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Yuri Zhukov selected nine diverse dancers via auditions for two premieres employing obvious classical grounding with distinctive contemporary accents. Under the program title of Product 01 his musical choices, one with usual metallic sounds and accents associated with Forsythe, the other with extended lyric and melodic qualities, seemed to declare, “I’ll show you the range of my imagination.” If so, it’s as huge as the Big Sky, Montana's pet description. The use of hands and articulate arms accent Zhukov’s invention for the dancers with obvious classical training possess extraordinary feeling in torso and port de bras.

M& W with its cacophonic score veered this side of acidity, using a bare stage and lighting and poles at eye level as the curtains parted and lights came up on stage, Hlin Diego behind them like a barrier, thrusting her arms through the space between bar and lighting, her isolations articulated with smooth, rippling sequences. The other eight dancers could be seen as the lighting shifted lined up along the back, marching forward to start their assignments.

Mid-point in M&W’s lengthy exposition, four men cluster upstage right, crowded together as if peaking through a single knot hole opening in a construction site lumber barricade. Backs to the audience, they shift left to right, right to left, tiptoe, crouching in curiosity, vying for satisfaction. Idan Yoav appears stage center to start a rubber band series of moves, his expression ranging from mindless hulk to village oaf, arms, legs, torso exaggerated shifted or contracted, ultimately drawing the curious quartet not only to his side, but infiltrated into his space and the movement.

Zhukov dancers Sam Roberts and Katie Scherman
© Yuri Zhukov

Passing, music by Vladimir Martynov, provided a welcome polar opposite, dropping the number of dancers from nine to six, dressing them all in full hakima-evoking skirts, men bared to the waist. The skirts proved a wonderful reinforcement on the mourning theme, a texture and volume to the registry of sadness on the emotional spectrum. There were moments when the men’s port de bras brought us the tactile connection of Yang style Tai Ch’i positions,live, vibrant, poised correctly in between transitions. An ensemble of the men and Katie Scherman captured the many variations of grief, supported, uplifted, prostrate, lit with special sensitivity. Starting and ending in an upstage center cluster with the dancers’ arms wafting left and right,Zhukov gave dimension and meaning too often missing in classical port de bras.

Zhukov has been identified not only as a newcomer, but also in the European vein of Forsythe and Hans Van Manen. Based on his European credits, he can be considered a newcomer primarily in the United States; stylistically, the similarity to European-based choreographers lies in the form, clarity and refinement of concept and execution. The finish in this two-night program was a marvel, a reassuring vitality in the sphere of classical ballet. The question is when the ensemble will appear again, so that the carefully selected dancers can solidify this impressive debut.