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Sleeping Beauty in DC, June 22-25


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So tonight is the big night at the Kennedy Center in D.C. -- the U.S. premiere of the Royal Ballet's new-old Sleeping Beauty.

I'm opening this thread in great anticipation of all Ballet-Talkers' comments.

As a reminder, here is principal casting:

Tonight - Cojocaru/Kobborg

June 23 - Marquez/Bonelli

June 24, mat - Lamb/Samodurov

June 24, eve - Nunez/Soares

June 25 - Cojocaru/Kobborg

The complete casting sheets were provided in the playbills of the mixed-bill performances. I don't have these with me but I recall that Alexandra Ansanelli is scheduled to perform Lilac Fairy in at least one of these presentations.

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I find it rather intriguing that they provided the casting information with the inserts.

In any case, I will be going to the Sat and Sun matinees and am looking forward to both.

Of course, if anyone else can add to the casting information, that would be great.

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The complete casting is in the program books. I'll give Lilacs, Florestan pas de trois, Bluebird pas, as that's usually what people are curious about :clapping:

Tonight (Thursday):

Lilac: Marianela Nunez

Florestan: Martin Harvey, Belinda Hatley, Deirdre Chapman

Princess Florine/Bluebird: Sara Lamb, Yohei Sasaki

Friday:

Lilac: Isabel McMeekan

Florestan: David Makhateli, Hatley, Lauren Cuthbertson

Bluebird: Laura Morera, Brian Maloney

Sat mat:

Lilac: Ansanelli

Florestan: Bennet Gartside, Natasha Oughtred, Victoria Hewitt

Bludbird: Yuhui Choe, Kenta Kura

Sat eve:

Lilac: McMeekan

Florestan: Valerie Hristov, Samantha Raine, Hikaru Kobayashi

Bluebirds: Morera, Maloney

Sun mat:

Lilac: Cuthbertson

Florestan: Harvey, Morera, Chapman

Bluebird: Hatley, Sasaki

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Well, last night's opening night of the Royal Ballet's new-old Sleeping Beauty is history. I will save my full review for the end of the run, after I've had the chance to fully digest this production. Initial thoughts:

Deep disappointment with the production. Overwhelming joy with the dancing.

The designs -- esp. the washed-out pathetic imitations of the Messel originals -- are boring. The only exception is Catalabutte's wonderful green coat, which seems to be the only treasure that remains from the hundreds of elaborate, primary-coloured confections of 1946. Where is the iconic Aurora Act I tutu worn by Margot Fonteyn, with the Velazquez "Las Meninas" details (red bows, deep pink overskirt, true sleeves...not the flimsy thing on Cojocaru's arms last night)? Where was Prince Florimund-Robert Helpman's bright-red coat & curly wig? Where was the Lilac Fairy-Beryl Gray's cluster-of-lilacs cap & leaf-detailed tutu? [For that matter -- where was Lilac's delicate seashell-pulled-by-butterflies boat? Instead, we get a mac-truck-proportioned float that must have been a cast-off from the last Tournament of Roses Parade.] Where were the vibrant striped gowns for the courtier-ladies or the yellow outfits of the Garland ladies, instead of the pistacchio-mint trifles seen last night? I could go on listing disappointment after disappointment.

The Watteau-esque backdrops are closer to the Messel originals but are either poorly lit or made in a 'cheaper' manner than what is seen in remaining films (i.e., 'The Magic of Dance, episode 1) or multiple books. Many of the props -- beside that dreadful barge -- were cheesy and obviously not in Messel's plan, e.g., Red Riding Hood's forest is now made up of Wal-Mart tin-foil Christmas trees, rather than the big-leaf green trees of 1946.

The staging of the actual dances was much better than the design. While I sorely miss Ashton's Garland Dance in Act I -- Wheeldon's is one of the most undistinguished in memory, on par with MacMillan's ABT version -- and most of the Hunt Scene dances are cut, most of the other segments that were traditionally performed by the Royal Ballet during the Glory Years of the 1950s/60s are there, such as Ashton's divine solo for Aurora in the Act II Vision Scene and the Florestan & His Two Sisters pas de trois in Act III (in place of the Mariinsky's Jewels Quartet).

