tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33324643405829467202024-03-12T17:52:05.320-07:00Legwarmers and TiarasBallet reviews and recollections of lovely thingsnurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-8378516676061555862013-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:002013-08-11T07:17:33.429-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Photographer David Walker took a series of pictures of Järvi leaping and posing, July 2013. Here is a sampling from the photoshoot.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QAAeWl7ZT-c/UgW6AYm37lI/AAAAAAAABPQ/8R5s2xbVUeU/s1600/Dance_Shoot4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QAAeWl7ZT-c/UgW6AYm37lI/AAAAAAAABPQ/8R5s2xbVUeU/s400/Dance_Shoot4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aQQmUc_UZw/UgW6oP-T_dI/AAAAAAAABPw/8yWuGvu5aaQ/s1600/Italian+pas+de+chat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aQQmUc_UZw/UgW6oP-T_dI/AAAAAAAABPw/8yWuGvu5aaQ/s400/Italian+pas+de+chat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-25716170141116423612012-03-06T09:28:00.001-08:002013-08-11T07:18:44.762-07:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wcasLbw5SuE/T1ZItjRlhPI/AAAAAAAABGI/YNQnZxqcg8k/s1600/J%C3%A4rvi+flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wcasLbw5SuE/T1ZItjRlhPI/AAAAAAAABGI/YNQnZxqcg8k/s640/J%C3%A4rvi+flying.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
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nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-16149332246845814372009-09-13T21:30:00.001-07:002009-09-13T21:30:19.803-07:00Romantic fantasy ballet Dawn micro-short film by Donna Greenberg in 720p HD<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/uW0mH6FLhxg' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/uW0mH6FLhxg'/></object></p><p>This little excerpt is from a ballet film called "Uprising" about the Polish Holocaust, choreographed by Donna Greenberg.<br /><br />It is the one colorful, idyllic part of the film which tells the story of two young lovers and their attempt to escape the Nazis. Amid the havoc and horror this picture of idealized love occurs as a dream scenario. <br />It's a poignant moment of a remarkable ballet.<br /></p></div>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-23299742901895838392009-08-19T00:48:00.001-07:002009-08-19T00:48:29.771-07:00Enchantment ballet film - trailer in HQ<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/9Vuwm4OHZyY' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/9Vuwm4OHZyY'/></object></p><p>Järvi Raudsepp in excerpts from "Enchantment" by Donna Greenberg, Ballet Espressivo</p></div>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-91101387515388898252009-03-21T13:01:00.000-07:002009-03-28T11:18:16.789-07:00The Eighth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch2pS7jEhI/AAAAAAAAAVI/jDaZEBOixIE/s1600-h/ErikBruhnGertWeigelt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 287px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch2pS7jEhI/AAAAAAAAAVI/jDaZEBOixIE/s320/ErikBruhnGertWeigelt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316629811939185170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Erik Bruhn</span>; photo Gert Weigelt</span>
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<br /></div>March 18, 2009, 7:30 PM, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario
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<br />In a competition where past winners include Rose Gad Poulsen (1988) and Silja Wendrup-Schandorff (1989) of The Royal Danish Ballet, Julie Kent (1993) and Michele Wiles (2002) of American Ballet Theater, Johan Kobborg (1993) of (at the time) The Royal Danish Ballet, and Vanessa Zahorian (1999) of the San Francisco Ballet, the bar is set high for the rising young ballet stars of today.
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<br />The 5 companies which have sent competitors since 1988 are all those with which Erik Bruhn had close relationships of one kind or another: The Royal Danish Ballet (RDB), The Royal Ballet (RB), American Ballet Theater (ABT), San Francisco Ballet (SFB), Stuttgart Ballet (SB), and The National Ballet of Canada (NBoC) . There have been 4 winners from RDB, 1 from RB, 2 from ABT, 2 from SB, 1 from SB, and 5 from NBoC.
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<br />This year’s winners change the totals to 3 for ABT and 6 for NBoC.
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<br />I don’t know about all the other years, but this year, for example, there were no competitors sent from Royal Ballet, and last time (2007) there were only 4 companies present (San Francisco and Stuttgart ballets were absent), so the numbers don’t really represent any real comparables when all companies are not included every competition.
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<br />The evening began with opening remarks by an elegantly-but-simply-sheathed Chan Han Goh striding to the podium with Aleksander Antonejevic, whose baggy-at-the-ankles pants I couldn’t help but notice. They spoke simply and with smiles, lauding the competitors and explaining the rules and order of the competition.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch3C-8Se4I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/x6j1thIWcMs/s1600-h/ErikBruhn3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch3C-8Se4I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/x6j1thIWcMs/s320/ErikBruhn3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316630253250182018" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Erik Bruhn in Giselle</span></span>
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<br />They also read Bruhn’s statement that the prize is meant for dancers who "reflect such technical ability, artistic achievement and dedication as I endeavoured to bring to dance."
<br />(I would have put the emphasis on the “I” in reading this, but it was read without accenting any words.)
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<br />The ages of the competitors are limited to those 18 to 23 and we had the full spectrum, from first year corps member 18 year old Hilary Guswiler (RDB) to the 23 year olds: soloists Cory Stearns (ABT) and Anthony Spaulding (SFB), demi-soloist William Moore (SB), and corps member Dores Andre (SFB).
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<br />Those in-between were 19 year old Alban Lendorf (RDB), 21 year old Rachele Buriassi (SB), and 22 year olds Isabella Boylston (ABT), Elena Lobsanova (NBoC), and Noah Long (NBoC), all corps de ballet.
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<br />Dancers would not be performing in the order presented in the program, but in the order of the lots they had drawn earlier. (That order would remain the same for the second half of the competition.) The first dances to be presented were the classical pas de deux and variations, the second set, all the contemporary pieces.
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<br />The judges (who would not be judging their own contestants) were the artistic directors (and one associate) of the ballet companies who brought competitors. The list printed in the program:
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<br />Kevin McKenzie, AD, ABT
<br />Karen Kain, AD, NBoC
<br />Nikolaj Hübbe, AD, RDB
<br />Helgi Tomasson, AD, SFB
<br />Tamas Detrich, Artistic Associate, SB
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<br />In actuality, Tomasson was not there, being replaced by SF Ballet Master Ricardo Bustamente.
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<br />First, I’ll review the classical portion of the program:
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<br />With dancers names and their dances' info shown briefly in surtitles before the curtain opened, the competition began with “Pas de Deux from Act II of La Sylphide” performed by <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Royal Danish Ballet</span>’s <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hilary Guswiler</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alban Lendorf</span>, choreography by Auguste Bournonville.
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<br />Hilary and Alban are the youngest dancers in the competition, ages 18 and 19, and in their first year in the corps of RDB. Taking that into consideration, their performance was very good and showed great promise for both. But I did not read the program notes before the evening started and took each performance at face value, not thinking of the age of the competitor at all.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdl1bq9PeI/AAAAAAAAARw/XHdYi7wIo0w/s1600-h/HilarGuswilerRDB.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 145px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdl1bq9PeI/AAAAAAAAARw/XHdYi7wIo0w/s320/HilarGuswilerRDB.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316329853769563618" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Hilary Guswiler; photo Royal Danish Ballet</span></span>
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<br />Hilary’s sylph was not quite soft enough, she had little stumbles, and wobbled her landing from a jump. Her développé to the back was not entirely secure and her last développé could have been more stretched. Her feet were not pointed enough during her entrechats and échappés. As the dancing progressed, however, she got better. Hilary had a particularly nice lift to a jump where she hung in the air for a second. She moved as lightly as she could and her adherence to Bournonville style (as much as I know of it) was admirable.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdl5AdzQoI/AAAAAAAAAR4/VOAlO92GlnE/s1600-h/AlbanLendorfRDB.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 145px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdl5AdzQoI/AAAAAAAAAR4/VOAlO92GlnE/s320/AlbanLendorfRDB.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316329915186102914" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Alban Lendorf; photo Royal Danish Ballet</span></span>
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<br />Alban’s acting was somewhat stilted and amateurish. But his beats were glorious! The trademark of James’ variation, these entrechats showed why this piece was chosen for their entry. His other allegro was very clean and bright.
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<br />All in all, they were like very good students, and like students, had unavoidable weak spots. I gave the RDB competitors an overall B-.
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<br />Next came the first of two Odiles and Siegfrieds: “Black Swan Pas de Deux from Act III of Swan Lake”, performed by <span style="font-weight: bold;">American Ballet Theater</span>’s <span style="font-weight: bold;">Isabella Boylston</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cory Stearns</span>, choreography after Marius Petipa.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdteabec4I/AAAAAAAAAUA/TsUy-1uc7fg/s1600-h/IsabellaBoylstonarabesque.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdteabec4I/AAAAAAAAAUA/TsUy-1uc7fg/s320/IsabellaBoylstonarabesque.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316338254392226690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><-- Isabella Boylston, top; Isabella and Cory Stearns, bottom; photos Matthew Murphy</span></span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Isabella Boylston; photo ABT</span></span>
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<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch5ylpyHOI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Kp8tmc2u_fI/s1600-h/IsabellaBoylstonABT.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sch5ylpyHOI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Kp8tmc2u_fI/s200/IsabellaBoylstonABT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316633270118653154" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">This performance was one of such perfection that I can’t find a single thing to gripe about. Isabella was stunning, both in technique and artistry. I sat close enough (2nd row orchestra) to see every facial expression, and she really acted her role well. Every arabesque, turn, renversé, jump and supported pirouette were exceptional. Notably tantalizing were Isabella’s movements in a repeated sequence of supported penché attitude, where she was held almost upside down toward the audience as she waved her arms and upper body with a delicious cant to her head and evil expression on he<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scds9JD3raI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ycSoQ6EEieU/s1600-h/IsabellaCory5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scds9JD3raI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ycSoQ6EEieU/s320/IsabellaCory5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316337682794130850" border="0" /></a>r face. Also remarkable were her blurring supported pirouettes, anchored sharp as a dart to the ground, and too fast to count. The only thing – the ONLY thing – that happened that would cause anyone who knows the choreography to mark a teensy tick next to her name, was the end of the fouetté sequence. Isabella's 32-fouettés-to-be carried her in a straight line downstage, as if intended to, until, perhaps in danger of finishing by twirling into the orchestra pit, she used the last four turn counts to piqué perfectly in a half circle back upstage. The coda with Cory was exciting and dramatic, performed with mounting intensity and fervor to the last note of the music which occurred just as her fingertip stretched her hand to its fullest behind her back and her head fell backwards in triumph.
<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdmuMhdDLI/AAAAAAAAASQ/RcgvRtJfxD0/s1600-h/CoryStearnsABT.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdmuMhdDLI/AAAAAAAAASQ/RcgvRtJfxD0/s200/CoryStearnsABT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316330828955716786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Cory Stearns; photo ABT</span></span>
<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdqmlZY7oI/AAAAAAAAATY/hsBN7eBLzFk/s1600-h/CoryStearnsBlackSwanYAGP2001.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdqmlZY7oI/AAAAAAAAATY/hsBN7eBLzFk/s200/CoryStearnsBlackSwanYAGP2001.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316335096240336514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br /><-- Cory Stearns</span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">as</span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Siegfried</span></span>, <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Act III, YAGP 2001</span>
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<br />Cory was the ideal prince, with noble bearing infusing his long limbs. He partnered Isabella expertly and the two performed as experienced ballet veterans. In his variations, Cory showed beautiful line, lofty grands jetés, soaring manège. His technique is so solid, you just sit back and enjoy his dancing with the same confidence that he performs it.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdrf8CbTkI/AAAAAAAAATg/KVOePPY-8Oc/s1600-h/CoryStearnsLeCorsaireMartySohl3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdrf8CbTkI/AAAAAAAAATg/KVOePPY-8Oc/s200/CoryStearnsLeCorsaireMartySohl3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316336081570582082" border="0" /></a>I gave the ABT competitors an overall A+.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Cory Stearns in ABT's Le Corsaire; photo Marty Sohl</span></span>
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<br />Third up: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stuttgart Ballet</span>. “Black Swan Pas de Deux from Act III of Swan Lake”, performed by <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rachele Buriassi</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">William Moore</span>, choreography: John Cranko.
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<br />In a difficult position, following the perfection of Isabella and Cory with the same PDD and variations (different choreography), Buriassi and Moore might have experienced more stress than the other contenders. The very first supported pirouette was off-kilter. Rachele's foot was not stretched behind her in lifts and she was musically late, missing arriving together with the music at the last dramatic beat in her first set of turns. William Moore was a considerably weaker partner than we saw in the last black swan PDD, and both lacked the dramatic flair so necessary in this piece. Rachele tried to use her facial expressions to convey the character of Odile, but the rest of her didn't follow suit. Both danced more position to position, which gave their partnership less flow. Their insecurity showed in the supported arabesque turn as well as in other portions of the PDD. William in his variation displayed the mark of a good student, but has things that need fixing, like getting his toe to touch his leg in turns instead of hovering in passé in the air.
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdoEAN2-9I/AAAAAAAAATQ/5fcyURHRSPo/s1600-h/RacheleBuriassiSBUlrichBeuttenmueller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdoEAN2-9I/AAAAAAAAATQ/5fcyURHRSPo/s200/RacheleBuriassiSBUlrichBeuttenmueller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316332303121054674" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Rachele Buriassi; photo Ulrich Buettenmueller
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<br /></span></span></div>Still, there was much to enjoy in the dance. I took it apart as a judge might because we were, after all, watching a competition, and doing our own judging as audience members. Had they been the only ones to dance the black swan PDD and variations, it might have been easier for them. This is a dastardly hard PDD to make look easy, and this couple have many more practice sessions ahead of them before they even approach a semblance of "easy". Perhaps they should have been given a different PDD to compete with .....La Fille mal Gardée or Coppélia, for example.
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<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">William Moore; photo John Kannelopolous</span></span>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdul5G0gGI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HOdaY7dMRyA/s1600-h/WilliamMooreSBJohn+Kannelopolous.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 199px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdul5G0gGI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HOdaY7dMRyA/s320/WilliamMooreSBJohn+Kannelopolous.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316339482397802594" border="0" /></a>John Cranko's choreography for this piece is topsy-turvy. If we're well-versed in who dances to what music in the variations, it is disconcerting to see Odile doing her variation to Siegfried's music, and Siegfried doing his to Odile's. Even the choreography for Odile in her variation was strange. It included echappés, presented seemingly out of context, as if they were a center exercise, followed by a circl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdu4k5QPkI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/uWZM41ND72Q/s1600-h/WilliamMooreSBUlrichBeuttenmueller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 210px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdu4k5QPkI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/uWZM41ND72Q/s320/WilliamMooreSBUlrichBeuttenmueller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316339803389705794" border="0" /></a>e of piqué turns. Little of what we expect Odile to dance was evident. However, the fouettés in the coda were still there, and they presented an obstacle for Buriassi. Starting off well, they travelled forward rapidly and stopped suddenly, way too soon, leaving Rachele standing in plié in fifth position until the end of the music. I don't even remember much of the rest of the coda after that, but they did recoup and finished in the standard position, Odile's head thrown back (a little behind the music again) with Siegfried kneeling before her.
<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >
<br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >William Moore; photo UlrichBeuttenmueller</span>
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<br />I gave the Stuttgart competitors an overall C.
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<br />Fourth in the lineup: <span style="font-weight: bold;">San Francisco Ballet</span>. "Pas de Deux from Act II of Giselle", performed by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dores Andre</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Spaulding</span>, choreography: Helgi Tomasson after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa.
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >
<br />Dores Andres; photo Erik Tomasson</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdwv1AADOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/uH-aJFs9nG8/s1600-h/DoresAndreSFBDavidAllen.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 87px; height: 109px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdwv1AADOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/uH-aJFs9nG8/s400/DoresAndreSFBDavidAllen.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316341852117404898" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Dores Andre; photo David Allen</span></span>
<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdwSYnCCTI/AAAAAAAAAU4/uka_8ch6LqY/s1600-h/DorisAndreSFBErik+Tomasson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdwSYnCCTI/AAAAAAAAAU4/uka_8ch6LqY/s200/DorisAndreSFBErik+Tomasson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316341346280278322" border="0" /></a>
<br />The curtain opened with <span>Dores Andre</span> and <span>Anthony Spaulding</span> standing upstage in the position of the cross, Giselle in front of Albrecht, as they do in front of Giselle's grave (there were no props used in the competition). Andre's développé was very good, her promenade in plié arabesque just a little unsteady. Her entrechats sounded clunky (not good for a wraith who should move soundlessly), but her bourrées were exceptionally lovely. She danced the whole PDD and her variation with an unvarying far-off, glazed look in her eyes, her face never changing expression. It was as if Giselle wasn't seeing Albrecht instead of the other way around. Dores's articulate use of her feet was beautiful to see. Her ronde jambe en l'air to each side while in a jump were lacy, delicately precise, and very quick.
<br />Giselle's trademark soubresauts, however, didn't get <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdwNPMOMCI/AAAAAAAAAUw/XYxRzUybnO4/s1600-h/DorisAndre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdwNPMOMCI/AAAAAAAAAUw/XYxRzUybnO4/s200/DorisAndre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316341257852563490" border="0" /></a>very high off the ground, leaving her with more of an earthly rather than airborne connection. Still, the general feeling one got from her rendition of Giselle was of a lonely spirit, haunted by an intangible loss. But for a few instances, she and her partner didn't really connect.
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<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdnlRFx28I/AAAAAAAAATA/iGQpOJuDipk/s1600-h/AnthonySpauldingSFBDavidAllen.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 186px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdnlRFx28I/AAAAAAAAATA/iGQpOJuDipk/s200/AnthonySpauldingSFBDavidAllen.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316331775074622402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Anthony Spaulding; photo David Allen
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<br /></span></span></div>Spaulding, with his long legs and princely bearing, should have left a better impression, but I found his technique merely adequate, and he didn't take the opportunity to explore his acting lexicon, either. It seemed also to have only one facet -- a look of ambiguous longing. There's something that bothers me about his arabesques and every leg extension to the back: his leg movement does not come from the hip but from the back, giving his line an awkward look. I began to cringe every time he lifted his leg. He also danced very much position to position instead of presenting his role as an organic whole. It made me appreciate the skill of so many professional danseurs whose performances flow with logical movement, their in-between steps as important as the positions they help the dancer attain. Anthony's landings from jumps were sometimes sloppy, with feet open in a quasi-fourth position instead of in a tight fifth. I thought he was the weakest of all the contenders in classical ballet.
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br />Anthony Spaulding with Yuan Yuan Tan; photo Kurt Rogers</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdvhybiqvI/AAAAAAAAAUY/66QUbrBILAU/s1600-h/AnthonySpauldingYYTanSFBKurtRogers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdvhybiqvI/AAAAAAAAAUY/66QUbrBILAU/s320/AnthonySpauldingYYTanSFBKurtRogers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316340511397817074" border="0" /></a>
<br />I gave the San Francisco competitors an overall B (Andre's performance pulled the grade up).
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<br />Fifth and last of the classical repertoire: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The National Ballet of Canada</span>. "Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire", performed by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Elena Lobsanova</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Noah Long</span>, choreography: after Marius Petipa.
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<br />Difficult for me to review because I've known Noah since he was 14 years old and because he and my daughter danced together, I will nevertheless be as objective as possible.
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<br />Noah Long grand jetéd onstage with a light, high jump, signaling the excitement he would bring to his role as Conrad's slave, Ali.
<br />(The program notes give the impression that Noah is dancing the role of Conrad by stating, <i>"At this point in the story, Conrad the pirate has rescued Medora, a Greek slave girl from sale to a Pasha's harem and taken her to his underground grotto, where, having fallen in love, they dance in celebration of her rescue."</i> Of course, Conrad is nowhere to be seen, and we have the standard pas de deux between his slave Ali and Medora. I fault the NBoC blurb writer with this misleading info. It is Conrad who is in love with Medora, not his slave. When the piece is performed as a pas de trois, Ali serves as Conrad's aide, handing Medora off to him several times as a duty to his master.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdnGl8hzCI/AAAAAAAAASo/4nL7lX0T3QA/s1600-h/NoahLongNBoC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 156px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScdnGl8hzCI/AAAAAAAAASo/4nL7lX0T3QA/s200/NoahLongNBoC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316331248097020962" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Noah Long; photo National Ballet of Canada</span></span>
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<br />With the above clarification, we can understand the bent head and obsequious posture characteristic of this role . However, there are points when this slave exhibits bravura, and Noah's was more of the ostentatious style bravura than the technical sort. Not that his technique wasn't good, but that his showiness outshone it. The home audience, composed in part by students of the National Ballet School and dancers in the company who weren't performing later while the votes were being tallied, went wild, as was to be expected. Those close to Noah watched with a critical eye and hope in their hearts, but had to admit his performance was a bit raw. Noah could do wonders with a good male coach. Still there was so much right about his dancing the old warhorse that it could be enjoyed with confidence that it was in good hands (and feet).
