ABT in Chicago- Press Release

[Giselle05]

ABT RETURNS TO CHICAGO WITH DUAL DELIGHTS:

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF LE CORSAIRE, PLUS GALA OPENING NIGHT MIXED REP PROGRAM, AT THE CIVIC OPERA HOUSE, MARCH 29-APRIL 2, 2006

2005-06 Marks Julio Bocca and Julie Kent's 20th Anniversary Season with ABT

12/1/2005 - Returning to Chicago for what has become an annual rite of Spring, American Ballet Theatre (ABT), America's National Ballet Company, will present two separate programs at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive: A Gala Opening Night of mixed repertory, Wednesday, March 29, 2006, followed by five performances of the full-length swashbuckling adventure, Le Corsaire (The Pirate), March 30 - April 2, 2006. This engagement marks the Chicago Premiere of Anna-Marie Holmes staging of Le Corsaire for American Ballet Theatre.

The full-length story ballet Le Corsaire is an exotic Turkish fable of a dashing pirate's love for a beautiful harem girl, with a story line traveling from the Pasha's dazzling palace to a spectacular shipwreck on a windswept desert island. Le Corsaire is considered the perfect platform for daring and explosive dancing. Principal roles of Medora (the harem girl), Conrad (the pirate), Ali (the slave), Gulnare (Medora's friend), Lankendem (owner of the bazaar), and Birbanto (Conrad's friend) will be cast in Chicago as follows: Julie Kent, Julio Bocca, Angel Corella, Xiomara Reyes, Herman Cornejo, and Carlos Lopez (Thursday, March 30, evening); Michele Wiles, David Hallberg, Jose Manuel Carreno, Stella Abrera, Gennadi Saveliev, and Jesus Pastor (Friday, March 31, evening); Irina Dvorovenko, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Angel Corella, Maria Riccetto, Sascha Radetsky, and Herman Cornejo (Saturday, April 1, matinee); Gillian Murphy, Ethan Stiefel, Jose Manuel Carreno, Stella Abrera, Gennadi Saveliev, and Jesus Pastor (Saturday, April 1, evening); and Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes, Angel Corella, Xiomara Reyes, Herman Cornejo, and Carlos Lopez (Sunday, April 2, matinee). All casting is subject to change.

American Ballet Theatre will open its Spring 2006 program in Chicago with a Gala Program on March 29 showcasing pas de deux galore, including Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun (Kent, Stiefel), George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Dvorovenko, Beloserkovsky), Pas de deux TBA (Alessandra Ferri, Bocca), and the Black Swan Pas de Deux from Kevin McKenzie's Swan Lake (Herrera, CarreЯo). Also on the program will be Agnes de Mille's Rodeo (Reyes, Radetsky) and a suite from Le Corsaire (Wiles, Murphy, Gomes, Corella, Cornejo).

American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancers Julio Bocca and Julie Kent are both celebrating 20-year anniversaries with the company in the 2005-2006 season.

We are delighted to have Chicago as a regular stop on ABT's tour, said American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. With the prior success of Swan Lake and Giselle, the Company is proud return to the Civic Opera House with the acclaimed production of Le Corsaire, as well as a program of repertory which showcases the scope of ABT's artistry.■

This production of Le Corsaire, with sets and costumes by Irina Tibilova and lighting by Mary Jo Dondlinger, was first staged for American Ballet Theatre in 1998 by Anna-Marie Holmes, after choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev, after Marius Petipa. The ballet was filmed for broadcast by PBS Dance in America in 1999. American Ballet Theatre's 85+ member company will be accompanied by a live orchestra performing a score by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Leo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo, and Prince Oldenberg.

The Chicago Opening Night Gala, to benefit American Ballet Theatre, takes place Wednesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., and features a pre-performance Gala reception, post-performance champagne toast on stage with the dancers, and prime seating. Opening Night Gala tickets are priced from $400. For more information on the Gala Opening Night program or to purchase Gala tickets, please call 212.477.3030 ext. 1105. Performance-only tickets for Opening Night are available from $98-$20, by calling TicketMaster at (312) 902-1500.

