Best of 2004

[Alexandra]

So, what good ballet memories will you take away from 2004?

[canbelto]

Seeing Svetlana Zakharova in "La Bayadere," Irina Dvorovenko in "Swan Lake" and Gillian Murphy in "Coppelia." Very different ballerinas, all wonderful in their own way.

Lincoln Center's Ashton Celebration, where I got to see "Two Pigeons," and also Syvlie Guillem, Darcey Bussell, Leanne Benjamin, and Alina Cojocaru all at once!

Getting some WONDERFUL videos, including:

- the PNB's Midsummer's Night Dream

- the Balanchine ballet releases

- Balanchine's Nutcracker film

- Romeo and Juliet, with both Fonteyn/Nureyev and Ferri/Corella

- Swan Lake, with Natalia Makarova and Anthony Dowell

- La Bayadere, with Altynai Asylmuratova, Irek Mukhamedov, and Darcey Bussell

- Mayerling - Durante, Mukhamedov, Bussell

- Little Humpbacked Horse - Plisetskaya and Vasiliev

Making some balletomane friends who share my obsession

[Drew]

I saw very little ballet this year, but I think Ashley Bouder in La Source would count as a highlight any year.

[Natalia]

Too many but....

In Russia:

* Kirov's 'Ballet Imperial' w/ Vishnyova

* Vaganova Academy's June program, esp. Julia Bolshakova's Nikiya in 'Shades'

**** Lopatkina's Odette/Odile w/ Korsuntsev, during the Mariinsky Fest

* the Kirov's Forsythe programme (esp Sologub in 'Steptext')...actually, ANYTHING modern with Sologub was delightful

* Anna Nikulina's Odette at the Bolshoi

* anything with Nelli Kobakhidze at the Bolshoi

* seeing Lopukhov's 'TanzSymfonia' live, the Kirov (danced by the Conservatory ballet)

In DC:

* Kristoffer Sakurai & Yao Wei in everything they danced during the Royal Danish Ballet's Kennedy Center season!

* Thomas Lund in 'Sylphide' and teaching the master class (also in DC)

* Washington Ballet's 'Giselle' and the rare opportunity to see Rasta Thomas in a starring role in a full-evening classical work

In NY:

* Michelle Wiles & David Hallberg in T&V + Grand Pas Classique at City Center

In London:

* SYLVIA...esp. Darcey Bussell's incredible final performance of the season (Wasthis the same ballerina who danced the opening night that was so panned?)

[Farrell Fan]

The best thing that happened -- and it was almost a year-long event -- was how the people of Saratoga Springs and surrounding areas rallied to the cause of NYCB after the high-handed attempt to evict the company from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Under the grass-roots banner of Save the Ballet, they not only caused SPAC to backtrack, but forced an investigation of SPAC's finances which is still ongoing.

[Helene]

A year of glorious Balanchine ballets:

*A perfect peformance of Stravinsky Violin Concerto, with Lorena Feijoo, Julie Diana, Yuri Possokhov, and Vadim Solomakha (SFB), conducted by Andrew Mogrelia

*Tina LeBlanc's (SFB) glorious Square Dance, with a fantastic female corps.

*Three young Prodigals, each creating a different characterization: Michael Cook (BA), Jonathan Poretta, Lucien Postlewaite (PNB)

*Lots of A Midsummer Night's Dream at PNB: Poretta's (PNB) equally wonderful performances of Oberon and Puck; Carrie Imler's and Kylee Kitchen's Titania; Brittany Reid's Hippolyta

*"Discovering" Bouder (NYC) as the soloist in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

*Possokhov's unique, stunning Phlegmatic

*The great adagio performances: Louise Nadeau (PNB) in the Second Movement of Symphony in C; Gavin Larsen (OBT) in Concerto Barocco

*Superb dancing in Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet at PNB: Stacy Lowenberg and Mara Vinson in the First Movement; Carrie Imler in the Fourth Movement; A sad farewell to Melanie Skinner, a demi-soloist in the Third Movement

And the non-Balanchine

*Paola Hartley's (BA) exquisite Sylphide

*Elizabeth Miner's (SFB) terrific Sylvia

*Mark Morris' Sylvia and the Bolshoi production of Raymonda

*Nelli Kobakhidze (Bolshoi) in soloist and corps roles in Raymonda and Don Quixote and not enough of her in either!

