Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: Ayodele Casel reminisces on her roots in THE REMIX and Ballet Hispanico brings back CARMEN.MAQUIA

• By drediman
• May 30, 2025
• No Comments

This week in dance, I was able to catch tap master Ayodele Casel reminisce on her roots at The Joyce Theater and Ballet Hispanico dance a full length story ballet at New York City Center. Here are my thoughts on these performances.

AYODELE CASEL: THE REMIX
The Joyce Theater
Through June 8

This week, the great Ayodele Casel has returned to The Joyce Theater with her latest evening length creation. Entitled The Remix (RECOMMENDED), the piece finds the master tap dancer — who is just on the verge of turning 50 — reminiscing on her career, namely by articulating the influence of 1990s hip hop (I swooned when I heard the songs of Lauryn Hill played) on her development as a tap artist. Joined onstage by terrific live musicians and her crew of dancers, Casel embarked on a seemingly casual jam session on the familiar Joyce stage — dressed down like someone’s living room — her longtime home for experimentation and joy. As directed by Torya Beard (who co-created the piece), there was an easygoing yet soulful energy that permeated the entire affair. Suffice to say, a true sense of collaboration was palpable throughout. This time around, Casel chose to dance amongst the ensemble much of the time, generously sharing the spotlight with her fantastic fellow tappers (each idiosyncratically their own movers, as they should be). But whenever Casel did take center stage, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She’s just luminous, and the way she caressed the stage with delicious lightness and musicality was a delight, indicating an artist basking in the full bloom of their perfected craft. One of the most moving moments of The Remix came in the elegantly understated “Audrey” segment, during which Casel was joined by her former pupil Caleb Teicher — now a tap superstar in his own right — who recalled a story from his youth which highlighted just how much of an inspiration and role model she’s been to him (and I’m sure denizens of other tappers of his generation).

BALLET HISPANICO: CARMEN.MAQUIA
New York City Center
Through June 1

Then there’s Ballet Hispanico’s Carmen.maquia (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s take on Bizet’s emotive opera, which was picked up by the company in 2014. For the beloved opera’s 150th anniversary, the company has brought back the 75-minute full length story ballet — an aggressive, stylized interpretation that’s more psychological thriller than anything else. On paper, it’s an interesting compliment to more traditional versions of the well-known Carmen story. Although there are striking aspects (e.g., the dominating black and white design motif is sleek and resourceful), the overall conception suffers from muddy storytelling and ultimately fails to cohere as impactful drama. Indeed, some of the liberties taken don’t quite land — where it should smolder with danger and sensuality, the piece instead opts for irony and play, which in my mind defeats the purpose of telling this tale of intense passion in the first place (the use of Bizet’s music also had me scratching my head at various points of the ballet). Sansano’s choreography is largely rooted in modern dance vocabulary with the occasional flamenco flair. At times, it confuses hyper-active movements with emotional expressing, which the fine Ballet Hispanico dancers gamely and nimbly took on and navigated through as best they can. While the final pas de deux between Carmen and Don José — danced with vigor by Amanda del Valle and Amir J. Baldwin, respectively — represents some of the best choreography of the evening, it ends the Carmen.maquia on a baffling note (no spoilers here, but perhaps indicating fatality from conformity?).