Performances of Le Corsaire at the Civic Opera House are as follows: Thursday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, March 31, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 1, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 2, at 2 p.m. Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's Le Corsaire, and the Opening Night program, which range in price from $98 - $20, can be purchased by calling (312) 902-1500; visiting the Civic Opera House box office; or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Groups of 15 or more can receive discount pricing by calling (312) 922-2110, ext. 357.

Countrywide Financial is the National Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre and Cole Haan is a Leading Benefactor. For more information on American Ballet Theatre's presentation of Le Corsaire at the Civic Opera House March 29-April 2, 2006, please call (312) 902-1500 or visit www.civicoperahouse.com.

[Treefrog]

Any BT'ers planning on attending? We have tickets for the gala performance and the Sunday matinee.

[Giselle05]

I have tickets for the Opening Night Gala and the Opening night of Le Corsaire. :-) (the 29th and 30th)

[Treefrog]

So, Giselle05? What did you think?

My take on the gala:

Afternoon of a Faun: Julie Kent/Jose Manuel Carreno

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux: Irina Dvorovenko/ Maxim Beloserkosky

Manon: Alessandra Ferri/ Julio Bocca

Black Swan Pas de Deux: Paloma Herrera/ Marcelo Gomes

Le Corsaire Suite: Gillian Murphy, Stella Abrera, David Hallberg, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo

Rodeo: Xiomara Reyes, Sascha Radetsky

First off, I have to say that the program was beautifully constructed. The flow was just terrific, starting with the quiet introversion of Afternoon of a Faun and ramping up the action until we reached the pyrotechnical Corsaire Suite. Rodeo made a lovely one-act second half.

It would be difficult to say what stood out, as everything was wonderful in its own way. I loved the simplicity of Afternoon of a Faun (this was the Robbins version), and seeing basic movements executed so precisely and lovingly. Manon was simply steamy! I would have said that on the face of it, it was the dance I liked the least, and yet ... there's gotta be something to dancing that makes you wonder whether the dancers are actually going to take their curtain call or just proceed to .... ahem .... well, you know This was Bocca's penultimate Chicago performance (the ultimate being Corsaire last night) and he received very enthusiastic applause.

The cool thing about the Black Swan Pas de Deux was that this was the first time I've really seen Odile's witchiness! Yes, and from Herrera too! Hedy Weiss in the Sun-Times review said her acting was lacking, but I really think Weiss's view was colored by the Common Wisdom. Corsaire was spectacular, and I'd be astounded if anyone who didn't already have tickets didn't rush to the box office at intermission to get them. Corella was especially fabulous as (I think?) the slave Ali, and the crowd responded very enthusiastically.

Rodeo was kind of like an ice-cream nightcap: soothing, sweet, satisfying. Reyes was astoundingly apt as the Cowgirl. She had all those male mannerisms and movements down pat. ABSOLUTELY believable as a girl who's been raised on the ranch and wants to compete with the hands. And then when she gets to the dance there's just a moment of hesitation and uncertainty about her role and her identity before she throws herself whole hog into the celebration. She never really loses her Cowgirl swagger, just channels it. I liked that. Radetsky's Roper was goofy/sweet.

I did NOT like McKenzie's opening remarks. It's bad enough having to thank all the patrons and sponsors -- although that seems to be becoming a de rigueur necessity these days -- but I really thought it gauche of him to trumpet the ABT as "America's National Ballet". That might play in the provinces, but here in Chicago we have our own nationally recognized company, thank you very much. We don't need your "National Ballet".

Although, darn it, we sure love it when you visit.

[miliosr]

I attended the Saturday afternoon matinee. I'll set down my impressions some time this week when I have a little more time to write.

[Treefrog]

Looking forward to your comments, miliosr!

Meanwhile, here are my impressions from this afternoon's (final) performance. Gomes (Conrad), Radetsky (Birbanto), Corella (Ali), Cornejo (Lankendam), Reyes (Gulnare) and Murphy substituting for Herrera (Medora).

