zerbinetta

Cinderella Lite. An enjoyable evening but no masterpiece. This is a dense & complex score & that is not reflected in the choreography, which is lightweight & predictable. Perhaps Murphy or Reyes can make more of the title character than Kent, but there isn't much to work with choreographically. Herman Stevens: I agree the joker is annoying in Swan Lake but he is extraneous to the plot whereas the wicked stepsisters in Cinderella are integral to the plot. But the Grand Guignol behavior of Kudelka's stepsisters turns them into principal characters in this version & Cinderella herself pales by comparison, at least in Act I. The sets are lovely, more Arts & Crafts to Art Nouveau period than Deco, with their organic designs & the flapper era costumes are wonderful. There is more wit & invention in the physical production than there is in the cheoreography. But danced with joy & brio & well conducted & played.

If that is Katherine Morgan (spelling?) whom I saw at the dress rehearsal yesterday, she is exquisite. Definitely a ballerina!!

So he's only 38? Well, he wasn't a great technician but he certainly was incredibly gorgeous! Oh my!

Ahhh, the Amazing Acosta. His Ali is a creature of passion & poetry, so unlike Corella who pulls out all the stops instead of listening to his inner deity. Gomes is back! Not 100% yet but wonderful nonetheless.

Swenson was scheduled to sing the matinee "Elisir" & did sing Act I with an announcement that she was suffering from allergies. Apparently sounded fine but short-breathed & cancelled Act II. If it is indeed allergies, she could be fine tomorrow.

Why contralto, Leigh? I think of Weese as lyrico/spinto .. a Monserrat Caballe for balletomanes.

Oh My! Did we all notice the photo of Helgi T inside back page? He looks VERY healthy!

Have you checked with the opera house to see if you can check luggage? They stopped allowing that at the Met post 9/11. If you do the taxi option, you could get out at the opera house & have the cabbie deliver your baggage to your hotel. Cabbies there are so great!

These may stop when your muscle memory kicks in. Then you'll have the "forgetting the choreography" dreams.

The oatmeal dream is hilarious. The falling type dreams not funny - waking up with heart thumping, stressed, can't get back to sleep .. don't like those.

Rockwell wears 2 hats at the Times. An article in the Sunday Arts & Leisure (which this was) would be his advocate mode & his actual reviews would be his critic mode. No reason he couldn't be passionate, as long as he knew what he was talking about. But that might be asking too much.

& then there's McKenzie's Von Rothbart/Swamp Critter.

The most peculiar dream. Quasi BT, Balanchine, Midsummer both Shakespeare & Mendelsohn. It was BT Live - an overanimated discussion, begun & moderated by Helioscopo, an elderly, frail, white robed & capped gentleman, well respected by the board. All in a dither, he announced that the evil Choreosco was creating impediments to the marriage of the beauteous Amphibimaia & the noble Ballanotte, an event joyously anticipated by BT-ers. Much passionate discussion ensued. Just before my awakening, the lovers posted that they had run away to the forest & been married by none other than Helioscopo himself. Great joy. I then awoke with a foot cramp, the result of 5 hours of Y class.I immediately wrote down the names & outline of the dream, but it has stayed with me for two hours so I thought I'd exorcise it here. Does anyone else here "enjoy" this sort of dream? Off to have a dose of melitonin.

Halleluliia .. I never know how many Ls are in that word ...

Just a guess here, but I think Misha was (presumably still is) about 5'6" & Herman maybe 2" less?

From your lips to Kevin's ears ...

I'm glad to hear it. I thought it was me. :-D

We also attended tonight to welcome back Kowroski. This is such a great role for her. I realized just how much I've missed that amazing arabesque. Fowler (debut) made a good partner for her & elegant in his little bit of solo. Suozzi was quite good in his Puck debut, more elegant than Carmena's Oberon. Carmena's feet tend to be lazy/sloppy which cannot be hidden in this role. Dronova (debut) was lovely. Didn't stay for II. Helene, if memory serves (which it doesn't always), Jock Soto danced the Gigue before Castelli finally got to do it - late first or early second season of Mozartianas. He was the tallest of all.

Indeed, it would be wonderful to be able to see ABT in a house built for dance & at presumably more reasonable ticket prices. But the scheduling overlap in the very profitable spring/summer season would seem to present a great problem. It might also mean more frequent appearances at the Met by large foreign companies, now limited to 2 weeks in late July & not every year.

With all due respect to Mr. B, he did have Lincoln Kirstein. Martins doesn't have that luxury. I find the article curious - full of supposition, gossip & innuendo & no hard facts. I'm not really sure on whom it is actually a hatchet job, as no one comes off very well .. including Rockwell.

I'm with drb here. Hall has not only the intensity but the elegance & partnering skills .. but perhaps not quite yet.

I don't think he'd be so young at this point so it's possible he's retired from dance, teaching, coaching?

Is it done? No problems here; didn't even have to sign in again. Brava Helene!!!

I've deleted my PM files. Anything else we need to do?

Well, Tidwell hasn't lost his turnout, beautifully pointed feet, balon or anything else. The company may have its roots in Ailey but tends to be more classical (turnout, pointed feet, etc; women do pointe work) while no less athletic. Rhoden has a wide vocabulary & crafts beautifully on the merits of each individual dancer. That said, IMO, Danny belongs back in a classical ballet company & we can only hope he tires of displaying his athleticism & undeniable sex appeal & returns to the fold. Mind you, this is coming from someone who thought Wynton Marsalis should have stuck with the classics. Where would Jazz at Lincoln Center be if he had? Sarita Allen is with the company & is still movin' it! Anyone know how old she is? Ailey choreographed Night Creatures on her in 1974.