![]() ![]() A principal dancer since 2009, Reichlen is one of the brightest stars among the company’s wealth of talent. Moving with luxurious spaciousness, Teresa Reichlen was superb in the role of the Dark Angel, a woman who blindfolds a young man (the excellent Ask la Cour), leading him to his fallen beloved. Hyltin’s performance was particularly heart-rending in this elegiac apotheosis of the piece. This final moment of “Serenade” is reminiscent of a communal prayer, rendering images that transcend both the music and the choreography. The Waltz Girl is also known as the Fallen Heroine, who at the end of the dance is carried aloft by a trio of men in what looks like a mournful, funeral cortege. There is, however, a sense of tragedy and demise embedded in her role. Hyltin brought to this role a sense of gentle warmth and purity, dancing with flawless style and wonderfully capturing in her movements the rich musical nuances of Tchaikovsky’s score. This is the most coveted role of “Serenade,” for it offers plenty of dancing and interpretive opportunities for a ballerina. Sterling Hyltin, as the Waltz Girl, was utterly romantic and poignant. On this Saturday evening, rising to the occasion, the NYCB dancers gave a truly spectacular rendition of this iconic dance. As a result, some of the roles have acquired their own names. “Serenade” is an abstract dance there is no story, nor are there specific personages, yet the imagery onstage is so rich and dramatically powerful that it creates an array of emotions and visions and inspires an infinite variety of interpretation. They look like feisty Amazons as they crisscross the space in swift, flying leaps as if born to be free of inhibition and restraint. These ballerinas are hardly waifs or sylphs delicately skimming the stage on the tips of their toes in unhurried, floating manner. One can also notice how Balanchine changes the movement style itself. In fact, in “Serenade,” the ensemble is always onstage, dancing non-stop. Balanchine gives the ballerinas of the corps a prominent part. The corps de ballet is no longer a static ornament framing the principal dancers, as was always the case in 19 th century classical ballet. In “Serenade,” the movement vocabulary is strictly classical, but when looking at the dancers in motion, one immediately sees the novelty of Balanchine’s approach to choreography. This sudden transformation carries the metaphorical meaning-and the very essence-of the creative process in ballet: it all starts in a classroom. They no longer evoke divine creatures these are simply ballet students taking their daily barre class. This first scene in his very first ballet made in America encapsulates the central trait of the choreographer’s life-long artistic credo: “Ballet is a woman.”Īs the music starts, the ballerinas gently lower their arms and assume a classical ballet stance. They look like goddesses and each of them is a personification of Balanchine’s ideal-a ballerina as a source of creative inspiration. The vision of seventeen ballerinas in shimmering light blue gowns, standing solemnly still in diagonals, their hands extended forward and palms turned as if shielding them from the moonlight, has an air of eerie, rhapsodic mystery about it. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, the ballet’s opening tableau always takes my breath away. It’s a deeply romantic ballet and the choreographic imagery inspired by its glorious music (Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings) is replete with artistic invention and ethereal beauty. The moonlit “Serenade,” which Balanchine created in 1934 for the students of the School of American Ballet, was an important touchstone of his choreographic oeuvre and the first step in establishing the unique modern style of classical dancing in this country. Watching this program, one could easily understand why George Balanchine stands as the most important dance-maker of 20 th century America-the choreographer who defined and shaped American classical ballet as an art form. This program might have been subtitled “The Quintessential Balanchine,” for it included three ballets that encompassed some of the most essential principles of the Balanchine style, as well as a wide range of his choreographic aesthetics and innovation. Saturday, January 24, was a big day for New York City Ballet as they held their annual birthday celebration for George Balanchine, called “Saturday at the Ballet with George,” which concluded with an evening bill that featured three timeless works from the great ballet master-“Serenade,” “Agon” and “Symphony in C.” ![]()
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