Chamber Music Ballet
Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet company, only in its third year, presented four works in Studio 4 at New York City Center in February. Artistic Director Magloire introduced each dance, speaking passionately and emphasizing his use of live music. The masterful musicians, Erik Carlson and Melody Fader, and dancers, Elizabeth Brown, Christin Hanna, Denise Small, Emily Vonne SoRelle and Lauren Toole, appeared equally enthusiastic, although the dancers struggled with a slippery floor.
Mostly Soft, choreographed by Magloire, is a lighthearted treatment of Schubert’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major.” Magloire used both traditional ballet vocabulary and inventive steps, often mirroring the musical phrasing. Hanna, Small and SoRelle exhibited strong technique and expressiveness, with SoRelle’s wonderfully fluid upper body standing out. The pianist, Fader, wore a burgundy lace shirt that matched the dancers’ tunics, drawing the performers together visually.
Next came Magloire’s Silk, a dance for three set to “Tartini’s Sonata No. VII for Solo Violin.” It was the highlight of the evening.
In a riveting solo, Brown danced with such fine attunement to the music, played by Carlson, that the sound appeared to emanate from her body. Toole danced with explosive force, yet subtle control. Her line in the repeated arched-back motif was stunning. Small’s dancing was more delicate, but confident and committed despite the quirky head movements she was given. All three dancers have a supple plié, staying connected to the floor and using a sense of weight not always characteristic of ballet.
The final moments of the dance included several beautifully crafted canons, in which one dancer’s folding body was juxtaposed with another dancer’s upright position.
In Lace, Magloire addressed the more avant-garde music of Luciano Berio’s “Sequenza VIII” by combining a touch
of angst with cool detachment. The choreographer incorporated low, middle and high spatial levels, creating in one instance a tableau reminiscent of Jules Perrot’s Pas de Quatre.
Deborah Lohse choreographed the final dance, Night is Falling, to two works by David Lang, “Vent” and “This Was Written By Hand.” Each of the three dancers in the cast portrayed a particular character. Brown seemed to be troubled. Small worried over Brown, even to the point of wringing her hands repeatedly. If Small reached to help Brown, however, Hanna would run in and break them apart with a violent push. At other times, the dancers performed complex steps in unison while holding hands. Their motives and relationships were unclear.
Although some works were more successful than others, the performance left a sense of the endless possibilities for dancers and musicians working together. Sharing creative experiences deepens both art forms.
Elizabeth McPherson, PhD, is a freelance writer and faculty member of Long Island University-Brooklyn.
