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Jennifer Gelfand


cpaolucci

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I heard that she gave a very, very fine performance and that it was a great sendoff......

Not to take away from her in the slightest, but I feel that your jibe at the other dancers is uncalled-for. There are any number of dancers in the company with personality to spare....perhaps it has not been demonstrated in the current repertory, or perhaps the artistic staff are focusing on other things right now. With such a new administration, I would be somewhat judicious in my criticisms.....it is early days, yet.

However, it was a highly energised performance from everyone and the theatre was filled with love and support for a special favourite......

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Yes, Jennifer was beautiful. But I think there are some wonderful personalities in the current Boston Ballet line-up. Michael Cusamano was an exciting Gitan (not to mention a wonderful technician) and Nelson Madrigal was adorable as Basilio. Great performances were given by Barbora Kohoutkova, Sarah Lamb, Rie Ichikawa, Miao Zong, Lorna Feijoo, Larissa Ponomarenko, Pollyanna Ribiero, Yury Yanowsky, and that's just to name a few. I feel that the company has a lot of depth - more than a few dancers with the ability to do any number of roles well. The corps performed in unison and those corps members given the chance to do soloist roles did them well. And even in the mixed rep program, there were several outstanding performances. I am excited for the rest of the year!

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I saw Lorna Feijoo on opening night of Don Quixote, and I was blown away by her charm and personality in the role. She was technically proficient, as well, but it was not a cold performance by any means. Her proficiency only served to underscore her acting ability in the part of Kitri. I also was struck by Sarah Lamb that evening as the Street Dancer. She had a sinuous elegance to her dancing.

I was particularly impressed by The Grey Area on the Stars and Stripes evening. I saw it on the Friday night - the day the Wang Center/Nutcracker debacle hit the press. Some dancers I wasn't wild about in Don Quixote really hit their stride during The Grey Area and gave a performance of transcendant lyricism and beauty. Overall, I'd say we're just beginning to see the levels of artistry the dancers and Mikko have in store for us!

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I saw the Nov. 2 matinee (last performance) with N. Madrigal and L. Ponomarenko (suddenly I'm unsure about every single last one of those vowels). I really enjoyed the whole thing, although I definitely noticed all those rond de jambes pointed out in another thread. They started to look awfully absurd by the end.

Posters from the first weekend seemed to notice a lack of enthusiasm or attack, but I didn't get that impression at all. Larissa was gorgeous and funny and bang! (Though she did almost lose those 32 fouetttes :blushing: ) as always. So glad to have her back. I still haven't gotten any strong impression of Nelson Madrigal.

Sarah Lamb as Queen of the Dryads was beautiful, and Romi Beppu as the Maid (Matron? Lost my program already) of Honor was, as usual, my favorite dancer on stage. There's just something about her.

I noticed that one of Kitri's friends had significantly higher elevation and extension than the other, which I found distracting. Not caring at all whether the E's are high or low, but wishing they weren't so different.

Only real criticism of the show: the shoes seemed horribly noisy. To the extent that I wondered whether the stage had been miked.

Looking forward to the rest of the season and maybe actually getting to see Ms Feijoo! (Grading interfered.)

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I would like to thank you all for calling me on my observation regarding the performance I saw in Boston on Saturday. I have followed Boston Ballet for twenty years I have always been a supporter of the company and a fan of Jennifer Gelfand, having been particuarly inspired by her work ethic and artistic growth. I saw one isolated performance, and it was my first time seeing the company under it's new director.(I flew in specifically to see this show.) Everything about the production was excellent, and I am very impressed with how technically proficient the entire company is, and it is much more now than it ever was. I guess I should have said all this before but it was my observation and I am glad to hear other's feedback. I was not intentionally making an inappropriate "dig" at the dancers. What I saw was a difference between the "old" company (Jennifer) and the new dancers....

The company has alot to offer and I hope I get to see more performances.

I also recently saw Suzanne Farrell Ballet in both it's Tallahassee performances. I have been seeing that company since it's inception. This might be another opinion, but I feel all of those dancers are very individual in style and technique and it is a pleasure to watch each ballet, no matter how many times I see it. That company reminds me of the old Boston Ballet. Each performance seems different, and never calculated in interpretation. I particuarly enjoy seeing how the dancers that have been with Ms. Farrell's company for a few seasons have progressed in their artistry and musicality.

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I remember thinking when I first saw Nureyev's Don Q that he had overdosed on the jota. In this authentic Spanish dance, the principal step is a sort of rond de jambe en l'air done just off the ground. I also thought that he had lifted an unseemly amount of corps material in the Gypsy scene from Roland Petit's "Paradise Lost", and that his version of demi-character was flex your foot, wiggle your tusch, and it's demi-character! I don't like his version, but Boston does about the most that can be done with it.

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Oh boy Mel, you aren't kidding about that "flex your foot, wiggle your tusch" demi-character.

I forgot to add: The Dryad Trio had the prettiest tutu's I have litterally ever seen, although Kitri's dress for the Gypsy/tavern part was awfully pretty as well. The Dryad trio's bodices were just a slight bit darker green than anyone else's, not really irridescent, but almost, with very light green skirts. Sigh. :blushing:

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