Posted 31 May 2009 - 08:02 AM
The Saturday matinee cast included seven new (at least to PNB) members, with Jordan Pacitti (Boy in Blue), Louise Nadeau (Girl in Green), and Mara Vinson (Girl in Mauve) repeating their roles. With the cast changes came many new dynamics and partnerships.
Central to the change was Miranda Weese's Girl in Pink. Her dancing was earthbound, and she was the anchor. With James Moore's Boy in Brown, she was playful, and as a result, the central/original pas de deux was lighter and more affectionate. The drama was in the pas de deux with Boy in Mauve, here Batkhurel Bold, in the center of the penultimate Scherzo (Op. 20), and when the music changed, and they separated, the self-conscious sense that they had crossed a line unexpectedly was palpable, even before they expressed it in gesture.
Bold is an unusual dancer, in that he is tall and muscular and his movement is plush and virile, until he is mid-air in a jete; there without appearing weightless, he looks as if he can hang in the air forever, much like the diver Greg Louganis. He was "on" in "Dances" yesterday. He and James Moore were funny and brilliant in the Two Boys section. (In the Q&A on Thursday, Boal said that Jerome Robbins described this as "Bulldog and Terrier", but neither Postlewaite [Thurs and Fri] nor Moore were remotely terrier-like, and it's hard to imagine that Villella, the originator of Boy in Brown was. I prefer to think of it as "Big Bro/Little Bro".) Like Legris and Valastro in the YouTube clips, Postlewaite and Moore gave very different emphasis to Boy in Brown, and Moore's was the more muscular and grounded.
Jodie Thomas debuted in Girl in Apricot, and the qualities that Francia Russell and Kent Stowell described in the "Bon Voyage" insert -- "petite, fair beauty, dazzling smile and wit, and quick clear technique...grace, charm and musicality" -- were embodied in her performance. Her crispness contrasted with Benjamin Griffiths' juiciness as Boy in Brick. Olivier Wevers, like Karel Cruz (Thurs, Fri), danced the happy role of Boy in Green with humor and grace. Rachel Foster was a light youngest sister in the Foster/Weese/Vinson trio.
Vinson is a natural soloist -- in the sense of role, not rank -- and her dramatic solo as Girl in Mauve had all of the makings of a Juliette. For me, she's less convincing in partner work: no matter how experienced the partner, it too often looks like work to me, especially when it looks easier with their other partners. "Dances at a Gathering", with its perpetual partner shifts, affords immediate contrasts.
In "After the Rain Pas de Deux", Maria Chapman danced with her original partner, Karel Cruz, and while her performance with Bold on Thursday was very moving, it was even more powerful with Cruz, with whom she has great chemistry. The ease with which they did the turning overhead lifts to upstage right made it look like she was floating in space.
In first time appearances this season in "Symphony in C" Jodie Thomas and Lucien Postlewaite were bright in First Movement, and it was lovely to see the male solos fully realized. I had forgotten than Laura Gilbreath, like Maria Chapman, had danced the Second Movement in Russell/Stowell's last season (2004), and she, too, reprised it this season. (I think it's great that dancers are given chances half a decade apart.) It was a heroic attempt and quite daring, leading to a couple of strong saves, and Gilbreath's long legs are ravishing in the continuous supported arabesques of all types. Gilbreath was also strong in the allegro section of the Fourth Movement. Carrie Imler danced Third Movement with Jonathan Porretta, and she cut him no slack, matching his jumps, and almost diving into the movement-ending arabesque with wonderful abandon. It was a great performance.
There have been many substitutions this week, and at the Q&A, Boal was holding a small note, which he said was a list of dancers he had to call before the evening performance, since there have been a number of injuries. Some were announced, like Leah O'Connor replacing Lindsi Dec as a demi in Third Movement; since Dec danced in the corps, I'm assuming this was part of a multiple substitution. Eric Hippolito Jr. once again replaced Sokvannara Sar as a Fourth Movement demi, and unannounced was Josh Spell replacing Kiyon Gaines as a First Movement demi. When speaking about the retirements, someone asked how big the company would be next year. Boal said that while it will be a little smaller, it was impossible to do large ballets like "Symphony in C" with fewer than 50 -- there are 45 + 6 apprentices now -- given that there will need to be substitutions. With three full-lengths in addition to "Nutcracker" on next year's schedule, it seems to me that it's a no-brainer that the trade-off for the revenue-generators is a larger company. Boal also mentioned that while he did hold auditions this year, he is also interested in dancers from the school as well, and, I hope, some of the apprentices will be offered company contracts, with four dancers leaving/retiring, since it's been a bumper crop this year.
While if he told us which dancers would be cast in the season opening "Romeo et Juliette", he would have to kill us, Boal did say that Carla Korbes, who was originally cast for Juliette last year (but had to withdraw due to injury) would be cast, as well as both Romeos from the original run, Lucien Postlewaite and James Moore, and there will be more.
I wish I could remember all four pieces that Boal said would be performed at the Bagley Wright Theater on Labor Day at Bumbershoot, but I do remember "Mopey", "Vespers" (I think), and a new Wevers piece for Postlewaite and Porretta.
Laura Gilbreath was the guest at the Q&A, and she had nothing but praise for partner Stanko Milov. She said that he told her that his job was to present her, and that she should never worry about what he was doing. In response to a question about whether it was difficult to be partnered by dancers shorter than she, Gilbreath said that while a lot shorter would be hard in some moves like finger turn pirouettes, in general, it's a matter of working out how to hold herself to support her partner. She also said that at 5'10" she's the shrimp of her family: her parents are 6' and 6'2", and she has a 6'9" brother. She mentioned working very hard on her shoulders and arms -- someone had complimented her on her arms -- since as a tall dancer, her tendency was to hunch (she demonstrated). PNB has a number of quite tall women, and it's great that they can all stand tall.
Did anyone see any of these performances or last night's? Please tell us what you thought. I'm hoping we can read sandik's review -- I hope "Seattle Weekly" -- very soon.
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finally up!!!! (I was wearing out the "refresh" feature in my browser.)
