© John Ross 'Polyphonia' reviews 'Duo Concertant' reviews Whelan in reviews Soto in reviews recent NYCB reviews more Bruce Marriott reviews

It wasn't exactly smiles all the way though. While I love NYCB dancers for their vitality, strength and precision I seem to be developing an aversion to the work of one of their founding choreographers - Jerome Robbins. The evening opened with Robbins' 'In the Night'. It's sweet pleasing movement to sweet Chopin nocturnes... pair after pair after pair of dancers come out, sweetly and pleasingly meander about and then go off. Desperately pleasant and the dance equivalent of how I recall John Denver - the ever-smiling, ever-upbeat, ever-nice, country singer who would have looked at the rubble of the World Trade Center towers and seen a positive message in it. No passion, no bite. It also has a dated feel and the costumes, particularly on somebody like Jock Soto look incongruous against what these dancers are really about.

There was more spirit in Benjamin Millepied's 'Triple Duet' to some pieces for solo flute by Bach. This took a Robbins base and moved it on some - more excitement and fizz. This was a premiere and it was well received though I can't remember so much of it now I'm afraid. 'Duo Concertant' replaced the on-stage flute with piano and violin and Yvonne Borree and Peter Boal as the listening dancers. RB had this in the repertoire danced by Bruce Sansom and Viviana Durante and I recall helping sponsor it back in back in the mists of time - and feeling dead chuffed on the opening night that it was such a stunning work. It's a tight, concentrated piece with bursts of energy, bursts of light, bursts of syncopated movement and utterly absorbing for the few minutes it casts a spell over the audience. However I think I've seen it danced more together and it wasn't my DDM (Definitive Dance Moment).

Yvonne Borree and Peter Boal in Duo Concertant
Photograph by John Ross ©

The last piece was Christopher Wheeldon's 'Polyphonia' and my hit by some margin, but I think most people were raving about this on its first London showing. Wheeldon of course is Royal Ballet School trained, was in RB for a while but has been at NYCB for much of his professional life and in a series of commissions for NYCB and across the USA, he has created quite a name for himself as a choreographer going places. For RB earlier this year he created Tryst - a critical hit, but Polyphonia is a stronger work and really announces his international arrival.

The music by Ligeti is tough stuff. In 'toughness' terms this is a move on from Balanchine choosing Stravinsky and Wheeldon's choreography seems to move some of Balanchine's style forward also - and by no small margin. The sparse clarity and angularity is there but the tempo of movement cuts across the music and makes its own often slow time. But there is such deep harmony and resonance in the counterpoint and like no movement I've seen before. It also put some of 'Tryst' into better perspective for me.

All four pairs of dancers looked strong, but inevitably one's eyes are most drawn to the scarily pared Wendy Whelan and the butch strength of Jock Soto - so powerful you can practically smell the pheromones. Their central pas de deux was my moment and you could hear a pin drop as two powerful dancers at the height of their careers manipulated each other with such slow purpose.

Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto in Polyphonia
Photograph by Asya Verzhbinsky ©

Their pdd ended with Whelan, having steadily and miraculously wound herself around Soto's thigh, sitting at his feet gazing out at the audience like a 60's model - knowing her power and cleverness but so aloof and a little contemptuous at having bothered to do it. "It was the work of moments but now I can rest and look properly cool again!" she seemed to say. They have years left yet, but the world (not just NYCB) will be immeasurably poorer when they are no longer able to dance together.

The costumes, deep plum, and moody low lighting were simple yet elegant foils for the music and choreography. I kept thinking that this must have been what audiences experienced in New York when they turned out to see the work of an initially not-so- well-known Balanchine. In a way I hate it when I see works so talked up and often as not I'm a little disappointed by the reality. I hope all our readers get to see Polyphonia at some point, and find in it all that I and many others have admired.