylvania Ballet |
USA, Philadelphia, Merriam Theater |
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Reviewer: Lewis Whittington |
Ballet.co Magazine Homepage |
 | Dancers: Bowman, Chamberlain, Daly, Diana, Fadeley, Hussey, Ihde, Mentzer, Moore, Ochoa, Stiles, Veyette, Yudenich, Barnes, Savoie |
 | "The tumultuous reception that ended Pennsylvania Ballet’s Classic Innovations concert was more like the Met opera audience, than a dance audience at a February modern program. The lusty applause was for choreographer Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room that relentless dance marathon. It was the capper of a full-throttle bill full of drama, technique and thrilling dance." |
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 | Classic Innovations: The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Polyphonia, In the Upper Room |
05/02/11 |
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Pennsylvania Ballet |
USA, Philadelphia, Merriam Theater |
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Reviewer: Merilyn Jackson |
Philadelphia Inquirer Homepage |
 | Dancers: Chamberlain, Ihde, Ochoa, Stiles, Veyette |
 | "they built a musical and choreographic arc from Schubert to Ligeti to Glass in the kind of programming that could well groom the next generation of audience." |
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 | Blossom Got Kissed, Frankie and Johnny … and Rose, Polyphonia |
03/02/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Robert Johnson |
Newark Star Ledger Homepage |
 | Dancers: Lowery, Mearns |
 | "The dancers’ efforts are wasted on this vacuous material (Frankie and Johnny … and Rose)." |
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 | For the Love of Duke, Polyphonia |
31/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Leigh Witchel |
New York Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Fairchild R, Lovette, Lowery, Mearns, Peck, Ramasar |
 | "Susan Stroman doesn't promise what she can't deliver and what she doesn't promise is high art." |
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 | For the Love of Duke, Concerto DSCH, Polyphonia |
31/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Hanna Oldsman |
California Literary Review Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle T, Bouder, De Luz, Kowroski, Lovette, Lowery, Mearns, Peck, Pollack, Ramasar, Somogyi, Stanley, Tworzyanski, Veyette, Whelan |
 | "her dancers portray not people but caricatures, and the situations in which they find themselves are not only tired, but mildly offensive to modern sensibilities." |
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 | For the Love of Duke, Outlier, Concerto DSCH, Polyphonia, Walpurgisnacht Ballet, Cortège Hongrois, Sympnony in Three Movements |
30/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Alastair Macaulay |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle J, Fairchild R, Kowroski, Lowery, Peck, Ramasar, Scheller, Taylor, Tworzyanski, Whelan, Stanley |
 | "A ballet like this may make you cry out for originality. As a caution against this, however, City Ballet revived Wayne McGregor’s 'Outlier' on Saturday afternoon. New last year, 'Outlier' manages to be awash with originality while proving every bit as forgettable as 'For the Love of Duke.'" |
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 | Polyphonia, For the Love of Duke |
29/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Marina Harss |
The Faster Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Finlay, Lovette, Mearns, Peck, Ramasar |
 | "Lovette is only nineteen, and joined the company less than two years ago as an apprentice ... She’s hard to miss even when dancing in a large group, moving with a fullness and musicality that belie both her size (tiny) and tender age. Especially noticeable is how she takes hold of a phrase; it flows right through her, all the way through her fingers and into the air around her. And her eyes: alert, inquisitive, alive." |
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 | Symphony in Three Movements, Polyphonia, La Source, Prodigal Son, Mozartiana, Nutcracker, Cortège Hongrois |
28/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Alastair Macaulay |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: De Luz, Fairchild M, Finlay, King, Krohn, Mearns, Reichlen, Ulbricht, Catazaro |
 | "A season that contains both “Polyphonia” and Alexei Ratmansky’s “Concerto DSCH” has an unsurpassed choice of repertory by living choreographers. A season featuring “Symphony in Three Movements” among numerous masterpieces by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins is without match in the world today. " |
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 | Polyphonia |
27/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, Lincoln Center |
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Reviewer: Apollinaire Scherr |
Financial Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle T, Mearns, Whelan |
 | "Still, I felt grateful all over again for the work and amazed that, at a wee 27, Wheeldon knew how to make a plotless ballet, to a fragmented score, that would speak to us." |
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 | Polyphonia |
27/01/11 |
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New York City Ballet (NYCB) |
USA, New York, David H. Koch Theater |
