Last month, Benjamin Millpied’s contemporary dance collective, the L.A. Dance Project, had its New York debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gillman Opera House. What Millepied has accomplished in two years with LADP is extraordinary: He’s assembled private donors to fund the company, managed to attract high-caliber contemporary dancers, and commissioned works from some of the most exciting choreographers, composers, and visual artists working today. But what is most admirable about his approach to directing is his unapologetic programming philosophy: He is anticommercialism, which is risky for a young company. He wishes to challenge his audience and refuses to pander to expectations or wealthy donors.
Millepied himself choreographed the first work of the evening, “Reflections,” which was followed by “Murder Ballads,” choreographed by New York City Ballet’s resident choreographer, Justin Peck. The program concluded with William Forsythe’s atmospheric “Quintett.” Each work played on the theme of the group dynamic and how individuals fit into the group. All three choreographers seemed interested in experimenting with the range of what classical forms could do and how far they could push things while remaining within some recognizable framework.
Naturally, some were more successful than others.
“Reflections” is aptly titled because it mirrors Millepied’s movement aesthetic as a member of NYCB: He favors gentle shifts of weight, soft hands, and quiet landings to loud, bravura movements. While it wasn’t the strongest ballet of the evening, I give him mad props for having the chutzpah to include his own ballet in a program alongside two of the greatest choreographers of the 21st century.
And while it’s admirable that Millepied credits the five dancers, artist Barbara Kruger, and composer David Lang as collaborators, the effect was that there were simply too many cooks in the kitchen. Many of the dancers are accomplished choreographers in their own right, and Barbara Kruger’s billboard-like sets, which gave the space an urban feel, were at odds with David Lang’s minimal piano score. Because of the chorus of creative input, the tone felt inconsistent from section to section, sometimes shifting within a single musical phrase. Without a central choreographic voice, many of the movements seemed to wash over the score rather than interact with it. The intent to share creativity with other artists isn’t intrinsically a problem, but there needs to be a consistent voice dictating the tenor of any piece.
The conclusion explored the group dynamic, but came across as an afterthought: None of the dancers seemed to connect with one another. Millepied’s lofty intention, to create something collaborative and interdisciplinary, was ultimately more exciting than the piece itself, and the ballet puttered out at the end.
“Murder Ballads” was a welcome explosion of energy. Twenty-seven-year-old Justin Peck’s choreography was nuanced and thoughtfully planned: This is an intelligent work. From the bold sets by Sterling Ruby, made of painted horizontal panels that appear etched away at the surface, to the mathematically considered score, to Peck’s ability to showcase each dancer at his or her best—all left me gobsmacked by the talent of one so young.
Peck is known for collaborating with hip musicians, and the score by Bryce Dessner reminded me of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Its live performance by Eighth Blackbird was wonderfully energetic with an upbeat American sensibility. Using balletic forms, traditional structures, and fervent musicality, Peck manages to make classicism feel contemporary and fresh. His dancers leaped backwards, and the complex partnering seemed playful without feeling silly. At one point, the female dancers stepped in time on their partners’ torsos, and there was a repetition of palms placed on the floor, a gesture rarely seen in classical ballet. Here, it felt organic.
While plotless, there was a wonderful dialogue between the dancers: Peck is expert at choreographing for a group while showing off individual strength, even as the group dances in unison. Randy Castillo’s strikingly sharp shifts of weight and direction and Anthony Bryant’s controlled elegance were riveting.
“Quintett,” choreographed in 1993 by William Forsythe, is not an easy ballet to sit through. The black, void-like backdrop and Gavin Bryars’s haunting score, Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, in which a vocal loop is overlaid with orchestration, set us in a no-man’s land, a timeless, placeless realm. While the repetitive nature of the score may be grating to some, of the three ballets, this one gets under your skin, and lingers. I found myself humming the lyrics the next day.
It’s clear why “Quintett” is one of Forsythe’s more obscure works. Still, there were some terrific moments: Rachelle Rafailedes pressed her cheek to the floor in a sort of shoulder-stand while propped against her partner, unfurling her legs into a straddle-split. It was beautiful. And the way Julia Eichten held her palm against her partner Randy Castillo’s head as he turned was wonderfully unexpected, especially in the midst of a largely bleak and meditative piece.
“Quintett” seemed an example of Benjamin Millepied’s insistence on challenging his audience instead of pandering, and challenge us he did. Not surprisingly, the audience seemed a little lost at times: At least one person left in the middle of the performance, and there was an ill-timed (if well-intended) smattering of applause in the middle of one musical phrase. Despite the difficulty of the piece, “Quintett” received a standing ovation—although it was unclear if it was for the final ballet or for the company in general.
On November 1, Millepied assumed the coveted position of director of one of the most elite dance institutions in the world, steeped in the classical tradition: the Paris Opera Ballet. This is a far cry from a nine-person, privately funded collaborative, and he acknowledges that, in Paris, he won’t be able to mimic what he’s done with L.A. Dance Project: “It’s not about shaking things up or being provocative, it’s about making smart decisions.” He says that he intends to remain involved with LADP on an artistic level, but the company will be run by others. It will be interesting to see how that works.
Sophie Flack, author of Bunheads, has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and Ballet Review.
