TWYLA Tharp is the only choreographer, apart from Mark Morris, to move fluently between classic ballet and modern dance. She even embraces Broadway.
At 66, she’s produced more ballets for American Ballet Theatre than any other choreographer in its 68-year history – although none has remained long in the repertory. Most are zingers rather than stayers.
“Baker’s Dozen” – which Tharp created for her own modern-dance group in 1979, and which had its ABT premiere Tuesday – is one of her better zingers.
Resourcefully staged by Elaine Kudo, it’s middle-period Tharp, with her style fully formulated. The music is a transcription by Dick Hyman of the jazz stride piano of Willie “the Lion” Smith, here spiritedly played by Barbara Bilach.
Santo Loquasto’s white costumes deliciously suggest an “anyone-for-tennis” tea dance of the ’30s, and Tharp’s choreography for 12 dancers (add the pianist, and you’ll get that baker’s dozen) spreads itself across the stage this way and that in gusts of inventive movement touched with a nicely zany humor.
It could have been more idiomatically danced (relax, kids, it’s meant to be fun!) by the ABT cast, but doubtless eventually will be.
It was also the season premiere of Tharp’s 1984 “Sinatra Suite” – a pop-dance revue of five Ol’ Blue Eyes standards, adroitly reduced from the seven couples for her “Nine Sinatra Songs” of two years earlier for a single couple.
Here, a cute Luciana Paris was matched with Marcelo Gomes, who, with a magnificent insouciance and throwaway technique, gave the most intensely Sinatraesque portrayal I’ve ever seen in this, including even the ordinarily matchless Mikhail Baryshnikov’s original.
The program also included the introduction of the alternative cast in Jorma Elo’s “C. to C.” – Maria Riccetto, Jacquelyn Reyes, Stella Abrera, Sascha Radetsky, Craig Salstein and Blaine Hoven – a sextet just as gravely sexy as that at last week’s world premiere.
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
New York City Center, 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues; (212) 581-1212. Through Sunday.