For anyone inclined to question the fact that dancers are athletes as well as artists, an evening with the Pacific Northwest Ballet should be required viewing. The Seattle-based company paid a visit to New York City Center from February 24 through 27, bringing with it two programs — the first, all-Balanchine; the second showcasing the works of three active choreographers — and a bracing flood of vivacious dancing. I opted for Friday night’s contemporary bill, and was rewarded with an array of splendid performances from every echelon of the company. On the whole, the dancers displayed a well-balanced combination of bold, progressive energy and clean, classical polish. Equally impressive was the palpable sense of camaraderie emanating from the stage. These are artists who seem to enjoy their work, and to enjoy working together. First on the docket was David Dawson’s whirlwind A Million Kisses to My Skin, the unrelenting turbulence of which occasionally left me, along with the performers, gasping for breath. Dawson wisely did not attempt to decorate every note of Bach’s Concerto No. 1 in D Minor with a step (surely an impossible enterprise). Nonetheless, the often fevered switching of angles and circuitous port de bras had, ironically […]
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