*Lucinda Dunn, Marc Cassidy, and Madeleine Eastoe (AB) especially in Christopher Wheeldon's Continuum.

*Noelani Pantastico's remarkable debut as Juliet in Kent Stowell's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

*The last peformance of Kent Stowell's Nutcracker I saw, especially Brittany Reid's Flora, Maria Chapman's Peacock, and young Laura Anne Walker's Young Clara.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

You know, I suspected that NYCB's Balanchine Centennial was bound to be a disappointment for the simple reason that nothing could live up to my fantasy of what might be, nor to my memory of what was. ("Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven ") And of course, it didn't -- but I saw many, many wonderful things despite myself. Here are the performances that made me sit up and take notice:

1) Nikolaj Hübbe's Apollo, which I was privileged to see twice. It's close, but I think he's just nudged Igor Zelensky out of the top spot in my Personal Pantheon of Favorite Apollos. (My first Apollo was Peter Martins, and I think I've seen just about every Apollo NYCB has put out there since then.)

2) Miranda Weese's Aurora. Weese has always struck me as one of those intense but somehow slightly effaced dancers whose impact is cerebral rather than emotional. I was totally unprepared for her utterly moving performance -- it hit me like a ton of bricks. I can't remember if she held all her balances or whatever it is Aurora is supposed to do, and couldn't care less.

3) Alexandra Ansenelli's Columbine. I just smiled and smiled.

4) Maria Kowroski in Variations pour une porte et un soupir. I've always rather liked this ballet (one of my guilty pleasures) but never knew quite how to take it: was Balanchine being serious? It's so literal! Is it a spoof? Are we supposed to laugh? Kowrowski was so wonderfully, touchingly deapan funny in it, I've decided she was the ballerina Balanchine foresaw in the role, but just didn't have to hand when he made it.

I could go on -- Sylve's perfomance in Agon, for instance -- but I must run ...

(Edited for a typo ...)

Edited December 29, 2004 by Kathleen O'Connell

[Ari]

Performances:

Peter Boal's Prodigal Son with NYCB in Washington. His interpretation of the role has developed tremendously over the years, and has matured into the most affecting performance of the part I've ever seen.

Daria Pavlenko as Odette/Odile with the Kirov in Washington. My previous experience of her, in Diamonds and Bayadere, showed me a technically gifted but stone cold ballerina. Her Swan Lake revealed a warmer side and showed why this role is only really worth watching when it's danced by a world class ballerina.

Sofiane Sylve in Cortege Hongrois with NYCB in Saratoga. A reminder of what true ballerina presence is -- womanly, glamorous, sexy, and masterful. Bring on Tzigane, I say. Bring on the last movement of Brahms-Shoenberg Quartet. Bring on Diamonds! (And bring on Farrell to coach her in all three roles. Sigh -- a fantasy only.)

In the junior category, Megan Fairchild's New York debut as Swanilda with NYCB. Not perhaps as astonishing as Stephanie Saland's debut a quarter century ago -- Fairchild lacked Saland's stamina -- but as close as anyone has come in this ferociously demanding role.

Ballets:

Sadly but not surprisingly, no new ones. The best were revivals.

Nikolai Hubbe's production of La Sylphide for the Royal Danish Ballet. A model of what Bournonville should be.

Ashton's The Two Pigeons by the Birmingham Royal at the Met. Not a revival, but the first American performance in donkey's years. A lovely ballet that deserves to be in the repertory of some American companies. Was Peter Boal in the audience?

Ashton's Sylvia for the Royal Ballet. A gem, miraculously restored after years of neglect. Now if only they could find the right dancers for the leading roles. Which leads to . . .

Trends and Events:

The Ashton Centennial Season at the Royal. Monica Mason programmed this not as an attention-getting stunt but as though she really wants the company to re-learn how to dance Ashton. This will be the work of years, though, and since Mason has only two more full seasons after this as director, we can only hope that the powers that be will choose someone who will continue her vision.

