Celebrities and ballet supporters flocked into the David H. Koch Theater, stopping for glamour shots and toasting each other on the Promenade. But once the audience settled into their seats, eyes focused on two world premiers by Peter Martins and Benjamin Millipied and George Balanchine’s extra starry “Symphony in C.”

A French theme of sorts united the evening’s pieces. Martins designed a spacious piece to the music of Marc-Ancldre Dalbavie, French born Millipied made his dance “Two Hearts” to a commissioned score by the contemporary American composer Nico Muhly, and Balanchine’s grande “Symphony in C” glided over a score by Goerges Bizet.

Wide expanses of space are consumed by the dancers wearing filmy netting tops over strong geometric patterns and brightly colored under-slips by Gilles Mendel in Martin’s “Mes Oiseaux ." Open arms and flash leaps spray across the stage hurtling the three females – Lauren Lovette, Ashly Isaacs and Claire Kretzschmar in an orbit around the sole male, a highly composed Taylor Stanley.

 Initially, the females rippled through repeated movement phrases that eventually merged into unison comments. When Stanley enters, his legs circle in long arcs, torso leaning back and arms floating out to the side. Martins challenges his dancers’ technical skills with Lovette finessing the material to her advantage while Isaacs and Kretzschmar demonstrated more forced concentration. Although the spotlight falls primarily on Stanley, Martins’ dance opinions flourish inside his complex partnering choices—choices often lost on the eye as bodies pass swiftly from shape to grip.

"Two Hearts" pulls its emotional content from the woeful 18th century Appalachian folk song about a tragic love triangle sung by the soulful Dawn Landes. Strongly invested in every step, Tiler Peck and her partner Tyler Angle rotate and in away from each other in a duet exuding a poignant love. A robust corps of six men and six women snap out images of buoyant camaraderie and youthful trills. Muhly's extremely listenable and danceable score dove into spooky David Lynch territory trumpeting the final devastating ballad. The finely-tuned dancers looked fresh and sleek in Laura and Kate Mulleavy’s black and white outfits, while Millipied clearly wore his newly opened heart on stage.

Festivities closed on a starry wave of brilliantly white tutus studded in Swarovski crystals. Returning ballet to its grand and royal roots, George Balanchin'es 1947 "Symphony in C," complements Bizet's upturned melodies while Mark Happel's new costumes catch the bright lights and expectations for an exceptional season.
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY -- Celia Ipiotis