NYCB: REVIEWS Week 9

[balanchinette]

Just wait until you see Bouder and Millepied in Rubies . . .

(more tomorrow, or rather later today).

bouder and millepied in rubies on Sat night -- just WOW! This role is perfect for Ashley, and she and Millepied really seemed to be having fun out there. Technically Ashley was on fire -- turning many doubles into triples, and with a ton of spring in every jump. Please, PM, never cast Yvonne in this role again! Not when NYCB has Ashley to do it!

[Klavier]

I suppose if I had planned this weekend "right," I would have gone to Nichols's farewell on Friday, Ferri's farewell yesterday, and Bouder's Rubies this afternoon. As it was, since I'm taking this week off, I knew my boss would pile as much work on me as possible Friday afternoon (and he did), making Friday impossible; I doubted I could get into the Ferri extravaganza; and I picked up a beautiful orchestra ticket to NYCB's Jewels yesterday night. So I decided instead to see Nichols in Davidsbündlertänze a week earlier and Ferri in last Thursday's Manon with Bolle; and those were my farewells to these two ladies. I hope they managed without me.

At 7:15, the Lincoln Center plaza was packed to the gills with Midsummer swingers, Mahler fans headed into Fisher to hear Maazel's Mahler 7th, and balletgoers. I couldn't resist hanging around the entrance to the Met, watching the usual ballet of wannabees trying to get a last-minute ticket to Ferri's Farewell. All those index fingers vainly pointing up at the air; twenties and hundreds flashing; "Need one ticket" signs! I wonder if any of them got in. And look! - there's David Hallberg in a nice blue blazer and open-throated white shirt talking to admirers, there's Tom Gold and Philip Neal, here comes Wendy Whelan! I was half-expecting the State Theater to be empty, with the company playing to an audience of one. I needn't have worried. I walked in, gave my ticket as usual to the pleasant bald-headed man at stage left, and had an excellent time watching two hours of Balanchine.

Oh yes, you want to hear about the dancing. Of the three segments, one was very good, one good, and one an absolute knockout. Guess which. The very good was Emeralds, especially Sara Mearns and Ask laCour in the "walking" PDD, but Rachel Rutherford and Stephen Hanna did fine with the other duet. (Please don't shoot me if I got these two couples mixed up. I think I got these names right, but I don't always have the best visual memory.) Robby Fairchild showed an appealing stage presence coupled with Ashley Laracey and Megan LeCrone.

The good was Diamonds, not so much because of Maria Kowrowski, who was fine, but mainly because Charles Askegard strikes me as so bland and uninvolved. Come to think of it, this seems to be a problem with several of NYCB's principal men, of whom the unspeakable Nilas Martins is only the worst offender. But except for the elegant Philip Neal and of course Albert Evans, a number of the NYCB's taller principals (Hanna too) strike me a little more than ciphers. And from where I sat, the orchestra sounded simply too small to give this music the richness it needs. I don't blame the excellent Clotilde Otranto for this; here is a conductor who lets the music breathe and phrase, who supports the dancers rather than busting their guts, and she was especially good in the Fauré.

I have heard crisper Stravinsky conducting, and I'm on the fence about Savannah Lowery. She's all right, but she's a kind of big, fleshy girl, and I think I want someone lighter and more pointed for Rubies. And given these minor reservations, this section of the trilogy was a triumph. The stage set this time really works. (I never saw the original sets, but I can understand why others would object to the ones for Emeralds and Diamonds.) The corps, especially the four boys - Laurent, Peiffer, Schumacher, and Villalobos - were crisp and alert. But the night belonged to Ashley Bouder and Benjamin Millepied. During the second movement especially, I was continually taken by how inventively Balanchine counterpoints the musical lines, sometimes reinforcing the music, sometimes playing against it. Since I have the POB DVD, I could sit down and try to work out an analysis. And the two principals were witty, sly, engaged, sharp, pointed, without ever lapsing into exaggeration. I loved the erotic subtext between the two, the undertone of "just wait until I get you home tonight!" Ashley's extensions, her dips, and the sly little business with just the one finger at the end of the movement, were all phenomenal; and Benjamin was with her beat for beat. The always dependable Cameron Grant came through as well at the piano.

