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ABT Peak Moments


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I think many will agree that this has been an unusually successful City Center Season for ABT. In particular, certain individual dancers had performances that might be viewed as breakthrough or otherwise magical.

My peak moment came from apprentice Hee Seo in Tudor's Dark Elegies, part IV. A performance of radiant grief, so natural and unaffected, and of true depth.

I hope others will also describe moments or performances that especially moved them and/or signaled a leap forward of some favorite, or newly discovered, dancer.

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There were many peak moments but what really impressed me was how great members of the corps were as they were given the chance to shine in individual roles. In addition to the aforementioned Hee Seo in Dark Elegies. there was Arron Scott in Gong and In the Upper Room. Kelly Boyd in Rodeo and The Green Table. Jared Matthews in Rodeo, Isaac Stappas in The Green Table and Rodeo and the astonishing performance of Sarah Lane in The Upper Room.

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Well, for Veronika Part fans, this season seemed to suggest that management is seeing her as a valuable player at last. A lead role in the first cast of a newly commissioned world premiere "Kaleidoscope" and adding Terpsichore in "Apollo" and the Prelude in "Les Sylphides". Unfortunately, she is slipping back to featured player status next Spring at the Met with just one Wednesday matinee of "Swan Lake" and probably a repeat of her Myrtha in "Giselle". She does get to repeat Terpsichore at the Met with the superb casting of David Hallberg as her Apollo.

David Hallberg and Stella Abrera were evidently the best cast in "Afternoon of a Faun" and distinguished themselves in "Les Sylphides" as well. Abrera shone in "In the Upper Room" and Hallberg as Death in "The Green Table". Both added much luster to their reputations with these new assumptions which are in very disparate styles. Hallberg will take on "Apollo" in the Spring and that will show even more of what he has.

Welcome back to Erica Cornejo and Irina Dvorovenko both returning in excellent shape after taking time off for recovery from injury and pregnancy respectively. Cornejo shone in "Les Sylphides" and "Rodeo" and Dvorovenko showed that her pregnancy has not dimmed her verve or technical bravura in the "Paquita PDD". Irina's fouttes and pirouettes were as fast, accurate and dazzling as ever.

Other valuable players: Adrienne Schulte and Jesus Pastor in "Dark Elegies", Ethan Stiefel and Laura Hidalgo in "In the Upper Room", Jose Manuel Carreno in "Paquita" and Sarah Lane in "Kaleidoscope" and "In the Upper Room".

Strangely underused: Angel Corella. Angel just repeated a few showstopper PDD turns in "Le Corsaire" and "Tchaikovsky PDD" - he might have explored the leads in "Afternoon of a Faun", "Apollo" and "Les Sylphides" and done either male role in "Kaleidoscope". Maybe it is scheduling or not enough rehearsal time for him but Ethan Stiefel, Maxim Beloserkovsky and David Hallberg took on these new challenges with good results from what I have heard here. Angel needs to be challenged with new roles in different styles and not fall back on the big smile and the trick jumps and turns. Only then will his artistry grow and he won't regress into just a happy virtuoso dance machine.

Faux Pas

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....and the astonishing performance of Sarah Lane in The Upper Room.

Oh great! You saw this too! Sarah's debut in Upper Room was my favorite debut and peak moment of this ABT season. And she had only two rehearsals to learn this ballet!!!! Her performance debut was Sarah's first run through with all of that smoke and extreme lighting effects!

Upper Room is a very fast-paced, complexly choreographed piece with few standard ballet steps. There is quite a bit of tricky partnering with multiple partners, as well. I was beyond impressed with Sarah's fearlessness, her fresh yet intense and sparkly style. She seemed to be having the time of her life. The audience responded in kind.

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"Strangely underused: Angel Corella." Actually Angel was dancing in a number of performances of "La Gioconda" in Barcelona during the first part of ABT's season. Here's a photo (click on upper right photo):

http://www.liceubarcelona.com/comu/recull.asp?i=146#

I fully agree re Veronika Part's great Citry Center season. Too bad the Spring casting was decided in advance. Still, there's no excuse for giving her just one, workday matinee at that, Swan Lake. Hopefully some of those TBA leads will fall to her (and Acosta?).

Oh yes, sz, Brava! Sarah Lane, that performance blew me away too.

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This season at City Center for ABT could have been dubbed, "The Season of the Corps de Ballet."

At the Nov 5 evening performance of The Green Table, Isaac Stappas brought a interesting interpretation to the role of Death. Instead of being a Death that was full of terror and menace, Stappas' Death had the strange mark of sadness and resolution. Sad that he was causing so much death, but resolute to the fact that this is what he must do. Not that he was without menace. I enjoyed watching him terroring Julio Bragado-Young's sleazy Profiteer. Kristi Boone performed a powerful woman. I could go on, the truth is the entire cast was fantastic!! It wasn't until after the performance did I realize that the entire cast was made up of members of the corp. Add to that other terrific individual performances of the corp in other ballets, no question ABT posses one of the strongest ensemble of dancers anywhere. And thankfully not just for the dancers but also for the audience, Kevin McKenzie gave them many golden opportunities this fall season to shine wonderfully as individuals instead of just as an ensemble!

