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Ceeszi

Senior Member
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About Ceeszi

  • Birthday 07/18/1968

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    Fan
  • City**
    Yonkers
  • State (US only)**, Country (Outside US only)**
    New York
  1. So excited to hear about last night - wish I was there! Every time I see Shklyarov I am amazed by how he grows as an artist. I think I saw him for the first time back in February of 2010 when the Mariinsky came to DC in The Sleeping Beauty. I remember thinking he was good - nothing outstanding. Then I saw him in July of 2011 when the Mariinsky came to the Met in Symphony in C. I noticed how much he matured and thought that he was excellent in that ballet. Last summer, I saw him in La Bayadere with Tereshkina and marveled not only at his superb dancing but his command of the stage as a leading man. Thanks for all the reviews and again - wish I had been there!
  2. Even though this was the 75th anniversary - one thing has not changed. Best dressed - Dvorovenko Worst dressed - Vishneva. Diana is my favorite dancer but her stylist - eek!!
  3. I can't wait for tonight! I have never seen Osipova in a full Giselle. I saw her in the Act II Pas de deux at one of the ABT Opening Night Galas a few years ago. Tonight should be a treat. Also, I can't think of the last time I saw Sarafanov dance!
  4. I attended last night's performance and I have some mixed feelings. First - I loved seeing Svetlana Zakharova. She is a world famous ballerina who rarely dances in New York. I have only seen her dance live twice - when the Bolshoi came to NYC in the summer of 2005 in Don Quixote and when she danced an awful pas de deux from Tristan and Isolde at the 2012 Stars of the 21st Century Gala. Last night, she was my favorite part of the ballet. I kept waiting for her to come on stage. Her Odette was lovely and vulnerable and her Odile was very spectacular. Her solo work was beautiful and Hallberg did a good (not great) job of partnering her. Unfortunately, there was not much chemistry between Zakahrova and Hallberg, but I truly believe that she outperformed him. (Thinking back, when I saw her as Kitri in the summer of 2005, she also outperformed her partner, Andrey Uvarov). I usually like David Hallberg very much, but last night, he was not the dancer I saw who wowed me at the Met 3-4 years ago. Hallberg looked very tired. He also seemed to have some trouble getting his jumps all the way around. And the stage of the Koch seemed to be too small for him. As was mentioned before, I also was shocked to see not one but two falls in the corps. The first took place when all the swans first came out and the second came during the Spanish dance. I hated the ending of this Swan Lake. I love the ABT ending, with Odette and Siegfried united together in the afterlife. The NYCB ending is sad, but it has Odette gently gliding off into the distance. This Grigorovich version of Swan Lake has the "Evil Genius" just kind of body slamming Odette onto the ground and seeming to say - "Look - she's dead - get over it!" Overall, I found that there was much more dancing than mime or acting in this production. The Evil Genius - Ivan Lantratov and the Fool - Igor Tsvirko were both excellent. The two women in the Act I PDT - Kristina Kretova and Maria Vinogradova were both wonderful. And the music during the PDT was very fast paced. I second the love for Anna Tikhomirova as the Spanish Bride. I was taken back to the summer of 2005 when an unknown Natalia Ospiova came flying out of the wings during the Act III Grand Pas of Don Quixote. Tikhomirova flew through the air during the Spanish dance. I am happy that I went. I loved Zakaharova and some of the dancers, but the overall production left me feeling a little cold.
  5. Wow - I was really looking forward to Cojocaru!
  6. I went last night and as usual - thank you Diana and Marcelo for giving 110 percent and spilling your guts onstage. What a performance! That last pas de deux in the Louisiana bayou was amazing!
  7. I attended the opening Coppelia. I also saw this three years ago with Osipova and Simkin. I want to second the opinion that this was a triumph for Misty Copeland. I thought that she was beautiful as Swanilda. She was very funny, showed great command of the stage and the audience, and danced very well with Herman Cornejo. The production of Coppelia itself is okay - I felt that it was a little boring in certain parts. I kept waiting for Misty to come back on stage. By the way, I tried to buy Misty Copeland's book at the Met Gift Shop, and I was told that they were completely sold out!