Performances were almost-all wonderful. Alina Cojocaru is THE Aurora of our generation, as I saw in St. Petersburg this past March...although, Cojocaru seemed to dance in a slightly more 'modern' style (read that: higher leg extensions) last night than what she essayed at the Mariinsky. So that magical night at the Mariinsky remains my definitive Aurora interpretation. Nonetheless, Cojocaru displayed technical greatness (those balances!), beauty of line & infinite youthful charm throughout last night. In Johan Kobborg, she has her perfect prince (despite his dull beige outfit in this production) -- and Kobborg soared in his cabrioles during the coda of the grand pdd.

I am dying to see Marianella Nunez's own Aurora tomorrow night, judging from her impeccable & joyous-faced performance as Lilac last night. This is one ballerina who can truly lift an audience's spirits just with her smile...not to mention her lovely technique!

The other Prologue fairies were a bit tentative, with the exception of the crisp attack and musicality of Laura Morera in the 'finger variation' (Fairy of the Golden Vine).

Sarah Lamb -- like Amanda McKerrow, ABT-ex ballerina -- was born to be Princess Florine. She is small, neat, pale, blonde, not flashy but perfectly precise and charming. Sarah Lamb scored a triumph last night in the Bluebird pdd. Her Bluebird, Yohei Sasaki, was a fine partner & danced clean entrechats & brises-volees but does not have a particularly high jump.

The corps, in general, danced well -- esp. Lilac's eight attendants, crisp and uniform -- but the widely-varying schools of training are reflected in the different manners of upper-body carriage; hence, the Royal corps does not come close to approximating the uniformity & 'aristocratic grandeur' of the Kirov-Mariinsky. Which is not to say that the Royal (or ABT or anyone else) should aspire to be the Kirov-Mariinsky; they are not & should not be. That's a fact of life. But for those of us who have been weaned on a steady diet of uniform perfection from the former Imperial Mariinsky Ballet/now Kirov-Mariinsky, it's a bit disappointing to see anything short of that standard in this, the most courtly and aristocratic of ballets.

All in all, it was a night of specific dancing triumphs but, ultimately, a disappointment. If the Royal Ballet cannot give us the 'real thing' -- the Full Messel -- then please do not falsely-advertise 'The MAGIC is back!' to ballet-lovers who have been waiting 40-odd years for the return of that grand production. The MAGIC is NOT back. For magic -- go to St. Petersburg, Russia, & see The Sleeping Beauty in its definitive form.

p.s. - I am seriously thinking about beginning what I call "The BBC Fund" -- not for the broadcasting company. BBC stands for "Bring Back the Costumes" Fund. In a recent interview, Monica Mason admitted to having recycled some costumes & props from the recent ill-fated Makarova production at the Royal Ballet, to economise. Heck, I propose that we Ballet-Talkers will take the first steps towards raising the funds to give this troupe the lovely Messel costumes that they deserve to have. Hence, I'll pitch-in the first $100 towards the crafting of a TRUE Prince Florimund coat, in bright red.

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It is now 9:15 and I just woke up. I'm the one who drove 10 hours (NYC to DC and back) and took two days off from work just to see Alina dance. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

First of all, the drive went well. I left NY at 11:30 and arrived in DC at 4:15. The problem I had was getting to the Kennedy Center Parking Lot. Three times I followed signs that said "Kennedy Center" only to get on a road that lead to a highway that took me out of DC into Virginia. I passed the steps that the priest fell down in "The Exorcist" (TWICE!!), because I accidently got on the Key Bridge which goes by Georgetown and I had to make one illegal u-turn. But, I finally found it, parked the car, picked up my ticket, and sat in the coffee shop across the street in the Watergate until curtain time.

