Colleen Boresta

Thank you, Abatt, for letting me know that Gomes was always scheduled to dance Act I of Don Q on Thursday. You're right, of course. I guess I'm so used to Corella and Paloma dancing Don Q together that I thought they were performing together on June 3rd. I have never been very impressed with Jared Matthews. I really don't understand why he's a soloist. There are many dancers still in the corps who are much better - Joseph Phillips and Eric Tamm to name two. And why wasn't Sascha Radetsky dancing Espada. I've seen him do the part a few times and he's great. I didn't see Cory Stearns as Basilio, but I think he fits the part of Espada better than he fits the part of Basilio in Don Q.

I should have googled Carreno and Corella before I mentioned their ages. Carreno was born in May of 1968 which makes him 42. Corella was born in 1975 which makes him 34, soon to be 35. But my point is still the same. Carreno is already at retirement (for ballet dancers) age, but Corella is not.

As good as Xiomara Reyes was at the Saturday matinee of Don Q, I would have given anything to have seen Osipova's perfromance. (I am going to see her in Romeo and Juliet with Hallberg in July. I'm very excited about that.) I think it's very sad that Carreno is still dancing Don Q. I saw him dance the part in the 1990's and he wasn't just all right - he was sensational. It's a shame more dancers aren't like Julio Bocca. He started retiring roles when he felt he couldn't dance them as he had in the past. On another note, I just looked at the ABT calendar and it says that Gomes will be dancing Act I of Don Q at the Alicia Alonso gala. Does anyone know what happened to Corella? Is he sick? Is he injured? I was very surprised to read that his technique isn't what it once was. Carreno has got to be close to 40 (or over 40), but Corella is only about 34. He should be at the height of his dancing abilities, shouldn't he? Also, I know it's already been asked but how were Wiles and Stearns at the Monday matinee? I also agree with the many posters who've said Cory is being pushed too far too fast. AndI think Wiles is a little big for him. If I were Michele Wiles, I would be quite annoyed at being paired with Sterns so much this season. She's usually paired with Gomes and Hallberg. I like Cory Stearns, but I don't think he's at anywhere near their level of dancing and performing.

I saw my first Don Q in June of 1981. Kitri was danced by Gelsey Kirkland and Basilio was danced by Mikhail Barsynikov. It was an unbelievably exciting ballet, forever etched upon my mind’s eye. That performance, however, set a very high standard for Don Q’s, one I was sure would never be reached. Fortunately I have seen some wonderful Kitris and Basilios since 1981, including Susan Jaffe, Nina Aniashvilli, Paloma Herrera, Gillian Murphy and Xiomara Reyes as Kitri and Julio Bocca, Angel Corella, Jose Manuel Carreno, Carlos Acosta and Herman Cornejo as Basilio. That being said, the May 29th matinee performance of Don Q, my second time seeing Reyes and Cornejo in the main roles, is definitely the best Don Q I’ve ever seen. It is certainly up there with the top three ballets I’ve seen in my lifetime (I’ve attended the ballet regularly since 1980.) Herman Cornjeo is perfect as Basilio. His incredibly high leaps where he hangs suspended in the air, his spins, the multiple double air turns – all are stupendous. His comic timing is also spot on. Cornejo is especially funny when he waggles his eyebrows just before his “suicide”, making sure to let the audience in on the joke. Cornejo’s partnering skills have improved in the past few years. His one handed lifts in Act I look effortless. The second lift he held for a full ten seconds. As Kitri, Xiomara Reyes is a real spitfire. Her footwork is amazingly fleet and precise. She can whirl across the stage at an incredibly dizzyingly pace. Her leaps with the kick to the back of the head are astounding. Reyes’ fouettes in the Act III pas de deux (the famous grand pas) are very exciting. They are incredibly fast and very secure. And every time Reyes does a double, she opens and closes her fan over her head. I have only my small quibble about Reyes’ dancing. In the Act III grand pas she holds her balances for a very short time. I remember seeing Paloma Herrera dance Kitri in 2004. Her balances went on for so long that it was as though time stood still. One of the great things about this performance is how in sync Reyes and Cornejo are. Their styles of dancing, their levels of energy, the way they approach their roles – it all meshes. And the chemistry between Reyes and Cornejo is palpable. Theirs seems to be the beginnings of a great partnership. As Espada, the matador, Gennadi Saveliev’s dancing is good, but his performance lacks the needed Spanish flair. Kristi Boone shines in the dual role of Mercedes in the Seville scenes, and the Queen of the Dryads in the vision scene. Boone’s Mercedes is all fiery temperament, but her Queen of the Dryads is the epitome of classical elegance. Julio Bragado-Young is very funny as Gamache, a role which requires the ability to take a lot of pratfalls. Anne Milewski is always good as Amour in the vision scene. I’ve seen her dance the part many times. She has a great light leap and quicksilver footwork. Carlos Lopez is an amazingly high-flying Gypsy King who held his own in his dance with Cornjeo’s Basilio. Lopez seems to be going from strength to strength this season. I am looking forward to seeing his next performance. All in all, it was an exhilarating afternoon at the ballet. I hope ABT keeps this joyous Don Quixote in their repertoire for a long time to come.

