The latest creation of Ballet Hispánico, “Sor Juana,” choreographed by Michelle Manzanales, does not do justice to its titular character, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. While the 17th-century Mexican nun, poet, intellectual, composer, and advocate for women’s rights to education and knowledge is a somewhat mysterious figure, she is an important historical icon. The ballet presents a generalized past, with dancers dressed in Baroque attire and baroque and sacred music, including some of Sor Juana’s pieces. But the ballet fails to engage with the period’s specific characteristics or Sor Juana’s ideas. Instead, generic struggles dominate the performance. The dancers writhe on the floor frequently, and Gabrielle Sprauve, who plays Sor Juana, collapses repeatedly, conveying the poet’s absorption, euphoria, and isolation. The work is only of interest in the duet, which brings to life scholarly discussions about Sor Juana’s forbidden desires and homosexual tendencies. However, the dance remains chaste, and the pages scattered as she writes are the closest the ballet gets to Sor Juana’s sources of art. The performance reduces Sor Juana to a vague person struggling against societal and religious forces to fit contemporary viewers’ interests. Meanwhile, another ballet debut, Omar Román De Jesús’s “Papagayos,” features inanity set to Mexican big band and lounge music. Fortunately, Ballet Hispánico’s talented dancers make up for their lackluster performances in the acquired William Forsythe duet “New Sleep” and the Pedro Ruiz classic “Club Havana.” While the latter lacks ambition and relies on clichés and cigar-smoking, it meets its purpose of providing entertainment through dance. Ballet Hispánico performed at New York City Center, from June 1-3.
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