A storyteller's legacy

The Pennsylvania Ballet's Tribute to Jerome Robbins

In
3 minute read

It is almost impossible to imagine dance today without thinking of Jerome Robbins. Best known for his work on West Side Story, The King and I, and Fiddler on the Roof, Robbins is no stranger to storytelling. He deconstructed the rigidity and complexity of classicism to create a new idiomatic use for the language of ballet. The need to embed theater into his work is evident as it was displayed in Pennsylvania Ballet’s tribute to Jerome Robbins.

All three pieces in the program were choreographed by Robbins and had his comedic and theatrical sensibility. In G Minor revealed a beachlike backdrop that evoked sun, sea, and sky. A playful energy hovered over the dancers as they ran and jumped wearing aquatic-inspired costumes by Art Deco designer Erté. Seven men and seven women frolicked to the music of Maurice Ravel. A step-touch turned into a quick arabesque, and a skip turned into a side lunge with one leg on forced arch.

Cohesively danced by the energetic cast, the group sections served as bookends to a temperate duet danced by Lauren Fadeley and James Ihde. Fadeley was elegantly effortless in her technique as she brightened the space with her smile. From arabesques to pirouettes, she delivered every step impeccably. Ihde was a little shaky at first but quickly regained composure, grasping control of his performance. He was tall and regal and commanded the stage with a confident ease, finishing each phrase with poise. As soloists they were glorious — as a duet they were sublime.

On the town

With music by Leonard Bernstein, Fancy Free (which premiered in 1944) tells the story of three sailors on leave who meet and court two girls on a summer night in New York City. Arian Molina Soca and Ian Hussey dazzled as sailors performing comedic gestures and perfectly executed turns and jumps, but Alexander Peters, the third sailor, stole the show. A powerhouse, Peters accepted every technical challenge with a boyish charm. He casually whipped out double tours, landing in a split on the floor. He executed a straddle split from the bar’s countertop, performing a la second turns that transitioned into chaîné turns, ending in a picture-perfect moment as he held a pose with his leg extended in second position. The audience erupted.

Many dancers have a hard time portraying comedy, but not the Pennsylvania Ballet and definitely not in The Concert. Originally choreographed in 1956, The Concert’s opening scene showcased the interaction between an avid music lover, a shy guy, a bored husband and his stern wife, a couple of flippant teenagers, and an angry lady who was seemingly bothered by everything. The dancers performed whimsical, quirky, and comedic stunts in the second section. The male dancers carried, placed, and manipulated dolls (portrayed by the female dancers) onto the stage. The dolls came to life with phrases and formations that hilariously ended with one member in a different position or moving in the opposite direction from the group. Bravo to the rehearsal director, whose efforts to combine dance, comedic timing, phrasing, and attention to musical detail left no stone unturned.

Above: Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet in Jerome Robbins’s Concert. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)

What, When, Where

Tribute to Jerome Robbins: In G Minor, Fancy Free, The Concert. Pennsylvania Ballet, May 7-10, 2015 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. 215-893-1999 or www.paballet.org.

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