terrynyc

Two years ago closing night SLEEPING BEAUTY was Part and Gomes. They were repeating their roles in the last performance of that pridyction, just as they had performed the premiere performance some years earlier. I did a "prep" before attending that performance, watching countless other versions (video), immersing myself - Fonteyn, Cojucaru, Vishneva, Gregory, Zakharova, etc. Part blew me away. I still hold that performance as one of the finest I have ever seen - and for my money, way better than this year's SLEEPING BEAUTY, Disney sets and all.

Sorry. Above was part of a different conversation!

I ate the yogurt. Glad I did.

Saw SWAN LAKE tonight. Nobody is a bigger fan of Bolle and Gomes than myself. I think Seo is lovely. Still, I was hoping for a "hotter" performance than tonight's. Seo WAS lovely, technically secure, not dull, everything executed well, especially when assisted by Bolle's expert partnering. She got the audience going with the foutee's, which she does while trsveling in a straight path downstage. It kind of works that way, if you forget that she isn't really supposed to travel. You do wonder if she might mis-judge and end up headfirst in the tuba, but nevermind. Bolle was dazzlingly beautiful to look at, and his first act adagio's were gorgeous, with sustained lovely lines. Gomes did his signature role with the usual fire and a couple of great evil looks. AND YET, I felt it was an evening of everything being "correct", but not going that extra step into magical. It did result in one of the very best PDQ I have ever seen. How did everyone else feel?

It would be Bolle, since he is scheduled anyway, with Gomes as (the definitive) Rothbart. I don't share the "hate on" for Seo, but I would love to see Part's O O.

To each his own.Obviously, I completely disagree with AMOUR about Roberto Bolle. Marcello is also wonderful in this part, but his interpretation is very different. The same is true of their Albrechts. Some people evidently don't respond to Roberto's, perhaps more subtle interpretstion. But I find it detailed and compelling - and moves me like no other. The way he tosses the "dead" Juliet around is remarkable. I love the way his line extends clear to the end of his fingers. But I do agree that Cornejo was a fantastic Mercutio.

Magnificent performance tonight for Kent's farewell. Luxury casting indeed to have Cornejo as Mercutio. He was brilliant and acted the role for real. He was a real friend, and his death scene was absolutely real. Nothing exagerated, nothing csmpy. It is not a comic moment. His "plague on both your houses" was not as showy as some either, as if Mercury barely has the energy for this last curse before he expires. He and Bolle were so magnificent, that the splendid Blaine Holton hot a bit lost. With two friends like that, the dancer and the director really need to figure out who Benvolio is. Bolle and Kent were totally on and in sync. I have always felt Bolle , is superb in this role, and I felt it was truer than ever tonight. Every moment is worked out and true having fun with the guys, flirting with thecgirls, teasing the nurse or making love with Juliet, everything is true. Kent was so energized by the warmth from the audience and the two ire with Bolle. She was exquisite. Nolle's anguish at killing Tubal was devastating. I liked Patrick Ogke'Tubal very much. Hammoudi disappointed slightly as Paris. He was not as sympathetic as I have seen. Overall, I was enthralled. Bravo Julie et al.

In the past several years, Bolle has been an incredibly consistent and reliable artist. 2 years ago, when Hammoudi was first injured, Bolle and Marcello each picked up one of his performances. I had tickets for Hammoudi/Seo in R&J because I had seen great potential from Hammoudi in the past. Of course, I was thrilled that Bolle was the replacement. He was wonderful with Seo. A truly expert partner, he really helped her to be her best as Juliet, and I thought she was lovely and moving in every way. Later that week I saw Bolle with Kent, and I have to say, that for me, that is the ultimate partnership in this ballet - I can't wait for tomorrow night. By the way, I went to Bolle's book signing last week at Barnes and Noble. They showed the little film, PASSAGE, that he and Semianova did. Turns out that was filmed at a warehouse in Red Hook that same week ad the R&J's. The water was evidently really cold and Bolle said he was sure he was going to get bronchitis. Anyway, to have 2 such experienced, gorgeous dancers as Gomes and Bolle at the top of their game at ABT is something to celebrate. Also, Bolle hired Seo for his Bolle & Friends. I already liked her, but the fact that he puts his faith in her gives her extra points in my book. She is not just some favorite of KM's.

In the past several years, Bolle has been an incredibly consistent and reliable artist. 2 years ago, when Hammoudi was first injured, Bolle and Marcello each picked up one of his performances. I had tickets for Hammoudi/Seo in R&J because I had seen great potential from Hammoudi in the past. Of course, I was thrilled that Bolle was the replacement. He was wonderful with Seo. A truly expert partner, he really helped her to be her best as Juliet, and I thought she was lovely and moving in every way. Later that week I saw Bolle with Kent, and I have to say, that for me, that is the ultimate partnership in this ballet - I can't wait for tomorrow night. By the way, I went to Bolle's book signing last week at Barnes and Noble. They showed the little film, PASSAGE, that he and Semianova did. Turns out that was filmed at a warehouse in Red Hook that same week ad the R&J's. The water was evidently really cold and Bolle said he was sure he was going to get bronchitis. Anyway, to have 2 such experienced, gorgeous dancers as Gomes and Bolle at the top of their game at ABT is something to celebrate. Also, Bolle hired Seo for his Bolle & Friends. I already liked her, but the fact that he puts his faith in her gives her extra points in my book. She is not just some favorite of KM's.

I am so looking forward to Saturday's performance: Kent's farewell with Bolle. I have seen them several times in this ballet. For my money, there is nothing like the way their bodies intertwine. They look so beautiful together and Bolle tosses her around like she weighs nothing (which she probably does, but still).

