During the last week of July, the Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem shared their passion for dance with the public through a free series of 20-minute performances.
The program across all five days featured the following performances:
- Ballet Hispánico – Línea Recta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
- American Ballet Theatre – Other Dances by Jerome Robbins
- Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No. 2 by Robert Garland
- World Premiere of Pas de O’Farill by Pedro Ruiz, a collaboration between Ballet Hispánico & New York City Ballet
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – excerpt of Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown
- New York City Ballet – The Times Are Racing by Justin Peck
Ballet Hispánico – Línea Recta
A vibrant dash of red symbolizing a sultry and passionate dance. Dancers exchanged intense eye contact and the tension between them was palpable. Movements were slow and deliberate as dancers moved together in unison. The woman’s train was used as a prop to reel her in or vice versa, to create distance as she spun across the stage.
American Ballet Theater – Other Dances
Known for their classical dance styles, the dancers from ABT once again leveraged classical ballet technique to bring their story to life. A male-female duo dressed in blue danced slowly and intimately across the stage, before finally giving each partner their own opportunity to perform individually on stage. The most memorable parts included a series of pirouettes in a diagonal path across the stage.
Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No. 2
Dressed in colorful leotards, these dancers introduced a contemporary flair to this otherwise classical dance festival. Movements were carefree, lively, and dancers used their arms and wrists to sway back and forth on stage. Featuring leaps across the stage and sporting smiles as they faced the audience, the dancers brought a playful and jovial vibe to stage.
NYCB + Ballet Hispánico – World Premiere of Pas de O’Farill by Pedro Ruiz
As a collaboration between the NYCB and Ballet Hispánico, this dance highlighted technical precision and a sultriness that we had seen earlier in the first dance. The female dancer’s leotard with asymmetrical black mesh panels foreshadowed the style of the dance. Against a backdrop of music that would be best described as jazzy rock, the duo danced across the stage in harmony with turns and intimate movements with each other. The male dancer swung the lady back and forth and both of them demonstrated their technical capabilities with a series of fast fouetté turns.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Dancing Spirit
With the flowy fabrics of their costumes, the dancers used huge, sweeping arm movements to indicate a certain type of spirituality of this dance. They gestured slowly towards the sky, almost in pain as if they were mourning the loss of something. The second scene was more energetic and the music featured more drumming alongside piano melodies. Dancers marched across the stage and often turned their face quickly to look behind them.
New York City Ballet – The Times Are Racing
The final performance in the dance festival was the most contemporary. Members of the NYCB dressed in casual attire (denim, t-shirts) flitted across the stage. The dance had a high school vibe to it, perhaps because of the attire the dancers sported, or because of the collective youthful energy. Dancers used jackets as props, turning them upside down and finding unique ways of using space on stage.
Photo Credit: All photos were taken on July 25, 2023 by Richard Termine.
