Entertainment

Tharp helps keep troupe sharp at gala

There wasn’t a tutu in sight Tuesday night when American Ballet Theatre opened its City Center season with a gala with a contemporary accent — a prelude to a week of Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor.

The glitz arrived with Tharp’s “Sinatra Suite,” a duet glamorously costumed in Oscar de la Renta evening wear. It turned angry as Herman Cornejo yanked around Luciana Paris, but ended on a melancholy note when she left him and he danced solo to “One for My Baby.” Cornejo lacked Tharp’s trademark mix of ballet and Broadway, but Paris’ elegant confidence helped make up for that.

The night’s novelty was a new work, “Private Light,” by a young Argentine choreographer working in Germany, 25-year-old Demis Volpi. Set to the live strains of a solo guitar, it opened with five couples wearing shorts nuzzling in the dark. The music and costumes had a folksy touch — Huckleberry Ballet.

As the men kissed them, the women rose up and tapped rapidly on pointe: the kind of response you’d want from a good kiss. But alas, the women got knocked around here, too.

Volpi used kissing as a motif throughout. At one point, two women had a lengthy kiss, but it seemed to be only for the hubba-hubba factor. There were interesting ideas in “Private Light,” but it would be nice if Volpi got as much mileage from dance steps as he did from kissing.

Tharp’s “In the Upper Room” could be the most exhausting ballet ever; you could lose weight just by watching it. The title hints at paradise, but there’s no rest for the good here. Set to a loud recording of Philip Glass’ endless arpeggios, it was performed on a haze-filled stage, as dancers dressed in Norma Kamali — black and white stripes or bright red — tore into nonstop aerobic combinations. No wonder they seemed exhausted by the end.

If that sounds too tiring, each performance features different repertory. In addition to Tharp, there’s a piece by Taylor or Cunningham at each remaining show.