A lot of bad, shoddy thinking has infected ballet for a long time and that, together with the frightful economic, educational, and cultural policies that our government has put in place, have landed ballet in a precarious position.
Sometimes the bad and shoddy thinking is simply taking good ideas to a counter-productive extreme.
It’s a bad and shoddy idea that a quota of new ballets have to be unveiled per annum w/o regard to the quality of those new works, that a huge amount of money has to be spent on them regardless, and that commissioning and rehearsing new works takes precedence over constant polishing and respectful casting of core classic repertory.
But on the other hand, new works are essential. They give dancers a chance to express themselves under the tutelage of living choreographers who can make something especially for them, give them confidence and guidance.
There’s no question that New York City Ballet always looks truly world-class in new ballets created especially for them. And so it proved two nights ago, when the company performed four works it has premiered over the past decade: Benjamin Millepied’s Neverwhere, Justin Peck’s Decalogue, Nicolas Blanc’s Mothership, and Alexei Ratmansky’s Namouna: A Grand Divertissement.
New works sometimes, if not invariably, do create something “new,” which is, of course, one manifestation of creativity. Yes, you could see new coordinations, new partnering vocabulary, spatial configurations, steps, rhetorical continuity.
It’s a bad and shoddy idea that new works must always feature the same few leading dancers, which is another reason why Wednesday’s performance was heartening.
Not only did some of the overworked never look so good, but some neglected talents are perhaps being brought forward. I say “perhaps” because I don’t know the Kremlinology of things. I say “neglected” knowing full well that not everyone can be a soloist and you need to have a corps de ballet.
But I do think if you care about giving the audience the most entertaining and meaningful product, you will spotlight as much as you can as many people’s individuality when there is a chance to do so.