  8. I agree with the above - this is the first time that I have seen Shklyarov dance with Tereshkina where he actually looked older than her. I attended three of the performances. I attended Vishneva/Gomes/Murphy, Smirnova/Muntagirov/Seo, and Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Boylston. Of the three, my favorite was the first. Diana and Marcelo usually spill their guts on stage and they more than delivered at the opening Bayadere performance. When the veil was lifted off of Diana's face, I knew that Diana was not seeing the audience of the Met. She was looking at the Himalayas in the distance and she created a magical spell from her opening pose. The opening pas de deux between her and Marcelo was passionate and much more erotic than it has been in the past. Marcelo as always was the perfect partner - he is probably the best Solor I have ever seen. Gillian Murphy was technically superb in the engagement party and in her solo in the last act (were those triple or quadruple pirouettes she was doing?). And Diana was just Diana at her best - no one uses their back like her to create passion and excitement. And whether as a temple dancer, a woman betrayed, or a Shade - always in character. The Smirnova/Muntagirov/Seo performance left me with mixed emotions. Olga Smirnova was lovely as Nikiya. She has not fully developed the role, yet her dancing by itself was beautiful. There was not the passion between her and Vadim that there was between Diana and Marcelo. Vadim was very good in his solos - he was the surprise for me. Hee Seo is not the technical dancer that Gillian Murphy is, yet she acted the part of the proud and spoiled princess very well. I was happy that I went to this performance, yet of the three, this was my least favorite. The Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Boylston performance left me in awe. Tereshkina's Nikiya was a marvel - I also was in awe of her beautiful dancing, yet I was not moved the way that I was by Diana. Shklyarov was just smashing - every time that I see him dance, he seems to grow as a dancer and an artist. This time, I was amazed by the command of the stage that he has aquired. I am sorry to say that I was disappointed in Boylston's Gamzatti. She looked a little lost up there surrounded by the two Mariinsky superstars. I love this ballet. I splurged and saw the three performances. I hope that Smirnova, Muntagirov, Tereshkina, and Shklyarov will come back and dance at ABT again.
  9. I saw Tereshkina as Gamzatti back in 2008 when the Mariinsky came to DC. The coldness was perfect for the role of the Princess Gamzatti and her dancing was superb. Her coldness was a perfect contrast to Vishneva's Nikiya. The next time I saw her was as Aurora when the Mariinsky came to DC in 2010. There, the lack of warmth was a hindrance. Again, her dancing was gorgeous, but at that performance I ended up watching Kondaurova as the Lilac Fairy more than her. Shklyarov was Prince Desiree at that performance, but he was still a work in progress back then. The next time I saw Shklyarov was when the Mariinsky came to the Met in 2011. I saw him in Symphony in C and I marveled at his growth as a dancer and as an artist. I am really looking forward to tonight's performance and seeing Tereshkina and Shklyarov again. I also want to see how Isabella Boylston holds her ground as Gamzatti.
  10. I attended last night. I also attended Friday night with Vishneva/Gomes/Murphy. Friday night was total magic. Last night was not, but there were many beautiful moments. I thought Smirnova was lovely. Her Nikiya was still a work in progress, but I was thrilled that she came to the Met and I would love to see her again. I had only seen her dance once before - at the 2012 Stars of the 21st Century Gala. Muntagirov was the surprise for me last night. This is the first time I had seen him dance and I read the mixed reviews about him in the past, but he was really great last night. He was dynamic in his solos and he partnered Smirnova very well. There was not the Diana/Marcelo passion of Friday night. Hee Seo acted the part of the spoiled princess but her dancing was not up to the standards of Murphy or Osipova (who danced Gamzatti two years ago). I am going back tonight for Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Boylston.
  11. I agree with you, although I am looking forward to Tereshkina/Shklyarov. I saw Tereshkina dance Gamzatti (with Vishneva as Nikiya) when the Mariinsky was in DC in the winter of 2008.
  12. Craig Salstein was the Bronze Idol on Friday night. He was very good. The best Bronze Idol I ever saw was Cornejo, although Simkin was pretty good himself.
  13. It is after midnight - I will write more tomorrow, but just have to post that it was a magical Bayadere last night. All three leads were at their absolute best. One funny thing - when they moved Solor's divan/couch in Act II, something dropped on the floor that sent a couple of sparks flying. As the Shades were entering, a visible hand came out from behind the curtain to clean up whatever that was.
  14. I attended Thursday evening with Kochetkova and Cornejo. While there were moments of brilliance, there were also moments of terrible sloppiness. Twice (or maybe three times) Kochetkova fell off point while Cornejo was spinning her. It just seemed that the two leads were out of sync with each other. The ballet got stronger as the night went on. Act I seemed to be "off". Kochetkova's Kitri is still a work in progress. She is not quite the feisty girl that I have seen portrayed by Valdes or Osipova. She did have some lovely moments in the Act II dream ballet and most of her solo work was very good.
  15. Thank you so much for your reviews. For the third time in a row, I have had to miss the ABT Opening Night Gala..
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