I attended last night's performance. There were several cast changes and they were announced so fast, I could not keep them straight. Overall, it was a good Swan Lake - not a great one.
I have to start with Marcelo Gomes. The technique may not be there as it once was, but wow - does he own that role. The stage presence, the command of the audience and his connection with his fellow dancers on stage - it is really amazing to see.
Lendorf was good - not spectacular- but good. I noticed a few wobbles and he was not fully extended on some of his moves, but he was a very good partner to Isabella. He also put a lot of emotion into his role as Siegfried, especially in the last act of the ballet. When he leapt into the lake, I actually thought he was going the wrong way at first. I think he just needed some more room to run into that spectacular leap.
This is the third time (I think) that I have seen Isabella in Swan Lake. When she entered for what I thought was the 32 fouettés, I said to myself, "She's way too close to the end of the stage". Then, I saw she did something different. I try not to let the fouettés make or brake the performance of a ballerina for me. It is 1% of the total ballet. Sure - it's a spectacular moment, but Swan Lake is more than just the 32 fouettés. What bothered me more than leaving out that part was Isabella's very jerky and sharp movements, especially in the Act II pas de deux. Anytime there was a move that required flexibility, she kind of jerked into the movement, whereas that should have been a time where soft and lyrical would have been better. I don't recall her doing this before. However, she did have some truly beautiful moments last night.
I very much enjoyed the Act I Pas de Trois with Gorack, Brandt, and Lane. I forget - is this the last year of this production or do we have one more year before Ratmansky's version starts. I am not really looking forward to that, because I have not cared for his choreography for The Firebird, The Golden Cockerel, or his version of The Sleeping Beauty.