If The Wall Street Journal posted free links to its arts coverage (hint, hint), I’d tell you to take a look at “Suzanne Farrell Gets Her Revenge,” Robert Greskovic’s review of Suzanne Farrell Ballet’s recent week-long run in Washington. Since it doesn’t, I’ll tell you instead to go out and buy a copy of this morning’s paper. Greskovic’s review is the most important piece about ballet you’ll read this month, including anything I might happen to write. Here’s a brief excerpt:
Since 1999, as part of a project of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ms. Farrell has been selecting and preparing dancers, and staging ballets, primarily those of Balanchine. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, a season-to-season group of dancers that currently numbers 34, has just completed an amibitous nine-week U.S. tour with a weeklong, two-program all-Balanchine season at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Ehater….When the leader starting from scratch is as up to trailblazing as Ms. Farrell has proven herself to be, empires can be built. SFB is on the move, and the Balanchine centenary is happily just the time to keep the momentum building.
Don’t miss this one.