Peter Boal's appointment as AD of Pacific Northwest Ballet. This is a good news/bad news thing, based on the sad fact that Boal can't be in two places at once. The world is losing a great dancer and SAB a valuable teacher, but Seattle will enjoy artistic continuity and the leadership of a wise and (relatively) experienced director.

Dance Theater of Harlem's return from the dead. Another mixed development, and it remains to be seen whether it will work out long term. Michael Kaiser should be knighted for services above and beyond.

[liebs]

Fulfilling a long held dream by actually seeing Two Pigeons and Enigma Variations. And the performances were lovely.

The Danes in a pick up group in Brooklyn were a mere taste of Bournonville but I enjoyed it inspite of a horrible theater, and a freezing schlep out to Brooklyn.

Meunier is Piano Concerto #2 and Tuttle in Mozartiana were the only saving graces in ABT's Balanchine program.

[BalletNut]

SFB's Balanchine Programs, especially their performances of Square Dance and Serenade.

Tina LeBlanc in everything, but especially Square Dance.

The veritable cornocupia of ballet shown on television, especially NYCB's Live From Lincoln Center Broadcast, particularly the opportunity to see an unforgettable cast in excerpts from Liebeslieder Walzer. Brahms-Schoenberg was nice too.

I didn't see it, but I have a feeling that if I had, SFB's Ashton/Macmillan mixed bill would be up here too.

[oberon]

Just to name a few of many highlights of 2004:

Zakharova in BAYADERE

Ananashvili & Gomes in BALLET IMPERIAL

Peter Boal & Co. @ The Joyce

Wendy Whelan's return to NYCB after an injury layoff - in SYMPHONY IN C

The Auroras and SPFs of Ringer & Weese

The Lilac Fairy of Amanda Hankes

Kyra Nichols in SERENADE on Balanchine's 100th Birthday

Edwaard Liang re-joining NYCB

EPISODES & FOUR TEMPS during the Balanchine 100th

Ashley Laracey stepping in for Janie Taylor in EROS PIANO

Borree & Boal in ANDANTINO

Maria Kowroski's new-found poetry as Odette

Wendy dancing MOZARTIANA & CAGE on the same night

Ashley Bouder's Firebird

Wendy & Albert in BARBER VIOLIN

Robert Tewsley & Wendy in MUSAGETE

Wendy & Peter Boal in OPUS 19

Ansanelli in HARLEQUINADE, CONCERTO FOR TWO SOLO PIANOS & Sugar Plum

Janie Taylor's super-Dewdrop

Wendy & Jock in LITURGY

Darci, Kyra, Wendy, Miranda, Jock, Philip Neal, Nikolaj & Jared Angle in LIEBESLIEDER

Sylve in WESTERN SYMPHONY

Hugo Fiorato's farewell

spotting Karin von Aroldingen in the wings during PRODIGAL SON on Balanchine's birthday

Should I stop now??

[atm711]

Peter Boal in 'Apollo' (the definitive Apollo for me)

Ansanelli's Colombine (Wouldn't she be great in Fokine's version)

Ananiashvilli in 'Ballet Imperial', 'Swan Lake' and 'Raymonda' (she almost redeemed the production for me)

Sylve Guillem in 'Marguereite and Armand'. (I always found this work to be too melodramatic (and, yes, corny), but her intense performance elevated the ballet into drama.)

[perky]

The Gottlieb and Teachout Balanchine books

A performance in May at the State Theatre of The Four Temperaments that featured Albert Evans, Sofiane Sylve and Teresa Reichlen among others that brimmed with energy, intelligence and wit.

The continued success of Eldar Aliev's Ballet Internationale of Indianapolis. Bringing Kirov purity and style to America's heartland, and having the extreme good sense to hire Irina Kolpakova as his Assistant Artistic Director. Bravo!

[GeorgeB fan]

NEW YORK CITY BALLET

AGON as danced by Wendy Whelan & Jock Soto; Sofiane Sylve and Stephen Hanna & Arch Higgins; Peter Boal and Dana Hanson & Jennifer Tinsley. Of the performances I have seen of this Balanchine masterpiece this June 17th performance I believe came as closest to what I think Balanchine had in mind when he created over 40 years ago. Superb.

