23 replies to this topic

[Talespinner]

dirac, on Feb 28 2005, 03:08 PM, said:

Was sorry to miss LeBlanc this time around, although I agree she can overdo the sweet guileless smile.  I have fond memories of her and Roman Rykine in this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, I remember their partnership, too.  It was lovely.  (Whatever happened to him?)  Another favorite, in 1999, was Lucia Lacarra (sp?) with Yuri Possokhov.  I hated to see her leave the company.  She had amazing feet.

The most memorable Giselle I ever saw was back in 1976 -- American Ballet Theatre with Natalia Makharova and Baryshnikov, and Cynthia Gregory as Myrtha.  Tickets were cheaper in those days, and when ABT came to town (back then they performed for 8-10 days in Berkeley at Zellerbach, and then 8-10 days in SF at the Opera House) I went to every performance.  I saw all the casts of Giselle, and this cast more than once.  But there was one night when everyone was so "on" -- I was so moved I could barely speak.   All these years later and I still remember it vividly.  That has ever after been my yardstick for judging Giselles.

[dirac]

What a dream cast. I envy you, Talespinner.  

I almost went back up on Sunday to catch Tan and make it a triple Giselle weekend, but real life interfered, unfortunately. And as you note, cost is much more of a factor these days.

Roman Rykine went to Boston Ballet, if I remember correctly. I hope he's prospering.  I sometimes had mixed feelings about Lacarra, but say what you will, she's a ballerina.

[Brioche]

Quote

She had amazing feet.

Yep, that's just about what she had.  

[dirac]

Now, now............    

[Paul Parish]

I saw that 1976 performance, too, Talespinner-- and indeed, I'll never forget it. the fusion of dancing and acting was beyond anythng I've seen since. In act 2, when Baryshnikov went t try to touch Makarova, his hands went right through her body..... i know it didn't happen, but I DID see it -- the illusion was so strong, which means I guess that both knew how to make it happen technically and both knew how to stand by it emotionally.....

And in the first act, Baryshnikov was a nervous wreck except when Giselle was around..... he already looked like he was about to explode..... how could he bring himself to tell her he was a prince? he DID NOT WANT TO BE A PRINCE. (And more than Odette wants to be a swan -- but that 's another ballet).

On hte other hand, with Lacarra, I saw her on opening night, when she fell off point in the toe hops. Before that happened, she already seemed  phony as Giselle; she WAS a beautiful wraith-like creature in act 2, but her act 1 had no conviction to me.

The first act girl has got to be real. LeBlanc was real. I don't insist on Ulanova, I'll take Chauviree (Giselle as an aristocrat's love child, or grandchild), or Seymour -- a real peasant girl. Makarova had a very thoroughly thought- through characterization, and Ananiashvili was a high-strung, wrong-side-of-the-blanket Giselle; Kirkland I never saw, but she actuallyWAS Giselle, or a soul-mate, deep down.

I seem to be the only person who loved Kristin Long in the first act. I wrote about it this week in Danceview, so I won't repeat myself. I admit the second act wasn't great (Elizabeth Miner was great, as moyna, and Nedviguine danced heroically)....  But I loved the first. Those of you who did not like Long are pretty dismissive. you don't say why.What did you not like? WHY not?

[Talespinner]

Paul Parish, on Mar 1 2005, 09:59 PM, said:

I seem to be the only person who loved Kristin Long in hte first act. I wrote about it this week in Danceview, so I won't repeat myself. I admit the second act wasn't great (Elizabeth Miner was great, as moyna, and Nedviguine danced heroically)....  But I loved the first. Those of you who did not like Long are pretty dismissive. you don't say why.What did you not like? WHY not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I already mentioned how she lost her footing a couple of times and had to be quickly caught and steadied by her partner, and the general heaviness of her movements in Act 2.  In Act 1, I simply thought she moved through it all in a very pedestrian way, with no spark or joy in her dancing, and nothing in her technique beyond the ordinary. She only barely let go of Nedviguine for the merest instant in those unsupported arabesques.  I also had serious trouble with her acting.  It's funny, but the mad scene was the only part I thought she did well.  During the rest, she kept a goofy look on her face and just seemed awkward and uncomfortable.

But this is all my opinion and very subjective.  We all look for and admire different things in dancers, as in every category of art.

I am glad, though,  to hear your confirmation of that 1976 performance, Paul.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one who still remembers it so vividly.

[LazerCanary]

Quiggin - awesome post.


Can scarely believe that it was only last week that I saw Fejoo dance
*another* marvelous "Giselle".  She was superb.  Made up for a very
bad "Giselle" that I saw in the Fall at Kennedy Center.  I loved driving
around all over those insane SF hills, seeing light pole flags on virtually
every street corner proudly advertising the SF Ballet's season with the
unbelieveably sensual and amazing Lorena Fejoo as the poster child.

IMHO, thought the Princess Bathilde did the best job I've seen in years
of being highborn and snooty.  Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed the
performance wearing my grandmother's mink coat  

O SF Ballet!  Still so wonderful!!!!  

~Lazer Canary

[catbrown]

The 1976 Zellerbach Giselle is the one by which I judge all other Giselles. I saw several of the performances and was there the night that the performance went beyond just great and touched the sublime. I had chills up my back and tears in my eyes. I will never, ever forget it.

I also saw Kirkland and Baryshnikov and although the performance didn't come together as a perfect whole the way the Makarova/ Baryshnikov perfomance did, Kirkland was a perfect Giselle ... all innocence and light, and there was this puppyish quality to her dancing, like her feet had little air pads under them so that gravity didn't affect her. Amazing.

As for this season's Giselle, I saw Kristin Long on Wednesday night and have to join with the detractors. I thought her first act was dismal. She didn't inhabit Giselle, she just danced the steps (and not even all that well). She was somewhat better in the second act.

I was surprised by how good Zahorian was. And Gennadi Nevidigine was wonderful as always. He's such a strong dancer and I thought his acting was fine. He played a very tender Albrecht.

I haven't seen Tina LeBlanc's Giselle, but I have a real problem imagining it. I often have difficulty fulling enjoying Tina's fine technique because of the tension I see in her neck and face. Sometimes when she's "smiling" it comes across as a grimace. That may be acceptable in other roles, but in Giselle? Sorry, I just can't see it.

[Paul Parish]

Have to agree with Lasercanary (sp?) that SFB's Baathilde was truly remarkable -- Pascal Leroy, who was a ballerina with the company a few years back, now teaches in hte school and always had a wonderful stage presence. She did nothing to upstage anybody, and yet she was quite fascinating, and I watched her constantly -- watching her watch everybody (especially Albrecht) and think.... She really was an aristocrat, and she was really a person -- you could see her think, and feel, complex feelings.