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Spring 2004 Week 3


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It can't be Week 3 already, can it?

Tuesday = Was anyone else there tonight? Was this a fantastic DANCES AT A GATHERING or was it me? I have seen this ballet so many times, back to the days of McBride & Verdy, but I thought tonight's cast was just perfect. The long-time DAAG personalities, Kyra, Jock & Damian, have become so enmeshed in these roles, and the music so ingrained in them, that it is hard to imagine a time when they will no longer dance them. Each strikes just the right note; Kyra is on incredible form and surpassed her many previous appearances in the role over the years. Damian's solo was mesmerizing, and Jock's encounter with the Girl in Green was priceless. That role went to the grandiose, enigmatic Sylve...great to see her back in action. People wondered which role Bouder would be dancing and I guess we all assumed Mauve but Ringer has moved to that role and Bouder takes on Yellow and what a performance she gave...it suits her to perfection. One tiny glitch was glossed over by Marcovici's quick thinking; I will look forward to seeing Bouder again in this part. Ringer, basically a lyric dancer, always brings those little touches that make her not just interesting but engrossing to watch...she was always great in Yellow but she is superb in Mauve. Rachel Rutherford was a breath of fresh air in Blue, Marcovici was ideal in Green, and Carmena & Fayette excellent in Brick & Blue. Perfect pianist Cameron Grant. I was surprised that this magnificent performance did not draw a more fervent audience response.

After this, BRAHMS-SCHOENBERG, in a very fine performance...Weese and Hanna evoked the romance and elegance if the opening section, with Ellen Bar a lovely soloist. The guests, Pantastico & Wevers, are fine dancers but I would just as soon have seen Ringer & Fayette in this piece which they dance so beautifully. Wevers' jabot came off and lay on the stage til he snatched it up at his bow. Three beauties, Korbes, Golbin & Beskow, were more than mere back-up dancers. Borree and Hubbe have always had a good partnership and they danced well tonight...after bowing they started to head offstage in opposite directions. Maria Kowroski's brilliant, large-scale gypsy lass provided an exciting climax to the evening...what extension, and what sheer abandon she brings to the part. Askegard gave his all but can't quite match Damian's bravado in this role. I got dizzy trying to keep up with all the corps dancers that I love (Edge, Riggins, Krohn, Dronova, Walker, Hankes, Arthurs, Labean...etc etc etc) my opera glasses whirling madly from place to place.

Anyone who like GATHERING should try to see this cast...Kyra, Bouder & Ringer are at their best.

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Go figure. I thought Dances was a bit coarse tonight. Much as I am fond of Bouder, she pushed this part hard; it made me miss quieter dancers in the role like Judy Fugate. This isn't a "take no prisoners" ballet. Marcovici needs to think about his partnering. He blew the series of lifts in the middle and then he blew the lift at the end. Those weren't glitches. He's got to work on his partnering. I thought Nichols punched her role hard as well.

I loved Weese in 1st movement of Brahms Schoenberg and Hanna is shaping himself into a soloist as well. Funny how there seems to be a way Balanchine treats first movements that demands a certain sort of casting. Weese is also lovely in the first movement of Symphony in C - but does she do 1st mvt Western? (I think she does 2nd, offhand) Ellen Bar has a very interesting legato quality and a beautiful face.

I'll drop the pretense of objectivity here. Olivier is a cyberpal and this is the first time I've gotten to see him dance except in rehearsal. I'm just delighted to see him. That aside, I thought he did a fine job; he has beautiful lines. I last saw Pantastico dance when she was 15 in '95. She's developed in a very different way than I thought she might; very expansive and very capable.

What's interesting is that the PNB couple does a much brighter version of the Intermezzo than we do here. It's a flirtation, not a romance with undertones. And yet, I heard in the music that propelled that interpretation, especially with the tempo Quinn took.

Kowroski and Askegard did a fine finale - Askegard looks very good in the d'Amboise repertory and Kowroski pushed herself in this - it's a good toughening role for her.