One more story. On Monday night, I went to see "Manon" and I was way, way up in Family Circle. Where was my seat last night? RIGHT BEHIND THE CONDUCTOR. For anyone who was there last night - that was me - front row - center seat. I thought there was some kind of mistake! I bought my ticket on the Internet on Tuesday afternoon. How this happened - God only knows! Never had I been this close to the stage since I was 13 years old and went to see "Annie" on Broadway.

OK - enough stories. Now, this is the first performance I have ever seen of the full-length "Sleeping Beauty". The Royal Ballet presented a beautiful and dynamic production, visually stunning, with spectacular dancing. And thanks to the casting of last night's performance, we got to see three of the ballerinas who are playing Aurora.

Marianela Nunez played the Lilac Fairy - she is playing Aurora on Saturday night. She was so radiant throughout the entire evening (what a smile!) and danced the part beautifully. Just one little glitch, but it wasn't her fault. In Act II, her chariot bumped into the scenery and she had a noticeable wobble, which elicited gasps from some members of the audience.

Sarah Lamb danced the Blue Bird Pas de Deux with Yohei Sasaki. She is playing Aurora on Saturday afternoon. I got really excited when I saw her name in the program, especially after reading on the board about her upcoming Aurora. And she is a lovely ballerina - there is a gentle quality to her dancing and she is probably going to be beautiful on Saturday.

But last night, we saw the best Aurora of all, but I will leave her for last. :clapping::)

I sat there in awe the whole evening. In the Prologue, the dance of the Fairies set the whole tone for the night. I also recognized Thiago Soares, who was the Cavalier to the second Fairy. I saw him dance a wonderful "Thais" with Leanne Benjamin at the Ashton Centennial in 2004. Carabosse was actually played by a woman - Genesia Rosatto. When she entered with her rat-drawn chariot, I had flashbacks to seeing the Disney cartoon and the appearance of Maleficent (which used to give me nightmares). Then, Nunez, with her dancing and acting sets the mood of "Hey- don't worry- eveything is going to be OK!"

The Act I dance with the flowers was beautiful. Again, the Disney cartoon popped up in my head - "I know you - I walked with you once upon a dream ..." Then, my heart was in my mouth waiting for Alina's entrance. What can I say? I have been blessed to see some of the greatest ballerinas in the short time that I have been attending the ballet - Zakharova, Bussell, Vishneva, Ferri, Guillem, Lacarra. I can truly say that Alina Cojocaru is probably the loveliest ballerina that I have ever seen in my life. I actually cried while she was dancing the "Rose Adagio".

She has everything - beauty, presence, technique, artistry, gracefulness, and command of the stage. I could not take my eyes off of her the whole entire night. And when Johann Kobborg came on stage to join her - they make such a beautiful pair. And all of their dances together had that "meltingly lovely" quality. They had a beautiful Act II dance in the forest and their Act III Pas de Deux was spectacular, (especially the part where Johann dips her and she lets go and has her legs wrapped around him backwards).

Here is my only negative. I thought Johann Kobborg was great. (He is much better looking on stage than his mugshot of a picture in the Royal Ballet Souvenir Book). But, I was unimpressed with the rest of the male dancers. For example, Martin Harvey, who danced Florestan, and Yohei Sasaki, who danced the Bluebird are both adequate dancers. But, in NY, we are spoiled by Cornejo, Bocca (no more!) , Corella, Carreno, and Gomes. Kobborg has a lot of the qualities of our New York friends, but the rest of the male dancers were just OK.

Other than that, it was a beautiful evening. I came to see Alina and she was incredible. She was worth the drive. But please - can we ever get her back to NY? :)

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Ceeszi, when I went to see the Kirov last weekend, I had an awful time getting to the Kennedy Center, too. I've been attending performances there for as long as I can remember and never had any trouble driving myself, but I circled the KC three times, just as you did, ending up back in VA every time. I blame it on the construction, as it used to be very well marked. However, I think it will all be exceptional when finished.

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Ceeszi--

I agree--DC is horrifically signed, esp. compared with New York.

And I know exactly how you got your seat, because it is my subscription seat. On Tuesday at lunchtime, I exchanged my Thursday seat (G108 or G109, right?) for a Sat. matinee seat as I also have a Sunday subscription and I wanted to see different casts. I did the exchange around 12 or 12:30.

