Drew

This sort of thing is definitely not about tight fifth positions. I thought Saturday night's performance kicked up a notch from Friday -- Vasiliev included (despite a hand down on one of his trademark indescribable leaps); he did less vamping and was somehow at once more under control AND more exciting. Bondareva, a little looser I think, added a bit more personality to her gentle soubrette manner and fluent spinning. But huge cheers from me for Irina Perren and Marat Shemiunov in the Soviet (or Soviet style) acrobatic adagio of Act Three. I enjoyed them last night, but they had just that much more confidence and ease this evening to make it special. They showed you what that kind of showy partnering CAN look like even if it almost never does. Generally this ballet has been a real treat. I quite enjoyed the afternoon cast as well...Though I missed Ugrekhelidze as Teresa...I depart NY early tomorrow or I would happily see it again.

I have liked Borchenko in the past, and she showed off a lovely upper body in the court ballet, but I thought Perren negotiated the challenges of the role of Diana - both in the court ballet and in the acrobatic revolutionary celebration - with a lot more ease, and also had lovely port de bras...Found Perren's pantomime quite charming as well.

I enjoyed this too; made a few comments in Giselle thread (by way of contrast). Perren's Giselle was very admired in London ca. 4 years ago. I was surprised she did not get cast in it here.

I did think the company showed to much (much) greater advantage in Flames of Paris than Giselle. I saw the opening cast - Bondareva, Vasiliev (who was born to be a great Soviet dancer), Perren, Sarafanov plus Ugrekhelidze... Am certainly looking forward to seeing Saturday's performances, too.Giselle had its interest and it's pleasures--I went Thursday--but I was disappointed in Sarafanov. Even Osipova, whom I consider a miraculous dancer, did not transport me quite as she has in the past. Nor did the company look anything like the energized and lively ensemble that made Flames of Paris so delightful. When I saw them a few years back, I thought their character dancing a special highlight. It still is.

I saw (and even remember bits of) that Wolftrap performance...

I don't know if she has made any guest appearances with other companies, but she has danced in the U.S. (including New York and Washington) on tours with the Royal Ballet.

Completely agree with the first sentence. I think Misty Copeland's aspirations are great...and presumably make her all the better a ballet dancer! For the rest: I still don't see why love of (some) Russian Ballerinas and admiration of Balanchine ticks off so many people...who also seem to take it personally. I assume the answer is something like 'lt leads to unfairness to others...' but I don't think that's fair.

With your list above in mind and for (what I judge to be) really "must see"--and in the theater--Balanchine's Serenade--already mentioned above, but I wanted to underline.

As noted above, I thought it was uneven...some parts quite off (in part, I assume, because the variation is new to her) and other parts quite lovely such as the turns in attitude en arrière, still other parts in-between...I thought she danced much better in the Bolshoi version of the "black" act when she danced in New York this past summer (those two performances I saw in the theater).

Thanks for posting this...

I saw these video bits as well. I thought Chudin looked gorgeous especially in the opening sequence of jumps but less preternaturally perfect in his finishes for final part of variation than he did at his first August performance in New York (which I saw in the theater) and where he seemed to me to show an almost Bruhn-like level of control. As for Smirnova--in this video when she really 'hits' something, it does look gorgeus and indeed much of this is very beautiful--at the best moments really dancing the difficulties rather than showing them off--but I think she is still smoothing out rough edges in parts of the variation. Not surprising in what is for practical purposes a debut (the variation is not the same as what she does at Bolshoi) and I think, too, she may have been a touch nervous. I like the fact that she opts for single fouettes at a decent speed/height and in place (though she seemed to lose a bit of control at the very end). None of this is meant as "faint praise"--rather what I think of as honest praise for two very appealing and talented dancers I like and admire a lot -- and hope to see again. I am also hoping some of the first two scenes turn up on video...Though one thing I don't think video will ever be able to capture is the warmth and charisma that Smirnova-Chudin bring to the stage in this ballet. It's an elegant, high-style, classical warmth--but warmth still seems to me the right word.

I was puzzled by one thing you said...I think the outside world you see through the window is the sylph's "magical realm" -- that is, her forest is not exactly a special supernatural place just for sylphs, and her sky is not a different sky from that of Effie and Gurn and James -- but she inhabits her "realm" in ways the humans cannot, is connected to it in ways they aren't. That's what makes it "magical." I think it speaks well to the Mariinsky's corps that you couldn't choose a sylph who "stood out"... Very enjoyable reading about these performances. Thanks for taking the time to describe them in such detail.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to the day I can seem him live...

From the interview: "It's not about how high your legs go. It's what you tell the audience with your movement."

This was kind of my reaction too...though I would be happy to see Lendorf dance anything. (Haven't seen him yet...)

How disappointing for your friend. I do think that in a lot of theaters the box office closes once the performance is underway. (Usually box office hours are indicated somewhere on the theater's website, but I understand that one might just head for theater assuming one had enough time to purchase the tickets...)

Thanks for posting...

I could barely see much of Acheron. At least there the darkness corresponded to the theme announced in the title. But in general I'm not crazy about ballets I can't see...

Thank you very much for all of these links. I think this last one got switched with another (New Yorker one)--maybe the one below will work: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/11/wendy-whelan-ballet-restless-creature

The situation seems too volatile for Gelb to be pleased (especially given what must be his concern over what donors will do).

Peck is very "hot" right now, but "old [and] overextended?"--he has only been prominent for about a year...In many ways, he and his audience are still figuring out what kind of choreographer he is going to be...

Very interested in reading your impressions of the Mariinsky in this and other performances. I think their corps is incomparable in Swan Lake.

In response to some comments above re Osipova's return to dancing with ABT: I think Osipova offers the company considerably more than $$. She has cancelled several performances (I had tickets for them), but so has Vishneva during more or less the same time span (I had tickets for them too) -- and, in fact, I actually saw Osipova replace an injured Copeland in Firebird. More importantly, she has also brought tremendous artistic excitement to the stage and, by the by, helped generate a fresh performing intensity from Hallberg. I'm not sure who people think is a better partner for him (unless maybe in The Dream in which I thought he paired well with Murphy). And whatever comments she has made about dancing with ABT only at the Met--one was referred to by Plisskin--in the past she also toured with the company more than, say, Vishneva; we can assume that now she will only dance at the Met--but that puts her in company with a lot of ABT guest/principals however much more tactful they may be in interviews. Osipova may not be everyone's cup of tea--well, obviously she isn't--and if she continues to cancel here and there, the company can decide if it wants to revisit its relationship to her, but the performances I have seen her dance count among my happiest and most memorable ballet-going experiences. (Uh...if not an 'old-timer' I am at the very least a middle-aged timer, so I can compare her to a lot of great dancers even if I don't see as much now as many balletomanes living in NY do.) For the rest, I'm excited and torn about the upcoming season because I will only be able to see about half of what is on my "cannot miss/must see" list and will have to forget entirely about performances that only rank on the "I really wish I could see that" list ... (As excited as I am about Sleeping Beauty with a wide range of appealing casts including possible chances to see Lane's Aurora and Boylston's debut alongside Vishneva's or Murphy's Aurora, I must admit that my heart skipped a beat when I saw a Smirnova-Chudin Bayadere on the schedule.)

Does Simkin dance Mercutio? (It's casting I can picture...)

Tereshkina did one as well that people on this website liked a lot (w. Shklyarov). I think Smirnova danced with Muntagirov. I was not able to see either performance, but if I had the opportunity would be especially thrilled to see Smirnova/Muntagirov in major roles w. ABT. I would be surprised to see ABT get through this season without some guest artists whether returning or new.