Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces in rehearsal. Rosalie O'Connor photograph
George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe—the Boston Ballet could not imagine a better recipe for success. Artistic director Mikko Nissinen’s troupe opened its run of “rEVOLUTION,” with pivotal works by these choreographers, Thursday evening at the Opera House.
The staging of Balanchine’s “Agon,” from the 1950s, with Robbins’s “Glass Pieces” and Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated,” both from the 1980s, showcased three of the most influential dances of latter 20th century.
“Agon” was one of the closest collaborations between Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky. Jointly conceived and executed, the duo imagined a suite series, titled after French court dances, which mixes soloists with duets and small ensemble settings.
The score nearly upstages the dance. Stravinsky takes apart the orchestra, creating unique chamber settings for each of the suites. Invention, and intimacy, characterized the engaging music.
The movement is equally inventive. Single, double and triple pas-de-quatres of black-and-white clad dancers culminate in a magnificent pairing between Lia Cirio and Paulo Arrais, a tender pas-de-deux featuring some impossibly elegant gymnastic poses. In another short suite, Ji Young Chae unleashed long lines in a castanet-flavored, dotted-rhythm solo. Unusual touches—linking at the elbows, knees intertwined, a foot placed delicately on a shoulder—created unlikely poignancy.
Another lyrical pas-de-deux—with Addie Tapp and Patrick Yocum—provided the centerpiece for Robbins “Glass Pieces,” set to selected compositions by Philip Glass. Robbins envisions his dancers emerging from the urban bustle—solos begin as dancers separate from the large group of passersby, walking briskly across the stage to their anonymous destinations.
As Tapp and Yocum danced to Glass’s “Façades,” the silhouetted ensemble, queuing up along the back of the stage, created a mobile backdrop. The duo danced a serene set, as solo winds danced as well above Glass’s metronomic figures. The playing in the pit, under music director Mischa Santora, was uniformly intriguing.
When it premiered in Paris in 1987, Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated” inspired bold predictions for the future of ballet. The work was among the first choreography that Nissinen brought to Boston Ballet when he began his tenure, in 2002, and still stands as a remarkable reimagining of tradition.
Nine dancers interact onstage to Thom Willems garbage-can electronics. Aggressive and compulsive, the taped score could not possibly be enjoyed to on its own, but serves Forsythe’s assertive mood perfectly.
The dancers partner in the same way that antagonists partner. Ferocity—posing, strutting, bullying other dancers for space, dismissive glances—these competitive signals provided the subtext. Dancers, only partially visible in the wings, rehearsed moves in anticipation of more combat. Harsh white spotlights cast tragic shadows on the dancers’ faces. This was street fighting.
The future of ballet? One can certainly imagine this gorgeous program being performed a century from now. Boston Ballet dances “rEVOLUTION” through March 8 at the Opera House. For tickets and information call 617 695-6955 or visit bostonballet.org.