Coppelia

[carbro]

Attended Megan Fairchild's Saturday night debut as Swanilda, expecting to see a young, inexperienced dancer give a creditable reading of the role. Boy, were my expectations low! This was a triumph!

Her dancing was beautiful. Among the highlights were her Act II Scottish dance, lightning fast, with the legs pas de chat-ing as the torso swayed strongly from side to side. This showed not only a delightful sense of humor, but unusual coordination and a steel-strong center. The diagonal of ronds de jambe-pas de bouree -- such simple choreography -- in her last act variation was so exquisitely phrased that it stays in my mind as the evening's high point.

I was not crazy about her pairing with DeLuz. The sensibilities were incompatible. He met Fairchild's refinement by selling the flash and smudging the connecting steps. I hope that once he settles into the role, he will inject some charm.

Adam Hendrickson's Coppelius was, as expected, nuanced and sympathetic.

Swanilda's friends dragged through their duties. Dena Abergel had a couple of unsteady moments as Prayer but hit the right emotional note. Jennifer Tinsley danced Dawn; Carrie Lee Riggins, Spinner; and Lindy Mandradjieff led a very disciplined company of children in the Waltz of the Hours. Dancing with a very energetic Seth Orza, Ellen Bar has improved her War & Discord role since last season.

Before the performance my companion, a former resident of the city and longtime observer of NYCB, here now on a visit, complained that Megan's promotion seemed premature. Afterwards, when I asked if that was a performance of a soloist, my friend (who just might post) smiled "Yes." :yes:

[rkoretzky]

I guess SPAC is already off NYCB's radar screen, since Megan's Swanhilda debut was actually 7 months ago when she nailed 4 performances, including 2 on the same day.

Or maybe "debut" only refers to the state theater?

guess I am a little bit obsessed at the moment............

[Michael]

I loved her Acts I and II, as good as I've seen (not that being better than Margaret Tracy is itself high praise), but think her Act III needs to grow considerably. As in the other great demicharacter ballet, Don Q, the Act III Pas de Deux in Coppellia sheds its demicharacter quality to become something much grander, much more imperial, much bigger in space and type. High Paris Opera or High St. Petersburgh is the necessary style and Fairchild does not dance or hold the stage with that amplitude at the moment. I wanted her to step out of the Swanhilda persona for those passages, or to grow beyond it as Aurora grows beyond the Rose Adagio in the triumphant pas de deux at her wedding.

De Luz certainly did not help her to feel secure, particularly in the series of difficult lay outs on his shoulders with which the pas de deux commences. She may be a good partner for him but the opposite is not true. Even in purely physical terms he is not strong enough to muscle her when that's necessary.

Worse, his Frantz tried to show up, and did show up her Swanhilda in Act III. He is immensely popular with the audience. From the reaction, from his flights about the stage, his spins to the knee and flicks of the wrist when landing, indeed from the programing at NYCB these past two and upcoming two weeks, I would have thought I was across the plaza at ABT in the Spring. From the ticket sales too, however, much to the company's (if not my) pleasure, I might add.

Franz is not supposed to show up Swanhilda in Act III. He's a good natured buffoon and a sweet and innocent, and certainly a gullible character throughout Coppelia. He has to be handsome, loveable, a fine dancer. But it is Swanhilda who controls her friends, then Coppelius, finally Franz and, in time, the action throughout this ballet, turning her mechanical rival into a limp rag by the end and trashing Coppelius's studio. It is Swanhilda who must be the Heroine and the center of attention in Act III, no one else, Act III is her triumph, certainly not Franz's. De Luz's approach to the role, and Fairchild's diminutive quality in this concluding Act, seriously through off the balance of what was, prior to that, quite an amazing performance.

She is an extraordinary dancer.

[Alexandra]

rkoretzky, you're running into the New Haven, or "out of town try-out" problem. Do all Broadway shows "premiere" in New Haven, or "debut" there?

[AmandaNYC]

NYCB tried to make the distinction about the debut in their press release about the promotions:

"Ms. Fairchild will make her New York debut as Swanilda in Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova’s Coppélia on Saturday, February 14 at 8 p.m."