<br />
<br />Noah's "snake" turns worked out really well for him the second time he did them, and his turns à la seconde were excellent. Dancing with elan, his variation mounted in excitement until the final dramatic fling to the floor. I would have liked to have seen a delicious breath-holding développé into second after his pirouettes. That's one of the highlights of the Ali variation and there are a couple of chances to apply it. In PDD, Noah is a very good partner and he guided and supported Lobsanova with complete assurance.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdm7au3MFI/AAAAAAAAASY/bO0ESPkMxQw/s1600-h/ElenaLobsanovaNBoC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 156px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Scdm7au3MFI/AAAAAAAAASY/bO0ESPkMxQw/s200/ElenaLobsanovaNBoC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316331056108351570" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Elena Lobsanova; photo National Ballet of Canada</span></span>
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<br />Elena Lobsanova is a lovely dancer with beautiful lines and demeanor. I don't know why she feels it adds something to her arabesques and attitudes to break the line of her foot by winging it in that characteristically NBoC style which is so ugly! Through the years I have watched female dancers at the National do this (not all of them, to the credit of those who don't) as if they couldn't call themselves NBoC dancers if they didn't. It ruins the effect of a stretched pointed foot and adds nothing to the line -- nothing! It has been one of my pet peeves about the National for years and it stresses me to see it passed on from generation to generation. I used to call it a "cupped" foot because it looks like you could pour a demitasse of espresso into it. Photos abound of National dancers, from principals down, who do this at the height of their arabesque. I am begging everyone at NBoC to please stop it!!
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<br />While Lobsanova showed she was up for tackling the Medora role, there were still a few problems. Her arms were usually stiffly held (this is also a hallmark of the National), especially noticeable in fifth en haut. This does not look pretty. Arms should be fluid, continuing the movement of the rest of the body, softly and with plastique. Such graceful port de bras was totally lacking. My notes (written in a stream as I watched) are peppered with "arms!", "stiff arms!", "terrible arms". There was a jerky développé, too-low jumps and wobbles on landings. Her fouettés were a disaster, after a good start, like a top spinning out of control, first from center stage to stage left (she's a left turner), then forced back to center stage, losing form all the while until she plumb fell out of the last of them into an ungainly position.
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<br />Were I to ignore the negatives outlined in the above paragraph, then I could say that Lobsanova danced beautifully and winsomely, doing a creditable job with difficult choreography that is in the domain of prima ballerinas and principal dancers. However, all the competitors danced such lead roles. And, I reiterate, I am wearing my armchair judge's hat, my opinions informed by my own and my daughter's training in ballet. I might not be so harsh otherwise (<i>but, then, I might!</i>).
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<br />Despite my nitpicking, I gave the National an overall B+.
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<br />Now you can understand why I was flabbergasted that Isabella Boylston's name was not called out as female winner of the competition. I'll bet it had a lot to do with the choice of contemporary piece. My reviews of the contemporary repertoire will be next.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Contemporary repertoire</span>
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<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CTCS%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><b></b>From the program: <i>“These ballets have been commissioned by each of the companies specifically for the Eighth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize. They are receiving their world premieres this evening. The Choreographic Prize will be awarded to one of the participating choreographers for best new contemporary choreography as determined by the panel of judges.”</i>
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<br />1) <span style="font-size:100%;"><b><!--sizeo:3--><span style="line-height: 100%;"><!--/sizeo-->Royal Danish Ballet<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--></b></span> – <b><i>Hilary Guswiler, Alban Lendorf</i></b>
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<br /><b>An Elegy for Us</b>, choreography: <i><b>Iain Rowe</b></i>; Music: James MacMillan, <i>Angel</i>; Michael Byron, <i>As She Sleeps</i> with additional sound design by Iain Rowe
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<br />Stage has a dark cast. Piece begins with lots of walking to silence by each dancer. There are 2 chairs onstage. She sits down on one of them and the music starts. He shows off some entrechats and a grand jeté. She runs and jumps. He turns. She gyrates on one spot. She brings a chair next to his. He does a renversé and a grand jeté. She sticks her legs out. He twirls her in a split. He lifts her. He twirls her in another split. He lifts her again. The minor key music consists of chord, chord, note, note, sustained note, note, chord, and so on. They gyrate around each other. He runs and puts his chair in a new place. She gets hers and puts it right next to his. He moves his chair again. She picks hers up and places it next to his again. They sit. He moves his chair. She moves hers next to his yet again. He picks up his chair and throws it across the stage. It lands upside down. She stands stock still. He walks toward third wing. An unseen “door” opens beyond it, emitting the bright light of a room full of people partying. We hear loud party chatter (in English), above all a clear female voice whose words are distinctly understandable (I don't remember what they were, but they didn't seem to advance or explain the "plot"). He stands at the “open door”. She goes and stands next to him. They “enter” the “party room” together. The end.
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<br />My summation (there's nothing really that I can review or critique): The first of three "end of relationship" pieces, this one is a big, fat, 60s style, minimalist, experimental nothing (not to be confused with the 60s works of genius produced by Graham, Cunningham, Taylor, Alwin-Nikolais, etc.). Girl wants boy. Boy doesn't want girl. But they walk into party together. ?
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<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Iain Rowe; photo Royal Danish Ballet</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SciE82Hd5EI/AAAAAAAAAVg/T1v-JPDXoFc/s1600-h/IainRoweRDB.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 145px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SciE82Hd5EI/AAAAAAAAAVg/T1v-JPDXoFc/s200/IainRoweRDB.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316645540964721730" border="0" /></a></p>It’s a real shame that Hilary Guswiler and Alban Lendorf, both in ballet slippers, didn’t get a chance to dance. They needed something wonderful to augment their overall competition score and were given walking, running, twirling, a cou ple of jetés for him, and a little gyrating, all of which they did very well. ;)
<br />The choreographer, born in 1986, is a member of the corps de ballet.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></span><p class="MsoNormal">___________________________________________________________________________________
<br /></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CTCS%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]-->2) <!--sizeo:3--><span style="line-height: 100%;font-size:12;" ><!--/sizeo--><b><span style="font-size:100%;">American Ballet Theater</span> </b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->– <b><i>Isabella Boylston, Cory Stearns</i></b>
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<br /><b>End.</b>, choreography: <b><i>Marcelo Gomes</i></b>; music: Franz Schubert, <i>Piano Trio #2 in E Flat, 2nd movement (Andante con moto)</i>; piano: <i>Mark Harjes</i>; violin: <i>Lynn Kuo</i>; cello: <i>Maurizio Baccante</i>
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<br />Cory walks in. Isabella runs in and jumps on his back. This piece, too, is in a minor key, for it is clearly about a breakup where <i>he</i> doesn’t want <i>her </i>anymore. There is lots of beautiful, classical dancing. Isabella is in a romantic tutu with puffed sleeves and a gorgeous bodice, the just-below-the-knee skirt built up with several layers of lavender tulle covered by iridescent fuchsia chiffon. Her tights and pointe shoes are black. Cory is in grey: tights, shirt, and shoes, with a black vest.
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<br />This very balletic piece is full of advances by her and rejections by him. She goes to him, he pushes her away. There is partnering in-between the push-pull, with luscious supported pirouettes, Isabella’s foot in high passé. Her extensions are also high, and classical. A contemporary moment: She wipes his face and places his sweat on her own brow.
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<br />He resists her every time she tries to engage him. Cory has wonderful double tours, Isabella a beautiful entrelacé. She dances to him, he takes her by the shoulders and gives her two firm shakes, pushing her violently away from him. The dancers use all levels: floor, middle, and the air, to convey their feelings – she, always wanting him to take her in his arms and be hers again, and he, angrily and abruptly trying to get rid of her. Isabella’s technique shines through every movement, as does Cory’s. Her upper body is soft with expressive arms and beautiful port de bras. Her legs are powerful and confident. The music is seen through her movement. Every note of it is danced with smooth phrasing and vivid accents.
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<br />In their pas de deux parts, there are lots of backward flops into his arms. Before he strides briskly offstage, he gives her an intimate touch and with softness on his face, looks on hers with kindness (reminding me of one of my own past loves when <i>we</i> broke up). She is left alone onstage. She runs back and forth, then stops and reaches in the direction he left in one last gesture of painful yearning, turns and runs off in the opposite direction.
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Marcelo Gomes; photo ABT</span></span>
<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScmvVn6LGHI/AAAAAAAAAVw/f5GUMUSzHhE/s1600-h/MarceloGomesABTpic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScmvVn6LGHI/AAAAAAAAAVw/f5GUMUSzHhE/s200/MarceloGomesABTpic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316973621112674418" border="0" /></a>
<br />This was an achingly heartrending piece that should be seen by all for its exquisiteness. But it shouldn’t have been presented at this competition. It hurt Isabella's chances, I’m sure, by looking just too classical. Both Isabella and Cory are widely experienced in many styles of contemporary choreography, and New York is full of avant-garde choreographers who would have loved to have had the chance to compete for the $2000 (Cdn.) choreographer’s prize. I wanted everyone at the competition to see what a great contemporary dancer Isabella is. And, I would have loved to have seen Cory do something in a different vein from what I’ve seen him do before (excepting “Citizen”). I have convinced myself that the choice of this piece, as beautiful as it was, lost Isabella the competition, stellar as <i>she</i> was.<p class="MsoNormal">___________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<br />3) <!--sizeo:3--><span style="line-height: 100%;font-size:100%;" ><!--/sizeo--><b>Stuttgart Ballet</b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--> – <i><b>Rachele Buriassi, William Moore</b></i>
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<br /><b>La Grande Parade du Funk</b>, choreography: <i><b>Bridget Breiner</b></i>; music: Chris Brubeck, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Convergence</span>, 3rd movement
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<br />He is shirtless, in bermuda shorts. She is in a bathing suit (or something that looks like one). Both costumes are blue in color. As the name implies, this piece was replete with funky dancing: feet turned in, walking on pointe, body isolations. Sometimes the couple danced in unison, sometimes they were each in a different part of the space dancing independently of each other. His hands were sometimes in his pockets, lookin’ cool and easy.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScmtaDjLeAI/AAAAAAAAAVo/gaYkNKt6I8M/s1600-h/BridgetBreinerSB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScmtaDjLeAI/AAAAAAAAAVo/gaYkNKt6I8M/s200/BridgetBreinerSB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316971498228643842" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Bridget Breiner: photo Stuttgart Ballet</span></span>
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<br />Rachele Buriassi showed us sharp développés to head-height and excellent attitude turns. She and William Moore moved effortlessly through the upbeat piece which required lots of movement, something to do on every beat of the music. They were both really comfortable with the choreography – which was relatively easy – and showed the fun they were having. Some of the movements were made quirky because they were led by the head (think breakdancing). There were slides along the floor, and some simple partnering.
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<br />The audience loved the piece and so did I.<p class="MsoNormal">___________________________________________________________________________________</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p>3) <!--sizeo:3--><span style="line-height: 100%;font-size:100%;" ><!--/sizeo-->San Francisco Ballet<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--> – <i><b>Dores Andre, Anthony Spaulding</b></i>
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<br /><b>Ebony Concerto</b>, choreography: <i>Val Caniparoli</i>; music: Igor Stravinsky, Ebony Concerto; clarinet soloist: Max Christie
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<br />Dressed in a black t-shirt and pants, Anthony Spaulding begins the piece with a solo which includes turns, grand jetés, and isolations. I have scribbled in my notes “he’s really good at this”. Dores Andre, in a black lacy strapless top and a black ballet skirt (like girls wear to class) contributes lots of body isolations as well -- arms, head, legs – and I’ve written “she’s really good, too.”
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<br />More grand jetés, jazzy moves, different ways of touching and connecting, all to a fast tempo. They cavort on the floor and several other levels. In a neat move, they’re both supine, she atop him, and he rolls her off in a sushi-roll-making motion. They dance different things concurrently on different parts of the stage (as in the last piece), then unite for some arm-y pas de deux. Drumbeats signal a new section of the piece, which is a different kind of push-pull – sort of a can-you-top-this? competition.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScnOs3xbhgI/AAAAAAAAAV4/d8fgqL9Z9wo/s1600-h/ValCaniparoliSFB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScnOs3xbhgI/AAAAAAAAAV4/d8fgqL9Z9wo/s200/ValCaniparoliSFB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317008105368421890" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Val Caniparoli; photo David Allen</span></span>
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<br />Spaulding has soft-as-a-kitten landings. Andre has nice arms. This is a long piece that you wish would go on and on (I noted “best!”, as in best contemporary offering). The music is wonderfully utilized, with continuous movement that makes sense.
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<br />I was sure Val Caniparoli would win the choreographer’s prize with this innovative contemporary work.<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<br />5) <!--sizeo:3--><span style="line-height: 100%;font-size:100%;" ><!--/sizeo-->National Ballet of Canada<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--> – <i><b>Elena Lobsanova, Noah Long</b></i>
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<br /><b>Dénouement</b>, choreography: <i><b>Matjash Mrozewski</b></i>; music: Paul Tortelier, Suite in D minor for solo cello, movements 1 and 4
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<br />Noah Long: shirtless, with long maroonish-brown striped pants, brown ballet slippers
<br />Elena Lobsanova: hot pink short shorts with a lacy maroon turtleneck top, pointe shoes
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<br />Matjash Mrozewski’s overly long rendering of his "anticlimax", while interesting in its use of space and form, was not a winner, in my estimation. I was sure they would call out Val Caniparoli’s name for the choreographer’s prize. I liked the piece well enough, and there were some nice lifts and a couple of attention-grabbing positions, but long before the end I was wondering when it would. That’s not a good sign.
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<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sc2xFFBm9MI/AAAAAAAAAWA/CtiOBewM6ps/s1600-h/MatjashMrozewski2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sc2xFFBm9MI/AAAAAAAAAWA/CtiOBewM6ps/s200/MatjashMrozewski2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318101435800810690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Matjash Mrozewski after his win</span></span>
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<br />Elena danced assuredly, displaying shapely extensions with no broken-foot “cupping” (see my first review of NBoC). Noah is an extremely sensitive partner who handles quirky choreography with aplomb. Perhaps due to the energy demands made by its length, it became noticeable toward the end of the piece that they were both working – not dancing – it. The final pose, a head-to-head embrace, came as a welcome relief for both dancers and (some of us in the) audience.
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<br />nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-24527813660059528572009-03-13T23:28:00.000-07:002009-03-18T04:29:00.758-07:00Roundtable with 3 Giselles<span style="font-style: italic;">Cast of characters</span><br /><br />Xiomara Reyes<br />Paloma Herrera<br />Maria Riccetto<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act I</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Herrera</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(her mother: Maria Bystrova; her "Loys": Marcelo Gomes)</span>: If I'd known he was going to leave Bathilde for me, I would have been fine. We were so in love. Why couldn't he tell me about her? Why did he keep it a secret? I trusted him completely. It's her I don't trust!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Reyes</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(her mother: Susan Jones; her "Loys": Jose Manuel Carreno)</span>: I had eyes only for him and thought he had eyes only for me. The shock of it all is hard to get my head around. How could he do this to me?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Riccetto</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(her mother: Nancy Raffa; her "Loys": David Hallberg)</span>: He was so innocent! I felt like I knew everything about him, he was so open and endearing. I wouldn't have believed he could do anything like this. It seems impossible, even now. Mama was right. She's always right. Why, oh why, didn't I listen to her?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Herrera</span>: Mama <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> smart. But this time she was wrong. He really loved me. I really loved him. He could not pretend a love so true. We were as one from the beginning. Even our hearts beat as one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Riccetto</span>: I don't know if he loved ME the way I loved him. We were having such fun! Mama warned me about boys, especially boys she didn't know. But none of the other village boys made me feel the way he did. I couldn't help falling for him. He made me tingle!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Reyes</span>: Mama told me to watch out for all boys, even the ones we knew. They'll do anything to get you to like them, because they have only one thing on their minds, that's what mama said. But Loys wasn't like that, I told her. She still didn't believe me. At least, she didn't think that I knew how to be careful. I had to pretend that everything was okay, but I was a little worried, too, especially when he ran off without telling me and I had to look all through the crowd for him while the Countess was waiting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Herrera</span>: I wasn't worried at all. So he disappeared for awhile! Maybe he went to feed his horse. I knew he'd be back. We couldn't stay apart for more than a few minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Riccetto</span>: I though perhaps some other girl had gone for a stroll with him. I saw a few of the village girls flirting with him. I can't say I blame them, he's so cute! But he told me that I was the one and that we would be married. I was more worried about how I would tell mama about THAT.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Reyes</span>: I know. She would have tried to talk me out of marrying, especially since she was so protective of me. Yes, I had a weak heart, but I always slowed down when I felt it start to race. I felt fine otherwise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Riccetto</span>: Me too. I knew how to handle my heart. But mama was so anxious every time I danced and always brought up the Wilis. It was embarrassing when she told the whole village the story. I hate to be the center of attention. Except when I'm dancing, of course!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Herrera</span>: Oh, how I loved to dance! It brought me more joy than anything else... that is, until <span style="font-style: italic;">he </span>came along and made me know greater joy than I thought possible. Oh, how he made my heart jump -- in a good way! I even thought that it would help my heart heal, being in love with him. Those troublesome palpitations would ease because I felt so calm and secure with him. I thought he could protect me from everything, even my weak heart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Reyes</span>: But instead, my heart was hit with a pain sharper than any pain I had felt before . When the Countess claimed him as her fiancée, he took her hand and looked away from me. It felt like a dagger had pierced my heart. I ran to mama and collapsed. When I rose again, I felt as if the earth had swallowed me up and I was but a ghost which drifted out of my physical body. Everything went blurry. I saw Loys and me through a haze as we had been, dancing and in love. Then I was pulled into a dark void. I remember nothing after that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Riccetto</span>: I saw the look on Loys' face. It was shell-shock. I saw that HE needed protection and would not be able to do anything to help me. Did he even care about me anymore? Did he not remember how he showed me what the daisy said? How we danced and were so carefree? Why didn't he look at me? I lost it. Every fiber of my being was screaming. I couldn't stop the sensations, the pain. I needed only escape. Stumbling on his sword, I knew the only thing I wanted to do was drive it into me. Nobody could help me now. But it was seized from my hands, and then I had nothing with which to stop the pain. I couldn't see a way out. Where was Loys? Where was mama? Where was I? I just ran. Then I blacked out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Paloma Herrera in "mad" scene (unknown year)<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCatTvF5dI/AAAAAAAAARg/bnP2coE1pN8/s1600-h/GisellePalomaHerrera08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCatTvF5dI/AAAAAAAAARg/bnP2coE1pN8/s320/GisellePalomaHerrera08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314417663479768530" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giselle Herrera</span>: He started toward me -- he never stopped looking at me. But she pulled him back. I thought she would make him leave with her! NO! NO! We love each other! Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me! Remember -- we love each other! Mama, help me. Mama, where are you? I can't see you. No -- it's her! <span style="font-style: italic;">She's</span> still here! Run, run, I've got to run .... away from her. She's the enemy. Loys, I can't see you! Loys, LOYS! I need you! Mama, where is Loys? Oh, mama-a-a.....<br />___________________________________________________________________<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act II</span><br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b> (<span style="font-style: italic;">her Myrta: Simone Messmer: her Albrecht: Marcelo Gomes</span>): I heard my name being called. I was still Giselle! But I wasn't moving of my own volition.....I was being pulled from my grave by a force I couldn't resist...<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b> (<span style="font-style: italic;">her Myrta: Michele Wiles; her Albrecht: David Hallberg</span>): I didn't know where I was but I seemed to know what to do.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b> (<span style="font-style: italic;">her Myrta: 1st: Gillian Murphy; 2nd: Veronika Part; her Albrecht: Jose Carreno</span>): It was like a dream, only real, but not earthly. I had to go, but I had no freedom.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: I felt frozen....I couldn't move my legs. But yet they moved, and made me step toward her.