Artists in Motion
Ailey Citigroup Theater
New York, New York
November 1, 2024
Alison Cook Beatty Dance: Humanitas (Act 1), Lacrimis (excerpt), New Loom
Thomas/Ortiz Dance: A Civil Twilight, Good Morning, Heartache, Undamely, Mistral (work in progress)
East Coast Contemporary Ballet: Echoes, Fickle Conscience, Deconstructed
Jerry Hochman
Attending a group performance by several emerging companies (even if they’ve been emerging for years) is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
So it was as I entered the one-night-only three-company program at Ailey Citigroup Theater. Although I’d seen performances by two of these three companies previously, the Gump maxim still applied.
I should have known better.
This program proved to be one of the best I’ve seen in terms of execution by the dancers and accessibility to any audience. There were many excerpts from larger dances, which I usually find annoying, and little that was specifically created for this program, which is not unusual with emerging companies. It was intended to be a showcase of sorts; and a showcase it was, presenting each of the companies optimally.
The three companies were Alison Cook Beatty Dance (“ACBD”), which organized the program, Thomas/Ortiz Dance (both of which I’ve seen before), and East Coast Contemporary Ballet (“ECCB”), the company that was new to me.
Since there were so many different dances (or excerpts therefrom) presented, an overview of the companies and the dances each presented seemed the best way to proceed, even though it takes the program out of performance order. I’ll also comment on generalized style can be gleaned from the performances, as well as highlight certain of the dancers I was able to identify whom I found to be particularly impressive.
Alison Cook Beatty Dance put the performance together and selected the other two participating companies. ACBD has arranged programs with these two companies before, so that’s not surprising. What is is the general high quality that the program reflected. These companies often perform on a dime, have considerable turnover (a large percentage of each company’s dancers are freelancers), and have limited exposure. Accordingly, some company members do double (or even triple) duty. So the fact that all of them were, for this level, high quality is surprising – even though by this time it shouldn’t be. There’s so much talent out there, increasing in number every year, that they all can’t be shoehorned into more familiar companies. Since they have to go somewhere, they often turn up in local companies (maybe several of them) and thereby keep the quality level high.
I’ve seen and reviewed ACBD on many prior occasions, but, although the company brought with it no new dances, those presented were all new to me.
The evening opened with Act I of Cook-Beatty’s Humanitas. [The word means “human nature, civilization, and kindness,” but it’s also a philosophy of education – the study and development of such qualities in a liberal arts education – revived during the Italian Renaissance.] Normally I don’t appreciate seeing only an excerpt or other isolated segment of a dance, but this segment was enough to give me a flavor of what I suspect was the entire piece’s focus – an exploration of the two paintings that inspired the piece: Botticelli’s La Primavera and The Birth of Venus.
The dance is choreographed to Ottorino Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances,” which I’ve loved since I first heard it as the score for Agnes de Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil. And it has a cast of thousands. Well…ten, but on the Ailey Citigroup Theater stage it looked like a lot more. The dancers each played one of the mythological characters depicted in the paintings.
The paintings’ background is interesting. One source asserts that the two were created (in the late 1470s to early 1480s) to celebrate the Florentine Renaissance. Another, or a concurrent, inspiration was a celebration of the love, peace, and prosperity that Florence enjoyed under the Medici family. The two paintings reportedly were originally placed next to each other in the summer house of the Medici family in Florence. They now hang in the Uffizi.
and Alison Cook Beatty Dance in “Humanitas”
Photo by Rob Klein
The paintings reflect, and amplify, the impact of things classical (Greco/ Roman) during the Renaissance period. According to the Uffizi description, La Primavera is populated by nine classic mythological figures: “In the foreground, to the right, Zephyrus embraces a nymph named Chloris before taking her; she is then portrayed after her transformation into Flora, the spring goddess. The centre of the painting is dominated by the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, chastely dressed and set slightly back from the others, and by a blindfolded Cupid, firing his arrow of love.” [I never thought that the central figure is supposed to be Venus. I thought it was a depiction of the Virgin Mary, blessing the painting’s subject matter and inhabitants (which the Church at that time essentially did); but what do I know.] “On the left, the three Graces, minor goddesses with virtues like those of Venus, are shown dancing in a circle. The composition is closed by Mercury, messenger of the Gods, recognisable from his helmet and winged sandals, as he touches a cloud with his staff.”
The assembly of dancers at the outset roughly imitates the placement in the paintings, although Cupid zips around the assemblage rather than above it. From there, things move. And instead of being a frozen image in a painting, the nine ACBD dancers energize and enlighten the mythical representation, injecting a balance of joy and sensuality to what were frozen in time at the outset, including nicely-executed lifts (mostly, to my recollection, Chloris lifted by Zephyrus), broad strokes, and general springtime merriment with a balletic-accent.