I attended the Saturday matinee of Don Q with Herman Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes and it was spectacular. I'll write more about it once I get my thoughts together. It's Sunday morning and I'm still on such a high from yesterday's Don Q. With regard to your question, Abatt, about one dancer performing both Mercedes and the Queen of the Dryads, until yesterday I had never seen that done in this production of Don Q (the Kevin McKenzie/Susan Jones staging). When I saw my first Don Q in 1981 (Barysnikov and Kirkland danced the two leads. What a performance that was!!) ABT was dancing a production staged by Barysnikov. In that Don Q, the same dancer was cast as Mercedes and Dream Mercedes (whose name was changed to the Queen of the Dryads in the current production). I think it's a good idea, especially if both parts are performed by a dancer as fantastic as Kristi Boone. Both more on that later in the week. Hopefully I'll get my ideas together by Monday or Tuesday. Today I'm off to see New York City Ballet.

Thank you, Alexanadra. I do mean Dance View Times, and I just read Carol Prado's excellent La Bayadere review. I don't know how I kept missing it. I do subscribe to Dance View. I got the magazine with Ashley Bouder on the cover.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I am concerned about the fact that ABT opened their Spring season at the Met on May 17th, and there have been no ABT reviews on Dance View. I count on the reviewers at Dance View to give a well written, balanced account the ballet scene in New York. I certainly can't count on Alistair McAuley of the New York Times for that. I hope to be seeing ABT reviews on Dance View soon.

I attended the May 22nd matinee of La Bayadere with Julie Kent, Jose Manuel Carreno and Hee Seo. I have delighted in the sumptuous beauty of Makarova’s La Bayadere close to 20 times since 1980. I have fallen under the spell of many different Nikiyas, Solors and Gamzattis as they danced their tale of treachery, deceit and love finally conquering all (even an earthquake). Chief among them are Nina Ananiashvili, Julio Bocca and Gillian Murphy and Veronika Part, Marcelo Gomes and Michele Wiles. Unfortunately Julie Kent as Nikiya and Jose Manuel Carreno as Solor at the May 22nd matinee failed to live up to my high expectations from the past. Julie Kent is a sweet and vulnerable Nikiya, but with regards to her dancing she is not a good fit for the role. In her Act I solo, her back lacks the suppleness needed to show Nikiya’s poignancy. In Act II her jumps are void of both power and height. At the end of Act II her diagonal turns across the stage are missing both speed and precision. Jose Manuel Carreno is a Solor full of heat and passion. He still has enough charisma to set the stage on fire, but at this point in his career his leaps are not quite as high as they used to be. In Act II one of his double barrel assemble air turns went badly off center. Sad to say, it seems that this great dancer is slowing down. On a more positive note, Hee Seo’s Gamzatti is a wonder. It is hard to believe she is still in the corps. Seo’s Gamzatti is a spoiled princess whose daddy has given her everything her heart desires. Her longing looks at Solor during the betrothal scene show how much Gamzatti loves Solor, but also wants to control him. Seo’s dancing was spectacular, especially the fouettes she whips off at the end of the betrothal pas de deux. Roman Zhurbin is a powerfully fierce High Brahmin who mimes his scenes beautifully. As the Radjah, Alexandre Hammoudi looks the part, but seems to be controlled by his daughter, Gamzatti. Jeffrey Golladay is a high-flying whirling dervish of a head fakir. In the role of the Bronze Idol, Carlos Lopez is very exciting. The Bronze Idol dances a brief, but incredibly difficult solo which requires speeding up and braking at a breakneck pace. As good as Lopez’s performance is, it does not erase the images of Herman Cornejo and Angel Corella as the Bronze Idol. I am looking forward to the day (if it ever comes) when I see a Bronze Idol at least equal to Cornejo and Corella in the role. No review of La Bayadere would be complete without mention of the corps in Act II (the Kingdom of the Shades). I doubt that there is any more beautiful sight in classical ballet than the moment when the shades float gently one by one down the ramp in the moonlight, their leg stretched behind them in arabesque position. I saw a few wobbles once all 24 shades had reached the stage, but they did not detract from the magic. Overall, the corps’ arabesques were well-timed and in sync. I have seen a few other productions of La Bayadere - most notably Rudolph Nureyev’s staging for the Paris Opera Ballet. While it was wonderful to see the ballet conclude on such a choreographic high note, for me there was no closure. I also love the fact that in Natalia Makarova’s staging of La Bayadere, evil is punished (with the deaths of Gamzatti, the Radjah and the High Brahmin) and the lovers are reunited in the afterworld. I hope ABT keeps dancing Natalia Makarova’s staging of La Bayadere for at least another 30 years.