I am so glad that you kept "my" seat warm for me. Oddly enough, "my" seat's neighbor to the left was not occupied by a subscriber this season, though I'm trying to get it for myself (in addition to "my" seat) for next season...

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… But last night, we saw the best Aurora of all, but I will leave her for last. :clapping::)

…She has everything - beauty, presence, technique, artistry, gracefulness, and command of the stage. I could not take my eyes off of her the whole entire night. And when Johann Kobborg came on stage to join her - they make such a beautiful pair. And all of their dances together had that "meltingly lovely" quality. They had a beautiful Act II dance in the forest and their Act III Pas de Deux was spectacular, (especially the part where Johann dips her and she lets go and has her legs wrapped around him backwards).

Here is my only negative. I thought Johann Kobborg was great. (He is much better looking on stage than his mugshot of a picture in the Royal Ballet Souvenir Book). But, I was unimpressed with the rest of the male dancers. For example, Martin Harvey, who danced Florestan, and Yohei Sasaki, who danced the Bluebird are both adequate dancers. But, in NY, we are spoiled by Cornejo, Bocca (no more!) , Corella, Carreno, and Gomes. Kobborg has a lot of the qualities of our New York friends, but the rest of the male dancers were just OK.

Other than that, it was a beautiful evening. I came to see Alina and she was incredible. She was worth the drive. But please - can we ever get her back to NY? :)

Ceeszi – you hit it right on the head for me with those comments. Cojocaru was the ultimate Aurora for me, possessing all the qualities you described. I was a little surprised by the height of her extensions (I know that she can do them, but thought she’d be a little more circumspect) but her dancing embodied a joyful, gentle radiance. Early on she brought to mind the Homeric image of “rosey fingered dawn” gently bringing the morning light. She was lovely, and Kobborg was her perfect partner. The prince can be a really lackluster role – I remember a few of them looking pretty stupid – but Kobborg brought a kind of regal naturalness to the role, and his dancing was elegant and effortless.

Usually my favorite part of this ballet is the Rose Adagio. Hers was good, outstanding even, but not a Rose to make me forget all others. But she just kept getting stronger with each appearance – her 2nd act vision scene was one of the loveliest moments I have ever seen in many years of ballet going, and her final act was brilliant.

Like you I was totally unimpressed by the 2 male soloists who danced Florestan and the Bluebird – so much so that I wondered why they were cast.

Absolutely loved Sarah Lamb and am looking forward to her Aurora at tomorrow’s matinee.

I will reserve comment on the production itself till I’ve seen a couple more casts except to say how much I loved the mime, and Genesia Rosato’s Carabosse. I thought the mime was one of the best things about this production, it was clear and confidently presented.

For Ansanelli watchers – she is scheduled to dance the Fairy of the Crystal Fountain tonight (Friday), Saturday night and Sunday matinee in addition to dancing the Lilac Fairy at the Saturday matinee.

Susan

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Thanks all of you for your thoughts from across the pond! For those of you seeing multiple casts, I am very interested in hearing your opinions of how the Nunez and Cojacaru Auroras differ! :)

In terms of the men, the ABT principals mentioned are that - principals. The RB dancers noted are not of that rank - but still, I think it would be hard to beat the manpower at ABT!!! There is constant talk here of the 'dearth' of male up-and-coming principals.

Sasaki was one of the first RB bluebirds I ever saw a few years ago (in the Makarova production), and he flew. In other things I saw of him that year, his elevation was quite good (I mean, he's know Carlos 'Gravity? What Gravity?' Acosta, but he was notably higher than the others). I recall that he was injured at some point, but can't remember when - still, I'm surprised - and wonder if it will change/improve as it goes... He seems to be a reliable partner to me.

Harvey is one of those who wavers to me. There's some things I've seen him in, in which I thought he was excellent. But others... not so much. Sometimes I think he's still 'finding himself' in a performance, if that makes sense.

