Colleen Boresta

I went to the Saturday matinee. The highlight of "Ballet Imperial" was seeing Monique Meunier finally get to sink her teeth into a real ballerina role. (I know she danced the part a few times last year, but I didn't see her.) Meunier danced as wonderfully as I remember from her NYC Ballet days. She was just perfect. As for the rest of the ballet, it wasn't all that memorable - it even seemed to be a bit slow in spots. Gennadi Saveliev didn't get to do much, but when he danced he was very good (as always). Paloma Herrera danced well, but her steps seemed to be merely academic. Her performance to me lacked both sparkle and grandeur. I've seen ABT dance "Ballet Imperial" about four times, and every time Paloma Herrera is dancing the ballerina role. She's wonderful in other ballets - especially

"Don Q", but I just don't think this is a good part for her.

Both the pas de deux Act II of "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" pas de deux seemed out of context by themselves. Both pas de deux work much better as part of the entire "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker". However, both were very well danced. Julie Kent and Vladimir Malakhov's performances have both been described very well by posters writing about the Gala.

Xiomara Reyes danced very well in "The Nutcracker" pas de deux, but to me it was memorable for Cornejo's solo performances. His dancing was as awe inspiring as ever, especially his multiple air turns done with one hand held over his head. But I think Cornejo needs to work on his partnering skills a bit. During the last hold, the way Cornejo's hand was positioned on Reyes' leg looked somewhat ackward. The curtain came down very quickly at that point, so it was hard to see if anything was really off kilter. Still, everyone sitting around me was talking about that last hold, wondering what it was we had just seen.

For me, the highlight of the afternoon was "Theme and Variations". I have seen this ballet many many times (since I have subscriptions to both ABT and NYCB), but this was one of the best performances of "Theme" I have ever seen - maybe the best period. Michele Wiles stood out for her musicality as well as the crispness and clarity of her steps. Gomes was an elegant partner who showed an incredible bravura technique in his solos. When I first started seeing Gomes in principal roles, I thought he was good - but not all that special. Then I didn't see him perform for about two years. I was lucky enough to see dance in four ballets during ABT"s fall 2004 City Center season, and I was really really impressed by Gomes' dancing. I am looking forward to seening Wiles and Gomes dance the leading roles in "Raymonda" on June 11th.

I remember someone posting last year that the ABT dancers seemed bored with "Theme". On Saturday, they danced it with energy and joy. It was a ballet filled with life. Even the sets looked better - brighter, cleaner somehow. ABT's

"Themes and Variations" filled me with joy all the rest of the weekend.

I went to the May 25th matinee of "Don Quixote" with Gillian Murphy and Carlos Acosta. I wish someone like Michael or Carbo or many many others had already written about this ballet, so I could just respond to their reviews. Since that is not the case, here goes. It was a great afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera Theater.

Acosta really is a force of nature. He has such energy, such charisma as well as those soaring leaps with the incredibly soft landings. Acosta also has a great flair for comedy. This is going to sound petty, but I was a liitle disappointed with his turns during his first solo in Act III. I think it's because I'm so used to those seemingly endless multiple air turns done by Angel Corella and Julio Bocca. (I've seen each of them dance "Don Q" three times.)

Gillian Murphy was simply magnificent. I've seen "Don Q" many times, but I don't I've never seen better leaps with the kick to the back of the head. (Is there a name for that?) And the speed of her turns in both Act I and especially the Act II dream sequence was absolutely dizzingly. I don't think Murphy is a natural Nikiya, but I'd love to see her dance the Kingdom of the Shades scene from "La Bayadere"

just to see how fast she could whirl off the stage at the end. As always, Murphy's fouettes were amazing. I don't know if she was doing doubles or triples or whatever. She was going so fast it was hard to tell (for me anyway). And she was doing them while opening her fan over her head. This is just a minor quibble, but I wish Murphy had held her balances in the Act III Grand Pas just a little bit longer. Maybe that's because I saw Paloma Herrera dance Kitri last year, and her balances were so long it seemed as though time had stopped. I also thought Murphy was very playful in the role which was fun to see. And she and Acosta really danced well together.

As for the rest of the cast, all were excellent. The two flower girls not only danced well, but they danced in sync. One of them was definitely Maria Riccetto, but I'm not sure who the other one was. (Some cast changes were announced from the stage and weren't in the program). I think it was Adrienne Schulte. Anne Milewski was wonderful as always as Amour. (I remember reading either on Ballet Talk or in a review that Milewski has practically made a career of dancing Amour.) Milewski stood out for her quicksliver steps, and great light leap. I do think, however, she could tone down the cutesiness just a notice. I was disappointed with Carmen Corella as the Queen of the Dryads last year, but on Wednesday she was just perfect - especially her Italian fouettes. I've never seen

Jesus Pastor dance before, and he was really exciting as the King of the Gypsies. I 'm looking forward to seeing him dance many more roles at ABT.