The audience appeared to love the Tchaikovsky more than I did, but it gave full due to the Rubies also. Some of you went home thinking, "I saw Ferri's last performance at ABT tonight!" But I went home thinking: "Yeah, but you didn't see Bouder's debut in Rubies!"

[Leigh Witchel]

I don't quite know how else to put it, and it wasn't explicit or inappropriate, but Bouder's Sun. matinee Rubies was the most sexually knowing performance of that ballet I have ever seen.

I've watched her since she was an 11 year old kid. She ain't a kid anymore.

[carbro]

I agree that Bouder's first Rubies was pretty spectacular. But you shoulda seen the second one. No kidding. Sorry if I'm unkind.

For one thing, Millepied seemed indifferent to her Saturday (must have been the only one in the whole house who was). He was more there for her this afternoon. I'd love to see Ashley dance this with someone with whom she has a natural rapport. Also, I'm with you on Lowery, Klavier, and it's not because of her size. It's her way of moving. This afternoon, we go a smart, sleek second woman with Reichlen. Last night, Lowery was a clunky one. There's a heaviness in her torso. I've learned to divert my attention from her to the degree possible when she's dancing.

But Ashley, whose debut was just about perfect, turned everything up a notch in today's matinee. Shaking her hips playfully at Millepied on their first entrance, I could almost hear her tease, "Come and get me, if you can!" He couldn't completely resist and fell into her happy battle of the sexes.

I've seen Jewels dozens of times since the early 1970's. You don't think a dancer could show me something new at this point, but for the first time I found a hint of story in Ashley's brief solo in the third movement. A sort of mock grieving at Millepied's temporary absence, perhaps?

Last night's Emeralds showed Sara Mearns to lovely advantage. She achieved, in her variation, a quality I haven't seen from a dancer in this company since Farrell left -- the ability to dance from some place deep inside and seem to forget there's an audience. She made the stage a private place and we became voyeurs.

[i'm going to post this now, but continue it as an edit, because if I don't, it might never get posted. ]

[Klavier]

I agree that Bouder's first Rubies was pretty spectacular. But you shoulda seen the second one. No kidding. Sorry if I'm unkind.

Not at all. I was more than happy with what I saw.

[bobbi]

I'll just add a "me too" to the bravas for Ashley's Rubies. I didn't think she could top the debut on Saturday evening, but she did. Tess Reichlin was also spectacular this afternoon. And it's good to see Ben dancing so well, after his injuries. The high point of today's Emeralds was Jeny Ringer and Jonathan Stafford in the "walking pas." It was just heavenly dancing. But I would like to see Ashley back in Emeralds -- and then maybe do Rubies -- and then tackle Diamonds (if the powers that be let her). If anyone asks, "what was the highlight of the season," for me it was any time Ashley Bouder was dancing. One of the second highlights would be the artistic the growth of both the Staffords. In a marvelous Raymonda yesterday, Abi was just delightful.

I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms already. . .

[Figurante]

I had the opportunity to see both the 2:00 and 8:00 shows last night (Saturday) ...

I have to admit, I was not all that impressed with the corps of Raymonda Variations. The set, however was beautiful, especially in comparison to other companies, and the costumes were equally satisfying.

Raymona Variations is a very puffy ballet. I noticed that a lot of corps girls lost their of steam and got really sloppy even before the variations started. Perhaps this is because so many of the ballets at NYCB are under-rehearsed and thrown together last-minute. Especially in this ballet, I found the corps to be rather unmusical, and spastic, with too many distracting mannerisms rather than having the certain "Raymonda-quality" that I was so craving.

As far as the variations went, standouts were Abi Stafford and Ana Sophia Scheller, although some of Stafford's mannerisms were rather distracting and unnecessary for her variation. The other girls seemed to get through the variations, but nothing was compelling or memorable from their performances. I remember Alina Dronova's 1000 watt smile, but that is all.

Bouder and Veyette were remarkable. Bouder's phrasing, as mentioned by other members, is both exciting, and compelling, but sometimes I get the feeling that her phrasing is so exquisite, that she may be rather bored in the piece. She definitely has all the technical components down in the ballet.

I also found Veyette to be visually pleasing as well. Those two male variations are KILLER, and he pulled through without too much of a struggle.