The undeniable effervescent star of the piece is Jacob Blank, who played Cupid and swirls and jumps around the stage virtually non-stop once the dance begins. [More on Blank below.] The other dancer who is easy to pinpoint is Guest Artist Kate Reyes, who portrayed Venus – appropriately introduced as emerging from a shell.
The costumes (by Christine Darch) for the women are lovely: different colored chiffon-like dresses (to the knee) for the Graces, flowing like goddesses in a breeze, a multi-colored outfit for Flora, the goddess of Spring, a “nude-colored” leotard for Venus (Reyes even gave the impression that she really believed she was unclothed), and a fetching blue leotard for Chloris. The two men (Blank, as Cupid, and Gion Treichler as Zephyrus) are outfitted more sparingly, appropriate for their roles.
In addition to those already mentioned, the cast included a vivacious Maddie Burnett as Chloris, Ioanna Ioannides as Flora, Hannah Dillenbeck, Ava Trochiano and Macie Harris danced the Three Graces, and Mercury was played by Elizabeth Andrews-Szendrody.
I don’t know where Cook-Beatty was going with whatever follows Act 1, but this act of Humanitas alone set an appropriate mood of somewhat earthy otherworldliness (or otherworldly earthiness). I enjoyed it, but was hungry for more.
ACBD’s next piece, an excerpt from Cook-Beatty’s Lacrimis, is a dance of a different color. Black.
The excerpt has a central pair (Blank and Burnett), augmented by four more women and one man. The men are bare-chested with black pants; the women in various iterations of tight-fitting black dresses (costumes by Janna Appelstein). What happens is not clear – at least not from this excerpt. Suffice it to say that there’s a macabre quality to it, including an image in which Blank appears to kill Burnett. From a few photographs that I’ve seen from the complete dance, there are significant components of Lacrimis that this segment, not surprisingly, doesn’t include. Maybe I’ll be able to figure it out if and when I see the complete dance.
ACDC’s final piece of the night, New Loom, closed the program, and, since it was the complete dance, was the most satisfying. It’s also unashamedly angular (even more so than the Lacrimal excerpt) and driven – and unlike anything I’ve previously seen from Cook-Beatty.
As far as I can tell, New Loom doesn’t have a story, expressed or implied. It’s simply a striking-looking dance, both in choreography, execution, and costuming, that is so unusual, and so well-done, it could take your breath away.
The piece was commissioned by Marymount Manhattan College in 2022. According to one of Cook-Beatty’s prior statements about it, it “weaves together various cultures, traditions, and vibrant colors, expressed through choreography, music, costume, and lighting design.” I didn’t get all that – perhaps after nine prior pieces I was brain dead – but I don’t doubt those ingredients were there.
The dance was choreographed to “White Man Sleeps, I and II” by South African composer Kevin Volans, which was originally composed (it’s part of a series) to merge the instruments and sounds of African and Western music. These iterations were adapted for the Kronos Quartet, which is the recording Cook-Beatty uses heard here. The sound isn’t loud as in piercing percussion – instead it’s piercing violins; it’s dark and aggressive, and angular-sounding; something like electric current unleashed, with periods of greater or lesser intensity, and with “power failures” (quiet periods) built in. [Volans has commented on his intentions with respect to his “White Man Sleeps” series, which I find very interesting, but beyond the scope of this review. Those interested can read his comments on his web site: http://kevinvolans.com/essays/white-man-sleeps-composers-statement/ ]
and Alison Cook Beatty Dance in “New Loom”
Photo by Russ Haydn
What Cook-Beatty and her dancers have created matches the music in intensity, and is exacerbated by the costumes – different colored unitards, each with contrasting striping on the left side (as I recall) from top to bottom. [The costuming was designed by Erica Johnston.] The striping, combined with the dancers’ movement, visualizes that “electric current” I mentioned.
The ACBD dancers filled the stage almost (but not quite) to overflowing. They included Trochiano, Blank, Burnett, Ioannides, Harris, Treichler, and Vivianna Elysee DeSantiago, Ali-Asha Polson, Hannah Dillenbeck, and Reed Elizabeth Neuser.
When I heard that one of the companies participating in this program was to be Thomas/Ortiz Dance, I remembered immediately that I’d seen this company before. I checked – and I did: once, ten years ago, almost to the day. Obviously, the group made an impression then, and still does.