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Dances at a Gathering disappointed me. Some of the performances were fine but seldom have I seen so many bobbles in this ballet. Marcovici was a prime offender, and should be singled out for an appalling performance. And for the first time that I can remember, the part in the middle of the ballet which culminates with the girl in yellow seemingly shot from a cannon to land in the boy in blue's arms (Bouder and Fayette last night), failed to excite. Sophiane Sylve had an unusual interpretation of the girl in green, but it was perhaps too subtle and failed to get any laughs. I was one of the people who provided only polite applause at the end, although most of the audience was more enthusiastic.

Brahms-Schoenberg made me happy.

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Hmmm...were we all at the same GATHERING?

I sometimes wonder if our own state of mind affects the way we view a particular performance. I was actually going to skip GATHERING this season but it was the only night I could see B-S Q, which I love. Sometimes GATHERING seems too long and "same-y" to me but last night it drew me in from the moment Damian walked on. Strange, I thought Bouder was pushing in DIVERT but just right in Yellow.

The part with the tossing of the Girl in Yellow has changed over the years, starting with a performance I saw where Kipling Houston (usually the most reliable of partners) almost dropped Jenifer Ringer. To my knowledge, Houston never danced the part again; Fayette took over at the next performance and the position into which Jenifer landed in his arms was modified. And Bouder's landing was modified further, I am not sure if it was planned that way or it ended up that way.

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With that series, it's obviously important that the catcher be there, but the lift is shaped by the thrower, and that was Marcovici. He got no height with Bouder, and it isn't like the girl doesn't jump.

How did people feel about today's performance? I went, but would anyone else like to go first?

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Wednesday night was Ballo della Regina, Episodes and Union Jack.

Ballo had guests Lorna Feijoo from Boston and Gonzalo Garcia from San Francisco. And they were just terrific. I think it was one of the best Ballos since Merrill. Lorna had all the technical capability necessary and turned in an excellent performance as did Garcia. It's so nice for us New Yorkers to see that Balanchine is being so well served around the country. The demis were Ashley Bouder, Amanda Edge, Amanda Hankes and Carla Korbes. Ashley did the old Debbie Austin role proud: great giant long-held leaps just the way Debbie used to do them. Carla had all the requisite glamor and phrasing necessary for the role initially done by Stephanie Saland. And it was so very nice to see Carla do a solo role with such confidence. (More please!!). I would have reversed the casting of the two Amandas. Hankes would have been more suited to the old Sheryl Ware role which calls for razor sharp diamond pas de chats. But both turned in good dancing.

Episodes was again given the deluxe treatment. Special mention to James Fayette and Tess Reichlen in the second section. As an aside, for the second time during this revival season there were no audience titters during this section. A complete change from 30 plus years of viewing ths ballet!!

Union Jack is back!!! Yippee!! It was very well rehearsed and drilled. There was only one little bobble when Ansanelli and a corps girl almost had a split second collision, but otherwise it went fine. Nilas and Jeny Ringer were the outstanding costermongers; what a good actor Nilas is!! (And, no, the donkey didn't misbehave!!). Maria Korowski was a great wren. I think she's having a breakout season; she seems to be dancing the with abandon that I have always found missing from her dancing. Keep it up!!

Programming note: I think that the long ballets like Union Jack and Liebesleder should be done with only one other ballet. Both are "dense" ballets requiring the audience's full attention and I think it does them a disservice to program them with two other ballets. Last night didn't get out until 10:50!!