Gennady Saveliev was excellent as Espada, the matador. Saveliev may not be the flashiest dancer, but he's always wonderful (IMO anyway). Every time I open my program and see his name whether it's as Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" or "Ballet Imperial", etc., etc., I always think "Oh good. He's going to give a great performance." Monique Meunier was luminously radiant as Mercedes, the street dancer. I remember reading - again either on Ballet Talk or in a review, that Meunier has made a real three dimensional character out of what is usually a one dimensional role. I hate to keep repeating myself, but why is Meunier still dancing these roles? Why is she still a soloist at ABT? Every year I take my niece to an ABT ballet, and last year we went to "Don Quixote". During the first intermission, we were talking about how good Meunier was, and I told her what I knew of Meunier's story - how she had been a principal dancer at New York City Ballet, then left that company to become a soloist at ABT, a soloist not dancing very many roles. My niece said she thought that was very sad, and I agreed. I still agree.

I also went to the May 14th matinee, and it was a great afternoon of Balanchine ballets. I don't remember ever seeing "Allegro Brillante" before. What a beautiful little jewel of a ballet it is! Jennifer Ringer was radiantly lyrical in the ballerina role. Oberon said it perfectly - she does "sing the music with her body".

Philip Neal gave a very strong performance. I don't think Neal gets enough recognition in the press. I've seen him dancemany many times, and he's always a superb partner, and a very elegant solo dancer.

I hadn't seen "Harlequinade" in at least ten years. (The last time I saw it Ethan Stiefel and Margaret Tracey danced the leads.) I had forgotten just how much I enjoy it. And the performances at Saturday's matinee were particularly strong. I agree with what Michael and Carbo have already said about the five main dancers - except for Carbo's comments about Millepied's landings. They didn't seem noisy to me at all. However, I especially liked what Carbo said about Ansanelli's performance. (I wish I could put it so well.) I kept thinking about "Coppelia" while I was watching "Harlequinade". It was probably due in large part to Ansanelli's performance.

I really liked all the little comic touches in "Harlequinade" - especially the tipsy soldiers and the three Harpo Marx-like Les Shires. I thought all the children were wonderful, and was very disappointed that they didn't get to take a bow at the ballet's conclusion. Did anyone post about DeLuz/Borree "Harlequinade"? I can't imagine that Borree was as perfect as Ansanelli in the role of Colombine. But maybe I'm wrong. I saw Borree dance "Coppelia" a couple of times and she was actually quite good.

I attended the May 1st matinee, and saw "Who Cares" and "Union Jack." What a fun afternoon at the ballet it was for me! In "Who Cares" Teresa Reichlen made an extremely promising debut as the girl in red. You would have thought she'd been dancing the part for years. As the girl in blue, Alexandra Ansanelli was demurely sweet in "Embraceable You", but showed her steely technique to great effect in "My One and Only". As the man who partners all three girls and does his own solo to "Liza", Philip Neal was just about perfect. His timing, his rhythm, the snap of his fingers - all reminded me of a young Fred Astaire. But Jennifer Ringer as the girl in pink was the real surprise. I saw her dance the part in January, and I knew she'd be radiantly lyrical in "The Man I Love" pas de deux. (And she was.)

But unlike that January 29th performance, this time Ringer really nailed "Fascinatin'

Rhythm" - the quicksilver steps, the dizzying series of turns - they were all there in Ringer's performance on May 1st. (I only wish the audience had been more appreciative of her performance. But the audience was pretty lackluster the whole afternoon. On the whole, they did not seem to realize the great ballets they were seeing.)

I hadn't seen "Union Jack" for several years, but I enjoyed it just as much as ever. I really loved all of it - the calling of the clans, the Costermonger pas de deux, and especiallty the salute to the Royal Navy section. (I know the Royal Navy section contains miltary as well as naval songs, but I think it all works.) All the principals were great - Wendy Whelan, Miranda Weese, Alexandra Ansanelli, Benjamin Millipied, Philip Neal. I was disappointed that Damian Woetzl was replaced by Charles Askegard. I was especially concerned that Askegard was really going to blow the second solo in the Royal Navy section - a part that is owned by Woetzl. But again I was pleasantly surprised. Askegard was pretty good. I still would have preferred to seen Damian in the part. I'm hoping that I'll get to see him dance that solo on June 19th when an excerpt from "Union Jack" is performed during Jock Soto's farewell performance.

I also really enjoyed Maria Kowroski (I'm sure my spelling is off) as the leader of the Wrens (or whatever the chorus line sailors are called). When I first saw Maria in this part, she didn't seem very comfortable. I kept comparing her unfavorably to Suzanne Farrell and Maria Calegari. But now I think she really owns the part. The biggest surprise of the afternoon, though, was how great Nilas Martins was as the Pearly King. It was like I was watching a totally different performer than the chunky Nilas Martins I'm used to. And Martins wasn't just dancing the part - he really created a complete characterization. I think his performance is described best by Mary Cargill in this week's online edition of "Danceview Times".

I also attended the February 27th matinee. After reading Michael's beautifully written review, I'm not sure I should add my own thoughts. Anyway, I'll add just a few. The program also included Jerome Robbins' "Fanfare" and Peter Martins "Chichester Psalms." "Fanfare" is a light, entertaining ballet which was very well danced. I think "Fanfare" would be a good way to teach children about the parts of the orchesta.

