Spring 2003 week 6

[ciara]

Left before Vienna but thoroughly enjoyed what I saw. Highlights were Korbes, Keenan, and Carmena in Interplay. Korbes is like watching warm honey being poured. Keenan is like a fawn who has found its legs and Carmena---- is Carmena. Tsch. Pas was somehow both hectic and brilliant at the same time. Not much to say about Vespro.

[Dale]

ciara, welcome and thank you for posting. Pas de deux always does seem to get rather frantic, it's a race to the finish at NYCB!

I saw Korbes in Interplay last season and she was ravishing. I hope you keeping telling us about what you see.

[glebb]

I thought Korbes was really pretty last summer when she stepped in for Muniers in "Tchaikovsky Suite No Three". "Interplay" is no piece of cake technically so she must be strong.

I don't think I've seen Carmena dance. Could you elaborate for me Ciara?

[nina]

I can speak to Carmena's appeal. He finishes all steps. In other words he puts a period on his movements. He is also explosive. But not relentlessly so. I suppose that is what reviewers refer to a"nuanced dancing". For me (in Interplay) the most appealing were Mr. Veyette and Ms. Keenan. Why? Because they seemed to have dropped from Dick Clarks American Bandstand-I'm giving away my age- I hope to see these two in West Side Story.

[glebb]

Thanks for the info on Carmena, Nina. I've always loved "Interplay". How do the guys do with the consecutive double tours? I think the last guy has to do four double tours in a row.

When you say Carmena 'finishes all steps', are you saying that a lot of NYCB dancers do not?

[sneds]

Hi!

The double tours didn't quite happen as choreographed...Veyette is a great dancer, but not yet a four double tour level yet. I'd have put Hendrickson or Carmena at the end-I'd think one of them would have a better chance of getting in the rotations without a lot of preparation.

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux was beautiful....Woetzel just seemed to hang in the air on his assembles and his landings are so light.

Whelan is lovely, and it's a good partnership, dancing, temperament (on stage) and physique wise.

Vienna Waltzes was also good....Rachel Rutherford was stunning in the First Movement. With her hair up, she looked a lot like Meryl Streep, and I mean that as a compliment. Beautiful but elegant at the same time.

Kate

[petrav]

Just curious what choreography you're speaking of. Seems to me Veyette executed his turns as well as the rest. I didn't notice he left any out--but could be mistaken.

I also found R. Rurtherford exquisite in Vienna.

[nina]

I definitely did not mean to imply that most nycb men do not finish their steps! Sorry if I gave that impression. Only meant to say that I went away from last evenings performance with pictures of Carmena in my mind---That's to say there was no blurring of one step into another. Others do that as well and for me it makes for not only greater enjoyment but also greater understanding of the role.

[sneds]

Hi!

I believe Veyette only did, at most, three double tours. He looked to be increasingly off balance, and very off on the last landing. Don't think he did four, but in any case, it wasn't the prettiest set of double tours.

In the grand scheme of things, it was pretty minor, and I though the ballet was wonderfully danced, but that section didn't have the same effect that it can have when it's really a game of oneupsmanship (one good cast was ?, Carmena, Hendrickson and Ulbricht...I think the fourth may have been Orza possibly).

Kate

[nina]

Thanks, sneds. I'll defer to your judgment on the steps and your very valid point about oneupsmanship. Nevertheless, I hold to my subjective opinion on the appeal of Veyette--- ditto Ms. Keenan.

[Beeb]

Nina, I ditto your last sentence in regard to Keenan and Veyette.Some casting of those two in West Side Story!

[Guest steppas1]

Please post some input on Brahams. Won't get to see it , much as I'd like, so reviews here will be soooo welcome! Thanks

[Alexandra]

I wanted to slip in a quick welcome to ciara, nina, petrav, beeb and steppas1 -- I can't remember when we've had so many new posters jump in with comments about performances -- THANK YOU! I hope you'll post reviews of what you're seeing. The more opinions we have, the better (and the more fun to read).

