NYC Ballet Virtual Fall "family friendly" Oct. 10, 2020

 This short program give a range of Balanchine's genius, from the rigor of Stravinsky to the energy of Gottshalk to the vigor of American folk music.

Tarantella (1964) is a energetic and sharply danced pas de deux with Megan Fairchild and Joaquin De Luz emphasizing -- as many Balanchine's pas de deux do -- the alternating competition and cooperation between a male and a female. Fairchild and De Luz do a bravura job to the music of Gottshalk (orchestrated by Hershy Kay), each dancing at times while holding tambourines and encouraging each other in their solo pirouettes, tours en l'air, piquet turns and cabrioles. This ballet is slightly slower now than when Balanchine did it originally on Patricia McBride and Edward Villella; there is a grainy black-and-white recording of that version on YouTube.

Scherzo a la Russe is a short ballet done to the music of Stravinsky for the Stravinsky Festival, NYC Ballet 1972,  In some ways this dance is barely a "ballet," at all, making clear the range of Balanchine's choreography, because the ten women, led by Olivia Boisson and Claire Von Enck, in the dance are not en pointe, there is little use of turnout and the port de bras is not strictly classical.  This all-female dance is clearly based on Russian folk dance ensembles, a common motif in Balanchine's work (and in Stravinsky's) and done here with precision and elegance.

The final piece in this program is the first movement of Western Symphony (1954), one of a number of Balanchine's tributes to his adopted country.  I laugh with delight when I see this wonderful ballet, with classical steps for cowboys and dance hall girls in the West.  Hershy Kay brought together a selection of American folk songs -- from Red River Valley to Golden Slippers -- and Balanchine demonstrated his passion for American culture, which goes back at least to his work on Broadway before NYC Ballet was founded.  This first movement was led by Abi Stafford and Taylor Stanley.  The costumes are by Karinska and Balanchine's genius is clear in the vivid classical ballet steps to go with them.