As I was watching the ballet, I seemed to notice many different subleties between other company's choice of choreography versus NYCB's version. Are these just changes on Martin's part? Or perhaps the other companies? Or is this really how the ballet is supposed to be set? It is hard to know what the correct choreography is. I value such things, and when I see extreme differences between companies, it makes me worried that Balanchine's legacy is becoming more dilluted by the season.

********************************************************************************

***************************

Dybbuk is an incredible ballet. It is too bad that they chose to make it the second feature in the program, rather than the last... (it would have been a great closing bill.) As a member of the audience, I could tell this ballet was VERY well rehearsed (most likely due to the fact that it is a Robbins piece.) The group of corps men were extremely together. Their cohesive-ness as a group was note-worthy.

Rachel Rutherford was sensational in the ballet. She is a true woman onstage, and is perfectly suited for this role.

Joquin de Luz was also very fitting for the ballet. His rendition of his "enlightenment" portion of the ballet was incredible, reaching the apex, when he dies.

I was somewhat dismayed by some of the lay members of the audience. Hearing murmurs of how long and boring the ballet was made me distraught. Perhaps the ballet was rather long, and does take a while to get moving, but I still felt it was adamently compelling. It really makes a difference when you know what you are looking for when watching a ballet. I feel as though some just come to the ballet without even reading the iceberg tip of the ballet's description in the program. I know that some artistic directors give pre-performance speeches to audience members before the show starts. Perhaps this would aid the audience into being less bored and more informed.

********************************************************************************

****************************

I admittingly say with regret that I was displeased with Stravinsky Violin Concerto. I believe it may have been the casting. Nothing was incredibly wrong with Hyltin, but I felt her presence was weak, especially for this type of role. Matins really disappointed me. His performance was almost aloof. The attack of the ballet was missing in his performance.. the passion. The only comparison I can think of is plain, cold, oatmeal.

Even Kowroski seemed off. Her movements were floppy, and lacked the integrity she usually has.

The somewhat saving grace of the ballet for me was Amar Ramasar. He had the energy and gumption needed to sustain my attention. He was a little overly smiley for my personal taste, but his execution in general was refreshing.

On a side note, the corps boys seemed to struggle with being musical.

********************************************************************************

****************************

Saturday night's full lenght Jewels was much less of a disappointment than the 2:00 show.

Emerald's actually blew me away. The corps was meticulously together, perhaps a wobble or two in there, but nonetheless, strong.

I was particularly impressed with Megan LeCrone in the Emerald's Pas de trois. She has a dominating presence onstage that is unbeatable. Robby Fairchild really surprised me. I was having a hard time picturing him in a pas de trois, but he sailed through with flying colors.

Rutherford, again, was cast beautifully for the Emerald's pdd. She and Hanna have a beautiful pleasing aesthetic, although when alone, Hanna somewhat faltered.

I was less impressed with Sara Mearns. I felt her port de bras was sensationaly out of character for emeralds. I did like Ask la Cour, however. Their pdd was beautiful, despite my picky reservations on arms.

********************************************************************************

****************************

Rubies has always been my favorite, therefore I am biased. Bouder's debut was incredible! Flattering us with her phrasing once again, but this time, she was more in character than in Raymonda Variations. It was extremely refreshing! Millepied was less impressive, but with a dominating force like Bouder, it was hard for me to really focus on him. He didn't have some shaky area.

The only one I was not pleased with was Savannah Lowery. Her rendition of the Rubies tall girl left me shocked. Her facial expressions were overly cheesy, rather than the sultry strength the role should portray. It was also very mannery, which I dislike, and there was no attack to her movements. Slush.

The corps boys had the necessary attack to compliment the choreography and music, which you don't see very often.

********************************************************************************

****************************

Diamonds, the closing bill, was somewhat refreshing. The corps girls really had things together. The only small instance that there was a problem was when someone fell, but she was back up in a flash, and I had forgotten about it until just now. Unfortunately, I was again displeased with Kowroski again. There was no integrity in her steps. Diamonds pdd is not incredibly difficult, and there is so much emphasis on just walking. There were so many moments of ignorant apathy, it made me sad. Yes, she can panache to one hundred and eighty degrees, but if she can't walk with integrity, it means nothing to me.