Has Iohna Loots done any of the Fairy Variations (Songbird?)? Laura Morera has been looking fabulous this past season in general. Oh, and those of you seeing Yuhui Choe, we *must* compare notes. I missed her Florine (which I think she did here with Zachary Faruque), and am dying to hear more about it!

-Sidenote... in terms of getting to the Kennedy Center... I used to live right next to it and we still had troubles getting to it! :clapping: And if coming in from eslewhere, we sometimes found it easier (quicker) to park elsewhere or take the subway in - and either way catch the shuttle from the Foggy Bottom metro!.

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ami1436, Loots will dance Songbird tonight. She was delightful last night as Red Riding Hood.

Ceeszi, my hat's off to you for all the driving you did. :tiphat: I've driven further primarily for ballet more than once, but not for one performance only.

I don't have the advantage, or in this case perhaps disadvantage, of knowing many productions of Sleeping Beauty, but I was very happy with the sets and costumes yesterday. Everything looks much more vibrant than in certain washed-out photos I'd seen. And while the boat wasn't delicate, for me it was magical.

As for the dancing, Cojocaru, Nunez and Lamb surpassed even my high expectations, and Cojocaru and Kohborg had a touching rapport. I wouldn't call his dancing virtuostic, but the character's the thing, and he was a fine actor and beautiful dancer. I agree with nysusan about the delightful mime. I wanted a more maniacal mien from Rosato's Carabosse, but I suppose I just wanted her to be Anthony Dowell. She was convincing in her own way, and I loved her entrances and exits. All in all, a joyous night! I'll be back for the matinee Sunday, and just maybe tomorrow.

In yesterday's rehearsal, Nunez danced Lilac Fairy with Marquez's Aurora, not a casting combination scheduled for actual performance here. I think tonight's audience will be very pleased with Marquez.

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It took me 5 years of living in DC before I could drive to the Kennedy Center without ending up in Virginia! And danged if our cab driver didn't nearly do it to us on Wednesday night (but that's a whole other story for the other Royal thread).

anyway, I just wanted to check in with my take on the Thursday SB (shout out to Pat, Art and Susan, met under the Kennedy head). You know, I appreciate the historical debate on the costumes and production value as much as the next BT person, but for me, what the Royal has imported is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I loved the richly elegant restraint of the set designs and the sumptuous costuming. It all provided a wonderful imaginative and textured setting to what should have been, and was, the focus of the production -- the dancing.

The RB style struck me as being technique in service to artistry -- and not the other way around which too often seems to happen, especially as ballet becomes such a competition-driven culture here in the US. The steps in this particular ballet are rarely very complicated -- they're just done so well, and it was so encouraging to my daughter, the ballet student, to see what a difference exquisitely pure technique makes in performance.

As others have said, Cojocaru's Aurora was wonderful -- the extension, the balance, the relaxed control and commitment. And I could see so much in her dancing with Kobborg that bespoke total confidence and trust. All that said, however, I do look forward to (hopefully) seeing her perform this role in 5-10 years. I wanted to see just a squidge more character development, something that showed me more of the impetuous teen that Aurora was in Act I and the woman she had become by Act III. That kind of acting, for me, is the only thing right now keeping Cojocaru from being a dancer we'll speak of in the same breath as Farrell and Fonteyn, but I do think she's on her way. The next several years will be exciting to watch.

Loved the corps work. It's a lot cleaner than a lot I've seen this side of the Pond. Genesia Rosato's Carobosse worked for me: I thought she was pretty damn sexy, actually! Bummer about the balky carriage ride that the Lilac Fairy took Florimund on there in Act II: It was an otherwise really cool and visually magnificent scene. And Nunez as Lilac Fairy was lovely -- commanding but in a warmly maternal sort of a way. Lamb as Florine was excellent, though not the knockout I was hoping for. Perhaps she was whupped from the night before where she danced her tuckus off as lead female in MacMillan's Gloria? And from the godforsaken DC weather on Thursday (94 degree temperature, 2000 percent humidity)?

