The Best Of the Year
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Looking back at the dance world in 2004 means doing a lot of, well, looking back. The year was dominated by the centennial celebrations of George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton – which meant that the emphasis was on revivals and repertory, rather than new choreography.
It was a year for tending to tradition, for introducing new generations to dance masterpieces, at least on the big stages. The most exciting new dances this year came from smaller companies.
BEST PERFORMANCES
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE, ‘DON QUIXOTE,’ JUNE 7 When I turned in my review of this performance, my editor rolled his eyes: “You even praised the audience.” Well, this was a “Don Q” in which everything went superbly, breathtakingly right, and the audience (gone mad with enthusiasm) knew just how lucky it was to be present. Nina Ananiashvili and Jose Manuel Carreno danced with supreme joy and charm. Veronika Part, as the Queen of the Dryads, was heaven-sent. Marcelo Gomes and Carmen Corella hammed up their roles: He was a lusty Matador with adorable gusto, and she was a flirty street dancer with fiery sexiness. From the first to the last, it was a performance that set a stratospheric standard.
GILLIAN MURPHY, IN ‘SWAN LAKE’ (BLACK SWAN), AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE, JUNE 14 On this particular night, Ms. Murphy gave a full-throttle, seductive treatment to the role of Odile, the Black Swan. Her blend of strength, eroticism, and musicality made it an unparalleled performance.
MATTHEW RUSHING, IN ‘HIDDEN RITES,’ ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER, DECEMBER 9 In this Ailey revival, Mr. Rushing danced a gripping solo that had me at the edge of my seat. In it one could see such purity of line – and the training that goes into making a modern dancer. But it wasn’t just technique that made this solo captivating. It was passion. In a work that looks at mythologies and magic, he seemed transported and took the audience with him.
ASHLEY BOUDER AND ANTONIO CARMENA, IN ‘FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO, PAS DE DEUX,’ NEW YORK CITY BALLET, JANUARY 14 What enormous fun these two seemed to have on stage. In this short pas de deux, the pair brimmed with personality and verve – supported by quickness, musicality, and technique. They looked like two young people very much in love and ecstatic at the chance to dance.
MOLLY SMOLEN, IN ‘FIVE BRAHMS WALTZES IN THE MANNER OF ISADORA DUNCAN,’ BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET, JULY 7 What Ms. Smolen created here was an example of true artistry. The five waltzes of this Ashton ballet recreate the style of Isadora Duncan, and Ms. Smolen danced it with whole, all-consuming beauty. The sweeping curves and languid bends of her body were gorgeous. At one point, she dipped her hands in an urn full of petals, walked back to the stage very slowly, and distributed the petals gradually around the stage during the dance. Utterly sublime.
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
‘CONNECT TRANSFER’ BY SHEN WEI, FOR SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS I was so transfixed during this work of contemporary dance that I could hardly bear to blink. On a white floor, dancers moved with careful, distinct rolls, lunges, and sprawls. But there was an added artistic element: As they moved on the canvas, the dancers made a painting by brushing their extremities – hands or feet loaded with paint-filled mittens or socks – against the floor. What was so unusual was that Mr. Wei created a dance with gripping choreography, plus a painting composed of energetic line and dots of color. It was a holistic, full artistic experience.
‘NOIR’ BY NOEMIE LAFRANCE, FOR SENS PRODUCTION Set in a Lower East Side parking garage, “Noir” was dance-theater that explored the imagery of film noir and the femme fatale characters in them. Audience members sat in parked cars while dancers, dressed as shady characters and sexy molls, ran through the garage, then began a series of sketches with hints of stories rather than full narratives. Ms. LaFrance succeeded in creating a work that was hip and accessible, but also quite serious in its choreography. In the way that she designed the partnering and transposed images from film to stage, Ms. LaFrance showed herself (again) to be an artist of uncommon talent.
‘MOPEY’ BY MARCO GOEKE, FOR PETER BOAL & COMPANY Mr. Goeke’s solo – thrillingly danced by New York City Ballet’s Sean Suozzi – is an ultra-fast, aggressive work of contemporary dance. It could be said to be just another work derivative of William Forsythe’s style. It is in that genre, but “Mopey” is its own work. There was personality – moody, sometimes dark – yet a light side, too. The rich, detailed choreography demanded attention. Mr. Suozzi played no small part in this: A vivid dancer, he brought a magnetic sense of himself to the stage.
BEST SET DESIGN
PETER HARVEY, FOR ‘JEWELS’ BY GEORGE BALANCHINE, NEW YORK CITY BALLET The new sets for “Jewels,” the 1967 three-part plotless ballet (“Emeralds,” “Rubies,” “Diamonds”),relate not just to the properties of the gems, but to the character of the choreography. “Emeralds” seems set in a lush, wooded garden, a propos of the choreography’s Frenchy froth. “Rubies” is drenched in black like a Broadway show, which complements the jazzy thrust of the dance. “Diamonds” is icy and bluish, in concert with the Imperial Russian style of the classical pas de deux. The new sets strike a difficult artistic balance: They introduce a new, fresh element to the dance, allowing you to absorb this masterwork with greater imagination. But they do so gingerly, without competing against the ballet’s abstract nature.
BEST COSTUMES
LIZ PRINCE, FOR ‘PRETTY GOOD YEAR’ BY TREY MCINTYRE, AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE “Pretty Good Year” is an abstract ballet, but the costumes have loads of character. The skirts for the female dancers – especially the lead – were sexy in a fun and flirty way; with 11 layers of fabric, they swished and bounced around with rambunctious movement. The bodices had body-defining sex appeal, and the men’s costumes were a cross between fairy tale and action hero. Using a palette of yellows and grays, Ms. Prince created costumes that were a treat for the eye.