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Red Star Review Essay

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On paper it might seem a tad dull. Program No. 9 of the Festival, however, which was made up of Red Angels, Varied Trio (in four), Barber Violin Concerto, followed after intermission by Polaris, After the Rain pas de deux, and Concerto DSCH was a genuine feast for the eyes and ears.

Color dazzles me; so, the use of red in the first ballet—particularly in the final tableau, with its obvious resemblance to Agon—was entrancing. Dove’s choreography may not be extraordinary, but with Angels such as Rebecca Krohn and Teresa Reichlen in the cast this was highly enjoyable.

With its use of light blue contrasting sharply with the previous production, Varied Trio—notwithstanding its nondescript title; and echoes of at least two Balanchine …show more content…

A mixture of black and white and gray characterizes the palette of Polaris, which appropriately (since this ballet is about the stars in the heavens) makes it plausible for the empathetic viewer to feel they are looking into space. Listening several times beforehand to William Walton’s Allegramente from Piano Quartet in d minor made it easier to concentrate on and enjoy Myles Thatcher’s choreography. In addition to all the balletic motions she performs so beautifully, what struck me here were Tiler Peck’s contemplative gazes. When facing the audience, she seemed to be peering at—the cosmos.

For several years, Maria Kowroski has been the de facto senior ballerina of NYCB. (All three women who could have laid claim to the appellation were plagued with injuries during their final years with the company.) This contributed greater poignancy to all the recent performances of the pas de deux from After the Rain, performances which were among the highlights of the season. Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel is a repetitious, but powerful and spiritual composition to which Wheeldon created apt and irresistible choreography. The beauty of Kowroski’s long limbs and extensions, as well as her noble demeanor were evident throughout this run. Ask la Cour partnered her superbly.

A dazzling array of color suffuses Concerto DSCH—its production, its music, its

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