“Seasons,” choreographed by Edwaard Liang. Photo by Sonia Bartolomeo.
I parked in Bristol 10. Two floors down, and on the opposite side of the Kennedy Center from the Eisenhower Theater where, in twenty minutes, the curtain would go up on the closing performance of The Washington Ballet’s “transcenDANCE,” featuring the premier of a new work by Jennifer Archibald, as well as choreography by Ulysses Dove and Artistic Director Edwaard Liang. I made my way up the escalators and into the Grand Foyer, passing through the metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs stationed outside the Opera House—dystopian Sunday leftovers of Thursday’s bomb threat, and a reminder that the show must go on. The Kennedy Center is a national treasure presenting a cross section of the best performers in the world. Their operation in the face of adversity and leadership disruptions is a testament to the staff, crew, and performers who make it all possible.
…powerfully emotive, human performers…’WOW’…the audience leapt to their feet.
“transcenDANCE” opened with Archibald’s “LucidNOISE.” Grounded in Euro House music, this pieces had an atmospheric pop sensibility. The women wore thigh-high, black socks and pointe shoes, with the deconstructed architecture of mini hoop skirts at the waist, and the men were in geometric, jewel-toned biketards. The ‘dance club ballet’ is almost its own genre of work in contemporary dance, one which covers a lot of ground. In the last year alone Ballet Hispanico, and Kyle Abraham, with students at George Mason University, offered strikingly different contributions to the genre. Archibald’s take, rooted in a post-Forsythe-like, contemporary ballet vocabulary, seemed more ballet than club despite its edgy aesthetics. That said, the extreme lines and aggressive corps phrases were a technical spectacle.
Ulysses Dove’s “Vespers” formed the middle third of the program. Originally created in 1986 for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and famously performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, “Vespers” felt like the most radical piece on the program despite being the oldest. The raw, live-wire energy as the dancers climbed on to chairs and reached towards the sky or lunged backwards to sit was palpable. Grief, loss, alienation, and anger all carried through with an icy precision. All three works on the program showcased the prowess of The Washington Ballet (TWB) dancers, but “Vespers” put a spotlight on them as powerfully emotive human performers, not just ethereal, technical creatures.
The evening closed with Liang’s “Seasons” set to Vivaldi’s familiar “Four Seasons” as recomposed by Max Richter. From the first tableaux, as the dancers mirrored the bare branches of the trees that comprised the minimalist set, “Seasons” was a visual feast of rare angle and long lines. The highlight for me was the Pas de deux that came in the final two sections of the piece. The spiraling lifts seemed both effortless and edgeless as the dancer in pointe shoes floated off the floor to smoothly flip around her partner’s head—not with the flung momentum of a gymnastic trick, but with an eternal, trance-like muscularity. As the curtain came down on a bookend of the opening tableaux, an audible “WOW” could be heard in the blackout before the audience leapt to their feet.
Running Time: Approximately one hour and 30 minutes with two intermissions.
“transcenDANCE” ran February 20-23, 2025 presented byThe Washington Ballet in the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566. For more information about The Washington Ballet and upcoming performances, go to their website. For more information about upcoming events The Kennedy Center, please go online.