I am going to see The Kings of Dance performance at City Center tomorrow (the Sunday matinee). I am looking forward to it even more after reading such a positive review. But nothing was mentioned about the Wheeldon ballet. As a big fan of Christopher Wheeldon, as well as Halberg, Gomes, Halberg and DeLuz I would love to read more about that ballet. Thanks. And thank you Ambonnay for always writing such wonderful reviews. You even comment on the snack bar. What more could a Ballet Talk reader ask for?

I attended the June 27th matinee of "Swan Lake" (unfortunately not the evening performance) with Michele Wiles and David Hallberg. Due to the power of the ABT dancers, this “Swan Lake” still works its magic. Michele Wiles is a glorious Swan Queen with wonderful bird-like arms and a beautifully flexible back. As good as her Odette is, Wiles is a more natural Odile. She is gleefully seductive during the Black Swan pas de deux, whipping off double and tripe fouettes with aplomb. Wiles has remarkable chemistry with her Siegfried, David Hallberg, and their pas de deuxs during Act II and Act IV are spellbinding to watch as well as heartbreaking. As Siegfried, Hallberg is the perfect prince, a phrase which has often been mentioned in connection with Hallberg’s dancing. He has an elegant, refined line and incredible footwork. Best of all are Hallberg’s soaring jumps where he seems to hang in the air. Other ABT dancers stood out too. The Act I pas de trois was impressively performed by Misty Copeland, Yuriko Kajiya, and Carlos Lopez. Copeland radiates such joy and spontaneity in her dancing that it makes me smile just to watch her. Kajiya has light, lovely leaps, and wonderful use of her hands. Lopez is an excellent partner, and has nice elevation and ballon. It’s good to see Lopez back to his old form after seeing him dance a very disappointing peasant pas de deux in ABT’s “Giselle” at the June 13th matinee. The all important female corps in the white acts (Act II and the sadly abbreviated Act IV) danced in glorious tandem with both each other and the music. Stella Abera and Hee Seo’s lyrical phrasing as the two big swans was lovely to watch. Cory Stearns, as the handsome von Rothbart, is a disappointment. He’s gotten the character of the seductively evil wizard right, but his dancing in Act III lacks sharpness and precision. His elevation is not nearly as high as when I saw him as Conard in ABT’s “Le Corsaire” at the May 30th matinee. I wish ABT would go back to performing David Blair’s “Swan Lake”, which they danced before 2000. “Swan Lake” is such a rich and powerful ballet, and it deserves the best production possible.

I am 55 years old. I have attended performances at NYCB and ABT (I grew up in Chicago) since 1980. I saw Rudolf Nureyev in the early 80's, when his dancing skills had greatly declined, but that didn't bother me nearly as much as seeing Darci dancing now. I had never seen Nureyev live during his heyday, but I definitely saw Darci live during hers. To me, it's always worse seeing a weak perforamnce from a dancer who used to be wonderful, than just seeing a plain old weak performance. I live in Staten Island and don't drive, so I can't go to the ballet during the evening. But if at all possible, I will switch any ticket during the 2010 Winter or Sprng seasons if Darci is going to be dancing. And NYCB only posts their casting schedule about two and a half weeks in advance, which is not very long. I left the final staging of Midsummer last week when I saw that Darci would be dancing Titania. I just couldn't bear seeing her perform the part at this stage in her career.

