Tender and Bold: ABT Studio Company at The Joyce

Leigh Donlan reviewed the performance on Saturday 4th May, 2024

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company closed its 15-city U.S. spring tour at home this weekend at New York’s Joyce Theater. The 9-piece mixed bill included two New York premieres, one world premiere, and excerpts from works by Vaganova, McKenzie, Ratmansky and Tharp. Two new pieces by 19-year-old company dancer Brady Farrar were discerning and inspired, and the broad range of classical and contemporary styles showcased the dynamism of this young generation of dance artists, aged 17-21.

Night Falls, Farrar’s world premiere, was a well-crafted, dramatic and tender pas de deux, set to Frederic Chopin’s melancholic Nocturne 19 in E Minor. Kyra Coco and Alejandro Valera Outlaw both delivered refined interpretations on the heavy subjects of love and death. Outlaw was a courageous partner for Coco as she seemed to weaken, sustaining her aloft in stalwart lifts, gently supporting her unraveling pirouettes en pointe, staving off an invisible force that gradually consumed her. 

Kayke Carvalho was delightful in Farrar’s second piece, Flight of the Bumblebee. Set to the famed Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov score of rapidly escalating strings, this work demands of the male dancer the agility of a thoroughbred and a lyrical quickness. The dance of this charming, short-lived creature is tightly packed, with a few moments of respite to catch his breath.

A soothing pas de deux from Alexei Ratmansky’s The Seasons, with music by Alexander Glazunov, was a stellar piece of repertoire, graced by fluid partnering and a fine sense of syncopation from Lila Greyeyes and Elijah Geolina in simple earth-toned costumes against a backdrop of autumnal orange. 

YeonSeo Choi showcased her impressive extensions and supple port de bras in Diana and Acteon, making the best of the trite choreography. Opening act nerves may have caused some initial hesitations, but her finishes were punctual and smooth. Her partner Kayke Carvalho displayed impressive technique, particularly in his scissored leaps and grands pirouettes. 

An elegant Daniel Guzman delivered a solid “Neapolitan Dance” from Kevin McKenzie’s Swan Lake, maintaining assured control with the confidence of a prince. His generous energy captivated the audience.

Young and Beautiful, a premiere by ABT dancer James Whiteside with music by Lana Del Rey, gave a strong millennial vibe and, judging from the way they threw themselves into it, seems to be a company favorite. The ballet laments the struggle to become a professional dancer, and it does this cleverly with soundbytes of dancers discussing the highs and lows of the vocation. A few sections felt redundant, particularly the overuse of circle formations. And the informal, studio-like costuming of legwarmers and bulky rehearsal skirts occasionally made it hard to see the movement. The vigorous, rhythmic corps sections were the most potent.

The dancers ably met the challenges of Twyla Tharp’s Brief Fling (Country Gardens) with its juxtaposition of sharp angles, quick switchbacks, bent knees en pointe and off-center partnering. Again, the corps sections stood out.

Sooha Park triumphed in the challenging Rose Adagio from Sleeping Beauty, maintaining grace under the pressure of lengthy balances and promenades in attitude.

The program closed with the New York premiere of Amy Hall Garner’s Within the Sunset, set to the Spanish-Caribbean-inspired music of Rodrigo y Gabriela, Lawson Rollins, and Estas Tonne. The loose-limbed movement and swinging momentum established a care-free mood (though it challenged a few of the hardcore ballerinas.) Overall, this was an upbeat, feel-good ending to an evening of diverse and challenging repertoire.