Wheeldon's Troupe Debuts With Dancing Potato Chip, Bagatelles

Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company opens its debut season with dances by William Forsythe, Edwaard Liang, Liv Lorent and Michael Clark. At Wednesday's premiere in Manhattan's City Center, the deconstructed-ballet pas de deux from Forsythe's ``Slingerland'' (where the ballerina's tutu looked like an outsize potato chip) had Wendy Whelan magically making all the eerie maneuvers fluent.

Otherwise, the highly anticipated event featured Wheeldon, Wheeldon and more Wheeldon: two substantial pieces and various bagatelles by the 34-year-old choreographer, launching the next stage in his career as artistic director of his own company after six years as resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet.

Named for one of Wheeldon's signature works, Morphoses is just now a pickup group of sympathetic moonlighting stars and stars-to-be. With former City Ballet principal Lourdes Lopez as executive director, the group has survived a long run-up of organization and fundraising. It has been offered a home by the City Center and secured support that includes commissioning dances from London's Sadler's Wells Theater.

Despite the excitement and hope that sheer novelty generate, the future of Morphoses seems iffy, judging from the first performance.

Of the longer works, ``There Where She Loved,'' danced to songs by Chopin and Kurt Weill, offers loosely knit, cannily designed takes on romance, blithe and -- in an extended duet for Maria Kowroski and Michael Nunn -- otherwise. ``Fools' Paradise,'' for nine dancers, is simply unfathomable, a puzzle of marvelously adept bodies variously arranged for pictorial effect and a decor of shooting stars.

Suave Craft

Technically, Wheeldon's choreography shows wide range and suave craft, but the work rarely engages the viewer emotionally. That's the problem in a nutshell. It's not even evident that Wheeldon's own feelings are engaged.

Wheeldon has led a charmed life as a choreographer since 2001, when his gift for making dances was so evident to the New York City Ballet that the company created the position of resident choreographer for him. His work has also been in demand from major companies worldwide; everyone wants a Wheeldon.

Sacrificing this enviable state of affairs for the chancy alternative of starting his own company proves Wheeldon's conviction, though his goals are clearly still evolving and occasionally naive. Ignoring the fact that classical ballet is rooted in tradition, for example, Wheeldon declares he's ready to slough off the past (including saying goodbye to Balanchine) to make cool, sexy dances -- his words -- that will lure a younger audience.

Collaborative Art

He also wants his relationship to his dancers to be collaborative, while despotism remains the default mode in most classical companies. There's a good argument for it when the leader has genius and is not unduly concerned with individual dancers' personal happiness.

If Wheeldon is to maintain a real company, he will need substantial financial backing on an ongoing basis. This may be hard to come by once the first flush of enthusiasm for his venture begins to fade.

It's time for Wheeldon to start making dances that are more than just a handsome but superficial idea of what's contemporary, studded with everything he's dutifully absorbed from dancing the works of Ashton and MacMillan in London, then Balanchine and Robbins in New York. He needs to dig deeper, if only because even his admirers are starting to complain.

At 131 W. 55th St., through Oct. 21. Information: +1-212-581-1212; http://www.morphoses.org.