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: I didn't know what I would be doing next.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Carlotta Grisi</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">; Paris 1841</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCVTXSNPkI/AAAAAAAAARI/cFCMvOVUW98/s1600-h/GiselleCarlottaGrisi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCVTXSNPkI/AAAAAAAAARI/cFCMvOVUW98/s320/GiselleCarlottaGrisi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314411720197619266" border="0" /></a></div><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: I was afraid.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: All of a sudden, I was spinning uncontrollably!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: I felt as if I would soon be flying!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: It released me! I started to dance and this made me feel like myself.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: I couldn't stop and I didn't want to stop!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: I was no longer frightened.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: Then, she sent the Wilis away and I was left alone in the forest. Soon I saw why. It was my beloved! He was coming my way. I ran out to be with him -- but he didn't see me! I had to make him see me!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: So I ran right toward him so he could feel me in the air -- and he did!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: He lifted me up for just a moment. He touched me!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: He knew I was there. When I circled him, I surrounded him with my essence. He felt my touch on his shoulder!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: I tossed two of his lilies into the air so he could be sure it was me.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: Then he knew. When he picked them up, he knew it was really me.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: Right after that, she had Hilarion danced to death! She was going to mete out the same fate for my Albrecht. I would not let her!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: He had to be saved. I had to find a way.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: I would not let him die. I loved him!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: I begged for his life to be spared. She grew colder the more I pleaded, but made me even more determined.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Giselle Reyes:</b> I had to do everything I could to overpower her. Now was the time to be strong and unrelentless. She wasn't the only one who could stand firm.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCXbt3IkKI/AAAAAAAAARQ/ZzdDjcpT-kY/s1600-h/GiselleXiomaraABT06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScCXbt3IkKI/AAAAAAAAARQ/ZzdDjcpT-kY/s320/GiselleXiomaraABT06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314414062720290978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Xiomara Reyes</span></span>; <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">photo Gene Schiavone for ABT</span></span><br /><br /></div><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: New energy coursed through me. I would not fail him!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: He must stay by the cross. The cross on my grave would protect him.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: But he did not stay! I tried to keep him there by coming between him and her and making the sign of the cross with the fortitude of my love, but it only held him for a moment!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: She made me entice him away. Now I had to go to Plan B.</div><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: I had to help him dance.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: And I couldn't let her see I was helping him!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: She was so angry that I had defied her that I lost some psychic capacity!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: But my resolve returned and, with it, my will.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: Together, we appealed to each Wili to have mercy.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: But they are ruled by her and stand as one. We had only ourselves to outwit and outlast the authority of the Queen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScDaKZbsmRI/AAAAAAAAARo/BlNK4ca0kuE/s1600-h/MariaRiccettoSoubresautMatias+Montini.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/ScDaKZbsmRI/AAAAAAAAARo/BlNK4ca0kuE/s320/MariaRiccettoSoubresautMatias+Montini.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314487432457787666" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Maria Riccetto; Matias Montini photo for Gaynor Minden</span></span><br /></div><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: And my Albrecht was beginning to fade!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: But we were confident in our love, and love assures that when one is weak, the other becomes stronger.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: That is how we were able to confound the evil.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: When he could no longer hold himself up, I bore his weight.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: I carried him through his dance! I sustained his every movement. I know he knew it!<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: I danced alone as long as I could. Then, when he had to dance, I watched him closely and ran in again when he started to flag.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: We were in a new world of our own making! I knew we could do it -- our love would withstand our opposition.<br /><br /><b>Giselle: Herrera</b>: And it did. The bells announced the arrival of day. The Wilis and their Queen became impotent once again.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Reyes</b>: I felt a peace embrace me and yearned to return to my grave.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Riccetto</b>: I knew something wonderful would happen when I did.<br /><br /><b>Giselle Herrera</b>: My sweet love was alive. I had redeemed him and he had saved me! I could now go to my rest in peace and wait for him-- as a rightful spirit -- to join me in the afterlife when it was his time.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-53060730431986995592009-03-12T00:38:00.000-07:002009-04-12T11:08:22.514-07:00Giselle tidbits<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj3tgswqlI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/AjmgjVh73W8/s1600-h/SouthamHallNACOttawa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj3tgswqlI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/AjmgjVh73W8/s200/SouthamHallNACOttawa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312268121727347282" border="0" /></a>Southam Hall, National Arts Centre, Ottawa</span>, <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ontario</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><br />1) The National Arts Centre's Southam Hall, the main stage theatre, has 2323 seats and they were either completely filled or just about completely filled for all 4 performances of ABT's Giselle. What recession?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj4vH0nJII/AAAAAAAAAQg/yXlBkwtzKb0/s1600-h/SouthamHallNACOttawa2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj4vH0nJII/AAAAAAAAAQg/yXlBkwtzKb0/s200/SouthamHallNACOttawa2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312269248920757378" border="0" /></a><br />2) The audience, which might have been as much as half Québecois judging from the amount of French I heard (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">the Quebec border is just minutes away</span></span>), was enthusiastic in a conservative Canadian way. Lovely people milled about during intermission, a great proportion of the women queued up (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">as we say here</span></span>) in the endlessly long but swiftly moving washroom lineup (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">rest </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">room </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">lin</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >e</span>), expressing their generic delight in the daisy-plucking scene and in how beautifully everyone danced.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">3) First performance and José Manuel Carreno bounds onstage. I applaud with recognition and respect. I am the only one out of well over 2000 patrons. I do the same when Xiomara Reyes steps out of her cottage. Again, it's only me honoring her.<br /></div><br />The next night, I'm all atingle waiting for Marcelo's entrance. There he is! Wild clapping on my part. Did I hear one other person applauding? I think I did! Paloma got my appreciation next. I may have been the only one. Or perhaps it was her entrance that elicted someone else's acclaim. The hand chimed in after mine, so it was a copycat effort, but I'm glad I wasn't the only one this time.<br /><br />On Saturday, David Hallberg and Maria Riccetto received my ovation. Only mine. Saturday, Jose and Xiomara again heard the sound of two Estonian hands resoundingly clapping in an otherwise hushed hall.<br /><br />Now, is this the way Ottawawians (<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >that's my own word since I don't know how they call themselves -- probably Ottawans</span>) greet their ballet stars, or is it just that not a soul in the audience recognized ABT's principals or was familiar with Giselle's opening sequence of their introduction to the stage?<br /><br />4) At the end of the performance Thursday night, all received proper laudation, but not as much as a single flower to sniff between them. Friday brought the blooms, one for Paloma and one for Marcelo (<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm sorry I've forgotten whether Simone received such a tribute</span></span>). Saturday matinée had the same long-stemmed flower, one each for Maria and David, but in the evening José and Xiomara again were left flowerless.<br /><br />5) There were no curtain calls after Act I. That was disappointing, as eager was I to applaud the dancers who performed the peasant pas de deux, the Berthes, the Bathildes, and even the Wilfreds. The entire audience would have loved to give the elegant Russian wolfhounds a hand!<br /><br />6) Binocular rental was only $3.00 (and your photo ID was taken hostage until their safe return).<br />Under-theatre parking was only $10. While leaving en masse, traveling through the multi-tiered underground maze following the exit signs that seem to take you in circles, no one honks their horn, ever. This is not New York, or even Toronto. Canada's capital city can be proud of the deportment of their denizens and its visitors.<br /><br />7) David LaMarche is such a kick to watch conducting. His precise, brisk baton-waving provides a pleasant visual during the overtures.<br /><br />8) I didn't have a backstage pass, but I had dancer friends to see, so I inquired of an usher how to get backstage. She said I could try knocking on a certain door and see if they'd let me in. After opening a door which led upstairs and to a locked door, I (along with my daughter who is always aghast at my brazenness) came back down and discovered an unmarked door with no doorknob next to the one I had opened. So, I knocked on it, Järvi imploring me to forget about it. Lo and behold, after a bit of rapping, the mystery door open-sesamed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj0AitowfI/AAAAAAAAAPo/0mvh64XNcQY/s1600-h/dscf3128.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj0AitowfI/AAAAAAAAAPo/0mvh64XNcQY/s320/dscf3128.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312264050638897650" border="0" /></a><br />I was asked my business and whether I had a backstage pass, and after explaining whom we were there to see, we were admitted and told to "sit there". After a short while, Isabella Boylston came rushing toward us, arms outstretched, and we met with a warm hug. I then moved aside to reveal my daughter, and Isabella, seeing her old friend, squealed with joy and the two of them embraced and chattered excitedly. It had been 7 years, 7 months since they last saw each other.<br /><br />Afterwards, I asked Järvi whether she was still upset with me for my <span class="hw">chutzpah. No, she responded, she was glad I had persevered. It had been a wonderful reunion. Remembering how I had been just as shy at her age to do such cheeky things (reticence learned from my own mother who would NEVER be so bold), I hoped that as she got older, my daughter would become more brassy too. It makes life much more enjoyable. :)<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj1CCMwBuI/AAAAAAAAAPw/6DY3x25tPVw/s1600-h/dscf3143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj1CCMwBuI/AAAAAAAAAPw/6DY3x25tPVw/s320/dscf3143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312265175782393570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Isabella Boylston and Järvi Raudsepp<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="hw">The next day I returned backstage to congratulate Isabella (she told us we could still call her Hildur) on her Moyna. This time there was no one to point out a seat or who offered to go fetch her, and I went looking for her myself, passing by many of the dancers in the corridors who were scurrying to leave for lunch between performances. Hildur and I talked animatedly (she had to join her friends but was still happy to spend time with me) and then I left for my inn in order to get an hour's rest between performances.<br /><br />9) Tidbits learned from conversation with Isabella Boylston:<br />a) the stage was much smaller (although it seemed quite large to us in the audience) than the one at the Kennedy Center from which they had just come, and the Wilis had to close their ranks in order to fit on it. That made for less expansive movements and smaller steps on the part of the corps. We who watch from the other side of the curtain rarely think about such nitty-gritty issues.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj1-GtHHyI/AAAAAAAAAQA/7WlYrmcu4xs/s1600-h/dscf3141.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbj1-GtHHyI/AAAAAAAAAQA/7WlYrmcu4xs/s200/dscf3141.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312266207784017698" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="hw">b) Isabella was so </span><span class="hw">ple</span><span class="hw">a</span><span class="hw">sed to know we were there watching her. She wished she would have known before the first performance (we visited after the second). It's nice to know you've got friends in the audience.<br /></span><br /><br /><span class="hw"><br /><br /></span>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-20480730609422995822009-03-10T05:11:00.000-07:002009-03-13T21:33:26.307-07:00Peasant Pas de Deux<span style="font-size:130%;">This virtuoso inclusion in the middle of Act I requires virtuoso performances of the dancers doing it, otherwise they’re just in danger of embarrassing themselves. ABT chose four different sets of able performers, none of them embarrassing, but a few much more able than their counterparts. Two of them shone like brilliant stars.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Peasant Pas de Deux, Corvino Ballet 1971<br />Ernesta Corvino and Elias Colon<br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdL-flBZcI/AAAAAAAAAPA/HcIAWsh09ME/s1600-h/PeasantPDD1971ErnestaCorvinoElias+Colon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdL-flBZcI/AAAAAAAAAPA/HcIAWsh09ME/s320/PeasantPDD1971ErnestaCorvinoElias+Colon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311797822507541954" border="0" /></a><br />Order of male peasants as I would like to see them dance this PDD again:<br /><br />Daniil Simkin<br />Craig Salstein<br />Blaine Hoven<br />Carlos Lopez<br /><br />Order of female peasants as I would like to see them dance this PDD again:<br /><br />Isabella Boylston<br />Yuriko Kajiya<br />Sarah Lane<br />Misty Copeland<br /><br /><i>Thursday evening, Feb. 26th, 2009</i><br /><br /><b>Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin</b><br /><br />Daniil’s high-flying cabrioles, juicy renversé, dazzling double tours en l’air, suspended-in-air croisé jetés in attitude, brilliant beats, bravura finishes, combine to create a peasant pas de deux with variations that becomes a new benchmark for male dancers. Not since Herman Cornejo has there been such radiance in the male part of this PDD at ABT.<br /><br />An almost flawless frolic, the only poor marks in his partnership with Sarah Lane go to the supported pirouettes in which the first couple of times Sarah's rotations were turned by Daniil off center, looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. One seldom knows while watching whether this is the fault of the ballerina, her partner, or a little of both. It happens quite a lot, even with world-class dancers, that it only goes to show how difficult partnering is – but, of course, dancers try to avoid it. Being askew is not an attribute in ballet unless it's mandated in the choreography. ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbg5nlrahqI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-ptswDxk9xY/s1600-h/SarahLaneGisellePPDDRosalieOConnor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbg5nlrahqI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-ptswDxk9xY/s320/SarahLaneGisellePPDDRosalieOConnor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312059112775386786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Sarah Lane in peasant pas de deux</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">photo by Rosalie O'Connor</span></span><br /><br />Sarah Lane performed vivaciously, like a glittering little gemstone within an ideal setting. Her turns, extensions, jumps and balances were noteworthy. I’m afraid, though, that her pairing with Daniil Simkin is relegating her to a sort of second place in any pas de deux they do together. He is so unpretentiously flashy, and the audience is still so interested in every move he makes, that, untraditionally, all eyes are on him instead of the ballerina he’s presenting. Thank goodness for solo variations. They give the girl a chance!<br /><br /><i>Friday evening, Feb. 27th, 2009</i><br /><br /><b>Yuriko Kajiya and Carlos Lopez</b><br /><br />Rapidly becoming one of my favorites, Yuriko Kajiya danced a joyful pas de deux befitting the grape festival it was a part of. Carlos Lopez was all smiles as well and the two presented a competent, happy dance. Kajiya was the one to watch. Her long lines and soaring grands jetés, beautiful turns and camera-friendly poses are very appealing. She is well-trained, dancing above her technique, but seems to be best suited (so far) to pretty ballet parts where she displays a freedom of movement to match the delight so evident in her face.<br /><br />Carlos Lopez, bless his heart, danced with expertise and joie de vivre, giving it all he had. What he doesn’t have (since we’re comparing) is perfect line (and it shows in the many arabesques), a dependable landing (he landed all his tours, but in a couple of them you could see the relief/surprise on his face that he didn’t wobble), or higher than 90˚ arabesques. When he lands in arabesque plié, his working leg doesn’t have that extra lift that is so nice to see. He is, however, lovely to look at and with Kajiya, they accomplished a satisfying PDD. I’d like to see each of them with a different partner, though. I think it would be a good thing for both.<br /><br />Correct me if I’m wrong (somebody, please! – one of the dancers maybe?), but I don’t think Carlos Lopez and Yuriko Kajiya performed the pas de deux. I have it marked twice in my notes that they didn’t do it. They certainly did the variations and coda, but I was surprised (after seeing Daniil and Sarah the previous evening) that they left it out. The other couples in the following two performances performed it. Why did I come away wondering what happened to it?<br /><br /><i>Saturday matinée, Feb. 28th, 2009</i><br /><br /><b>Misty Copeland and Craig Salstein</b><br /><br />Here’s a coupling made in Heaven: Ms. And Mr. Excitement! Vigorous spirit defines Misty Copeland’s approach to every role and she handled the part of peasant with her usual hearty flair. Craig Salstein matched her in flamboyance, notably in every secure landing of his perfect tours en l’air. Together, they presented a display of showmanship that was more an “anything you can do…” contest than a classical period piece. It was tremendous fun to watch, but it isn’t what the peasant pas de deux is about.<br /><br />Misty is ABT’s anomaly, a brilliant dancer who doesn’t fit the usual mold but who transcends the norm in an utterly winsome and gifted way. The peasant pas was a piece of cake for her and she fluently flew through it.<br /><br />Salstein left me with pretty much the same feeling. This was a lark for both of them. I did prefer his arms-outstretched “ta-raa!” landings, especially those on one knee, to a dancer who shows no emotion at the end of his feats. I can’t exactly put my finger on what was lacking, or, perhaps, what was too abundantly offered. That’s why I want to see him do it again.<br /><br /><i>Saturday evening, Feb. 28th, 2009</i><br /><br /><b>Isabella Boylston and Blaine Hoven</b><br /><br />I’m watching a MASH rerun as I write this and Hawkeye Pierce just wisecracked “she’s a girl with so much body it should be continued on the next girl.”<br />What an apt line to describe some dancers! It could easily be applied to Veronika Part, and, for the male counterpart, to Marcelo Gomes.<br /><br />Since I’m writing about Isabella Boylston, my knee-jerk response is to associate the remark with Isabella’s technique and presentation, of which she has more than a full share. Isabella’s dancing in the peasant pas de deux brims over with joyful energy, unassailably pure technique, and natural musicality. This is the foundation upon which she displays her balletic wisdom, trained into muscles and mind since early childhood. Isabella Boylston’s performance savvy, acquired through years of opportunities afforded her in starring roles at ballet school, principal level variations and pas de deux in prestigious ballet competitions, and a grounding in company work at ABT II before joining the main company, has enabled her to reach a point of maturity at the age of 22 that many dancers fail to achieve in their dancing lifetime.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />Isabella Boylston and Joseph Gatti</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdIf81bN_I/AAAAAAAAAO4/v3w_R3-gaaA/s1600-h/BoylstonGatti2005NYIBCJosephSchembriPic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdIf81bN_I/AAAAAAAAAO4/v3w_R3-gaaA/s320/BoylstonGatti2005NYIBCJosephSchembriPic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311793999250143218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> at the New York International Ballet Competition, 2005;<br />photo by Joseph Schembri<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">below, Isabella Boylston in her gold-medal winning Aurora variation</span></span>,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Youth America Grand Prix 2001</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbc9flM38pI/AAAAAAAAAOo/c0g_fJ3Q4vA/s1600-h/HildurYAGP01.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sbc9flM38pI/AAAAAAAAAOo/c0g_fJ3Q4vA/s320/HildurYAGP01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311781898278138514" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />To witness her attack in arabesque and attitude, her crystal sharp space-carving in grand ronde de jambe en l’air, her straight-arrow piqué turns, her whirling-pinwheel supported pirouettes, her jump-over-a-haystack leap, is to see a dancer so secure in her skill that she can let herself justly enjoy the purity of the movement. She even walks on pointe with a stride that declares it preferable to walking on flat. With charming finesse, Isabella enhances her variation with just the right amount of sweetness, personality, and poise. Until now, my most memorable peasant pas de deux soloist was Erica Cornejo. I now have a new point of reference. :)<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdNoXHsyeI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/WLsEA9qLQdc/s1600-h/IsabellaCory.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdNoXHsyeI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/WLsEA9qLQdc/s200/IsabellaCory.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311799641303206370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Isabella Boylston and Cory Stearns in rehearsal<br />photo by Matthew Murphy<br /><br /></span></span></div>Isabella Boylston (with partner Cory Stearns) has been chosen to represent ABT at the Erik Bruhn competition in Toronto next week. I wouldn’t be surprised if a promotion within ABT were on the horizon, too. I surely hope so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdFoNG3mfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/ZwQb6ZsyvoI/s1600-h/IsabellaCoryAndreaMohinNYTMillepiedWithout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbdFoNG3mfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/ZwQb6ZsyvoI/s320/IsabellaCoryAndreaMohinNYTMillepiedWithout.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311790842522343922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Isabella Boylston and Cory Stearns in<br />Benjamin Millepied's "Without";<br />photo by Andrea Mohin, NYT</span></span><br /><br />Blaine Hoven was a strong partner for Boylston who facilitated her pirouettes and lifts with ease. The two danced in lockstep synchronization, adding an eye-pleasing element to their duet. Hoven impressed with high sautés and clean turns, smartly-beaten cabrioles, attractive arabesques and secure landings. However, he does not leave one with with an unforgettable picture. There’s nothing in particular to draw out of one’s memory and savor afterwards. I’ve seen him in other ballets and find he is a bit of a chameleon, adapting himself to a role even in changing his outward appearance. The day you’re looking for his mop of blond curly hair onstage is the day he’s got it gelled straight and combed close to his head. His dancing varies, too. This day, his peasant pas interpretation wasn’t at its pinnacle.<br /><i><br />I have a few more tidbits to share with you in the next day or two. I’ll wind up my posting of these performances after I’ve added them.</i><i></i>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-3835323772861695272009-03-08T22:27:00.000-07:002010-10-03T15:04:57.926-07:00The Myrtas<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b></b></span>Gillian Murphy (February 26th, 2009, 8 pm. Thursday evening)<br />
