drb

Out of curiousity, as I have never seen the Kirov's Don Q live, what would folks say were some of the better (recent) performances? And what about if they had to choose a Kirov dancer to debut as Kitri/Basilio/etc?

Well, they recently imported Natasha Osipova to dance it with Sarafanov. Just before that, his partner was Novikova.

Completely off topic, but did someone shout, "Stella?"

Hey, on this forum it's Kowroski not Kowalski.

... Misty Copeland continues to charm in the first act as the woman who flirts with the prince's friend & winds up with the prince...

Well, not quite! I always enjoy Mr. Franklin's intense concentration as the Tutor. While Misty dances with the Prince he watches with such stern disapproval, even commenting on the Prince's misbehavior to some people near him. But once the Prince leaves, it is Mr. Franklin, grinning happily, who, arm around Misty's waist, leads her off. So, score one for the faculty!

It has been another of those seasons where everyone notices Misty, but will management ever? Promotions, so many are deserved...

According to the Met website(Ticket order), Stella Abrera will replace Xiomara Reyes in Cinderella on Wed matinee and saturday night.

Today's edition of the casting sheet handout at the Met agrees, giving her partner as M. Cote. This is her big opportunity, don't you think?

We should anthologize ourselves.

Isn't that this?

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Nina, not Nina-44

Frederic Franklin starred as the Tutor tonight, guaranteeing total clarity for Act 1's story of the Prince. The new, noble Angel Corella took care of the rest. Again no corps people were allowed the chance to step up in the PdT, but at least it was much better danced than on Tuesday. Angel's spiritual longing for what-he-did-not-know after being given that doomsday message from Queen Bystrova was transformed into dance in the soliloquy, vituosity now hidden, or serving, eloquence. He was to be an outstanding partner for Nina in the dance and drama that followed.

When Nina leaped out on the lakeside it was the beginning of one of the best (sorry for that word) performances of the season. At no time would we see that amazing 44-year old Ananiashvili that we enjoyed in the Gala. All we got was the amazing Nina Ananiashvili, just the same one we loved years ago. Her mime echoed and rippled through her body as she told of her capture and confinement. Her Odette was as before, although it seemed decades since La Swan's wings were so real. The adagio tingled the spine with its effortless poetry, her flexibility, the perfect fit with Angel. A roar errupted as the adagio ended. The variation too gave no sense of a three year pregnancy leave, it was so simple, so effortlessly flown. Once she'd gained Angel's pledge, the Swamp Thing aspect of the Evil Magician jolted his control through her almost free human body, leashing it back inside the swan, she turned her Russian back (as she's said, she's Georgian, but a Russian Ballerina) to us center stage, and made that rippling wings exit seem more generous in time than ever. I hope that Diana Vishneva was lucky enough to still be here to see this. This, of course in her own way, is what she needs to fulfill her Odette. Other than Ms. Part, that is so for all ABT Swans...

Of course there was no hope that Ms. Ananiashvili could pull off Odile's pyrotechnics so effortlessly. OK, so the adagio gave no hint of age, she was very hot and had Angel quickly hypnotised. So real was her deception that Angel stroked each of her wings so erotically that you hoped her arms weren't ticklish. And yes, when he set her on balance there was no wobble, no sense that she'd ever need to leave that graceful position, just old Tschaikovsky forced her on. So she pulled that off, but the variation? Well that scored another 100%. But surely she'd be too tired for the fouettees. 32, right in place, with a few arm tosses just to keep her from being bored with too much ease. And all this perfection fully in character, with panting hot Angel so taken that he tossed off what looked like a 33-tuple pirouette in response. She rejoiced with such total glee as her deception crushed poor Mr. Corella. I'd like to think that glee was also being felt by that mighty woman inside the birdsuit. Surely it filled the hearts of the screaming audience. Nina Ballerina tonight turned pure evil into pure love. Jared Matthews, by the way, was quite a fine (was this a debut?) Evil Magician. A good omen for him, especially as it follows his great success in Romeo and Juliet's mandolin solo, inasmuch as great Rothbarts Gomes and Hallberg have graduated to Siegfried. It will be a farce if he is not promoted to soloist.

Back on the lake, Nina and that new and perfected Angel were in such tragically romantic harmony that poor Swamp Thing might as well have got out of that uncomfortable costume two acts earlier. Angel gave not a hint of acting, just a pure simplicity of expression that told he'd fully grasped his error, sin, and now hopeless love. Yet when Swampy dared to part them a kind of anger crossed his face, with the Power of an Old Testament Prayer; I got the feeling it was answered. But offstage in a higher place, not in that cheapening apotheosis.

