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corps dancers we love as if they were stars


Paul Parish

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Helene,

Kara Zimmerman is not retiring from dance. She is leaving PNB to become a soloist with Cincinnati next season!

She retired from PNB :smilie_mondieu: but I'm thrilled for her that she's continuing her career in Cincinnati. I hope the audience there cherishes her, because there isn't a single role of any size at PNB that she didn't dance completely, and it never mattered if she was in the front or back row or center stage.

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At yesterdays performance of ABT's Don Quixote (Reyes/Cornejo/Boone/Radetsky) it was a Corps dancer Melissa Thomas who opened my eyes wide with her dancing of the Queen of the Dryads in the 2nd Act. The beauty of her line and the crystal quality of her technique notwithstanding, it was her expressiveness that raised her performance to such an enjoyable height. She easily managed to steal the scene from the Ballerina; I went to the performance to see Cornejo but came away with a new discovery. :smilie_mondieu:

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I couldn't resist replying...Yuhui Choe in the Royal Ballet. She has wonderful willowy arms, the way she holds and uses her head, and such a way about her dancing that's completely captivating, I've managed to pick her out from the back of the amphi where you can't see much of anything. I've had friends who are totally clueless about dancing pick her out from the corps too, and she's a firm favourite with the regulars. I don't think she's done many soloist roles apart from Princess Florine and other fairies in SB, but she's getting her big chance as SPF this Christmas. Watch this space - the soloist and principal ranks are a bit crowded at the moment, but I'd love to see her promoted.

http://info.royaloperahouse.org/ballet/ind...252&cs=1252

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At yesterdays performance of ABT's Don Quixote (Reyes/Cornejo/Boone/Radetsky) it was a Corps dancer Melissa Thomas who opened my eyes wide with her dancing of the Queen of the Dryads in the 2nd Act. The beauty of her line and the crystal quality of her technique notwithstanding, it was her expressiveness that raised her performance to such an enjoyable height. She easily managed to steal the scene from the Ballerina; I went to the performance to see Cornejo but came away with a new discovery. :smilie_mondieu:

I'm glad she is ,finally, getting recognition for her talent.i know it's the wrong forum but how did Herman do? :yahoo:

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I so agree, she was stunning, all I could think of is "Why isn't she doing a Lilac Fairy?"

At yesterdays performance of ABT's Don Quixote (Reyes/Cornejo/Boone/Radetsky) it was a Corps dancer Melissa Thomas who opened my eyes wide with her dancing of the Queen of the Dryads in the 2nd Act. The beauty of her line and the crystal quality of her technique notwithstanding, it was her expressiveness that raised her performance to such an enjoyable height. She easily managed to steal the scene from the Ballerina; I went to the performance to see Cornejo but came away with a new discovery. :smilie_mondieu:
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I've had friends who are totally clueless about dancing pick [Yuhui Choe] out from the corps too ...
That's always a remarkable sign and pretty rare.
[ ... ] and she's a firm favourite with the regulars.
That's the clincher. The combination of these two groups really do confirm that something special is going on.

Are there any other among our Royal Ballet fans who have been paying close attention to this dancer?

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That's always a remarkable sign and pretty rare.

...Are there any other among our Royal Ballet fans who have been paying close attention to this dancer?

I am one of her fans. She has a very distinct presence and it was a pleasure seeing her in La Bayadere (both as a solo shade and as the corps dancer leading the shades down the ramp) and various other roles. I think management is allowing her to develop slowly but surely - compared with Zhongjing Fang, I think she's been given more opportunities albeit at a more measured pace and not in spurts. I can't recall off-hand but wasn't she the RB's representative at the Eric Bruhn competition? I've followed her career with much interest and I too hope she'll get promoted sooner rather than later!

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I am a huge Yuhui fan! I've followed her since her win at Laussanne, and I love her love her love her. She has the most lovely, musical arms and fantastic footwork. There are some bits of choreography which I don't like, which she can make speak to me. Early in the season she did the fast shade variation from Bayadere (the one ending with releve en voyage in arabesque). I was surprised to see her cast as this as I had thought of her as more of a lyrical dancer, but she astounded me with her phrasing and presence. And yes, she was at the Bruhn competition.

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There are so many corps girls at NYCB right now that draw the eye. Kathryn Morgan barley even fits in this category, she is a principal in waiting. Muller, King and Piskin for sure but I also find myself watching Ashley Laracy and Glenn Keenan all the time. Both were lovely in Emeralds yesterday afternoon and I think it was Keenan who did double duty also poping up in Diamonds. And Erica Pereira, my goodness she's extraordinary.