(<i>Moyna</i>: Melanie Hamrick; <i>Zulma</i>: Kristi Boone)<br />
<br />
Simone Messmer (February 27th, 2009, 8 pm Friday evening)<br />
(<i>Moyna</i>: Melanie Hamrick; <i>Zulma</i>: Leann Underwood)<br />
<br />
Michelle Wiles (February 28th, 2009, 2 pm Saturday matinée)<br />
(<i>Moyna</i>: Isabella Boylston; <i>Zulma</i>: Zhong-Jing Fang)<br />
<br />
Veronika Part (February 28th, 2009, 8 pm Saturday evening)<br />
(<i>Moyna</i>: Simone Messmer; <i>Zulma</i>: Yuriko Kajiya)<br />
<br />
<b>Gillian Murphy</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjpJBCzFLI/AAAAAAAABAg/uu7x2mOX-vA/s1600/Gillian+Murphy+Giselle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjpJBCzFLI/AAAAAAAABAg/uu7x2mOX-vA/s320/Gillian+Murphy+Giselle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gillian Murphy as Myrta in Giselle, Act II<br />
Andrea Mohin photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
With menacing music to set the mood, the curtain opens on a clearing in the middle of a forest. There is a lake in the distance.<br />
<br />
Huge, dark trees surround the glade. It is close to midnight and an indigo aura is suspended over the woodland. Hilarion is down on one knee fashioning a cross for Giselle’s grave.<br />
<br />
All of a sudden, a gossamer apparition scurries across the far side of the clearing. Massive strobe light flashes illume the atmosphere.<br />
<br />
Another wraith, and then another, flutters across the space.<br />
<br />
Hilarion, after planting the finished cross, runs into the woods. Out of the blue haze, a veiled phantasm bourrées diagonally across the clearing with a fleet-footed swiftness that can only be compared to the blur of a hummingbird’s wings.<br />
<br />
<i>Who </i>IS<i> that masked Wili?!!?</i><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><br />
</b></span>Gillian Murphy reenters after doffing her veil, to begin Myrta’s arabesques in promenade to penché, one sequence on each leg. Then, she starts her ritual of claiming the glade for the night.<br />
<br />
Murphy’s assured arabesque hops, her mime calling for the Wilis to rise from their graves, her grands jetés, entrechats, entrelacés, step piqué turns, were well, if perfunctorily, performed with authority and a straightforward approach.<br />
<br />
The only thing that tainted her incredible initial effect was the clunky sound of her pointe shoes in the slow bourrées which followed the opening diagonal. I couldn’t believe it was the same dancer who had soundlessly sped over the same ground just seconds before. (<i>In fact, I had to ask a dancer backstage the next evening if it had, indeed, been Gillian. Doesn’t she wear Gaynor Mindens?</i>)<br />
<br />
Part of the noise factor was due to my seat being in the first row, just an orchestra pit away from the stage, and the softness of the music. When the Wilis came onstage and began their dance, the clatter of their feet also belied their diaphanous appearance.<br />
<br />
Gillian Murphy’s Myrta qualities can be described as somewhat remote, insular, and arctic cold. Although the character might warrant such a portrayal, Murphy did not leave me with the impression that here was an outstanding Myrta. (I had to wait until Veronika Part’s Myrta to feel that way.)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Melanie Hamrick</span>’s Moyna was beautifully danced, with lilting sautés and delicate, expressive arms. Her piqué to arabesque was sharp and precise every time.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kristi Boone</span>, with her longer limbs, provided an expansive contrast. Lovely, floating arms and sustained hold on her renversés – those attitude turns where you leave your head behind, bending it toward the audience as you turn.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjrxuyQCEI/AAAAAAAABAk/cILUTCfHe4A/s1600/Melanie+Hamrick+Roman+Zhurbin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjrxuyQCEI/AAAAAAAABAk/cILUTCfHe4A/s320/Melanie+Hamrick+Roman+Zhurbin.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melanie Hamrick and Roman Zhurbin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The corps de ballet was, for the most part, a cohesive unit. However, in the Wilis’ famed crossing (as well as in the Act I village girls’ always exciting long rotating line, the Count at one end, Giselle on the other) there was one head toward the back of the pack bobbing out of sync with the others, always a fraction of a second behind.<br />
<br />
When it came time to dance the men to death, Murphy’s Myrta hardened even more, carrying her stiffness into her back. She proved an immovable force, but was not all that interesting to watch, much is the pity.<br />
<br />
Her major dancing work is done and she must now wow us with her acting. There wasn’t anything distinctive in it, no unique touch.<br />
<br />
So, I only have one memorable Myrta moment to share with you, the Act I opening bourrées. They were so spectacular that I expected something to match them in Act II.<br />
<br />
I have an orchestra moment, though. Two of them, in fact, both occurring in the same performance, the first one, on Thursday.<br />
<br />
1) As the first violinist guides his bow to draw out the plaintive strains which accompany Count Albrecht’s steps toward the grave, his very first tone is off and he has to slide up to the correct note. The result is truly a mournful cry!<br />
<br />
2) Later on, and I no longer remember where in the ballet, a brass instrument blatantly honks our a sour note. Poor guy, but so funny!<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Simone Messmer</span></b></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjvO1nm2PI/AAAAAAAABAo/LDBqIV8OE1A/s1600/SimoneMessmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjvO1nm2PI/AAAAAAAABAo/LDBqIV8OE1A/s320/SimoneMessmer.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simone Messmer<br />
Richard Termine photo<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">With nicely turned-out bourrées, much, much slower than Gillian Murphy’s (the new hallmark), Simone made her entrance in her debut as Myrta. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Her reverential bend to the ground (while quite beautiful) was softer than the other Myrtas’ had been, and lingered a fraction longer. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">The arabesques in promenade were secure, the steps following accomplished, but Messmer did not stage enough of a foreboding environment. </span><br />
<br />
Her severity increased as Act II continued, and by the time Hilarion (Isaac Stappas) was brought before her, she was a match for his Act I arrogance.<br />
<br />
He was dispensed with and Count Albrecht (Marcelo Gomes) brought in without delay.<br />
<br />
The Count’s complex personality was more of a test for Myrta, who adopted a determined stance in order to deal with him. Messmer commanded, Gomes complied, but with a flair, even in his despair, that took all attention off the Queen of the Wilis.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Melanie Hamrick</span> as Moyna turned in another lovely performance and the debut of picked-from-the-corps <span style="font-weight: bold;">Leann Underwood</span> as Zulma was well-noted.<br />
<br />
It’s nice to see young talent given such opportunities so early in their ABT careers, but I think I would prefer to see a corps member who’s been giving her all for years get such a break.<br />
<br />
Underwood did do a beautiful job – she’s a beautiful dancer – and it was nice to get a better look at her, nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<b>Michele Wiles </b><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKj2j4N-hWI/AAAAAAAABBE/dklleAesHOc/s1600/MicheleWilesMyrta+Schiavone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKj2j4N-hWI/AAAAAAAABBE/dklleAesHOc/s320/MicheleWilesMyrta+Schiavone.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michele Wiles as Myrta<br />
Gene Shiavone photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Michele Wiles is an enigma to me. I’ve seen her do spectacular things since she was in her early 20’s. She is superbly trained and her career soared in an enviable flight path, the perfect dream of young ballerina hopefuls everywhere.<br />
<br />
Yet, in certain ballets, she just leaves me wondering why I was not more impressed with her prodigious talents.<br />
<br />
As Myrta, she has no opportunity to hold endless balances, turn phenomenal pirouettes, or even to move fast.<br />
<br />
In fact, her chance to really move during her opening bourrées was not optimally used, and her feet were relatively slow. <i>(Of course, by the time I saw her Myrta, I was measuring opening bourrées against the incomparable Gillian Murphy’s.) </i><br />
<br />
Even her pointe shoes didn’t seem to be right for her beautifully shaped feet (I know her feet and these shoes made them look like someone else’s), and their trademark color pink was too jarring for this white act. I also wanted to see more turnout in her bourrées, more heel-to-heel action.<br />
<br />
Taken by itself, Wiles’s performance was outstanding. Her strength of technique, flying jetés, rocket-straight jumps, and effortless turns carry her through the role, but hers is a frigid Myrta who seems to be off in her own world as she goes through the motions her character makes, movements that must be second nature to her by now.<br />
<br />
I wish I had more illuminating things to say about her performance. I spoke of her moving fingers in the Myrta roundtable, and that was a curious thing.<br />
<br />
It occurred as she stood to the side with Moyna and Zulma, and because of my end of the front-row seat on the same side, I could see her almost vibrating fingers close up. It seemed involuntary, but one could read plot-led motivation into it, if one wanted to conjecture. At least, it made for an interesting thing to watch.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjydRm-vvI/AAAAAAAABA0/8k5IaK8olH8/s1600/IsabellaBoylstonCoryStearns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjydRm-vvI/AAAAAAAABA0/8k5IaK8olH8/s320/IsabellaBoylstonCoryStearns.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isabella Boylston and Cory Stearns<br />
in Black Swan PDD</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Isabella Boylston</span> danced Moyna with such polish and richness of movement she reminded me of a chilled Bavarian cream – cold, smooth, and refreshing.<br />
<br />
Cold as a Wili should be, but with a creamy smooth delivery of dévelopés and arabesques, and a refreshing new dimension to Moyna that I had not seen before.<br />
<br />
Isabella gives Moyna’s choreography a nudge as she holds a balance longer, step piques more sharply into a high arabesque and lets her leg continue to rise...<br />
...as she flies high and covers space voraciously in her glissades assemblés, fairly spins in arabesque, and piqué-turns down a diagonal with high-passé-ed rapidity.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjzyeUjbiI/AAAAAAAABA4/fMh6VR_gVJ4/s1600/ZhongJingFang+SusanBiddle+Washington+Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjzyeUjbiI/AAAAAAAABA4/fMh6VR_gVJ4/s320/ZhongJingFang+SusanBiddle+Washington+Post.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zhong-Jing Fang<br />
Susan Biddle photo for The Washington Post</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Zhong-Jing Fang</span>'s Zulma was<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>danced correctly, but, if she was feeling it, her emotion didn't translate over the apron of the proscenium stage.<br />
<br />
She made an attractive cohort with her beautiful renversés, but her performance was otherwise unmemorable, at least to me.<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(I have to admit I was distracted by revisiting Isabella’s performance in my mind while I was watching Fang.)</span></i><br />
<br />
<b>Veronika Part</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKj1RWKjBxI/AAAAAAAABA8/ipxZSjkePII/s1600/VeronikaPartMyrta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKj1RWKjBxI/AAAAAAAABA8/ipxZSjkePII/s320/VeronikaPartMyrta.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veronika Part as Myrta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Be still my heart! We’re not supposed to fall in love with Myrta! How can we not, however, when she is one of the most beautiful creatures that ever walked the earth?<br />
<br />
She is the coldest Queen of the Wilis of the four Ottawa Myrtas – imagine, even the city presented a proper setting of chilling, shivering temperatures -- but you warm up to her immediately.<br />
<br />
Does that make any sense? She was Marcelo’s match for charisma, sheer gorgeousness, inducing you to watch her every move. Her prey – Hilarion Gennadi Saveliev and Count Jose Manuel Carreno.<br />
<br />
They didn’t have a chance in her hell. Xiomara Reyes should have been putty in her hands, but proved to be a capable redeemer for her Count, love winning over torment.<br />
<br />
Veronika Part <i>(who is Estonian on her father’s side, thereby sharing a nationality with me, making me doubly proud)</i> is an open dancer with a meticulous Kirov technique.<br />
<br />
Years in the States, <i>and dare I say</i>, years as a soloist, have enhanced her performance skills by stretching her abilities in all directions.<br />
<br />
She has been ably challenged with modern choreography, in which she excels, as well as classical warhorses which have given her some battle scars but which have also brought to the fore her strengths and many virtues. She’ll be cast as the star in one ballet and demoted to co-soloist the next.<br />
<br />
By the time she’s made principal (Kevin McKenzie, do you hear us?) she will have earned her rank through blood, sweat, and tears.<br />
<br />
She talked about leaving ABT last year. I surely hope she has incentive to stay beyond this season’s contract.<br />
<br />
Everything Myrta is choreographed to dance, Part takes to a new level. Her jetés are long, gliding, space-eating leaps, carried by the wind like paper airplanes.<br />
<br />
Her développé à la seconde is lifted with the steadiness of a hand-held helium balloon slowly allowed to rise by releasing its string in increments with utmost care against the pull of the earth. Her downstage jetés in attitude come right at you as they reassert her ownership of the space.<br />
<br />
Part successfully tempers her frostiness with velvety arms and épaulement. Lovely things happen in her upper body that do not detract from her pitiless posture nor mitigate her intensity.<br />
<br />
Part brings passion to Myrta in the form of cold obsession. Not everyone could pull this off and still appear menacing. It’s part superb training, part the voluptuousness of her curvy body, part Part.<br />
<br />
This Wili’s rebuke to the pleading Giselle is to haul her Count over the coals. Were it not for the mystical strength of love equal to Myrta’s own supernatural power and the chiming of the four o’clock bells, Count Albrecht would have been doomed at her hands.<br />
<br />
All that’s left to say is Brava!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Simone Messmer</span>’s Moyna showed that she was still wearing the previous evening’s mantle of Myrta as she carried off the sequences of steps in her variation with a vivid frostiness.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Yuriko Kajiya</span> danced an engaging Zulma, being so physically suited to the part. With an introductory dévelopé exhibiting her lovely line, a floating renversé in her variation, she looked lovely.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-65277114624045011512009-03-07T02:16:00.000-08:002010-10-03T13:32:36.884-07:00Jared Matthews's Hilarion and Maria Bystrova's Bathilde, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 28th matinée continued<b>Saturday, February 28th, afternoon matinée continued:</b><br />
<br />
Jared Matthews is another of my favorite dancers. I have known him since he was 16 years old and was invited to dance Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake with my children's ballet school. Less than 2 years later he was back to perform Hilarion with the school’s company, Canadian Ballet Theatre.<br />
<br />
He spoke to me then of learning the part from Victor Barbee as well as Ethan Brown, and he was very excited to perform it, having been inspired by Barbee's coaching. His rival Count Albrecht in that production was the National Ballet of Cuba's Oscar Torrado, his Giselle, Laura Hormigon (also National Ballet of Cuba).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjlwwRXm_I/AAAAAAAABAU/mRsQeV-HqtY/s1600/Jared+Matthews+Gennadi+Saveliev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjlwwRXm_I/AAAAAAAABAU/mRsQeV-HqtY/s320/Jared+Matthews+Gennadi+Saveliev.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jared Matthews and Gennadi Saveliev</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Last Saturday was his debut as Hilarion for American Ballet Theater, and he has changed some in the 6 year interim, but still comes through as the nicest Hilarion I’ve seen.<br />
<br />
The role was performed with everything done just right, but, alas, there were no memorable moments. Jared proved his mettle as a soloist, but where was the moxie of the character?<br />
<br />
An inconsequential prop malfunction was dealt with without missing a beat:<br />
<br />
At the point when Hilarion emerges from the hunter’s hut with Albrecht’s sword and horn, his stage business is to sling the horn (it’s on a cord) around his body so he can partially withdraw the sword from its sheath and reinsert it, showing the audience definitively what he has discovered.<br />
<br />
But the horn’s strap refused to drape over Matthew’s shoulder and he had to display the sword while still holding the horn.<br />
<br />
For a Hilarion debut that you want to go just right, this tiny difficulty, unnoticeable by 99% of the audience (or more – the theater seated 2500) can throw the dancer off his game a smidge. I’m hoping Jared just thought “Oh jeez!” and didn’t let it trouble him for even a second.<br />
<br />
Jared has occasionally gotten a lukewarm reception in the press since becoming soloist. He is a detail-oriented, hard-working dancer with strong technique and a personable onstage presence.<br />
<br />
Very good-looking to boot, and with excellent ballet physique, Jared's jumps are lofty, his arabesques eye-catching, his turns high, fast and straight.<br />
<br />
But even I have to say that he’s still working on developing pizazz. I’d like to see a bit of seasoning – and I don’t mean further brewing in the ABT cauldron. I’m talking about spice! Jared needs us to sit up and take notice of his many talents.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, living in Canada, I don’t get to New York often enough to see everything ABT presents. I missed Jared (and everyone) in “Brief Fling”, for example, and I haven’t seen his Espada (Don Q) or Head Wrangler (Rodeo). I wish I could remember more of his Hilarion.<br />
<br />
I recall funny things, like the way those knee-length boots made all the Hilarions plod in an inelegant, almost lumbering way when they first walked across the stage.<br />
<br />
<i>(Check out “The Village Idiot”’s blog – link in an early post of mine in this thread – for a hilarious account of boot agony by a Giselle super.)</i> I feel I owe Jared more of a review. Or does he owe us more <i>to</i> review? <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Sorry for the tough love, Jared, I do adore you.)</span></i><br />
<br />
Maria Bystrova was Bathilde to David Hallberg’s Count Albrecht and Maria Riccetto’s Giselle, and an imposing Bathilde she was. Her presence filled the stage, extending far beyond her regal garments.<br />
<br />
Her Russian training was substantiated by her grand, sweeping gestures, the high tilt of her head, the coordination of her shoulders to all her movements, even the iconic Vaganova style in which she held her fingers.<br />
<br />
The mime sequences were thus formulaic, but just what the doctor ordered for the way in which she portrayed the character. ABT has a valuable treasure of a character actress in her.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjmjpZRYMI/AAAAAAAABAY/uvZ-IHfUTZs/s1600/Maria+Bystrova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjmjpZRYMI/AAAAAAAABAY/uvZ-IHfUTZs/s320/Maria+Bystrova.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Bystrova in rehearsal for Fall River Legend<br />
Matthew Murphy photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Unfortunately, she seems destined to stay primarily a character dancer.<br />
<br />
She is still given soloist and corps roles to dance, but not often enough. Bystrova is very tall – around 5’10” ?– limiting her pas de deux opportunities, a sorry situation since classical ballet is her forté and she’s so pure in line and execution.<br />
<br />
I am eager to see her whenever possible in contemporary works where height doesn’t matter.<br />
<br />
I missed her forays last year – one can only afford so many tickets – but perhaps next season I’ll get to see her in more than the last line of a Petipa corps.<br />
<br />
I remember how amazing she was as a 15 year old at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, showing the potential for a corps-to-soloist-to-principal trajectory, and feel sad that she’s been in the corps for so long with others leap-frogging over her.<br />
<br />
Her Bathilde had an attitude of nose-in-the-air, high-born snobbery that made Count Albrecht look all the more like a privileged young man, barely out of his teens, who had not yet learned to be supercilious. He seemed light years away from attaining her level of haughtiness.<br />
<br />
All decked out and heavily made up, Bystrova looked about 40 years old (in reality, she and Hallberg are the same age), a veritable Mrs. Robinson to Hallberg’s boyish Count.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjnN-xrmqI/AAAAAAAABAc/l3D3ZXLCTgo/s1600/MariaRiccetto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjnN-xrmqI/AAAAAAAABAc/l3D3ZXLCTgo/s320/MariaRiccetto.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Riccetto<br />
photo from Gaynor Minden site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>She treated Giselle (Maria Riccetto) more like a capricious young girl than someone she could bond with, fiancée-to-fiancée.<br />
<br />
Instead of purposefully undoing her necklace and kindly reclasping it around Giselle’s neck (as did the other Bathildes), Bystrova’s Bathilde sorted through her many necklaces to find perhaps her least favorite? – and practically flung it over Giselle’s head.<br />
<br />
When the revelation and ensuing mad scene occurred, Bathilde looked on as if she weren’t really a part of any of that nasty business, and with a rustle of her petticoats, turned heel, and head held high, rushed away from it all, entourage in tow.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-38034016205728492062009-03-06T18:48:00.000-08:002010-10-03T13:16:48.108-07:00Xiomara Reyes & Jose Manuel Carreno, Gennadi Saveliev's Hilarion, Luciana Paris' and Kristi Boone's Bathilde, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa Feb. 26, 28<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbjZnaiYYMI/AAAAAAAAAPg/Ays9tm6n7PA/s1600-h/ReyesCarrenoGiselleOttawa.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312235031645151426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SbjZnaiYYMI/AAAAAAAAAPg/Ays9tm6n7PA/s320/ReyesCarrenoGiselleOttawa.jpeg" style="display: block; height: 206px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Xiomara Reyes and Jose Carreno<br />
photo Ottawa Citizen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>For both these performances I was seated too far away to see facial expressions very well. I did, however, rent binoculars for Saturday evening’s performance to which I scored a last minute ticket up in the amphitheatre, and used them frequently.</i><br />
<i></i><i><br />
So, I’m cobbling together the two performances by the same dancers in the roles of Giselle, Count Albrecht, Hilarion, Wilfred and Berthe (with different Bathildes, different Myrtas), with the same conductor, Ormsby Wilkins.</i><br />
<i> <br />
Having seen the first two performances and with a ticket for only one more, I was aching to see Veronika Part, but was willing to forgo the experience until I spoke to Isabella Boylston after Friday evening’s performance. She told me she was dancing the Peasant pas de deux Saturday evening, so that clinched it.<br />
<br />
</i><br />
<i>I was going to land a ticket if I had to rent a wheelchair and obtain wheelchair seating in order the see the show! Fortunately, Saturday morning there were still a few seats left (by evening the theatre was completely sold out) and I bought a 3rd row seat in the middle of what is essentially the second tier of the theatre (there are 3 tiers above the orchestra).<br />
<br />
</i><br />
<i>I</i><i> was happy I did, for Saturday night’s presentation had so many wonderful moments, the best being Isabella’s sparkling debut in the peasant PDD.</i><br />
<br />
Xiomara Reyes is eternally youthful and the spring in her jump is amazing. She won our hearts immediately as she vaulted onto the stage and performed her introductory circle of ballonées. <br />
<br />
I am not alone in saying that, when given a choice of which dancer to see in a role, Xiomara is not my first, or even my second or third choice. Therefore, it is a pleasant surprise to enjoy her interpretation of a major role when I <i>am</i> watching her.<br />
