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NYCB in Copenhagen Nov 12


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I caught the Saturday matinee, the fourth of five performances in the newly re-opened Tivoli concert hall, which has been transformed from a boxy, fifties-style theater into a renovated boxy, fifties-style theater.

It's nicer than it used to be, however, and has a new staircase/intermission lounge area tacked on the side and some sharks in the basement - there is now a giant aquarium across from the coat check.

NYCB's visit to Copenhagen was a great chance for fans like me to see some of the new faces people in this forum have been enthusing about.

The program opened with Sofiane Sylve in Allegro Brilliante, and although I had to contend with restless children on both sides of me - the curse of a matinee! - I could certainly see why people enjoy her work. How supple and graceful she is! Her partner was Ask la Cour, but my eye kept drifting away to Craig Hall in the back row.

Next came Liturgy with Wendy and Albert - both of whom I like, but I'm afraid the piece just didn't move me. Red Angels, which followed it, is also a modern ballet, but so much more affecting! Even the fidgety kids were suddenly quiet. Jennie Somogyi, always one of my favorites, was one of the leads, and Ashley Bouder the other. Bouder really has stage presence. I can't figure out what is so special about her dancing, but it's hard to stop watching her.

Zakouski may not have been the best chance to experience Megan Fairchild, whom many people on this board seem to adore. I suppose my attention was taken up with Joaquin de Luz, trying to fill a part that is so clearly written for Nikolaj Hubbe - de Luz just hasn't made it his own.

Daniel Ulbricht followed with a great turn in Tarantella - I really enjoy him, and find him a very masculine presence, a bit like Robert Mitchum!

The show wrapped up with Thou Swell - Amar Ramasar dancing with Rachel Rutherford, Darci with Jared, Chuck with Faye Arthurs, and Nilas with Yvonne. Beautiful costumes! An entertaining and fun piece, although certainly nothing life-changing.

All in all, a good afternoon at the ballet, although I was sorry I didn't get to see Janie Taylor, who must have been on the evening program. House was about a half to three-quarters full, perhaps due to the very expensive tickets - the cheapest was fifty bucks, and my balcony seat was about ninety, roughly double the prices of the Royal Theater.

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Jenni was wonderful - she's so wonderfully supple and athletic, yet graceful and feminine at the same time. Strong, but light on her feet. She's what I think of as a truly American ballerina. She seems to be back in full form.

To be honest, the Tarantella height difference didn't bother me nearly as much as the Fairchild/de Luz contrast in Zakouski. And I don't think Fairchild is particularly tall! It's unfair that de Luz's lack of height should lessen his impact onstage, but it sure does.

I will agree that Hyltin was poorly suited for the Tarantella. Oh well, that's what performing overseas is all about - taking chances.

I have not yet seen the local reviews of the Tivoli performances, but I will do a search for them later today.

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Newspaper review from Henrik Lyding in “Jyllands-Posten”, the top-selling daily newspaper in Denmark, with a USA Today-like tone.

The opening is brilliant. (Allegro Brilliante) The middle is a couple of lightweight pieces and a refreshing birthday greeting. (Liturgy, Red Angels, Zakouski, and Tarantella, a salute to Bouronville’s 200th birthday) The finale is an insult…Peter Martins is probably and hopefully a good ballet executive for the New York City Ballet, but he is a wretched choreographer. He takes advantage of his position when it comes to programming and casting, and therefore we have to put up with his supposedly festive finale Thou Swell.

The problem is that Martins doesn't have a sense for interesting or original steps, either as a show or a ballet choreographer. A yawning bore of a cavalcade was the result. Think if Balanchine or Jerome Robbins had worked to Richard Rodgers melodies!

In the middle were three small numbers. Red Angels, by Ulysses Dove, was done without warmth or charm as a purely aesthetic show of steps. It was followed by Zakouski, which also bored us at the Royal Theatre ten years ago. Nikolaj Hubbe and Yvonne Bouree made its banalities into intelligent dance, but think if we had had the chance to see Hubbe as Apollo!

But no more complaining. Balanchine's subtle and loving note to Bouronville, Tarantella, was a charming little ballet, and the first part of the program, Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante, was delicate, elegant and well-danced.

