Slice to Sharp
Slice to Sharp is a ballet made by Jorma Elo for New York City Ballet's Diamond Project, a commissioning initiative through which the company periodically adds new work to its repertory. It premiered on 16 June 2006 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, with an original cast drawn from NYCB principals and soloists including Wendy Whelan, Maria Kowroski and Joaquín De Luz.
What is danced
The source article does not describe the choreography itself — no synopsis, scene breakdown, or named divertissements are given, only the commissioning context, premiere details, music, and cast. It is therefore not possible from this article alone to specify particular steps, holds, or set pieces, or to say how the eight dancers (four women, four men) are grouped or featured across the piece.
Context
The work belongs to New York City Ballet's Diamond Project, the company's recurring platform (running from the early 1990s onward) for commissioning new ballets, often to a mix of established and newly engaged choreographers. Jorma Elo's commission places the piece within that programme's mid-2000s cycle, alongside a score built from Baroque violin repertory (Biber, with Vivaldi added per the article) rather than a commissioned new score — a common Diamond Project pattern of pairing new choreography with pre-existing music.
How to watch it
Attend to how the choreography sits against Biber's Partia VI in D and the added Vivaldi — the title implies abrupt shifts between smooth ('slice') and sudden, accented ('sharp') qualities, a contrast worth watching for in phrasing even though the article gives no further detail on the steps themselves.
Credits
- composer: Heinrich Biber