<br />
Conditioned to think she will display every emotion with a wide grin, it is refreshing to see that she does indeed have a more extensive vocabulary of expression.<br />
<br />
While her dévelopés a la seconde do not stun with ear-scratching reach like those of, say, Svetlana Zakharova (whose Giselle I never want to see), or Maria Riccetto’s, even, I honor their purity. (I’m quite sure today’s rising young ballet stars who crave the athleticism of their current ballet idols would give Xiomara a big thumbs-down.)<br />
<br />
Partnered with the reliable Jose Carreno, Reyes confidently carried out all of Giselle’s choreography and pathos as if she’s been doing it forever.….oh, wait.<br />
Still, there were standout moments.<br />
<br />
Memorable Reyes moment: Giselle’s famous Act II penché was elegantly developed in a molasses-slow rise of the cantilevered outer leg supported by the slow descent of a well-held upper body. Xiomara was so solid nothing could throw her off this tricky balance. It was one of the gems of her portrayal.<br />
<br />
Especially nice to see was the opening Giselle/Loys dance culminating in high, forward-moving jetés, back legs in attitude, done perfectly in unison with lovely abandon. In fact, together the two are a well-suited pair, in height, ethnicity (it <i>does</i> count – ballet is, after all, visual art), perhaps in training? <br />
<br />
They move as one and relate naturally. It is so easy to picture them as a couple and quite impossible to believe the same of Carreno with either of his Bathildes: Luciana Paris (with whom he dances a sensual Sinatra Suite -- but that's another ballet) or Kristi Boone.<br />
<br />
Jose Carreno, he of swash-buckling virility and balletic classicism, was an endearing Count and an actor of experience, who, nevertheless, has a more modest arsenal of communicative gestures and facial expressions than befits the role.<br />
<br />
He goes through the emotive paces – petal-discarding to assuage Giselle after her ominous plucking, hand to hip to draw the sword that isn’t there (although he provided the nice touch of lingering there, perhaps to cover for his mistake or to press his flesh in rebuke for slipping), forearm-to-forearm grip with the Prince of Courland to acknowledge their relationship – but somehow isn’t all that he could be.<br />
<br />
He is also showing his age in demanding jumps, landing with a thump followed by a laden leg-lift into plié arabesque rather than displaying the easy elevation of his younger co-Counts who rebound with a light, straight upward throw of the arabesque leg.<br />
<br />
I still love watching him. He is an irresistible lover of the sweet and safe variety. Of the three Counts who placed their fingers under Giselle’s chin to tilt it upward, his was the touch I wanted to feel myself. His expression so tender as he gazed into Giselle’s eyes while lifting her head, the look of love in his eyes so affectionate, would make any woman melt. Here’s an instance where his minimalism had intense impact.<br />
<br />
Reyes portrayed Giselle securely -- delicately when called for, insanely with fitting intensity in the mad scene, with steely determination fighting for her Count’s life in Act II -- and, being the ballerina she is, this is enough for the average audience.<br />
<br />
But when you watch ballet all the time, in person and on video, and are privileged to see dazzling moments amongst the regular ones, you kind of want to be surprised at each performance with something that's special from the principal dancers.<br />
<br />
Often, those moments come from a soloist or a corps de ballet member given a lead role, even a small one. But it’s normal to expect to see the top of the heap dancers do something unforgettable.<br />
<br />
It didn’t occur with either of the Reyes/Carreno attempts. I don’t want to sell them short, for they are formidable principals both, but this <i>is</i> American Ballet Theater.<br />
<br />
A triple-A rating for Carlos Lopez, Count Carreno’s Wilfred: Attentive, attractive, accomplished. More about Lopez when I discuss his peasant pas de deux.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sb9iAQ5oR2I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/jViMsuLd-I0/s1600-h/SusanJonesABTballetmistress.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314073841996679010" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/Sb9iAQ5oR2I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/jViMsuLd-I0/s200/SusanJonesABTballetmistress.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; width: 126px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan Jones</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><i></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few words about Susan Jones’s Berthe: wonderful, skillful miming. <br />
<br />
</div>ABT ballet master Jones, diminutive and quite round in Berthe’s bulky costume, was in supreme command of her stage business and a no-nonsense mother to Giselle.<br />
<br />
Plaudits to her for the watchful heed of her daughter, her village-mother hen manner of keeping Giselle’s friends in check, and her emphatic shooing away of the peccant Count from Giselle’s body.<br />
<br />
Gennadi Saveliev, another dancer whom I don’t elect to see when there are other choices (I don’t know why – perhaps it’s just my thirst for someone newer), danced and acted Hilarion to perfection.<br />
<br />
Here’s a country boy who’s all guts and no glory. His is a love so deep that he was probably relieved to be danced to death in hopes it would reunite him with his beloved Giselle.<br />
<br />
Memorable Gennadi moments:<br />
<br />
1. Act I: As he rushes to the expired Giselle’s side after the Count has been ousted from it, he not only kneels, removing his cap and pressing it to his chest (as all our Hilarions do), but he grabs Giselle’s leg and holds onto it tightly as his final and very poignant physical contact with the true love he has lost.<br />
<br />
2. Act II: His Hilarion tying the cross together methodically and with great care demonstrates that this young man knows his way around knots and constructing things from branches. With each overlay and tightening of the rope, his anguish is palpable. He drives the cross into the soil of Giselle’s grave with finality, stepping back to check its security, and feeling the gravity of the moment.<br />
<br />
3. Sensing the Wilis imminent invasion of the clearing, his spinning chainés are more a plaintive act of “take me” rather than the result of an unstoppable force against which he tries to fight.<br />
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Luciana Paris’s Bathilde (Thursday evening) was exceedingly striking in appearance and her stride across stage was like a swan skimming the surface of a lake. She performed her role very, very well, and decided to use rage as the manifestation of her anger. It made for great contrast. Carreno’s Count was not one to exhibit fiery temper. Bathilde would have been the matriarch in their union.<br />
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Kristi Boone’s Bathilde (Saturday evening) was regal and divine. She was every inch the noblewoman, but a benevolent one, who unclasped her gold necklace from her own neck (after consultation with her father) and fondly reclasped it around Giselle’s. Albrecht, when caught in his lie, acquiesced to her admonitions, but did not really seem to belong with her.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">All Myrtas, Moynas, Zulmas, and Peasant pas de deux will be discussed in posts dedicated only to them.</span></i>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-4509131424634851512009-03-04T16:28:00.000-08:002010-10-03T13:06:26.523-07:00Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 27<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">February 27th, Friday evening, 8 PM</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfPxVP3uI/AAAAAAAABAI/0nRML5lVVnw/s1600/MarceloGomes+Giselle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfPxVP3uI/AAAAAAAABAI/0nRML5lVVnw/s320/MarceloGomes+Giselle.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act II<br />
Andres Mohin photo for NYT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Marcelo Gomes is an astounding dancer, really. Not only does he have the perfect body, endowed with the most agreeable eye-pleasing proportions: legs with muscles creating superb contours, pliable and arched, shapely feet, long neck below a ruggedly handsome, expressive face, beautiful arms and hands, masculine chest and slim hips, but he’s got the technique that accentuates his gorgeous features and the acting skills that complete this package of perfection. Every move he makes is so compellingly watchable. Even when he’s just observing the center-stage action from the side, you are drawn to him.<br />
<br />
His portrayal of Count Albrecht/Loys was the one to see if you could see only one. With every nuance ideally rendered, he drew us into the story expression by expression as he acted and danced. His countenance and demeanor demonstrated aspects of playfulness, gentlemanliness, courtliness, nobility, dignity, concern, tenderness, and true love – all befitting the story at just the right times.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfV3Uu4RI/AAAAAAAABAM/oimOFvg3to4/s1600/MarceloGiselle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfV3Uu4RI/AAAAAAAABAM/oimOFvg3to4/s320/MarceloGiselle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act I<br />
Andres Mohin photo for NYT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>His dancing was unassailable. What a jump! What beats (only a split hair below those of David Hallberg, but that’s only because David’s feet will always win out)! What ballon! What port de bras! What lyricism! What an arabesque! What turns -- attitude, pirouettes, tours,...!!! You get the idea.<br />
<br />
Memorable Marcelo Act I moments:<br />
<br />
1) As Loys, his tender rescue and protection of Giselle’s feelings during the daisy-plucking incident. All the Count/Loys’s performed this scene very well, but Marcelo’s stood out for its gentleness and warmth. It cemented our belief in his affection for Giselle.<br />
<br />
2) His kind-hearted treatment of his friend Wilfred. Interacting with him, he shows the affection that good buddies have for each other, and, with his unique charisma, Count-Marcelo-as-Loys has a devoted ally in his Wilfred (Alexei Agoudine).<br />
<br />
3) When confronted by Bathilde, his deceptive actions revealed, he reacts with confidence and acceptance, showing her respect and attending to her words, concurrently looking over to Giselle with the focus he had shown her when they were alone. He covered his bases, but not disingenuously. He really cared for both of them.<br />
<br />
4) The fight between the Count and Hilarion. This is also a Memorable Isaac Moment. These two really had at it! The pushing, the shoving, the back and forth struggle! Count Marcelo is hurled to the ground and sent sliding backwards by Hilarion Isaac. Albrecht counters with equal forcefulness. Hilarion will not let up. Another push. Another counter-advance. The physical fervor of these opponents is a highlight of Act I!<br />
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Memorable Marcelo Act II moments:<br />
<br />
1) As Count Marcelo first appears on stage and moves toward Giselle’s grave, he is the epitome of grief. Placing his flowers on Giselle’s freshly mounded grave, he splays himself over the soil and begins to burrow into it, clawing the earth with his fingers, wanting so to be with her. You can almost see the tears crawling down his cheeks as his face is contorted in anguish.<br />
<br />
2) From the first sign of Wili Giselle, Albrecht senses her essence with clarity. He follows the trail of her spirit as if on a mission. Everywhere he feels her presence, he runs with unbridled longing. Theirs is a union of a love so binding that they communicate mortal soul to immortal soul. This symbiosis was awe-inspiringly in heightened evidence in the Gomes/Herrera partnership.<br />
<br />
3) In his ultimate, grueling, Wili-commanded dance, Count Marcelo collapses, as is choreographed, but then – BUT THEN! – his entire body bounces up, convulsing horizontally, before hitting the ground in complete exhaustion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfa698b2I/AAAAAAAABAQ/3cvg8Mltk-8/s1600/Marcelo+Giselle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/TKjfa698b2I/AAAAAAAABAQ/3cvg8Mltk-8/s320/Marcelo+Giselle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act II<br />
Andres Mohin photo for NYT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>An able foil to the Count, Isaac Stappas as Hilarion made the greatest impact of the 3 Hilarions I saw. Always “outspoken” in his dancing manner, he is one scary Hilarion. He really means business. It’s a good thing he was Marcelo’s rival, because the great Gomes can hold his own against anyone. Had David Hallberg been up against Stappas, he would have been driven into the ground, whimpering.<br />
<br />
As the tragedy of the deception unfolds, Stappas as Hilarion seems to almost feign being devastated while inwardly proud of being the orchestrator of the whole scenario. He glories in the disclosure, revels in the limelight. Stappas’ dancing is strong and accomplished, his acting vigorous, abrupt and well-prepared. In Act II, from the bullet-fast chainé turns across the stage as he is unfurled by the unseen power of the Wilis, to his death-dance of exciting high leaps -- his dynamic thrust in the final throes agonizingly fervent -- Stappas shows his determination to avoid his downfall.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Caveat: If I seem exceptionally enthusiastic about Marcelo Gomes, it’s because I am. I first met him when he was 20 and in the corps at ABT. He danced Nutcracker with Anna Liceica for Canadian Ballet Theatre, the company of the ballet school where my daughter Järvi trained. He was already a stellar performer and an equally nice young man. Naturally, I follow his career closely. However, I am acquainted with many dancers from many companies, and I don’t praise anyone nor shower them with accolades if they don’t deserve them. If someone’s dancing doesn’t impress me, I don’t even mention that dancer in my review, however much I may like them as a person. My reviews are as objective as anyone else’s and obviously subjective, too, as ballet reviews tend to be for all critics writing them.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Keep this in mind when I review Isabella Boylston’s brilliant performances. ;)</span></span>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-60559805727459500502009-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:002009-06-07T14:48:19.135-07:00Maria Riccetto and David Hallberg, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 28<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >I will start, not with the first performance I saw, but with the third, because I’m sure you are all keen to hear about Maria Riccetto’s debut as Giselle.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />With a fantastic exuberance, Maria/Giselle bounded out of her cottage, the very picture of youthful energy. Her opening little dance was beautifully performed, with high, gliding grand jetés and a definite bounce in all her jumps. Especially graceful were Maria’s ballottés, those “pendulum” developpés front and back (my term – it’s where it looks like Giselle is a bell being swung back and forth, a particularly attractive movement, made all the more so by a high jump).</span><br /><br />Appropriately shy when she bumps into “Loys”, the flirting duet is carried out very well, both dancers being youthful and true, in this way, to the story. During an early sequence, with me hoping it wasn’t a portent, Maria slipped – just slightly – on flat foot, on a patch of stage near the cottage. It must have affected her, this being her debut and the misstep occurring so soon into the ballet. It makes a dancer feel a little unsure of her footing, especially when such a thing happens when you’re not even on pointe.<br /><br />David Hallberg’s Count Albrecht, from the outset, was assured and riveting – but always came across (to me, at least) as a boy performing a man’s role very well. Ironically, the Count is supposed to be young, but we expect the maturity of an older dancer to execute the role to perfection. David is certainly a striking figure, with his blond good looks, long perfect lines, and THOSE FEET! The technical aspects of the role were in his back pocket and he had no trouble with any of the choreography. It came naturally to him. He tried, of course, to act through all the emotions required of Albrecht, but came off more childlike when he wanted to convey shock, and reminded me of a deer caught in the headlights.<br /><br />Memorable Act I David moments:<br /><br />1) that step where Albrecht repeatedly lunges to the side in plié dragging his extended left foot along the ground -- well, the point of his tendu is so exquisite that I’d be surprised if he didn’t carve a groove in the stage floor.<br /><br />2) As Giselle has drawn her last breath and he rushes to her body, he attaches himself to her side so securely that Wilfred has to lift him off in one piece, with his legs still curled up under him, so reluctant is he to be moved. It’s the way a mother picks up an errant toddler who cannot stop a crying jag and refuses to extend his legs in order to stand.<br /><br />Maria, meanwhile, has her famous variation to do and she is dancing beautifully -- wonderful extensions, poses, and mannerisms. Then it's time for that diagonal. She runs to the corner to begin it. However, as soon as she takes her position for the diagonal hops on pointe, there is trouble on the horizon. She starts hopping, but her arms seem shaky and her face shows concern. She is not in the zone – not properly on her legs. After a dozen of so of the 3 dozen hops, she has to come down off pointe and pose prettily for the rest of the music. Poor Maria. My heart went out to her. For us in the audience, unless we knew the choreography, nothing seemed amiss, but for the dancer, this is one of her proving ground moments in Giselle.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(A little aside about hops on pointe: you have to have a foot built for them in order to do them easily. A too-flexible foot has trouble supporting the weight of the body on, primarily, the big toe. Paloma Herrera, a case in point, does these hops very well, having had lots of experience with them, by angling her foot so that the stress does not fall on her extremely high instep or arch. She bends her foot to counterbalance the pressure point. Many dancers can hop on point with ease because the anatomy of their foot presents no problem. Some, even world-famous, dancers, find it quite difficult.)</span><br /><br />Maria has a long, not overly arched foot on pointe, so I suspect that the problem lay in her starting position, which is hard to amend mid-diagonal. You have to be in place from the outset, then the rest comes naturally. She never looked at ease during the hops she did do, her upper body was held tightly and her arms had no freedom of movement.<br /><br />Yet, she rallied and finished Act I with aplomb.<br /><br />In Act II, we had a new Maria Riccetto, who came alive (pardon the irony) with renewed inspiration. She was ‘da bomb! She passed every Giselle-as-Wili with flying colors, from the opening whirligig to the the juicy developé to the airborne sauté arabesques. Maria’s pas de deux with David were extremely poignant, each dancing so assuredly, that it made one ache for the naïveté of young love. Maria/Giselle, having already gained some maturity as a rookie Wili, wafted over the stage with light, airy dancing to distract Myrta and later to lift an exhausted Albrecht through their final pas de deux just before daybreak.<br /><br />David Hallberg’s Count reacted to the essence of his Giselle with hyper-sensitivity. His performance had just the right touch. Most memorable David moment in Act II? The unforgettable, most incredible changements battus I’ve ever seen! It’s THE FEET! The height of his jump! His beats had the tight articulation of which every dancer, male or female, dreams. Even the shape of his legs while he’s doing the series of advancing beats – the way his muscles are defined – is breathtakingly exquisite!<br /><br />(This performance review will continue. To come: Jared Matthews’ Hilarion, Maria Bystrova’s Bathilde, Misty Copeland and Craig Salstein’s peasant PDD, Michele Wiles' Myrta, Isabella Boylston’s Moyna, etc.)nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-79117368864301225242009-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:002009-03-12T02:11:32.900-07:00Roundtable with 3 Bathildes<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CTCS%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:1.0cm 89.85pt 1.0cm 89.85pt; mso-header-margin:35.45pt; mso-footer-margin:35.45pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Cast of characters: <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><u>Bathildes:<o:p></o:p></u></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;">
<br /></span></o:p></u></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Luciana Paris</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kristi Boone</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Maria Bystrova</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Bystrova</span>: Why are we here? There is nothing to say about the situation. I am already bored.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Paris</span>: I <i style="">have</i> to talk about it. I want to know what that peasant girl has that I don’t. Am I not beautiful? Do I not receive admiring glances wherever I go?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Boone</span>: Isn’t it obvious? She’s fresh, untouched fodder. No experience in womanly ways. My Albrecht is a sucker for innocence.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Bystrova</span>: Let him have his little dalliance. I don’t care. It’s me he’ll come home to at night. As long as he remembers to wear his proper vestments when we are together, he can have his fun with the villagers. I want no part of that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Paris</span>: Maybe I should go and find myself an attractive village boy. Then Albrecht will see how it feels. I’m twice as lovely as Giselle. I’m young and I’m wealthy. Who could resist me?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Boone</span>: I would never stoop so low. Don’t forget who you are. You have to show <i style="">him</i> the error of his ways.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Bystrova</span>: I do not have to show him anything. He must learn it himself. I live within my class. He will grow up and see that it is what he must do, too. I will not help him. If it takes a few years, it takes a few years. I am finished here. None of this talk is interesting. I will take my leave of you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Boone</span>: Please stay a little longer. I must ask you something. Are you truly content? Did the tragedy of Giselle not trouble you at <i style="">all</i>? You seem so aloof and detached. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Bystrova</span>: What good does it do to get involved emotionally? It will change nothing. So, you think I should be angry with Albrecht? I am not. That I should feel sorry for Giselle? I do not. Their little fling only annoyed me in that it disturbed the sequence of events planned for our noble union, but other than that….meh! That the girl died, well (waving her hand with dismissal)…..that’s too bad. She was not destined to have a long life anyway. If her heart didn’t do her in, her nerves would have. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Paris</span>: She was a pretty young thing. But she had no experience with men like Albrecht. When she discovered there was no Loys, it was as if she had lost someone who never even existed. She began to come apart immediately. Very weak constitution.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bathilde Boone</span>: That is one reason why my Albrecht loved her, I think. He is tenderhearted. He’d jump into the lake to save a drowning dog.</p> nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-80809098978269485982009-03-02T18:01:00.000-08:002010-10-03T12:38:49.715-07:00Entire cast list for ABT's Giselle in Ottawa<b>Thursday, February 26th, 8 PM</b><br />
<br />
ACT I<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle</i> -- Xiomara Reyes<br />
<i>Count Albrecht</i> -- Jose Carreno<br />
<i>Wilfred </i>-- Carlos Lopez<br />
<i>Berthe</i>, Giselle's mother -- Susan Jones<br />
<i>Hilarion</i> -- Gennadi Saveliev<br />
<i>Prince of Courland</i> -- Victor Barbee<br />
<i>Bathilde </i>-- Luciana Paris<br />
<i>Peasant Pas de Deux</i> -- Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin<br />
<br />
<i>Court Ladies and Gentlemen </i>-- Isadora Loyola, Elina Miettinen, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Sarah Smith, Gray Davis, Grant DeLong, Roddy Doble, Mikhail Ilyin, Vitali Krauchenka<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle's Friends </i>-- Gemma Bond, Marian Butler, Zhong-Jing Fang, Melanie Hamrick, Anne Milewski, Jacquelyn Reyes<br />
<br />
<i>Villagers </i>-- Eun Young Ahn, Kelley Boyd, Isabella Boylston, Nicola Curry, Caroline Duprot, Nicole Graniero, Amanda McGuigan, Elizabeth Mertz, Lauren Post, Jessica Saund, Mary Mills Thomas, Katherine Williams, Tobin Eason, Kenneth Easter, Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Patrick Ogle, Arron Scott, Sean Stewart, Roman Zhurbin<br />
<br />
ACT II<br />
<br />
<i>Myrta</i> -- Gillian Murphy<br />
<i>Moyna </i> -- Melanie Hamrick<br />
<i>Zulma</i> -- Kristi Boone<br />
<i>The Wilis</i> -- Eun Young Ahn, Kelley Boyd, Marian Butler, Maria Bystrova, Caroline Duprot, Zhong-Jing Fang, Nicole Graniero, Isadora Loyola, Elizabeth Mertz, Simone Messmer, Anne Milewski, Renata Pavam, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Leann Underwood, Katherine Williams<br />
<br />