[BW]

Attended today's matinee: Symphonic Dances, Sonatas and Interludes, Carousel, and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet.

Had never seen the Brahms piece before and I really enjoyed it - thought Ellen Bar was very good in "Allegro" and fell into a swoon over Jennifer Ringer and James Fayette in "Intermezzo" - my gosh, she's beautiful. Only wish I could do these ballets justice by describing the dancing the way it should be! ... Janie Taylor and Benjamin Millepied were also great together and very energetic in "Andante"...and I was happy to see some of the corps dancers get a chance to shine in this piece...for example Carrie Lee Riggins... Kyra Nichols and Damian Woetzel danced the rather tarantella-ish "Rondo all Zingarese"... Damian Woetzel always shows a lot of "character" in this sort of part and his fast footwork and cocky attitude was perfect for this role.

steppas1, I wish had the wherewithal to give you the kind of description you'd really like. :rolleyes: I liked this particular piece because there was so much to it...so many different moods, great costumes, different backgrounds, and I thought the dancing was wonderful. In a way, it seemed to me to be a kind of full length ballet. Even though I know Balanchine is neoclassical, this one really did make me feel as though I were watching a story ballet - without the story - if that makes sense.

I had seen Symphonic Dances before and I still liked it. Found it powerful and energetic.. "Sorry!" to all the Martins detractors. ;)

Sonatas and Interludes is performed to the music of John Cage and Maria Kowroski and Jock Soto were a real juxtaposition to me...the long, legged, lithe beauty and the almost stocky, strong, dark man... Kowroski slipped and suddenly hit the floor but didn't miss a beat in her recovery. Later in the Brahms piece, Pauline Golbin also had a spill, but also recovered without any hint of it having happened. I really admire these dancers for their stamina and presence.

However, my favorite was Carousel by Christopher Wheeldon with Alexandra Ansanelli and Damian Woetzel - romantic to the end. Now, I'm going to see if the issue of "Ballet Review" that I just purchased, upstairs at the NY State Theater, has more about this piece than just its cover photo of Ansanelli and Woetzel in Carousel. I know this piece has been discussed before on the board...but if you love the music by Richard Rodgers, you really ought to try to see this!

[sneds]

Hi!

Matinee and evening were wonderful.

Kudos to Janie Taylor and Sebastian Marcovici for some fast thinking during 'Symphonic Dances". Her foot got caught in his belt, and he had to stop and untangle her, throwing the torn belt into the wings. It was so smooth and they picked up so pefectly back into the music that some people near me (in the front of the orchestra) didn't realize what had happened.

Alexandra Ansanelli and Damian were wonderful together...he is giving 110% at every performance and looks just thrilled to be on stage. She was wonderful in "Carousel" (the beginning is a bit different-and better I think-no more picture of the ferris wheel and some minor changes in choreography) and her debut in "Steadfast Tin Soldier" in the evening was absolutely delightful. Her facial expressions were perfect and she has just the right style for the role. She and Woetzel seem to be a good pair. She looked bit tired by "Vienna Waltzes", but seemed energized by Peter Boal's gracious partnering and soaring dancing.

Ringer & Fayette were wonderful in "Brahms-Schoenberg", though I think Golbin's slip (she looked a bit off in the next series of step to me, from close up in the orchestra) jarred the audience a bit-it was the second fall and third mishap of the afternoon. Besides Woetzel & Nichols, Millepied was the highlight for me...he was really on! Overall, I thought that Brahms needs a few more performances to really hit the stride, but it was wonderful even so.

All Balanchine in the evening, and all wonderful!!!

Kate

[Michael]

In Sunday's matinee, Vienna Waltzes was curiously underpowered, mostly a matter of casting I think.

Rachel Rutherford does not hold the stage or occupy space strongly enough for the Vienna Woods sequence. She is not someone of whom it can be said that simply to watch her perform a waltz takes your breath away. The hint of drama between her and her swain was also a little lost, a little confused.