"Chichester Psalms" was a very pretty ballet. The music was beautiful, the Julliard

Chorus sang wonderfully, and the ballet didn't go on too long. (It's my opinion that most of Peter Martins' ballets go on way too long.) The choreography was somewhat repetitious (another problem IMO with Martins' ballets), and I don't think I'd like to see every year. It was a nice novelty, but if I never saw the ballet again, that would be fine with me.

"Liturgy" was a gorgeous, endlessly fascinating ballet. It's the kind of ballet I want to see over and over, so I can get more of it with every viewing. Michael has described it so perfectly that I'm not going to say any more.

The highlight of the afternoon for me was "Stars and Stripes". "Stars" is one of my favorite ballets, and it was performed so well that I went out of the State Theatre on an enormous high. As Michael has already said, Danny Ulbricht was superb as the leader of the men's campaign. He is such an exciting dancer, and he dances with such energy, such charisma. I found myself always watching him when he was on the stage, even when he was standing still. Ashely Bouder and Benjamin Millepied were both wonderful in the pas de deux. Millepied (IMO anyway) was not quite up to the level of Damian Woetzl in his solos, but as Michael has said - it all worked. And it was a great way to end a very good season.

I went to the February 6th matinee and saw two very forgettable Martins ballets, but fortunately a great Balanchine ballet and a great Robbins ballet. As for the Peter Martins' ballets, I think "Concerto for Two Solo Pianos" was better than "Eros Piano", but I really couldn't get into either ballet. Very often I find my mind wandering while I'm watching a Martins ballet. All of a sudden I'm thinking about everything I need to do for the week. That is NOT why I go to the ballet. Fortunately it wasn't an afternoon of Peter Martins' ballets.

I hadn't seen "Apollo" in years, and I vaguely remembered not really liking it. However, this time I really loved "Apollo". I loved everything about it, even the Stravinsky music. Peter Boal gave an incredibly powerful performance in the title role. I was sorry, however, that he didn't take a solo bow at the end of the ballet. I think many people in the audience were waiting for this, but it never happened. I liked the fact that Boal got a round of applause when he entered at the beginning of the ballet. The NYCB audience is not like the ABT audience with regard to this. At an ABT performance the leading performers just about always get a round of applause when they enter. I've seen this happen with very few NYCB dancers - Damian Woetzl, Kyra Nichols, I really can't think of any one else offhand. It was good to see how much Boal is loved. He will really be missed when he leaves in June. Wendy Whelan, Ashley Bouder, and Rachel Rutherford were very good as Apollo's muses.

The highlight of the afternoon for me was "West Side Story Suite". Even after seeing this ballet many times, I still find it tremendously enjoyable. The standouts were Benjamin Millepied as Tony, Damian Woetzl as Riff, and especially Jennifer Ringer as Anita. Boy Ringer can really sing and dance up a storm. I'd say "America" was the best part of a ballet filled with great parts. And Genevieve Labean was very good as Rosalia. However, I didn't find James Fayette very believable as Bernardo. To me he didn't look the part, and he didn't really dance or act the part either. I know Jock Soto will be retiring this year, but there must be someone else at NYCB who would be a good Bernardo. How about someone like Amar Ramasar? I thought he was really the best thing about Peter Martins' forgettable "Concerto for Two Pianos". Ramasar showed a tremendous about of promise in that ballet. I also thought Faye Arthurs was rather weak as Maria. The part used to be danced by Elena Diner (I think that was her name.) Diner was both beautiful and sweet as Maria.

Thank you Alexandra and Mel for answering me so quickly, and helping me with this matter.

This is going to seem very minor, but back in October I noticed that my posts had decreased from a little over 100 to 52. And when I added my next two posts (one in November, one in January) the number still stayed at 52. I finally went up to 53 when I posted this week. I'll still keep posting on Ballet Talk, but I'm just a little

confused about this posting issue.

I just noticed that when I was talking about "Fascinatin' Rhythm" I wrote Janine Tuner instead of Janie Taylor. I guess this is what happens when you turn 50. Sorry about that.

I also went to the January 30th matinee. I agree completely with Michael's views on"After the Rain", the new Wheeldon ballet. And as always, Michael states his views so much better than I ever could. I really loved it. It was just a gorgeous ballet, especially the pas de duex for Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto.

I know "Orpheus" is supposed to be a classic, but I found it very boring. I don't know if it was the choreography or the performances, or maybe a combination of both. I certainly did not like the Stravinsky music. (Maybe it's me, but I find much of Stravinsky's ballet music to be very atonal.) I saw this ballet years ago, but I really didn't remember it. I was surprised at how little dancing there was for a Balanchine ballet.

The highlight of the afternoon for me as well was "Who Cares". Back in either January or February of 1980, I saw my first NYCB performance. The afternoon then, as well as on last Sunday, ended with "Who Cares." I instantly fell in love with the ballet, and have seen it many times since (at least 15-20 times). But I have never seen any one equal Patricia McBride's performance in "Fascinatin'

Rhythm" - especially the quicksliver foot work and those dizzingly fast series of turns. Both Nicole Hlinka and Janine Tuner came close, but they just couldn't equal my mind's eye image of McBride's "Fascinatin' Rhythm". I totally agree with Bobbi that Jennifer Ringer does not have the allegro technique needed for this solo.

