I know, I know, but sometimes a cat just can't help shredding things.
The Exchange
Truth be told I've seen Neenan do worse than what was offered up here. He has occasional urges to toss in pointless embellishments which tend to distract rather than enhance. In this case, having some of the dancers wear mesh over their faces. Barely discernible from the affordable seats, even with opera glasses, so what was the point?
The exchange seemed to be a series of encounters between a civilized society and one not so civilized, which made for some interesting dancing. As good an opener as any, I suppose. But I had the same beef with some of the costumes here as I did with LaCroix's costumes for Rubies. If you're going to costume some of the best ballerinas on the planet, put them in something flattering. A sack is a sack, even if it's made of satin, and that's what the shorter red dresses on some of the girls looked like.
The Exchange
Truth be told I've seen Neenan do worse than what was offered up here. He has occasional urges to toss in pointless embellishments which tend to distract rather than enhance. In this case, having some of the dancers wear mesh over their faces. Barely discernible from the affordable seats, even with opera glasses, so what was the point?
The exchange seemed to be a series of encounters between a civilized society and one not so civilized, which made for some interesting dancing. As good an opener as any, I suppose. But I had the same beef with some of the costumes here as I did with LaCroix's costumes for Rubies. If you're going to costume some of the best ballerinas on the planet, put them in something flattering. A sack is a sack, even if it's made of satin, and that's what the shorter red dresses on some of the girls looked like.
In Vento
This was the not new work, in more ways than one. I had to refer back to the notes I jotted during the interval, because I'd forgotten this piece by the time I got home from the theater. After jogging my memory, I remembered I'd seen something very similar back in the Seventies. I'll stop there.
Judah
This was the much anticipated work by the hot new kid on the stage, Gianna Riesen. Given the opportunity to work on a larger stage, the youngster pulled off a piece I voted most likely to stand the test of time.
The Runaway
Much more of a tour de force than Judah, this work by Kyle Abraham, "in collaboration with New York City Ballet," was a show stopping finale. Starting out to various pieces for violin and piano, it then segued into a canned mash up of disposable hip hop. The costumes were a manga brought to life, and the company looked like they were enjoying their work. Wonderful as this piece is, the plethora of pop culture in the soundtrack is going to date it. If anyone wonders why the old nineteenth century warhorses still sell out, it's because they stand outside time, in settings not quite of this world.
With this piece we did escape reality for a few moments, and sometimes that's all we need.