And I don’t mean Noonan’s vaudeville turns.
Turning is certainly not the strong suit of New York City Ballet’s men, so it was great to see all the whirling going ’round at ABT’s Symphony in C. And given that’s it’s Balanchine choreography, the turning never gets out of hand.
Message to James Whiteside, however: cool it.
Somewhat in the first movement of Symphony in C, and even more so in Morris’s “Drink to Me,” one was too aware of how much this very talented dancer has to prove–or believes he has to prove–this season. He’s just left the Boston Ballet to join ABT as a soloist but his Met season is basically a matter of making one principal role company debut after the other.
He did not make too much of Gremin in Onegin on May 17, but where dancing rather than acting is involved, this week he showed that he can do a lot. But he was sinking to a bit too much thrashing and overreach. And yet he has a biting attack that’s worth venting.
It’s a fine line–everything in ballet.