The Reassuring Effects (of Form and Poetry)

REVIEWS

WASHINGTON TIMES

“In the Washington Ballet’s splendid program that concludes this weekend, the jewel in its crown is a world premiere by Trey McIntyre. His new ballet is admirable on many levels. Waves of fresh, imaginative dancing spill across the stage; the movement is both virtuosic and nuanced…the new ballet is a tremendous addition to the company’s repertoire. The Washington Ballet has a pattern of seldom repeating a ballet from one season to the next, but The Reassuring Effects of Form and Poetry is one that bears repeated viewing – and soon.”

JOURNAL SENTINAL

“In terms of pure creativity, the choreographer is a step ahead of the great composer. Where Dvorak repeats, McIntyre varies, expands and even reinvents. The athletically charged dancing follows an agenda beyond merely tracking the music, which for McIntyre is a springboard, not a path. In “Reassuring Effects,” a smart, skilled postmodernist pays homage to the past but stays firmly in the present. McIntyre’s dance stands as the brilliant centerpiece of an imaginative program.”

MIAMI HERALD

“The evening’s jewel: Trey McIntyre’s The Reassuring Effects of Form and Poetry, which drew a standing ovation. McIntyre is currently one of the ballet world’s hottest choreographers, and REFP showed us why. It’s a dizzying blend of classical and colloquial movement that moves with the speed and clarity of light. But it’s not cold. Once you see REFP, its title makes sense; the form is in the classical steps and structure, while the poetry comes from its physicality and a surprisingly powerful emotional subtext.”

DANCEVIEW TIMES

“He seems particularly drawn to Antonin Dvorák’s chamber music, with its blend of propulsive, folk-flavored energy and aching melancholy. His ABT work was to the composer’s Piano Trio in B-flat major, and the major work on this program, boldly and perhaps riskily titled “The Reassuring Effects (of Form and Poetry),” uses the complete Serenade in E, Opus 22. It was created in 2003 for the Washington Ballet, and has already been performed by Milwaukee Ballet and Miami City Ballet. It is clearly related to “Pretty Good Year,” or rather that work elaborates and further investigates the territory McIntyre staked out in this earlier work. The choreography dives headlong into the music—its rhythms, curlicues, passions, reflective passages. There is an overall juiciness and fullness to the choreography, which is honorably classical yet full of surprising, gently quirky moments. As with the ABT work, a chamber-size ensemble (eight dancers here; seven in that case) carry the whole ballet, with the opportunities divided up quite democratically and no one relegated to an ensemble role.

There is nothing dispassionate or timid going on here; McIntyre forges ahead boldly, and Liz Prince’s costumes are similarly assertive. Assembled from shades of plum, magenta, rose, midnight blue and violet, they feature stretchy tops with angles pieces of material and pouffy little layered flounces as the hips for the women. The men’s are less busy, closer to standard modern- romantic look, but also each are different, with various color combinations. I must say that they were so fascinatingly busy that during the initial moments of the ballet, until my eye adjusted to them, I noticed the costuming, and how it identified each dancer, more than the choreography itself.

McIntyre deployed his four men and four women in shifting, often unexpected arrangements, although by the end—when everyone did pair up for the robust, invigorating finale, there were clear partnerships. Entrances and exits were made with brisk frequency, and the choreography was so densely packed at times as though he might be unable to hold back, tossing in every idea the music suggested. But how pleasant to encounter choreography that bursts with ideas rather than drags out a limited supply of them into dullness, even if a touch less eagerness, a willingness to hold back, might strengthen the dance.

Along the way, this 30-minute work, which constituted the second half of the program, showcased a fleet, breezy pair of shorter dancers, Jennifer Miller and the ebullient Mark Petrocci, and a more maturely engaged pair, the fluid Michelle Jimenez and the tall, elegant and dynamic John Michael Schert, who embodied a sensual, trusting connection so deep that at the end of their extended duet, she leaned backing his arms all the way down to the floor. “Reassuring Effects” is a notably warm, luscious work, perhaps generous to a fault.”