[Ari]

I was the out-of-town companion Carbro mentioned on Saturday night and, as she intimated, I thought Fairchild made a smashing (New York City) debut. As others have said, it was a strikingly mature performance for so young and inexperienced a dancer. Not only did she meet the dancing challenges, but she looked as though she had thought out her entire performance. I couldn't help but compare it to Alexandra Ansanelli's debut in the same role last spring. While Ansanelli also danced it very well, she hurtled through the ballet with sheer, unmodulated force, resulting in a one-note performance that gave Swanilda's gulling of Coppelius in the second act a rather nasty edge. Fairchild, by contrast, showed a variety of reactions -- playfulness, pique, warmth, wit -- as each situation developed. And she commanded the stage like a veteran. The only thing she lacks now is stamina, for she seemed to run out of steam by the third act. I think it was simply weariness that made this act less impressive than the first two, not a lack of grand ballerina style. And, as Michael said, de Luz is not the solidest of partners.

As for de Luz, he gave a thoroughly ABT performance, selling his dancing and mime like a pitchman on the Shopping Channel. He is not a classical dancer in the NYCB Frantz tradition of Helgi Tomasson and Peter Martins, and it pained me to see the way he tore into the beautiful choreography Balanchine made for Frantz in the third act. His aggressive approach would be better paired with Ansanelli, although that's not a partnership I'd like to see.

The company looked better rehearsed than they had last spring, but the demisoloists dancing Swanilda's friends lacked the big, juicy attack that is the hallmark of Balanchine style. I kept hearing the Master's voice in my head saying, "More!"

[carbro]

Apologies to BA'niks from NYCB's (still, and we hope, future) summer home. No offense intended.

Michael, I agree with you that the Swanilda we see in Act III should be grander than the Swanilda of previous acts, but to what degree? She should be recognizable as the same character. I don't think that her transformation to womanhood is comparable to Aurora's. Aurora, after all, was enchanted and had 100 years :sleeping: to "grow up." I thought Fairchild fulfilled the act's requirements just fine.

[Manhattnik]

De Luz is good-looking, can act (some), and can jump and turn. Given that he spent most of his career at ABT doing The Golden Idol and the like, he's adapted more to the City Ballet esthetic than I'd thought he would. He certainly has a long way to go; as noted, compared with his raffish first act, his third act became increasingly coarse and hard-sell. He partnered Fairchild far better than he did when I saw them do the Nutcracker pas together, where there were some truly frightening gaffes, but it would've been hard for him to do worse. He still isn't a great partner, and I was a little shocked to see that Fairchild looms so over him when she's on point that he couldn't reach her hand when she held her arms in fifth en haute. She had to hold one hand a bit down and to the side for him. It didn't look pretty, and couldn't have helped her balances at all.

At least they didn't have to spackle the over the holes I thought his heels would leave in the stage after his solos, but I'm still amazed at how a guy who can't weigh all that much manages to land like a sack of bricks time and time again. Let's hope the other short guys in the company who jump and turn don't start to look on him as a role model!

[atm711]

Michael, I agree with you that the Swanilda we see in Act III should be grander than the Swanilda of previous acts, but to what degree?  She should be recognizable as the same character.

No-o-o I can't say I agree with this comment. I think the audience deserves to see a transformed resplendent ballerina in Act 111--the continuation of the story-line is not 'the thing'--the dancing is. This is the way Danilova did it---but I can understand why it is different today---where are the mature, tried and true ballerinas?

[oberon]

Random comments: yes, de Luz does land heavily for a small guy.

And yes, Swanilda in Act III should be "transformed"...that's how Patty McBride played it and how Tcherkassky & van Hamel, two other favorite Swanildas of mine, portrayed her: village girl/ingenue in Acts I & II, pure ballerina in Act III.

I liked Alexandra in the part, despite her wild moments. The night I went she had a nosebleed during the Stalk of Wheat pas de deux. I also liked her very dynamic Firebird, which many people did not. After all, this is an exotic & magical creature, not a little sparrow. I do miss the Firebird's final fly-by in the current staging.