In any event, it was a wonderful experience and well worth the journey. And I thoroughly look forward to the day, decades from now, when I'll be able to sigh over my sherry and say, "Ah, yes, I remember when we saw Cojocaru and Kobborg in Sleeping Beauty in oh-six...."

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All of these reviews plus comments from friends at ballet class are adding to my anticipation of this weekend's performances.

As for driving to the KCen: as above, it really is dreadful to drive around there. I personally never park in the garage, but if people want directions for future reference, let me know which direction you're coming from & I'll give it a shot.

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And I know exactly how you got your seat, because it is my subscription seat. On Tuesday at lunchtime, I exchanged my Thursday seat (G108 or G109, right?) for a Sat. matinee seat as I also have a Sunday subscription and I wanted to see different casts. I did the exchange around 12 or 12:30.

Koshka - I can't thank you enough! I will never forget Thursday night! :tiphat:

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As others have said, Cojocaru's Aurora was wonderful -- All that said, however, I do look forward to (hopefully) seeing her perform this role in 5-10 years. I wanted to see just a squidge more character development, something that showed me more of the impetuous teen that Aurora was in Act I and the woman she had become by Act III.

Since I am 'stuck' here in NY, I did not get to see this performance that you all describe so enthusiastically. But, as I read your reviews the above thought occurs to me. I suspect 'Chauffeur' is correct when she predicts 5 to 10 years maturity. With this in mind, I was surprised by those who said she was the best Aurora they have seen.

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Since I am 'stuck' here in NY, I did not get to see this performance that you all describe so enthusiastically. But, as I read your reviews the above thought occurs to me. I suspect 'Chauffeur' is correct when she predicts 5 to 10 years maturity. With this in mind, I was surprised by those who said she was the best Aurora they have seen.

Some eras, like ours, have a number of very great ballerinas, yet one of them stands in a class apart. Ulanova, Farrell, Cojocaru. They could be the greatest before they were their greatest.

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Since I am 'stuck' here in NY, I did not get to see this performance that you all describe so enthusiastically. But, as I read your reviews the above thought occurs to me. I suspect 'Chauffeur' is correct when she predicts 5 to 10 years maturity. With this in mind, I was surprised by those who said she was the best Aurora they have seen.

Some eras, like ours, have a number of very great ballerinas, yet one of them stands in a class apart. Ulanova, Farrell, Cojocaru. They could be the greatest before they were their greatest.

Hi drb& atm711, and a big shout out right back to chauffer! I absolutely LOVE Cojocaru but IMO only time will tell if she joins the pantheon of Ulanova, Fonteyn, Makarova and Farrell. She may be “the greatest” in a specific role but as a ballerina for now I would group her with Vishneva, Pavlenko and Lopatkina . Certainly I think these dancers stand out above all of their contemporaries but they are very different dancers, and I think that whether one really stands out above the others depends upon the role, the specific performance and, above all – the viewer’s taste. Vishneva’s Aurora was every bit as good as Cojocarus in many ways. She was a high voltage Aurora, a 1000 watt light bulb that lit up the stage but she was also a very athletic Aurora, and her huge personality dominated the evening. Cojocaru was a much gentler Aurora. Her endless line, beautiful flow and classical epaulment perfectly expressed the classical virtues that Aurora is supposed to embody. And I do feel that she developed the character, both in her acting and most especially, through her dancing. For me, hers was the ultimate interpretation but we all have different opinions and that’s what keeps things interesting!

I like this production in general, it has a very British sense of gentility but it really ambles along. Pastel colors and lovely backdrops made it the set look like a beautiful water color painting come to life. It looked like a peaceful, bucolic kingdom. But some of the costume choices were baffling. A group of girls in Act 1 were wearing green dresses that looked like they could have been modern day picnic dresses. And I have to say that I prefer the Kirov’s fairy variations and Puss-in-Boots (Sergeyev version, I haven’t seen the reconstruction). But, I love the vision scene, and the grand pas de deux, especially the coda.