I think somehow the focus of the discussion got a-kilter. It isn't really about providing more space for all the dancers, or whether SB is a star vehicle or not. The fact is, done this way, the evening was very dull. There was no more space for more dancers (although that was a huge number of garlands). The fairies were still there, but the Lilac Fairy very diminished, with a loss of impact. The fairy tale characters were all still there (Puss, Wolf, Bluebird). No, the "room" seems to have been made for more pantomime, which is tedious. In the meantime, most of the roles were somehow "made less". Vishneva was exhilarating in her entrance, but once the Adagio started I found myself thinking "It is expertly done, but 'earth-bound' in some way". There is something for Aurora to convey here. I don't like it when the ballerina makes her too "little girl" because she isn't Juliet, she is 16, not 13. But still, the challenge is to show her in the first flush of womanhood. The choreography gives her opportunities to express, alternatively, sexuality, demureness, shyness, flightiness, etc. I think the "earthbound" aspect I felt has to do with the "concept" and the way everyone had been directed. One thing no one has mentioned was the way Prince Desire was directed. I only saw Gomes (the final). Marcello is a wonderfully expressive, masculine dancer. But for reasons known only to himself, Ratmansky directed him to be extremely 'effeminate', with very "dancery" posing and attitude. Like some kind of parody of a 'primo uomo ballerino'. In the last act Marcello returned to his usual self. Somehow, it all seemed part of the plan to diminish the role of the Prince, which I think was the real big problem. In order to make this ballet live for modern audiences, the role of the Prince needs to be augmented, not diminished. If the Prince is just a 'tool' (so to speak) then we really don't care about this whole story. There isn't a lot of 'drama' to work with. Still, in the second act, it seems to me that the challenge is to humanize the Prince. Show that he is 'yearning', 'looking' for something. The Vision Scene is about the Prince falling in love with the magical vision of Aurora that the Lilac shows him. Whatever things were cut for the Prince in that scene again lessened the impact of the ballet. And then, in the final pas de dieux, to take away the fireworks for the Prince again, just flattens everything out, and leaves us uninvolved. Perhaps that wasn't the way it was "originally" done. But this is the 21st Century, and this company is the ABT, known for its devotion to the "story ballets" and for stressing the drama and acting in their performances. This evening felt a bit like a homework assignment, and I am not sure for what purpise. Petipa was brilliant, and the very best parts need to be maintained in any production of SLEEPING BEAUTY. But, the real challenge is to bring the ballet alive, to make the fairy tale moving and romantic for modern audiences. That is a challenge that was not met with this scholarly, didactic and flattened out rendering. Where was the Romance? Where was the Fun? the Magic?

Well, frankly, I feel like this SLEEPING BEAUTY is a big bore. A pedantic experiment that dampens the efforts of the finest dancers and flattens the whole evening out. Is this what is necessary to achieve a "better unity" of style and coordination of the company as a whole? I thought Trenary/Simkin looked very good in their costumes, and Carabosse's look was great. But everyone else looked less than their best. Combination of wigs, costumes, makeup and lighting had the principals mostly looking haggard, drawn and elderly. No wonder Paloma didn't want to go out in this production. Concepts like blond wigs just don't work for everyone - or in this case, really, for anyone. I thought the Vision Scene was a big bore. Gomes and Vishneyva were fantastic in the fish dives in the last act. However, when I got home, I played the video with Fonteyn and Michael Somes and with Bolle and Vishneva (Nuryeyev staged) and found myself saying "wait a minute! I don't remember Marcello doing all this great stuff" (cause he didn't). Cutting or toning down the most challenging and exciting parts rob the artists and the audience of the optimum experience. I think it is a great thing that over the years, ballet has lifted the importance of the male dancers to equal that of the female. McKenzie has contributed to that development. I think trying to turn that clock back is a big mistake. I can't wait to see R&J and Swan Lake and see some real DANCING!

I didn't intend a criticism of the discussion. Just an observation that so far the emphasis seemed to be much more on the production than the dancing and interpretation. Perhaps that is natural with an important new production. I look forward to seeing it myself to see if that is the reason, or if the dancers are not really well served by the concept

I can't wait to see SLEEPING BEAUTY. The discussion is very interesting, but I do not hear much raving about the dancing itself. More about the sets, costumes and textual comparisons. I saw BEAUTY a couple of years ago with Part and Gomes and was wiped out by the dancing. I still think of Part's performance and how she captured so well, not a 'playing at' being a 'little girl', but a 16 year old in the first full flush of sexuality and womanhood. I don't hear those kind of observations in the above discussions. I have to say, I am not so excited about the bent knees and demi pointe. You know, in 1841, Gilbert Dupre was the first tenor to sing a full throated high C "from the chest". Before that, men sang everything above anovel the chest in a cultivated falsetto. Dupres changed all that (Rossini said it sounded like a chicken being strangled"). Would we really like to mount a production that adhered to the way it was actually sung then? As a special event, maybe. But as a repertoire constant? Wouldn't it give way in the next seasons to doing it as singers actually perform today? That is what I am wondering about this production. I want to see these great dancers do their very best, to demonstrate their amazing technical and acting abilities. Not to fulfill some sort of academic rendering.

It is interesting about Thomas. I felt in the first act he was very naturalistic and a bit understated in the role (Wed matinee with Herrera), not actually a bad thing. I remember thinking he doesn't really look like a dancer. His posture was slightly hunched. He was very much the average peasant guy. But then in Act II when he danced, he was wonderful, and I felt there was real terror in his face. I like him a lot.