Over at ABT I always notice the lovely & elegant Zhong-Jing Fang, the sweet yet forthright presence of Anne Milewski and the lightness and delicacy of Renata Pavam, and this season I've also started to notice Jessica Saund. Among the men I've been had my eye on Grant Delong and Alexander Hammoudi for a few seasons now and of course Simone Messmer and Blaine Hoven are ripe for promotion.

And during the Kirov City Center season I was captivated by Svetlana Ivanova, Elena Androsova and Maria Shirinkina. Wish they were local so I could watch their progression!

I agree with you 100% Erica Pereira is extraordinary!!!!! Saw here do Juliet in Peter Martins Romeo & Juliet when she was an a apprentice, she was wonderful then and even more enjoyable now to watch. I am sure we will see some amazing performances in the near future from this truely gifted dancer.

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Courtney Elizabeth. She was the goddess of the SFB new w works festival -- seemed like she was in every ballet, sometimes (in Paul Taylor's) the star, but always dong her part wonderfully.

Completely agree about Courtney Elizabeth. And I'd add Courtney Wright; as I said in another thread, Wright always looks like she's having more fun than anyone else on stage. Too bad she has left the company this summer, I hope for better opportunities to display her abilities.

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Yes, it's like management have suddenly sat up and taken notice! As a first soloist I imagine she'll be pushed to the front and I hope that principal roles are soon beckoning.

Well that was quick - Choe's scheduled for her debut as Nikiya in mid November!

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back in 1996 ( i believe ) PNB came to nyc and performed at city center... i cant tell you how the principals danced.. i was too busy watching Gavin Larsen (now dancing in Alberta Ballet)

...

I just joined this forum, and ran across the post above. I was an admirer of Gavin Larson's dancing at PNB for many years - wonderful to find another fan! I always had the same experience - it was hard to focus on the main character when such clean and expressive dance was happening in the corps!

There always seems to be someone in the corps that stands out. Lately it's been Rebecca Johnston but I'll start another thread to get her name in the subject line.

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Rebecca Johnston - the last several years at PNB she's been the one to watch in the corps. I've been surprised and distressed for years that she never got promoted, and I'm very sad she's now retired. Such an elegant dancer, projecting so much joy in the mere act of dancing - and the best, most consistent, expressive port de bras I've seen in anyone, anywhere. She's a really hard worker too - it seemed she was in every dance, every night, every cast! :lightbulb:

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Here in Cincinnati, we're very happy to have Kara Zimmerman from PNB! My favorite corps dancer here is Dawn Kelly, who was promoted to soloist this year. Dawn is an excellent actress and embodies the roles she dances. We like her equally well in classical roles and more modern pieces. She is tiny, but has huge presence on the stage. We can't wait to see what she'll be doing this year.

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I agree that Kara is an exquisite dancer, and had the pleasure of joining her in a gala performance.

Kara Zimmerman is exquisite.

Charlene Cohen, now with SFB. I loved dancing with her. Can say that she was wonderful to catch in Dances at a Gathering :clapping: .

Kenny Easter, with ABT. Great performances all around, one of my favorite Johnny's in Paul Taylors Company B.

Alan Peiffer, with NYCB. He is rightly mentioned as one of the most handsome male dancers.

Some dancers are worth their weight in gold. I believe these four are.

Replying to corps dancers we love as if they were stars, these guys grind it out day in and day out.

They are stars.

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Well we can take Yuhui Choe off the list - she's just skipped a rank with a promotion to First Soloist at the Royal Ballet! I'm so pleased!!

I can say that I recently saw her as the Sugar Plum Fairy in which she gave an extraordinary debut performance in the role in terms of style and technique. Miss Choe appears to be a real classicist of the future.

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I used to watch Lauren in class at the American Theater Dance Workshop, school of the Eglevsky Ballet and as a child performer with the Eglevsky. She was about 12 years old when I first saw her. If ever anyone had a perfect body and facility for ballet, she did. I've seen her only once as a member of the corps de ballet at NYCB (since I live in Canada), but I mainly watched her, since I "knew" her. So nice that she's gotten a mention in this thread. I, too, love her dancing. :wink:

I noted Lauren King recently in the corps of Theme & Variations. She was truly a ray of warm sunshine in an otherwise dismal performance (A. Stafford & Garcia were the leads). I'll be watching for her from now on. She's included in a picture of Hallelujah Junction in the spring season brochure that I got today.

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