Even though Murphy was an apparently last-minute substitution, the partnership between her and Gomes was flawless. Not that I'm any expert, but the partnering in this ballet certainly looks difficult, particularly on some of the lifts and dives. Not only were there no hitches, but their lines looked lovely -- at times, almost as if they were one being.

It goes almost without saying that Corella was a showstopper. He managed an appropriately abject demeanor throughout, as befits a slave, but when he danced he just pulled out the stops. Amazing height and hang time -- he opened one pas with a cabriole that seemed almost lazy, it was so deliberately and precisely executed, as if he had all the time in the world.

Reyes was the one who caught my heart. Just about the time I was reflecting, as seems habitual for me, on the incongruity of 19th century ballets -- in this case, the presentation of apparently healthy, happy slaves in classical tutus -- along comes Reyes. Clad in a tutu, yes, but there was nothing happy about her. She projected dejection, sadness, despair. Her dancing saved the scene for me, pulling me back into the fantasy. In the grotto, she was a totally different dancer -- beaming, animated, charming. Wow.

Why did this ballet take so long to reach American shores? And why -- other than the requirement for an impossibly deep male bench -- is it not performed more frequently? It seems to me that it is more accessible than many, and that the dancing has great crowd appeal. It's even got 32 fouettés. It doesn't seem to me to be any less artistic than the other standard story ballets.

Oh -- I thought the supers did an extraordinary job, especially the pasha's litter-bearers/servants. (Yes, that would be my husband, who is making a minor second career of supering -- funny that he's the one in the family who has made it to the ballet big leagues!)

[Dale]

Thank you Treefrog. I had the same feeling when I saw Reyes as Gulnare. Very impressed. Who were the odalesque trio?

[miliosr]

I attended the matinee performance on Saturday afternoon.

As the train rolled into Chicago and the skyline came into view, I had a powerful urge to start singing the theme to Good Times. But I spared my fellow passengers.

It was a typical lovely day in Chicago -- overcast, windy and FREEZING COLD. Luckily, the ushers took pity on us poor, shivering wretches in the lobby and let us into the main foyer a little early.

The crowd didn't seem as full (or as lively) to me for Le Corsaire as it did in 2004 (for Swan Lake) and in 2005 (for Giselle). I was in Row R/Left/Main Floor and there were six empty seats next to me.

I discovered that Row R is the place to sit, though, because I saw Chris Wheeldon take a seat in Row R/Center while I was crowd watching and Kevin McKenzie take the Row R/Center aisle seat just before the lights dimmed.

As for the production itself, I have to say that Le Corsaire did nothing for me. Too often I felt that the ramshackle scenario with its inane and illogical plot developments was at war with the dancers. Every time they got some genuine emotion going, the plot sabotaged them. It was like the ballet equivalent of Godzilla vs. Mothra with neither one emerging victorious. (Chicago seemed to escape unharmed, though.)

Let me be clear that this was in no way the fault of the dancers, who labored mightily to bring this ballet to some semblance of life. To the extent Le Corsaire worked at all, it was due in large part to the hardworking cast. So, without further ado, here are my impressions:

Maxim Beloserkovsky (Conrad): He definitely looked the part but I thought that the character of Conrad went too far against the natural grain of his personality. On those terms, I would have to say that his portrayal wasn't a total success. BUT, if you watched his dancing in an abstract way, I thought he was mesmerizing. There was an understated elegance to his dancing that stood in bold relief to all the histrionic dancing around him. I wouldn't say he was a crowd favorite but he was my favorite.

Irina Dvorovenko (Medora): Her acting was fair -- her default choice tended toward the relentlessly sunny. While I can see where that would be excruciating in the wrong part, it worked well enough here. Her dancing brought to mind words used to describe the late Vera-Ellen -- "light, lithe, quick and strong". The fouettes in Act II were very clean and, more impressively, she didn't travel at all. Good chemistry with her husband, too.