<i>Conductor</i> -- Ormsby Wilkins<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Friday, February 27th, 8 PM</b><br />
<br />
ACT I<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle</i> -- Paloma Herrera<br />
<i>Count Albrecht</i> -- Marcelo Gomes<br />
<i>Wilfred </i>-- Alexi Agoudine<br />
<i>Berthe</i>, Giselle's mother -- Maria Bystrova<br />
<i>Hilarion</i> -- Isaac Stappas<br />
<i>Prince of Courland</i> -- Roman Zhurbin<br />
<i>Bathilde </i>-- Krisit Boone<br />
<i>Peasant Pas de Deux</i> -- Yuriko Kajiya and Carlos Lopez<br />
<br />
<i>Court Ladies and Gentlemen </i>-- Elizabeth Mertz, Jacquelyn Reyes, Jessica Saund, Sarah Smith, Mary Mills Thomas, Gray Davis, Roddy Doble, Tobin Eason, Joseph Gorak, Joseph Phillips<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle's Friends </i>-- Gemma Bond, Isabella Boylston, Marian Butler, Zhong-Jing Fang, Jacquelyn Reyes, Leann Underwood<br />
<br />
<i>Villagers </i>-- Eun Young Ahn, Nicola Curry, Nicole Graniero, Isadora Loyola, Amanda McGuigan, Elina Miettinen, Luciana Paris, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Katherine Williams, Grant DeLong, Jeffrey Golladay, Blaine Hoven, Mikhail Ilyin, Vitali Krauchenka, Daniel Mantei, Luis Ribagorda, Eric Tamm<br />
<br />
ACT II<br />
<br />
<i>Myrta</i> -- Simone Messmer<br />
<i>Moyna </i> -- Melanie Hamrick<br />
<i>Zulma</i> -- Leann Underwood<br />
<i>The Wilis</i> -- Eun Young Ahn, Gemma Bond, Isabella Boylston, Marian Butler, Nicola Curry, Caroline Duprot, Zhong-Jing Fang, Isadora Loyola, Amanda McGuigan, Elina Miettinen, Luciana Paris, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Jacqueline Reyes, Jessica Saund, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Katherine Williams<br />
<br />
<i>Conductor</i> -- David LaMarche<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Saturday, February 28th, 2 PM</b><br />
<br />
ACT I<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle</i> -- Maria Riccetto<br />
<i>Count Albrecht</i> -- David Hallberg<br />
<i>Wilfred </i>-- Luis Ribagorda<br />
<i>Berthe</i>, Giselle's mother -- Nancy Raffa<br />
<i>Hilarion</i> -- Jared Matthews<br />
<i>Prince of Courland</i> -- Victor Barbee<br />
<i>Bathilde </i>-- Maria Bystrova<br />
<i>Peasant Pas de Deux</i> -- Misty Copeland and Craig Salstein<br />
<br />
<i>Court Ladies and Gentlemen </i>-- Isadora Loyola, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Sarah Smith, Katherine Williams, Grant DeLong, Vitali Krauchenka, Daniel Mantei, Joseph Phillips, Jose Sebastian<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle's Friends </i>-- Simone Messmer, Anne Milewski, Lucian Paris, Renata Pavam, Jacquelyn Reyes, Leann Underwood<br />
<br />
<i>Villagers </i>-- Eun Young Ahn, Gemma Bond, Kelley Boyd, Nicola Curry, Caroline Duprot, Melanie Hamrick, Amanda McGuigan, Elizabeth Mertz, Elina Miettinen, Lauren Post, Jessica Saund, Mary Mills Thomas, Alexei Agoudine, Gray Davis, Roddy Doble, Tobin Eason, Kenneth Easter, Alexandre Hammoudi, Mikhail Ilyin, Patrick Ogle,<br />
<br />
ACT II<br />
<br />
<i>Myrta</i> -- Michele Wiles<br />
<i>Moyna </i> -- Isabella Boylston<br />
<i>Zulma</i> -- Zhong-Jing Fong<br />
<i>The Wilis</i> -- Eun Young Ahn, Kelley Boyd, Caroline Duprot, Nicole Graniero, Melanie Hamrick, Amanda McGuigan, Elizabeth Mertz, Simone Messmer, Elina Miettinen, Anne Milewski, Renata Pavam, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Mary Mills Thomas, Leann Underwood, Katherine Williams<br />
<br />
<i>Conductor</i> -- David LaMarche<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Saturday, February 28th, 8 PM</b><br />
<br />
ACT I<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle</i> -- Xiomara Reyes<br />
<i>Count Albrecht</i> -- Jose Carreno<br />
<i>Wilfred </i>-- Carlos Lopez<br />
<i>Berthe</i>, Giselle's mother -- Susan Jones<br />
<i>Hilarion</i> -- Gennadi Saveliev<br />
<i>Prince of Courland</i> -- Roman Zhurbin<br />
<i>Bathilde </i>-- Kristi Boone<br />
<i>Peasant Pas de Deux</i> -- Isabella Boylston and Blaine Hoven<br />
<br />
<i>Court Ladies and Gentlemen </i>-- Eun Young Ahn, Elizabeth Mertz, Jessica Saund, Sarah Smith, Mary Mills Thomas, Gray Davis, Tobin Eason, Mikhail Ilyin, Jose Sebastian, Eric Tamm<br />
<br />
<i>Giselle's Friends </i>-- Gemma Bond, Melanie Hamrick, Anne Milewski, Lucian Paris, Renata Pavam, Jacquelyn Reyes<br />
<br />
<i>Villagers </i>-- Caroline Duprot, Zong-Jing Fang, Nicole Graniero, Isadora Loyola, Amanda McGuigan, Elina Miettinen, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teusher, Leann Underwood, Katherine Williams, Grant DeLong, Roddy Doble, Jeffrey Golladay, Vitali Krauchenka, Daniel Mantei, Joseph Phillips, Arron Scott, Sean Stewart<br />
<br />
ACT II<br />
<br />
<i>Myrta</i> -- Veronika Part<br />
<i>Moyna </i> -- Simone Messmer<br />
<i>Zulma</i> -- Yuriko Kajiya<br />
<i>The Wilis</i> -- Gemma Bond, Isabella Boylston, Maria Bystrova, Nicola Curry, Caroline Duprot, Nicole Graniero, Melanie Hamrick, Isadora Loyola, Elina Miettinen, Luciana Paris, Lauren Post, Kelley Potter, Jacqueline Reyes, Jessica Saund, Christine Shevchenko, Mary Mills Thomas, Leann Underwood, Katherine Williams<br />
<br />
<i>Conductor</i> -- Ormsby Wilkinsnurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-1178003398319848572009-03-02T17:29:00.000-08:002009-03-12T02:10:16.070-07:00Roundtable with 4 Myrtas<!--sizeo:1--><span style="line-height: 100%;font-size:8;" ><!--/sizeo--></span>Cast of characters:<br /><br /><b>Myrtas:</b><br /><br />Gillian Murphy<br />Simone Messmer<br />Michele Wiles<br />Veronika Part<br /><br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Part</b></i>: I have called you all together for one reason and one reason only. We must become a unified front. Some of you are starting to stray from your resolve. Remember what our mission is!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Messmer</b></i>: I do remember. I’m trying to be all I’m supposed to be! It’s very hard to do, though. Sometimes I recall my softer side…but I always catch myself in time!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Wiles</b></i>: I know…. my mind wanders, too, and lets an old memory drift in, especially when I’m standing still while we’re in the middle of forcing a scoundrel to dance to his death. The only way I regain control is by letting the invasive thoughts out through my fingers. I face away from the action – I’m standing to the side anyway, so no one will notice – and, while my arms are crossed signaling no mercy, my fingertips wave the bad thoughts away. If I just keep my fingers moving I’m back to myself in no time.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Murphy</b></i>: That’s the silliest thing I ever heard! Where’s your willpower? We can’t waver, not for a second! Every move we make is purposeful. We stand tough, especially against our own thoughts. Myrta does not ruminate! If ever I feel an idea coming on, I become a zombie and go on automatic pilot!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Part</b></i>: I am not a zombie. I have a soul. I was once a beautiful woman who danced on the earth before being scorned. I died of a broken heart and turned into a Wili. I will never be scorned again. My movements intrigue as they connive. My allure is the magic that keeps our victims from running off into the forest. They know they are doomed as soon as they set foot in my glade. I rule that clearing! Every fiber of my essence permeates it.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Messmer</b></i>: We have so much to learn from you.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Wiles</b></i>: I am convinced that my way is just as valid. What about dharma? Must we completely abandon all concern for others? The men that we doom have an eternal life force, too. I find it best not to think about them while they are suffering. There is still a part of me that lives in the past. I admit I felt relief when the bells began to chime.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Murphy</b></i>: So, you pretend not to know what’s going on right behind your back. You are aware of what is happening, but you won’t look at it. We all face away, but me, I’m gloating the whole time. It feels good!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Messmer</b></i>: I steel myself during that stance and hope that that steeliness shows in my face. I’ve got to show Moyna and Zulma – they’re so young, especially Zulma! – who are standing right beside me, what I am made of. It’s about setting a good example.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Part</b></i>: It’s about one thing and one thing only: Power. I am Queen of the Wilis! I am perfect. There is no warmth in perfection. I have no concern for any suitor who stumbles into our realm. I have no feelings for Moyna or Zulma. My only goal is the death of every rogue who appears before me.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Messmer</b></i>: I believe I achieved this single-mindedness when it really counted, as Hilarion and then Albrecht came to Giselle’s grave. I felt the power. I will be stronger from the outset from now on. Be warned, the next man who enters here!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Part</b></i>: You were already aggressive at the beginning of the night they came. You hurled those fern branches into the woods with amazing velocity. What an arc they made! You dedicated the glade to its solitary purpose with a strong, defiant gesture.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Wiles</b></i>: But I saw you get soft in your first dance….there was a moment -- when you swooped low to the ground – that I glimpsed a yearning. It was as if you wanted to caress the earth one last time.<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Murphy</b></i>: That’s right. I saw that, too! It’s almost as if you kissed the ground. Me, I feel no connection to my past life at all! I love being queen. The power surges through me like lightning – it makes me jump higher, change direction in the air with cutting clarity, explode forward in thrusting leaps. At the stroke of midnight, I feel let loose. I skim above the firmament with superpowered drive. I am home!<br /><br /><i><b>Myrta Part</b></i>: You have feet like hummingbird wings. Your bourrées are indeed supernatural.<br /><br />Now, back to work. I hear the rustle of an approaching swain.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-87220938000975867532009-03-02T17:13:00.000-08:002009-03-12T02:12:50.875-07:00Roundtable with 3 Count Albrechts and 3 Hilarions<span style="font-size:130%;">I was lucky enough to see all 4 performances and am so enthralled! So many debuts, so many beautiful details. I just returned home from Ottawa, so will start writing my reviews tomorrow. However, here's a teaser. The different danseurs performing the major male roles each brought a unique characterization to the plot. I started to picture them talking to each other according to my interpretation of their embodiment of their part. Here is a roundtable with 3 Counts and 3 Hilarions, presented as a play:<br /></span><!--sizeo:3--><br /><i>Cast of characters:</i><br /><br /><b>Albrechts:</b><br />Jose Carreno<br />Marcelo Gomes<br />David Hallberg<br /><br /><b>Hilarions:</b><br />Gennadi Saveliev<br />Isaac Stappas<br />Jared Matthews<br /><br /><i><b>Count Marcelo</b> </i>(his Hilarion: Isaac Stappas; his Bathilde: Kristi Boone): I am unable to speak. She meant everything to me. I want to crawl into her grave with her!<br /><br /><b><i>Count Jose</i></b> (his Hilarion: Gennadi Saveliev; his Bathilde: Luciana Paris on the 26th, Kristi Boone on the 28th): This is life. Sometimes everything goes right and life is beautiful. Sometimes really bad things happen. You accept your fate. Take it like a man.<br /><br /><i><b>Count David</b></i> (his Hilarion: Jared Matthews: his Bathilde: Maria Bystrova): But I’m just a boy! This wasn’t supposed to happen! One minute, we were having such a great time, the next…..!<br /><br /><i><b>Hilarion Saveliev</b></i> (Jose’s rival): No one loved her more than I did. She was my life, the object of my dreams. I thought about her day and night. I saw nothing but my Giselle! I wanted to grow old with her! And now she’s gone!<br /><br /><i><b>Hilarion Stappas</b></i> (Marcelo’s rival): Old! Don’t talk about old! First, you must make something of yourself. Look at all HE has just by being born: he’s a nobleman! He’s rich! He’s set for a life of comfort and luxury while I’m carrying around dead rodents looking for the next animal to kill. He has a sword just for fun and did you see his enormous cape? On top of that, he’s gorgeous and suave, has machismo to burn, and he’s even taller than I am! Why should he have her, too? It’s so unfair.<br /><br /><i><b>Hilarion Matthews</b></i> (David’s rival): We’re both about the same age, the Count and I. He’s basically a good guy, but Giselle was supposed to be <i>my</i> girlfriend. I couldn’t let the game go on, his charade. I had to nip it in the bud. It had to get serious or I knew I would lose her.<br /><br /><i><b>Count David</b> </i>(wide-eyed): Bu-, bu-, but I’m just a kid! What game? We were dancing and flirting, like all kids do. Giselle’s a real sweetie. I didn’t mean anyone any harm. Have any of you <i>seen</i> my fiancée? She’s twice my age! I was just her boy-toy. She doesn’t love me. I thought for sure she’d let me have Giselle on the side. I was only marrying her because my parents were making me do it! Why couldn’t things just stay the same?<br /><br /><i><b>Count Marcelo</b> </i>(quietly and seriously): Giselle and I were deeply in love. We couldn’t help it. Bathilde and I were once in love, too, but then along came this slip of a country girl and completely won my heart. I didn’t expect it, it just happened and when it did, I would’ve followed her anywhere. I was going to have a good talk with Bathilde to break our engagement, damn the consequences. No one was going to deny me my love. I can’t live without her! What am I to do?<br /><br /><i><b>Count Jose</b></i>: I understand, I truly do. She had that effect on me, too. Beguiling she was. Such a pure love we had, so simple. My Bathilde is a great lady, but, after being with Giselle I discovered I don’t need a Countess. I <i>needed</i> Giselle. She would have made me happy all my life. Ah, but it was not to be.<br /><br /><i><b>Hilarion Stappas</b></i>: Look here, man. You <i>plan</i> your fate, get it? You make it happen the way you want. It takes work. I had a wonderful plan and it was developing just as I envisioned it: I would reveal the Count’s deception and I would get the girl. Then together we would build a life of success and fortune. That little country house would soon be history. We would live in a manor and Giselle’s mother would look after our children because both of us would have to work if we were going to rise in stature. I’d have my own sword! And Giselle wouldn’t have to sew her own dresses anymore. Our marriage would be like a business venture, but dammit! that’s all over now. Giselle’s dying wasn’t part of my plan!<br /><br /><i><b>Hilarion Matthews</b></i>: Why, you callous, bitter man! Giselle could never have lived that kind of life. For one thing, her mother wouldn’t have let her, with her heart problems. She would have made sure she got her rest. And what children? With her heart, having kids could have killed her. You didn’t love her – you just wanted to use her to help build some kind of empire and have a bunch of children to show everyone what a man you are!<br /><i>I</i> loved her for what she was, simple, caring and sweet. A life in the country suited both of us just fine. We would have been happy to the end of our days, if HE hadn’t come along. Why did he have to stop by <i>our</i> village? With his fine horse, he could have trotted on to the next one and found someone else to dally with. No, he had to turn the head of my Giselle! He could’ve had anyone he wanted. I’m starting to get really mad!<br /><br /><i><b>Count David</b></i>: Sorry, man. I didn’t know. I fell for her, though. Who wouldn't? She's something else. I was in (puppy) love!<br /><br /><b><i>Hilarion Gennadi</i></b>: You children! What do you know about love, about life? You’re still green behind the ears! You think it’s your birthright to always be looking for pleasure, for fun, for a cozy life. Get real. Life is hard and then you die. If you can find someone to share your journey then you will at least have love to see you through the hard times, for there will be hard times, mark my words. I found the great love of my life. I knew I would never love another like I loved her. I loved just looking at her, watching her as she danced. I loved everything she did and everything she said. It is my sorrow now that will accompany me on the journey through life.<br /><br /><i><b>Count Marcelo</b></i>: Yes, it is so for me, too.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-84966425744926200562008-11-18T18:10:00.000-08:002010-10-01T19:51:05.049-07:00My love affair with the accordionA love affair like no other, love of the accordion is genetic, ethnocentric, and unavoidable. My own affair with it began before birth and followed the rules below:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: white; font-style: italic;">First</span>, you've got to be lucky enough to be born Estonian. <span style="color: white; font-style: italic;">Second</span>, you must try to be born into the incomparable Anto family. <span style="color: white; font-style: italic;">Third</span>, you must grow up hearing the most beautiful, heart-lifting, inspiring, toe-tapping music in the world, played on the most beautiful instrument that exists, the accordion. <span style="color: white; font-style: italic;">Fourth</span>, this music must be played by those also lucky enough to be born Estonian. This is the circle of fourths, accordion version, or the time signature for the polka. Those who -- through no fault of their own -- cannot experience step two, can do the waltz, which is just as fine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSN4uhhbRuI/AAAAAAAAAHo/T1k4YBcYTVs/s1600-h/Antopoisid.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270188729621497570" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSN4uhhbRuI/AAAAAAAAAHo/T1k4YBcYTVs/s400/Antopoisid.jpg" style="display: block; height: 210px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 288px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Antopoisid - The Anto Boys - of Rahuste küla (village), Saaremaa, Estonia (</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">left to right, top row first</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">): Fred (Värdi), Heino, Leo, Edward (Ardi), and Evald. <br />
Leo was my father who died at the age of 69 in 1991. Fred died first, very young, at age 50. Then Ardi, at age 65. Evald, the youngest (born in 1924) is the last Anto standing, Heino died in January, 2007, at the age of 90.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">There are no better people in the world. The hospitality and friendship of these brothers was legendary. Our family get-togethers were unparalleled in fun, music, and good eating (boy, could the Anto wives and sister cook!!!). My cousins and I had the best childhood a kid could have.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">We assembled often throughout the year, for birthdays and anniversaries, barbecues at home and at Jones Beach (in the early 50's it was at Orchard Beach), and, of course, for Christmas. Uncle Ardi was the only brother who read music -- he had taught himself -- and led the brothers into Latin and Italian music as he discovered different pieces. He used the sheet music to learn, his brothers took his lead and filled in with harmonies, duets and trios, and the house rang with rhythms that encouraged movement and song.<br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">My twin cousins, Heino's sons John and Heino, became piano virtuosos (while I was an ordinary piano student during the same years) and a big part of the entertainment at each family party (such entertainment was the very lifeblood of our being together and went on for several hours). They could pick up anything and play along.<br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">With only one piano, the other twin would sit at the bongos and I sometimes rounded out the action with the maracas. This was NOT Estonian music! Our native genre got addressed also as singalongs erupted toward the end of the evening, but the Anto accordions had evolved.<br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Our parties lasted well into the wee hours, with plenty of food and drink always on hand (two of the brothers and my aunt's husband had basements with built-in bars, ever popular in the 60s) and my dad always drove home with a little buzz on.<br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> Sometimes the family get-togethers were in the apartments of the brothers who did not live in houses, or at my grandparents' small walkup. I am always awed when I think of how many people could comfortably fit into those 2-bedroom flats and have a hearty party.</span></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSN2p1L4tmI/AAAAAAAAAHg/oGe2BRkxmi4/s1600-h/accordion.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270186449977259618" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSN2p1L4tmI/AAAAAAAAAHg/oGe2BRkxmi4/s320/accordion.gif" style="display: block; height: 192px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 280px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">The food would be a groaning board of delectables laid out on the kitchen table, the coats were thrown on the beds, there was only one bathroom, and all of us gathered in either the living room or around the kitchen table. In my twin cousins' parents' apartment, there were</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;"> two</span> pianos in the living room, a spinet and a baby grand!<span style="font-size: 100%;"> We had a ball growing up in that nurturing atmosphere, where the aunts and uncles made us feel important and loved and the music never stopped.<br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Those years have given me memories to fill my mind when I need to go back to the simple times when life held no worries (at least not for us kids) and when the most exciting thing to see was your uncle's car rounding the bend onto your street.</span> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> <span style="font-size: 100%;">Long live the accordion! It is the one thing that centers me as it unfolds memories of my past. When I hear a familiar song played the way my father or uncles played it, tears come to my eyes and I get a lump in my throat.</span> </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSODLtKaPEI/AAAAAAAAAHw/hs-YVkDeC5U/s1600-h/Scarf+and+accordion.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270200226078669890" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSODLtKaPEI/AAAAAAAAAHw/hs-YVkDeC5U/s200/Scarf+and+accordion.jpg" style="float: left; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0pt; width: 132px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One of the best-known and <br />
beloved Estonian accordion players<br />
in Toronto, Lembit Nieländer.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">He reminds me so much of my father and I am very happy to count him among my friends. I've heard him play since he was a teenager (he accompanied the folk dance lessons I taught at summer camp back in 1974) and, like all the best accordion players, it was clear even then that he was born to it. Today he is on call for all kinds of social events and it is a fortunate person who gets to dance and sing to his playing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: white; font-style: italic;"> <br />
"He makes me feel like dancing...."<br />
<br />
</span><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/agXHZ7T0npc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/agXHZ7T0npc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">This first fellow plays something that may be familiar to ABT and Paul Taylor fans. It was a family staple for me. I don't have any videos of my dad and brothers playing -- so sad. It was before the time of video recorders. I like this white-haired accordion player I found on youtube and am sure his family thinks he is as wonderful as I think the Anto brothers are. I love his little smile at the end, after he finishes playing.</span><br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uKYVtxiLIgw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uKYVtxiLIgw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> <span style="font-size: 100%;">From one to a a whole group of accordions to give you the flavor of what gatherings in our family were like. </span></span></span>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-69053789804210319052008-11-13T13:56:00.000-08:002010-10-01T19:29:33.546-07:00Cinderella -- Festival Ballet Providence, October 2007<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRynN9vNu3I/AAAAAAAAADQ/XjGN6Tho-f4/s1600-h/Leticia+Guerrero.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268269522469370738" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRynN9vNu3I/AAAAAAAAADQ/XjGN6Tho-f4/s320/Leticia+Guerrero.jpg" style="float: left; height: 311px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0pt; width: 220px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">Leticia Guerrero in a publicity still for Cinderella</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">I wrote this review a year ago for <b>Ballet Talk</b></span><br />
<br />
An incredibly innovative performance of a new contemporary Cinderella was performed October 19, 20, and 21 at the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Providence by Festival Ballet Providence, artistic director Mihailo (Misha) Djuric.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Viktor Plotnikov</span> was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet from 1993-2003 (his wife <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Larissa Ponomarenko</span> is currently principal dancer with BB) and from 1998 has choreographed numerous works in Boston and for many other companies and schools, as well as choreographing pieces for major ballet competitions, for which he has also received many prizes. He has created many commissioned works for Festival Ballet Providence in the last few years.<br />
