baroquedance

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Arts New York Baroque Dance Company by Gert Innsry September 25, 2005 One of the joys of living in New York is the incredible variety of cultural events available. Early music lovers have at least half a dozen excellent companies to choose from; dance aficionados can choose from multiple companies in the ballet, modern, jazz or Afro-Latin categories, just to name a few of the genres available. Those who love dance and early music can rejoice in the presence of the New York Baroque Dance Company, which performed this week in conjunction with Concert Royal, a period-instrument early music orchestra with a special fondness for the French Baroque.

In a program billed as Homage a Marie Salle', The Company paid tribute to the premiere dancer and choreographer of the first half of the 18th Century. Reconstructed from contemporary accounts of her performances and choreography, and making use of what is known of the movement vocabulary of the period, the four pieces presented by the Company provide a good introduction to Baroque Dance in several of its moods.

The first piece, a dance suite from Ariodante, a 1735 opera by Handel, is in the Arcadian style, with the dancers dressed as upscale shepherds and shepherdesses. Most of the choreography resembles a slightly rusticised version of court dance, with happy couples gamboling through a gavotte, two musettes and other formal dances. The effect is charming as the dancers (Patricia Beaman, Timothy Wilson, Rachel List, Seth Davis, Glenda Norcross and Jason Melms), obviously well-steeped in 18th Century dance traditions, provide us with a glimpse of the grace and formality of elite society of the time.

Les Characteres de la Danse, a dance suite to music by Jean Fery Rebel (1661-1744), was a charming, funny and skillfully danced evocation of the perils of 18th Century courtship. The two dancers, Catherine Turocy and Timothy Kasper, acted as well as danced the story of a coy lass who wavers between encouraging and discouraging her lover. Their grace and humor made this suite the brightest part of the program. Jean Fery Rebel, little known even amongst aficionados of Baroque music, is an exciting composer whose music deserves to be heard more. Concert Royal gave this music an excellent performance.

One of the most famous of Marie Salle's performances was the Dance Suite from Pygmalion, Choreographed to Jean Joseph Mouret's music, this suite was well documented at the time of its performance, which greatly aided in its modern reconstruction. The music, however, has been lost, so the New York Baroque Dance Company' s performance was set to music by Rameau. The statue (Sarah Elgar) and Pygmalion (Jason Melms) brought pathos and beauty to their roles. The assemblage of court dances making up the suite included gavottes, a menuette, chaconne, sarabande, rigaudon, a contredanse and others. These were danced by the various artists and Ladies of Quality (Timothy Wilson, Timothy Kasper, Caroline Copeland and Glenda Norcross), as well as Pygmalion and La Statue. More formal and less pyrotechnic than Les Charactieres, the ornaments and grace notes in the foot and hand movements were a fascinating evocation of a style of dancer long gone.

The final piece of the evening, Terpsichore, the prologue to Handel's revised Il Pastor Fido,was the perfect example of Baroque Opera dance style. The lead roles, Terpsichore (Caroline Copeland), Apollo (Steven Rickards) and Erato (Ava Pine) were well performed, with Apollo and Erato represented by singers, rather than dancers. Mr. Rickards had a strong, clear countertenor voice, well in keeping with Baroque practice of Handel's time. Ms. Pine's equally rich voice melded beautifully with Mr. Rickard's. The dance roles of Graces (Patricia Beaman, Sarah Elgar and Rachel List) and Heroes (Timothy Kasper, Jason Melms and Timothy Wilson) rounded out the performances.

Both the New York Baroque Dance Company and Concert Royal are well deserving of our attention. Separately, they are each a marvelous exponent of Baroque art. Together, they make for a unique and unforgettable experience.

For the New York Baroque Dance Company’s 2006 calendar, visit www.nybaroquedance.org/htmls/calendar.html.