Ringer was absolutely wonderful in "The Man I Love" with Philip Neal. Her radiant sensuality was just breath taking. I too would love to see Ashley Bouder as the girl in pink (though she was excellent as the girl in red). I think Bouder is the dancer to take on Patty McBride's role in "Who Cares". I totally agree with Bobbi views on Sofianne Slyvie. I too missed seeing Alexandra Ansanelli, but Sofianne was just perfect in "Who Cares", especially when she danced her solo to "My One and Only." Is there any part Slyvie can't dance and dance beautifully? I also was very impressed with Philip Neal in "Who Cares". His timing, his rhythm was just so Gershwinesque (if that's a word). Neal's performance in "Who Cares" was the best I've seen since Jacques D'Ambroise back in 1980.

I went to the January 16th matinee. I have seen "The Four Temperments" many times, but every time I see it, I get more out of it. What a perfect ballet it is! I thought Sean Suozzi showed promise in the Melancholic section, but he wasn't up to the standards I've seen set by Peter Boal, Sebastien Marcovi, Tom Gold, and Damian Woetzl. I really missed Albert Evans in the "Phlegmatic" section. He always brings such a sly sense of humour to the role. I found Ash LaCour to be very colorless in the part. Sofianne Slyvie (who I found to be a bit uncomfortable in the part when I saw "The Four Temperments" last May) was absolutely sensational in the "Melancholic" section. I agree totally with what NYSusan posted about Slyvie's performance. Teresa Reichlen in the Choleric section was wonderful. I still miss Monique Meunier in this part, but I think Reichlen is really making Choleric her own.

I agree with what Lampwick and Oberon have posted about "Todo Buenos Aires". When I bought my ticket for the January 16th matinee, it was because I wanted to see "The Four Temperments" and "Carnival of the Animals". I thought of "Todo Buenos Aires" as another humdrum Peter Martins ballet I'd have to sit through, hoping for it to end quickly. But to my delight, I really enjoyed this ballet (though I think it went on a bit too long). I loved the music, the choreography, and especially Julio Bocca's performance. (Of course I've been a big Julio Bocca fan for years.)

"Carnival of the Aninmals" was very entertaining, and John Lithgow's narration (in rhyme no less) was quite clever. I especially enjoyed Melissa Barak and Rachel Rutherford as the old turtle can can dancers, and Arch Higgins as the baboon piano teacher. And Lithgow as the Elephant/Nurse was very funny. As much fun as this ballet was, I can't see myself watching it year after year. It seems more like a ballet for children. There were many children in the audience, and I think "Carnival fo the Animals" is a good way to introduce them to the world of ballet.

Am I the only person who attended ABT's third week at City Center? I went to the November 7th matinee. I think Mary Cargill in the online edition of "Dance View Times" has described this performance much better than I ever could. (And I am very grateful to Mary for all her wonderful reviews.) I just want to add a few points. I loved "Mozartiana" though I don't think the City Center audience appreciated it as much as I did. Veronica Part was just perfect, and Maxim B. was wonderful - he was really into the ballet. It was a joy to watch him. I wasn't too impressed with Carlos Lopez in the Gigue role (is that how you spell it? I'm not sure where my program is right now.) But to be honest, I am rarely impressed with Lopez's dancing. And last Spring when ABT performed "Mozartiana" at the Met, I saw Herman Cornejo in the role. I don't think I need to say any more.

Speaking of Cornejo, he was absolutely outstanding in "La Spectre de la Rose." His dancing in that role has already been reviewed by several Ballet Alert posters, and they did a much better job than I could ever do. I was also very impressed by Maria Riccietto in "La Spectre". She was the perfect romantic young girl in the part. And this may sound trite, but it must be very hard to dance with your eyes closed. When she finally opened her eyes, the look of wonder on her face was beautiful to see.

The next two pas de deux really got my heart racing - they were that exciting (IMO

anyway). I knew Paloma Herrera would be good in the "Black Swan pas de deux" - it's her kind of part - balances, fouettes, etc., but it was Marcelo Gomes who really wowed me. I haven't seen Gomes nearly as much as I've seen other ABT male dancers, and I always thought of him as a princely sort of danseur. But this performance showed me that Gomes can do pyrotechnics as well as anyone at ABT (if not better). Also Gomes was so charismatic he practically set the stage on fire.

This was the third time I've seen Corella dance the pas de deux from "Le Corsaire". His dancing on Sunday was just as spectactular if not more so. But I really could have done without the overacting. He seemed to be think he was Rudolph Valentino playing the Sheik during the silent movie era. Maybe I just noticed the overacting at City Center because it's a more intimate theater than the Met. Gillian Murphy was absolutely magnificent in this pas de deux. She's probably the one ABT dancer who can upstage Corella in "Le Corsaire" and do it in a really professional way. Murphy's also has a great sense of humor. During one of the many curtain calls, Corella leaped onto the stage to take his bow. Murphy repeated that leap during her bow. It was great fum to see.

I really enjoyed "Sinfonietta" - especially the trumpets and all those great jetes. It was also wonderful to see so many ABT dancing their hearts out. I especially loved seeing Monique Meunier. I really wish ABT would give her the parts she deserves.

