Sibelius Suite (2001)
"Ballet is by its nature artificial: Iron-muscled women try to pass as ethereal creatures by employing blocked satin shoes that make their every step a hoofbeat. Sustaining this illusion at close range is next to impossible—Lord knows, it's hard even in an opera house. Whimsy and Wonder, by Julia Gleich's troupe at the tiny Joyce Soho (January), took up the challenge and nearly met it, most successfully when most contemporary. To music by Alan Terricciano played live by violist Eve Wickert, Gleich danced in jazz sneakers. To a lush rendition of William Bolcom's Graceful Ghost Rag, she and partner Jason Andrew pantomimed panic. To Sibelius, she deliberately exploited the percussive qualities of point shoes in a work for nine dancers."-Elizabeth Zimmer, Village Voice, February 27, 2001