Marquez was fine, she acted the part very well and the audience loved her but I didn’t really see Aurora’s character expressed through her DANCING. Also, she didn’t have that endless line and her phrasing was kind of sharp for my taste. I’m not talking about her musical phrasing, and maybe I’m using the wrong word here. I mean the way she actually executed the steps. She’d hit a pose on the beat and then go on to the next, she didn’t linger in her poses. Her leg seemed to move from the hip in her developees and go directly up to it’s final height, there was no resistance, no development. Bonelli looked very good and I much preferred David Makhateli as Florestan and Brian Maloney as the Bluebird to the 2 who danced on Thursday. Maloney especially had beautiful line.

Londoners may think that Ansanelli still looks like a Balanchine dancer, but I was amazed at how far she has come in terms of developing the use of her upper body. At the State Theater her shoulders always looked tight to me, and her upper body kind of stiff but not anymore! The carriage of her shoulders, neck and head were beautiful, and she gave us a lovely Crystal Fountain Fairy. I was also very impressed with Laura Morera’s Florine.

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Ewww, Sarah Kaufman from the Wash Post had some opinions similar to mine about Thursday's show. I totally disagree with most of her take on the mixed bill, so she's not allowed to agree with me on Thursday. :tiphat:

anyway, on the "best Aurora" debate, I just have to say that Cojocaru is the best I've ever seen live. I never saw some of the other great names invoked perform live, so it's entirely possible that she could be the best a lot of us have ever seen -- even if she's got room to grow. Again, I am very excited to watch this already wonderful ballerina continue to mature!

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Notes on today's matinee.

...I always worry when my judgement agrees with Sarah Kaufman's too, so I just didn't read the review this morning.

Dancing first: the principals were wonderful--Ansanelli as Lilac, Sarah Lamb as Aurora. The remainder of the soloists did a lovely job, though I thought the Fairy of the Songbird was rather frenetic in her movements. I know the variation has a lot of movement, but there was something excessive about it.

Also, at some points Lamb seemed to move through the poses when it seemed like a hold or at least a pause would have fit better.

The corps was raggedy--at one point, the first dancer in the line was good half-beat ahead of the rest on an opening jump (in the 2nd act, I think--where they do the little cabrioles). When they danced linked at the arms, nobody thought to arrange them by height, and it was distracting. Bah.

I like the way Carabosse is done in this production very much--she is very feminine, yet quite evil and catty.

On costumes, I must disagree with Natalia (this must be where the tabula rasa of my nonexistent visual memory helps!)--I loooooove the pastels and thought they made for a beautiful, shimmering production. The only costume I missed a bit was the Kirov's cat-accented cape for Carabosse, but I thought Carabosse's costume in this production fit the character magnificently.

My costuming gripe for the afternoon (you know there always is one with me!): one of Ansanelli's pointe shoes had very deep rose (or very grimy pink!) ribbons, which was out of sync with her tights, the other shoe, and everything else, AND the ends came untucked at one point.

All in all, though, it was a delight and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

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The Sat. matinee reminded me why I love this ballet so much! A fresh young Aurora, dancing with a gorgeous company that has Sleeping Beauty in its DNA.

Production - I loved the costumes, they looked scintillating, rich, and very new, even from the 3d row. While respecting Natalia's objections about their design, I guess that I was totally seduced by the "bling." I do think the scenic backdrops, especially of the palace, need a refresh, or better yet a redo. It needs a more brilliant palace to show off this jewel of a ballet in its proper setting!

Principals - Sarah Lamb as Aurora started off with a pretty secure Rose Adagio, although I wish it had been a little more relaxed. It's not enough to execute this exacting variation well, you have to look as if you're having fun :-) I loved the artistry of her Act II dream scene in the forest with Viacheslav Samodurov, her impressive technique in the Act III variations, and especially her final Grand pdd with Samodurov. I didn't see much character development, and she yielded one or two adjustments and maybe one correction, but nothing that detracted from the pleasure of seeing a fresh new dancer in this role. By the way, Lamb is incorrectly listed as a First Soloist in the program. Lamb was promoted to Principal last month, evidently after the KC program had already gone to press.

I've already praised Samodurov's partnering, and also loved the way he strutted his stuff in his Act III solo variations. Overall, I'd say that Lamb+Samodurov was a very good casting decision!