Around 10 curtains.

I was very fond of the late Denis de Coteau, in San Francisco.

By pure chance, while I was a grad student at Stanford (science not the arts), I stumbled into his Master's concert, and still remember enjoying it. One of those seemingly little events that helps enrich one's life, as it led to later going to a classical concert at Carnegie Hall after moving to NYC, which led to ...

My new favorite is Nicolette Fraillon, at NYCB. With her gift for Stravinsky, I hope she'll be here for a long time. My overwhelming favorite (for one performance, NYCB's winter season) was His Excellency Maestro Gergiev, 'though one might not count as a ballet conductor one who never looks at the dancers...

Thanks, Dale, the article really covers a lot of ground.

On being coached by Gelsey Kirkland for Princess Florine and some of the Fairy Variations:

After I’d already performed it, she scheduled an extra half hour and worked on it more. ... during the rehearsal I realized it is possible to get more out of something and to keep striving to get and to not just be content. ... For the Fairy of Joy, she made me put much more energy into it, in a way that wasn’t just fake energy, but a reason to be joyful. Like you have this excitement because you can’t wait to tell somebody something. She kept saying, “Spread good news.” And with Charity, during one rehearsal, I was moving back on the diagonal, and she said, “You can give so much more. What do you want to say to people from inside?” She didn’t even give me anything specific, but I literally almost started crying right there. It makes me connect with a part of myself and my life that I can’t really change in reality.

On still being in the corps de ballet:

... if I think about it too much, it will be detrimental because I do kind of stress out. It just makes my dancing worse because I get too tense. I feel like I have to prove something and it’s definitely not what I want my dancing to be about. If I stay in the corps forever and I don’t lose that quality of peace and that willingness to do something because I love it, that would be enough for me.

On her coach, Irina Kolpakova:

I love Irina. She has so much energy, she’s so inspiring and enthusiastic and when she demonstrates things, she has such innocence and a sweet joy. It makes you less tired. ... She was giving me relationship advice in rehearsal; she was talking to me about my wedding [she flashes her engagement ring]. I’m getting married to Luis Ribagorda, a boy in the corps. He’s from Madrid. I was telling her that my wedding was going to be in a year in August and she asked, “Why wait so long?” We decided that we’ll do it in December.

Congratulations, Mr. Ribagorda!

. What makes her great, he gets. To me the "if or how fouettees" is secondary for Odile (unless, of course they achieve classical purity, or joy of virtuosity--a la Murphy). What matters was her wild passion that would not stop powering up, no-matter-what.

I respectfully disagree that the fouettees were a dramatic choice (if that's what you mean). To me it looked like she starting turning with a lot of force hoping that she could muscle her way through, which is actually the only way to do it with Russian style fouettes. I looked at her ability to continue not as wild passion but as a dancer survival instinct; keep going no matter what. For me, as soon as she started I knew it was not likely to go well, so I forgot characterization and kept my fingers crossed!

I don't disagree at all with what you say. In rehearsal Vishneva (in cooperation with her partner) creates a whole dramatic arc for a given performance (and, as she often says, always rejects it as soon as the performance ends, and will start from scratch for the next performance)*. Whenever I've seen at least two of her performances of a given role this has been evident; I've certainly no reason to doubt what she says. In fact my favorite way of enjoying her work is trying to discover the arc she has created.

So I suppose that her approach to the fouettees for this particular Odile would be consistent with her story arc, and agree with you that it was not a dramatic choice for just the fouettees in isolation. As you say, she started turning with fearsome force (IMO consistent with her dramatic vision for this performance's Odile). From the way I've learned to see her performances, I appreciated her holding on to her dramatic intent (because that is what I was watching, it is how I enjoy her unique art), while I think you appreciated (from an actual dancing point of view) the survival realities involved in these fouettees. I think the "no matter what" is something we were both grateful for! Thanks for crossing your fingers, I just quit breathing. Whatever we can do to help! She is exciting, isn't she?

* She gives remarkably many interviews on what she does, her method. This one, at the end of her previous ABT season, gets nicely into these matters, partially in context of last summer's performances. Also includes a comparative analysis of the many versions of Swan Lake that she's danced. (I'm sorry that this is in Russian, but if you let both altavista and google translate it, and put them side by side, you can get a lot of the content.)

http://www.russian-bazaar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=8848

...in my opinion, the frequent differences in opinions on this board among experienced balletomanes illustrate how large of a role subjectivity, or at least objectivity insufficiently articulated, plays in our judgments.

