Content area
Full text
New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Real Gems Or Cubic Zirconia?
The Diamond Project, New York City Ballet's biennial showcase of new works, takes as its title the irresistible surname of the late philanthropist Irene Diamond. This spring, the Project commissioned dance makers from around the globe, trafficking in seven "diamond" premières at the New York State Theater. They included a bright addition to the repertoire and one out-and-out masterpiece.
Alexei Ratmansky's Russian Seasons is by far the most accomplished and important work, vividly reimagining Russia's folk heritage in a colorful and often startlingly original vocabulary. Even within a single phrase. Ratmansky's characters cast a backward glance at peasant idioms while leaping in radical, new directions. Both Jenifer Ringer and Sofiane Sylve gave unusually electrifying performances...