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Reviewer: Marina Harss |
The Faster Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle T, Finlay, Mearns, Peck, Ramasar, Reichlen, Veyette, Whelan |
 | "Formal brilliance and emotional fullness, the two poles of ballet—poles that meet, at times—are also in constant play in Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia,” a work from 2001 that marked him as a major choreographer on the scene." |
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 | Masters of Movement: Polyphonia, Les Sylphides, The Golden Section |
05/04/09 |
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Ballet Arizona |
USA, Phoenix, Orpheum Theatre |
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Reviewer: Richard Nilsen |
Arizona Republic Homepage |
 | Dancers: Magnicaballi, Marshalsay |
 | '(Polyphonia)was an utter delight. Set to music by Romanian-born composer Gyorgy Ligeti, it mixed classic steps with modern gestures and a reduced light level to make a dusky, moody piece with dancers spinning like electrons.' |
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 | Opening Gala: Tarantella, Polyphonia, Tchaikovsly Pas de deux, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, Confidencias |
28/01/09 |
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San Francisco Ballet (SFB) |
USA, San Francisco, War Memorial Opera House |
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Reviewer: Sean Martinfield |
San Francisco Sentinel Homepage |
 | Dancers: Boada, Chung, Deivison, Domitro, Feijoo, Hernandez, Kochetkova, LeBlanc, Popov, Waldo, Zahorian |
 | "it was the combination of the much anticipated debut of young Taras Domitro and veteran diva Vanessa Zahorian in Le Corsaire which sparked curious wonderment and then an explosion of applause." |
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 | 76th Season Opening Gala: Polyphonia pdd, Le Corsaire pdd, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, In the Middle Somewhat elevated, Confidencias, Stars Stripes, and others |
23/01/09 |
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San Francisco Ballet (SFB) |
USA, San Francisco, War Memorial Opera House |
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Reviewer: Renee Renouf |
Ballet.co Magazine Homepage |
 | Dancers: Altman, Andre, Boada, Chung, Deivison, Domitro, Feijoo, Hernandez, Kochetkova, LeBlanc, Magierek, Miner, Molat, Popov, Rogers, Scribner, Sofranko, Spaulding, Sylve, Tan, Villanoba, Viselli, Waldo, Yamamoto, Zahorian |
 | "One of the happiest revivals occurred with Tomasson’s decision to cast Lorena Feijoo in his 1986 solo Confidencias created for Evelyn Cisneros, pianist Roy Bogas continuing to play Ernesto Nazareth’s music. Feijoo’s sloping shoulders, flexible torso and Cuban sensuality rendered the revival memorable. From the original seated profile with scarlet shawl through vulnerable hand gesture and passionate placement of pointe with her head in decisive declamation, Feijoo made the study her own, hopefully to be repeated." |
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 | The Four Seasons, Polyphonia, Wolf's Court |
10/01/09 |
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National Ballet of Canada |
Canada, Vancouver, Performing Arts Centre |
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Reviewer: Amanda Buckiewicz |
Torontoist Homepage |
 | '(In 'Wolfe's Court')Mrozewski's story-telling abilities are phenomenal, and combined with the elaborate set and detailed costumes, Mrozewski proved that he is a force to be reckoned with.' |
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 | Symphony in C, Polyphonia, In the Upper Room |
07/11/08 |
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National Ballet of Canada |
Canada, Toronto, Four Seasons Centre |
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Reviewer: Susan Walker |
Toronto Star Homepage |
 | Dancers: Goh, Hodgkinson, Konvalina, Lavigne, Ogden, Pereira, Stanczyk, Vanstone, Yu, Helimets, Long, Stiefel |
 | "It really doesn't get any better than this for lovers of contemporary ballet. The National Ballet of Canada's mixed program is wall-to-wall, bravura dancing, from Balanchine to Tharp, with a brilliant rendition of Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia in between." |
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 | Symphony in C, Polyphonia, In the Upper Room |
07/11/08 |
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National Ballet of Canada |
Canada, Toronto, Four Seasons Centre |
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Reviewer: Paula Citron |
Globe and Mail Homepage |
 | Dancers: Antonijevic, Daumec, Helimets, Hirano, Hodgkinson, Hutchison, Konvalina, Leja, Long, Ogden, Pereira, Stiefel, Vanstone, Yu, Shee |
 | Upper Room: "This is a work that demands repeated viewings in order to come to grips with its many layers, be it aural, visual or choreographic. ...In short, it is a whirlwind of movement and design." |
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 | Polyphonia, Commedia, Monotones II, Six Fold Illuminate |
20/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Joan Acocella |
The New Yorker Homepage |
 | Dancers: Benjamin, Hohenstein, Watson |
