Taste of Modernity

Tuesday seemed like a breath of fresh air for the company.  After a week of non-stop “swanning,” we turned to our Balanchine Black and White program – an evening comprised of four staple ballets choreographed by George Balanchine. Each is simplistic in that the dancers all wear traditional ballet attire (black or white leotards for the women and black tights for the men), which really allows for the audience to focus on the dancing.  In these pieces, it’s all about the movement, music, and patterns. 

Savannah Lowery in the second movement of
Balanchine's Episodes

The second piece of the night, Episodes, is perhaps the most edgy of the four since the music composed by Anton von Webern is often dissonant, and the quirky movements reflect the random pairing of sounds.  It’s funny to us backstage because the audience clearly doesn’t know when to clap; it’s that hard to tell if there’s simply a long silence in the music or if a movement is actually ending!  In these instances, we usually try to start the clapping backstage in order to avoid the awkward silence.  

Each section of Episodes is unique, showcasing various pairings of men and women. The second movement is particularly captivating because the stage is only illuminated by two spotlights on a man and woman, who dance to music with a certain extraterrestrial vibe. I dance in the Bach section of Episodes, which resolves the dissonances of the earlier sections with its Bach-inspired melody.  It starts out simply, with only the principle couple moving through positions. But when more instruments are added to the melody, the corps girls begin to flow through similar positions in a canon, and the entire stage comes to life with these movements.  George Balanchine once said, “See the music, hear the dance.” In this section, you definitely see the music as our positions and patterns mimic the beautiful construction of von Webern’s composition.  Movements are transferred from one dancer to the next, just as similar melodies are passed through the different instruments in the orchestra. 

Jackson Pollock's Number 1A, 1948

Since Episodes is rather abstract, it seems fitting that this week’s excursion should to be to experience the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) where there are many contemporary and imaginative works. It has new exhibitions regularly and a vast permanent collection, ranging from representations of modern architecture to the splatter-paint works of Jackson Pollock. Much like Episodes, some of the works here will make you say, “huh?” and even question why they are considered art.  Even as an artist myself, I am sometimes utterly confused when I see a plain black canvas or a soda can resting on the floor of the museum.  But this is a great place to open your mind, see some notable works, and find inspiration.  Visual art can be a source of inspiration for choreographers, and perhaps Balanchine looked to Jackson Pollock's Number 1A, 1948 when creating his own black and white ballets.  On UNIQLO Friday nights, the museum is free from 4 to 8pm, but I recommend getting there around 3 as the line to get in tends to be long.  Otherwise, the museum is open from 10:30am to 5:30pm each day, with adult admission priced at $25 and discounts offered for students and seniors.

After visiting the MoMA, why not try a new cuisine for dinner in light of this week’s innovation? Last summer, a friend and I tried the Ravagh Persian Grill on 30th street as recommended by a former teacher, and we were enamored by the food to say the least.  We shared an order of the babaganoush, pita bread, shirazi salad, and Cornish hen kabobs.  It was the perfect combination of foods, and at the end of the meal we wished we could be hungry again to eat more of these dishes!  Perhaps if you walk down Fifth Avenue from the MoMA to the restaurant (a 25-minute walk) you can really capitalize on a bigger appetite.  It's best to order a smorgasbord of foods here, and if you can't finish them all, you'll have a delicious meal for later in the week! 

Cornish Hen Kabobs - Before

After!