The stars of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Modern Masters program were the choreographers themselves, as I had anticipated. But we also saw a galactic display of celestial dance events, from the orchestral accompaniment to the movements of the dancers. All in all, this was a breathtaking exhibition of contemporary ballet at its finest and one of PBT’s most memorable programs that I can recall.
It was also undeniably a difficult program, taxing because of the choreographic difficulties — even if the company was operating at full force. Unfortunately there were 7 dancers out, either from injury or pregnancy, which accounted for almost a quarter of the main company. Hannah Carter was the only female principal — Amanda Cochrane recently retired — and four out of seven soloists were missing.
That didn’t affect the opening work, Jorma Elo’s 1st Flash. The dancers took me by surprise, oozing with a sculptural weight that was an interpretive first in this company. It could have been inspired by yet another master, modern choreographer Paul Taylor. You had to love the beautiful control that captured Elo’s soaring passion for Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Yet there was more to this piece. You could superimpose the symphonic sweep of Finland’s landscape — the natural beauty of prehistoric forests, over 100,000 lakes, the tundra and bogs, the Northern Lights. It also could have embraced the creative spark afforded by Sibelius. So that cast was stylistically cohesive, although the second cast produced more urgency and a few contemporary accents within the syncopated rhythms as they took a pose or lifted a leg. Both approaches were enviable.
Any more body accents would have bled into Christopher Wheeldon’s piece, Polyphonia, with its minimalist sparks. One of his earlier works, it was easy to see his nod to George Balanchine’s black-and-white ballets.
Even the angularity of the Lygeti piano score, played with a terrific musical acumen by guest pianist Rodrigo Ojeda, bounced between various metrical configurations and Stravinsky-esque rhythms.
However this piece showed the injury strain that was put upon the company, as PBT dipped into on its corps roster and apprentices more than usual. While the performance was quite lovely, the dancers could have had more intent, more depth as they negotiated the maze of directional changes. That being said, Polyphonia put Wheeldon on the choreographic map and it was easy to see why.
The abstract nature of the dance, sometimes enhanced by lighting that cast giant shadows of the cast, revealed Wheeldon’s talent in the balance and clarity of the movement.
The Balanchine connection set the stage for Theme and Variations, with one of Tchaikovsky’s most glamorous scores. There was a lot of blue, including the backdrop, consisting of a chandelier among crystal swags. But it was good to see Janet Groom Campbell’s sparkling blue and white costumes so resplendent. (The former PBT costumier definitely has a way with Swarovski crystals.) To her credit, she has kept her finger on the pulse of the company— not only by joining the PBT board, but donating a monetary gift so that the Wheeldon piece could be presented.
On the whole, the dancers did well considering the heft of the program. And the orchestra was fired up and ready to go under the expert baton of Charles Barker’s temporary replacement, Ormsby Wilkins. There was a financial blunder, however. The company had to pay the orchestra for a full evening of music, according to its contract, despite the fact that it played for only one ballet.
Some of the program’s success still had to be due to former artistic director Susan Jaffe, whose high standards changed the the company for the better in so many ways. Her emphasis on technique brought a new physicality that Pittsburgh audiences embraced with unbridled enthusiasm. She also brought in no less than 10 fresh choreographic voices, 8 of them women, and during a pandemic no less. That only underscored how the company had become constricted, nurturing mostly older works and its own stable of budding choreographers within the dancer ranks over the last few years. In its 50-year plus history, PBT never had offered local dance audiences (and its own dancers) the latest choreographic talent on such a grand international scale.
This past season only extended that ascending trajectory. The opening program was hampered when a visa problem forced Goya Montero’s Alrededor No Hay Nada to be eliminated. There was talk that it would be brought in next season, but the company does not list that ballet in its press release. (Too bad. A Youtube clip of his work resembles Crystal Pite — that would be a great way to introduce PBT dancers to her style.)
We were then introduced to Michael Pink’s Dracula, an unqualified success, and the Masters were masterful. Jaffe had planned for Ronald Hynd’s acclaimed Sleeping Beauty, last performed at Pacific Northwest Ballet, but PBT ran into financial difficulties again, with medical attention needed due to Hynd’s delicate health, and, most likely, the costs of having flying fairies, which would have been fun. Directed by new artistic director Adam McKinney, the PBT staff instead will put together its own patchwork version.
Audiences were virtually screaming for Jaffe’s chosen ballets this past year, an unprecedented reaction in its 50-plus year history. It was obvious that she understood Pittsburgh’s appetite for athleticism in dance, not the Disney-esque type of programming, but treating the city with rich, quality, substantial choreography.
And those PBT dancers, now so different in their approach as they continue to shoulder the responsibility of constructing more mature interpretations. I spent years watching nice, but academic portrayals and a more cautious approach to choreography. Jaffe blew that method wide open and left behind a fresh, emotional Swan Lake in the process. (More on that later.)
Hopefully the PBT staff and artists will continue to show what they learned under Jaffe’s care and take responsibility for their art as they build a new path with McKinney. One thing is apparent — this is not your mother’s PBT.
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