IMO, in caps, the phrase of the day. Cool, kfw.

[caps added by me for emphasis]

It's too bad there isn't more available video of Farrell during her Bejart years...

It's too bad there isn't more available video of Farrell during her Balanchine years.

Thanks, Dale. Wow!, it seems that Katie Morgan is being fast-tracked, with two Juliets, a Carousel, and three Stars & Stripes in two weeks! I wonder why there's no Pereira/Peiffer R+J, obviously the pairing that transcended the production's issues? She was certainly noticed in the Corps this June. Hopefully Tiler Peck will be back soon, a late scratch for the season's last Jewels. OT'ing back to week one, La Sylve! Oh yes, Peter jumped the gun on McKenzie, who'd promised an Aurora's Wedding for next year, to include the parts he'd amputated from his Sleeping.

I agree that the Time's coverage was unequal, and although I enjoy Macaulay's writing his prejudices are becoming glaringly obvious and very annoying. I'll address that a little further on the Macaulay thread in the "Writings on Ballet" forum, but just wanted to note here that the digital version of today's NY Times (6/26) has a 3 1/2 minute video from Ferri's farewell on the front page. Go to www.nytimes.com and scroll about halfway down the page to their Video section

Susan

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html

You see nice bits of the performance, Bolle's famous shoulder beds in a Balcony Lift, Franklin performing holy duties, the final death of Ferri, flowers, including Franklin's for Ferri, celebrants, her bows...

Saw Vishneva/Gomes tonight. I was glad I went. I loved Visnheva's Odette. I thought she used her flexability very expressively and musically. Her variation was ravishing.

I also liked her Odette, feeling it was her most successful so far with ABT. The Russian back and arms were convincingly swan-like, and her dancing was especially pure, allowing the story to be expressed primarily in the clarity and inflection of her miming, and in interactions with Marcelo Gomes. He is the first ABT Siegfried to really connect with her method.

Tonight she chose to counter-balance her pure and refined Odette with a wildly powerful and erotic seductress of an Odile. To me Odile had been her problem here until now, but this was the most thrilling and engaging Odile I have seen perhaps since the very young Sylvie Guillem. The opening adagio was a miracle of connection: every step was a part of this seduction, so focused upon Marcelo. And especially her eyes and lips. She was not just looking at him to make sure her moves were serving their purpose, but to suck his eyes into hers; and his slightest erotic response woud be amplified in return by hers, in a way that told him he was turning her on: Ms. Vishneva understands men. When she kissed him just below the nose, well, he was one doomed sucker! As the PdD went on, her wildness and risk-taking increased beyond bounds of safety, so that she indeed needed a couple of saves during her 45 rotations, but after each she dared to go wilder still: it was all to him, he was her purpose and she became his universe. By the end of her display, as the audience shouted and screamed and applauded, he grabbed her hand and seemed to try to swallow her whole arm in an erotic fervor that surely crossed that line of dancer/partner reality that is central to her way (one might think of Ferri's words regarding her partnership with Bocca). I have never seen him so captured beyond control by a ballerina, and of course he already is our best at that! So, an utter triumph for Marcelo; in just two performances (Manon and this), such fabulous chemistry. What makes her great, he gets. To me the "if or how fouettees" is secondary for Odile (unless, of course they achieve classical purity, or joy of virtuosity--a la Murphy). What matters was her wild passion that would not stop powering up, no-matter-what. It was a brilliant and daring and risky way of telling this night's living story of Odile, they were both fully committed to their plan, they lived it and rocked the house. She's got her partner, and earned her triumph.

Their final act brought back her purity, as together they made the McKenzie version stuff invisible.

The other casting showed exactly why, in addition to the AD's total corruption of the greatest classics (What will he do to Giselle? This is more than a parenthetical issue.), I have lost hope for the company's future under McKenzie. In such roles as those in the PdT, where are the budding hopes for the company? This is where the next generation needs to show its stuff, so that they can prove they're ready for the next level. And burn hope in the hearts of the fans. Sure, some of our favorites from the soloists level might give us some pleasure, but such roles are not tests for soloists to become principals. They are the life-blood of possibility for the corps. Let them be danced by dancers for whom they are career life-or-death matters, portals to stardom that will of necessity be danced with all-out effort. I mean this as no disrespect to Riccetto, Abrera, and Saviliev. They are already there, and these roles just don't lead to where they might wish to go.

