Architecture vs. Dance

I had sort of vowed to not discuss the performing arts on here too much, because it would seem a conflict of interests. However, I'd also promised to remark on Santiago Calatrava's sets for New York City Ballet as I encountered them.

Well, I did see one of the premiere performances of Christopher Wheeldon's Estancia, which was magical and very intense. Unfortunately Calatrava did something surprisingly un-architectural for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm infinitely impressed by Calatrava's sensitivity to context. The sets were perfect for the piece. He seems to understand that the dancers are the most crucial part of the performance, so while he's doing impressive things, they're relatively understated. The choreography is what really shines through.

Anyway, yesterday some coworkers and I snuck in to watch a dress rehearsal for the new Mauro Bigonzetti piece, Luce Nascosta ("Hidden Light"). Well, I haven't seen the whole thing all the way through, but it's brilliant. Bigonzetti contorts the dancers into these very awkward positions. If you see them in a performance, you won't hear a thing, the dancers are far too professional to make a sound. But seeing them in rehearsal, all the grunts and groans and huffing and puffing of the dancers make clear that what Bigonzetti is making them do is actually extremely difficult. I'm not a dancer (except on the club dance floor), but I assume a professional could immediately see that what he has them doing is particularly challenging. It's an infinitely fascinating piece and quite new and interesting.

Bigonzetti was there at the edge of the Koch Theater stage working with the dancers, and all I could think was "damn, the Italians have such an impeccable sense of style." We all know it's true. We've had our Saarinens and Eames and Kawakubos and McQueens (may he RIP), but the Italians just always get it.

The Calatrava set is the group of nine circles that come together and expand outward again during the progress of the piece. I can't help but feel that the nine circles seem planetary, especially since the central one is lit at times like an eclipse. The original model was on a sort of scissor-like structure that could expand out and contract again. Evidently creating such a mechanism on a larger scale up in the fly space of the Koch was just not possible, so they created a different system to mimic those movements.

I'll have to say it works beautifully. It's so subtle and compliments the choreography wonderfully.

As I indicated, Calatrava has shown an incredible sensitivity to the task at hand. With so many architects out there with oversized egos, it's terribly refreshing to notice that he's truly embraced the genius of both NYC Ballet and these great choreographers to provide them with appropriate backdrops for their work, in a way that won't overshadow it.

Since the damage is already done and I'm discussing NYC Ballet, I'll take this opportunity to mention that there's a new film of Jerome Robbins' New York Export: Opus Jazz. I've only seen a couple of clips so far, but it looks really wonderful.

©2010, Ryan Witte

News

A couple of news items before we continue.

First of all, there's yet another Paul Rudolph building at risk. This time it's the exceptionally cool John W. Chorley Elementary School in Middletown, NY. It seems like every time I turn around, somebody's trying to tear down another one of his buildings. Like I've said before, it's not as if any one of these structures is individually important. It's that I'd hate for the day to come when there's a renewed interest in late Modernism, only to discover there's none of it left.

For something a bit more pleasant, Zaha Hadid has designed this incredible project, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park in Korea.

--Image courtesy e-architect.

It will have a design museum, library, and education facilities, with a park on top of it. Like all of her work, it looks ridiculously hip.

Perhaps the most exciting of all, however is the upcoming collaboration between New York City Ballet and Santiago Calatrava for their program, "Architecture of Dance." This coming spring, NYC Ballet is premiering seven...SEVEN...new ballets by Melissa Barak, Mauro Bigonzetti, Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millepied (can you think of a better name for a choreographer than "millipede?"), and Peter Martins. I actually bumped into Martins on the street the other day and told him what a true inspiration his company has been to me. He seemed flattered and pleased to hear it. But what a freaking line-up! I mean, these are pretty much all the greatest choreographers working at the moment.

Point being, Calatrava is designing sets for the Barak, Bigonzetti, Wheeldon, Millepied, and the Martins ballets. I can't imagine anything more incredible: my favorite company in Lincoln Center (don't tell anyone), performing brand new work by the best living choreographers, in my favorite building in Lincoln Center, by one of my favorite deceased architects, with sets by one of the greatest living architects.

--Valencia Opera House photo courtesy Modern Arhitecture.

It just doesn't get any better. I can't possibly afford to see all seven of these performances, but I do hope to sneak in to see some dress rehearsals, luck permitting. I'll be sure to comment on the sets here as soon as I see them.

On top of it all, par for the course of their high quality of programming, the 92nd Street Y is hosting a talk with Calatrava (very likely as a result of this collaboration, as well as the controversy surrounding the World Trade Center transportation hub), on March 18th. It should be fantastic, and I really can't wait. [EDIT: It turns out that, unfortunately, this event has been postponed to some unknown later date, possibly in the fall. I'll update as soon as I have more information.]