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Newspaper review from Monna Ditmer in Politiken, slightly left-leaning broadsheet:

For me, Nikolaj Hubbe is still the king of this company. Only he could make something like Peter Martins' Russian pastiche Zakouski really catch fire. He is somehow able to balance between a Russian duke's dancing dignity and the flippant haughtiness of the phasing, giving this gallant number an ironic twist.

But there was no help or Hubbe to save Peter Martins' flatflooted finale Thou Swell..The couples danced until it was time to put on their coats and go home, but Martins should have just put them and the rest of this number to bed in New York. Without the finale this company would have been much stronger.

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"Peter Martins is probably and hopefully a good ballet executive for the New York City Ballet, but he is a wretched choreographer. He takes advantage of his position when it comes to programming and casting" -- KayDenmark's Translation of Henrik Lyding writing in Jyllands-Posten.

It seems I have heard this before about Mr Martins!

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THOU SWELL is among Peter's worst ballets; I'm surprised it stays in the repertoire and surprised he would take it on tour.

It's funny to read about a perceived lack of warmth & charm in RED ANGELS...it is not a warm or charming ballet, but an edgy and rather stark piece which I think is brilliant. Mrs. Diamond named it once as her favorite of the many Diamond Project ballets.

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I should add that Red Angels actually got quite a positive review in Politikken, which headlined its review "You Can't Have Enough Red Angels," and praised Ashely Bouder's work.

One more review, from the establishment newspaper Berlingske Tidende. Vibeke Wern gave the performance five out of six stars and wrote:

It's amazing what the New York City Ballet can do in toe shoes. It doesn't matter if it is Balanchine's classic steps to Tchaikovsky, Ulysses Dove's hypermodern choeography to electric violin or Peter Martins' ballroom ballet to jazz evergreeens. At the gala NYCB performance in honor of the reopening of Tivoli's concert hall, we saw a whole palette of ballet styles in the six works on the program.

Whereupon Ms. Wern waxes enthusiastic about absolutely everything, with the exception of Nilas Martins' performance in Allegro - she says he is no match for Weese. When it comes to Zakouski, she writes.

One of the evening's high points was Nikolaj Hubbe and Yvonne Bouree in Martins soon-to-be-classic Zakouski. With playful and nonchalant energy, the charismatic Hubbe phrased his courtly steps and jumps to classic Russian tones, while Yvonne Bouree is an elegant and devoted ballerina.

She also had some mildly kind words for Thou Swell.

Peter Martins' very American Thou Swell is not in the same weight class as Zakouski. In this ode to Richard Rodgers, elegance and nostalgia are in focus. Jenifer Ringer and Amara (sic) Ramasar are fortunately able to put a bit of life in their fancy clothes. But with a jazz trio and a singing duo live onstage, Martins' show ballet with a starry sky in the background made a wonderful ending to the gala program at Tivoli Concert Hall.

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Wow, someone actually said something NICE about Yvonne Borree...a rarity at this site.

Is Amara Ramasar Amar's twin sister, and why is she dancing with Jenifer Ringer??? :wink:

Who danced Peter Boal's role in RED ANGELS?

It seems that this was just a small ensemble from NYCB, none of the pieces require a large corps. I imagine THOU SWELL was included for Darci...MORGEN, a far lovelier ballet, would have required carting those huge columns to Denmark.

Did Janie Taylor dance there at all?

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Neal and Marcovici danced the two male roles - not sure which one was originated by Boal.

Taylor was listed as part of the Tivoli cast, and her headshot appeared in the program, but she did not dance in the performance I saw and was not mentioned in any of the reviews.

Can't imagine the Morgen columns would have been any bigger or heavier than the Thou Swell costumes.

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Casting for comic effect? Isn't there about a foot difference between short Ulbricht & long Hyltin?

Hyltin is actually not that tall. She's one of the "small" girls. But, I do agree she does look long-- she is so narrowly built that she's a petite girl who looks tall.

I love her as a dancer, but don't quite see her fitting Tarantella. She's more of a dancer with a quiet passion than showy exuberance. I haven't seen her do Stars yet. But, I am glad she had the opportunity.

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Hyltin is small really? I am surprised as she was cast in the second girl role in Rubies which is usually cast tall. & she did look taller than Weese who is sort of medium.

She was cast as the second girl? I find that extremely strange. She and Stephanie Zungre are probably the most petite girls (not shortest) girls in the company. Hyltin stood smaller than Ulbricht last night, when iI saw them after the performance.

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