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In the Upper Room in general, but especially Herrera, Stiefel, Hallberg, Cornejo, Murphy...in fact that entire cast!!! (I saw the Dvorovenko cast as well, and while it was great, I felt it was incomparable to the other)

Hallberg in all his roles- Death, Afternoon of A Faun, In the Upper Room, etc.

Veronika Part and Maxim Beloserkovsky dancing together.

Veronika Part emerging...finally! When, when, WHEN will Part and Hallberg's promotions be announced??

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Oops sorry,  I realize I omitted one of my very favorite performances of a corps member. the bravura performance of Craig Salstein in Rodeo. His joyous tap dancing was truly a high point of the season.

ABT LOVERS:

I loved the season at CC, loved Part and Lane especially. Do not drop dead, but Gottlieb writing in the New York Obserever called the ABT season "triumphant." Ye Gads. Jim Mattimore

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Strangely underused:  Angel Corella.  Angel just repeated a few showstopper PDD turns in "Le Corsaire" and "Tchaikovsky PDD" - he might have explored the leads in "Afternoon of a Faun", "Apollo" and "Les Sylphides" and done either male role in "Kaleidoscope".  Maybe it is scheduling or not enough rehearsal time for him but Ethan Stiefel, Maxim Beloserkovsky and David Hallberg took on these new challenges with good results from what I have heard here.  Angel needs to be challenged with new roles in different styles and not fall back on the big smile and the trick jumps and turns.  Only then will his artistry grow and he won't regress into just a happy virtuoso dance machine.

Faux Pas[/i]

When did it become a crime to show off? If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

I have to assume that you haven’t seen very much of Angel. He HAS performed in many new roles and different styles. I’ve had the opportunity to see him dance in almost every ballet that he has performed with ABT (many of them multiple times). I have been following his career since his arrival at ABT and have watched his artistry grow in leaps and bounds. He has gone from Bronze Idol to Danseur Noble and has matured into a wonderful dance actor. Angel becomes consumed with the character and completely devours the choreography. He’s got it all. The fact that he can do the pyrotechnics makes him only the more exciting. He IS the complete package.

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I, too, have watched Angel in almost all of his roles -- many of them multiple times per season -- and have been impressed by his phenomenal talent and his artistic growth over the years. The very fact that he is capable of artistry is one reason why the two performances I saw him dance this past season were so disappointing. I found him terribly mannered, a parody of himself. He has the potential to be the complete package, as you say, Bayadere, but neither his Corsaire pdd or Tchaikovsky pas this past season were indicative of that potential.

After savoring memories of the season for the past few weeks, the images that linger are of Erica Cornejo in both the Rodeo and In the Upper Room. An amazing dancer who seems very different from others in this respect: Most dancers seem to be expending energy; Erica seems to be containing some explosive inner force that just keeps going and going and . . .

I did not mean to invoke the Energizer Bunny, but the similarity can't be denied. :)

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Carbro, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree as I didn't see anything lacking in Angel's performances. I was mesmerized, particularly by the second Corsaire pdd (I saw both) which left me with my mouth hanging wide open.

Erica was terrific as the cowgirl, and it’s great to have her back. I agree about the explosive hidden force. She really shined this season. I also loved Reyes who had a slightly different take on the role. I agree with eveyone about Craig Salstein. His tap dancing was a particular treat.

In the Upper Room blew me away, just as it did years ago when it was performed at the MET. Wow! The dancers have boundless energy that left me wanting more more more! I felt like I was sweating along with them! Misty Copeland and Sascha Radetsky really stood out.

I thought the entire season was a success. It seemed to be the best City Center Season that ABT has had yet.

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Oh believe me, I have seen Angel many, many times and he is one of my favorites. That is why I am demanding on him. Now he isn't always at his most effective in roles that require maturity or menace (unlike Bocca or Gomes) but he has stretched in the past. I would mention that he was very fine in "The Prodigal Son" at City Center about two or three years ago. His acting was as fine as his dancing. Angel was also fine as Lensky in Cranko's "Onegin" (though Malakhov is just perfect as a sensitive Romantic Russian poet). He also cut up in Kylian's Petite Mort last year to good effect. His Albrecht with Vishneva this Spring was intriguingly spoiled and caddish and showed that he can go to the dark side effectively.

It was just this City Center season where everyone was doing different stuff and trying on new parts and styles and Angel was just doing his usual tricks. Because I have seen him do those things many times before, I wasn't as bowled over as others are. However the audience did love him and he danced extremely well. His stardom is now international, hence he isn't always totally at ABT's disposal but I hope next Fall he sets aside some rehearsal time to add new challenges and roles to his repertoire.

When I first saw Julio Bocca dance in the early 90's, I thought him the greatest technician out there but not the best actor. Boy, has my opinion changed! Bocca is now such an amazing actor (in Eifman's Russian Hamlet, Iago in Lubovich Othello and so many others) and a total chameleon onstage. I want Angel to develop that kind of range. You can't be a happy jumping boy forever...

Faux Pas

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