I saw Xiomera Reyes dance Juliet at the Met in either 2003 or 2004. I have to check. Her Romeo was Ethan Stiefel. It's not Reyes' first time dancing Juliet in New York.

I attended the June 20th matinee of “Airs” and “La Sylphide”. “Airs” was enjoyable and well-danced by all, but I’m not a big fan of modern dance. La Syphide, however, is another story. I found myself as lost in the mists of Scotland as James himself. Hee Seo’s Sylphide is beyond a revelation. It’s hard to believe she’s a member of the corps. (If my opinion, and the opinion of many women attending the ballet Saturday afternoon is listened to, she won’t be in the corps for much longer.) Hee Seo’s sylph is sweet and loving, mischevious in a child-like way. She is a creature who seems to live in the air. Her every movement reminded me of the romantic lithographs I’ve seen of Marie Taglioni and Lucille Grahn in early 19th century productions of La Sylphide. ABT’s La Sylphide is a Bournonville ballet, and the male danseur is challenged as much, if not more than the ballerina. I’ve been watching the Royal Danish Ballet’s production of La Sylphide with Nikolaj Hubbe and Lis Jepperson to prepare myself for ABT’s La Sylphide. To me, David Hallberg’s James is even better than Hubbe’s. Hallberg’s ballon is both light and explosive. His leg beats are quick and crisp. His entrechats sixs, leaps where the dancer’s legs constantly cross in the air, are thrilling. Hallberg’s acting is also first-rate. He is the perfect dreamer chasing after his ideal love, and in the process losing both that love and his life. Daniil Simkin, as Gurn, doesn’t get to dance much. What dancing he does do is unbelievably exciting. Simkin has tremendous elevation, and his jumps are also clean and precise. I’m especially impressed by Simkin’s acting. He inhabits the role of Gurn utterly. His mime is very clear, and he is funny without overdoing it. Gemma Bond is lovely as Effie, James’ fiancée, and Maria Bystrova is very realistic as Anna, James’ mother. The one disappointment is Victor Barbee’s two-dimensional portrayl of Madge, the witch/fortune-teller. Barbee’s Madge seems like a caricature, rather than a realistic characterization. At times Barbee finds the humor in Madge, but that humor is rather coarse.

I was just looking at the casting for SPAC (not that I'm going. I was just interested to see who would be dancing.) I just can't believe that Darci Kistler is going to dance the Strip-Tease girl in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue". When I saw Darci in the Rosenkavalier section of Vienna Waltzes at the end of May, she could barely move. How is she going to get her legs up in the air for the high kicks required in this part? I just saw Maria Korowski dance the part in "Slaughter" at the Sunday matinee, and she was magnificent. (So was Philip Neal by the way. He was a wonderful partner as always, and his tap dancing was spot on.) Alistair MacAuley gushed over Korowski's performance as the Strip-Tease girl, and it's one of the few times I agree with him. I walked out of the David Koch Theater on Sunday on a high I'm still on. I just don't know why Darci would want to subject herself to being compared negatively to Korowksi. As I said when I posted about her performance in Vienna Waltzes, I'm afraid few people will rembember what a great dancer Darci once was. They'll only be able to think about her unfortunate performances of her last few years of dancing.

I attended the June 13th matinee of Giselle, with Maria Riccietto and Herman Cornejo. I was really hoping to see a repeat of last year’s Reyes/Cornjeo Giselle, but due to Reyes’ ankle injury that was not to be. (I would have given just about anything to have seen the June 13th evening performance of Giselle, but that was not to be either. I will say, however, that Maria and Herman’s Giselle was both beautifully danced, and very moving. In Act I, Maria was such a realistic Giselle. I bought into her whole portrayl – her innocent and complete love for Albrecht, her close relationship with her mother (perfectly portrayed by Nancy Raffa), even her delicate constitution. (Some Giselles I’ve seen in the past have seen a bit too robust to be suffering from heart problems.) In Act II, even though Maria’s first arabesque penchee was a bit wobbly, I found the overall quality of her dancing to be very light and flowing. With regard to his dancing, Herman was at the top of his game – especially his double assemble turns and brises voles in Act II. His acting was just as powerful as his dancing. This year, Herman’s Albrecht was a bit more grownup than his 2008 characterization. He still seemed to really love Giselle, and didn’t even think about his real life or his fiancée when he was with Giselle. The chemistry between Maria and Herman was so palatable that I started crying as soon as Herman appeared in Act II, carrying flowers to Giselle’s grave. (My friends asked me when the ballet was over if I had a cold or allergies. “No.” I said, “This was just a really good Giselle”.) It was great seeing Stella Abrera again (although I still want to see her as Giselle). Her Myrtha was intensely cold and forbidding, and Stella danced the part with great authority and control. Did her leaps have the power and height of Gillian Murphy’s? No, but I think very few dancers today can equal Gillian’s Myrtha. In the peasant pas de deux, Carlos Lopez seemed off, particularly with regard to his leaps. I usually really enjoy his dancing, so I was very surprised. Is he coming back from an injury? Yuriko Kajiya, on the other hand, was lovely as Lopez’s partner. I would like to see her in the title role of Giselle in the next year or two.

