Kennedy Center Engagement, 2005

[Ari]

You in DC have high expectations.  The DC posters have been savage to ABT, the Bolshoi and the Kirov too on a regular basis. 

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Do you think so? It's hard to judge the severity of other people's reactions when you haven't seen the performances they're reviewing. In the case of NYCB, the expectations of us Ballet Talkers have been set by the reports we've read from you and others on the NY season just concluded. When I read your review of last Sunday's Stars & Stripes that says, "a strong and focused performance. The corps de ballet was wonderful in this," and then I see the tired and lifeless performance of Thursday night, I have to wonder what's going on. Of course, there's always the possibility that I'd have considered Sunday's performance drab, too. But, as you say, you get inured to a company's faults when you see them all the time. It's just that New Yorkers have nine weeks of winter repertory to choose from; if the company is off one night, they can go back a week later and hope that things will have picked up. Those of us in touring cities have no such luxury, and so expect that the dancers will try harder to be "on" every night.

Remember when the Bolshoi left all of their major players at home and Lunkina was on Maternithy leave?

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Oh, yes. As samba38 mentioned, many big companies seem to regard DC as a second-class venue, and withhold from us their biggest stars and choicest repertory. I don't think anyone likes reading raves about dancers and ballets that we never get to see. Disappointment and even anger are understandable in that situation.

A question.  What has been the audience reaction in the house?  Has it been fully as negative?

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No, the reception has been generally friendly, sometimes warm, but never ecstatic. The houses are pretty well sold, despite the availability of half-price tickets, but not as well sold as last year. I wonder if the choice of repertory has anything to do with this . . . last year was all-Balanchine for the centennial, this year we're getting a lot of fluff.

[Michael]

Ari -- That's what I meant. It's very possible -- and one really can't answer -- that you might not have found last Sunday's "Stars" here "strong and focused" either. I did see another performance of "Stars" this season (with Ashley Bouder, but bedsides this with an entirely different principal cast) which was much, very much more emotionally flat and listless.

A friend told me on the phone that last night was better at the Ken Center ("Divertimento," "Polyphonia", "West Side Story") and that "Divertimento" in particular looked good. Do you agree?

[richard53dog]

Olga Chenchikova when she blasted away at her fouettes. Very sharp attacks. Somehow, some other technically-brilliant ballerinas (the Merrill Ashleys, Diana Vishevas, Maria Alexandrovas, Michele Wiles)  temper their might with a certain elegant softness. It's a tough tightrope to walk -- how to be dynamic, yet a 'ballerina,'  emitting the feminine airs implied in that title.

It's just a matter of personal preferences. Nobody's right or wrong!

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Natalia,

I loved your comment on Chenchikova.

I have to preface this by saying I never saw her live, just in the Wolf Trap Swan Lake and on the Russian Dance and Paquita extract on the DVD called Essential Ballet.

She reminds me of stainless steel. Almost like one of those jackhammers used to breakup cement sidewalks.

I agree 100% with your tightwalk comment. It's so difficult to find a balance.

Can anyone that saw her dance relate of more positive impressions of Olga?

I realize it's not really fair to draw conclusions based on only 2 appearances and on video to boot.

Richard

[richard53dog]

Re: NYCB's tiredness at the end of a long winter season

Are they the only major company to perform seasons on a 7-shows-a-week schedule, a la the schedule for plays and musicals? 

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Art076,

In NYC, the NYCB and ABT play on 7performance and sometimes even 8 performance schedules, like the Broadway shows do.

The two big opera companies also perform 7 performance, but that's really not an apt comparison, the lead singers have breaks in between performances.

And even the orchestras and chorus in the opera would seem to have a tiring schedule , but there is some careful rotation there, the orchestra has contracts that dictate that a given player will only play x number of events per weeks and that can include performances as well as rehearsals

Although is sounds sort of hardnosed, the dancers can learn to manage their energy levels. In the program for last season's NYCB Nutcracker, which was the 50th Anniversary, there were all kinds of interesting articles in the program on the 50 year retrospective.

In one Maria Tallchief mentions of having to dance all the Sugar Plum Fairies that first season. She says, "that was an awful lot of work".

OK, I'll buy that!