It seems like Part would be the next obvious promotion, though I don't think ABT knows quite what to do with her. She dances lead roles in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, and yet she is completely absent from other ballets.

Also Bayadere, Raymonda, Giselle (Myrtha), R&J (Mommy, a lead role when she does it), Mozartiana.

I never used to count, but after seeing the ENB disaster, I've started doing it as a sort of nervous tick.

I do like the fouettes, but as others said above, Maya Plisetskaya didn't do them in "Swan Lake" (on principle, I think) and she's my favourite Odette/Odile of all time. Then again, Plisetskaya is just in a class of her own.

I count them too, and really enjoy them most of the time. Maya did them the first few times, but once she owned the role she dumped them. Her reason was that she'd been too lazy (during WWII!) to take the train to Leningrad, where the best teacher for fouettees was, so never learned to do them properly. (from her autobigraphy)

... as a total dancer Bouder is, I suspect, peerless these days.

I would not require 32 or even any fouettees for an Odile. To do so would have deprived Muscovites of about 900 Swan Lakes with Maya Plisetskaya (well some New Yorkers too, including me). And if NYCB's beloved little Imp announced before her next Swan Lake that she would spin sitting on a swivel chair instead, I'd be first in line to buy a ticket (well, more precisely second, as I'm sure I'd find carbro already there before me)!

... Where did you find this? I can't locate it.

Here is her site. Click contact. She is really sweet to her fans, and has a sense of humor! And don't miss the photo gallery.

http://www.vishneva.ru/eng/index.htm

In her own inimitable manner, Ms. Vishneva addresses her impending Swan Lake performance on her website today:

Tana: I heard a lot about you and I`m going to see you on June 26,07 at the Mets in Swan Lake. I`m looking forward to a great performance

Diana: †Good luck.

I'll just add a "me too" to the bravas for Ashley's Rubies. I didn't think she could top the debut on Saturday evening, but she did. Tess Reichlin was also spectacular this afternoon. And it's good to see Ben dancing so well, after his injuries. The high point of today's Emeralds was Jeny Ringer and Jonathan Stafford in the "walking pas." ....

I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms already. . .

It was a worthy performance for season's end. Very quietly, in terms of hoopla, today's Clotilde Otranto, and Nicolette Fraillon (What a Symphony in Three Movements!), have truly impressed as conductors. I hope we hear more from them.

Of course today's story is the girl-next-door (to Mr. B.), Assoluta Bouder. How she makes a Balanchine role better than his choreography! Which, of course, is how he planned it... America's Dance-Actress, The Inhabitor, with the bonus of a decent amount of technique, just to flesh it all out. Also, the new-look Tess Reichlen, her break-through WRENS glamour now bursting through everything else she dances: in Rubies resonating with Ashley's sexiness, as the two amplified each other's efforts.

A special thank you to Maria Kowroski for Diamonds. She had to dance both hers and Wendy Whelan's. Not to mention all performances of Farrell in Schumann, for me her signature role, plus VC's. Really way overworked; indeed, 26 lead roles in the last four weeks. This for someone just a year removed from a major absence due to mono. Courageous dancing, ravishing in the adagio, and finale. I can hardly blame her for being a bit tired in the first variation. Maybe someone important should think about the risks involved in blockhead programming... But late this season Maria has given me some truly moving experiences, and I am deeply grateful to her for them. Chuck Askegard exploded with some terrific bravura. Great that this also terribly overworked dancer seems more than all the way back.

Perhaps this year will be remembered as the one where the new generation took full command: Bouder, Mearns, Reichlen. And just in time (I hope).

I especially enjoyed it when beaming Friar Franklin (70 years a Principal, when does he get his Gala?!) gave her a huge bouquet, white flowers, of course, from the priest who married her. The Ferriettes were wonderful, as was the way mommy held them back so they wouldn't get too near the pit ... the little ones busily gathering up bouquets! Did you notice how careful Ms. Ferri was not to step on the central pile of bouquets, would walk around them? For one of the later calls in which the curtain was fully open, the Met produced a beautiful effect, as she was standing alone on center stage: the curtain slowly closed in a special way, forming an arched frame with her in the center. As it closed, perhaps management expected the audience to accept it as her last call. After another have dozen, at least, it finally ended, about 25 minutes.

Alessandra's last act was indeed special, over-the-top but seemlessly held together, a summa of her life as Juliet: she was 13 and all other ages at once. The perfectly arched and pointed Ferri feet, even for her last time (at least for ABT) she lay in death.

