Boston Ballet :: Fall Program

Boston Ballet launched its 2012-2013 season on Friday night with three pieces in a program entitled Fall Program that will run at the Boston Opera House until November 4, 2012. They opened with the hip swagger of "Rooster" by Christopher Bruce. Danced to eight Rolling Stone songs, the cool tone was set by Corps de Ballet member Robert Kretz, who strutted rooster-style (eat your heart out, Mick Jagger) through the opening number "Little Red Rooster." His movement, a kind of forward moonwalk, was repeated throughout the eight-sectioned performance, along with his Mr. Suave mannerisms of straightening his tie with a head tilt and flicking a non-existent piece of lint from the shoulder of his jacket.

The interpretations of the Stone's music were varied: One couple did a contemporary dance version of the jitterbug to "Not Fade Away." Dressed in black and red, three women end up beating the single male dancer with their red scarves in a moment of kink to "Paint it Black." Backed by four male dancers doing a routine they might have lifted from Gladys Knight's Pips, a single woman danced to "Ruby Tuesday" in a full-shirted ruby dress in one of the most popular sections of "Rooster." Robert Kretz closed out the selection to "Sympathy for the Devil" with jazzy cool. The periodic sequencing of thematic movements and the seamless transitions throughout only added to the triumph of this work.

The second piece "Awake Only" by Boston Ballet's resident choreographer, Jorma Elo was performed to music from J. S. Bach. This much anticipated world premiere suffered in the early sections from an awkwardness so apparent that soloist Sabi Varga (the father figure) fell while lifting the graceful Lia Cirio (the mother figure), although they both got up and recovered with a professionalism that did them credit. The general sense of unbalance dissipated as the long piece proceeded.

Lacking a linear narrative, "Awake Only" marks the process of maturing. For example, the work opened with a child in his pajamas who pokes at various parts of the body of a similarly dressed young man, danced by the talented Jeffrey Cirio (in real life the younger brother of principal dancer Lia.) Where the child prods, Jeffrey Cirio's body ripples, displaying an impressive physical control. The music was gorgeous, not the least the interplay of the piano (Alex Foaksman) and the organ (Heinrich Christensen). Overall, "Awake Only,' despite many subtle and fascinating moments, disappointed.

The final performance, featuring 14 dancers in unisex high-necked leotards of an ethereal silver-blue, was William Forsythe's dazzling "The Second Detail." The percussive music of Thom Willems might at first have taken some getting used to if the piece had been any less brilliantly choreographed. But, in fact, the pristine synchronization among the dancers, and between them and the rhythms, made for a mesmerizing performance.

With a line of stools across the rear of the stage, rows of dancers progressed towards the audience in full-on high energy, only to turn for a casual stroll back towards the stools, most often spinning to reintegrate with the other dancers before they made it to the rear. The women were en pointe, but performed with a contemporary and cool aesthetic. "The Second Detail" provided a rousing, upbeat ending to the season opening of this company Boston of which can be so proud.