Jared Matthews's Hilarion and Maria Bystrova's Bathilde, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 28th matinée continued

Saturday, February 28th, afternoon matinée continued:

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.

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).

Jared Matthews and Gennadi Saveliev

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.

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?

An inconsequential prop malfunction was dealt with without missing a beat:

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.

But the horn’s strap refused to drape over Matthew’s shoulder and he had to display the sword while still holding the horn.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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 feel I owe Jared more of a review. Or does he owe us more to review? (Sorry for the tough love, Jared, I do adore you.)

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.

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.

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.

Maria Bystrova in rehearsal for Fall River Legend
Matthew Murphy photo

Unfortunately, she seems destined to stay primarily a character dancer.

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.

I am eager to see her whenever possible in contemporary works where height doesn’t matter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Maria Riccetto
photo from Gaynor Minden site

She treated Giselle (Maria Riccetto) more like a capricious young girl than someone she could bond with, fiancée-to-fiancée.

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.

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.

Xiomara Reyes & Jose Manuel Carreno, Gennadi Saveliev's Hilarion, Luciana Paris' and Kristi Boone's Bathilde, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa Feb. 26, 28

Xiomara Reyes and Jose Carreno
photo Ottawa Citizen

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.

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.

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.


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).


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.

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.

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 am watching her.

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.

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.)

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.
Still, there were standout moments.

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.

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 does count – ballet is, after all, visual art), perhaps in training?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 is American Ballet Theater.

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.

Susan Jones

A few words about Susan Jones’s Berthe: wonderful, skillful miming.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Memorable Gennadi moments:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

All Myrtas, Moynas, Zulmas, and Peasant pas de deux will be discussed in posts dedicated only to them.

Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 27

February 27th, Friday evening, 8 PM

Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act II
Andres Mohin photo for NYT

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.

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.

Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act I
Andres Mohin photo for NYT

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.

Memorable Marcelo Act I moments:

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.

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).

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.

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!

Memorable Marcelo Act II moments:

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.

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.

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.

Marcelo Gomes and Nina Ananiashvili in Giselle, Act II
Andres Mohin photo for NYT

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.

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.

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. Keep this in mind when I review Isabella Boylston’s brilliant performances. ;)

Maria Riccetto and David Hallberg, ABT's Giselle in Ottawa, February 28

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.

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).

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.

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.

Memorable Act I David moments:

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.

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.

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.

(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.)

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.

Yet, she rallied and finished Act I with aplomb.

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.

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!

(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.)

Roundtable with 3 Bathildes

Cast of characters:

Bathildes:

Luciana Paris

Kristi Boone

Maria Bystrova

Bathilde Bystrova: Why are we here? There is nothing to say about the situation. I am already bored.

Bathilde Paris: I have 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?

Bathilde Boone: Isn’t it obvious? She’s fresh, untouched fodder. No experience in womanly ways. My Albrecht is a sucker for innocence.

Bathilde Bystrova: 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.

Bathilde Paris: 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?

Bathilde Boone: I would never stoop so low. Don’t forget who you are. You have to show him the error of his ways.

Bathilde Bystrova: 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.

Bathilde Boone: Please stay a little longer. I must ask you something. Are you truly content? Did the tragedy of Giselle not trouble you at all? You seem so aloof and detached.

Bathilde Bystrova: 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.

Bathilde Paris: 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.

Bathilde Boone: 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.

Entire cast list for ABT's Giselle in Ottawa

Thursday, February 26th, 8 PM

ACT I

Giselle -- Xiomara Reyes
Count Albrecht -- Jose Carreno
Wilfred -- Carlos Lopez
Berthe, Giselle's mother -- Susan Jones
Hilarion -- Gennadi Saveliev
Prince of Courland -- Victor Barbee
Bathilde -- Luciana Paris
Peasant Pas de Deux -- Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin

Court Ladies and Gentlemen -- Isadora Loyola, Elina Miettinen, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Sarah Smith, Gray Davis, Grant DeLong, Roddy Doble, Mikhail Ilyin, Vitali Krauchenka

Giselle's Friends -- Gemma Bond, Marian Butler, Zhong-Jing Fang, Melanie Hamrick, Anne Milewski, Jacquelyn Reyes

Villagers -- 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

ACT II

Myrta -- Gillian Murphy
Moyna -- Melanie Hamrick
Zulma -- Kristi Boone
The Wilis -- 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

Conductor -- Ormsby Wilkins


Friday, February 27th, 8 PM

ACT I

Giselle -- Paloma Herrera
Count Albrecht -- Marcelo Gomes
Wilfred -- Alexi Agoudine
Berthe, Giselle's mother -- Maria Bystrova
Hilarion -- Isaac Stappas
Prince of Courland -- Roman Zhurbin
Bathilde -- Krisit Boone
Peasant Pas de Deux -- Yuriko Kajiya and Carlos Lopez

