Cendrillon, Feb 3-4, 9-12

[Helene]

As you might say, sandik, April Ball is all that and a bag of chips.

 

I could see from her performance why Dec was to be cast as Mother/Fairy.  (Peter Boal said in the post-performance Q&A last night that he lost two dancers who were to dance the roles:  one [Dec] broke her foot, and the other is pregnant [Tisserand].)

[sandik]

Need to finish a proper review before I post other thoughts here, but some stuff gleaned from the Q/A sessions this weekend. 

 

Peter Boal characterized the work as "a lot for 10 dancers, but not a lot of the corps."

 

Steven Loch described the two "Pleasure Supervisors" as Bert and Ernie -- almost the same, but not quite.  He and Miles Pertl both agreed on opening night that every single moment in the ballet has a meaning -- that there is backstory and motivation for everything that people do.  (I think it's difficult for new casts to get to that level of sophisticated detail)  Pertl mentioned that it was great to have Pantastico and Ball in the studio (and Postlewaite) to see how far you can take the material.

 

Loch is making a new work for the Next Step program, and Pertl is choreographing for the school show.

 

Asked about upcoming performances (and would they be seeing American in Paris when it comes to town) Pertl characterized Wheeldon as a "problem solver" "He can fix anything."

 

Several people mentioned that the general sense of decadence in the costumes for the corps and the stepmother/sisters, and the extensive use of bandages, was a reference to the body culture of Monaco, especially plastic surgery and extreme fashion.

 

Sarah Pasch talked about how hard it is to make the transition at the end of the ballet from evil stepmother (think Cruella deVille) to a more vulnerable woman.

 

Saturday night the Q/A guests were Pantastico and Postelwaite, and the room was full.

 

Postelwaite hinted that he's thinking of coming back to the states -- didn't say PNB specifically, but that would make the most sense.

 

Pantastico said that she's danced both Juliette and Cinderella somewhere between 30-50 times each -- a huge difference between that and the standard experience at PNB where a dancer might get 6-7 turns over the life of a production.  I asked the both of them what they were working on now with these parts, since they're very far along on the learning curve.  For both of them it sounded like they were working on timing and a sense of breath, though they described it in different ways -- Postelwaite talked about expansion, Pantastico talked about getting beyond the up/down, side/side part of technique to a more circular flow. 

 

They said they were partnered together frequently in Monaco, and were characterized as "the Balanchine dancers" -- assuming that kind of attack and amplitude. 

[altongrimes]

On 1/7/2017 at 0:01 AM, seattle_dancer said:

PNB's FB has annnounced the livestream on Jan 27 that Helene mentioned.

 

I went to the open studio rehearsal in early December.  I must admit that before that day, I was not excited about Cendrillon but after I totally am.  More because I hadn't watched a DVD or much You Tube footage so was void of information.  I thought it was odd a livestream was not being offered.  The rehearsal was such an amazing experience.

 

How could anyone NOT be excited about ANYTHING Bernice Coppetiers touches?  I've never seen her perform live, but I saw her take Willy Burrman's Saturday morning class at Steps and she was just a goddess, having such a way about her and her own unique style and interpretation of steps.  I was totally in awe of this creature.

 

It is such a treat to see her work, she is the most expressive person I have ever seen and heard.  She has such a way of showing and articulating what she wants from the dancers. I swear she could breathe life into a statue!

 

So don't miss out!  It's free and I believe the technology worked well from other cities so you have no excuse.  And it's a Friday - a perfect way to end the week!

 

Thanks to PNB for this offering!

Seattle Dancer's remarks related to PNB and Bernice Coppetiers set off a kind of firestorm of creativity within me. I am uncertain as to how the process works, but after numerous viewings on YouTube and fueled by her above impressions, I feel as though I was afforded a look into the very genius that is unique to PNB. How I feel driven to experience this great company ! Surely, part of the sheer joy of this glorious art form is discovering that "signature" that is so very unique to each company. I am most grateful to Seattle Dancer for her fascinating remarks. "Bernice Coppetiers....I swear she could breathe life into a statue." YES !!!

Edited February 7, 2017 by altongrimes
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[Helene]

From Millipied's "Appassionata" it was easy to envision Elle Macy as Mother, but, wow, wow, wow, she was spectacular as Fairy, too, in one of the most wonderful debuts by a dancer at the beginning of her career I've seen: she commanded the stage.  She and William Lin-Yee were fabulous together in the opening pas de deux, with their long matching lines and amplitude; we learned later that he injured his shoulder during that pas, and with help from Boyd Bender during a quick change, somehow heroically not only made it through the end of Act I without any indication of injury, but his big scene with Elizabeth Murphy's Cendrillon that followed was intense and potent.  (Seth Orza danced Father in Acts II-III.)  Murphy was very moving as Cendrillon.

 

 

 

 

[sandik]

Very sorry to hear about Lin-Yee's injury -- hoping he heals quickly.  But so glad you had a chance to see Macy as the Mother/Fairy.  Mulling over the show this weekend as I finished transcribing some notes, and thinking about how very eccentric the Fairy's timing is, such a big challenge.