The prodigal son returns, and this time he’s bringing his company. Peter Boal, once one of New York City Ballet’s most beloved dancers — and now artistic director of Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet — returns to New York tomorrow for a string of shows at the Joyce.
“It’s a fast-paced, sexy program with a striking group of dancers,” he promises.
Headlining the program is Twyla Tharp’s “Opus 111,” which the group commissioned in 2008. It’s a dance for six couples, which the “Movin’ Out” choreographer set to Brahms. And while she’s famous for fast-paced and sexy dances, the Seattle Times described this piece as “all pattern and lyricism . . . it melded ballet, modern and folk dance into a kind of flowing joy.”
Getting one new ballet by Tharp is a feat; Boal’s troupe has two (they’re bringing only “Opus 111” here). She’s got a reputation for being tough, but Boal believes otherwise.
“Twyla was a dream with us,” he says of the choreographer, who worked with the troupe for eight weeks.
“She was terrific with the dancers. She knew what she wanted and brought the best out of the company.”
Boal is also bringing pieces by other dancer/choreographers, among them Benjamin Millepied (who set his “3 Movements” to Steve Reich) and Edwaard Liang, reprising his duet “Fur Alina.”
There’ll also be a work Boal commissioned back when he had a small troupe here five years ago: Marco Goecke’s “Mopey,” a solo that mixes C.P.E. Bach with the Cramps.
Boal has been missed since he hung up his dance shoes at New York City Ballet in 2005. Clive Barnes called the sandy-haired, perfectly proportioned dancer, now 44, an “immaculate classicist.”
I worked with Boal myself, choreographing three solos for him several years ago. Working with him was like a being a
violinist who’s been handed a Stradivarius.
Little wonder, then, that Boal’s on everyone’s short list for taking over New York City Ballet if and when Peter Martins retires. (Martins is 62.)
Whether that’s his goal or not, Boal won’t say.
“I love New York, and I love Seattle,” he tells The Post. “I’ve been pleased with the opportunities I’ve had here, and right now I’m savoring those.”
Check out his work this week at the Joyce. It may just be a sneak preview of New York’s dance future.