Ashley Bouder

[kfw]

I'm intrigued by an idea of Robert Gottlieb's in his year end, NYCB wrap up column in the NY Observer, , Ashley Bouder to the Rescue as Kyra Nichols Waves Farewell that now that Bouder has "mastered" Emeralds and Rubies, and has achieved "effortless command of the ultra-classical Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, it won’t be long before she completes her parure with “Diamonds.â€

Far be it from me to disagree with so distinguished a critic, especially when I've only seen Bouder in a half a dozen roles, but given the little I've seen and the more I've read I'm having a hard time imagining this for two reasons. The first reason is Bouder's soubrette personality, and the second is her height. In Nancy Goldner's Repertory in Review I see that Balanchine cast Kay Mazzo in Diamonds, and I remember that Iliana Lopez with her husband Franklin Gamero of Miami City Ballet shone in this, so height may not be an issue, although I'd think that in the pas de deux especially long lines would be a great advantage. And in regards to personality, Bouder has gravitas where she needs it in Serenade. Obviously she has daring like the role's originator. Still, when I think of the grandeur and mystery or, failing that, at least the reserve, that Diamonds asks for, I can't quite see it. It's so lady-like a role, and in what I've seen Bouder is still so girlish.

Balanchine was known for casting against type to, pardon the pun, stretch his dancers, and Bouder was apparently successful in Emeralds. So do you share Gottlieb's vision? What am I missing?

[papeetepatrick]

I remember from the 'Balanchine Ballerinas' video that Merrill Ashley talked about dancing 'Diamonds' until Suzanne Farrell returned to NYCB, but I never saw her do it.

[drb]

... What am I missing?

Bouder.

Longer answer. That daring you mention can make up the 3 inches she's short of tall (5'8"). Inhabiting a role as she does makes me lose sight of what I have come to expect. She makes me a believer that she is the role. After seeing so many (not all) pastel imitations of Farrell in her roles, I look forward to Bouder making them live, which is more about Farrell than just Suzanne's height or appearance.

Best is a taboo word, but she is the best Aurora I have ever seen (around eight productions over the years, if you count ABT's new Sleeping). She and Part are the best recent Odettes, IMO. So I'm not concerned about missing grandeur, Ashley can be anything she wants to be.

However, just because she can, is no reason to work her into the ground. Just now, Diamonds doesn't need her rescue, but plenty of other Balanchine roles do. Maria Kowroski is ravishingly fine now, especially if she isn't forced to dance about one principal role per performing day, as she was the last four weeks. Also, Tess Reichlen and Sarah Mearns have the look and the daring (a must) to keep Diamonds going. So I wouldn't be inclined to add Diamonds to Bouder's rep soon, unless of course she asked for it.

[carbro]

Unless I'm misremembering, Merrill danced Diamonds fairly often after Farrell returned.

I believe Reynolds' Repertory in Review lists Allegra Kent, no taller than Bouder, as a Diamonds ballerina. That I would have loved to have seen!

Bouder is showing herself to be a dancer of great versatility. One of my many surprises from her was her Swan Lake. We all expected a dazzling Odile, and we got one. However, I was not prepared for the poetry of her Odette. It was in that role that I knew she could transcend type.

I'd love to see Ashley dance Diamonds, but not at the risk of spreading her too thin. Two debuts a week should be enough.

Oh, and drb, I did not find Bouder's Odette to be lacking grandeur.

[drb]

Oh, and drb, I did not find Bouder's Odette to be lacking grandeur.

Certainly I did not mean to imply that! Quite the contrary, that she can do anything, including enough of her own grandeur to rate with Part's in Odette! She finds her way.

[Marga]

I believe Reynolds' Repertory in Review lists Allegra Kent, no taller than Bouder, as a Diamonds ballerina.

Allegra Kent is in fact 2 inches shorter than Bouder. She gave her height as 5'3" in an interview. Kent has long legs and arms on a short torso which gave her the illusion of more height.

Repertory in Review quotes Suzanne Farrell: " 'Diamonds' is hard because you're out there in white and there's no hiding. 'Diamonds' you can't sell. It's too dignified to sell. And you can't cover anything up."

I see Ashley Bouder as someone who can "sell" anything. Might this be a detriment to her in 'Diamonds'? Perhaps she would have to "hide" a little!

[papeetepatrick]

Unless I'm misremembering, Merrill danced Diamonds fairly often after Farrell returned.

She may have, but I remember the part of the film when she said started talking about the period of Farrell's absence and how she was featured more in that period in certain things, and she especially emphasized 'I did Diamonds...', but that Farrell 'got most of her roles back.' Obviously you must have seen her do it no matter when. I'd be interested to know what it was like, since I don't know of any easy-access tape, but I don't think I would be as interested in her in 'Diamonds' as I was in other things. One thing that always struck me about Ashley was that I always preferred her in fast-moving things, which even made her face work in an extraordinary way. Things like Allegro Brillante I always associate with her, and I think I remember being fond of her in 'Concerto Barocco' too.

[carbro]

Like you, papeete, I preferred Merrill fast. Superfast, in fact. I only really liked her in Square Dance and Ballo.* Even in Allegro Brillante, I found her less than ideal. She was too stiff in the shoulders and arms to give it the lyricism I need in most roles, and to me she never had the ballerina mystique. She seemed very mundane, very much a real-life kind of person whom you'd expect to see on line at the Post Office or dry cleaners.

She could be a charming dancer, and she had enthusiastic admirers. I expect they'll post.

I see Ashley Bouder as someone who can "sell" anything. Might this be a detriment to her in 'Diamonds'? Perhaps she would have to "hide" a little!

Ashley could sell the Brooklyn Bridge and a few used cars! But she did not sell Odette. She was very much more focused on her Siegfried than her audience, but without sacrificing projection.