I went to the October 23rd matinee, and saw "Les Sylphides", "Pillar of Fire", and

"Theme and Variations". I've been attending ABT performances since 1980, but I have never seen them do "Les Sylphides" live. (I did ABT dance Sylphides on tv back in around 1985 I think.) Actually, I have never seen any company do "Les

Sylphides" live. I really did enjoy the ballet - especially the choreography and the music. I thought it was well danced, but I agree with NY Susan that it wasn't magical. The audience reaction was tepid at best. Maybe when the ABT dancers get used to dancing this ballet again, the magic will happen.

I always love "Theme and Variations" and this time was no exception. Paloma Herrera was wonderful, the best I've ever seen her in this role. I think Herrera has really come into her own the last year or two. She gets better every time I see her dance. Corella was good as well, except for his turns during his big solo.

Instead of staying planted in one spot while he did his turns, Corella was all over the stage. I've seen Corella dance "Themes" about four or five times, and I've never seen him do this before. It looked really sloppy (to me anyway).

For me the highlight of the afternoon was Tudor's "Pillar of Fire". Pillar is another former ABT staple, but I only saw it once - back in 1982 or 1983 I think. What a great, great ballet this is! Michele Wiles as Hagar gave an incredibly powerful and moving performance. Marcelo Gomes as The Young Man from the House Opposite was so seductively evil. I can see why Hagar went off with him. (I think most of the women in the audience, myself included, would have secumbed to Gomes' charm.) Marian Butler was very good as the flirtatious, self-centered Younger Sister. Monique Meunier was wonderful as the prim, self-righteous Elder Sister. I know I say this every time I mention Meunier, but is she playing these soloist parts? I think Meunier would make a great Hagar. David Halberg was perfect as the Friend. And he and Wiles are so wonderful together. They have such great chemistry. I noticed in my program that Gillian Murphy was going to be Hagar in the evening's performance of Pillar. Has anyone seen Murphy in this role? I really love her as a dancer, but I never thought acting was Murphy's strong suite. She has improved in the last couple of years, but Hagar is a part that requires great depth and emotion. Wiles definitely showed that depth and emotion in the part. It's a performance and a ballet I will be thinking about for a long time to come.

I saw the July 17th evening performance of "Cinderella". I don't have a lot of time, so I'll briefly mention that I really enjoyed it. I had only seen the Ben Stevenson production of "Cinderella" which I found extremely forgettable, so seeing the Ashton "Cinderella" was quite a treat. I found Tamara Rojo to be an exquisitely beautiful Cinderella, with great musicality. Inaki Urlezaga as the Prince

was a good partner, but an insecure solo dancer. In my view, however, the ugly

Stepsisters (danced by Anthony Dowell and Wayne Sleep) really stole the show. They even stayed in characer during their bows. I heard people complaining about the new costumes and sets during the intermissions, but having never seen the ballet before, they seemed fine to me. The choreography was just wonderful, as was the Prokofiev music. I would really like to see this ballet on a regular basis, and as the Royal Ballet doesn't come to New York very often, maybe ABT can change to the Ashton "Cinderella". (I saw Kevin McKenzie at the other end of my row. I don't see how he could help but be impressed by this ballet.) Ashton's "Cinderella" is a wonderful fairytale ballet, and I think ABT would benefit by dropping the mediocre Stevenson "Cinderella" and doing the Ashton version instead.

I saw the Saturday matinee with Stiefel and Xiomara Reyes. As has already been mentioned, Stiefel was a very ardent, poetic Romeo. I'm really impressed at how much his acting has improved in the past few years. Reyes was a very young, very innocent Juliet. Her acting was so natural she became Juliet for me. There was a time when I really didn't like this ballet. I thought there wasn't enough dancing. But if I'm able to believe that the dancers on stage really are Romeo and Juliet - at least for the course of the afternoon - then I find myself really loving this ballet. This was the case last year when I saw Corella and Tuttle as "Romeo and Juliet", and of course this year with Stiefel and Reyes dancing the main roles. I really hope to see Ferri as Juliet before she retires, but living in Staten Island it's difficult for me to go to evening performances.

It was amazing seeing Frederic Franklin as Friar Lawrence. It's only a small part, but he really brought the good friar to life. (And it's very hard to believe he's 90.)

Erica Fischbach was a stern, but loving Lady Capulet. Susan Jones was very warm and funny as Juliet's nurse. Carlos Molina was an extremely powerful Tybalt. And Herman Cornejo as Mercutio really stole he show every time he was on stage. What an exciting performance he gave!

I attended the Sunday, June 27th matinee. I was really looking forward to the Tschiakovsky Suite #3, and was very disappointed when I got to the theater and saw the Tsch. had been replaced by a second Stravinsky ballet. I imagine I'm in the great minority of posters, but I really haven't liked most of the Stravinsky ballets I've seen (Agon, Apollo, etc.). Sunday I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed both "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" and "Symphony in Three Movements."

I was especially impressed by Ansanelli and Slyvie in the Violin Concerto, and Adam Hendrickson and Ashley Bouder in Symphony. I really got into the quirky pas de deux from "Symphony". Whelan was great (as always), and Jock Soto was the best I've seen him in a long time.