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the programming on wednesday night ended quite late, but it was a fine and interesting evening

on the way out, in an elevator, i heard comments about the extreme length, but also heard "it was worth staying up late for"

ballo began very well -- i felt that ms feijoo was comletely in control, and that i could relax and enjoy the piece (this is not always the case with ballo)

she is exuberant, looks wonderful and has a lovely stage appearance and technique

she seemed to be enjoying herself very much (this piece must be one of the most difficult - from the ballerina's standpoint - in the repertory)

mr garcia is nowhere near nycb's level, but was equally exuberant and beautifully attentive to his partner

later in the piece, however, i felt that some lack of control on the ballerina's part had set in

the balanchine pas de chats were not well-executed, and they are a signature of the piece (who can forget merrill ashley in this part?)

i always look forward to seeing this section, and was somewhat disappointed

of course, i understand that this was the first performance of the piece and there will certainly be improvement at the next performance, which i can hardly wait to attend

i say ignore any apparent problems: brava to a beautiful, spirited dancer

jennifer tinsley was so good in episodes - she seems to improve each time we see her

teresa reichlen and james fayette did not quite manage the complicated, interesting assembly of bodies in the five pieces section - too much of the ballerinas's upper legs showed, for instance - and the point of the whole thing was lost in a very awkward pose - it needs work

jock soto was absolutely wonderful in the musical offerings section, but i thought maria was very bland - the music which ends this section, and the piece as a whole, must be among the best musical endings in ballet

the audience went wild for union jack, regardless of the late hour -

what can you say? it's simply stupefying

nilas martins is a superb soft-shoe dancer and comedian - i think he missed his true calling, which is musical theater (?)

what an engaging personality -

by the way, ms feijoo is exactly what nycb needs at this point -

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Went Friday night, with Divertimento No. 15, Variations poure une porte et un soupir, and Four Temperaments.

Divertimento was a bit sloppy, or a bit lacking in something - not quite sure what. Last time I saw it was November with Suzanne Farrell's company on tour in Los Angeles, on a much much smaller stage - it seemed to fit the stage there perfectly, and the dancers brought a certain vitality to the entire thing. Here, it looked much smaller on the larger NY State Theater stage, and it wasn't so sharp and the dancers weren't so interesting to watch. Exceptions, though, in the Second Movement: Ashley Bouder (fourth variation) and Robert Tewsley (fifth variation) - both were excellent, secure technically, and charismatic in stage presence. Each time Bouder or Tewsley were on stage, it was an effortless flow of movement going with the orchestra - the way I remembered seeing it in November, but better since these two were so much stronger overall. Orchestra played decently, but the French horns were a bit off...

Variations poure une porte et un soupir (Variations for a door and a sigh) - a quirky piece, seemed to drag on at the end, though. The music is entirely recorded door squeaks and "sighs" of metal. Maria Kowroski was excellent, even though her "squeaking" her limbs in tune to the recorded squeaks of the doors got a bit old after awhile. Tom Gold was positively creature like in his role.

Four Temperaments: I enjoyed this piece very much. The orchestra did wonderfully, and so did the dancers. Wendy Whelan and Robert Tewsley (replacing, according to the program, Charles Askegard due to injury) were wonderful in the Sanguinic variation, and Teresa Reichlin stood out in the Choleric variation.

Good start to a visit to New York...two more weeks here should be great (just in case anyone was wondering why my location says Los Angeles and I somehow posted from New York).

--Art

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Thanks, Art. I was there, too, and agree with you about Divert. About everything, actually. A big problem with Divert was that Ansanelli, in Wilde's original role, was a mere equal among equals. She has the authority to hold the stage on her own, but not the weight of presence that would assert her primacy. As in most of her recent appearances, Bouder really tends to dominate. I love watching Bouder dance, but found her mugging in the Theme & Variations movement distracting. Abi Stafford's joy in performing again is palpable and lit up her performance.

Porte/Soupir got five (5, V) curtain calls! R. reminded me when it got boos -- back in the '70s. I did not tire as Art did, because as the action moved to the costume/set, that's where my attention went. I sat mesmerized by the billowing silk. (Orpheus' white curtain tends to have a similar effect on me. :lol:)

Somebody's been tinkering with Four T's. I suspect -- it looks to me -- that they'd rehearsed the ballet and then had a veteran come in to clean it up and make adjustments. Most conspicuous among the changes is the very end of Choleric, where the dancers soutenu and then sort of squat. My eye is accustomed to a lunge. The back and arms are the same, just the legs are different -- both bent instead of the back leg straight. Was that B'chine's original choreography?

