And it's become ubiquitous now for the men to clutch a fist around the ballerina's wrist while partnering, a habit that Balanchine deplored. Steps that used to have lengthy, extreme lines now have academic correctness but lack bend in the torso, for instance. That was a problem faced, to a lesser degree, in "The Four Temperaments," which was also on the program. But throughout the ballet, in corps and soloist ranks alike, there was a curious contrast between brittle attack into the steps and a markedly mannered use of the arms - flapping, if you will - which led to a sense of forced cuteness.
Gennadi Nedvigin's innate sense of musical phrasing illuminated a difficult allegro, and Vanessa Zahorian gave clarity to the speedy footwork of her whirlwind variation. It feels unfair to dog all the performers, who included some of the company's notable technical whizzes. 15," which Balanchine devised to the music of the same name by Mozart, pure classicism meets jazzy sparks in fiendishly difficult choreography, and yet although everything seemed to be correct and steps in their proper place, what was once distinctively Balanchinean can now feel like a generically pleasant tutu ballet. In the nearly 30 years since Balanchine's passing, it feels as though the soul of his ballets has incrementally diminished in a way that's hard to put a finger on but perhaps is embedded in the loss of small but significant details. Still the refreshing energy of "Scotch Symphony," as staged by Maria Calegari, was more than heartening after "Divertimento No. What has happened to the thrill of the moment in which the men used to literally fling the ballerina through the air - not gently deposit her - into her partner's waiting arms? Tan is at her best in those adagio passages, when her seemingly endless lines show to their best advantage, but if there's one thing missing in an otherwise fine performance, it was the element of risk.
Balanchine fills this second movement with mysterious interludes - Tan flirts gently with Karapetyan, however romantic moments are enigmatically interrupted by the corps of men, who surround her protectively, blocking him from reaching her. The ballet is anchored, though, by the central pas de deux for a sylph-like ballerina and her lover, a duet that Yuan Yuan Tan and Davit Karapetyan imbued with a sweet longing on opening night.
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