Lilac Fairy - Isabel McMeekan gave a sweet but undercharacterized performance.

Song Bird - I'd walk a mile to see Gemma Bond in this role! For some reason she's only a "first artist" (translation: one step up from the corps) according to the program, but from what I saw this afternoon, I'd like to see her take a step or two up the hierarchy.

Florestan & his Sisters - nice job by all three, and one of the sisters was just absolutely outstanding. Alas, I don't know which of the two sisters this was - either Natasha Oughtred or Victoria Hewitt - the brilliant brunette, if that helps. Can somebody give me the right name here?

Carabosse - Elizabeth McGorian is so hot, and she added so much to the performance! When a dancer has so much fun being "evil," and has so much stage presence that you can hardly take your eyes off her, it raises the level of the whole production. And speaking of stage presence, Christopher Saunders as King Florestan XXIV also added considerable value to what is normally just a toss-off role. In this performance, Saunders made me believe that Aurora's father is really a king, and so she is really a princess.

Corps - granted, there was a problem in Act II when they all lined up in the forest and every leg was elevated at a different length (and one leg, I don't know whose, was actually wobbling.) But, look at their other work in the performance, and I claim that Act II was actually a problem with whoever rehearsed them rather than with the corps dancers as such. These are seriously talented dancers (RB must have an exceptionally good intake program) that have a great individual and collective esprit and I expect to see many of them move rapidly up in the hierarchy. I'm personally willing to put up with a certain amount of unevenness in corps work when I also see such a depth of talent in the ranks. For example, I thought their performance in the great Act I "hopping" dance (one of my favorite corps presentations in all of classical ballet, that never fails to bring a frisson whenever I see it) was totally brilliant.

Overall - a lovely afternoon of ballet that left me wanting, as usual, more!

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PS - a historical note, that doesn't have much to do with this afternoon's performance... The RB has a tradition of introducing new dancers at their Saturday matinees, so about 20 years ago, in the mid-1980's, I showed up at a Saturday matinee of Sleeping Beauty, naively having no idea at all of who the cast was, or what I was about to see.

The Aurora was Sylvie Guillem, who had just joined the company. In that production, Aurora entered from the top of a staircase at stage left (audience right), in the middle of a crowd, while a whole lot of dancing was going on below. So, Guillem fought her way through the extras and popped up on the staircase. The Kennedy Center audience, most of whom (including me) had never heard of Sylvie Guillem, went dead silent - and I mean, *completely* quiet - and then took one colllective breath, 4000 people inhaling in unison. I have never experienced anything like that, either before or since, and Sylvie was doing nothing at all except just standing there at the head of the staircase!

From then on, things just got better and better. The traditional way of dancing the Rose Variation is that Aurora starts out diffident, a young girl supported and turned by her four partners, and then grows in confidence as she holds her balance longer and longer on her own. Well, Sylvie wasn't having anything of this. She was like, "you all can pretend to support me if you want to" while she turned and balanced like an angel on a perfect pivot point. So that is why, much as I love all the great Auroras from Margot Fonteyn through Alina Cojocaru, Sylvie Guillem will always be my first love in this role, the pinnacle of classical ballet.

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Awesome points, Mike. It calls to mind what I saw on Cojocaru's four-partner Rose Adagio support. Her first two turns were lovely and "adolescently" ambitious for their enthusiasm. I seem to recall there was a bit of a highly human bobble and hesitation on the third. But she regained her confidence on the fourth and finished it with the panache and chutzphah you'd expect to see of an Act I Aurora. I predict that Cojocaru, 7 years from now, will find a way to make even a bobbled third turn part of her character.

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Saw the Thursday performance with Alina and Johan. She was well worth the money to stay for the second night, even though I saw the Kirov's Beauty in the fall.

I have to say I enjoyed the RB's Beauty better than the Kirov's just from the fact I think the story flows better with the Royal's staging. I think the Kirov's fairy tale characters were more fun to watch, the RB's dance with that English restraint.

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