Albert Evans was less than his usual compelling self in Phlegmatic, although his phrasing was wonderful. I did not care at all for Marcovici's Melancholic -- lacked the suppleness and shadings that gave some of the role's celebrated interpreters such memorable impact. Whelan did pretty well -- dancing on a smaller scale and falling a bit short of her usual standard -- in Sanguinic, where Tewsley surprised me by looking most at home in it! Good for him! Reichlen's Choleric was more than merely promising. It's the boldest dancing I've seen yet from a gal who tends to dance quite boldly. It would be nice, though, if she'd lose the pale blue eyeshadow. I didn't think anyone even manufactured it any more. Of the themes, Jennifer Tinsley (with Stephen Hanna) was really solid in the Third. Faye Arthurs was very tentative in the First, as if taking too much care to avoid hitting Jonathan Stafford as she extended her arabesque leg after the lifts. I hope experience gives her the assurance to be more assertive in her movement and let her partner take care of himself.

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I thought that UNION JACK tonight, (SATURDAY), was one of the very best performances of the entire year, both Fall, Winter and Spring. It was not any one, two, three, six, seven or eight dancers -- It was instead the entire company, from the very newest apprentices to the most renowned principals, from the very top to the very bottom, dancing in such high good spirits that made it so. The sense of a defile of the entire corps de ballet and most of the principals. Wonderful performances from Ringer and Nilas Martins as the Pearly King and Queen. From Woetzel, Weese, Ansanelli, Soto, Whelan, Boal, Kowroski and others too.

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I'm so glad to read that, Michael. I remember a couple of years ago, some people here who hadn't seen the ballet when it was new thought it negligible, and others said that was because of the way it was being performed. So it's great to know that's changed.

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I agree with Michael about Saturday night's Union Jack. Especially enjoyed Jennifer Ringer and Nilas Martins in the pas de deux. They say clothes make the man, but here clothes made the woman - Ringer really seemed to jump right into the character of the outgoing party-going woman with huge hat and sparkly clothes. A lot of fun to watch! Then of course, Wendy Whelan in the Royal Navy segment - fantastic!

Saw Shambards, the new Wheeldon piece, as well. My favorite part was the James MacMillan score. The hinted violence between Jock Soto and Miranda Weese during the pas de deux didn't offend me like it has offended a few other posters, but it did seem kind of random to me - there was no real justification or follow up for it in other parts of the ballet. It was just kind of there, and would pop up at the end of the second and third movements. Enjoyed the third movement overall, but felt the first movement was trying to be Four Temperaments with more dancers, but not quite getting there. A nice piece by Wheeldon, though.

--Art

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I was there tonight, too. This was the first time I've seen Union Jack and I really loved it. Unfortunately, I noticed a few people leaving during the Pearly King & Queen variation. I must admit, I also got a little restless at that point - even though I thought Ringer & Martins did a great job. When Whelan, Woetzel et al got going it really took off again, all through to that great finale.

This was also my first view of Shambards and I liked it. It was certainly a very dark piece, but I loved the geometry of it, and as long as you accepted Wheldon's intention I thought it suceeded on it's own terms. It definitely wasn't Mary Poppins. I loved Weese, and didn't find her pas de deux with Soto as upsetting as some posters did. There was plenty of implied violence throughout their whole adagio, but the actual "dragging" was brief, and at the end of the pas. The whole thing had a had a very primitive, torturous undertone so that brief moment of overt violence didn't strike me as much worse than what led up to it.