Richard

[Ari]

Another reason you can't compare NYCB to the big Russian companies (and POB, for that matter) is that those companies are more than twice NYCB's size. Their corps doesn't include the same dancers every night, and those dancers aren't stepping up to replace injured soloists and principals on short notice the way they are in NY.

Anyway, back to the DC performances.

Last night's and tonight's program was the best balanced of the three: the purely classical Divertimento #15, the modern and "edgy" Polyphonia, and the crowd-pleasing West Side Story Suite. It also treated us to a wide selection of the company's principals and soloists.

I've seen better Diverts. I've also seen worse. Of all the principals, only Weese, Carla Korbes, and Arch Higgins were fully pleasing. In Old Fashioned it had occurred to me that Korbes has the most beautiful back in the company, and Divert gave her the chance to put it to glorious use. At the moment in the adagio when she bends backwards, she went ALL the way back while maintaining her line; it reminded me of a film of Fonteyn in the Act III Sleeping Beauty pas de deux. I don't know what has got into Ashley Bouder. She grinned and simpered her way through both performances, playing blatantly to the audience like I've never seen her do before. Wasn't there anyone to tell her that this is, ah, inappropriate in this ballet? (Or anywhere else, but especially here.) The corps was well rehearsed in this, but I have to say that one annoyance throughout the five performances I saw was Savannah Lowery's atrocious upper body placement. The rest of her is fine -- she has gorgeous legs -- but her upper body is nothing short of appalling. Someone more knowledgeable about technique will have to diagnose her problem, but it seemed to me that she at least wasn't keeping her shoulders down and her breast up. She looked all hunched up. She's been in almost every ballet this week, and my eye kept going to her against my will.

Polyphonia was new to me, and I found it the most satisfying of the Wheeldon ballets I've seen. I still don't think he's as good as his press, and the work is structurally fragmented, but this is one ballet of his that has consistently interesting (if occasionally derivative) and mostly unforced movement ideas.

WSSS may be fluff, but it's my kind of fluff. I'd rather see this any day than Thou Swell. With a few exceptions, the NYCB dancers do a remarkably fine job of acting and singing, especially Nikolaj Hubbe (making his only DC appearance ) and the sexy, witty Jenifer Ringer, who made me forget I'd ever seen Helene Alexopoulos. Faye Arthurs and James Fayette were miscast as Maria and Bernardo, but then Maria has so little to do in this suite. I think this is a good addition to the repertory not only as accessible popular fare but as a quasi story ballet.

At today's matinee Megan Fairchild made a good debut in Theme and Variations. However, I have to question the use of this ballet as a training ground for ballerinas -- Abi Stafford three years ago, Fairchild now. It's one of the toughest ballerina roles in the rep, and should be built up to gradually. Just because Balanchine revived it for the sixteen-year-old Gelsey Kirkland doesn't mean it's suitable for other tyros. I was prepared to hate Joaquin de Luz in this; neither physically nor technically is he a classical danseur, and indeed he isn't right for it, but at least he restrained his inclination to brashness and was more attentive to his ballerina than I've ever seen him. In The Four Temperaments Sean Suozzi and Ask la Cour both gave deeply thought out and persuasive accounts of Melancholic and Phlegmatic, respectively. I'd expected la Cour to be reminiscent of Adam Luders, but he is a more three-dimensional dancer than his fellow Dane, and more thoughtful. This is one ballet that has looked first-rate in both performances. No apologies or excuses necessary.

[carbro]

I was prepared to hate Joaquin de Luz in this;  neither physically nor technically is he a classical danseur, and indeed he isn't right for it, but at least he restrained his inclination to brashness and was more attentive to his ballerina than I've ever seen him.

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Thanks for this, Ari. During the course of the past season in New York, I felt that Joaquin was beginning to "get" the NYCB vernacular, and if he didn't quite fit all the time, he's made huge strides in the right direction.

On the other hand, it is not just NYCB that throws younger ballerinas into Theme. They seem to be taking a cue from their buddies on 18th St. The results can be unfair to the dancers, the audience and in many cases the ballet itself. Still, I look forward to seeing Megan in it.