Based in Connecticut, the company was founded by co-Artistic Directors Ted Thomas and Frances Ortiz. A native New Yorker, Thomas’s background seems a hybrid of ballet and contemporary dance (he danced with Ballet Hispanico, Elisa Monte, Murray Louis/Alwin Nikolais, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company). Ortiz, born in Puerto Rico, appears to have had more exclusive experience with contemporary dance, although, based on her choreography, I suspect her dance background is broader than that.
In my comments ten years ago, I described the company’s choreographic style as, not surprisingly, a synthesis of lyrical balleticism and contemporary angularity (with a focus on upper body movement and arm/hand gestures as opposed to footwork), and the dramatic power of contemporary dance fused with contemporary issues. That description still holds true. And it’s comprised of a fine group of dancers.
The company’s first piece on the program, following ACBD’s Humanitas, was A Civil Twilight, choreographed just this year. The title has a particular meaning: the period just before sunrise (or just after sunset) when the sun’s center is 6 degrees below the horizon. There are three levels of twilight: astronomical twilight, nautical twilight, and civil twilight. Civil twilight is the brightest twilight period.
This arcane information probably has nothing to do with the dance. The title is, however, a reasonably apt description of a situation in which people act civilly although there’s a level of competition.
Regardless, A Civil Twilight, choreographed by Thomas and Ortiz to a softly repetitive score for piano (“Van Gogh”) by Virginia Aiello, has three dancers intersecting in a variety of physical, and at times sensual, ways. It’s a brief, relatively simple pas de trois, but it’s executed very well by the two women and one man: Mairead Moore (relatively new to the company) and Melissa Weber (a member of the company for many years), and Jafet Ramoso (also relatively new). Ramoso shuffles back and forth between the two women. He appears shorter than the women, but he’s solidly-built and a very capable partner, who handled his assignment well.
in Frances Ortiz’s “Good Morning Heartache”
Photo by Russ Haydn
He did the same thing with the evening’s next Thomas/Ortiz piece, Good Morning Heartache. Choreographed in 2000 by Ortiz to the song of the same name (performed here by Ella Fitzgerald), I didn’t see much in the way of heartache, but I did see some lovely, lyrical dancing by Moore, and, again, excellent partnering by Ramoso. Moore (apparently a native of Indiana, though I haven’t seen confirmation of that) is a compelling dancer, with sky-high extensions that go on forever: she’s perfect for the lyricism in this and the prior peace. But equally significant is a quietly captivating stage persona that’s a rare combination of innocence and sensuality. She’s a dancer to watch.
Thomas/Ortiz’s third piece was Undamely, which Ortiz and Thomas choreographed in 2005. This dance has a brief program comment: “Five women revolt against gender conformity, expanding the notion of feminism.” That’s in the piece (although by now it’s a little dated); it’s clear that the dance’s five women (Rosa Engel, Deanna Garcia, Natalie Gasparini, Moore and Weber) are revolting against gender stereotyping.
The costumes are full, frilly and gown-like (costumes by Fred Tances) for the first part, with the women moving in tandem in a circle, primarily displaying swirling lyricism – at times with an arm pushed upward into the air (there’s independence within that conformity). The five subdivide, but they’re still “conforming” in a typically female, lyrical, manner. The score, unidentified violin concerti by Antonio Vivaldi, occasionally have a “Spanish” sound to them – which the costumes match.
When the nature of the music changes, the dancers’ movement qualities do too. What had been conforming movement became less so, and with some startling variations (e.g., women sliding beneath other women’s gowns and between their legs front to back. It’s like a wake-up call to society – and the audience.
When the third segment begins (“segment” is my descriptive word for a different sounding or looking stage of the dance, not something officially indicated in the program), the women step out of their skirts revealing “pantaloons,” and the movement quality becomes more angular and more individual. There’s still a significant amount of visual conformity, but this “visual conformity” isn’t what the choreographers mean by “gender conformity” (as in doing what women are supposed to do). But in keeping the dance’s limited visual “conformity,” the choreographers created a coherent, accessible dance.
The final Thomas/Ortiz piece on the program was a work in progress titled Mistral, which is choreographed by Christine Fagundas-Turner, whom I remember from her performing days with American Ballet Theatre. It’s a large piece – it includes six women and three men – but there’s no way to know whether it’ll stay that way when complete. But at least at this stage the dance, to music by Johannes Brahms, looks promising. [My notes indicate I found it strange, but interesting.] I’ll look forward, hopefully, to see it when Thomas/Ortiz returns with the finished piece.
