Weese & Hankes in BEAUTY

[oberon]

Saturday evening's SLEEPING BEAUTY had two beauties: Weese as Aurora and Amanda Hankes as Lilac. Weese combined lyricism, strength and charm in an engrossing portrayal. She nicely stretched out her climactic balance in the Rose Adagio; her turns are dazzling and her Vision Scene had a poetic quality that was very moving. Philip Neal didn't attain quite the level he reached in last week's performance with Ringer. Merrill Ashley seemed to be having a blast as Carabosse; the Fairies were an attractive group (Abergel, Flynn, Rutherford, Hyltin, Lowery) and Tinsley & Orza teamed up with two very appealing young ballerinas, Glenn Keenan & Lindy Mandradjieff, to illuminate the Jewels pas de quatre. Alina Dronova was a feisty White Cat. Carrie Lee Riggins & Adam Hendrickson gave a light, bright & buoyant Bluebird...Adam's musicality is always a pleasure to experience. Having noted Amanda Hankes many times in the corps, it was a treat to have her step out as Lilac Fairy. Her alabaster complexion, superb carriage and gracious dancing kept my binoculars trained on her every move. It was a very satisfying night.

[cargill]

I certainly agree about Hankes. I hadn't noticed her at all before--so much for me!, and was amazed at her presence. I loved her mime so much. She reminded me slightly of Deanne Bergsma, who always looked like she was born with a wand in her hand.