There aren't big stars in ballet these days like there used to be, but Sylvie Guillem is certainly one who deserves that description. Her ear-skimming leg extensions alone are a sight that few who have seen them ever forget.
Now, at 41, an age when most dancers are wrapping it up for good, the French ballerina has embarked on a new career as a modern dancer.
She's still fascinating to watch, although ballet purists might be forgiven for wanting to see her do one more "Swan Lake" or "Romeo and Juliet."
Her partners in this endeavor are the abundantly talented choreographer Russell Maliphant and the Sadler's Wells company in London, which presented the New York premiere of Maliphant's "Push" this past week at City Center.
Although Guillem, who spent years starring with the Paris Opera Ballet and then the Royal Ballet in London, was striking in her two solos, the true highlight was the duet she performed with Maliphant to close the program.
The lights came up slowly, and for a moment in the dark, it looked as though Maliphant might be wearing a tall hat. Then it was clear: Guillem was sitting on his shoulders. The rest of the 30-minute "Push," originally performed in 2005 at Sadler's Wells, was a series of intimate, intricate moves, exploring various ways two people can touch and relate.
The most memorable images were those of Guillem rising, falling, wrapped around her partner or draped along his shoulders like a cloak.
The evening began with "Solo," choreographed for Guillem, featuring the tall, imposing dancer (looking very French indeed with her strong features and short red hairdo) in diaphanous white trousers and top, her midriff bare. To Spanish guitar music, she whirled and spun and accentuated her sinuous waist.
It was absorbing but a little thin; the moves became repetitive and it almost seemed like she was improvising in her studio.
A happy surprise was "Shift," Maliphant's solo.
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