I attended the June 3rd matinee. I agree with what most posters have said about the partnering between Cornejo and Wiles. I think Cornejo would be more comfortable with a smaller ballerina (this too has been mentioned many times). That being said, I thought Cornejo was wonderful as the Prodigal Son. His dancing is very exciting (especially at the beginning of the ballet), and his acting throughout the ballet is spot on. I was especially moved by his reunion with his father at the end of the ballet. I have seen “Prodigal Son” many times (most recently with Daniel Ulbricht in the title role), and I think ABT’s version compares favorably with NYCB’s Prodigal. Richard Tanner did a great job staging this Balanchine classic. I really did not like “Desir”. The choreography is very repetitious, and the ballet just seems to go on forever. Recognizing the two waltzes from “Cinderella” just reminds me of another forgettable James Kudelka ballet. I saw ABT perform “Gala Performance” at City Center several years ago, and I agree with both MacAuley (which is so rare for me) and other Ballet Talk posters that Tudor’s ballet would have been a much better choice for the Prokofiev celebration. I did enjoy “On the Dnieper”. I loved both the choreography and the music. But my problem is that I can’t see why Sergei would run off with Olga. There was nothing about Paloma Herrera’s performance that could make me understand why any man would want to run off with Olga. I really wish I had seen Diana Vishneva in the part. Herrera is not known for her acting, and that is certainly true in “On the Dnieper”. If there’s no obvious chemistry or attraction or anything between Sergei and Olga, then the whole ballet makes little sense (in my opinion anyway). I do think, however, that Veronika Part was perfect as Natalya. She gave such a touching, heartbreaking performance. The whole ballet became about Natalya and her sacrifice. I would love to see it again, with another dancer in the role of Olga.

I attended the Sunday matinee and saw “Swan Lake”, “Opus 19/the Dreamer” and “Vienna Waltzes”. I haven’t seen Balanchine’s one-act Swan Lake in years, and I really enjoyed it. I thought Wendy Whelan gave a beautiful performance as Odette. I was especially impressed by Whelan’s bird-like arms, even though they weren’t in the same league as Nina A’s, Diana Vishneva’s, Irina Dvorovenko’s, or Veronika Part’s (in my opinion anyway). Sebastien Marcovici was a decent partner, but very inconsistent in his solo. He totally missed two of his jumps, but danced the rest of the solo rather well. And I find it strange that Balanchine chose the music for the Big Swans dance for Prince Siegfried’s solo. Also, the corps lacked unison. I didn’t mind that they were in black and Odette was in white, but I did mind that they weren’t dancing together. It just threw the whole ballet off. I always love “Vienna Waltzes”, but I didn’t like all the performances Sunday afternoon. I was disappointed not to see Sara Mearns, but I thought Ellen Bar was lovely in her place. Yvonne Borree was better than I expected her to be, but she still lacked the buoyancy and fluidity required by the Voices of Spring female soloist. I think Ashley Bouder is still out injured, but what about Megan Fairchild or Tiler Peck. Either ballerina would have been wonderful in the part. And it didn’t help Borree that she was so outclassed by Benjamin Millipied. As always, Millipied’s pyrotechnics are so unforced, so natural. And the way he just flies around the stage is breathtaking. Jennifer Ringer isseductive and mysterious as the Merry Widow, but her partner, Nilas Martins, is just okay. And Darcy Kistler in Der Rosenkavalier is beyond brittle. She looks like she could barely move. Doesn’t Peter Martins watch any of these performances? It’s especially sad in Kistler’s case, because she was a great ballerina. Unforunately too many of us will remember too many years of weak performances, rather than all her great dancing in her early years at NYCB. The highlight of the afternoon for me was “Opus 19/the Dreamer”. I’ve seen this ballet a few times before, and I’d never thought much about it. But Sunday’s Opus, with Robert Fairchild and Janie Parker, was so haunting. I don’t remember when I’ve last been so moved by a performance. It’s strange. I don’t remember steps or images from the ballets, but just a sense of Fairchild and Parker taking me away to some other world. I felt the ballet viscerally. I hope to see again soon (with the same cast) so I discover more of what this ballet has to offer.

