The American Contemporary Ballet, or ACB, continues its 2025 to 2026 season with the production of “Balanchine: Twin Masterpieces,” presenting George Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco” in conversation with “La Source.” Plotless, the two pieces stand at the crossroads of tradition and modernity, not as distinct entities but as one. Running throughout March, ACB’s “Balanchine: Twin Masterpieces” is a masterful reinvention of baroque and classical art, blending virtuosic musical performances with captivating movement in a stunning show of athleticism and grace.
Through programming Balanchine’s works, ACB celebrates the legacy of one of, if not the most influential, ballet choreographers in history. He pioneered the American neoclassical “Balanchine” ballet style, reinventing the art form to evolve into what audiences see today in American companies and studios. ACB, as a contemporary ballet company, is rooted in the Balanchine style.
The show opens not with dancing, but with two musicians taking center stage to deliver a performance of George Frideric Handel’s “Passacaglia” — an iconic piece of baroque repertoire known for its virtuosity atop a simple theme. An air of sensitivity colors the piece as violinist Enosh Kofler and violist Yu-Ting Hsu bring their unique interpretation of “Passacaglia.” Ironically, this interpretation is anything but baroque — soulful, sensitive and without an expected conviction, ACB’s version of “Passacaglia” is almost romantic in style and decidedly modern, blurring the lines between the old and the new.
The performance continues on its baroque track with Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco” choreographed to Bach’s “Concerto for Two Violins.” The work is presented in three movements. The first movement features two dancers personifying the two violins in the concerto. As they weave in and out of each other and the surrounding dancers creating complex patterns of symmetry, it feels as if the music and the dancers are one and the same. The centerpiece of the second movement is an intimate partnership where Balanchine’s choreography deviates from a traditional duet by creating suspended and elongated lines that intertwine, evoking an almost sticky feeling between the dancers. The piece closed with the brisk third movement of the concerto which showcased the corps de ballet, or the ensemble of the company, in their technical and athletic prowess.
The second half of the program consists of Kofler and Hsu’s performance of Sibelius’s “Duo for Violin and Viola is C Major” followed by Balanchine’s “La Source.” Jumping forward in classical music history by two centuries, ACB bridges the distant past with the not-quite-as-distant past. Although oriented at a more recent time, “La Source” somehow feels less modern than “Concerto Barocco.” “La Source” adheres to a traditional pas de deux structure, where a male and a female dancer perform an elongated duet consisting of an introductory entrée, a lyrical adagio, solo variations from each dancer and a triumphant finale. The partnership felt structured and grounded, unlike the yearning ache that was present in “Concerto Barocco.” “La Source” is a playful celebration of human connection — a reimagination of the classical style of ballet.
Instead of seeing “Concerto Barocco” and “La Source” as separate entities, ACB director Lincoln Jones interprets Balanchine’s choreography as a reorganization of steps. Jones expresses in his director’s notes that this arrangement bridges classical with contemporary; every art form is simply a reinvention.
Although a technically beautiful performance, it was not the dancers’ lyricism and grace that stood out to me the most — instead, it was their phenomenal athleticism. As the dancers suspended themselves in space and time, I couldn’t help but think of the incredible amount of strength it takes to look that effortless. In the female variation, the dancer performs a lengthy petit allegro, or series of jumps in quick succession, which requires an impressive level of stamina. ACB’s venue, allowing for close proximity to the dancers, helped to further highlight their athletic capabilities that may not otherwise have been noticeable from a distance.
ACB’s “Balanchine: Twin Masterpieces” increased my appreciation for the incredible art form and athletic feat that is ballet. From the legs to the fingertips, each flick of the wrist carries a mountain of meaning and expertise. With a long history, ballet is the medium in which the human spirit is reflected in and will always continue to. As long as there exists any art, whether classical, contemporary, traditional or avant-garde, ballet will live on.
As Jones writes, “To reject the past is to put oneself in the position of the primitive. … It is not in the attempt to replace past forms that we find new ones. It’s in building from these foundations.”