Court Ladies and Gentlemen -- Elizabeth Mertz, Jacquelyn Reyes, Jessica Saund, Sarah Smith, Mary Mills Thomas, Gray Davis, Roddy Doble, Tobin Eason, Joseph Gorak, Joseph Phillips

Giselle's Friends -- Gemma Bond, Isabella Boylston, Marian Butler, Zhong-Jing Fang, Jacquelyn Reyes, Leann Underwood

Villagers -- 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

ACT II

Myrta -- Simone Messmer
Moyna -- Melanie Hamrick
Zulma -- Leann Underwood
The Wilis -- 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

Conductor -- David LaMarche


Saturday, February 28th, 2 PM

ACT I

Giselle -- Maria Riccetto
Count Albrecht -- David Hallberg
Wilfred -- Luis Ribagorda
Berthe, Giselle's mother -- Nancy Raffa
Hilarion -- Jared Matthews
Prince of Courland -- Victor Barbee
Bathilde -- Maria Bystrova
Peasant Pas de Deux -- Misty Copeland and Craig Salstein

Court Ladies and Gentlemen -- Isadora Loyola, Kelley Potter, Christine Shevchenko, Sarah Smith, Katherine Williams, Grant DeLong, Vitali Krauchenka, Daniel Mantei, Joseph Phillips, Jose Sebastian

Giselle's Friends -- Simone Messmer, Anne Milewski, Lucian Paris, Renata Pavam, Jacquelyn Reyes, Leann Underwood

Villagers -- 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,

ACT II

Myrta -- Michele Wiles
Moyna -- Isabella Boylston
Zulma -- Zhong-Jing Fong
The Wilis -- 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

Conductor -- David LaMarche


Saturday, February 28th, 8 PM

ACT I

Giselle -- Xiomara Reyes
Count Albrecht -- Jose Carreno
Wilfred -- Carlos Lopez
Berthe, Giselle's mother -- Susan Jones
Hilarion -- Gennadi Saveliev
Prince of Courland -- Roman Zhurbin
Bathilde -- Kristi Boone
Peasant Pas de Deux -- Isabella Boylston and Blaine Hoven

Court Ladies and Gentlemen -- Eun Young Ahn, Elizabeth Mertz, Jessica Saund, Sarah Smith, Mary Mills Thomas, Gray Davis, Tobin Eason, Mikhail Ilyin, Jose Sebastian, Eric Tamm

Giselle's Friends -- Gemma Bond, Melanie Hamrick, Anne Milewski, Lucian Paris, Renata Pavam, Jacquelyn Reyes

Villagers -- 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

ACT II

Myrta -- Veronika Part
Moyna -- Simone Messmer
Zulma -- Yuriko Kajiya
The Wilis -- 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

Conductor -- Ormsby Wilkins

Roundtable with 4 Myrtas

Cast of characters:

Myrtas:

Gillian Murphy
Simone Messmer
Michele Wiles
Veronika Part


Myrta Part: 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!

Myrta Messmer: 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!

Myrta Wiles: 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.

Myrta Murphy: 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!

Myrta Part: 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.

Myrta Messmer: We have so much to learn from you.

Myrta Wiles: 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.

Myrta Murphy: 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!

Myrta Messmer: 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.

Myrta Part: 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.

Myrta Messmer: 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!

Myrta Part: 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.

Myrta Wiles: 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.

Myrta Murphy: 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!

Myrta Part: You have feet like hummingbird wings. Your bourrées are indeed supernatural.

Now, back to work. I hear the rustle of an approaching swain.

Roundtable with 3 Count Albrechts and 3 Hilarions

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:

Cast of characters:

Albrechts:
Jose Carreno
Marcelo Gomes
David Hallberg

Hilarions:
Gennadi Saveliev
Isaac Stappas
Jared Matthews

Count Marcelo (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!

Count Jose (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.

Count David (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…..!

Hilarion Saveliev (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!

Hilarion Stappas (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.

Hilarion Matthews (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 my 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.

Count David (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 seen 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?

Count Marcelo (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?

Count Jose: 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 needed Giselle. She would have made me happy all my life. Ah, but it was not to be.

Hilarion Stappas: Look here, man. You plan 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!

Hilarion Matthews: 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!
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 our 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!

Count David: Sorry, man. I didn’t know. I fell for her, though. Who wouldn't? She's something else. I was in (puppy) love!

Hilarion Gennadi: 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.

Count Marcelo: Yes, it is so for me, too.

My love affair with the accordion

A 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:

First, you've got to be lucky enough to be born Estonian. Second, you must try to be born into the incomparable Anto family. Third, 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. Fourth, 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.