I liked "Cortege Hongrois" as well, though I thought it was miscast in parts. The leading role is a grand ballerina part, and I don't think Caroline Cavallo fit that at all. Nilas Martins was actually not bad for Nilas Martins, but I don't think he fit the part either. I'd love to see either Sofianne Sylvie or Miranda Weese in the lead ballerina role, and Edward Liang as her cavalier. The folk dancers were the best part of the ballet in my opinion. Jennifer Ringer can dance any kind of part. She and Albert Evans were really fun to watch.

I saw the June 26th matinee of "Coppelia" with Ashley Tuttle and Angel Corella. I thought Tuttle was very good, especially in the second act when she was pretending to be the doll Coppelia. Corella didn't have a lot to do, but what he did was sensational. During his solo in Act III, he seemed to hang suspended in the air for a moment or two.

As Carbo has already mentioned, the humor was somewhat broad. I prefer NYCB's "Coppelia", where the humor is more subtle, but it's it's still just as funny (if not funnier) as ABT's version. In fact, I prefer NYCB's production of "Coppelia" over all. (Though ABT's "Coppelia" is still very good.) It may seem like a little thing, but I thought the costumes for the women were very dowdy. Swanilda's wedding dress was rather ugly (and the wedding dress in NYCB's "Coppelia" is quite beautiful.)

I found the main difference in the two productions to be the character of Dr. Coppelius. In ABT's production he's a buffoon (at least as portrayed by Victor Barbee). In the third act, after receiving money from the mayor, Coppelius kisses Swanilda in forgiveness, and proceeds to watch the wedding ceremony from his balcony (with Coppelia by his side). In NYCB's "Coppelia", Coppelius is a more tragic figure. When his attempt to play God fail, and he realizes that Coppelia is not alive, but only Swanilda playing a trick on him, Coppelius is devastated. In the beginning of Act III, Coppelius holds the naked, bald Coppelia doll like a dead child. He does take the mayor's money, but he's not happy about it. And NYCB's Coppelius certainly doesn't kiss Swanilda on the cheek, or watch the wedding festivities.

I saw the July 19th matinee with Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel. Let me first of all say that Murphy is truly an amazing dancer. I think she is ABT's best technician.

Her fouettes in the Black Swan pas de deux left the audience gasping in disbelief.

She was wonderful in the white acts as well, but as Carbo has often pointed out - something was missing - a spark, emotion - I'm not sure what. Anna Kisselgoff of the NY Times said Murphy's performance lacked depth. I don't always agree with Kisselgoff, but I think she's right in this case.

Ethan Stiefel as the prince danced pretty well, but he was no where near Murphy's level. During his first solo in the Black Swan pas de deux his air turns seemed to be off center. His acting, however, was quite good. The scenes where the Queen Mother (the always wonderful Georgina Parkinson) was pressuring Siegfried to get engaged were very funny. Stiefel's Siegfried really seemed to love Odette, which made for a very poignant Act II pas de deux.

Sacha Radetsky, Erica Cornejo, and Renata Pavam were very impressive in the Act I pas de trois. Erica Cornejo radiated such joy in her dancing that it made me smile just to watch her. Pavam, who's still only in the corps, is having a wonderful season. This Spring I've seen her as one of Raymonda's friends, a flower girl in in "Don Q" and one of the pas de trois ladies in "Swan Lake". Pavam only gets better every time I see her. I hope she'll be made a soloist soon.

Ricardo Torres as the attractive von Rothbart danced a very lackluster solo in Act III. It's bad enough that von Rothbart's solo is even included in McKenzie's "Swan Lake". When it's danced well, as in the past by Vladimir Malakhov or Marcelo Gomes, I don't mind it so much. But when it's not danced well - to me it's just a major waste of time.

As for the production itself, I don't agree with Anna Kisselgoff about how wonderful it is. I wish ABT would bring back the David Blair production. The main things that annoy me about McKenzie's production are the inane prologue, the two von Rothbarts, and the shortening of Act IV. The rest of the ballet is very enjoyable, especially when Odette/Odile is danced as brilliantly as Murphy danced her yesterday afternoon.

I saw the July 12th matinee of "Don Quixote" with Paloma Herrera and Julio Bocca.

Having seen Herrera in the Grand Pas from "Don Q" a few times, I've always wanted to se her dance Kitri in the full length ballet. I saw Bocca's Basil (or Basilio or whatever his name is) twice - in 1991 with Susan Jaffe and in 1999 with Nina A.

Having not seen Bocca in the role for five years, I wondered whether his 2004 "Don Q" performance would be as good as his performance in my mind's eye.

I'm happy to say that Bocca's performance at Saturday's matinee was even better than what I remembered. It's not just his incredible bravura technique - especially those seemingly endless multiple air turns. He also has a real flair for comedy and great chemistry with Herrera. I don't think Herrera and Bocca have danced together for years. I hope Herrera and Bocca are teamed up more in the future because they're really great together.

Seeing Herrera in the full-length "Don Q" was everything I had hoped and more. Herrera is usually not known for her acting, but on Saturday afternoon she gave a nice portrayl of a sweet and spirited Kitri. Her dancing was close to perfect - great leaps with the kick to the back of the head, nice quick fouettes with some doubles (and maybe triples - it's hard for me to tell) thrown in - and incredible, incredible balances. I don't think I've ever seen anyone hold balances for so long.