[oberon]

Carbro, I echo your remarks on Joaquin de Luz...he is getting over being a show-off and turning into quite a beautiful dancer. I especially liked his taking on the small role in SHAMBARDS and showing his dark side. I've been thinking he will be an interesting Prodigal and - maybe - Apollo (with short goddesses??) and in GATHERING, too.

[scoop]

Well, I hate to continue the distress over this run -- I generally am so grateful any time I can see NYCB -- but Saturday night's performance fell sort of flat for me. It's not so much that I can point to this or that dancer having a bad night, or any particular flaws in the execution of a ballet, but the whole feel of the evening was low energy, somehow just off. Divertimento was lovely, but didn't sparkle. Polyphonia struck me as uninteresting -- I always love seeing Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto, but the choreography for them didn't seem much different from all those other bend-me, shape-me, pretzel ballets out there these days.

(God, I sound so dyspeptic. Sorry about that!)

West Side Story Suite was a bright spot on the program. Damien Woetzel was a totally cool Riff, and Jenifer Ringer was great fun as Anita. I thought it odd that Maria and Tony didn't have much to do -- I was expecting a big pas de deux for them to Somewhere, but that turned out to be more of an ensemble, let's-all-be-friends piece. It was quite nice, though, very airy and sweet.

I remain hopeful though and have tix for tonight -- Theme, 4Ts and Old Fashioned.

[charlieloki]

Carbro, I echo your remarks on Joaquin de Luz...he is getting over being a show-off and turning into quite a beautiful dancer. I especially liked his taking on the small role in SHAMBARDS and showing his dark side. I've been thinking he will be an interesting Prodigal and - maybe - Apollo (with short goddesses??) and in GATHERING, too.

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i really dislike being negative, and am not unaware of his fine points, but -- imho --

de luz as apollo would be a new level of miscasting

at the very least, he would be physically miscast

[Marga]

..... bend-me, shape-me, pretzel ballets out there these days.

I love your turn of phrase, scoop! You've put in a nutshell, with those few words, what has been much discussed on these boards of late. Pretzel ballets! I've got to remember that ..... I've had my smile of the day!

[Natalia]

Again, my quick-jottings on the third program, seen on Saturday night.

DIVERTIMENTO no. 15 (grade: A-minus)

Wonderful. Satisfying. I qualify it with the 'minus' only because of the somewhat ragged port-de-bras of the eight corps ladies, pointed out elsewhere. Even so, I enjoyed those same eight corps ladies' well-matched legs & feet in their bright Minuet section.

I thought that all eight soloist were fabulous, although Korbes' and Weese's solos in the Theme & Variations section stood out for their crispness & sparkle. Spot on. What gorgeously-curved legs & POB-style insteps Carla Korbes possesses! Compared to the other times I've seen Ashley Bouder this year, Bouder actually 'toned it down' (facially) for this performance. I could concentrate on her overall dancing, which was lovely.

The Andante remains, in my mind, one of Balanchine's greatest examples of poetic genius. Sublime beyond description. All dancers in the ensemble did it justice.

POLYPHONIA (grade: B-minus)

I give the work itself a D-plus. The dancers -- especially the solo work of Ansanelli and the pdd segments of Whelan/Soto -- get an A-plus.

I find Ligeti's piano-solo score ponderous & uninspired and, hence, had a hard time enjoying the acrobatic manipulations that Wheeldon set to the music. However, I admire the flexibility and [attempts at] musicality of the wonderful dancers.

Sorry but I believe that William Forsythe does 'modern' in a much more satisfying manner than does Wheeldon. [Yet, I enjoy Wheeldon in his more 'romantic-melodious' mode, as evidenced with Washington Ballet the previous week.]

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE (grade: A-minus)

OK, so it's Broadway dancing, rather than ballet. It's wonderful, nonetheless. The dancers-cum-singers gave a collective socko performance! Jenifer Ringer was especially FABulous as Anita. I'm only sorry that the one-week run came & went without my being able to see Ringer in anything purely balletic...only two 'ballroom dancey' works and one 'Broadway' piece. Is Ringer now NYCB's 'Queen of Lite'? What a shame!

