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By He Jiawei
Benjamin Millepied's new piece Everything Doesn't Happen At Once
Photographed by Gene Schiavone
The New York Philharmonic will not be the only arts organization from the US to visit the capital since last year: American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is making its first visit to the capital this November to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-US relations.
From November 12 to 15, the ABT will present six performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, including four performances of the full-length ballet Don Quixote and two repertory programs.
Aszure Barton's new piece One of Three Photographed by Gene Schiavone
UN of the ballet world
Based in New York, the ABT is one of the top ballet companies with world-class dancers and a wide-ranging and classic repertoire: it is often called "the museum of ballet."
ABT was founded to be a truly American-style ballet company and its establishment ushered in a new era in dance history. Along with the New York City Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet, the ABT is part of the "triumvirate of great classical companies defining the American style on the world stage today," The Observer said in 2007 when it performed in London.
All the ballets it has performed are choreographed in a way that combines traditional and contemporary elements.
Today, it is known for its unique American style that transcends cultural boundaries. Frequenting the best theaters in the US, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, ABT has become the country's national ballet.
In its pursuit to be one of the top ballets in the world, ABT has successfully attracted preeminent ballet dancers and choreographers from around the globe to its list of masters. It is in this way that ABT clings to its American style while remaining open to the world.
Almost all the great dancers and choreographers of the last century collaborated with the company, including Russian choreographers and dancers George Balanchine, Michel Fokine and Bronislava Nijinska. British choreographer Antony Tudor made his American debut with ABT. The legendary US dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille staged the majority of her ballet works with the company.
At the 2007 ABT alumni celebration, artistic director Kevin McKenzie described the night as a "family reunion."
The roll of that family read like a who's who and a who was who of the ballet world.
"We are like the mob," McKenzie said, "Once you join ABT, you never leave."
Over 30 percent of the dancers in the company are from outside the US, hailing from countries as diverse as France, Russia, Italy, Spain, Argentina and Brazil: it's the UN of dance.
Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel in Don Quixote Photographed by Rosalie O'Connor
Latest piece made for concert
During the first two days, the company will present its "Contemporary Ballet Collection", which includes three new pieces which premiered for the first time at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on October 15.
Because of ongoing renovation at the City Center, ABT performed at the Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. The Avery Fisher was not built for ballet, but the choreographers made adjustments.
The choreographers of the three are the former art director of Bolshoi Theater Alexei Romansky, the popular choreographer Benjamin Millepied and the well-known American choreographer Aszure Barton.
The adaptation was a new experiment for the 70-year-old company. Its choreographers and dancers adapted to a new performance space. The stage lacked both wings and an orchestra pit, and its dimensions, as befits a concert hall, were intimate compared with the depth of the house.
When a dancer from ABT said, "It is a strange venue," Barton replied, "As a modern dance choreographer, I can work anywhere."
The crew did not hire visual artists to redesign the theater, focusing instead on lighting and costumes. In Barton's dance, she used black-and-white to contrast with the warm stage and the mustard-colored seats.
In Millepied's work, 24 dancers appeared onstage to act as human pillars and framed the action.
"It is a great risk for ABT. But most of us are hungry for a new movement, a new way of doing things. As far as the dancers are concerned, they are just eating it up," David Hallberg, a dancer for Romansky, said.
The world premiere won great applause. "We were thrilled to appear at the Avery Fisher Hall, and to continue our presence on the Lincoln Center campus," Rachel Moore, executive director of ABT, said. "These performances offer a wonderful opportunity for audiences to see dance in a new way."
The three performances at NCPA will be the first outside the US. It will give Chinese viewers a window into the latest trends of contemporary ballet and the cutting edge world of the art.
Michele Wiles in Don Quixote Photographed by Rosalie O'Connor
A choice
Aside from contemporary ballet, the company will also perform an interpretation of the classic Don Quixote adapted in 1995 by the artistic director McKenzie.
The new adaptation restores the ballet's grand scenes, rich colors and sophisticated skills while placing it on a backdrop of American culture. But the actions and gestures remain hot, exciting and rooted in Spanish tradition. The original work's fantastic humor shines through in its distinctly Spanish take on life and pleasure.
Don Quixote demands dance skill. Among the amazing dance scenes, several Spanish pas de deux and symphonic group dances demand the most attention. These are often performed at ballet galas, and have been used when competing at the international level.
But because the four pairs of dancers will perform Don Quixote's story split over four performances, visitors may have a hard time deciding which one to see.
Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella are regarded as the "dream pair." They won the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition for their selections from Don Quixote and Pirate in 1995.
Performance: Contemporary Ballet Collection Nov. 12 - 13, 2009 19:30
Don Quixote Nov. 14 - 15, 2009 14:30 / 19:30
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