Angel Corella (Ali): A marvelous display of physical virtuosity which left me emotionally cold. My reaction wasn't his fault, though. Ali barely touches on Acts I and III so it was hard for me to much care about him when he takes on such huge prominence in Act II. I do have to add that 2006 Live Angel was better than 1999 DVD Angel -- he was just as physically impressive in 2006 but he reined in the effects just enough so that he didn't look like he was going to topple over as he did in 1999.

Herman Cornejo (Birbanto): The dancing was fine but seeing him in this part left me majorly depressed. What is he doing in this secondary part that any one of a dozen guys in the pirate corps could have executed successfully? Is this to be his fate as a principal dancer??

Maria Riccetto (Gulnare): Pretty, technically assured but colorless. She didn't add much flavor to the soup and she tended to fade into the background when matched against the rest of the cast.

Sascha Radetsky (Lankedem): Somewhat like Max, I think the nature of this part may have gone too much against the natural grain of his personality. Sorry Charlie -- you'll always be that nice guy from Center Stage who we all fell in love with. Good dancing, though.

The Pirates: I thought Isaac Stappas was the best of the pirates. I don't think he'll be in the corps that much longer.

The Odalisques: Loved, loved, LOVED Carmen Corella as one of the odalisques. Her dancing was perfectly articulated and she has a breezy Spanish radiance that lights up the entire stage. Easily my favorite after Max.

Act III Dream Sequence Corps: For all the grief ABT's female corps takes about their lack of unified style, they were "together" on Saturday. They looked nice and crisp with no obvious breakdowns in technique or style.

If this were figure skating, I would give my medals as follows:

Bronze -- Isaac Stappas

Silver -- Carmen Corella

Gold -- Max Beloserkovsky

That's all I can think of to write at this point so I'll wind this up. I didn't like Le Corsaire as a ballet but I give full marks to the dancers for making as much happen as they did given the hindrances presented by the scenario.

Edited April 4, 2006 by miliosr

[Helene]

miliosr,

That was a delightful read! I loved your observation about Beloserkovsky, "I thought that the character of Conrad went too far against the natural grain of his personality. On those terms, I would have to say that his portrayal wasn't a total success. BUT, if you watched his dancing in an abstract way, I thought he was mesmerizing."

[chauffeur]

Miliosr, I am so with you on the idiocy of the Corsaire "plot." We saw ABT perform it two weeks earlier in Cleveland (Hallberg and Herarra, Carreno as Ali, Lopes and Reyes, Cornejo as Lankedem which was awesome -- those 540s!!), and I felt like I could have left after Act II and been perfectly satisfied with the all the whoop-de-do dancing that we got to see in the first two acts. For me, Corsaire mostly just feels like "Six Principal Performers in Search of a Plausible Storyline." But ABT-quality dancing does, for the most part, make it totally worthwhile. I can only imagine how numbing it might feel in the hands (and feet) of a lesser company.

Incidentally, Act III Dream Sequence -- I don't know if this number features what I call "Gratuitous Use of Children" in every location, but what we saw was painfully amateurish. I realize it probably helps sell tickets to the locals, but it felt completely out of whack to the rest of the performance.

[Treefrog]

Loved your take on the performance, miliosr.

Interestingly, what you hated about it is what I liked -- in a way. The stories in these ballets ALWAYS seem incongruous to me. The characters NEVER seem well-developed. Everything ALWAYS seems contrived. In this case, I was able to put most of that aside and just see the plot as a thin excuse for two hours of glorious dancing.

I think you did pretty much the same with Beloserkovsky:

BUT, if you watched his dancing in an abstract way, I thought he was mesmerizing.

Too bad the rest of the production didn't work as well for you.

Incidentally, I agree with you about Radetsky -- he couldn't really pull off the "bad guy" role of Birbanto.

The house was quite full for the Sunday matinee -- I don't think I saw an empty seat in the orchestra.

Dale -- I can't find my program just now! From memory, I'd say Ricetto, Liceica, and a player to be named later. Couldn't for the life of me tell you who was which, or how they danced on a case-by-case basis.

