Last Wednesday night, we went to the David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center and saw three different, short ballets – The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Monotones I and II, and The Green Table. Looking back, I would say The Green Table was the most interesting, simply because it told a clear story. However, The Brahms-Haydn Variations definitely appealed to me the most. The splendor and grandeur of this particular piece struck me. Looking through the binoculars, I was amazed by the elegant movements of the ballet dancers, and astonished by the amount of dancers on stage, all moving in perfect sync.
The second piece, Monotones I and II, was much easier to follow than the other two. Having only three fixed dancers on the stage allowed me to better focus on the individual movements of all three dancers. (However, I must admit, it wasn’t until about halfway through Monotones I that I realized that two of the dancers were males.) I also really liked the music in this piece, as it was in sharp contrast to the grand, uplifting music of The Brahms-Haydn Variations; this music was more romantic and intimate. The story portrayed was also very interesting in that at some points, it seemed like the two members of one gender were fighting for the sole member of the opposite gender, while at others, at seemed as though they were “sharing” him/her.
The Green Table was probably the easiest piece to follow and understand. The story was pretty clear, even though some of it was cryptically hidden behind the majestic movements of the dancers (ex: the women being raped by the soldiers). I’d say the music and lighting contributed greatly to this piece. The other two pieces could be done without music or off-stage. This piece, however could only be done with its musical score and specified lighting patterns because they contribute to the atmosphere of the story itself and the message being portrayed.
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