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Saturday evening = SHAMBARDS was fascinating and I regretted not having seen it earlier. It is dark and brooding; even the more extroverted segments have an underlying tension. The lighting and sombre costumes create a rather threatening atmosphere; Ask LaCour seemed almost sinister on his first entry but his duet with the beauteous Carla Korbes had a sensuous quality (albeit with violence lurking under the surface). Korbes is a magnificent dancer but she could lose a few pounds. In the closing section, Ashley Bouder was nothing short of thrilling...her speed and clarity brought a momentary break in the darkness. Megan Fairchild was thoroughly overshadowed and just seemed to be doing the steps while Bouder lit up the stage. Ulbricht likewise seemed to overwhelm Joaquin de Luz. The central adagio provided a masterpiece for Miranda Weese and that paragon of partners, Jock Soto. Nowadays, Miranda is mainly cast as a romantic or virtuoso ballerina but I remember a time when she did some of the edgier roles, notably the frozen delights of SONATAS & INTERLUDES. Here she was amazing as Jock put her through the difficult partnered turns and lifts. When the pianist began to play direct quotes from the Mad Scene of Donizetti's LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR I began to think of Miranda as the put-upon heroine of that opera and Jock as her dastardly brother. This idea carried thru in the final section where the musical quotes recur as the woman is beaten into submission and dragged off ominously to her fate. In the opera, of course, she has her revenge by stabbing her unwanted bridegroom 37 times on their wedding night. (The story is based on a true incident, embellished by Sir Walter Scott). I am ready to see SHAMBARDS again and hopefully soon.

The best thing about UNION JACK is, you get to see EVERYONE...the opening gathering of the clans is the best part; Damian and Wendy were striking in their solo passages here. Abi Stafford, Tom Gold, Steve Hanna, Arch Higgins and Jared Angle were among those swelling the ranks. The music hall number, well done by Ringer & Martins, gets a bit tedious...tonight the donkey rebelled and took off unattended into the wings, his cart catching and tearing one of the side panels of the set. The finale is a big romp, Wendy & Eddie Liang, and Maria Kowroski all seemed to be having an especially good time.

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Sunday matinee brought another spectacular Ballo with guests Lorna Feijoo and Gonzalo Garcia with the same cast of demis as on Wednesday. The demis (Bouder, Edge, Hankes and Korbes) were terrific. (Maybe we can have Ashley B. in the lead some day.) The guests were even better than on Wednesday. The only thing Lorna missed was the grand jete with the backbend -- a Merrill special -- which I don't think we will see the likes of again. But Lorna had everything else!! Garcia was more relaxed and turned in quite a bravua and even lyrical reading of the role.

The Four Temperments saw the debut in Sanguinic of Sofiane Sylve. This was a very promising debut; there was a little bobble at the start of her variation (which I don't think 90% of the audience realized) but the rest was danced with her usual clarity. She will get sharper in this role as she gets more comfortable in it. Tewsely was her partner; he too was very good. Special mention goes to Teresa Reichlen in Choleric and, of course, Albert Evans in Phlegmatic was the audience favorite.

Spotted at intermission on the prom: Manuel Carreno holding court with family, friends and well wishers.

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Maybe we can have Ashley B. in the lead some day.

If ever a role and a dancer were made (in different times) for each other . . . . :wub:

Spotted at intermission on the prom:  Manuel Carreno holding court with family, friends and well wishers.

Sorry I missed that intermission!

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i agree that ballo was much better on sunday than last week, especially mr garcia

i did not at all like ms sylve in 4 t's -- bad casting, in my mind

ms reichlen has really improved her 4 t's role: i hope she gets all the coaching she needs -- bouder, etc. are just fine technically, but not at all glamorous

nycb needs a new resident balanchine glamor girl (a la ms calegari)

does anyone agree?

mr carreno's intermission appearance on the promenade was riveting: just standing still he is compelling

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I have to say that the ensemble work in the 4Ts on Friday night was absolutely perfect. Right at the end of the ballet, before the curtain came down...I had never seen corps work so good, and I sit in 4th ring...any little pattern shift is very noticable. It ended the evening on a perfect note.