JEWELS. I now know this is my all-time favorite Balanchine ballet, or at least at the present moment. I just love everything about it. I've seen it three times this past winter season and I plan to see two more times this coming season.

LIEBESLIEDER WALZER. After years at wondering what was so great about this ballet, I was finally able to truly understand the beauty, the poetry and romanticism of this beautiful ballet. Exquisite.

KYRA NICHOLS. She remind me of the Stephen Sondheim lyric, Good times and burn times I've seen them all and, my dear I'm Still Here! And indeed she is!!! She was the first prima ballerina I fallen in love with and she is still the one I love the most. The day is retires is going to be a very sad day for me.

SOFIANE SYLVE in Agon. Don't tell me that dancers doesn't fed off of other dancers. Sylve performance in the second pas de trois was so great I'm sure Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto - great dancers in their own right of course - fed off the energy Sylve left on the stage after her performance.

ALEXANDRA ANSANELLI in Afternoon of a Faun. I was there that afternoon when someone from from the audience throw flowers on the stage for Ansanelli and boy I could understand why! She was magical, underworldly.

TERESA REICHLEN. The new "IT" girl at NYCB. Here's hoping she continue on the strong path she is currently dancing on. If her performance in Rubies can be use as a measuring stick, her future is very bright indeed!

ASHLEY BOUDER. She has always been a dancer who gives out the pleasure of dancing, but since she has been promoted to soloist, her dancing has become even more joyous to show.

MIRANDA WEESE. Always a technically strong dancer, she has also been called a cold dancer who only perform the steps. Well this year Ms. Weese seem to let her hair down and warm up. For suddenly she began to dancer with more abandon and more feel of the music. Always a favorite, she was never more wonderful to watch this year.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

NINA ANANIASHVILI in anything!! Ballet Imperial she was grand and regal, every pit the prima ballerina as queen. In Don Quixote she was a spirited thoroughbred dancing with complete abandonment and strength. In La Bayadere she was classical ballerina at it's finest.

HERMAN CORNEJO in Le Spectre de la Rose. From his entrance to his exit, I have never seen a dancer hold the audience so completely in the palm of one's hand as Mr. Cornejo had at City Center this past fall. It's time Kevin McKenzie to start casting him in the big classical roles. I know he is short, but isn't Xiomara Reyes small enough for him to dance with?

THE BALANCHINE RETROSPECTIVE AT THE MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO

It was a wonderful treat to watch legandary dancers from the past performing at the height of their powers. Highlights: Patricia McBride in Who Cares?, Apollo perform by Peter Martins, Suzanne Farrell, Karin von Aroldingen and Marinee Morris, Patricia Wilde in Square Dance, Gesley Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Theme and Variations, and Farrell in Variations for Orchestra.

THE ASHTON CELEBRATION AT LINCOLN CENTER

After so many years of just reading about this brilliant choreographer it was such a wonderful pleasure finally able to see his brilliance in person. The whole celebration was a highlight for me. Fantastic!!

THE JEROME ROBBINS AND MARGOT FONTEYN BIOGRAPHIES

The new and for me the best biographies of two of the towering titans of 20th century dance.

BALLET TALK

You truly have no idea how thrill I am at finding this message board! To be able to express my feelings about this glorious art form with fellow lovers of ballet with knowledge and intelligent is wonderful. And also everytime I log on I learn something new. I love it!

[carbro]

While the Balanchine Centennial celebration at NYCB was less than I'd hoped for, it did give us more Balanchine than we're likely to see for the next decade or so. And the ballets were in better shape than they'd been for a very long time. In other venues, I loved the fact that there were so many talks, particularly the coaching sessions sponsored by the Balanchine Foundation at the Guggenheim. Maria Tallchief coaching Jenny Ringer in the original Le Baiser de la Fee, or Frederick Franklin teaching Miranda Weese and Nikolaj Hubbe the pas de deux from the 1933/45 Mozartiana were special opportunities to see unfamiliar choreography, and seeing the original principal cast of Stravinsky Violin Concerto gave insights into choreography that was familiar.

