The Brooklyn Rail

Dance Theatre of Harlem, under new Artistic Director Robert Garland, is definitely looking toward the future. The question, though, is how does it remain connected to twentieth-century icons such as George Balanchine while moving forward? On this program, Balanchine’s suite felt like a relic juxtaposed with some new contemporary pieces, and yet his legacy demands recognition as a fundamental part of the troupe’s history.

On the broad-ranging program, William Forsythe contributed Blake Works IV (The Barre Project) from 2023, part of an ongoing series set to music by James Blake. Forsythe’s ballets tend toward the most classical end of his work, which ranges from sui generis performance pieces to provocative art installations and objects. Here, he shows his genius in taking possibly the most basic element of learning dance—the barre—and puts it centerstage. The twelve dancers, in plum velour leotards, take rudimentary barre exercises to the extreme, with daring moves that a student might attempt only while the teacher isn’t looking. But the work underscores the barre as a learning aid, a physical support to test balance and gain confidence—a reassuring presence as a dancer’s “home” in the studio.

A pair begins away from the barre, lit from above to accentuate musculature. Each dancer extends an arm and they clasp hands: a gesture that repeats between bold leg sweeps and explosive leaps. The duo’s movements are sensual but not nostalgic. A series of solos at the barre mix with ones downstage, with dashes of humor throughout—a slinky sashay up to the barre, funky skips, a flicking hand punctuating a spin. The cast unites for the finale, with social dance snippets and spread hands shifting side-to-side, Broadway style. The brainy Forsythe is, after all, an entertainer.

While we’re discussing showiness, Garland’s Return led off the program. This 1999 work is pure sizzle, a roiling mix of rigorous ballet (with women on pointe) and funk/soul. Driven by its songlist of hits by hitmakers such as James Brown and Aretha Franklin, the dancers shift gears smoothly between the two styles—no easy task. Bits of classic pop vernacular dance, and quotes of James Brown’s crazy moves, pepper the four sections. It’s difficult to imagine this popular Garland work being performed as impressively by many other companies.

Before Radiohead’s song “Reckoner” begins, Amanda Smith strides on stage, clapping out a rhythm in Robert Bondara’s duet, Take Me With You (2024). Elias Re joins her for some intricate and imaginative partnering sections. Supported by him, she arches away; he grasps her flexed foot, lowering her to the floor. Whether it’s anger or affection driving them, or both, their passion burns through as she literally drums his chest and exits as she entered, clapping out a rhythm. Bondara, Ballet Director of the Poznan Opera Ballet in Poland, choreographs in a sleek, modern ballet idiom that complements the Forsythe.

The question of Balanchine’s place in DTH’s repertory lingers. New York City Ballet principal Arthur Mitchell founded the company with Karel Shook in 1969, and Balanchine gave Mitchell the rights to several of his ballets. But Balanchine repertory such as Pas de Dix, with its oddly-hued ochre tunics and crisp tutus, and the archaic recording of Alexander Glazunov’s music, combine to make the ballet feel older than its sixty-nine years. And while City Center functioned as a home for Balanchine before Lincoln Center, the audience sits too close to the stage for this dance, or maybe we’ve just gotten used to some distance from the dancers. Perhaps another Balanchine repertory selection would fit better on a program such as this, with substantial contemporary entries that don’t feel like museum pieces. DTH’s strong link with Balanchine offers yet another case study on how to sustain a legacy while evolving into the future.