"State" Gets an Update

This is kind of exciting, from the NYC Opera press release:

NEW YORK CITY BALLET AND NEW YORK CITY OPERA 
AGREE TO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NEW YORK STATE THEATER 

The Boards of Directors of the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera have agreed to a plan to renovate the New York State Theater, their joint home at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The companies' goal is to improve audience amenities at the State Theater and create a state-of-the-art environment for producing music and dance. The City Center of Music and Drama, the leaseholder of the theater, will meet to approve the plan.

Elements of the plan include new seats and carpets, an enlarged orchestra pit with a mechanical lift, a new stage lighting system, and new audiovisual and media capability. Under the agreement, construction is to begin in summer 2008, with Philip Johnson's original design for the theater and auditorium maintained in its current form.

The renovation project is preliminary estimated to cost $35 to $40 million including design fees, and the two companies will undertake a capital campaign to fund the renovations.

"We are extraordinarily pleased to be underway on a plan to make the State Theater an even more welcoming and satisfying environment for all of our audiences, and to be able to do so by Fall 2009, the beginning of the first season to be planned by Gerard Mortier, City Opera’s General Manager-Designate," stated Susan L. Baker, Chair of the New York City Opera.

"We are looking forward to completion of this work, which will give our audience an enhanced experience in the theater and enable us to expand our reach with new audiovisual and media capabilities," remarked Barry Friedberg, Chair of the New York City Ballet.

The design phase of the project will commence immediately. The New York State Theater will be closed following New York City Ballet's spring 2008 season, which concludes on June 29, and again during a portion of the City Opera's spring 2009 season to accommodate construction.

New York City Ballet's 2008/2009 winter schedule, which will begin with the Company's annual Opening Night Benefit on Tuesday, November 25, will not be affected, nor will New York City Ballet’s spring 2009 season.

New York City Opera is currently planning a non-traditional 2008-2009 season which may include operas in concert, semi-staged productions, educational outreach as well as its annual showcase of VOX: Showcasing American Composers, produced at various venues in the city. Actual plans for the 2008-2009 season will be announced in February 2008.

New York State Theater

Philip Johnson, 1964

Holy Order, Batman!

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the New York City Center.  It's odd (and unfortunate) that I've lived in NYC for so long without ever being inside it, because it's one of my favorite buildings in the city.

It was originally called the Mecca Temple, for the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a sect of the Masons.  The Shriners, by the way, are the ones who ride around in those little cars in parades.

--Photo: Kate Klein

It was designed by Canadian architect, Harry P. Knowles, and completed in 1924.  Knowles was a Mason himself, and known for his Masonic temples.  Another building I wasn't aware was his is the Masonic Hall at 6th Avenue & 23rd Street, a building I've no doubt looked at a thousand times.

--Photo The Bridge and Tunnel Club

City Center does actually look very Moorish: the whole front facade is covered with the most incredible mosaic tile work:

The tile is evidently by Guastavino, who, by the way, also did the tiled arches in the anchorage of the Queensboro Bridge, once a food market and now home to a beautiful Conran Shop and Guastavino's Restaurant.

The whole interior seems to have some kind of mystical, spiritual significance, although I was trying to find some spooky symbolism in the ornamentation, and wasn't really able to find much, aside from a number of six, eight, and ten-pointed stars which I feel like should represent something creepy or another, but I don't know.  For one thing, the geometry in the ornamentation, and the medallions containing these stars especially, is extremely complex.

--Photo nycitycenter.org

While 1924 is getting to be a bit late for Art Nouveau, and for the most part, its design could be classified more simply with the exotic, the proscenium arch reads "As Salaam Aleykam" which means "May Peace Be Unto You" in Arabic and is evidently a common greeting.  The font style is a decidedly classic Art Nouveau style.

--Photo nycitycenter.org

The dome of the auditorium has the only graduated tile roof in the Northeast, which means the tiles get smaller as they approach the top of the dome.  It's recently been renovated, also.

The building was actually going to be torn down in the early 1940s to be replaced by a parking garage but was saved by Mayor LaGuardia.  In fact, he conducted the NY Philharmonic through the national anthem--with great showmanship, by the way, LaGuardia was a little nut--when it was reopened as a performing arts venue.

Both NYC Opera and NYC Ballet were born at City Center, and remained there until the completion of Philip Johnson's NY State Theater at Lincoln Center in 1964.

The Wikipedia entry is wrong, though.  George Balanchine, founder of City Ballet, worked specifically with Johnson in both the arrangement of seats on the orchestra floor and also a sprung wood and Marley (vinyl) stage floor, ideal for ballet.  There's no way the company wouldn't have moved right into their customized new home as soon as it was completed.  It was NYC Opera who didn't move in until two years later.

Mecca Temple/ New York City Center (1924)

Harry P. Knowles

West 55th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues

©2007, Ryan Witte