*OH! and as Carabosse, where she finally rose above the mundane.

[hbl]

I am/was a huge Merrill Ashley fan. Any time she did Ballo - I was thrilled with her speed and clarity. It would make any evening memorable. She was my second favorite all time dancer (after Farrell).

I don't see a small dancer doing Diamonds. I don't remember Ashley doing it. It was made for Farrell and only Korowski has come close to her in that ballet in my very humble opinion. I think the long limbs are critical to Diamonds beauty. Not that Bouder couldn't dance the roll divinely - but her shorter limbs will not be as enthralling to me as Kowroski. I would love to see Reichlin do it. She would be ideal in terms of long leggedness. I am not so sure about Mearns. I am not a huge Mearns fan (yet).

I like thin leggy dancers ... always have. Farrell, Ashley, Watts, Whalen, Korowski and now Reichlin.

[Klavier]

Naive question from me: would it be feasible / realistic / desirable to see the same ballerina take the leads in all three parts of Jewels? (By analogy to the way the same soprano often takes the leads in all acts of The Tales of Hoffmann.)

[Leigh Witchel]

I don't think so. For one thing, there are two leads in Emeralds, so the continuity wouldn't make sense there.

Unlike Tales of Hoffman, or any other work where the gist is that the roles are merely different aspects of the same character, an important facet of Jewels is the difference between the leading roles. A single dancer runs counter to that.

I'd be interested in Bouder in anything she danced. That's the definition of a fan. Now, speaking from a more measured perspective, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that casting her in the role would not be because she's right for it. She isn't, and she shouldn't be the model for the role, nor start a trend. But she's talented enough to make a case for herself.

[Ray]

I'm reminded in this discussion of Deborah Hadley's success with Diamonds with PNB (in the 80s?)--she garnered a great review from Croce who, if I remember correctly, praised her for making the role her own. Others may remember more clearly, but I don't believe she was particularly tall, and had a fairly evenly proprotioned torso-to-legs ratio--in other words, she did not seem on the face of it to be the Diamonds "type."

I'll try to dig up that Croce review.

GULP Am I mixing this up with her success in Chaconne?

[Azulynn]

Klavier, Daria Pavlenko (Kirov) danced all three parts, although now I think she mostly dances Emeralds. She is a very versatile dancer, and seems to have been quite successful in them - anyone has seen her ?

[vipa]

I'd be interested in Bouder in anything she danced. That's the definition of a fan. Now, speaking from a more measured perspective, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that casting her in the role would not be because she's right for it. She isn't, and she shouldn't be the model for the role, nor start a trend. But she's talented enough to make a case for herself.

I wouldn't say she wouldn't be right for it, she would just do it like no one else. One if my favorite Croce quotes of Farrell in Diamonds was (this is from memory so dear wise ones correct me if I am wrong) "The riveting spectacle of the freest woman alive."

I don't thing Bouder is there right now but she has it in her and I'd love to see her do Diamonds now and then again and again for a number of seasons. I believe she can go there.

[bart]

Klavier, Daria Pavlenko (Kirov) danced all three parts

Any others who've done this?

Or any others who ought to give it a try? (Going along with Leigh's distinction between someone "right" for the part, and someone who, despite not being ideal casting, ought to be allowed to see what she can do.)

[Farrell Fan]

]One if my favorite Croce quotes of Farrell in Diamonds was (this is from memory so dear wise ones correct me if I am wrong) "The riveting spectacle of the freest woman alive."

You are not wrong.The line is from a Croce review (Feb 24, 1975) in which she contrasted Farrell's dancing after she returned to NYCB with what it had been before her departure. Almost every line is quotable, but since the review is available in Croce's first collection, "Afterimages," and probably elsewhere, I won't bother to do it. The immediate context of the words in question is: "Of course. the autonomy of the ballerina is an illusion, but Farrell's is the extremest form of this illusion we have yet seen, and it makes Diamonds a riveting spectacle about the freest woman alive."

[Paul Parish]

Azulynn, I saw Pavlenko dance Diamonds in Berkeley with the Kirov a couple of years ago now. She was absolutely mesmerizing in the pas de deux -- though in the Scherzo she was a blur. Lopatkina danced Diamonds another night and was fascinating all the way through -- the adagio was sumptuous and very deep, while her Scherzo was a thing of flashing brilliance.

I believe I've heard that in Farrell's day the scherzo was not always performed.

[Dale]

I believe I've heard that in Farrell's day the scherzo was not always performed.

Only during times of injury and many of those times it was because Balanchine wanted to see Farrell and only Farrell in her roles. She was great in the scherzo - off-balance, playing with the music. It was also more proof that she wasn't such a poor jumper as many say.

[drb]

...She [Farrell] was great in the scherzo - off-balance, playing with the music. It was also more proof that she wasn't such a poor jumper as many say.

Getting back to Ashley Bouder, there'd be no jumping issue! In today's links there's an interview with Bolshoi's rising superstar Natasha Osipova. On first sighting she struck me as their Bouder: not the same line, but the muscular strength, the jump, the daring, the joy... Regarding possible issues raised by Ashley's 5ft 5in stature, it is fascinating how yesteryear's tall is today's short:

On stage, Osipova's body has a muscular substance that not only makes an attractive change from standard x-ray ballerinas, but emphasises through contrast the floating ease of her trajectories. Off stage, though, away from the peculiarities of stage lighting, she turns out to be a whole lot slimmer. At 5ft 5in, she is the same height as Maya Plisetskaya, the 81-year-old Bolshoi phenomenon still dancing (more or less) last year. In her heyday, Plisetskaya was considered a giantess. These days, Osipova is one of the shortest ballerinas.