Dvorovenko is such a strong ballerina that maybe she did perform the fouettes intentionally. And if it was a mistake, I agree that it was amazing that she got back on track. I don't think the fouettes took away at all from Irina's wonderful performance. I just have never seen fouettes performed that way (and I've been attending the ballet regularly since 1980), so I thought I'd comment on them.

I also attended the Saturday matinee, and I agree with what Classic Ballet has already said. With all the casting changes, I ended up seeing the same "Le Corsaire" cast I saw last year. All the principals (except Jared Matthews) are even better than they were last year. Irina Dvorovenko did have a little bit of trouble during her fouettes. She must have overrotated a bit, and during the first half of the coda, she was wandering all over the place. At one point her head was facing backwards, which I had never seen before during fouettes. But then Irina got herself in gear, and the rest of her fouettes were perfection. I was really hoping see Herman Cornejo in the role of the bazaar owener, but again I saw Jared Matthews. He was okay, but only just okay. He didn't make any obvious mistakes in his dancing, but he wasn't very exciting. His acting was considerably better than his dancing. Mikhail Ilyin was wonderful, both in his acting and his dancing. He has great leaps and turns, and was a very menancing Birbanto. I really think he should be promoted. Yuriko Kajiya was a really lovely Gulnare. She has wonderful extension, and the best use of her hands I've seen in quite a while. Yuriko was somewhat off in the solo sections of her pas de deux with Lankendem last year, and I am very impressed with her improvement. Cory Stearns is making great strides forward in the role of Conrad. I also knew he was a good partner, but his solo dancing is getting much stronger. Stearns has great elevation with light soft landings. And he's really having fun with the role of the pirate leader. Last year, he was undoubably nervous, and had to mainly concentrate on his dancing. This year he was a very convincing Conrad, especially when he was letting the other pirates know he was the boss, not Birbanto. And Stearns has obvious chemistry with his partner, Irina Dvorovenko. To me Stearns is too tall for Sarah Lane, and too short for Michele Wiles, but just right for Dvorovenko. But the highlight of the ballet (as always, for me anyway) was Angel Corella as Ali during the famous slave pas de trois. This is the fifth time I've seen Corella dance the role of Ali. But I think Corella just owns this part. It doesn't seem humanly possible, but Corella just gets better in this part every time I see him dance it. It's not just his scissors leaps, his incredibly fast pirouettes, and especialy those amazing turns a la seconde where he bends his supporitng leg while keeping time to the music. It's the incredible energy and joy of dancing Corella's every step shows. And he did this all while staying in character as Ali the slave.

