First off, you know an article was meant to be read by your eyes when author’s name is Alastair Macaulay…

As we know, the newly renovated City Center is a beautiful place to witness an amazing artistic performance.  However, unfortunately many of these programs are transient.   The American Ballet Theatre returns this week after a 3-year hiatus to the City Center to perform a total of 9 pieces in an variety of four or five.   What distinguishes this program from the rest is its emphasis on freshness, leaving out “standard ballet clichés of familiar stories and displays of conventionally bravura technique.”

Many of the pieces mentioned in the criticism feature impressive moves which we elaborated on during class discussion; other pieces introduced new moves to my mental repertoire.  For instance, during “Private Light,” five couples smooch and caress while the women simultaneously move “on point.”  However, the highlight of the show appears to be the classic “Upper Room” which celebrates its 25th birthday. Performers in sneakers and point shoes manage to both jog as well as perform arabesques and pirouettes.  Unfortunately, the American Ballet Theatre will only be at the City Center until Sunday night.

Arabesque- a posture in which the body is supported on one leg, with the other leg extended horizontally backward.

Pirouettes-an act of spinning on one foot, typically with the raised foot touching the knee of the supporting leg.