********************************************************************************

****************************

In any rate, I suppose I am rather picky in what I like to see in certain ballets. I hold my standards from earlier generations when things were different, as Mr. Balanchine was still alive and kicking, and meticulous detail was placed upon every step. Everything was though out down to when you should breathe. Perhaps youth, as Martins has hailed, is not all it is cracked up to be, or perhaps, as I had mentioned earlier, Balanchine ballet's are being taken over by technique and becoming dilluted as the years go by, rather than having the focus more on the music, which is where it really should be, as quoted by Mr. B, himself.

[drb]

I'll just add a "me too" to the bravas for Ashley's Rubies. I didn't think she could top the debut on Saturday evening, but she did. Tess Reichlin was also spectacular this afternoon. And it's good to see Ben dancing so well, after his injuries. The high point of today's Emeralds was Jeny Ringer and Jonathan Stafford in the "walking pas." ....

I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms already. . .

It was a worthy performance for season's end. Very quietly, in terms of hoopla, today's Clotilde Otranto, and Nicolette Fraillon (What a Symphony in Three Movements!), have truly impressed as conductors. I hope we hear more from them.

Of course today's story is the girl-next-door (to Mr. B.), Assoluta Bouder. How she makes a Balanchine role better than his choreography! Which, of course, is how he planned it... America's Dance-Actress, The Inhabitor, with the bonus of a decent amount of technique, just to flesh it all out. Also, the new-look Tess Reichlen, her break-through WRENS glamour now bursting through everything else she dances: in Rubies resonating with Ashley's sexiness, as the two amplified each other's efforts.

A special thank you to Maria Kowroski for Diamonds. She had to dance both hers and Wendy Whelan's. Not to mention all performances of Farrell in Schumann, for me her signature role, plus VC's. Really way overworked; indeed, 26 lead roles in the last four weeks. This for someone just a year removed from a major absence due to mono. Courageous dancing, ravishing in the adagio, and finale. I can hardly blame her for being a bit tired in the first variation. Maybe someone important should think about the risks involved in blockhead programming... But late this season Maria has given me some truly moving experiences, and I am deeply grateful to her for them. Chuck Askegard exploded with some terrific bravura. Great that this also terribly overworked dancer seems more than all the way back.

Perhaps this year will be remembered as the one where the new generation took full command: Bouder, Mearns, Reichlen. And just in time (I hope).

[maddam]

Yesterday afternoon’s performance of ‘Jewels’ was excellent. To begin with, the music, conducted by Clotilde Otranto was wonderful – the Faure, Stravinsky and Tschaikovsky all filled with depth, breadth and nuance.

In ‘Emeralds’ I could have wished for more mystery and less flash from some of the cast. Rachel Rutherford elegantly partnered by Jared Angle had the right perfume for their two pas de deux, but I found her ‘hands’ solo a little too overt. Jenifer Ringer and Jon Stafford in the ‘walking’ pas de deux seemed too jerky -- there should be a pulse, but not a spasm (as Kowroski’s program notes suggest “very smooth . . . as if you’re walking on air”). The pas de trois seemed too brittle, especially the women, Alina Dronova and Ana Sophia Scheller. The corps of newbies and apprentices seemed to have been properly coached in the style of the piece. Overall, this was a lovely performance and I only wish that Violette Verdy were available to coax a little more allure and depth out of the leads.

As everyone has reported above, Ashley Bouder, Benjamin Millipied and Tess Reichlin were individually and collectively superb in ‘Rubies’. Ashley and Ben gave a playfully sexy interpretation, while Tess was just plain sexy. And the corps, especially the four men, contributed to an outstanding rendition. I do have one quibble, which reflects on Figurante’s concern about the dilution of Balanchine’s choreography. Ashley supported in profile by Ben swings her leg back and then up toward her head. In my mind, I have the image of Patricia McBride doing this move with a bent leg so that her knee comes close to touching her forehead. Ashley (and the POB ballerina on my ‘Jewels’ DVD) does this move with a straight leg which for me looks more refined and less quirky.

Finally, Maria Kowroski and Charles Askegard lead ‘Diamonds’ with all the sweep and grandeur that the work requires. I find the ‘Diamonds’ set cheesy and distracting, but the dancing by the leads, the demis and the corps was wonderful. Among the demis I particularly noticed Gwyneth Muller and Amanda Hankes, both dancing with special panache. The stage seemed especially crowded in the finale. Are the current crop of dancers bigger than the original cast? Or are they just dancing bigger?

It was a splendid way to end the spring season. Lincoln would have been proud of what he and Balanchine created.