Opening Night, 2006

[drb]

Gillian, triples en couronne,

Casting and program as scheduled, except of course Shadow Song which was skipped, not replaced.

Perhaps the most sustained ovation was for Julio Bocca's Chaconne(Limon/Bach). So different from Nureyev's efforts to dance Limon, athough Rudik was very sincere and helped Limon and his company. Bocca just simply let the work be seen through him.

Carlos Acosta is an awesome Apollo, his growth and transcendence during the Terpsichore part of the ballet had the refinement and subtlety, and power and charisma, that just may make him the best I've seen since Martins. A Kingdom for a Farrell tonight, alas...

Other Dances, well-danced by Kent, well-relished by Corella. But this ballet was so dancer-specific, Makarova's sponteneity, Baryshnikov's quest for Perfection, and the dynamics of the partnership itself: Natasha fighting for the freedom for last second improvisation, Misha not wanting to risk the classical Ideal(just the opposite dynamic in the Kirkland/Baryshnikov partnership). It is easier for men, because of present day technique, but the decorations with childhood dances, the Russianness of Natasha, have never been duplicated.

All the classical pieces were very well danced, all the tricks worked, the charismatic dancers, were.

Happily, I've got my Vishneva Manon tickets: it is her favorite role, and she showed it.

[Juliet]

Other Dances.....were other dances.....not the ones I recall, although I thought drb put it very well: Corella relished his role. He performed it cleanly and energetically, although I did not feel him grounded, connected with the earth, the way Baryshnikov was...

Kent was lovely and limpid and ethereal, but this is not an ethereal role and her upper body had none of the grandness, let alone touch of hauteur, needed in the shoulders. Her expression varied not one millimeter.....lovely dancer, not her role.

Bocca was so strong and expressive....a touch of artistry during a night of gala glitz. I was very, very upset by the violinist whose tone was muddy, dense, not on pitch and detracted considerably from the performance.....I was not especially struck by the choreography, but that might be because I was unfamiliar with it and distracted by the violin......

Sylvia was quite charming; I'm happy to see Michele Wiles returned to the stage, looking a bit more streamlined and ready to take on the season.....

For the final bows the principals returned in full donor dinner regalia and Irina Dvorovenko blew everyone off the visual stage with a magnificent trailing aqua/blue/green dress that she worked to full stunning effect.

[carbro]

Due to Ruth Ann Swenson's "illness" Shadow Song was cancelled.

I actually enjoyed Julie's Other Dances most of the whole evening, and no one can be more surprised than me! IMO she blended the Central European peasant with a dream figure, and made it work as an integrated interpretation. Despite LaMarche's ultra-slow tempos, she sustained long phrases, and her slow deleves were a wonder to behold. Angel reminded me -- particularly in his second variation -- more of Helgi than of Mischa. My big complaint about his performance was the series of chaine turns in the first variation. He chose to do them to the left, which had him "dizzy" on the opposite side of the stage from the piano. The "Oh, here I am!" moment has no meaning, because there's nothing on the stage to reorient him. In the coda, he did lovely chaine turns to the right. I don't know why he doesn't seem to understand that some things are choreographed to one direction or the other for a reason.

'Nuff complaining. The Corsaire Suite delivered the requisite fireworks. Carreno drew the evening's first roars in Ali's variation. Absolutely gorgeous! Gillian's fouettes went single, single triple (for the first half), with the arms moving on the triple from first to en couronne, just to clarify the image drb cited. Then, for the second half (simple singles), Gillian managed to change the rhythm without fudging, as ballerinas who change their fouettes often do.

I was less impressed by Acosta's Apollo than by Herrera's Terp. Her legs are mesmerizing. Acosta, giving us a rough, almost bad-boy Apollo, made me think of Lifar and wonder whether seeing him in the full ballet would give me an idea of the original in terms of temperament.

If Apollo was a great display for Herrera's legs, Manon proved the same for Vishneva's arms and back. Ah, that Kirov epaulement! Nothing like it!

Dvorvenko and Beloserkovsky's Black Swan pdd, filled with sidelong glances from Irina, was pretty pro-forma. He is now brown-haired, and I must admit I prefer him blonde, but I like his lyricism.

Surrounded by the ensemble, our newest principals, Michele Wiles and David Hallberg, closed the program with the pdd and coda from Sylvia. Both looked strong, lovely and radiant.

ABT is kicking off its season in fine form!

