Conversations about Dance

Bumming a cigarette during the first intermission of a New York City Ballet performance tonight proved to be quite fruitful. Not because I had a smoke in tow (with a generous offer for another during the next intermission), but because Stu, the kind gentleman (and cigarette benefactor) with whom I had become aquainted with, managed to encapsulate for me just why I love this dance company so much.

I've been a regular at The State Theater (I still call it that, though now it's the David H. Koch Theater) for roughly 14 years. I've never been able to articulate why I am drawn to it--chalking it up to "well, it's New York's own." I was still growing up in my early 20s--especially from a cultural standpoint, so I was growing up with the company--Damian Woetzel (I ran into him on the subway a couple of years ago--to his surprise, I recognized him), Jock Soto, Nikolaj Hubbe, Heather Watts--they were some of my idols.

But, tonight, while Stu and I were talking about dance, he pointed out that he prefers NYCB to American Ballet Theater, because there is much more dance--movement--to watch by virtue of the fact that it's a repertory company. ABT does produce lavish, beautiful story ballets, but the dancing, at times, gets overshadowed by the productions, he said. "The costumes get in the way," he added during the second intermission when I pressed him about his penchant for dance. I never considered that. Yes--NYCB--through George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and the newer generations of balletmasters--do offer more excitement, innovation in dance. It's always been such a visceral experience for me in watching NYCB. I thought about this while I watched Opus 19/The Dreamer and particularly the finale, Fearful Symmetries, which incorporated more modern dance.

I loved to learn that Stu became a patron of dance through romance. He dated a ballet student in New York back in the sixties. They'd see all the companies that were based in the city or were passing through...something about her being a student of Martha Graham. Apparently, she and Stu didn't see eye to eye on Graham's particular style, though he didn't indicate that's why they broke up.

I'm glad she gave him the gift of dance.

Through a cigarette and a handshake, I now understand why I will always love NYCB.