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Hi!

Fabulous evening in Harrisburg! Kudos to Marcia Dale Weary and all of her alumni dancers!!

As it's quite late, I'll just list the dancers and mention the highlights. If you want more info on any of the dancers/performances, post and I'll be happy to add details in the morning.

Present and dancing were Adam Hendrickson, Ashley Bouder, both Staffords, Ryan Kelly, Tina and Sherri LeBlanc, both Maher sisters, Jennifer Miller, Daniel Alsadek, Tara and Zach Hench, Erica Gwinnell, Kristen Long, Callie Manning, Bruce Thornton, Carrie Imler, Deborah Wingert. I also saw Sean Lavery during the reception.

The highlight of the evening was Kristen Long and her (non alum) fellow SFB principal Joan Boada dancing the Black Swan Pas De Deux. She only did 27 fouttes, but the rest of the performances was wonderful. He's not a Corella or Woetzel, but did a great job despite the smaller stage. They obviously have much experience dancing together, as their partnering was smooth and effortless.

Tina LeBlanc and her (non alum) parter Gonzalo Garcia finished the show with an excellent Don Quixote variation. He was a little wild in his solos, but has amazing elevation and was very light on his feet.

Adam Hendrickson and Ashley Bouder started the show off with an energetic "Tarantella". It's nice to see NYCB dancers in ballets they don't get to dancer with NYCB. Jon and Abi Stafford danced "Tschakovsky Pas de Deux"-he simplified some of the cheoreography, but the overall effect was lovely. They are well matched-and often are paired at NYCB. Deborah Wingert danced "Pavane""-lovely.

The only dancer who seemed a bit out of place was Daniel Alsadek. He's lovely from the waist up, but appears to be carrying extra weight-mainly in his very over developed thighs. He's not blessed with long legs, so those thighs just make him look even less properly proportioned. He was fine in the Rose Adagio, but his solo "Prince Siegfried Variation from Swan Lake Act 1" was, IMHO, beyond his current ability. He lacked elevation, stretch and details like pointed toes. His "resume" is impressive, so it's a shame that his current ability seems limited. I wonder if he's being over danced and under coached down at Ballet Austin and/or if he's recovering/currently suffering from an injury.

Anyway, it was a great evening of dancing-all the better viewed from the 2nd row (no orchestra pit). The wings were very shallow and I was all the way to one side, so I could see the dancers in the wings. Amusing to see them change from stage "personality" to huffing and puffing on the side!

Kate

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Hi!

No, Jessy is not injured-she'll be dancing up at Saratoga. I'm not sure why she didn't dance last night-I did talk to her mother, but forgot ta ask.

Kate

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Hi!

Carrie Imlet danced (very well, BTW) a solo from Le Corsaire. I think it was one of the solos that the main harem girl (pulling a blank on her name) dances in the first act "harem market" scene.

The chereography is Petipa, the staging credited to Yuri Fateev amd music to Ricardo Drigo.

I found it interesting that aside from one couple from Miami City Ballet, only NYCB dancers performed Balanchine ballets. One wonders, other than the fact that NYCB dancers are more likely to know Balanchine ballets, if it's easier to get permission for NYCB dancers to perform his ballets. Does anyone know???

Kate

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Thanks, Sneds. I don't imagine it's any easier/more difficult for a City Ballet dancer to get permission from the GB Trust to perform works at galas than for a dancer from any other company, so long as they've been taught/coached the work by someone the Trust approves of.

I assume Carrie Imler danced the Corsaire variation she learned from Yuri Fateev (he is a Kirov ballet master - former soloist too - in charge of the Kirov's Balanchine rep) in Seattle. He staged the pas de deux (or pas de trois, rather, in the Kirov version) from Corsaire for PNB last season.

[ 07-07-2001: Message edited by: doug ]

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Hi!

Tara Hench performed in "Annabon" with Boston Ballet principal (non-CPYB alum) Laszlo Berdon. Berdo chereographed "Annabon" which is a mix of ballet/modern dance (she was on toe), with the dancers in attractive black, modernish costumes. I don't know if there was supposed to be a story, but since the ballet bgan and ended with the man alone on stage, me feeling was that we were viewing a brief relationshop where the woman seduced and then left the man.

Zach Hench danced the "Wedding Pas de Deux" from Sleeping Beuaty with Vanessa Zahorian. Very well done, and I remember wishing that they had asked Zach or Bruce Thornton to do a solo instead of Daniel Alsadek.

Kate

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