http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/arts/dance/dabbling-in-provocation-at-the-fall-for-dance-festival.html 2016-10-03 22:44:22 Dabbling in Provocation at the Fall for Dance Festival What used to feel like a celebration of dance has become more of a competition for the best audience roar — but this season, even that seemed strained. === The wow moment in most Fall for Dance Festival programs comes in a propulsive unison finale or a virtuosic solo. But last Wednesday at City Center, the “wow” was more of a “whoa” as The United States premiere of Arthur Pita’s “The Ballad of Mack and Ginny” was hardly an artistic highlight of the night — in fact, none of the works amounted to much. But that crushing of the fake cigarette seemed to indicate just how eager Ms. Whelan must be to put her New York City Ballet days to rest. Set to Kurt Weill’s “Tango Ballad” from “The Threepenny Opera,” the work paired In any case, the duet’s provocative moments had little to do with articulate footwork. Mr. Watson, while tangoing with Ms. Whelan, gathered her hair in a ponytail and held it above her head so that she looked like a cross between a vixen and a Kewpie doll; later, he removed her shirt as she stood with her back to the audience. A dancer’s need to stretch boundaries is understandable, but as a topless Ms. Whelan traveled sideways across the stage and into the wings, I wished that ballet dancers could have better taste in new choreography. The rest of the program, while more traditional, remained slight. Richard Alston’s “Rejoice in the Lamb,” set to Benjamin Britten’s cantata adaptation of a poem by Christopher Smart, was the most cohesive offering. Derivative? Sure. Here, with Nicholas Bodych in the poet’s role, religious fervor was revealed in outstretched arms and circle formations. Both Aszure Barton’s “Awáa,” a disjointed excerpt from an evening-length work, and Grupo Corpo’s “Suíte Branca,” a sophomoric display of suspended movements, were meandering, a characteristic that bled into the festival’s third program on Friday. Fall for Dance used to feel like a celebration of dance; now it’s more of a competition for the best audience roar. This season, even that seemed strained. Kader Attou’s “ The program’s brightest spot was But Ms. Casel’s generous spirit filled the theater as she continued, performing to a voice-over in which she discussed her career and some of tap’s forgotten women, including