COPPELIA NEW YORK CITY BALLET MAY 3, 2009 NEW YORK CITY By Colleen Boresta Coppelia, choreographed by George Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova, is one of New York City Ballet’s sunniest ballets. I am very happy that NYCB is dancing Coppelia during their 2009 Spring season. The Coppelia I saw on May 3rd was even better than the production I saw this January. As Franz, Andrew Veyette is even better than he was in January. Veyette is an endearingly goofy Franz. He makes the audience believe he is love with both his fiancée, Swanilda, and the mechanical doll, Coppelia. In the past year, Veyette has become a very exciting dancer. He has incredible elevation. Like Superman, Veyette jumps as though he can “leap tall buildings in a single bound”. In the role of Swanilda, Tiler Peck does not put a foot wrong. She has great musicality as well as sheer speed and power. She makes Balanchine’s fiendishly difficult hops on pointe look both easy and lovely. Peck’s comic timing is also spot on, especially in Act II when Swanilda is impersonating the mechanical doll, Coppelia. Swanilda’s battle of wits with Dr. Coppelius, Coppelia’s creator, is a highlight of the ballet. Peck is especially playful when she shows Dr. Coppelius that he really has brought her to life. Peck’s Spanish and Scottish character dancing is lively and fun. As the elderly Dr. Coppelius, the young soloist, Adam Hendrickson, is both funny and very moving. In Act II, Hendrickson’s acting shows the audience that Dr. Coppelius really believes Coppelia has come to life. The look on his face when Swanida shows Dr. Coppelius she is just pretending to be Coppelia is tragic. Hendrickson holds the naked limp Coppelia doll in his arms like she is his dead child. At that point, Hendrickson has convinced the audience that Swanilda’s pretending went too far. In Act III, Swanilda and Franz’s wedding, the soloists perform beautifully. Dena Abregal, as Prayer, is a real standout. Abregal has a lovely, light jump, and her extension is glorious. As always, the biggest round of applause was for the little girls in pink. Some of the tiniest ones look very young, no more than six or seven. They definitely deserved the acclaim the audience gave them. It was great seeing such a perfect production of Coppelia. The orchestra plays the delicious Delibes score flawlessly. My one complaint is that NYCB only danced Coppelia four times during this Spring season. Many little girls attended the May 3rd matinee of Coppelia. (And their behavior was perfect.) I think Coppelia should become an annual event, and run for at least eight to ten performances. This is a family ballet right up there with Balanchine’s Nutcracker.

I'm sorry I even posted this. It's no big deal at all. I enjoy posting for Ballet Alert, and it doesn't matter if I have 2 posts or 2,000 posts listed. Just forget I even wrote it. Sorry again.

I hate to be a bother, but for my last few posts - my number has remained at 90. It's not a big deal. It's a bit confusing. If you can get back to me eventually about this, I'd really appreciate it.

I also attended the February 8th performance. Fortunately for me, abatt, balanchinette, and ViolinConcerto have already reviewed this performance. Their postings are both well-written, and for the most part happen to agree with my opinion of the ballets. Let me start by saying that after seeing other companies (Kirov, SanFrancisco, Miami City) dance Balanchine better than the New York City Ballet, it was great seeing Balanchine’s company perform two of his ballets so beautifully. I agree with the three above named posters views on “Concerto Barocco”. I was really shocked by Rachel’s fall (and she was dancing so beautifully), but I was glad to see that she didn’t hurt herself. And Wendy was just as amazing in the part as always. I do have to admit, however, that scenes from the Ballet Trocks “Go for Barocco” kept flashing in my head. I just saw them perform “Barocco” in December. I’ve seen “Theme and Variations” many, many times, but I haven’t seen Tsch. Suite No. 3 in a long time. I too dislike the scrim. I really loved the “Elegie” section. Sara Mearns was mesmerizing, and Ask LaCour was both haunted and haunting. I never knew he could act so well. The “Valse” section was just so-so. I kept thinking of Helene Alexopoulos in the female role. Tiler Peck and Adam Hendrickson did fine in the “Scherzo” section, but I really wanted to see Daniel Ulbricht dance the part. I was very impressed by both Sterling Hyltin and especially Benjamin Millipied in “Theme and Variations”. What I loved about Millipied’s pyrotechnics was that they were so unforced, so natural. Every movement just flowed out of him. Was Millipied as good as David Hallberg in the part? I think that very few dancers are Hallberg’s equal in this role. Not only does David have great technique, but he’s such a natural prince. I can’t think of anyone dancing today who combines both technique and princeliness (is that a word?) as well as David. However, that doesn’t mean that other dancers (such as Millipied) can’t do a great job in “Theme.” Thank you so much, ViolinConcerto, for appreciating “Oltremare”. I was afraid I was going to have to apologize for enjoying it. I’d never seen “Oltremare” (or any work of Mauro Bigonzetti for that matter) before, and I just loved it, the dancing, the music, everything. I had forgotten to read the program notes about the ballet beforehand, but the dancing made the story very clear. I was especially impressed by the very complicated partnering. All the dancers were wonderful, but Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle really stood out. And what an unbelievably exciting dancer Andrew Veyette has become!!! I was glad to see that his performance in “Coppelia” was not a fluke.

