Yet Peter Martins, who assumed sole direction of the company in 1990, finds himself in an unenviable position. George Balanchine’s shoes are difficult to fill. After all, in guiding City Ballet, Balanchine excelled not only as a choreographer, but also as a great cultivator of artistic talent.
As he does every year, Martins will present a world premiere during NYCB’s seven-week winter repertory season. Why artistic directors feel obliged to choreograph new works every season is a mystery. One would imagine that directing NYCB, not to mention the School of American Ballet, of which Martins is the titular head, would occupy his every waking minute, leaving little time for choreographic endeavors. But this is not the case. According to those in the know, Martins’ latest work promises pyrotechnics and virtuosic dancing that border on showmanship—more suited for circus performers than ballet dancers. Martins will also present his version of Swan Lake. Stripped-down and speeded-up, the production leaves out the mime scenes and lacks the emotional grandeur of more traditional interpretations.
Martins walks a thin line between preserving Balanchine’s masterpieces and presenting new works. It’s a no-win situation. If the company were to perform exclusively Balanchine ballets, critics would claim that it was simply a museum. If it only presented newly commissioned works, audiences would protest that Balanchine’s legacy was not being preserved. Balanchine always encouraged younger members of the company (including Martins) to experiment choreographically, and Martins annually invites choreographers from outside the company to take part in the prestigious Diamond Project. But the current NYCB repertory does not include works by William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian or Mark Morris, whose choreography is danced by numerous other ballet companies. And Martins keeps Christopher Wheeldon, the ballet world’s golden boy, on a tight leash as NYCB’s resident choreographer. Although the season’s repertory will feature Wheeldon’s enigmatically beautiful After the Rain and stirring Liturgy (both to music by Arvo Part), Wheeldon will do only one new ballet.
Even as Martins encourages new choreographic talent, however, he fails to uphold high standards for the preservation of Balanchine ballets. NYCB performs more Balanchine repertory than any other company. Highlights of the sixteen Balanchine works this season include the classics Concerto Barocco, Symphony in C, Allegro Brilliante, and Divertimento No. 15; the crowd-pleasers Union Jack and Western Symphony and the strikingly spare Episodes. But even such brilliant works require rehearsal and coaching. Too often, they seem to be thrown together at the last minute, with the corps de ballet appearing disjointed and the principals in need of guidance. One of the most commonly raised questions about Martins’ directorship is why he refuses to recruit former Balanchine dancers to coach. Suzanne Farrell, Balanchine’s last and greatest muse, had a notorious falling out with Martins, but there are other former ballerinas who would gladly jump at the opportunity. Sean Lavery, Christine Redpath and Rosemary Dunleavy, all former Balanchine dancers, are on NYCB’s artistic staff, but they either do not or cannot coach as Balanchine did—allowing the dancer’s personality to shape the role.
The second problem Martins faces is cultivating talent within the company. Martins hires virtually all his dancers from the company’s affiliated school, SAB (which is experiencing its share of behind-the-scenes struggles, highlighted by the resignation of longtime board member Anne Bass because of artistic differences with Martins). But far too often, Martins has singled out promising young dancers immediately upon their acceptance into the company and rushed their development, causing devastating injuries. Ashlee Knapp, a talented young dancer, has been sidelined for many seasons. Even the technically strong Abi Stafford, a soloist, spent more than a year sidelined with a serious foot problem. Despite his initial enthusiasm, Martins often loses interest in his protégés. During the expedited rise to principal of Megan Fairchild, a petite, seemingly soubrette but bland dancer, she fared better than most physically, but her artistic growth was stunted. Merely being short is not sufficient reason for a promotion.
Martins, one of the greatest male danseurs ever, finds himself today in an ironic predicament. Given the retirement of Peter Boal, Jock Soto, and James Fayette; the partial leaves of Damian Woetzel and Benjamin Millepied, two male virtuosos, and the limited repertory of aging former luminaries Charles Askegard, Nikolaj Hubbe and Albert Evans, the upper male ranks lack luster. The corps de ballet is filled with talented young men, but Martins has yet to demonstrate an interest in developing them. The women principals are still the company’s crème de la crème.
Martins will receive critical fire no matter what caliber of performance NYCB gives. But he should not fear surrounding himself with talent both choreographic and artistic. A task as difficult as preserving Balanchine’s legacy takes as many hands on deck as possible. Why not captain a luxury liner?