Faye Arthurs & Benjamin Millepied were somewhat bland as Maria & Tony. Arthurs has a long, ballet-ideal physique but a rather uncharismatic face in what I've seen thus far. To me, she's the Gillian Murphy of NYCB...which isn't really an insult, after all! [Arthurs was perfect in one of the 'Theme couples' in Four TTs.]

Damian Woetzel was truly "Cool" (& Hot) as Riff!

The Kumbaya/We-Are-the-World ending was a bit too schmaltzy...but tremendously effective.

Natalia Nabatova

[scoop]

In lub again with City Ballet! Sunday night's performances were quite thrilling, and much more energetic than the previous night (I wonder if the company was just glad to get this tour over with and go home!).

Theme & Variations was crisply danced -- by the corps and Miranda Weese alike. I always find it exhiliarating to watch how Balanchine moves a stage full of dancers, criss-crossing at lighting speed, shooting off sudden arabesques, whipping out turns and leaps -- there's something so high-wire about it, I almost forget to breathe.

Four Temperaments was terrific as well. It's amazing how fresh a ballet like this remains, especially after seeing the newer dances that borrow from such works (or, to be kinder, pay homage to them) -- the flexed wrists and feet, etc., the torso contractions, etc. Ansanelli and Askegard in Sanguinic, as previously noted, are quite a mismatch, size-wise, yet despite him getting whacked in the knee a couple of times, I thought they pulled it off nonetheless. She has a wonderful quicksilver quality.

I'm Old Fashioned was delightful, Carla Korbes and Jenifer Ringer really had that '40s-movie-star glamour.

p.s. Marga -- many thanks, although I bet I'm not the first to see pretzels instead of dancers on all too many stages these days!

[kfw]

A few late thoughts here on the Saturday performances and the Sunday matinee:

Fairchild’s Theme and Variations debut was touching and often lovely if not grand, but you could see her concentrate, then relax and just dance, then concentrate some more. In Divertimento that evening her confidence never wavered, and she took that role to a gracious level she couldn’t sustain in the afternoon.

The Four Temperaments is one of my favorite ballets, but in the 3-4 times I’ve seen NYCB dance this in the past decade they’ve never brought to it the same tension and attack that Miami City Ballet (and the NYCB cast on film) does. As a result, the ballet looks ever so slightly smoothed over. With the shapes a little less taut, the unusual looks less so, and the atmosphere isn’t quite as strong.

Divertimento #15 is another favorite and it glowed from start to finish Saturday night. Taylor, whom I loved, has an intensity, almost a frown, that doesn’t sit right with music, but she danced so beautifully, they all did, and by the Andante everyone had toned down the grins that marred the opening movements. There is a gravity, a composed reserve beneath the joy in Mozart’s score, and it’s very odd that such musical dancers would miss it and try to sell the movement with what, in that context, almost amounted to mugging. All I can figure is that they lapsed into habit.

Jennifer Ringer was irresistible all weekend, and while maybe she wasn’t dancing the most technically demanding roles, her dancing wasn’t only lyrical, but strong and sharp when it needed to be. In January, on a small stage with a local Virginia troupe, she danced a beautiful but somewhat careful Sugar Plum Fairy. Here by comparison she looked carefree. To see her swoon in Old Fashioned or cut the rug with her husband in Thou Swell -- or sing! -- was ballet bliss.

Speaking of Thou Swell, as I read all the complaints I nod my head and still I think, so what? A live band having a go at classics from a more courteous cultural era; fabulous robes and gowns; a swell set and beautiful people . . what’s not to like? I’m not even interested in ballroom dancing, but with the sexy Ringer and the radiant Kistler and the sophisticated young beauty Arthurs, I was sorry to see this end. There’s a line in “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” that goes “The most beautiful star in the world, 'tisn't Garbo/ T'sn't Dietrich, but a sweet trick/ Who can make me believe it's a beautiful world,” and that sums up how this ballet hit me. The elderly woman on my left who sighed with satisfaction during all three ballets daubed her eyes and sniffled a little during this one. Only one small complaint, and not to be unkind, but if Nilas Martins wants to look like a dapper and elegant cafegoer, he needs a diet and a haircut.

What Stars and Stripes needed was more power and personality. In the Fourth Campaign at least Ansenelli had plenty of the latter, but her jumps were weak. Or is it just that she’s relatively short? Still, she instantly lit up one of her solos with a quick changing array of facial expressions.

