Kyle Abraham Recognized in New York Times' Best Dance of 2018
New York Times critics choose the best dance moments of a year
Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance faculty member Kyle Abraham's new work 'The Runaway' premiered this year at the New York City Ballet Gala. New York Times dance critics Alastair Macaulay and Siobhan Burke both named 'The Runaway' as once of the best dance works of 2018.
Peter Walker (with headdress) and Jonathan Fahoury of New York City Ballet in Kyle Abraham's “The Runaway."CreditAndrea Mohin/The New York Times "New York City Ballet’s Sept. 27 gala earned not one entry in the annals but two. The solos danced by Taylor Stanley in Kyle Abraham’s 'The Runaway' exemplified many American diversities, not least stylistic ones. And earlier in the evening, Teresa Reichlen’s moving 'We, the dancers' speech, on behalf of City Ballet’s performers — who flanked her onstage — established fresh moral criteria for the company: 'We will not put art before common decency or allow talent to sway our moral compass.' Amid a troubled year offstage for City Ballet, her words have only grown in significance."— Alastair Macaulay, December 7, 2018
"At New York City Ballet, applause usually comes when a work is over. But at the premiere of Kyle Abraham’s “The Runaway” in September, ecstatic cheers erupted midperformance for this electrifying addition to the company’s repertory.
It wasn’t the only unexpected sound in the David H. Koch Theater that night. Mr. Abraham, who had never before made a ballet — he founded and directs the contemporary dance company A.I.M. — spent months deliberating over his musical choices. He settled on a multifaceted medley that included Nico Muhly, James Blake and, most memorably, Jay-Z and Kanye West, whose collaborative “Gotta Have It” backed a spellbinding, shape-shifting solo for the principal dancer Taylor Stanley.
One of that track’s first lines — “Hello, hello, hello, hello white America” — could have been a call, in this context, to the predominantly white world of classical ballet and its audience, or to City Ballet itself. Before “The Runaway,” the company had not commissioned a work by a black choreographer in more than a decade. Mr. Abraham was aware of the expectations riding on him, and determined to transcend them. (On social media, he also addressed the complexity of using music by Mr. West, who delivered a pro-Trump rant on “Saturday Night Live” two days after the work’s premiere.)
As City Ballet drew less welcome attention this year for sexual harassment scandals, “The Runaway” generated excitement rare for any ballet — rightfully so. Decked out in Giles Deacon’s spiky collars and headdresses, the eight dancers rose to the challenge of Mr. Abraham’s uncommonly eclectic movement, as notes of hip-hop and social dance met his first choreography for point shoes. He packed a lot in, maybe too much. But the busyness also felt like a knowing, celebratory assertion: “Here I am.” And for now, he’s not going anywhere. “The Runaway” returns in January. "— Siobhan Burke, Dec. 7, 2018
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the New York Times website.
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