Reviews

Marimba -  American Ballet Theatre
     “Robert Hill's work is evidence that ballet can re-invent itself according to new ideas and timely principles. Hill has an important advantage. He is a distinguished classical dancer who understands ballet from the inside. In this sense, he belongs with other classically trained choreographers, such as William Forsythe or Alonso King, who are interested in using the dictates of ballet technique in new ways.
     “In Marimba, the cluster of ideas and tensions that constituted the “old” ballet no longer applies. Instead individuals are lost in a fray of movement; groups are broken, diffused, far-flung; lights, thick air, and low ceilings close in and open out with cinematic momentum; symmetry and proportion are obscured by speed; there is no apparent purpose. And it is totally absorbing.
     “We need people like Hill, who do not impose ideas from the outside, but look for the new content within the old forms.”
Jennifer Homans
The New Republic   Feb 11, 2002

Piano Concerto # 2  - Kansas City Ballet
     “This engaging four-section piece, in it's world premiere, had the passion of Russian ballet, the deft clarity of Balanchine and a loose, fresh, modern quality.
Hill's choreography was a dynamic and natural outgrowth of the hyper-romantic music...”
Paul Horsley
Kansas City Star   May 7, 2005

Revelry - ABT Studio Company
     “Robert Hill's Revelry quite appropriately opened the ABT Studio Company's gala performance...Revelry deserved to dominate the program...”
Jack Anderson
New York Times  April 23, 2005

     “Robert Hill's new Revelry...is fascinating in the way it pours classical dancing of the 21st century into the container of the 19th century pas de deux.”
Jennifer Dunning
New York Times     April 18, 2003

     “Hill is that very desirable breed of choreographer who can work his own imagination even as he serves his dancers...it is a blithe, extrovert duelling of technical expertise, tailored to challenge its performers while flattering what they can comfortably do. Hill links his steps with a rollercoaster momentum, turning phrases back on themselves, whirling them off the straight and narrow, making them fizz with unexpected detail.”
Judith Mackrell
The Guardian   April 3, 2003

     “Hill's new pas de deux turned out to be the surprise hit of the evening. Hill, fondly remembered from his days partnering Darcey Bussell at Covent Garden, clevery deploys the talents of...in a flashy number that injects classical virtuosity with boisterous glamour. It is full of tricks and surprises too, theatrically vibrant and wholly satisfying.”
Debra Craine
The Times    April 1, 2003

Piano Concerto #1 -  American Ballet Theatre
     “The best of the new works was Concerto # 1 for Piano and Orchestra, the concerto a very impressive piece by Lowell Liebermann...Hill is a principal dancer with the company, and he's now made three first-rate pieces for them in a row. Three years ago there was Baroque Game and last year , Marimba. The latter was percussive, mysterious. The new work- is more electric and exciting, filled with kinetic invention. And Hill knows how to put a ballet together so that it pulls you along. ABT puts on Hill's ballets late in the season, and with little advance fuss, and it doesn't bring them back; the company seems to take him for granted. Too bad- Concerto # 1 is the only one of the new works that I'd like to see again.”
Robert Gottlieb
The New York Observer      November 11, 2002

     “...Hill uses classicism, particularly pointe work, to display a sharp dichotomy between the sexes that, in turn, amplifies the tension of the music.”
Diane Rafferty
MusicalAmerica.com       November 5, 2002

Dorian  -  American Ballet Theatre
     “This magnificent new work by the extremely talented Robert Hill (formerly a daring and dashing dancer onstage, who would have been marvelous as Dorian) will surely be a welcome addition to the ABT repertoire. Kudos to Mr. Hill...”
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
October 31, 2003

Solitaire  -  Purchase Dance Corps
     “Robert Hill is a real choreographer. He made that abundantly clear at Purchase College recently where  he created a stirring new ballet...Few star dancers can make outstanding ballets for others to dance. Robert Hill is the exception.”
Francis Mason
The World of Dance  96.3  WQXR -  June 2, 2002

Baroque Game - American Ballet Theatre -  world premiere Oct. 28, 1999
     “There are choreographers who know how to work with the special gifts of the dancers at hand and Robert Hill...is clearly one of those creative spirits.”
     “...here music and dance come blissfully together with wit and sophistication...a contemporary minuet that evolves into a lively virtuosic showpiece.”
     “Mr. Hill, one of Ballet Theatre's finest principal dancers, has created a ballet that triggered a rapturous response from the audience........one can easily see why.”
Anna Kisselgoff
New York Times  

     “Baroque Game has considerable imagination and fine choreographic forcefulness. The invention and the brilliance of the dancing are unmistakable.”
Clive Barnes
New York Post