Carlos Molina was dazzling as the madator Espada. This is a part Molina has really made his own. Monique Meunier was wonderful as the street dancer, but I think she would be even better as Kitri. I think a "Don Q" with Meunier as Kitri and Marcelo Gomes as Basil would be very exciting.

Renata Pavam and Misty Copeland were very good as the flower girls. Both are dancers with real promise. I saw Copeland as one of the friends in "Raymonda" at the June 5th matinee - she seems to having a great season. Speaking of promising dancers, Sarah Lane's Amour stood out for her quicksilver steps and great leaps.

Carmen Corella wa somewhat disappointing as the Queen of the Dryads. I thought she danced her solo rather sluggishly. Herman Cornejo was a super high flying lead Gypsy. But if Cornejo is a principal dancer, why is he still dancing soloist roles. I would really love to see Cornejo dance the lead in "Don Q". I think he and Xiomara Reyes would be very good together. They're dancing "Coppelia" at the June 23rd matinee, aren't they? Maybe if "Coppelia" works out, Cornejo and Reyes will dance together in "Don Q" during the 2005 ABT/Met season. One can always dream, I guess.

I also saw the Saturday matinee performance of "Raymonda", but I enjoyed it much more than Thalictum. Yes, there was a major partnering problem with Wiles and Molina. During the dream pas de deux at the end of Act I, it looked like Molina almost dropped Wiles. Wiles put her hands out as if to break her fall. Fortunately she wasn't injured. But I was very impressed with Wiles' solo dancing and with her pas de deuxs (what it the plural for pas de deux? This doesn't look right) with Hallberg. As the lady sitting next to me said "It's like she has the music inside her". And I like Hallberg more every time I see him. Hallberg not only danced cleanly and elegantly, but he had real command of the stage. I found my eye often drawn to Hallberg even when he wasn't dancing.

This was my second time to see "Raymonda". (I saw it on May 22nd with Xiomara

Reyes, Ethan Stiefel, and Herman Cornejo.) This time, due mainly to the efforts of Wiles and Halberg, there was more of a story. From the first time Hallberg's Jean de Brienne saw Abderakhman, his displeasure and jealousy were obvious. These feeling only intensified as the ballet went on - leading to the inevitable duel beween Jean de Brienne and Abderkhman. At the end of the Act I dream sequence, Wiles' Raymonda clearly showed her confusion over which suitor to choose. But when Raymonda does select Jean during the Act II ball scene, the decision seemed to be based on love. Wiles and Hallberg's reconciliation pas de deux at the end of the ballet was very tender and sweet. I don't think Wiles' Raymonda will be secretly dreaming of Abderakhman while Hallberg's Jean de Brienne is around.

Leigh - maybe the movement I described from the pas de deux was part of the choreography, but something didn't look right about it. I've seen "Stars and Stripes" at least fifteen times before, and I've never reacted negatively to the pas de deux before yesterday. And as I've already explained, I have an image in my mind of how the ballet should look, and Jimenez's and Cooper's dancing didn't fit with that image at all.

I went to the Sunday matinee. I haven't seen "Interplay" in a long time, and though it's a pretty slight ballet I enjoyed the jazzy Morton Gould music and the extroverted young cast. Michael has written a great review of "Ivesiana" and I can never compete with his reviews (nor would I want to). I'll just add that I found it a very interesting ballet, a ballet I'll get more out of it the more I see it.

(I think I've only see it once before.)

"Tarantella" was a lot of fun. This is a perfect part for Joaquin de Luz's exuberance and bravura technique. Amy Aldridge, a guest artist from the Pennsylvania Ballet, gave a very impressive performance. She's a little tall for De Luz, but most ballerinas probably are taller than De Luz especially once they get on pointe (I'm not being nasty, it's just a fact.) Whenever De Luz dances at the State Theater, he always gets a round of applause. I'm used to this when ABT performs, but not when NYCB dances. He must bring his fans from ABT with him to the State Theater, which also seems a little strange to me. Don't get me wrong. I usually enjoy his dancing a lot, but I think there are far better male dancers both at NYCB and ABT.

"Stars and Stripes" was a big disappointment. I had really been looking forward to this ballet which I hadn't seen since February of 2001. (I think NYCB should have performed it the season after 9/11, but no one asks me my opinion of these things.) The choreography and the music for "Stars and Stripes" is still as great as ever, and the NYCB dancers were just perfect. The ladies' campaigns led by Jennifer Tinsley and Ellen Barr could not have been any better, and the men's campaign led by the fantastic Tom Gold - all I can say is WOW!!!!! I could have watched them all night too (as one of the posters - I forget who - has already said).

But the guest artists from the Dance Theater of Harlem, Tai Jimenez and Duncan Cooper - just were not up to their parts. During the pas de deux Cooper ducked away from Jimenez's foot a couple of times. I remember thinking - why is he doing that - this isn't "Western Symphony". Didn't they practice together enough?