[sz]

The highlight of the evening for me was Herrera with Acosta in Apollo. They both were vibrant in their unique ways, and it was a thrill to see the ballet danced so fully.

If only the ballet Gods had also thrilled us by casting Other Dances with Vishneva and Bocca...

[sidwich]

If only the ballet Gods had also thrilled us by casting Other Dances with Vishneva and Bocca...

Indeed, that would have been something to see! As it was, I was very glad to have timed trip to NY this year to be able to see both of them. I particularly appreciated seeing the expressiveness of Bocca's dancing one last time.

I don't have very much to add, but I did want to comment that Wiles' Sylvia excerpt was much improved from Orange County a few weeks ago. Much greater confidence and attack in her performance.

[Paul Parish]

Vishnyova in Other Dances! Yeah!!

[FauxPas]

For those curious about what constituted the "Le Corsaire Suite" I will give you the precis:

Gillian Murphy as Medora, Marcelo Gomes as Conrad and a barechested Jose Manuel Carreno as Ali entered into the Pirate Grotto set and danced the Pas de Trois adagio section.

Then Xiomara Reyes entered and danced Gulnare's first act solo in the "Pas D'Esclave".

Then Herman Cornejo entered as Birbanto and did an embellished version of that solo.

Then Carreno, Murphy and Gomes did their usual "Pas de Trois" solos.

The PdT Coda went as usual (Murphy astounding with triples and Carreno and Gomes solid) with the addition of Xiomara Reyes doing supersonic piques alternating with fouettes on a diagonal and Herman astounding the audience with corkscrew aerial barrel turns.

Meanwhile, in the Black Swan PDD Max and Irina did the Pas de Deux and the Coda but were denied their solos. Since we had lost the Shadow Song bit, I would have liked the solos restored. Irina continues in great shape after her pregnancy with fouettes that were nailed on the spot with no traveling.

Bocca had the right combination of flamenco passion and classical restraint in his Limon solo and seemed comfortable in the idiom.

[nysusan]

drb, you and I are on exactly the same wavelength regarding last night's performances of Other Dances and Apollo... Kent & Corella each took their own approach to Other Dances - which, of course is the only way they could approach it. I guess they both succeeded on their own terms, but not for me. As you and others have said, she was ethereal & dreamlike, he technically brilliant and charming. But it all seemed so wrong to me. In fact, the only moment that struck me right was the last image, as he lifted her up onto his shoulder and her skirt covered his face. She laughed, and deliberately removed it. That was the one and only instant in Kent's performance that looked spontaneous to me. II agree that this piece is so dancer specific that it just doesn't look right to me without the "Russianness" & personality quirks of it's original interpreters. I remember having the same feeling when Ferri & Corella danced it at a gala a few years ago, too.

Ever since ABT announced their intention to revive Apollo I've been so focused on seeing Hallberg in the role that I didn't even think about the possibilities in an Acosta Apollo. WOW. He was nothing like what I thought he'd be. I would have expected much more of a wild child approach from him, but I thought there was just the right edge of wildness coupled with the kind of weight and dramatic development one would hope for. I saw exactly the qualities that drb described - refinement & subtlety combined with power and charisma. And while Hererra is no Farrell, I think this is one of her better roles. Yes, she has gorgeous legs and she presents the choreography complete & anadorned, letting it speak for itself.

I will also second Faux Pas' appreciation of Dvorovenko's fouettes. It is a pet peeve of mine - when ballerinas throw in triples but travel all over the stage. Dvorovenko ended with a triple but the rest were clean,fast singles executed on a dime.

My only complaint about the programming is that they should have switched the placement of the Sylvia & Corsaire suites. Sylvia is a lovely ballet but the excerpt was pretty anti climatic. Corsaire, on the other hand was what the audience came for!

[drb]

... Sylvia is a lovely ballet but the excerpt was pretty anti climatic....

But, in the final tableaux Terpsichore, a very minor part in Sylvia, is held high, above the leading couple, Ashton's salute to his Muse. It was the Gala's only moment for ABT's Terpsichore, Veronika Part.

[carbro]

And an opportunity to present the company (i.e. corps) again, as was the opening Dance of the Villagers from Giselle. Very fitting.

[nysusan]

And an opportunity to present the company (i.e. corps) again, as was the opening Dance of the Villagers from Giselle. Very fitting.

