NYC Ballet - World Premier

Last night Paz de la Jolla choreographed by Justin Peck made its world premier at NYC Ballet.  Peck, a dancer for the Company has been designated by Peter Martins as their 1st year-long choreographer in-residence.  Paz de la Jolla marks his second and more (literally) fluid composition for NYC.  Having been raised in Southern CA, the ballet is reflective of the CA sunshine & beaches.  The dancers are costumed in bathing suits & summer attire.  Tiler Peck dancing in a lovely emerald green suit danced gracefully and at times as if she were swimming through water.  Amar Ramasar & Sterling Hyltin dancing was airy & vibrant except for when they were laying on the stage (which was too much of the time.)  Peck choreographed the corps to evoke a tide coming in & off shore to great effect.  Justin Peck is a talented choreographer with creative ideas & promise.  Balanchine's Variations Pour Une Porte et un Soupir premiered in 1974. I thought I'd seen all of Balanchine's repertoire, but this was the first time for me. It was more in keeping with modern dance than ballet and surprisingly avant-garde pas de deux. The female dancer is attached to billowing black canvas that moves over and around her while she casts a menacing shadow.  The male dancer is covered all in white including his face & stand-up hair. He   flayed & struggled to escape as if trapped in a spiders' web.  The score was a mix of harsh creaking sounds.  This made for a very provocative performance.  I too felt somewhat trapped as it went on for  too long.  The last ballet was Concerto DSCH choreographed by Alexi Ratmansky (2008) to music by Dmitri Shostakovich.  While Balanchine is considered the greatest choreographer of the 20th C,  I consider Ratmansky to be the greatest choreographer of the 21st C.  Concerto DSCH was elegant, vibrant and masterful.  Ratmansky, Knighted in Denmark in 2002 is transforming the world of ballet today.