Glass Pieces was by exhilarating and mysterious and always moving, the effect lifting slightly only during the finale, as the choreography became busier and – the effect accentuated by the lack of uniformity in the practice clothes -- began to lose its earlier clarity. These last few minutes probably looked better from upstairs.

Polyphonia intrigues me in memory. Watching it in the theater, I felt like a philistine, the extensions of Balanchine’s language leaving me cold as Agon never does, even Whelan’s pretzel logic not moving me as she did with Neal the next afternoon.

A sincere thank you to Ballet Alert’s experienced posters, much more perceptive than I, for tamping down expectations, so that the truly magnificent felt truly extraordinary.

[Annemd]

Sorry to say this but the company was so much better last year. As a whole: the corps especially: had more energy, smiling from ear to ear, NOT lazy, and all in all, looked like a New York City Ballet CORPS DE BALLET. A job well done this year, just not as good as last year which is also ok.

[bobbi]

Thanks so much to all the Washingtonians for posting. Your comments extend NYCB's season for me.

I am glad that Meagan's and de Luz's debut in T&V went well. I agree with the posters who say that it will stretch her and tone down de Luz as a showboat. Someone mentioned in fact that they would like to see de Luz as Apollo, but that idea was "pooh-poohed" as miscasting by another. I would like to see him try it.

This brings to mind a rehearsal I saw in which Balachine himself was giving an on-stage solo rehearsal of Apollo to Jean-Pierre Frohlich -- another smallish male of the deLuz type. I was sitting in the orchestra at the time. At one point Balanchine was correcting Jean-Pierre on a certain combination of steps. Jean-Pierre said something to the effect, "Nobody told me to do it that way." To which Balanchine replied: "Nobody told me either." It is a moment I will always treasure. By the way, Jean-Pierre was too involved in getting the choreography to realize what Balanchine had said.

Just thought I would add that here. And, no, I do not think that de Luz would be miscast as Apollo at all.

[charlieloki]

Again, my quick-jottings on the third program, seen on Saturday night.

DIVERTIMENTO no. 15  (grade: A-minus)

Wonderful. Satisfying. I qualify it with the 'minus' only because of the somewhat ragged port-de-bras of the eight corps ladies, pointed out elsewhere. Even so, I enjoyed those same eight corps ladies' well-matched legs & feet in their bright Minuet section.

I thought that all eight soloist were fabulous, although Korbes' and Weese's solos in the Theme & Variations section stood out for their crispness & sparkle. Spot on. What gorgeously-curved legs & POB-style insteps Carla Korbes possesses! Compared to the other times I've seen Ashley Bouder this year, Bouder actually 'toned it down' (facially) for this performance. I could concentrate on her overall dancing, which was lovely.

The Andante remains, in my mind, one of Balanchine's greatest examples of poetic genius. Sublime beyond description. All dancers in the ensemble did it justice.

POLYPHONIA (grade:  B-minus)

I give the work itself a D-plus. The dancers -- especially the solo work of Ansanelli and the pdd segments of Whelan/Soto -- get an A-plus. 

I find Ligeti's piano-solo score ponderous & uninspired and, hence, had a hard time enjoying the acrobatic manipulations that Wheeldon set to the music. However, I admire the flexibility and [attempts at] musicality of the wonderful dancers.

Sorry but I believe that William Forsythe does 'modern' in a much more satisfying manner than does Wheeldon. [Yet, I enjoy Wheeldon in his more 'romantic-melodious' mode, as evidenced with Washington Ballet the previous week.]

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE (grade:  A-minus)

OK, so it's Broadway dancing, rather than ballet.  It's wonderful, nonetheless.  The dancers-cum-singers gave a collective socko performance! Jenifer Ringer was especially FABulous as Anita.  I'm only sorry that the one-week run came & went without my being able to see Ringer in anything purely balletic...only two 'ballroom dancey' works and one 'Broadway' piece.  Is Ringer now NYCB's 'Queen of Lite'? What a shame!

Faye Arthurs & Benjamin Millepied were somewhat bland as Maria & Tony. Arthurs has a long, ballet-ideal physique but a rather uncharismatic face in what I've seen thus far. To me, she's the Gillian Murphy of NYCB...which isn't really an insult, after all! [Arthurs was perfect in one of the 'Theme couples' in Four TTs.]

