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New York New York a helluva town
By Joel Benjamin Career Transition for Dancers (CTFD), the tried and true organization that has helped hundreds of dancers ”transition” through the end of one career and into another, staged its annual gala, under the direction of gala stalwart Ann Marie DeAngelo (a former dancer!), at City Center. Angela Lansbury was the Rolex Dance Award recipient which was presented by her actor colleague, James Earl Jones. She was gracious, as usual, and spoke admiringly of the dances and dancers on the program. As usual, the show was wall-to-wall dance beginning with a stage full of dancers from the American Tap Dance Foundation under the direction of Tony Waag who staged this clever number to look as if denizens of NYC simply wandered by and coalesced into a thundering chorus of tappers. The Dance Theatre of Harlem presented “Mother Popcorn” from a Robert Garland ballet Return, an uneasy hybrid of classical ballet and funky pop dances to songs by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and others. The dancers flung themselves into movements, however awkward, and nearly pulled it off. From the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, in tight red pants, gave life to Robert Battle’s “Takademe.” Performed to a percussive vocal track in which nonsense syllables drove the rhythms, “Takademe” was a showcase for Mr. Douthit-Boyd whose angular, staccato movements perfectly matched the score. Ballet Hispanico’s “El Beso,” choreographed by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, swept the entire company of wonderful dancers into the theme of kissing. To Latin-tinged music the fifteen dancers moved in lines and circles with soloists and duos separating from the others to perform variations on kissing: kisses refused; light, flirtatious kisses; passionate embraces, etc. Although a gimmick, the dancers found the sensuality and fun as they raced around the stage. Continuing the Latin/Hispanic theme was the New York Church of Mambo troupe in which a voluptuous-voiced lady in pink sang and sashayed while everyday-looking people wandered by, finally joining up into an ensemble of hip shaking fun-makers.
VERONIKA PART and BLAINE HOVEN Photos by Richard Termanine Unfortunately, American Ballet Theatre’s contribution, Alexei Ratmansky’s “Seven Sonatas” Pas de Deux, though impeccably danced by Veronika Part and Blaine Hoven, looked pallid in contrast to the previous ballets. Barbara Bilach’s piano accompaniment supported the two in their quietly romantic movements.
The three remaining dances, however, certainly did not pale! After a former Rockette, Ann Murphy expressed her gratitude to CTFD, musical theater veteran Karen Ziemba sang “I Wanna Be a Rockette” and was exuberantly joined by a lineup of Rockette Alumnae in a stimulating routine which, of course, involved high kicks. The Silva Dance Company’s “Pe de Samba” took Janete Silva and Nao Yamada through capoeira movements to a samba beat. Thrilling the audience was Industrial Rhythm—Vincent LaRusso, Maxwell Kaliczsynski, David Isidor and Dewitt Fleming—with unbelievable hiphop movements culminating in pirouettes on their heads! Also honored amidst all the choreographic goings-on, were Janice Galli Becker, Fe Saracino Fendi and the beloved choreographer/teacher Joe Tremaine who accepted their awards from the legendary, ever youthful Chita Rivera. The gala was smoothly run and raised mucho dinero for Career Transition for Dancers. For information about CTFD: For Information about New York City Center events: www.nycitycenter.org 
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