For years I have watched women choreographers play second fiddle to their male counterparts. Fewer females. The lack of respect they received. The scant opportunities at hand. So it was easy to see that the upcoming performance at the August Wilson Center, “Here + Now,” would be historic. Not only had Susan Jaffe built her initial season around eight women choreographers, the most that I personally recall ever seeing from a major ballet company in a single year, but five of them would have works on the program.
To Jaffe’s credit and her keen choreographic eye, ballet has evolved to the point that these not-to-be-denied women have established a formidable reputation in the light of #MeToo. On top of that, she created a beautifully curated program, one that flowed from piece to piece, progressing stylistically and emotionally on a remarkable journey.
Pittsburgh choreographer Staycee Pearl, 2019-2020 Artist in Residence that was sponsored by the Arts, Equity, & Education Fund, led off the evening with SKIN + saltwater. Doing the math, that meant that it took two years to the day to bring this piece to life. There was a terrific duo at work here, first heard in the original digital score, atmospheric and textured, by husband and artistic partner Herman Pearl. Together they created a woven tapestry of tempi and styles, so essential for an abstract work. While he has developed a talent for dance composition, Pearl’s choreography of late has been notable for its organic flow, rooted in a personal sense of African lyricism, almost a spirituality that, at its best, elevates the movements.
This was Pearl’s first time venturing into a balletic vocabulary. By her own admission in the program, she “considered culture, Blackness, otherness, woman-ness, and systems and concepts that have historically brought about violence and separation.” That was a lot to layer onto a story about a young couple and tended to detract from it. For the most part, the Afro-centric and ballet-centric vocabularies existed on separate planes. In her decidedly growing and bright future, Pearl could better blend them together in the organic continuum that defines her.
Two duets formed a euphoric respite on the program. First there was a dark horse, Princess Grace awardee Gemma Bond, and the choreographer with the shortest resumé. A former member of American Ballet Theatre, she already has choreographed for Atlanta Ballet, though, and has an upcoming commission for Washington Ballet. She brought Depuis le Jour (Since the Day), an ode to love filled with fresh, airy moments swirling in an unbroken reverie. Hannah Carter and Colin McCaslin got the nod on opening night — it was good to see Carter looking splendid in her first performance back from maternity leave. Blessed with extraordinary lines, she went beyond her impeccable technique to embrace a palpable tenderness in McCaslin’s steadfast arms.
Jessica McCann and Yoshiaki Nakano carried on that sense of seamlessness, creating their own nuanced harmony. The two virtually became one in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s La Pluie (The Rain), the second pas de deux from Lopez Ochoa and hopefully only a prelude to something bigger for the company. McCann and Nakano have been her movement translators in both works and here they took the flow of water and made it almost molten with their firm, yet supple intent, intertwining in and around Lopez Ochoa’s mesmerizing and breathtakingly difficult shapes.
We’ve seen Helen Pickett’s Three — 4,6,8 outdoors at Hartwood Acres, but this was a different animal indoors under the lights. On the Benedum stage, the original trio of men amped up their mathematical understanding of the musical conglomeration found in the text. What choreographer hasn’t used Phillip Glass, a real gift to dance? To Pickett’s credit, not many have used this piece, which perked up the ears and cranked up the brain to make sense of it all. No matter. With the light-hearted, easy-going physicality — so buoyant! — and a more competitive angle, Corey Boubonniere, Kurtis Sprowls and Josiah Kauffman racked up a winning score. Pickett was also able to give each of the dancers meaty solos, which they executed in an adroit manner. And yes, we will be seeing a longer, more dramatic ballet from Pickett next season, a great opportunity to explore the range of her artistry.
The congeniality of Three set up the oddball community of Aszure Barton’s Bright progressions, a simple title for a deceptively simple work. A dance infused with subtle strokes of humor, it somehow reminded me of Paul Taylor since the dancers were clad in unisex aqua unitards, randomly splashed with gold. (Like Taylor’s Three Epitaphs, where four dancers in unisex black unitards — with a smattering of mirrored accent — slumped their way through New Orleans funeral music.)
Humor may be a rarity in ballet, but Barton had a real feel for the quirky accompaniment from the British band, Sons of Kemet, who funneled Afro/jazz/hip hop and a rhythmic extravaganza (loved the tuba) into a funky accompaniment. With that coursing through the choreography (and our veins), the piece skyrocketed into an action-packed finale. I can’t think of another choreographer who views dance the way that Barton does.
She layered some her own peculiar, yet strangely charming, attitude on top of the score and suddenly PBT was looking surprisingly cool with curling spines, hip hip action and carefree, percolating bounces. For sure, the dancers will be able to loosen up even more, and fill out the movement with their own arch approach.
This program, on the whole, is eminently tourable — the audiences were delighted with the variety and a strong people connection. It also gives PBT a head start on repertory that is unique to the company, the best way to build a national reputation. Evidently Jaffe intends to use the August Wilson Center program as an annual gateway for more experimental dance. This is the kind of work that both the dancers and the audiences need to discover the latest trends in ballet and to grow. I predict that, with Jaffe’s skill and connections, this will eventually become a hard-to-get, very popular ticket.
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