The third company on the program, East Coast Contemporary Ballet, is relatively new (it just completed its fifth year), and has a small repertory. Like Thomas/Ortiz Dance, it’s also located in Connecticut – although its name implies an ambition far beyond that local area. Based on the dances performed here, their overall style – to the extent there is one – is highly balletic and lyrical (to my recollection, the ladies wear pointe shoes) even when angularity is a component. In other words, like Thomas/ Ortiz Dance, the choreography (at least as of now) isn’t limited by dogma, and the company is a pleasure to watch regardless of the specific dance being performed.
ECCB’s first dance on the program was Echoes, a 2022 piece choreographed by the company’s co-Artistic Director, Alejandro Ulloa. It was a fine introduction to the company. I understand that this was a revision to the original 2022 dance. Not having seen that, I can’t comment on any changes made.
At first I thought the title referred to “echoed” choreography, but if that was the case, I didn’t see it beyond starting with a solo or two, then expanding to a duet, and expanding further as the dance progressed. But that pattern didn’t continue through to the end of the piece. Be that as it may, that’s not really a significant issue in the dance – the movement quality is. And aside from what my notes reflect as too much walking around, the dance was highly engaging – made even more so by the costumes that were designed by the company’s other co-Artistic Director, Claire Mazza. The dancers included Mazza and Mackenzie Maier, Cassandra Punzo, Katelyn Somers, William Herrera Gutierrez, and Santiago Vargas.
in Claire Mazza’s “Deconstructed”
Photo by Russ Haydn
ECCB’s second contribution to the evening is titled Fickle Conscience. Choreographed by Mazza in 2019 to unidentified music by Malcolm Williamson, an Australian composer who was known for his tonal, lyrical music, and who composed some 250 works until his death in 2003. The dance reportedly was restaged for the company this season. Mazza designed the costumes for this piece as well.
Fickle Conscience consists of one lady, Somers, and two men – Vargas and Bret Coppa, between whom she shuttles. The dance is predictable – one girl, two guys, “fickle” in the title – the audience knows exactly what’s happening as Somers’s character shifts her allegiance, or at least her interest, from one man to the other roughly every 30 seconds. But it’s a nice little piece that delivers exactly what it says it will. It’s fun to watch. And although the choreography is not very complex, it still manages to surprise: the ballet’s highpoint is when one of the men tosses Somers to the other across a significant amount of stage space.
Deconstructed, the company’s final piece of the evening, was created this year, and is also choreographed by Mazza, here to unidentified music by the Balanescu Quartet. The cast of seven included Mazza herself, Somers, Ulloa, Neisser, Punzo, Coppa, and Herrara Gutierrez.
Mazza also designed the costumes, which here are about as “deconstructed” as one can get. The women’s costumes consist of hoops – hoop skirts without the skirts, except for an isolated piece of fabric flowing in a thin line from shoulder to waist. It’s a stretch, but the hoops might also have been intended to represent skeletal tutus. The impression, with the men’s costumes also appearing to have been “deconstructed,” is of costumes having been taken apart and re-presented with anything beyond the basics left out.
To some extent, the choreography is that way also. The dancers move in broad strokes, with sweeping arm motion dominating. And although the cast was frequently separated into smaller components, when all were together it looked busy, and overly complex [I wrote in my notes: “this one’s tough.”] But it was a long day, and maybe the problem was mine. There was one dancer who my eyes gravitated to, who seemed on top of it and more comfortable with it than the others. She should have been – I later deduced she was Mazza, the choreographer, costume designer, and co-Artistic Director.
Overall, however, ECCB’s dances, and its dancers, have a lyrical bent (at least based on these pieces), and I hope they travel to NYC again so I can see them with eyes wide open. It’s an enjoyable group to watch, and even with the overall choreographic nature that I’ve described, it has an eclectic repertory – no one dance looks the same as another. There’s considerable potential here.
When all was said and done, this turned out to be one of the finest of these multi-company programs that I’ve attended. I look forward to its next incarnation.
One more comment. Prior to the first piece in the program, Cook-Beatty announced that Blank, who has appeared in every ACBD performance that I’ve attended (a rarity, since there’s often a large turnover), will be leaving the company after this performance to pursue other ventures.
Photo by Peter Muldavin
At the end of the program, when members of all three companies gathered together for final curtain calls, the focus soon shifted to Blank, who was gently coerced to downstage center, and then received flowers from most of the evening’s dancers, as well as a final round of applause. It wasn’t an ABT or NYCB Farewell, but it was every bit as warm, congratulatory, and meaningful.
Somehow, in every dance in which he appeared, Blank not only was a thoroughly competent dancer; he seemed to be the spark that could ignite the whole company. He’ll be missed.