Good point, I hadn't thought of it that way

[Giselle05]

drb, you and I are on exactly the same wavelength regarding last night's performances of Other Dances and Apollo... Kent & Corella each took their own approach to Other Dances - which, of course is the only way they could approach it. I guess they both succeeded on their own terms, but not for me. As you and others have said, she was ethereal & dreamlike, he technically brilliant and charming. But it all seemed so wrong to me. In fact, the only moment that struck me right was the last image, as he lifted her up onto his shoulder and her skirt covered his face. She laughed, and deliberately removed it. That was the one and only instant in Kent's performance that looked spontaneous to me.

nysusan, you took the words straight out of my mouth! That was EXACTLY what I was thinking. That last moment was adorable, spontaneous, and what Other Dances, in my opinion, should be like throughout. It should be like a conversation, free-flowing, completely spontaneous, with each person's movements a reaction to the other's, depending upon what happened in that moment. Which was what made that last moment lovely. The performance seemed very static and did not have the lively energy I was hoping for. Kent and Corella did not play off eachother, but like you said, were taking their own apporaches, dancing by themselves to the same music. I really disliked Corella's approach, I felt like his movements were too aggressive and he focused too much on technical virtuosity, whereas in this ballet I think it is more about sustaining lyrical movements and adding in the Hungarian quirks. A Bocca-Vishneva pairing would be lovely, Bocca is absolutely incredible in Other Dances, he has such a kinetic understanding of all these different folklorian dances and he dances it so sensually. I have seen him paired only with Ferri, and as usual they were so intimate when they danced it. I think that is an important quality in this ballet- a feeling of intimacy between the two dancers.

Enough about Other Dances- as most, I loved Apollo. The Apollo excerpt and Chaconne were my two favorites of the night. I also was surprised by Acosta, but I loved his performance- he looked very regal and refined. Herrera's Terpischore was wonderful as well. She doesn't have her personal quirks which I think always make it so much more interesting, but with her articulate legs and sharp feet I had enough to look at.

I wish the solos had been included in the Dvorovenko-Beloserkovsky Swan Lake PDD. Her fouettes were extremely speedy- she doesnt add embellishments like others but takes them much faster than others. Dvorovenko and Beloserkovsky were both "fierce" and exciting and had a stronger rapport than usual. I don't know if I am in the minority but I dont think they have good chemistry on stage together, and they have extremely difference styles. Sometimes I feel like every one of their movements, gestures, glances, and reactions are very rehearsed and calculated instead of having a spontaneous chemistry, and it takes away from their performances.

The Le Corsaire Suite and Sylvia Suite definetely should have been switched. The Sylvia looked a little out of place and Wiles and Hallberg looked somewhat unrehearsed. He struggled with some of the partnering (sitting up close, you could see his face writhe behind her tutu when something didn't work out ) but otherwise he was the usual David- clean, elegant and handsome.

Le Corsaire delivered all the goods- Carreno was an amazing Ali, his grande jetes were even better and higher than I've seen from him in a while, he is in top form! Murphy with her triple fouettes (although I swear I saw a few quadruples), Cornejo with his absolutely insane barrel jumps had the audience laughing in amazement.

Vishneva was beautiful in Manon, as she stealthily crept along the shoulders of all the different men. She was very seductive and expressive. The highlights of Manon for me, however, are the pas de deuxs, and I wish one of them had been excerpted, althought I know the Bedroom one has become somewhat of a cliche, and it was danced by Ferri and Bocca two years ago. I look forward to seeing the whole thing.

Chaconne was the highlight for me, for it was so different from everything else and from what one usually sees at these galas. Bocca's unparalleled artistry shone through every movement, and it was a very intense, passionate performance. Aside from a few turns and jumps it was a very quiet, elegant, contemporary piece and Bocca found just the right moments to infuse fiery accents and passionate explosions in the slow movement. He received a large ovation and two curtain calls. It was his last ABT gala and he looked very moved.

All in all, an enjoyable night, though not one of ABT's greatest galas.

[bart]

These are truly wonderful accounts of the gala. Thank you all for your "eyes" and words. As someone who has seen these dancers occasionally in the past -- and can therefore bring something of my own to my reading -- these reviews make me feel (almost !!!) as though I'd been there. It's the next best thing.

A sub-theme has developed having to do with partnering. I love many of the insights, including this one:

It should be like a conversation, free-flowing, completely spontaneous, with each person's movements a reaction to the other's, depending upon what happened in that moment.

The sense of spontaneity -- that the movements are being created in the very moment and are the only possible ones -- is one of the things most difficult to bring to pas de deux. Or, indeed, to ballet in general.