NYC Ballet Premier NOT OUR FATE is 1st Rate and Something to Rave About

"Not Our Fate" is a new ballet choreographed by NYC Ballet principal dancer Lauren Lovette.  "Not Our Fate" had its world premiere last week and while new to NYC Ballet's repertoire, it is an exceptional ballet.  I found it a hybrid of the talents of both Balanchine & Robbins with added elegance & an artistic flair that should ensure a place of prominence within NYC Ballet's illustrious legacy.   Ms. Lovette is still new to choreographing on a major world stage.   Her first work for NYC Ballet was "For Clara" which premiered at the 2016 Fall Gala.  Lovette's "Not Our Fate" is choreographed to music by Michael Nyman (b UK 1944).  Nyman was a recipient of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2008).  Going to the ballet one always anticipates a beautiful escape while enjoying this consummate art form.  One always hopes to experience a ballet that is viscerally moving and transcending.  "Not Our Fate" took my breath away.  The musicality of the dancing, the lighting, the costume design and the exquisite dancers created an astonishingly accomplished work of art.  I highly commend Ms. Lovette's lyrical phrasing & exciting creation.   Other pieces on the program were Peter Martins "The Chairman Dances (1988).  It felt flat and dated.  The other three contemporary ballets also had their world premiers last week.  Troy Schumancher's "The Wind Still Brings" was also an excellent & exhilarating ballet.  Giana Reisen debuted her choreography for the company, "Composer's Holiday".  It only came alive in the 3rd movement.  Resident Choreographer for NYC Ballet, Justin Peck's new piece,  "Pulcinella Variations" was laden with frippery, distracting & inhibiting costumes and unimaginative dancing.  So, I will return again to "Not Our Fate" and sing the praises of Ms. Lauren Lovette for creating a ballet I believe is fated to become a classic.