Bouder devouring every opportunity tossed her way.

Wall-to-wall Balanchine at Symphony Space -- a whole day to wallow in the master's work.

The airing of the film "Violette et Mr. B."

RDB's visit to NJPAC, although I would have preferred more B'ville and less of their contemporary offerings. Gudrun Bojesen and Kristoffer Sakurai were instant faves of mine.

At ABT, Herman Cornejo's perfect Spectre de la Rose (the second of the two I saw), and -- despite serious imperfections (her stamina shortage and very untidy fifth positions) -- Veronika Part's stirring Mozartianas at both the Met and City Ctr.

The summer's Ashton celebration, giving New Yorkers a rare, concentrated overview of the last century's Other Great Choreographer.

New York Public Library's Fonteyn exhibition.

The special pleasure of meeting more contributors to this board in person.

And the board itself, for all performances shared, the opinions debated, the perspectives broadened. Looking forward to continuing same in '05!

Best to all for the New Year. May all your ballet wishes come true!

[art076]

Well, being out here on the Left Coast of the United States has given me fewer opportunites to see all the ballet that you East Coasters get, but I'd say this was a pretty good year for my ballet watching.

The Museum of Television and Radioin Los Angeles, like in New York, kicked off the year with a series commemorating the Balanchine Centennial - giving me personally an introduction to a huge range of Balanchine ballets in rightfully historic performances that really aren't available on video. Even if the Museum in Los Angeles wasn't exactly excited to be putting it on - several Saturday screenings were pre-empted or relegated to individual monitors for one or two viewers thanks to marathon screenings of "Sex in the City" - it was great to have in a city that lacks a major ballet company.

LA does, though, get visits from major companies on a regular basis, and this year was no different:

I absolutely loved the Royal Ballet's 6-day visit in July, with Ashton's "Cinderella" and the Peter Wright production of "Giselle" (so much so that I drove an hour each way for the entire 6-day, 7-performance run so that I could see each cast). I was truly impressed by the Royal's all around sense of theatricality: they gave a reason why the ballets were on stage, and why the steps existed as they did. Giselle doesn't go into hysterics simply because someone choreographed it that way awhile ago (as I tend to experience when I watch a "Giselle"), but with the Royal, I saw her go into hysterics because her heart really had broken up there on stage. Performances I will particularly remember: Alina Cojocaru as both Giselle and Cinderella, Lauren Cuthbertson as the Fairy Summer in "Cinderella", Ivan Putrov as Albrecht, and Zenaida Yanowsky as Myrtha in "Giselle."

This year, I also got to go crazy watching New York City Ballet, thanks to a two-week vacation to New York in late May, then with the company's two-week visit to California in September/October. Sofiane Sylve's stunning debut in "Symphony in C" while here in Orange County will be particularly rememberd, along with her performances in "Agon" and "Stars and Stripes," also in California. I remember first noticing her, though, as the green girl in "Who Cares?" while I was in New York, and also in "Western Symphony" and in the Sangunic from "The Four Temperaments." Ashley Bouder was marvelous, or at least highly interesting, in everything I saw her in: her Russian girl in "Serenade" - a debut in Los Angeles - was the most confident and secure of the three RUssian girls we had out here, and I loved her as the Girl in Yellow from "Dances at a Gathering" in New York. She also held together a rather bland performance of "Divertimento No. 15" almost singlehandedly. I look forward to seeing a lot more of this very interesting dancer. I'm glad I saw Peter Boal live on stage, in "Square Dance," before his retirement - which he was great in. Particular ballets: I very much liked "La Sonnambula" in New York, as well as "The Four Temperaments." I didn't like "Stars and Stripes" in New York, but wow it was such a difference in the three performances the company gave in Orange County - positively thrilling they were out here. "Agon" was fantastic in Los ANgeles, led by Wendy Wheland and Sofiane Sylve.

Other standouts this year: The Lyon Opera Ballet in a brief visit to the LA area showed how major commitment from the dancers can bring to life highly abstract modern choreographies. And also, Elizabeth Miner in San Francisco Ballet's "Sylvia" by Mark Morris, giving an authoritative and riveting performance while, at the time, still a member of the corps de ballet.