Boal was fabulous in the Fruhlingstimmen. But after the most amazing entrance of chainee turns to the initial whirling of the music, Ansanelli was similarly unsuited to her role. She phrases so beautifully. But the precision required by the pirouettes and the turn out required by some of the poses escapes her. This is not a natural role for her, although again I admire her ability to continue to carry so many roles which are not quite natural to her. What would this season have been without her? Actually, Ansanelli replaced Weese in this yesterday on short notice, although I've seen Alexandra cast in this before.

Amanda Edge, in Explosions Polka, was strangely evil and dismissive of her partner. I don't think it is easy to make me miss Katherine Tracy.

That Jennifer Ringer is completely unsuited to the Gold and Silver Waltz has been well said by others.

Finally, Kyra Nichols (with Philip Neal) was actually a bit dramatically confusing to me in the Rosenkavalier. Nichols does not usually overdo things or overact these days, but there was a sort of "cutsey" approach to this yesterday that did not quite ring true to me.

Every one of the movements of Vienna Waltzes has its own well defined particular atmosphere, sets and costumes. Gold and Silver Waltz is 1905. The costumes, sets and atmosphere differ from Vienna Woods (1868) and from Rosenkavalier (post World War I, but can the attribution in the program of the music to 1946 really be correct?). Rosenkavalier has Edwardian costumes, the women's hair is done a la Princess Alexandra of Denmark, circa 1910. It is precisely these details that Ballanchine is exploiting, is epitomizing even. The temporal sequence gives a hint of perfume and meaning to the dances, it gives depth to the characterization. My point is that all the potential for this perfume, for this fascinating level of meaning, is lost when the principal dancers slur their characterization's together or are simply unsuited to their roles. Rosenkavalier, for instance, is not only Edwardian in tone but has a hint, in the modern age, of "after the fall" nostalgia for the innocent waltzes of the 19th century. A post war "remembrance of things past." That may be what the Ballerina's strange arms and dance with a shadow are all about. Those layers of meaning -- even if it's just a question you ask yourself -- were pretty well lost yesterday. Even if to see Philip Neal wandering about in such a potentially metaphoric world is quite a delicious absurdity.

Casting I would suggest might include Carla Korbes in Vienna Woods (certainly I could watch her waltz and just waltz nearly eternally, and certainly she has the arms for the role), and Ashley Bouder in Explosions Polka. With Alexopolous's retirement, I'm not sure what you do with Gold and Silver and I also don't know about Rosenkavalier. Perhaps Kowroski might do one of these, perhaps Weese (particularly Rosenkavalier).

[ballerina1023]

I too was at Saturday's matinee and was very pleased with the performance as a whole. I agree with Sneds in that Golbin's fall jarred the audience: I knew I didn't breathe for a few seconds afterwards! If I had been up on that stage after the several mishaps of the performance, I don't think I would have let my feet leave the floor! I suppose this is just a testament as to what professionals these dancers are.

I'm not a huge fan of Symphonic Dances, but I enjoyed watching Taylor and Marcovici. Very impressive how they managed to overcome the shoe/belt issue.

Again, Sonatas & Interludes isn't a favorite of mine, but I really enjoy Kowroski's dancing, so she made it for me. This season, she seems to have really taken a back seat to some other dancers. In the past, she has often seemed like the "it" girl, whereas now, she seems to be developing into the seasoned principle she is. I'm not saying that her technique has fallen at all, just that it appears some of the "Maria the Marvelous" (as Dance Magazine put it) has worn off: and this might be for the better. I'm not sure how I feel about her partnering with Jock Soto: I just couldn't get over the height difference when she was on pointe. She might even be as tall as he is when standing flat-footed.

Ansanelli was incredibly lush in Carousel. I too like the slight alterations made to the ballet. However, although Woetzel was quite good in the role, I think I prefer Millepied. There just seems to be so much energy and chemistry between Ansanelli and Millepied.

Ringer was beautiful in Brahms, and I love it when she and Fayette are paired together. Such a lovely couple they are. She really seems to be in her prime.

