121 replies to this topic

[Drew]

I will be crushed if Halberg does not dance in Sleeping Beauty (I'm coming up to NY for that performance), crushed because I wish to see him, but also because  I was disappointed that after his remarkable performances with Osipova last year, this Sleeping Beauty was the only performance they were scheduled for in New York this year. A remarkable partnership is nothing to waste, and last year's performance of Romeo and Juliet suggested they belong in just that category. Of course, as dancers with different companies they do not have many opportunities to develop their on-stage relationship--I hope they don't miss out on this one.

[Batsuchan]

Oh my!!!  This is shocking!!    I was *so* looking forward to seeing Semionova and Hallberg together in "Swan Lake," because they looked so gorgeous together in "Don Quixote"!  That being said, I'm not too disappointed, because I was most interested in seeing Semionova's Odette/Odile, and Marcelo is always the most selfless, supportive partner, so I'm sure he'll try to give her everything she needs.  (Plus I'll get to see Marcelo's Siegfried, which somehow I managed not to buy a ticket for this year!)

Seriously though--McKenzie needs to do something about his roster of men.  They've been dropping like flies this season!

[nanushka]

McKenzie needs to do something about his roster period.  Looking at the list of principals, it's absurd.  Maxim, Roberto, Angel and Ethan never or hardly ever dance; Diana only danced a few times this year; Jose and Michele are leaving.  That leaves a total of ten reliable principals: 4 men and 6 women.  Between these numbers and the corps' work this season, this is starting to seem like a non-company.  It's very upsetting.

Veronika and Cory looked great last night, by the way.  Not a superb performance (theirs last year was fantastic), but solid and beautiful.  More later, perhaps.

[abatt]

I saw the Part-Stearns performance on Friday evening.  Stearns is improving every season.  However, he still has quite a bit of work to do.  He started out strong in Act I.  I thought he did a fine job in his solo late in Act I.  Yes, he could improve his line somewhat, but overall his Act I was strong.  His partnering of Veronika is not as strong as it should be.  When he was supporting her in her spins, she was frequently tilted.  That's a partnering issue that needs to improvement and correction. Part gave a good performance, but not a great performance. I think this may have been due, in part, to the lack of chemistry between Part and Stearns.  It also may be due to the problem that she does not have complete confidence in Stearns as a partner.  I used to love the way Part used her "Russian Back" so expressively.  However, Part's Russian Back was not in evidence much last night, in my opinion.  I was happy that she did her fouettes in Act III cleanly and without incident.  These used to give her trouble, but she seems to have conquered those demons.  My facorite Part SL was several years ago with Roberto Bolle.  It seems like we will not be seeing that partnership again.  

Hammoudi has some problems in his debut as Purple Rothbart.  He wasn't menacing. He just looked like a guy who was trying to get through a new role.  He botched an overhead lift of Fang.  He held her awkwardly in front of him to try and cover the mistake as best he could. In the section where he is supposed to hold an arabesque on demi point, he could barely sustain the position for more than a few seconds before he lowered his leg.  To his credit, he executed the rest of the choreography well.


Jared Mathews did very well as Benno.

[Roberto Dini]

abatt, on 01 July 2011 - 07:37 PM, said:

Marga, on 01 July 2011 - 03:36 PM, said:

Did anyone see the advertisement in last Sunday's NYT Magazine for First Republic Bank? It pictures Michele Wiles with her husband and the quote, seemingly attributed to both of them, reads "When my business was growing, I received an Eagle Loan from First Republic. Their quick turnaround was critical to my success." Under the quote both names are printed, James McCullough and Michele Wiles, along with their occupations. I was perplexed by this and reread it a few times last Sunday. I began to wonder if they're in business together now.


Married to Normal Folk

I saw the ad you're referring to.  Wiles looks really strange in the photo.  She is wearing a black cape that totally hides her figure.

You can see the ad here:
Our Town NY Archives

It's in the June 23, 2011 edition, p. 7.

[miliosr]

That is disappointing news about Wiles but, truth be told, not unexpected.  I had enjoyed her Chicago Swan Lake in April of 2010 and had hoped she had made an expressive breakthrough at last.  But then came many negative reports on this board, and this season she barely appeared at all.  So, maybe it's time for her to find creative renewal elsewhere or just to do something different altogether that will make her happy.