And when it came to his solos - Cooper was really off. During his turns a la seconde, Cooper kind of slipped after a couple of turns and moved and started them again. I don't want to unfairly compare dancers with each other, but I have a very clear image in my mind of Damian Woetzl dancing this part, and Cooper did not live up to this image at all!!!! Jimenez was a little better - but she was off too. Her scissor leaps were very small and she also seemed like she couldn't keep up with the fast pace of the music. Again I have an image in my mind of how the ballerina should dance this part. I've seen Patricia McBride, Margaret Tracey, Nichol Hlinka, and Monique Meunier dance this part - and Jimenez didn't come close to their dancing. I like the idea of having guest artists - but shouldn't NYCB pick guest artists who can dance the part. Why didn't Peter Martins ask dancers from ABT to dance the lead roles in "Stars and Stripes"? I saw Ethan Stiefel dance this role with Margaret Tracey eight or nine years ago, and he was just great. I would have loved to see him and Gillian Murphy do the leads in "Stars and Stripes"

on Sunday afternoon.

I saw the Saturday matinee. As I said when she danced the role at City Center last fall, Ashley Tuttle is totally miscast in the lead ballerina role in "Theme and Variations". She was off, out of step, it was really sad to see. Tuttle is a lovely ballerina in ballets such as"Romeo and Juliet", "La Bayadere", and "Giselle", but she can't dance this role. (Not in my opinion, anyway, and the opinion of many other Ballet Alert posters.) I wish Kevin McKenzie would see it, and stop casting her in this role.

David Halberg and Michele Wiles were both elegant and exciting in "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux". I keep waiting for the day (hopefully it's soon) when they'll both be made principals. I don't think Wiles is too tall for Halberg. If she is, she's in trouble because this is a company of mostly short men.

"Mozartiana" is a ballet I haven't seen in a long long time (I only remember seeing Suzanne Farrell in the lead role ) and I had forgotten what a lovely ballet it is.

And what a wonderful ballerina Veronica Part is - a fact which has already been mentioned about other posters. I thought she looked very comfortable in the role as well. (But then I was seeing her second or third performance of the role, not the first.)

"Ballet Imperial" is another ballet I haven't seen for a long time, and I was impressed by its splendor. I thought Paloma Herrera was good in the lead role, but I would have preferred to see a grand ballerina such as Nina A. in the part. (But then I live on Staten Island and I hate driving so I'm pretty much limited to matinee performances.) I thought that Anna Liceica in the second ballerina role was just superb. Here's a dancer who in my opinion is always good - whether's she a shade in "La Bayadere" or a flower girl in "Don Q", and I don't recall her getting much mention - certainly not in the press. Maybe it's because she's not flashy and it's often the flashy dancers who get all the attention.

I saw the Saturday matinee with Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel, and Herman Cornejo. This is a very good production - with great music, beautiful costumes and sets, spectacular dancing, but not much of a plot. More of the characters were ciphers, except for Herman Cornejo's Abderakman. He was the sexy bad boy the girl desires but never marries. Cornejo was evilly exciting in the role, but I was very disappointed that he got to do so little.

As Raymonda, Xiomara Reyes danced exquisitely, but she didn't portray a character at all. I really had no idea who Raymonda was. Did she have any dreams or desires? Did she really love Jean de Brienne, or just think he was a great dance partner? Stiefel's dancing was wonderful, but his Jean de Brienne was even more of a cipher than Reyes' Raymonda. He didn't seem to feel any passion for her even when he fought the duel with Abderakhman.

But as has already been stated, the dancing was spectacular. I was especially impressed by Erica Cornejo, Mria Riccetto, Sascha Radesky and Gennadi Savliev as Raymonda's friends. Monique Meunier was fine as Countess Sybelle, but I'm very confused as to why Meunier is dancing these types of roles. During the intermission I heard others voicing the same feelings.

I saw the Sunday matinee. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a light, entertaining ballet. It was very well danced by Yvonne Borree and Damian Woetzl. This is one of Borree's few strong roles along with "Coppelia". I can't think of any others. All my thoughts about "Ballo della Regina" have already been posted. What a beautiful, beautiful performance. The whole cast danced wonderfully, especially Lorna Feijoo and Ganzalo Garcia. Feijoo made the most difficult steps seem so easy and so joyous. Her dancing was an absolute pleasure to watch.

I really disliked "Variations Pour un Porte et un Soupir". I found the sound effects

(or whatever they were) very jarring. And to me the whole ballet just seemed to go on and on. If it had been ten minutes it would have been an interesting novelty.

Unfortunately, I ended up hating the ballet, as did most of the people who sit near me and all the ladies I heard talking about it in the ladies' room during the intermission.

Every time I see "The Four Temperments" I get something more out of it. Sunday's performance was no exception. I especially enjoyed Sebastien Marcovici in the Melancholic section, and Arthur Evans in the Phlegmatic section. Even though he's been a principal at NYCB for a couple of years, I've seen Robert Tewsley only once before, maybe twice at the most. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable he was dancing Balanchine. Sofianne Slyvie, his partner in the Sanguinic variation, seemed off to me. I've only seen Slyvie dance in Balanchine "light" ballets - like "Western Symphony" and "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue". She was wonderful in those ballets, and I think she just needs more experience dancing the more serious Balanchine works. Teresa Reichlen in the

Choleric section proved to be a very promising ballerina, but I really miss Monique

Meunier in this part. Meunier's Choloric variation showed so much power and energy. I also remember a dancer named Audra Dixon (I think that was her name) who also did a great job in the Choleric section.