trieste

The very kind, knowledgable lady sitting next to me saw the Thursday Kent/Gomes show, and said Julie was beautiful. The Chicago Tribune agrees, and I truly regret not having deep enough pockets to see both... Another thing she told me was that there were many empty seats on Thursday's show. Goldstar and maybe Groupon were selling deeply discounted tickets for the Friday evening show with Reyes and Cornejo. I'm guessing that between the affordability there and the massive starpower of the Sat. Evening show, the other shows, including Kent's, were more sparsely attended. Saturday was more or less a full house, with quite a diverse audience. Always good to see. There were, of course, many recognisable dancers (posture and physique are always dead giveaways), but not as many small children as I feared. The audience did seem to get a bit restless during Act 2, but nothing really offensive. My friend seated elsewhere said she saw a woman in front of her checking text messages though. During Act 2 no less! I would like very much to hear about the Reyes/Cornejo show...the tickets were such a good deal, but it seems no one on BA saw it! I hope it was just an off night for Phillips. His solo issues aside, Lane seemed more and more tentative every set of pirouettes...and I can't blame her. Maybe iffy partnering wouldn't stand out so much 'normally', but to put such an imbalanced pair next to Hallberg and Osipova was a mistake. And yes, Boylston! Very nice, although I had trouble looking at anything but Part. And (unrelated) the Borzoi in Act 1 were gorgeous, haha. The red and white one seemed a more energetic performer, giving a few excited little spins while his handler stood still. Very cute. Also, Osipova simply removed the necklace rather than ripping it off and sending beads everywhere as Giselle tends to. What about the other Giselles in this run? Was it a safety issue? One last note before I end my rambling: the lady I spoke with agreed on how strange and frustrating it was that POB is bringing Giselle to Chicago in June! In her words,"Someone must not have checked...". Indeed.

To follow that up, there are my thoughts on last night's show... (Osipova, Hallberg, Part) I am going to start this with Veronika Part, so I can effuse and move on. I had seen clips of her, of course, and seen something in her...but not what I saw last night. She was the dancer I left the theatre wishing I could see more of. Her hands, arms, shoulders and back were on the same level of beauty as Hallberg's legs. Sometimes Myrtha's mime seems vague, unrelated to the actions of the wilis, of Giselle and Albrecht. Part and Myrtha owned the stage. Everything happened because of her. Her presence is absolutely regal, and I was a bit too far back to really see faces but everything I saw in her was beautiful. Chills and gasps worthy. I was the only one in my group to be really awestruck by her (and the only ballet enthusiast, I might add), and I felt myself being 'that guy' during her curtain call...which I found baffling. Did no one else see not just a good secondary character, but something truly majestic? My god, she was good. Now I'll talk about Sascha Radetsky as Hilarion. What dancing he did was very good, but... His characterization was smarmy. Slimy. Thuggish. A bit like a more simpering, boyish Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. You never for a moment felt he was a rival to Albrecht, but more of a jerk intent on spoiling everyone's fun. He slouched and stalked around the stage, and his flowers for Giselle -- any affection really, seemed so much the afterthought of a man who loves hunting and aristocrat hating much more than her. He didn't seem to feel anything but wicked joy when blowing the horn. It was a one dimensional, rather offputting performance that made him more of a scrappy secondary villain to Myrtha than anything good. During curtain calls, he stood back almost defiantly -- even when the director tried to take his hand and pull him up with the other, more gracious cast members of the night. He pulled away and stepped back outright. One was left with the impression that he was unhappy with the night overall. Odd. In Act One, Hallberg was a naive noble, sweet and sincere but oblivious and a bit pompous. This changed. He didn't just act out the drama, he inhabited the character and reacted and grew and, yes, developed. It was a remarkable thing to watch, and it never once seemed disharmonious with those around him or isolated from the drama as a whole. His Albrecht learned. As for his dancing...well, I liked the part where he danced. Just seeing him walk is a pleasure, let alone launch himself about in those great slow motion archs. Everything he does, he was born to do. One particular highlight was his act 2 entrechats -- first he worked us all to furious applause, sustained this remarkable level of bouyancy...and then, unbelieveably, he 'kicked it up a notch', playing to the audience, taking that surge of energy and running with it. Jaws dropped. After the show my friend, breathless and teary, kept repeating,"His legs! His jumps!" and the like, as in shock. A success! Osipova's characterization of Giselle is wonderful. She is shy and weak, but she is also furtive and a little strange. Her coyness seems born of a nervous temperament. Her Giselle is the kind of girl who needs a safe, simple life, but what I loved is, her Giselle wasn't so patheticly aware of her own weaknesses. She didn't flip a switch from shy little peasant girl to madwoman -- the peasant girl was never quite right to begin with. Endearingly so, and it made the mad scene terribly believable. It wasn't 19th century theatrics or deliberate hysterics...it was the sad sight of a nervous young girl falling over the edge. And Hallberg's Albrecht seemed so taken aback and scared and bewildered by the consequences of his actions. Painful to watch, in the best of ways. The way he fawned over her body, clutched at her skirts, seemed rather like a child who knows no better begging the dead to come back. In Act 2, Osipova turned cold and ethereal. She was no living presence, there was no chance of reconcilliation. A ghost with little but love left in her. She softened beautifully in Hallberg's arms. Early on her arabesque turns were alarmingly fast and sent the audience into frenzy. Like a spinning top in tulle. And always, the dance action seemed guided by Myrta's imperious presence. Part's Myrtha made me wonder how a man could spurn such a beautiful woman. Osipova's Giselle answered that it can happen to any woman. In the peasant pdd, Sarah Lane danced well and her partner got the applause for elevation, despite a near complete absence of turnout and his habit of taking Sarah Lane of balance during every set of partnered turns... What made it more tragic was how good she was on her own. But as I said, the audience seemed to love him and like her. The corps added flavor during act 1, but in act 2 they were beaufitul -- not an arm out of place. Act 2 was just full of gorgeous arms, haha. There is more, there is always more, but it is too much. I'll end by saying it was very good and I am now a dedicated Veronika Part convert. Amen!