Looking forward to this coming weekend: Edge in Steadfast will be interesting to see, and I can't wait for Stafford in Glass Pieces.

[Guest DF818]

Michael -

Some say that Strauss probably didn't have a hand in arranging the Rosenkavalier Suite that premiered n 1946.

See http://www.wiener-symphoniker.at/txt/we541_d.htm

[liebs]

Michael, I so agree with your comments about Rutherford. She seems to think being the prettiest girl on the block is enough - no projection whatsoever. It is interesting that over the years, the first section of Vienna Waltzes has been danced by so many different types of dancers. I was made on Von Arnoldigen and Lavery, and there was always a feeling that the older woman might be abandoned by the younger in that moment when all the men come on except the principal. It gave this section a great poignancy. I've also seen Nichols and Meunier dance it.

Explosion Polka was been a real let down since Leland left the part. She's the only one who was both funny and dirty.

Merry Widow was weakly cast in its early years with Mazzo but got good performances from Calegair and Alexopolus. Ringer is glamorous without being mysterious and the role needs both qualities.

Vienna Waltzes is probably a more difficult ballet to pull off then it appears to be. It is not just pretty - the casting is crucial to making it work. As is a sense of storytelling, there is not necessarily a plot but the dancers need to have decided what their relationship is to their partner and the people around them - an element sadly missing from Rutherford's performance.

[Guest steppas1]

Sneds: Thanks for your sensitive review. Some accidents only reinforce Murphy's Law! Certainly hope to see the performance myself; sounds terrific.

[Calliope]

phew... I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one disappointed with Vienna.

Merry Widow... out of all the dancers of late doing the role, I liked Ringer best, but as liebs said, still missing that air of mystery.

And as remiss as I am to say this, I feel as though Rutherford's been phoning in many of her performances this season. Perhaps she just seemed to work harder before, I'm not sure. But Vienna felt cold instead of enchanting.

I am looking forward to Edge's Steadfast this week, hopefully I can make it.

[Ari]

Tales From the Vienna Woods was actually made on von Aroldingen and Jacques d'Amboise, but he got injured shortly before the premiere and Lavery took over. I don't think d'Amboise ever danced it.

In performance, though, it's definitely had the flavor of an older woman/younger man episode.

[AmandaNYC]

I actually very much enjoyed Rutherford's performance, as I think I talked about in my post about last week's performances. She isn't a big, projection dancer. But, from the first ring, she pulled me in, and I was taken with how beautifully she moves her upper body, swooning. I could see her tentativeness with her partner at times, relief when he appears at last at that one point, joy in sweeping around the stage. Not sure if those who were less happy with her performance were higher up than I. I definitely think there are some dancers who are not "3rd or 4th ring dancers". That's why I still think the ballet masters should watch from up there (if they don't ever now) on occasion, to see what a large portion of the audience sees.

-amanda

[carbro]

As should the dancers themselves on occasional nights off. In all my years up in the 4th Ring, I only once saw a member of the company (Peter Frame with non-dancing friends). On the other hand, it is not unusual -- or was not years ago -- to see company members in the orchestra.

[sneds]

Hi!

Interesting...I was also watching from closer up (front of the orchestra) and thought Rutherford was wonderful, especially on Tuesday night. It really can make a difference in one's perception of a performance, depending on where you sit in a theater. Alexandra Ansanelli is wonderful to watch wherever you are in theater, but when you are up close, her facial expressions add another layer to her performance.

It's a challenge for the dancers, because they have to project up to the upper rings without looking overblown to audience in the orchestra and first ring. And I think certain ballets simply don't project well because the choreography is built around lots of little details.

Both balletmasters and dancers (at NYCB and ABT) tend to sit in the orchestra section, probably because it's the easiest place to get to from backstage and that's where the house seats tend to be located.

Out of curiousity, I checked the technical specs for the State Theatre, and about half the seats are in the orchestra and first ring. So, I would think it would be as important to perform for those closer up as those farther away.

Kate