Into The Magic City was the first of the two programs that Miami City Ballet scheduled to be presented at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts — a big cut back from previous seasons.
The show Feb. 28 was a solid program that included two George Balanchine works — the iconic and timeless masterpiece Serenade and the lively pas de deux Tarantella, as well as the world premiere of Roses from the South (Three Waltzes for Toby), which was commissioned in honor of MCB founder Toby Lerner Ansin’s 85th birthday and choreographed by the highly acclaimed Alexei Ratmansky.
Miami has been known as the Magic City since its incorporation in 1896, hence the title of the program, but perhaps Changes Are in the Air might have been a good fit for the title of the program as so much has happened since the company was last seen in Palm Beach County. First and foremost, it has a brand-new artistic director, its third since it was founded in 1985. Edward Villella, the legendary former New York City Ballet dancer, was the company’s first artistic director serving, until 2012. Villella, who was selected by Miami philanthropist and founder Ansin, was responsible for shaping the company’s neoclassical style.
Gonzalo Garcia, the new artistic director, was appointed during the summer after Lourdes Lopez, then the artistic director, made the surprise decision to leave at the end of last season two years before her contract was up. The young and handsome Garcia was on hand that Saturday night to make a pre-curtain appearance and introduce himself and share his vision for the company. Changes in how the company presents itself are already becoming apparent.
Onstage the dancers were as confident and personable as always and it was reassuring to see the many familiar faces once again dancing on the Kravis stage. It seemed fitting that the first offering of the night was the serene and beautiful Serenade (1934), which featured Hannah Fischer, Dawn Atkins, Jordan-Elizabeth Long, Cameron Catazaro and Chase Swatosh. Balanchine created this work just after he arrived in America for students in his newly formed School of American Ballet.
Serenade is a shifting kaleidoscope of different patterns made by 17 women dressed in the same soft blue long tulle skirts. There is so much simplicity and strength as the curtain opened on the women dressed in pale blue, standing in pale blue lighting on a diagonal with one arm raised and palm visible. Is it a forlorn wave or a sign to stop? It is a haunting image that has become iconic.
Though there is no storyline in the 32-minute ballet, the images that appear suggested various relationships such as when Fischer fell to the ground and Swatosh entered, eye shielded by Long as she led him towards Fischer. As he consoled Fischer, Long spread her arms as if she had the wings of an angel. In another exquisite moment, Long struck a gorgeous arabesque that Swatosh, seated on the ground, rotated by her ankle.
The final section, known as the “Elegy,” left another lasting image as the dancers formed a double line that slowly traveled on a long diagonal upstage as the men lifted a standing Fisher by her feet to shoulder height and joined the procession. It was reminiscent of the religious processions in the streets where statues of the Madonna are carried on the shoulders of parishioners to symbolize their devotion.
In order to create this quietly dramatic ending, Balanchine changed the order of the romantic score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky by switching the last two of the four movements of Serenade for Strings (in C, Op. 48). I never grow tired of seeing this work with its iconic beginning, beautiful images and its wistful ending, especially when it is danced as beautifully as it was by the Miami City Ballet dancers.
Garcia, who did not curate this season (as it had already been planned by his predecessor Lopez), made the decision to add Balanchine’s bravura pas de deux, Tarantella, to this program. Appearing right after Serenade and before intermission, the lively duet rounded out the elegantly muted evening by adding a little extra zip and personality.
Dressed in Italian folkloric styled costumes of black, white and red complete with beribboned tambourines, Taylor Naturkas and Satoki Habuchi were in excellent form as they darted in and out with tremendous speed and clarity. Their perky interactions were both competitive and flirtatious as they upped their level of virtuosity each time they reappeared.
Onstage with the dancers was company pianist Francisco Rennó, seated upstage at a black grand piano. As his fingers rapidly glided over the keys, it wasn’t clear who was in charge of the speeding tempo. Rennó’s mastery of Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s Grand Tarentelle (Op. 67) was impressive and as much of part of the delight of the work as the dancers’ high energy dancing.
Tarantella was first danced in 1964 by NYCB’s Patricia McBride and Villella.
Without a doubt, the main focus of the evening was the tribute ballet, Roses from the South (Three Waltzes for Toby), which closed the program. With a muted palette and minimal look, the Ratmansky work was set to the 1921 Arnold Schönberg arrangements of three very danceable waltzes by Johann Strauss II.
The costumes by German designer Moritz Junge were somewhat traditional ballet with the women’s flowing chiffon and a hint of a corset bodice (with one sleeve) as well as the men’s tights and tunic tops (also with one sleeve) which were somewhat jester like. Junge, who is a frequent collaborator with Ratmansky, wanted to honor Ansin’s love for ballet as well as reflect the strong classical influence in Ratmansky’s choreographic style.
The first section, “Lagoon Waltz,” was for eight women; the second, “Roses from the South,” for eight men, and the third, “Emperor Waltz,” for eight couples. The grouping of women had a sense of expectation — of something to come that would be celebrated, whereas the grouping of the men had a more fun and athletic playfulness to it with the men tossing and catching each other in camaraderie. Both sections had a strong sense of individuals coming together and bonding perhaps referencing the importance company dancers had over the years in creating the success of MCB.
Ratmansky is considered the most influential choreographer of classical ballet today. His works have spanned reconstructions of many of the 19th-century full-evening classic ballets as well as a multitude of original works. Next season, MCB will be presenting Ratmansky’s emotional interpretation of Swan Lake, one of ballet’s most-loved love stories.