I attended the January 11th performance of "Coppelia". I was hoping someone would have already posted about it, so I would just have to agree with their opinion. Anyway, here goes. (And I'll still make it brief.) I saw my first Balanchine/Danilova "Coppelia" in May of 1980 with Peter Martins and Stephanie Saland. I liked it, but I didn't fall in love with the ballet until a year later when I saw Patricia McBride and Helgi Tomasson dance the main roles. Patricia McBride still remains my favorite "Coppelia", but as much as I enjoyed Helgi's performances in this ballet, my favorite Franz is Damian Woetzl. That being said, Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette were delightful as Swanilda and Franz. I knew Tiler Peck would be a wonderful Swanilda. I see her as the heir to Patricia McBride, Nichol Hlinka, Margaret Tracey, and Alexandra Ansanelli in "Coppelia". But Andrew was really a pleasant surprise, both in his acting and his dancing. He was an endearingly goofy Franz. And I never knew he was such an exciting dancing. As the lady sitting next to me said, she hadn't seen such elevation in a long long time. As Swanilda, Tiler Peck did not put a foot wrong. Her acting was also first rate. And the chemistry between Tiler and Andrew was very sweet to see. I really think Tiler Peck should be a principal dancer. Speaking of dancers who should be principals (in my opinion, anyway), Teresa Reichlein was just perfect as Dawn in Act III. What glorious extension she has!!! I would love to see Teresa dance Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty." I think she would be magnificent in that role. I thought Rebecca Krohn was a bit wobbly in her Prayer variation, but Dena Abregel in the Dance of the Hours, and Faye Arthurs as Spinner both danced beautifully. Also, those little girls were just wonderful. Some of the tiniest ones looked very young - maybe six or seven. But they all did a great job!!!! And I can't forget Adam Hendrickson as Dr. Coppelius. Sunday was the third time I've seen Adam as Dr. Coppelius, and each time his characterization has gotten deeper and richer. I really think it's right up there with Robert LaFosse's portrayl of Dr. C. I always feel so sorry for Dr. Coppelius at the end of Act II when he realizes Coppelia has not come to life. And I know Dr. Coppelius gets a bow at the end of ACT II, but I still think he should get a curtain call at the end of the ballet. All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon at the ballet. I hope Peter Martins doesn't wait another five years to revive "Coppelia".

I attended the Saturday and Sunday matinees (November 1st and 2nd). I don't have much time, so I'll just make a few brief points. Yuriko Kajiya was much better in "Ballo della Regina" than she was last year, but I agree with many other posters that it's not her kind of ballet. I see Yuriko as a classical, even more a romantic ballerina. I think that before too long she'll be wonderful in "Giselle" and "La Sylphide". Eric Tamm was very impressive, both in his partnering and his solo dancing. (Although I would have much rather seen Cornejo and Hallberg dance the male lead in "Ballo".) I wish Tamm was getting the attention Cory Stearns is. In my opinion, Stearns is a decent partner, but only an okay solo dancer. That being said, I thought Stearns was very good in "Jardin aux Lilas". I was moved to the point of tears by Saturday's "Jardin", especially by the performances of Julie Kent and Roman Zhurbin. But when I saw the same ballet on Sunday, it just left me cold. I could not get into it at all. There was something about the performances of the lead dancers (even Veronika Part) that I couldn't connect with. I don't think it's because I had just seen it the day before. "Jardin aux Lilas" is a ballet I didn't like much in the beginning (it was so different from "Swan Lake" and "Giselle"), but the more I've seen it the more I've gotten out of it. "Company B" was a lot of fun. I loved the dancing and even more the music, but it didn't have much depth (imo anyway). Another fun ballet without much depth (again imo) was "Brief Fling". I particularly liked the performances of Marcelo Gomes and Paloma Herrera, but those costumes!!!! Is it just me or were they all absolutely hideous? And there were so many different kinds of costumes for one ballet. I found that really jarring. My favorite ballets of the two matinees were the two pas de deux. I have seen "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux" many many many times, but I always love it. And it was so excitedly danced by David Hallberg and Michele Wiles. Wiles and Hallberg are very good together, their chemistry is fabulous. I hope to see much more of Daniil Simkin - talk about bravura and exciting dancing. What I especially liked about Simkin's dancing was that he had everything look so easy and effortless. Also, he seemed to be having so much fun. And Sarah Lane was just wonderful. I got my subscription renewal from ABT today, and I was sorry not to see Simkin listed as dancing in more ballets. I know he's young (and he looks like he's about twelve) and he's very short, but he's so good!!!! He can dance with Lane and Reyes. His partnering didn't seem to be a problem on Sunday. I would really like to see Simkin dance in all the classics before too long.