[Starr]

Miliosr, I am so with you on the idiocy of the Corsaire "plot." We saw ABT perform it two weeks earlier in Cleveland (Hallberg and Herarra, Carreno as Ali, Lopes and Reyes, Cornejo as Lankedem which was awesome -- those 540s!!), and I felt like I could have left after Act II and been perfectly satisfied with the all the whoop-de-do dancing that we got to see in the first two acts. For me, Corsaire mostly just feels like "Six Principal Performers in Search of a Plausible Storyline." But ABT-quality dancing does, for the most part, make it totally worthwhile. I can only imagine how numbing it might feel in the hands (and feet) of a lesser company.

Incidentally, Act III Dream Sequence -- I don't know if this number features what I call "Gratuitous Use of Children" in every location, but what we saw was painfully amateurish. I realize it probably helps sell tickets to the locals, but it felt completely out of whack to the rest of the performance.

Chauffeur, you were at the Sunday matinee in Cleveland? So was I. The Carreno crowd went nuts when he was announced as Ali for the performance(wasn't cast on Sunday).

Did they have the pirate in the selling kiddy pirate stuff in the lobby?

Edited April 4, 2006 by Starr

[chauffeur]

Yup! I was! Carreno was a walking master class in stage presence, wasn't he? All he has to do is stand there and breathe, and you can't watch anyone else!

[miliosr]

I'm glad people enjoyed my review. After I clicked 'ADD REPLY' yesterday, I was afraid everyone would find it too cantankerous and carping.

One thing I would add to my comments about Max Beloserkovsky is that his plush dancing harkened back to another time and place -- 19th century Imperial Russia vs. 21st century Chicago. He was the one person in the cast who got me thinking about how ballet is a continuum (or should be) with one generation of dancers bound upon the next.

[ami1436]

Did anyone go to the Saturday 1 April *evening* performance? My family went to this and I've heard a bit about it (my dad had a favourite variation, which is simultaneously shocking and pleasing!)... They've promised me 'reviews' but apparently taxes came first!

[Amy Reusch]

I did NOT like McKenzie's opening remarks. It's bad enough having to thank all the patrons and sponsors -- although that seems to be becoming a de rigueur necessity these days -- but I really thought it gauche of him to trumpet the ABT as "America's National Ballet". That might play in the provinces, but here in Chicago we have our own nationally recognized company, thank you very much. We don't need your "National Ballet".

It's funny, but even though NY is home to ABT, I can't say I've ever thought of it as a "New York" company. I wouldn't be surprised to hear someday that it had dual residencies in Washington DC or Orange County, CA. Come to think of it, has it never been the resident company at Kennedy Center? It doesn't have a home like NYCB does at Lincoln Center. I agree with people in the past who have said perhaps it's name shouldn't be "American Ballet Theatre" but "International Ballet Theatre", but otherwise I do think perhaps it's closest to being America's national ballet. I think Joffrey is more American in flavor, but it's not as large as ABT and doesn't tour outside America as much... and Joffrey spawned ABT's current artistic director, so perhaps that is close enough. There are a couple of companies out there calling themselves "National Ballet" but they're not nearly large enough to be in the same league as ABT.

[bart]

The question of ABT being a potential "national company" is an interesting one. Clearly the management has such aspirations, and it's recent $5 million challenge grant to establish national residencies in key regions around the country may be another step in this direction. Some of you might be interested in this thread about that announcement of the grant:

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...=0entry179542

[Treefrog]

It just would have sat better if he had said something about "Chicago's great support for ballet, as demonstrated by the fondness you have for the Joffrey and how you have welcomed that wonderful company and helped it to grow and become a part of the community ... we're so pleased to bring our own brand of ballet, which you know is so different from the Joffrey's" ... or something like that.

Noblesse oblige goes down so much better when it is gracefully done.

[fandango]

This is an absolutely great review by Treefrog and I agreed with everything. The Manon WAS steamy--Bocca and Ferri have seemed to create that chemistry several times when I have seen them in the past (Giselle, February 2005, Kennedy Center). I have heard that it happens, rarely, with pas de deux partners that there is something that transcends dance when they are together. Do we think it is that with Bocca and Ferri, or just, uh, hormones?