<br />
His Cinderella was a contemporary masterpiece, incorporating steps and movements new to the ballet stage. The use of props was striking and appealingly clever, as were the special effects which created the magic that Cinderella needs, especially for today's children raised on Disney's version. This was anything <i>but </i>Disney -- as far from Disney as one could get -- probably much to the initial disappointment of Sunday afternoon's child-filled theater, many of whom came dressed in official Disney Cinderella costumes -- but there <i>was</i> magic -- Plotnikov's version.<br />
<br />
There was a fairy godmother whose entire dress lit up, huge soap bubbles in the air which changed to festive ballroom lights, a golf cart which whisked Cinderella off to the ball, an imposing mechanical clock made up of 13 children (students from the Festival Ballet Providence Center for Dance Education) and Cinderella's magic dress. Lest this leads you to think the piece was in any way fluff, let me dispel the notion -- pouf! -- as instantly as Cinderella's drab gray garment changed to a bright yellow dress when touched by the magic sunflower.<br />
<br />
The artful use of props like enormous balls, cubes, planks, and cones, and moving doors to change the set design, needs its own review. Think of Drew Carey's "Whose Line is it Anyway?" -- the segment where the panel of regulars shows the many uses and moods a single prop can convey. That will give you a rudimentary idea. Now imagine that made large scale, with several dancers moving props simultaneously to transform the stage set and to surprise and enchant us.<br />
<br />
Oh, and did I mention that all the costumes were black and white (with a few pleasant and necessary exceptions that were part of Cinderella's transition from real life to magical going-to-the-ball life), and so was the cat (admirably -- and very authentically -- portrayed throughout the ballet by <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Ilya Burov</span>)?<br />
<br />
This was a modern Cinderella the likes of which no one has seen before. The music was indeed Sergei Prokofiev's Op. 87, there <i>were</i> an evil stepmother (although this one was more like an upper east side New York modern mom who treats her nanny like a slave) and two evil stepsisters (again, not so evil .... more a spacey sister and a wannabe young socialite sister), an adorably loyal cat, a fairy godmother, handsome prince and lots of dancers at the ball, but there was also Cinderella's father (after all, where <i>does</i> a "step"mother come from?) who softened the poor girl's solitary existence and longed to spend more time with his daughter (whenever he could get away from the stepfamily).<br />
<div align="left"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR6G5DchR_I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/cBurMrZ-4PU/s1600-h/LeticiaGuerrero.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268796928805652466" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR6G5DchR_I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/cBurMrZ-4PU/s400/LeticiaGuerrero.jpg" style="float: right; height: 306px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 230px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">Leticia Guerrero</span></em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Three acts and two intermissions long, the ballet enthralled until the perfect ending, when the prince found his Cinderella and they were showered by, first, a dusting of yellow petals, then, a spring petal shower of torrential proportions that made the audience ooh, aah and squeal in delight. </div><div align="left"><br />
The intended prince was <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Gleb Lyamenkoff</span>, but he was injured about a week before the performance and <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Mindaugas Bauzys</span> saved the day. Borrowed from Boston Ballet, where he is a soloist (his wife <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Vilia Putrius</span>, also formerly with BB, dances with Festival -- she was the stepmother), Bauzys had to learn the part in less than a week. He did a magnificent job (there was a lot of choreography for him to get into his mind and muscles) and was a perfect prince, from his beautiful line to his flawless technique and speedy execution of tricky steps. The company dancers had a few weeks to get used to the quirky head, neck, upper body and arm movements that Plotnikov devised, but Mindaugas had only days. He danced as if he, too, had been rehearsing for weeks and knew the ballet cold.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR37Hmqs0_I/AAAAAAAAAFY/DqcEG3r82wM/s1600-h/Mindaugas+Bauzys.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268643247150650354" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR37Hmqs0_I/AAAAAAAAAFY/DqcEG3r82wM/s320/Mindaugas+Bauzys.jpg" style="height: 244px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; width: 320px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mindaugas Bauzys</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Leticia Guerrero</span> was Cinderella in every performance and, because of her unsylphlike lines, was a welcome new choice for the plum role. She is also a flawless dancer, with especial gifts in making complex movement look like a breeze and in drawing the attention of the audience (especially the children, who also glommed onto this new, shorter, dark-haired latino Cinderella and made her their new favorite).<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR37Hmqs0_I/AAAAAAAAAFY/DqcEG3r82wM/s1600-h/Mindaugas+Bauzys.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<br />
Guerrero is well known as a principal dancer with this rankless company and has a wide repertory of main roles in her arsenal. She was a wonderful Cinderella and seemed well-suited to the weird Plotnikov movements and pas de deux. There was one rather conventional PDD that she and the prince were given to dance during their falling-in-love scene, which showcased their smooth partnering and effortless flow through lifts and traditional steps. This was immediately followed by another pas de deux of the Plotnikov persuasion, which they also carried off with exciting, though odd, lifts and flexed-foot steps and intentionally jerky approaches to movements.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Lauren Kennedy</span>, one of the stepsisters (her role was shared with <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Ricci</span> -- each had 2 performances) was a beguiling spacey sister, who, with her long, long legs and arms really created a compelling caricature of a girl who can't be bothered to apply herself to anything, including standing up. She repeatedly had to be lifted out of a deep plié, only to sink back again, or out of a 180 degree sidesplit, or carried off as a statue because she was too fixated or spaced out to change the position of her body. Her comical rendition of this role was so much fun!<br />
<br />
Ricci tailored the part to her own personality and strengths. The difference in appearance of the two dancers is like night and day. While Kennedy is long-boned and blond, Ricci is tiny and dark-haired. A veteran with the company (this is her 17th year) she is gifted in comedy -- a regular Lucille Ball. Watching her expressions as she goes through the same steps is rollicking good fun, and her ballet technique is well-honed and effortless.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Erica Chipp</span> and <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Lauren Menger</span> shared the role of the "wannabe" stepsister on alternate days, each dancing with aplomb the strange choreography while giving a definite personality to the character portrayed. They ran Cinderella only a little bit ragged as they were more focused on finding their own way to appeal to the prince.<br />
<br />
Every featured dancer exhibited strong technique and accomplished stage presence. There was always so much going on and so many places to look that it was easier as an experienced audience member (who enjoys watching the ballet training that went into each performer's development) to pick just a few dancers to follow rather than try to take it all in. It helped to attend three performances. By the third go, I had a grounding in this complicated ballet and enjoyed it even more than the first two times.<br />
<br />
I will not review my own daughter's performance in it, as that just isn't right, but you have to know that when she was onstage I had eyes for no one else. :)</div>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-19332659514000375172008-11-12T21:10:00.001-08:002010-10-01T14:38:04.409-07:00Ballo della Regina, ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, November 2, 2008<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR001vqP7uI/AAAAAAAAADY/5MRMjG8WvVI/s1600-h/GillianMurphyBalloDellaRegina.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268425237024730850" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR001vqP7uI/AAAAAAAAADY/5MRMjG8WvVI/s320/GillianMurphyBalloDellaRegina.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 258px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Gillian Murphy in Ballo della Regina</em></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Gene Schiavone photo</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIdjaKpx9I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/b2nodpsjmQw/s1600-h/AshleyBouderBallo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269807008133531602" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIdjaKpx9I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/b2nodpsjmQw/s400/AshleyBouderBallo.jpg" style="float: right; height: 287px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Ashley Bouder in Ballo della Regina</em></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Paul Kolnik photo</span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span>Today's 1:30 performance (Nov. 2) began with Ballo and the slip of paper announcing <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Yuriko Kajiya</strong></span> and <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Eric Tamm</span></strong> in place of <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Gillian Murphy</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #996633;">David Hallberg</span></strong>. I knew Gillian wouldn't be dancing as planned, but I was so looking forward to David in this. But no worries -- it's always exciting to see a new'un in a new role and I thought <span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Eric Tamm</span> was very, very good. Kajiya, too, after her troubled "Theme" a week ago (last Sunday's afternoon performance) was confident, strong, and bursting with energy. I was happy I saw her in a better light. When she got to that special <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Merrill Ashley</strong></span> variation, I looked at her very closely, Ashley's dancing running through my head.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR01GbJw6kI/AAAAAAAAADg/61LfgW48stY/s1600-h/MerrillAshleyMarthaSwope.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268425523577547330" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SR01GbJw6kI/AAAAAAAAADg/61LfgW48stY/s320/MerrillAshleyMarthaSwope.jpg" style="float: right; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 266px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Merrill Ashley</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Martha Swope photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="color: #996633;"><br />
</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #996633;">Allegra Kent</span></strong> was seated near me and I wondered what she was thinking, too. Kajiya tried her darndest, she really did, and without the knowledge of Merrill Ashley's precedent-setting performances, one could say Kajiya did very well indeed. Alas, we DO have knowledge of Miss Ashley's incomparable antecedent! It makes you treasure having seen Ashley do it all the more and place a higher value on her considerable ability with the special choreography of this piece.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRugZT8LJlI/AAAAAAAAABA/vEzYO7W9f44/s1600-h/IsabellaDavidFall2008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267980545849763410" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRugZT8LJlI/AAAAAAAAABA/vEzYO7W9f44/s400/IsabellaDavidFall2008.jpg" style="float: left; height: 197px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 331px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg in Ballo della Regina</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Gene Schiavone photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 100%;">It was the collaboration with <strong><span style="color: #996633;">George Balanchine </span></strong>, who simply incorporated things Merrill Ashley could do -- and she could do just about anything -- that made this ballet so special. The speed! The precision of those hops! That unique 3-part drawing in of the leg from grand battement à la seconde to high passé!<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">But this review is supposed to be about Kajiya. I was pleasantly surprised at how pleasantly and surprisingly she danced today. </span><br />
<br />
With ease and showing beautiful lines, good elevation and a much better facial expression -- joyful! -- to replace that upper lip curl that looked almost like a sneer last week when she was dancing unsure, Kajiya won my heart. She is quite the sublime dancer. I'm glad that I can end my season of watching by saying so, that I was able to change my mind about her (even knowing she was thrown into "Theme" and had to make [really sour] lemonade). Yuriko, you were wonderful this afternoon and you have <em>t-i-m-e</em> to get better at things like Ballo. You certainly took the bull by the horns today. More power to you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIUlKcnhaI/AAAAAAAAAGo/OM0Ktep2P5U/s1600-h/YurikoKajiyaBallo2008.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269797142669002146" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIUlKcnhaI/AAAAAAAAAGo/OM0Ktep2P5U/s400/YurikoKajiyaBallo2008.jpeg" style="float: left; height: 260px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 361px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Yuriko Kajiya in Ballo della Regina</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Gene Schiavone photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #996633; font-weight: bold;">Eric Tamm</span> -- such a fine danseur noble. He's been given so many opportunities this fall season and he is using them so well. He stepped up today, too. Most of his turns were straight, fast, and beautiful-looking. His line is gorgeous. He was an attentive, strong partner. He covered the stage with his leaps and was right on the music throughout. I can still see him in my mind's eye, so that makes him memorable as well. <em><br />
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</em>The corps was crisp, generous of movement, sprightly and long-limbed. My <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Isabella</span></strong> was there, so of course I watched her loveliness quite a lot of the time. <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Maria Bystrova</span></strong> stood out for me, too. It's a darn shame she grew so tall and big-boned for I think that's what's keeping her from being moved up. She was a darling, pixielike 15 year old who danced like a dream in all the cute little girl variations. I was so excited when she joined ABT. For years, I've been itching to scream at someone about her still being kept from showing us all she's got. The other females (<span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Nicola, Zhong-Jing, Nicole, Melanie, Anne, Luciana, Jacquelyn, Christine, Leann, </strong><span style="color: white;">and</span><strong> Karen U</strong></span>.) each had their own personality as they danced and it was fun to identify them as they whizzed by.<br />
</span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIbM08j9OI/AAAAAAAAAHI/yLROQgyNc_A/s1600-h/IsabellaLucianaNicolaBallo2008.jpeg"></a></div><div>All were in good form, some in sensational form. The four soloists -- <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Misty, Maria, Hee, </strong><span style="color: white;">and</span><strong> Marian</strong></span> -- were wonderful. I don't have a bone to pick with any of them. Sheer pleasure in beautiful costumes. <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Marian Butler</strong></span> is so pretty! </div><div></div><br />
<div><em>Preview:</em> My new corps favorite is <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>Roddy Doble</strong></span> (who knew?!) in “Company B”.<br />
He was fantastic! And <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Carlos Lopez</span></strong>! Could he BE any better? WOW!</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Isabella Boylston, Luciana Paris, Nicola Curry in Ballo della Regina</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em></em>Gene Schiavone photo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIbMokCG_I/AAAAAAAAAHA/r2giw-japZ4/s1600-h/HeeSeoBallo2008.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269804417837833202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SSIbMokCG_I/AAAAAAAAAHA/r2giw-japZ4/s400/HeeSeoBallo2008.jpeg" style="float: left; height: 271px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 340px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Hee Seo in Ballo della Regina<br />
Gene Schiavone photo</em></span></td></tr>
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</div></div></span>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-20965653227631483862008-11-12T19:54:00.000-08:002010-10-01T14:24:01.124-07:00The Leaves are Fading, ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, October 26, 2008<strong><span style="color: #666666;">The Leaves are Fading</span></strong><br />
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Today's matinée (Sunday, Oct. 26th) was a present to myself on the occasion of one of children's birthdays (the 4th to turn 28, egad!) and what a wonderful gift it was. I don't think I've been inside the City Center theater since NYCB called it home prior to moving to Lincoln Center. My mother, and at Nutcracker time my father too, took me there back then and I remember it being BIG. Well, either it shrunk or I grew up. I think we know which. Entering the orchestra section flabbergasted me -- it was such a little place!<br />
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I was led to my front row seat (a perfect one, no.105) and seated, had the stage almost in my lap. I don't think I ever sat in the front row with my folks when I was little. The orchestra pit is quite small and deep, so the lip of the stage puts you intimately in touch with the action on it.<br />
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I was so eager to see "The Leaves are Fading" for it was to be the second time I'd seen a company dance it this year. In February I watched all performances of Festival Ballet Providence's production of it because my daughter was a member of the company.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267988986093994834" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRuoEmTNg1I/AAAAAAAAABI/fdoRez73vfw/s400/LeavesDressReh.jpg" style="display: block; height: 282px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Järvi Raudsepp and Roger Fonnegra in Festival Ballet's</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12px;"><em><strong>The Leaves are Fading</strong>, February, 2008</em></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Gene Schiavone photo</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>It is one of the loveliest ballets in existence and could be watched repeatedly without ever becoming tiring. <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Melissa Thomas</span></strong> was the lady in green. She floated through the mini-role, both pre-ballet and at closing, with a beatific and understanding smile on her lovely face, with just a trace of wistfulness at the very end as she let the last memory/dancer fade away. First to appear <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Hee Seo</span></strong> had me fixated on her at various times throughout the ballet because of the exquisite carved shape of her legs and feet (reminds me of Irina's legs). A precise dancer with a high passé position, her form was compelling to follow as she drew arcs with her legs and positioned her long high-arched feet from movement to movement. I also loved watching <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Jacquelyn Reyes</span></strong> who has such a sunny look and beautiful body. Her lilting front brisés showed off her long legs and delightfully high jump. One of my favorite dancers today.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #996633;">Jared Matthews</span></strong> also had a loose, joyful jump as he partnered <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Maria Ricetto</span></strong> in one of the duets. Both danced with enchantment and pleasure and conveyed it to us in the audience very easily. A lovely pas de deux. After being so charmed by <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Tobin Eason</span></strong> last Friday at Bard, I noticed him as soon as he danced onstage today. He had a similar jovial face, a little toned down to befit "Leaves", and my glance gravitated toward him again and again.The partnership of <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Veronika Part</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Alexandre Hammoudi</span></strong> worked very well in this ballet. Their pas de deux was golden. I especially loved the weighted way Veronika lifted her leg in grand battement, achieving a solid position at the top of the movement and holding it. She was secure throughout and, yes, I will add, perfect. An absolute standout in "Leaves". Hammoudi was a skilled partner with an accomplished performance himself, and they suited each other fully.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRurMTW2rHI/AAAAAAAAABQ/jvjwOAI3p6g/s1600-h/MarceloGomesJulieKentLeaves.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267992416982838386" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRurMTW2rHI/AAAAAAAAABQ/jvjwOAI3p6g/s320/MarceloGomesJulieKentLeaves.jpg" style="float: right; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 277px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em>Marcelo Gomes and Julie Kent in <strong>The Leaves are Fading</strong></em></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Gene Schiavone photo</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As at Bard, my eyes were also on <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Nicola Curry</span></strong>, and she didn't disappoint. Her stage presence continues to fascinate. She is one divine dancer. <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Marian Butler</span></strong> keeps growing on me, too. She has such a beautiful face, is a meticulous technician, knows how to enthrall the viewer and engross us in her stagework. As five couples, early on in the ballet, formed a circle and whirled by us, I was so involved in identifying the individual dancers that it was with a pleasant jolt that I saw <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Marcelo Gomes</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Julie Kent</span></strong> fly by as part of the group. When did they blend in? I was looking forward to their pas de deux -- the famous <span style="color: #996633;"><strong>John Gardner/Amanda McKerrow</strong></span> pas -- and soon it began. Kent is such a delicate china doll, it's always so satisfying to see her pull off difficult choreography with the aplomb of the ballerina she is. "Leaves" is not in the league of difficulty that the classics are, but to make the central pas de deux look flowingly effortless is at all times a challenge.<br />
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Marcelo, king of sensual dancing, yearned for his ladylove, playfully drew her into his circle of allure -- even his eyes alone flirted with her -- and then he rejected her, as is meant to happen. Julie was sheer perfection but for a botched turn sequence which forced her down to flat, but this was probably only noticed by the ballet-savvy. In Providence (where McKerrow and Gardner spent weeks teaching the ballet), <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Mark Harootian</span></strong> danced Marcelo's role extraordinarily well. I liked parts of Mark's interpretation even better than I liked Marcelo's. To be able to compare is interesting. I loved the way Marcelo danced it and I loved the way Mark danced it. Who's next?<br />
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The success of the ballet lies in Tudor's choreography. The close-fisted men's steps danced to a staccato beat, for instance, lend a certain clever power to the gender which may be reminiscent of a time period (as this ballet deals with the passage of time) where "men were men and girls were girls". It's an appealing and eye-catching movement. The overhead lifts, with the women held on straight arms just above the back of the waist, draping languidly backwards over the men's heads, have such a pleasing appearance that Tudor must have used them as often as he did just for the aesthetic effect. Same goes for the lifts where the female's front and back legs are simultaneously bent at the knee from a 180° split position while being held aloft over the man's shoulder while both gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Looks so pretty.<br />
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When the stage fills with all 15 dancers, it's a splendid flurry of strikingly simple, flowing pastel costumes, expansive, elated movement and longing glances which draw the ballet to a close with the reappearance of the one having the memories. We who watch are filled with longing, too, for we crave more of such loveliness.<br />