Good luck Michele!

nanushka, on 02 July 2011 - 05:37 AM, said:

That leaves a total of ten reliable principals: 4 men and 6 women.

ABT needs to shore up its male principal ranks right quick.  You cannot ask Gomes, Hallberg and Stearns to carry the entire workload on their backs, which they have done this season.

[nysusan]

Batsuchan, on 30 June 2011 - 02:19 PM, said:

I've only seen ABT and NYCB's versions of "Swan Lake," so I'm totally clueless about other stagings of Act IV.    (Other than the Soviet version with the happy ending, which I suspect I wouldn't like.)  Perhaps this is a topic for a separate thread, but could someone please tell me about the more satisfying versions that they've seen?

Actually, though I prefer a tragic ending the Mariiinsky's  happy ending doesn't bother me much.  It literally comes in the last 60 seconds or so (during the apotheosis) and everything leading up to it is so overwhelmingly emotional that it kind of comes as a relief. It can also put an interesting spin on Siegfried's character because it provides an arc for growth, other than just "gee, I'm sorry, I made a stupid mistake".

I even prefer Martin's last act/scene over at NYCB - because it is very dramatic & tragic.

My favorite ending is from ABT's old Blair staging - their first staging of SL and IMO, their best! BTW, it's 18 1/2 minutes long. In the old days Swan Lake was a real 4 act ballet with 3 intermissions.  Thanks to MarloManners66 for putting the whole thing on youtube - in 16 segments:

act 4 part 1


act 4 part 2


Also - I agree with ABATT about the Part/Stearns performance last night. Part is always lovely, but sometimes she is sublime. Last night she was just lovely. I wish they would pair her with Gomes or Bolle for Swan Lake. There was really no chemistry between her and Stearns and I don't think that will ever change.

I'm a big Hammoudi fan, so I was disappointed to see him encountering difficulties as the purple pimp Von Rothbart. Was this a debut? I believe it is only the 2nd leading role he's been given. He has a lot of work to do. Jared Matthews was very impressive as Benno. On to Semionova/Gomes tonight!

[angelica]

IMHO, Part was more than lovely last night; I would go so far as to say she was sublime. However, if anything was missing, it was a sublime performance on the part of the first violinist, especially in the PdD of Act II and again in Act IV. I don't know how our Odette managed to keep her concentration and not to wince with every note that was off-pitch. The role is so dependent on the music, especially in the PdD, and in that regard Part was poorly served.

[bingham]

abatt, on 02 July 2011 - 05:43 AM, said:

I saw the Part-Stearns performance on Friday evening.  Stearns is improving every season.  However, he still has quite a bit of work to do.  He started out strong in Act I.  I thought he did a fine job in his solo late in Act I.  Yes, he could improve his line somewhat, but overall his Act I was strong.  His partnering of Veronika is not as strong as it should be.  When he was supporting her in her spins, she was frequently tilted.  That's a partnering issue that needs to improvement and correction. Part gave a good performance, but not a great performance. I think this may have been due, in part, to the lack of chemistry between Part and Stearns.  It also may be due to the problem that she does not have complete confidence in Stearns as a partner.  I used to love the way Part used her "Russian Back" so expressively.  However, Part's Russian Back was not in evidence much last night, in my opinion.  I was happy that she did her fouettes in Act III cleanly and without incident.  These used to give her trouble, but she seems to have conquered those demons.  My facorite Part SL was several years ago with Roberto Bolle.  It seems like we will not be seeing that partnership again.  

Hammoudi has some problems in his debut as Purple Rothbart.  He wasn't menacing. He just looked like a guy who was trying to get through a new role.  He botched an overhead lift of Fang.  He held her awkwardly in front of him to try and cover the mistake as best he could. In the section where he is supposed to hold an arabesque on demi point, he could barely sustain the position for more than a few seconds before he lowered his leg.  To his credit, he executed the rest of the choreography well.


Jared Mathews did very well as Benno.

