Bringing contemporary ballet to the purest of places

Boston Ballet’s streamlined and airy dance 

What a joy to finally have had Boston Ballet led by MikkoNissinen.

The United States’ leading ballet group did not disappoint offering a streamlined and bright contemporary ballet.

The four piece program began with Christopher Wheeldon’s“Polyphonia” in which the slightly academically expressive dance was escalatedby Gyorgy Ligeti’s piano music.

The music and the impeccably choreographed dance showed constant yet slight references to culture, from a waltz swirl to dying swan’s arm.

The most anticipated work of the evening was JormaElo’s  “Plan to B”, which had neverbefore been seen in Finland. Like many contemporary choreographers, Elo alsochose baroque music from Heinrich Biber’s hypnotic violin sonatas.

Elo wove a multilayered weave of dizzying versatility andvarying choreography.

Sometimes it felt that Elo’s choreography was maybe tootightly packed..

Nonetheless, one could not help but to surrender to thepiece which ends abruptly, like the cut of a knife.

The program’s weakest link was Helen Pickett’s piece“Tsukiyo”. Its ‘Japaneseness’ bounced off from the faint flower theme. From thetens of neoclassical ballets this piece is however a recognized one portrayingthe electrifying love story of an empathetic man and a passionate woman..

The final piece brought contemporary ballet to the brightestand quintessentially purest of places.

William Forsythe’s “The Second Detail” didn’t seem to haveaged a bit in two decades. It was rich and ever surprising. The dynamics rangedfrom bursts of movements to the airy art form of kinetics.

The audience gave a standing ovation. The viewers’ appetiteshad been awoken leaving them craving for more of Elo’s and Forsythe’s work inour own ballet’s repertoire.

DANCE

Boston Ballet at the National Opera

Polyphonia, choreography Christopher Wheeldon

Plan to B,choreography Jorma Elo

Tsukiyo, choreography Helen Pickett

The Second Detail, choreography William Forsythe