Porte/Soupir was just the right length I thought, and I really enjoyed this ballet. I think Tom Gold is such a strong dancer and it's nice to see that there are good roles for him. Maria K. is perfection of course.

On Thursday night, a very nice older woman gave me an Orchestra section ticket (her husband couldn't make it). It was so cool to actually hear the dancers breathing :thumbsup: Only thing that made me sad was Union Jack. This is something you don't want to watch straight-on. I think there's probably more impact if you could watch from above. I loved Wendy in this. The section she lead -- with the drumming -- got a huge ovation. I thought Damian looked great in the sailor costume. :wub:

The donkey was well-behaved on Thursday.

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Some quick impressions.....

Dances at a Gathering on Thursday night---beautiful performance, overall, especially by Nichols, Ringer and Bouder. I was vaguely disquieted by Sylve (green) as something just did not seem right to me, but this could be a factor of that evening's performance, rather than her overall interpretation. Yes, the lifts and throws were tamer and not as breathtaking, but someone seeing the ballet for the first or second time would not have noticced anything amiss. Actually, I thought that it was (technically) much better danced than when I saw it a few years ago, so someone is Paying Attention.

Union Jack was as splendid and enjoyable for me as ever. Some of the rougher edges in the first section (corps women) will doubtless improve with rehearsal and familiarity. I love the panoply of the drums and costumes in the first section and was happy to sit dead center and revel in the coloour and sound and synchronization. I agree that it's not as effective right up close, but I was back at an ideal location.

Pearly King and Queen are generally a snoozer for me, but not on Thursday! Nilas Martins showed more animation and enjoyment than I think I have ever seen from him.....his timing and interplay with Ringer were great fun! And I really don't think I have ever seen the woman's role done as well (yes, even by McBride :wink: ) Jenifer Ringer has a gift for comedy which is absolutely delicious! She played this wonderful role to the hilt, but not a bit overdone---I think she owns it now, at least for me. Not to mention being stunningly beautiful in the costume!

The maritime section was nice, although I still dislike the backdrop, which to me smacks of bad 1950s book illustration.....Damian still cranks it out splendidly, everyone looked suitably energetic and no one messed up in the semaphore section. I will cavil at Kowrowski's choice of pigtails for her role and think that the cheesecake factor could be accentuated slightly....this is not supposed to look like a high school cheerleading squad.

("Korbes is a magnificent dancer but she could lose a few pounds," Oberon said in an earlier post and I disagree. No one could wear those Wren culottes and look as good as Korbes did, were this the case. I say this as a professional costumer as well as an audience member. I also think a public online forum is not an appropriate place for comments about dancer's weight .)

I had a change of plans and did not see Shambards on Saturday, so will have to wait for another viewing. I was dismayed by the description of some of the choreography---in Balanchine's house I do not expect or want to see women having their necks broken and being dragged across the floor. Because James Canfield does it, or it's a quotation from The Bride of Lammermoor does not make it alright. As I did not see the ballet yet, I can't jump up on my soapbox and screech to the heavens, but I do not think this is appropriate in a year of honoring a choreographer who made exquisite dances which ennoble women.

Lorna Feijoo took no prisoners on Sunday and did a very fine Ballo. She is a strong and beautiful dancer; character and passion in her movement......I thought she looked like she knew what she was doing and delivered the goods a la Regina. Garcia was beautiful, although nt as finessed in his upper body and arms as I like to see in this piece. I remember Millepied a few years ago in Saratoga just flying through this role, splendid from start to finish!

Yes, of course, Ashley Bouder should do this, and if her stage persona and performances this weekend are any indicators at all, she knows that she'd be great in it. That woman was sending a message to us loud and clear--she looked in fine fettle and enjoying it! The other demis and corps also looked beautiful--very clean and altogether lovely.

What a grand spring season this is......

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