 | "“Commedia” is a kind of syllabus of the academic ballet technique. ...At the same time, it is an expression of an unfamiliar emotion, and this is another side of Wheeldon that seems more obvious now than it did in the past. I probably should have seen it in the past. The feelings contained in those bendy pas de deux of his were not your standard stage love." |
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 | Polyphonia, Commedia |
12/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Sarah Kaufman |
Washington Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle, Stix-Brunell, Whelan |
 | Commedia: "The dancing was fussy, busy, generic modern-ballet fare. The partnering was too clever by half, and for no purpose. We didn't know these characters, didn't care if they were siblings, lovers or unemployed stockbrokers." |
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 | Monotones II, Polyphonia, Commedia, Six Fold Illuminate |
08/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Deborah Jowitt |
The Village Voice Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle, Benjamin, Cassone, Garcia, Hall, Jacoby, Kowroski, Liang, Peck, Pronk, Reichlen, Stix-Brunell, Watson, Whelan, Fowler |
 | "As in Polyphonia, Wheeldon shows his mastery of form: Counterpoint slips suavely into unison, and traditional steps look unexpectedly fresh. Commedia, in tune with its score, is rife with charming, pranksome dancing." |
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 | Polyphonia, Commedia, Six Fold Illuminate, Shutters Shut, Fools' Paradise, Monotones II |
07/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Tonya Plank |
Huffington Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Jacoby, Kowroski, Pronk, Stix-Brunell, Whelan |
 | 'The program ended with another beauty of Wheeldon's, from last year, Fools' Paradise... a group of dancers move by turns in solos, duets, trios, and in ensemble, making awkward but miraculously astounding shapes.' |
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 | Polyphonia, Commedia, Monotones II, Six Fold Illuminate, Fools' Paradise |
07/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Jocelyn Noveck |
Associated Press Homepage |
 | Dancers: Benjamin, Cassone, Kowroski, Stix-Brunell, Whelan |
 | ' "Polyphonia" remains one of Wheeldon's best works, sharper and more coherent than "Commedia," his latest, which still has its considerable charms. Choreographed to Stravinsky's "Pulcinella Suite" .. it is stylish and always interesting.' |
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 | Polyphonia, Monotones II, Six Fold Illuminate, Commedia |
06/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Sarah Kaufman |
Washington Post Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle, Kowroski, Pronk, Stix-Brunell, Watson, Whelan |
 | Wheeldon created this 'Commedia' to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Ballets Russes, which will be feted next year..... The music, for Stravinsky, was a bridge between past and future. But Wheeldon seems to see no such gateway in it. He uses the "Pulcinella Suite" with little feeling for its context or atmosphere.' |
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 | Polyphonia, Commedia, Monotones II, Six Fold Illuminate, Fools' Paradise |
04/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
UK, London, Sadler's Wells |
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Reviewer: David Jays |
The Sunday Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Benjamin, Stix-Brunell, Watson, Whelan |
 | 'Wheeldon lets Wendy Whelan, NYCB’s steeliest ballerina, be vulnerable. When lifted, she kinks her knees as if craving to be secured. Entrancing, even if it makes you wonder whether feminism actually happened' |
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 | Commedia, Six Fold Illuminate, Polyphonia, Monotones II, The Dream pdd |
04/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Tobi Tobias |
Bloomberg Homepage |
 | "Neither of these creations (Commedia, Six Fold Illuminate) competes with - or even complements - Wheeldon's 2001 'Polyphonia,' which introduced the current program and was sveltely performed. Along with the 2002 'Morphoses,' these works - both to Ligeti scores - made the young choreographer's name. He hasn't topped them yet." |
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 | Polyphonia, Six Fold Illuminate, Commedia |
03/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Roslyn Sulcas |
New York Times Homepage |
 | Dancers: Angle, Benjamin, Cassone, Hohenstein, Jacoby, Liang, Pronk, Stix-Brunell, Watson, Whelan |
 | "“Commedia” may not be as important a dance as “Polyphonia.” Then again, it may. One of the wonderful things about Mr. Wheeldon’s work is that there are new discoveries to be made each time you watch it." |
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 | Commedia, Polyphonia, Monotones II |
03/10/08 |
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Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company |
USA, New York, City Center |
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Reviewer: Robert Johnson |
Newark Star Ledger Homepage |
 | Dancers: Kowroski, Watson |
 | "It seems downright perverse that the same dance-maker who was able heroically to unravel the knots in Ligeti's piano music has woven a choreographic thicket to accompany Stravinsky at his sunniest and most melodic." |
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