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A word about the conductor, <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Charles Baker</span></strong>. Never since <strong><span style="color: #996633;">L</span><span style="color: #996633;">eonard Bernstein</span></strong> have I seen an orchestra leader so involved with the music he's conducting. My seat was to the left of him by three seats and during the overture he was as wonderful to watch as the dancers who followed. During the ballet, he sometimes vocalized quietly along with the musical strains as he gave himself a workout, especially upper-body, in his effort to elicit the beauty of Dvoràk's score. Tudor and Dvoràk together anointed his face with a magical, angelic expression.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: 85%;">Next installment(s):</span></em> <span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Baker's Dozen</strong></span> and <strong><span style="color: #666666;">Citizen</span></strong> (I liked it!)nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-24699437998651364682008-11-12T18:35:00.000-08:002010-10-01T14:06:06.582-07:00Baker's Dozen -- ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, October 26, 2008<strong><span style="color: #666666;">Baker's Dozen</span></strong> <br />
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<div>Same cast as Sunday evening. <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Barbara Bilach</span></strong> at the piano. I had a good seat for watching Bilach as she played the overture. We were facing each other, she in the orchestra pit, me in the front row. Her face was calm throughout as she tackled yet again the contrapunctal jazzy rhythms of Willie "The Lion" Smith. </div><br />
<div>She is used to playing this. The ritardandos and diminuendos, accelerandos and and crescendos linking the different pieces are usually also in counterpoint, making it a bit of a difficult piece to get under your belt. Perhaps that is why I felt she was a little insecure at Bard. I take it back. She is skilled enough to be able to play this wildly speedy, galloping music with nonchalance. For viewing purposes (knowing that the pianist is to be heard, not seen, when she accompanies ballet), Bilach was boring. Were she in concert I'd love to see some animation as she tickled the ivories.<br />
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</div><div>Curtain opens. Female dancers in white tops with criss-crossed straps in the back. An embroidered-looking beige sash-width belt cinches the waist of beige skirts, split to the top both front and back to allow for acrobatic movement. Legs are covered in lacy, legging-like tights which end inside white jazz shoes. The males are in beige trousers and shirts.One thing about ABT's rendition, as has been mentioned in previous reports, is the lightness of the company's dancers. I agree that this must be, if not the finest, then one of the finest ballet casts to dance this modern work.<br />
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</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRvM6uy_6LI/AAAAAAAAABo/Y2F7d3n03iM/s1600-h/Misty+Copeland+Baker%27s+Dozen.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268029498506340530" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRvM6uy_6LI/AAAAAAAAABo/Y2F7d3n03iM/s320/Misty+Copeland+Baker%27s+Dozen.jpg" style="float: left; height: 249px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0pt; width: 238px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Misty Copeland in Baker's Dozen</span></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Gene</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12px;">Schiavone photo</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So much of this piece is performed in the air as dancers grand jeté on and off the stage, throw themselves into each other's arms or onto their backs, jump off each other's bodies, and propel themselves straight up like rockets, with legs tucked in beneath them. There's groundwork, too, with lots of sliding movements, being pulled into the wings while in splits, rolling around from one side to the other via a fellow dancer's back, plenty of rond de jambes in plié, falling to the floor, turning upside down with butts sticking up, and signature Tharp traveling modes.<br />
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</div><div>Sassy shoulder rotating, arms loosely hanging, leading with pumping arms to traverse the floor, funny bits like not being let onto the stage by an unseen dancer in the wings, first pulled back by an arm, then a leg, and being left alone on stage to display antic moves as if in front of one's bedroom mirror, make for a lively, infectious gambol that leaves the onlookers in such good spirits. </div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">Isaac Stappas and Kristi Boone in Baker's Dozen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I could see "Baker's Dozen" again and again. There's too much going on for me to follow everyone in only two showings. I'd like to follow each dancer throughout the piece -- that's how I enjoy ballet. The whole cast had great facial expressions as they acted their way through the dance. Sitting where I was I got to really see everything.<br />
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</div>Standouts in Sunday's matinée were <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Arron Scott</span></strong>, who got the plum role of the dancer alone on stage sitting on his knees who starts to sway his hips as he realizes the others have taken a powder, and continues into an endearing solo dance charming himself as well as the audience, the very blond <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Blaine Hoven</span></strong> who was high-spirited throughout, <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Eric Tamm</span></strong>, looking so Tommy Tune and Broadway, and <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Isabella Boylston</span></strong>, to whom I will devote the next few paragraphs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRuV66jCJMI/AAAAAAAAAA4/eAwvE0GuPYA/s1600-h/JarviHildurKirov.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267969028521075906" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRuV66jCJMI/AAAAAAAAAA4/eAwvE0GuPYA/s400/JarviHildurKirov.jpg" style="float: right; height: 117px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 180px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Isabella Boylston,</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> left</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Järvi Raudsepp</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, right </span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have to preface my remarks by stating that I knew Isabella when she was Hildur Boylston and a 12 year old summer ballet student at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., 1999. My daughter and she became soulmates that July.<br />
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</div><div></div><div><div>They're the two dancers at the barre in the forefront of this picture. </div><br />
The following summer, Isabella went to SAB and the year after, also, after winning the Gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix finals at Pace University, which I attended because my daughter was in the competition too. A few months later, after the SAB SI, my daughter and I saw her taking class at STEPS where a crowd of students had gathered around the doorway to watch her in Willie Burman's class, informing those who didn't know, that she was this "amazing" dancer from the SAB SI. She was 14 years old. And, yes, she was indeed amazing. </div><br />
<div>Isabella went on to complete 2 1/2 years at the prestigious Harid Conservatory, graduating from high school there to move right into ABT's Studio Company (having already been approached at ABT's SI the previous summer). She participated in several ballet competitions, including the NYIBC, and won some top prizes and gained notice, becoming one to watch. </div><br />
<div></div><div><em>(Sidebar: A veteran competitor, she was a Grand Award winner at the Colorado State Science Fair in 2000, winning first place, Junior Division All Fair, for her project on Beetle Juice.)</em></div><div></div><br />
<div>My daughter has not seen her since the last two classes they took together that day at STEPS 7 years ago, but I made a point of going to ABT's Met season this past summer in order to see Hildur dance. She was featured as a D'Jampe soloist in La Bayadère and otherwise performed corps roles, and as I was sitting on the hard right side the day she was lined up with the corps on the same side (thereby not visible), I felt really gypped out of getting my full dose of Isabella Boylston. </div><br />
<div>Well, it seems I was to be deprived of her again, since the cast I got for City Center was the second cast for Citizen, in which Isabella is first-cast, and just as I was resigning myself to my fate, I noticed her name in the program for Baker's Dozen! Happy days (as Jamie Oliver would say)! </div><div></div><br />
<div>With nearly in-studio proximity, I sat upright in my seat ready for bliss. And I got it! Isabella Boylston is a blissful dancer, no question. And anyone who saw her nine-page photo spread and sublimely tutu'ed cover shot in Dance Spirit in September 2006 knows she has the ballet body of perfection: long, shapely legs, high insteps and arches, long arms, fingers, and toes, a beautiful countenance, narrow hips, taut yet free torso, linear sculpted muscles, gorgeous flexibility. </div><div></div><br />
<div>Her solo in "Baker's Dozen" (thank goodness she had a solo!) showed off her ease of technique, speed, musicality, lyricism, and charm. Isabella even threw in a "glinch" reminiscent of the great Suzanne. I enjoyed her performance so thoroughly and wondered why other reviewers hardly refer to her (lumping her in with others, or not even mentioning her dancing at all when she was indeed one fifth of a small ensemble). </div><br />
<div></div><div>Her duet with <strong><span style="color: #996633;">Patrick O</span><span style="color: #996633;">gle</span></strong> in Baker's Dozen was full of split positions, both on the ground and en l'air, high-swinging grand battements, energy, energy, energy, and fun. She'd be a major standout even if I didn't know her. But I'm so glad I do.</div></div>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-9907925340846682772008-11-12T18:31:00.000-08:002009-03-17T04:33:41.380-07:00Citizen, ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, October 26, 2008Why I liked <strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Citizen</span></strong> (to continue my report of the October 26th 1:30 PM performance):<br /><br />Waiting for it to begin, I was mentally prepared to dislike the piece, given all the negative criticism it had received on Ballet Talk and newspaper reviews. When the curtain came up, I first noticed <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><strong>Sarah Lane</strong></span>, trying not to wobble as she held fourth position plié en pointe, her opening pose. I need not describe the set, for others have done so, but I'd like to add that the women were not wearing short shorts as others have said (at least not the kinds of short shorts I remember), but even briefer panties that were cut to skim the buttocks above the legs, a costume that might make some uncomfortable to move in for the amount of flesh it reveals.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-weight: bold;">Sean</span> <strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Stewart</span></strong>, wearing the girly, gauzy top was in stark physical contrast to <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><strong>Cory Stearns</strong></span> in the green corset and silver/mesh capri-length tights, so much shorter and smaller than the tall, larger-bodied Stearns. Lane, attired in the aforementioned underwear, also wore a bra with a corset-laced back, and long-sleeved fingerless gloves that covered most of her hands. Both <strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Melissa Thomas</span></strong> and <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><strong>Devon Teuscher</strong></span> were in the brief briefs but had different tops, one which covered and one which left the midriff bare.<br /><br />So.... nonchalantly sexy, skin-exposing costuming for the ladies, and both men wearing women's clothing. AHA! It was the beginning of Halloween week! Therefore, in the spirit of Halloween, this brief modern dance, with its witches' brew of strange happenings and weird flavor, worked out very well. It was clearly ABT's homage to the holiday. I loved it when the "other people" came on stage. Sunday afternoon these folks included some Baker's Dozen dancers (who had just performed) still in costume, a few stagehands, and a man carrying a two-year-old little boy in his arms. How very Don Redlich, I thought.<br /><br />Next, I really loved the tiny gold glitter, especially at first, when the stage was dark, the falling flecks rendering a magical, mystical effect. Really beautiful. I don't remember too much about the dancing. Sarah Lane had many leg-turned-in pirouettes, there was off kilter balancing, sharply angled arm movements, and the neat ending where Lane, stepping slightly in front of the other dancers was finally separated from them by the descending curtain skimming her back as it lowered until she was standing alone in front of it, and, with inches of descent left, was yanked in a split second by unseen arms back behind it and out of view.<br /><br />I'm sure the effect was even better for those seated farther away than I was.With my background being in modern dance as well as ballet, I had no expectations that Stallings' piece would be much of a ballet. Taken as a contemporary modern dance, I think it was not bad at all. Taken also as the effort of a youngish choreographer, I give Lauri credit for her audacity in exploration and fearlessness in working with well-known classical ballerinas and ballerinos and giving them such an utterly unballetic series of movements to do. I'd have been much too humbled at her age to attempt this on dancers of such caliber. With this kind of chutzpah, I'm eager to see what will be coming from Stallings in the future.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-83041372757463021972008-11-12T17:44:00.001-08:002009-03-17T04:34:53.239-07:00ABT at Bard College, Friday October 17, 2008The program and dancers:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>BAKER'S DOZEN</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span></strong>Choreography by Twyla Tharp<br />Staged by Elaine Kudo<br />Pianist Barbara Bilach<br />Music by Willie "The Lion" Smith<br />Original costume design by Santo Loquasto<br />Lighting originally by Jennifer Tipton<br /><br /><em>Kristi Boone, Marian Butler, Yuriko Kajiya, Simone Messmer, Renata Pavam, Devon Teuscher, Tobin Eason, Thomas Forster, Jeffrey Golladay, Craig Salstein, Eric Tamm, Roman Zhurbin</em><br /><br /><em></em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>SINATRA SUITE</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span></strong>Choreography by Twyla Tharp<br />Staged by Elaine Kudo<br />Songs sung by Frank Sinatra<br />Lighting originally by Jennifer Tipton<br />Original costume design by Oscar de la Renta<br /><br /><em>Luciana Paris, Jose Manuel Carreño</em><br /><br /><em></em><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">OVERGROWN PATH</span></strong><br /><br />Choreography by Jiří Kylián<br />Assistant to the choreographer Roslyn Anderson<br />Pianist David LaMarche<br />Music by Leoš Janáček ("On an Overgrown Path")<br />Scenery and costumes by Walter Nobbe<br />Costume supervision by Joke Visser<br />Lighting by Joop CaboortTech and light adaptation by Kees Tjebbes<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Our evenings:</span> <em>Veronika Part, Gillian Murphy, Misty Copeland, Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes, Julie Kent, Kristi Boone</em><br /><br /><em></em><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">A blown-away leaf:</span> <em>Julie Kent, Misty Copeland, Jared Matthews, Gennadi Saveliev</em><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Come with us:</span> <em>Jared Matthews, Thomas Forster, Gennadi Saveliev</em><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">The Madonna of Frydek:</span> <em>Veronika Part, David Hallberg and ensemble</em><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">They chattered like swallows:</span> <em>Gillian Murphy, Julie Kent, Misty Copeland, Kristi BooneWords fail: Paloma Herrera, David Hallberg, Marcelo Gomes, Jared Matthews, Gennadi Saveliev, Thomas Forster</em><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Good night:</span> <em>Kristi Boone, Alexandre Hammoudi</em><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Unutterable anguish:</span> <em>Veronika Part, Julie Kent, Misty Copeland, Paloma HerreraIn tears: Julie Kent, Gennadi Saveliev, Jared Matthews</em><br /><br /><em></em><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">The barn owl has not flown away:</span> <em>Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomes</em><br /><br /><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">COMPANY B</span></strong></p><p>Choreography by Paul Taylor<br />Reconstructed by Patrick Corbin<br />Songs sung by the Andrews Sisters<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">(The songs express typical sentiments of Americans during World War II)<br /></span></em>Costumes by Santo Loquasto<br />Lighting by Jennifer Tipton<br />Lighting recreated by Brad Fields </p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Bei Mir Bist du Schon:</span> <em>Full cast</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Pennsylvania Polka:</span> <em>Maria Ricetto and Tobin Eason</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Tico-Tico:</span> <em>Arron Scott</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!:</span> <em>Craig Salstein with cast women</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">I Can Dream, Can't I?:</span> <em>Nicola Curry</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Joseph! Joseph!:</span> <em>Karin Ellis-Wentz, Mary Mills Thomas, Nicole Graniero, Isaac Stappas, Tobin Eason, Craig Salstein</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B):</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">injured Herman Cornejo replaced by</span> <em>Joseph Phillips</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Rum and Coca Cola:</span> <em>Misty Copeland with cast men</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">There Will Never Be Another You:</span> <em>Simone Messmer and Grant DeLong</em></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Bei Mir Bist du Schon:</span> <em>Full cast</em></p><p><em></em></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Overgrown Path and Company B were ABT premieres.</span></em></span></p><p></p>nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332464340582946720.post-9219506917256723972008-11-12T17:26:00.000-08:002008-11-13T13:32:48.936-08:00Company B -- ABT at Bard College, Friday October 17, 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRyc7p5mqRI/AAAAAAAAADA/Tn50PGsnNX0/s1600-h/MistyCopelandCompanyB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_01vgM95VcuI/SRyc7p5mqRI/AAAAAAAAADA/Tn50PGsnNX0/s320/MistyCopelandCompanyB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268258212790315282" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Company B</span></strong><br /><br />Two words: <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><strong>Misty Copeland</strong></span>!<br /><br />10 more words: Misty Copeland! Misty Copeland! Misty Copeland! Misty Copeland! Misty Copeland!<br /><br />Did anyone else dance? Oh yes, did they ever! There was an actual baker's dozen of dancers, hot pastries fresh from the oven: German apple strudel (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Maria Ric</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">etto</span> and <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Tobin Eason</span>), puffy popovers (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Arron Sc</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">ott</span>), curvy croissants (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Nicola Curry</span>), steaming muffins (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Craig Salstein</span> with his gaggle of swooning women), bittersweet chocolate mousse (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Simone Me</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">ssmer</span> and <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Grant DeLong</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">),</span> spicy hot cross buns (the Joseph! Joseph! cast), all-American brownies (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Joseph Phillips</span>) and a tangy tropical tart (<span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Misty Copeland</span>). Paul Taylor's rousing, lively portrayal of the devil-may-care side of World World II masking the underlayer of devastation saw its premiere in 1991, first by Houston Ballet, then by the Paul Taylor company. Like "Overgrown Path", the ballet deals with mortality, but its take on death and its inevitability is totally different. Its characters begin as innocents, knowing what war does, but in their blissful youth, refusing to believe any of it will touch them -- until it does. In their innocence, they laugh, love and flirt, play-act and have wild fun. Then bodies start dropping, creating a new reality for the revelers.<br /><br />The ballet is American, the America of the Europeans who peopled its cities 75 years ago and whose sons were sent to fight for it. The jubilation begins in low light to the Yiddish "Bei Mir Bist du Schon". The entire cast of 13 make the stage sizzle with their energy. With choreography based on the swing dances of the 40s -- the lindy hop, jive, boogie-woogie -- we experience pure joy and the beauty and exuberance of the young. A spirited polka follows, a good ol' German polka. If there's anything I know something about, it's the polka, so I must say that, while very well executed by Ricetto and Eason, I can tell that neither has had extensive experience with it. Still, it was very nicely done.<br /><br />"Tico-Tico", a solo for a male dancer, was performed this night by Arron Scott. An ingenious piece of choreography, the dancer isolates his upper body parts into small bits that jiggle and undulate, pop and quiver as if he were in the throes of St. Vitus Dance -- or, to be current, maybe post-traumatic stress syndrome. Scott was so good that I've got to name him as my second most memorable dancer of the evening. The second part of the solo had him doing more traditional ballet steps like jetes, but I hardly remember any of that. Daniil Simkin and, from the cast list it looks like Mikhail Ilyin, alternate the part with him at City Center.<br /><br />Bespectacled Craig Salstein was such a hoot in "Oh Johnny....", so much so that I watched him instead of the girls, so cannot comment on any individual female dancer. The story line: a bunch of girls hopes the nerdy boy (who didn't have to go to war) chooses one of them, but he outruns, outjumps, and outsmarts them. Nicola Curry, a lovely adagio dancer, gives the heartache of "I Can Dream, Can't I" an aesthetic, wistfully sensuous interpretation. Just beautiful!<br /><br />Joseph Phillips, replacing Herman Cornejo, tackled "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a grueling athletic endeavor. Phillips is certainly up to the choreography and physical requirements, but he needs more time with the role to work on nuance and surprise. I wanted to see something special, at least once, but, aside from the whole dance making special demands on the dancer, Joseph was not able (yet) to give it a little more oomph here and there.<br /><br />And then came Misty. If ever a role was made for a dancer, "Rum and Coca-Cola" was made for Misty Copeland. Exuding sass, magnetism, and intrigue with a calypso beat, she led her admiring soldier boys into a lustful frenzy. It helps that she, of all the women, looks best in the "Company B" costume, so sexy and fresh. Misty has a springy, high jump, an expansive way of moving, and sharp, precise technique. She performed this so utterly perfectly, that I wonder whether there is anyone at ABT who can touch her or even come close.<br /><br />Simone Messmer and Grant DeLong were given the tail-end duet "There Will Never Be Another You". The story behind the dance is that of a couple who must part because of the call of war, ending with the soldier joining his unit and leaving his girlfriend in an emotional heap to suffer the torment of (perhaps permanent) separation. It was extremely well danced. The maturity that Messner gives us everytime she takes the stage graced this duet in smooth synchrony with DeLong's expressive partnering. Bravo! Poignantly danced and well-acted.<br /><br />The return of "Bei Mir Bist du Schon" provides a summarizing coda for the piece and returns us to the festive atmosphere which took us into the ballet. The dancers all return with their vigorous energy and we are again allowed to forget.<br /><br />The whole cast wore white jazz shoes for the ballet and the women wore either long skirts or trousers. The unifying accessory was a thin red belt for everyone, males and females. It is completely possible that this is a symbol of more than the blood of war. The ballet came out during the years when the AIDS crisis was on the front burner of the news constantly. Paul Taylor was deeply affected by the loss of friends and dancers and used that raw emotion as inspiration for some of his choreography. "Company B" could well be one of those works that reflected the senseless destruction wrought by the disease. There are more layers to this prickly rose of a dance than meet the eye.nurturinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.com0