"...a great and complicated piece ... beautifully performed"

July 9, 2006 performance, reviewed by Connell McGrath

Suzanne Farrell Ballet brought an all-Balanchine show to Jacob's Pillow this week. This is a company founded by America's former prima ballerina directing a dozen of her proteges in straight-up neo-classical ballet (usually Balanchine). Ballet is not my strong suit. The subtlety of movement and position, the importance of pose and finish - these nuances have often frustrated me in the past. So I provide the following observations with the help of my 10-year-old daughter, a ballerina herself, who's more qualified to judge this work.

Suzanne Farrell Ballet
at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

First of all, it seemed to us (speaking with the authority of a 10-year-old gives a certain freedom of expression) that great dance just wasn't happening tonight. But the troupe is young and enthusiastic and there were moments of beautifully executed (my words, not her's) sequences. One of the pleasures of the evening was the audience itself. This was by far the youngest Pillow audience I've ever seen, with hundreds of teenage girls and quite a few young adults. This demographic was heartening, giving one hope for the future of dance. Now to the details.

First comes "La Source" set to uninteresting classical music by Leo Delibes (1866). Critique: "It's like a ballet class." Thumbs wavering and inclining toward the down position. Not much inspiration in the choreography, though the dancers worked hard to give it life, "La Source" seems a catalog of ballet movement and possibilities without a unifying purpose behind it.

Suzanne Farrell Ballet
at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

"Clarinade" is a more interesting work, though the critic didn't like the flashy costumes. Morton Gould wrote the outstanding music for this piece especially for Benny Goodman who played it on opening night in 1964 when Suzanne Farrell danced it with the New York City Ballet. Good back story! And we heard the Goodman recording for last night's performance. "Clarinade" is dated and reads like early 60's jazz movement ala "Irma La Douce," but it's still appealing and fun to watch.

The second half of the show presented much more interesting work. "Tzigane," to Maurice Ravel's concerto of the same name (akin to his Bolero) was originally choreographed by Balanchine for Suzanne Farrell in 1975 to mark her return to the New York City Ballet. My own ballerina loved this one - great costumes, beautiful exciting dance. "Tzigane" portrays the sultry, powerful movements of a gypsy queen and is danced well (if a little tentatively) by Natalia Magnicaballi. She was supported by Momchil Mladenov who did a great job as her fiery gypsy lover.

Farrell saved the best for last with "Divertimento No. 15" set to Mozart's work of the same name. Even to the untutored eye, this is a neoclassical masterpiece, and the company surpassed itself in performing it. Form dominates meaning in this piece, and I believe Farrell's in-depth knowledge of Balanchine's techniques and intentions served this performance well. The Theme and Variation section was excellent, with particularly good performances by Ashley Hubbard and Runqiao Du. The Finale is a great and complicated piece of choreography and was beautifully performed by the whole company.

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