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An Afternoon With Calatrava and the New York City Ballet

by Annie Block | Monday, May 24, 2010 | 3 Comments

NYC Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns and co.

I’ve had a spring in my step since Saturday afternoon. That’s when I had the good fortune to see the New York City Ballet perform at the beautifully evolving Lincoln Center. The 2010 spring season of the ballet is particularly notable; masterful Spanish architect and sculptor Santiago Calatrava has created sets for five new ballets, and I got to see one of them. It’s called “Why Am I Not Where You Are,” an energetic, exciting, slightly angst-ridden number choreographed by Benjamin Millepied. The set—dazzling and quite Calatrava-esque, looking almost like one of his bridges doing a plié—adds to and reflects the tension in the choreography. Some 100 strings—actually 1/4-inch silicone surgical tubing—strung into the arched steel and aluminum framework constantly tremble and change color as dancers leap, turn, and tour jeté in front, behind, and through it—making the experience for the viewer thoroughly engaging and exhilarating.

NYCB principal dancers Kathryn Morgan, Amar Ramasar, Mearns, and co.

I recently spoke with Mr. Calatrava, when I wrote about his Monumento de Caja Madrid. In addition to him being extremely gracious, he mentioned that he believed music and dance to be the highest art forms, because you cannot hold or catch them. Fortunately, we have until June 27 to catch his dynamic ballet sets.

Photography by Paul Kolnik

Special thanks to Katharina Plumb and Jacqueline Platt