Antopoisid - The Anto Boys - of Rahuste küla (village), Saaremaa, Estonia (left to right, top row first): Fred (Värdi), Heino, Leo, Edward (Ardi), and Evald.
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.

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.

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.


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.


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.


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.



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.
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 two pianos in the living room, a spinet and a baby grand! 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.


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. 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.

One of the best-known and
beloved Estonian accordion players
 in Toronto, Lembit Nieländer.

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. 

"He makes me feel like dancing...."



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.



From one to a a whole group of accordions to give you the flavor of what gatherings in our family were like. 

Cinderella -- Festival Ballet Providence, October 2007

Leticia Guerrero in a publicity still for Cinderella

I wrote this review a year ago for Ballet Talk

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.

Viktor Plotnikov was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet from 1993-2003 (his wife Larissa Ponomarenko 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.

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 but 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 was magic -- Plotnikov's version.

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.

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.

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 Ilya Burov)?

This was a modern Cinderella the likes of which no one has seen before. The music was indeed Sergei Prokofiev's Op. 87, there were 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 does 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).

Leticia Guerrero

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.

The intended prince was Gleb Lyamenkoff, but he was injured about a week before the performance and Mindaugas Bauzys saved the day. Borrowed from Boston Ballet, where he is a soloist (his wife Vilia Putrius, 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.

Mindaugas Bauzys

Leticia Guerrero 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).

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.

Lauren Kennedy, one of the stepsisters (her role was shared with Jennifer Ricci -- 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!

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.

Erica Chipp and Lauren Menger 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.

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.

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. :)

Ballo della Regina, ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, November 2, 2008

Gillian Murphy in Ballo della Regina

Gene Schiavone photo

Ashley Bouder in Ballo della Regina

Paul Kolnik photo

Today's 1:30 performance (Nov. 2) began with Ballo and the slip of paper announcing Yuriko Kajiya and Eric Tamm in place of Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg. 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 Eric Tamm 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 Merrill Ashley variation, I looked at her very closely, Ashley's dancing running through my head.

Merrill Ashley
Martha Swope photo

Allegra Kent 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.

Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg in Ballo della Regina
Gene Schiavone photo

It was the collaboration with George Balanchine , 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!


But this review is supposed to be about Kajiya. I was pleasantly surprised at how pleasantly and surprisingly she danced today.

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 t-i-m-e to get better at things like Ballo. You certainly took the bull by the horns today. More power to you.

Yuriko Kajiya in Ballo della Regina
Gene Schiavone photo

Eric Tamm -- 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.

The corps was crisp, generous of movement, sprightly and long-limbed. My Isabella was there, so of course I watched her loveliness quite a lot of the time. Maria Bystrova 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 (Nicola, Zhong-Jing, Nicole, Melanie, Anne, Luciana, Jacquelyn, Christine, Leann, and Karen U.) each had their own personality as they danced and it was fun to identify them as they whizzed by.

All were in good form, some in sensational form. The four soloists -- Misty, Maria, Hee, and Marian -- were wonderful. I don't have a bone to pick with any of them. Sheer pleasure in beautiful costumes. Marian Butler is so pretty!

Preview: My new corps favorite is Roddy Doble (who knew?!) in “Company B”.
He was fantastic! And Carlos Lopez! Could he BE any better? WOW!

Isabella Boylston, Luciana Paris, Nicola Curry in Ballo della Regina
Gene Schiavone photo

Hee Seo in Ballo della Regina
Gene Schiavone photo

The Leaves are Fading, ABT at City Center, Sunday matinée, October 26, 2008

The Leaves are Fading

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!

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.

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.

Järvi Raudsepp and Roger Fonnegra in Festival Ballet's
The Leaves are Fading, February, 2008

Gene Schiavone photo

It is one of the loveliest ballets in existence and could be watched repeatedly without ever becoming tiring. Melissa Thomas 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 Hee Seo 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 Jacquelyn Reyes 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.

Jared Matthews also had a loose, joyful jump as he partnered Maria Ricetto 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 Tobin Eason 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 Veronika Part and Alexandre Hammoudi 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.

Marcelo Gomes and Julie Kent in The Leaves are Fading

Gene Schiavone photo

As at Bard, my eyes were also on Nicola Curry, and she didn't disappoint. Her stage presence continues to fascinate. She is one divine dancer. Marian Butler 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 Marcelo Gomes and Julie Kent fly by as part of the group. When did they blend in? I was looking forward to their pas de deux -- the famous John Gardner/Amanda McKerrow 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.

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), Mark Harootian 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?

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.

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.

A word about the conductor, Charles Baker. Never since Leonard Bernstein 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.

Next installment(s): Baker's Dozen and Citizen (I liked it!)