Damian Woetzel was truly "Cool" (& Hot) as Riff!

The Kumbaya/We-Are-the-World ending was a bit too schmaltzy...but tremendously effective.

Natalia Nabatova

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arthurs is an especial favorite of mine -- i hope she is moved along speedily

however, at least in new york, her first-theme couple part needed work

imho - the use of the sharp 90 degree angle of the arms, as presented to the audience, was not clearly defined -- also, ms arthurs was not squarely to the front

since this particular look is used often further on in the piece, it must be precise, since it is crucial in setting the tone for what follows

maybe the coaching/directing is responsible for allowing this to happen, i cannot see arthurs doing this knowingly

recently, van kipnis in this part was quite good, as i recall

[paolo]

Them's fighting words, Paolo!!

Sorry you didn't like much of what you saw. Try catching Ashley Bouder in Stars and Stripes and any of the performances of Polyphonia. I remember some of the posters thought the company looked a little sluggish at last year Kennedy Center's performances. But this is after The Nutcracker and 8 weeks of repetory in NY.

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While I did not get to see Stars and Stripes this time, I did see Polyphonia and must say I was most impressed. Wendy Whelan and Janie Taylor and Ansanelli and Soto were extraordinary- what ballet should be all about. Spectacular, really. But for Weese. Still don't get her.

Divert 15 was ordinary, esp. Weese. Maybe it's the Balanchine tutu ballets I have a problem with.

West Side Story Suite- cute, but why the heck are dancers singing?- certainly was not needed and obviously uneven throughout. Woetzel is not a singer. But, Ringer right on, as usual. Nice energy though.

[paolo]

Arthurs has a long, ballet-ideal physique but a rather uncharismatic face in what I've seen thus far. To me, she's the Gillian Murphy of NYCB...which isn't really an insult, after all! [Arthurs was perfect in one of the 'Theme couples' in Four TTs.]

Natalia-

To compare Ms. Arthurs to Gillian Murphy is actually quite an insult. Gillian may have an "uncharismatic face" and certainly has an extraordinary physique but she is far more interesting and a spectacular technician, while Arthurs is, well, average on both accounts. Her Maria could not have been more lifeless.

[lampwick]

OK, i'm confused. Are the dancers really singing in West Side Story Suite? When I saw it at the State Theatre, there were singers off stage on platforms. I assumed most of the real singing was done by these singers, and the dancers were lip-synching.

[Ari]

The singing is done by both the professional singers offstage and the dancers, depending on the moment. When a dancer looks like s/he's singing, s/he is -- for instance, Riff singing "Cool" and Anita, Rosalia, and the girls singing "America." (They are miked, but then so are all singers in musicals these days. ) When the dancers don't look like they're singing -- for instance, when Tony dances to "Something's Coming" while you hear the song being sung -- the singing is being done by professional, offstage singers.

Maria has very little to do in this suite of dances, so it's not fair to judge the dancer by her performance in this. She's always going to look bland.

[kfw]

Maria has very little to do in this suite of dances, so it's not fair to judge the dancer by her performance in this.  She's always going to look bland.

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I have to put in a word for Arthurs here. I found her a beautiful bland in this case, with an "average" prettiness in her NYCB headshot that was way above average onstage. She wasn't as interesting as Ringer in Thou Swell, but then she's only in the corps.

[Premabalrina]

As far as having a beautiful body-type and line, Arthurs has it! However, I have to agree by saying that her stage presence isn't anything more than "average." An icy, pouty look is not appropriate for all ballets...

[richard53dog]

As far as having a beautiful body-type and line, Arthurs has it!  However, I have to agree by saying that her stage presence isn't anything more than "average."  An icy, pouty look is not appropriate for all ballets...

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Agreed; this is a pet peeve of mine. Actually I don't like a pouty look, almost like the dancer is annoyed that there is an audience, in any ballet.

I mean I don't want to see a dancer with a perky smile in something very intense and abstract, but there is a kind of very underplayed expression that the dancer can project that adds a kind of "punctuation" to pieces like this.

Richard