I admit to being hooked on Dance Academy! It's a teen drama, yes, but it's one of the good ones. All the characters have surprisingly developed backstories and personalities, strengths and flaws. One of the things that separates it from things like Center Stage is that the main character isn't always right, or nice, or 'being taken advantage of' -- she actually makes mistakes and has to learn from them. The drama stays nicely centered around dance, the one liners are funny, the kids are cute, the story ispleasantly unpredictable, and the occasional tongue in cheek references to more 'grown up' things remind you that it's okay to enjoy it even though you're not 14. I also have to commend the show for making sure you actually see that the actors can dance, get on pointe, turn, etc... And for the handling of 'issues', like delinquency, eating disorders, sex, drinking, and sexual orientation. It addresses them and sheds light on them without being heavyhanded in the slightest. Or, in the case of eating disorders, showing girls any 'thinspo' or 'tips'...a huge pet peeve of mine. It's really some impressive writing for a 'kids show'. Overall, the kind of guilty pleasure show you just can't feel that guilty about, because it's simply not that bad. I recommend watching it in marathons, late at night, with a friend and plenty of snacks.

I agree about the casting -- especially with Robbins, yes. There are dancers at POB who make every nontraditional nuance meaningful (Gillot, to name names) and some that seem to founder. I do hope we get to see some of the young dancers here, particularly Guerineau and Albisson. (And plenty of Ciaravola in Petit -- her legs are made for it.) From what I've seen they're powerful enough in technique and presence to make the most of the contemporary. My only qualm with such a contemporary roster (so long as this isn't repeated again and again in weaker and weaker distillations...) is that the more classical dancers like Letestu and Osta seem not to have 'showcase' roles available. As for the boys, it will be interesting to see what they give Yannick Bittencourt and the other young, princely ones, and how they handle it. The current and last generations of males seem marked by an earthly/manly style, but they seem to be veering away from that.

This season is much more interesting to me than the current one, in terms of programming and choreographers. I love the concept of the Nijinsky and Robbins Fauns being back to back. Wish I could understand French a little better to see if dansomanie forum goers agree or not. My main hope is that some of this ends up filmed/broadcasted!

The girl in roughly 38:00-43:00 is delightful. Any idea who she is? Or what the piece is for that matter... Edit: oops, answered my own question. Ekaterina Ulitina, Vienna Waltz I think. She has lovely feet and...moxie! I found a few other clips of her, but I'm not sure she's attached to any company.

Both good points, but... Personally, what I've always found remarkable in Kent from videos has been her fluidity (her back melts!) and her musical use of it...which isn't something showcased in Giselle's choreo. If it was Beauty or Swan Lake there would be no contest, but the appeal of the Osipova/Hallberg cast lies in the excitement and the pitch perfect casting. Not to mention their chemistry, of which I've heard much but sadly seen none! Osipova has that wonderfully grounded, realist aura to her -- I feel more apt to believe her as Giselle than Kent, which is not a matter of technique or acting so much as aura and approach. In some ways I find Hallberg to be almost her opposite -- refinement and beauty in spades. Not that Osipova lacks these, but her 'stand out' traits lie in other realms. For me, this dynamic serves the spirit of Giselle obscenely well. All too often I feel Giselle is a stray swan who is on her way back to the lake after partying with the wilis...and not for any dancer's lack so much as the currect ideal physique and stage presence being so....swannish! And Drew, that area is generally referred to as 'the Loop' and is Chicago's hub -- overall, very safe, with plenty of shopping and restaurants and venues and sights to see. In pleasant spring weather, expect lively hustle and bustle. Chicago loves spring. I wouldn't hesitate to walk around or take public transit alone in that area. My one recommendation is to stay closer to the lake and the further north you go, the better. Avoid the west loop area. For street name reference, I'd look at a grid north of Balbo, east of LaSalle, and south of Wacker. You'll be right by the Art Institute the Joffrey building, as well as several college campus buildings. Hopefully this gives you a feel for the area! Of course, you could also stay near the Magnificent Mile, which is just a few L stops away and just as tourist friendly, if not more. I have a feeling there might be more hotels that way. If you have any other questions I'd be more than happy to help.

Forgive me if there's already a topic for this (feel free to move/delete), but somehow I just now learned about the Giselle run. The casts look fantastic... Thurs., March 22 Julie Kent Marcelo Gomes Veronika Part Fri., March 23 Xiomara Reyes Herman Cornejo Simone Messmer Sat., March 24 Matinee Paloma Herrera Cory Stearns Stella Abrera Sat., March 24 Evening Natalia Osipova David Hallberg Veronika Part Sun., March 25 mat Yuriko Kajiya Jared Matthews Devon Teuscher I'm a bit torn between the Kent/Gomes and Osipova/Hallberg, but my schedule, finances, and preferences are leaning toward only being able to catch Osipova/Hallberg. It's between tickets and buying a long overdue TV, and I've chosen tickets, of course... Any thoughts? Also, any other Chicagoans planning on attending? Off topic, I know, but the Paris Opera Ballet will be in Chicago in June, performing Giselle and a mixed rep... A bit redundant, but of course I can't complain! Still, I wish they would perhaps do Sleeping Beauty instead.

New member (longtime lurker) here. I enjoy ballet as a casual fan, but in my age group (twenty somethings) that seems to be a bit unusal, so it's nice to know a place where my appreciation can be met with more than the sound of the proverbial crickets! Anyhow, nice to meet you all!