         Debuts are almost always a problem. One must consider nervousness and, probably, lack of enough preparation and rehearsals. The debutants in Russian companies are always prepared by their ballet masters and coaches way ahead of the initial performances . Hammoudi will do well with more coaching(from the Marcelo,if possible ) and performances.

[Amour]

anne12573, on 01 July 2011 - 02:12 PM, said:

Sad news: David Hallberg just tweeted that he sprained his ankle last night, and won't be performing with Semionova tomorrow night. I'm crushed! I wonder who will replace him.

Full tweet (@DavidHallberg): "Sprained ankle from Von Rothbart in Carreno's farewell performance. Siegfried Sat. night canceled with Semionova. Bummed and in a boot."

Obviously, best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

Hallberg tweeted a picture of the boot he is in.  It goes from his foot to his knee.  Looks like a serious sprain. I doubt he can recover in one week, for Sleeping Beauty.  Very disappointed, I have tickets for Swan Lake with Semionova and Sleeping Beauty with Osipova. But Hallberg's recovery is priority.

[Roberto Dini]

angelica, on 02 July 2011 - 09:10 AM, said:

IMHO, Part was more than lovely last night; I would go so far as to say she was sublime. However, if anything was missing, it was a sublime performance on the part of the first violinist, especially in the PdD of Act II and again in Act IV. I don't know how our Odette managed to keep her concentration and not to wince with every note that was off-pitch. The role is so dependent on the music, especially in the PdD, and in that regard Part was poorly served.

The violin solo playing has been distressing.  I wonder why?

[Roberto Dini]

Amour, on 02 July 2011 - 10:14 AM, said:

anne12573, on 01 July 2011 - 02:12 PM, said:

Sad news: David Hallberg just tweeted that he sprained his ankle last night, and won't be performing with Semionova tomorrow night. I'm crushed! I wonder who will replace him.

Full tweet (@DavidHallberg): "Sprained ankle from Von Rothbart in Carreno's farewell performance. Siegfried Sat. night canceled with Semionova. Bummed and in a boot."

Obviously, best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

Hallberg tweeted a picture of the boot he is in.  It goes from his foot to his knee.  Looks like a serious sprain. I doubt he can recover in one week, for Sleeping Beauty.  Very disappointed, I have tickets for Swan Lake with Semionova and Sleeping Beauty with Osipova. But Hallberg's recovery is priority.

I've seen the picture, and it looks to me like a standard boot used to isolate the ankle.  I don't know whether one can judge the severity of the injury from the size of the boot.

[Roberto Dini]

Here's a link to the NYTimes review of Carreño's farewell:
NYTimes Review and the accompanying slide show of photos: slide show.

[MakarovaFan]

I saw the Part-Stearns performance last night as well.  I agree with abatt on many points. Stearns has room for improvement in his technique, line and partnering skills.  Still what sticks out in my mind is that when he supported Part in her pirouettes she was off center and slow in turning.  I think pairing up these 2 dancers was a poor decision.  Part especially didn't look at ease with Stearns so no chemistry developed.

I went into this performance with high hopes about Part's Odette-Odile thinking her naturally majestic stage presence would make her a no-brainer in the ballet. But I was sorely let down.  She started off beautifully with her first entrance jump onstage in Act II. But the Russian Back abatt referred to was nowhere to be seen.  I expected supple arms but Part hardly tried to appear swan-like.  Her upper body was stiff and not nearly as expressive as it should have been.  In Act II her approach to Odette was as a severe, grave creature resigned to her fate.  Siegfried's presence didn't comfort or give her any sense of hope in his vow of love.  There was little sense of Odette's vulnerability and pathos so it was hard to sympathize with Part's interpretation.

Things didn't improve in Act III.  Part looked gorgeous in her black tutu but, again, Part seemed miscast as Odile. She smiled and looked beautiful, but one didn't feel her embodying the role as Odette's alter ego, as a symbol of evil, treachery and sexual power.  I hate to say it but Part is miscast in SL.  

[puppytreats]

[quote name='abatt' date='02 July 2011 - 05:43 AM' timestamp='1309614239' post='288399']
  "My facorite Part SL was several years ago with Roberto Bolle.  It seems like we will not be seeing that partnership again.  "

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