NYCB – Smokin’ C – 10/13 matinee

Hot.  Fast.  Thrilling.  This afternoon's final performance of Symphony in C closed with a blast of energy as dense as dynamite.   And it was all detonated by Andrews Sill's baton and the fabulous and incomparable New York City Ballet Orchestra, and of course, Georges Bizet. 

Ana Sophia Scheller & Jared Angle, Maria Kowroski & Tyler Angle, Erica Pereira & Antonio Carmena, Lauren King & Adrian Danchig-Waring, and the brilliant ensemble, all in their glistening Swarovski crystal-rich costumes, were beyond beautiful. 

Ana and Jared led the way with the opening movement in which they challenged themselves to see how far they could take it and still be perfect. 

Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle performed the historic adagio as though it was their privilege to do so and made it our privilege to watch it.  

Erica Pereira and Antonio Carmena pushed for every last inch of height on their jumps. 

And Lauren King and Adrian Danchig-Waring astonished the audience with such a glamorous and commanding Fourth Movement that the audience could barely contain its enthusiasm and had to interrupt with applause.  What a handsome couple!  Watching how fast Lauren has assimilated herself into this principal role has been the most exciting aspect of this fall season.  It is thrilling to see what these NYCB dancers can accomplish when they are given the opportunities to do so.

The company dances Symphony in C in the winter season on February 7, 8, 9, and 10 on what already are very strong programs that include Symphony in Three Movements, Western Symphony, and Concerto DSCH.  You need to buy your tickets now — today  — here.

Also on today's program was Danses Concertantes with Megan Fairchild and Tyler Angle who was dancing it for the first time.  The Stravinsky music is an immediate mood lifter.  The costumes by Eugene Berman combine beautiful bold colors with sharp black design accents.  The dancers look as handsome as can be in them.  If the choreography is perhaps a notch below a lot of other, more serious Balanchine choreography, it's all forgiven because the dancers are able to sell it with their sass and joy of dancing it.  Alina Dronova, Lauren King, and Ashley Laracey attracted a little extra light today, but everyone did a superb job.

Tiler Peck and Gonzalo Garcia repeated their fine performance of Robbins' Andantino.  Beautiful musicality from both dancers and Tiler's soft, shapely feet made this little ballet quite enjoyable today.

The highlight of the afternoon was The Cage in which Sterling Hyltin and Justin Peck debuted as the Novice and Intruder #2.  Rebecca Krohn and Sean Suozzi were The Queen and Intruder #1. 

Scheduling this freaky Robbins ballet during Halloween – a month-long holiday season in New York – couldn't have worked better.   The curtain rose to reveal the spidery web hanging from above the dark stage where the wild haired, venomous arachni-dancers were clearly acting out and discussing what to have for dinner.  Twitching in the downstage corner was the newly born Novice who had yet to taste her first victim.  It didn't take long.  First Sean Suozzi intruded and was caught by the Novice, who then instinctively dispatched him by holding his neck between her knees and twisting his head.  Then came the next intruder, Justin Peck, who the Novice enjoyed playing with until the other arachni-dancers and The Queen forcefully explained that duty called and it was time to dispatch of this intruder.  She did — in the same way as before — but then lay atop his fallen body to complete her use of him before returning to The Queen who praised her for doing such a good job.

Sterling Hyltin, in her most unusual role to date, managed nearly all of the creepiness that Janie Taylor delivered earlier in the week in the same role.  You could sense the stickiness on the ends of her spindly arachni-fingers.  If you ever see either of these women coming toward you in a black wig, you may want to cross the street fast.  Justin Peck was at first a willing victim until he realized where it was all leading — but, alas, it was too late to escape.  The HH Pump Bump Award, a Roberto Cavalli spiderweb inspired sandal, goes to Sterling Hyltin and Justin Peck for their terrific debuts in The Cage.