[Old Fashioned]

My list is short:

Barbara Bears as Terpsichore and Zdenek Konvalina in Apollo.

Konvalina in Bejart's Songs of a Wayfarer.

Kristina Harper as Snow Queen in the Nutcracker.

[socalgal]

From the "other coast" ~

The Museum of Television and Radio's Balanchine Celebration gave me weekends of pure pleasure. There were so many fine filmed performances of note, I wouldn't know where to begin. To see the original cast of "Davidsbundlertanze", watch a young Farrell in "Concerto Barocco", seeing Gloria Govrin rehearse "Apollo" with Balanchine, Pat Wilde in 'Square Dance" and the list goes on and on.....this was worth every gallon of gas I used to get there.

Hats off to........ Orange County of Performing Arts for this year's programing which included a two program visit by the Kirov, a week of the Royal Ballet and an amazing week long visit by NYCB with a host of great Balanchine ballets.

Great Individual performances.....Alina Cojocaru in the title role of "Giselle".... Maria Kowroski in the 2nd movement of "Symphony in C" as well as saving Peter Martin's new ballet with her S'wonderful presence....PABallet's Arantxa Ochoa in "Four Temperments"......also PAB's Amy Aldridge and Julie Diana in the lead role of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" as well as Phil Colucci as the Hoofer.....Sofiane Sylve in all she danced at OCPAC, Diana Vishneva in "Rubies", the entire NYCB cast of "Stars and Stripes" at OCPAC and Dede Barfield's farewell performance as Odette/Odile in PABallet's "Swan Lake"

The Kirov's performance of "Jewels" as well as the Fokine prgram at OCPAC....a long awaited visit! Just to see these Russians dance "Chopiniana" gave you casue to remember how the romantic white ballet actually should be danced.

And 'out of town'......

Pennsylvania Ballet's premiere of Chris Wheeldon's (after Petipa) "Swan Lake". His vision was creative and thought-provoking with stellar performances by the entire company. I cannot wait to view it again next Fall......good luck to them at the Edinbourgh Arts Festival next August where they will perform this ballet!

Bravo!

[sandik]

From the upper left hand corner:

Donald Byrd's Sleeping Beauty Notebook for Spectrum Dance Theater is technically not a ballet, but the beginnings of a very interesting commentary on a classic work. The christening party is turns into a brawl a la Brueghel and Aurora's 16th birthday seems to be held in a brothel, but within all this hubbub there are slices from the original choreography that glow all the brighter for their unusual context.

The Joffrey's return to Seattle (or at least a small contingent) after years away, as part of "Dance This...," a great youth dance program last summer. I grew up watching them, and have missed the company all this time.

Viktoria Titova, who is an alum of one of Grigorovitch's companies, and who now teaches in the area, guested in a local Nutcracker (Olympic Ballet Theater) and was a lovely fulcrum for the second act. Sometimes the best thing a dancer can do is stand still, and she had great poise and grace in stillness.

Nicholas Ade at Pacific Northwest Ballet in a pair of sidekick roles -- "Romeo's friend" in the Stowell R&J, and one of the servants in Prodigal Son. He's obviously put a great deal of thought into being a real person on stage, with a specific relationship to the "main" character.

PNB's Balanchine program this fall (Four Ts, Prodigal, Symphony in C). The whole thing.

And their school performance last spring of Doug Fullington's reconstruction of the original notation for Petipa's Jardin Anime -- it was exquisitely detailed.

[Quiggin]

Best:

SF Ballet's

Apollo (all casts did interesting things; Gonzalo Garcia seemed to be visually thinking his role out loud, slightly sullenly,--like a Beckett actor or like Anna Magnani in a Cocteau monologue, or Leonardo di Caprio in the Aviator)

Symphonic Variations (silly and brittle and lyrical and very clear and intelligent)

Square Dance (modestly and self effacingly--in the SFB style--well done)

NYCB's

Brahms Schoenberg (sort of a more radical Symphony in C but in pink) & Liebeslieder

SF PALM's lecture series with Joceyln Vollmar (who danced the Sanguinic T. in 1948), Sally Bailey, Nancy Johnson; Kyra Nichols and Sally Streets; & SF Ballet's series with Merrill Ashley and Allegra Kent and Helgi Tomasson:

Lots of interesting little details and insights on how Balanchine's dances were constructed; the wistful observation by KN how young NYCB dancers don't watch intently from the wings and soak up every move and gesture by older dancers on stage as her generation used to; how she quietly stripped down and rebuilt the Suzanne Farrell roles she inherited.

