44 replies to this topic

[Alexandra]

What are your personal highlights of the year?  Dancer, ballet, company, event -- anything.

[Farrell Fan]

The highlights of my year mostly took place from Oct. 23 to 27. During that time I saw five performances by the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center and went backstage to renew acquaintances with Suzanne. I also met Alexandra and got my copy of her book signed.

An earlier highlight was my annual July visit to Saratoga Springs,   where I had the pleasure of meeting Ballet Alert posters rkoretzky and bobsey.

[sylvia]

One of my highlights finished just 2 hours ago! Wind of the Willows, choreographed by William Tuckett and enchantingly danced in the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House was just a dream! It was so witty and charming! It boasts talents like Anthony Dowell as the Narrator, Adam Cooper, Matthew Hart and Will Kemp and you cannot believe the expressions their faces manage to contort into!

Mayerling by the Royal Ballet. MacMillan's choreography, the pdd were unforgettable. The three casts were fantastic but I think Jonathan Cope was brilliant in it as I never thought he could be and the role of Prince Rudolf just belongs to Johan Kobborg. Alina Cojocaru was the biggest and best surprise as Mary.

Dances Concertantes by the New York City Ballet dancers where Yvonne Borree and Peter Boal in Duo Concertante just took my breath away.

[Roma]

In no particular order.
Kowroski's thrilling Firebird.
Ananiashvili's Adagio of Symphony in C was a complete revelation for me each time she danced it.
Pavlenko's Nykia and Diamonds.
La Fille Mal Gardee and the Dream.
Kirov's corps
I have to say, looking back on it, it was a very, very good year.

[Hans]

And here I'm still trying to figure out where 2001 went!  The only ballets I saw live were from the wings:  varied Bejart Ballet Lausanne repertoire and Washington Ballet's Nutcracker.  I'm saving my money for the next time the Kirov comes to the Kennedy Center--they had better bring Sleeping Beauty (my favorite ballet, which I still can't believe I missed when it was at the Met) and La Bayadere.  So I guess for me, the highlights of 2002 would be seeing Washington Ballet grow and mature very beautifully, and the unforgettable experience of being onstage in Europe, even as a supernumerary, with a very exciting company under an extraordinary director.

[Mary Lynn Slayden]

No this isn't the Brag board but the dance highlight of the year for me was my kid calling that she'd signed her first contract to dance.

[Kevin Ng]

I'll start off with the Kirov Ballet, which this year I am fortunate to have seen many times, in St. Petersburg, London, New York, and earlier this month in Hong Kong.  It's been a rewarding year to  see more and more ballets from the Kirov's large repertory, and to see some outstanding debuts from their many talented young soloists, e.g. Irina Golub, Leonid Sarafanov.

Highlights
- the Kirov's reconstructed version of "La Bayadere" which was revelatory.

- The Kirov's glorious performance in their London galas of "Serenade", splendidly led by Natalia Sologub, Irina Golub, and Veronika Part.  
And the whole company was always excellent in Balanchine's masterpiece "Jewels".

-  Natalia Sologub in everything she danced, she was especially moving in the title role in Alexei Ratmansky's new but uneven production of "Cinderella" premiered in the Mariinsky Festival, and as Masha in the Chemiakin's controversial production of "Nutcracker".

-  Diana Vishneva's superlative Giselle in Hong Kong, her Manon and her Rubies in the Mariinsky Festival both partnered by Manuel Legris, and her lyrical Nikiya in New York.

-  Andrian Fadeyev in the Mariinsky Festival showing his pure classical style as the Nutcracker Prince, and his stirring performances as Romeo and in "Le Jeune Homme et la Mort".  And finally his profoundly moving Albrecht in Hong Kong several weeks ago, and his charismatic "Rubies" soloist.
----

At Covent Garden I was most impressed by Alina Cojocaru as Tatiana in "Onegin", Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope in Christopher Wheeldon's wonderful new work "Tryst" for the Royal Ballet, and Jonathan Cope and Tamara Rojo in "Mayerling".

I greatly enjoyed the English National Ballet's triple bill including Balanchine's Apollo and Who Cares, and also another triple bill including Mark Morris' delightful work "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes".

[Calliope]

Finally seeing Vishneva dance
La Fille Mal Gardee at ABT, actually, everything at ABT
Jaffe's final performance
Rachel Rutherford finally getting promoted
The Kirov back in NY
ABT's Studio Company

[fabiana]

Roberto Bolle and Alessandra Ferri in Romeo and Juliet.
Annonciation danced by La Scala ballet
Vishneva as Aurora
La Scala corps de ballet in Nutcracker this december.
And, from Nureyev gala:
Tamara Rojo as black swan
Eric Vu An in Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Massimo Murru as Petrouchka
Malakhov in Spectre de la rose
Tewsley and Marta Romagna in Apollo
and the clean and noble dancing of Bolle

[Giannina]

Cojocaru/Kobborg and Tapper/Coppen in Onegin

Our balcony "box seats" in Palaise Garnier

[Leigh Witchel]

Looking back over my notes -

The Kirov's production of Don Quixote for the sheer energy and joy of their character dancing.

Alexandra Ansanelli's Allegro Brillante from the winter season.  It was one of those special, singular performances where you were so glad you were lucky enough to be there on the night the magic happened.

[Saveta]

- National Ballet of Canada - the whole company in Cranco's Romeo and Juliet, and Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardée; Aleksandar Antonijevic's interpretations of lead characteres in both these ballets; Chan Hon Goh as Aurora (in Aurora's Wedding) and as Terpsichore in Apollo; Greta Hodgkinson as Nikia (in Kingdom of Shades) and Lise in Fille; Sonia Rodrigez as Juliet.
- Kirov's corps de ballet in La Bayadere and S. Lake;
-Irina Dvorovenko and M. Beloserkovsky in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux;
- An afternoon I spent in NY Public Library for Performing Arts watching (for the first time) Diana Adams, Allegra Kent and Tanaquil Le Clerq

[NO7]

Having seen only a few performances in this year. But I'm so sure I picked the right ones!

It definitely must be the Kirov's new production of La Bayadere, with the interpretations of Vishneva, Zakharova, Fadeyev and Kolb. Also the performance by Acosta and Nunez in Don Quixote. It's a great fun!

[liebs]

2001 highlights:

Dutch National Ballet in Onegin in Amsterdam - always interesting to see an unfamiliar company.

Ashton's The Dream at ABT

Asanelli in almost everyting at NYCB - she has a bloom now that makes everything special

Whelan, a great artist in her prime

Tuttle in Giselle at ABT - none of her previous performances had prepared me for the completeness of her interpretation.

Elizabeth Parkinson in Movin On, and John Seyla and Keith Roberts

Patrick Corbin in everything he danced in the Taylor season

Merce Cunningham's 50th anniversary

David Gordon's performance in January at Danspace

Being lucky enough to live in NYC, so I can see all this and more!

[Alexandra]

Ashton's The Dream (especially) and Fille at ABT -- not perfect, but a darned good start.

"Dances at a Gathering" by San Francisco Ballet (Ken Cen)

Much of what the Suzanne Farrell Ballet performed here; the company is maturing, and Gavin Larsen is on my Dancer to Watch list.

Otherwise, not much of a year for me.