The PBS American Masters Balanchine with rare glimpses of Card Game, Figure in the Carpet, the fast clipped Cotillion (with an Emeralds-like Pas de Trois).

Least Good:

SF Ballet's production of Grosse Fugue (Beethoven at the Beach) and their Nutcracker (the height of blandness)

[Michael]

Cojocaru as Ashton's Cinderella last July in NYC, the last night or second to last of the Ashton Festival at Lincoln Center. Not only an individual performance which showed her a complete notch above any other Ballerina I saw all year, but a frenzied audience reaction to remember at the end, something straight out of Elias Canetti.

Slightly behind this, Ballet Imperial/Tschaikowsky Piano Concerto No. 2 at ABT and NYCB respectively. Gillian Murphy in the Ballerina role at ABT last Memorial Day weekend, and Miranda Weese (in two wonderful performances) in the Ballerina role at the State Theater.

After these, at City Ballet, I loved Merrill Ashley's staging of Ballo Della Regina. Seeing this was like a bolt of lightening lighting up the landscape for a moment and showing how Balanchine ought to be danced by principals, soloists and corps de ballet, and what these Ballets could look like if the spirit would more often blow where it ought to listeth. Every performance of Ballo last spring was superb.

Then oddly enough, Union Jack (of all things!) at ther State Theater also last May has stuck in my mind, with its good humoured analogy of a Grande Defile for nearly the whole of this company which I love. I left the theater on a cloud that night and it's something I wish would happen more often.

Finally, also last winter at City Ballet, several performances of Ivesiana.

[carbro]

I knew there was something I forgot in response to Leigh's question about hitting yourself over the head for what we'd missed!! This!!!

Cojocaru as Ashton's Cinderella last July in NYC, the last night or second to last of the Ashton Festival at Lincoln Center.  Not only an individual performance which showed her a complete notch above any other Ballerina I saw all year, but a frenzied audience reaction to remember at the end, something straight out of Elias Canetti.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Compulsory family obligation.

--Carley

[AmandaNYC]

Nothing shocking or exciting here... I only really saw NYCB (lack of funs to spread on other companies).

*Wall-to-Wall Balanchine* - Just a great idea, event, and experience.

*All the global Balanchine Centennial celebrations.

I had become so cynical. I was so pleased by all the attention that was properly given to Balanchine and his works.

*Bouder in almost everything, particularly La Source and Sleeping Beauty.

*Fairchild in Double Feature. What a hoot.

*The increased casting of and promotion of Stephen Hanna.

I'm forgetting a ton, I'm sure...

-amanda

[richard53dog]

A few of my high points for 2004

Gillian Murphy in Ballet Imperial and T&V

Ananiashvili and Bocca in Swan Lake

Ferri and Corella in Romeo and Juliet

Guillem in Marguerite and Armand

Ashley Bouder as the Dewdrop and lead Marzipan

In non-performance things, the Fonteyn Retrospective this Summer at

the Lincoln Center branch of the NY Public Library

Richard

[nysusan]

I know I'm forgetting a lot of things but here goes...

For me the absolute highlight of the year came early, it was Pavlenko & Zelensky in the Kirov's Swan lake in DC

Honorable mentions :

Ananishvili & Gomes in Ballet imperial

Murphy in Theme & Variations

Ferri/Corella in Romeo & Juliet

Cojocaru in Cinders, esp her entrance to the ballroom

The Lincoln Center Ashton celebration in general, esp the Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Two Pigeons. What a wonderful company, I'd love to see more of them & the Joffrey here in NY

Monotones

The Fonteyn exhibit

Rediscovering Apollo & Serenade

Wendy Whelan in everything I saw her dance...also Kowroski, Boal, Hubbe & Woetzel