I do feel that Bolle was much more effective in Manon, very technically exposed as Romeo. However there were some powerful partnering moments: in the Balcony PdD, the lift where she lies across the back of his neck, supported on each of his shoulders, you can see why she has described his shoulders as being a bed!

... Her Odile was problematic but I chalked it up to the amount of adrenaline she had pumped into Act II & a consequent drop after.

...Don't pre-plan your response. Let her take you on her journey. It will be worth it.

There are at least two reasons for optimism:

Last year, prior to going on as Odile she gave J. M. Carreno a large RED kiss on his cheek for good luck, but timing was too late, as they had no time to completely clean it off before their entrance. Which broke them up, laughing, and they rather messed up the Black swan PdD. Obviously that won't happen again. Also, her partner is to be Marcelo Gomes. They showed an immense rapport last week in Manon: he gave her Hurculean support, as she was still weakened by bronchitis. He could well be the partner she needs in Swan Lake (he has been for every other ballerina he's danced with!).

Yes, and we will miss her greatly, deeply.

On the last evening of her 34th year at City Ballet, Kyra Nichols danced a huge workload with joy and passion and abandon, full-out, yet nothing was broken but hearts.

The central ballet was Schumann, in which Kyra played the domestic aspect of Clara, that of wife and mother to their numerous children. In her first scene with Charles Askegard's Robert, perhaps an early, healthier time in his life, they related warmly and tenderly, her frequent touches so delicate, yet seeming to reach beyond the story to her company itself.

Much later in the ballet she dances the solo where Clara seems to be taking stock of their family, she tours the stage, frequently dipping one or both hands down to child level, as if brushing one here, caressing another there, petting this one, grazing the cheek of yet another,... but one sees that her husband is momentarily the missing element in this picture. At times, she brushes her forehead or eyes with the back of one hand or of the other, exits with both hands crossed over her eyes. The source of this inquietude enters, the very agitated Robert. Mr. Askegard is disoriented, suffering a bout of paranoia with the demonic scribes, his critics. His illness breaking the balance of their family. Maria Kowroski, the Farrell-like Muse dimension of Clara, she was the greater pianist of the two, inspiring his compositions, tries to muse him up from his pit. He does create a brilliant final arabesque-y lift for her exit, but art is no longer sufficient to lift him from madness. Later, Kyra tries to dance him back, leading his hands with hers, warm gestures of love and family, but Robert, holding on with only his empty eyes, slowly pulls loose from her reaching, guiding hand and softly backs into the sea.

Just tonight, perhaps Clara's children are our company's dancers, and Schumann those who gave the company creative life; a farewell from Kyra to Mr. B. and Robbins and others from the creative staff, to Suzanne and Jacques and all the dancers of then, and dancers very much of now.

She leaves a circle of talent that remains inspired: this is the only company that I regularly see that can present a trio of such great ballerinas in a single work as seen so blessedly tonight in Serenade, Kyra, Ashley, and Sara. Now it becomes necessary to get it up to three again, with one so crucial element gone. I hope Ms. Nichols stays a part of things here, as she goes on with life. Her connections with NYCB, so organically there for all to see this special night, could hardly let it be otherwise.

Cornejo had been replaced due to injury as far back as Bluebird, so it's likely he agreed to do Mercutio as long as he didn't have to do the Mandolin Dance, which is normally done by Mercutio. Why the company felt the need to announce it prior to Act II when it was listed in the program is a puzzle. He was clearly limping at the curtain call so his injury would seem to persist.

drb, the head-to-toe inspection/rejection of Paris to which MacCaulay referred (the one in the choreography) and the one to which I thought you referred is in Act III, not Act I. She doesn't reject Paris until she's in love with another.

And my vote also to Part for a gorgeous almost but not quite over-the-top Lady C! So musical in every detail. I don't understand how MacCaulay can be so blind (and deaf!) to this woman's magic.

Thanks for the explanation, Zerbinetta! Funny Mr. Matthews didn't get an individual call, since he did the work! There certainly have been a lot of injuries this season, unlike past years. Maybe the age factor, using just the same dancers year after year after year. I see Macaulay's review now has a supplemental correction, but for Paris, not for Part. By the way, back when injuries and illness plagued Manon, seeming to force Ferri into four performances, was there no backup Manon if Alessandra hadn't come through?

Could this have something to do with the renovation schedule at City Center? I wonder. The performance calendar for the Main Stage looks fairly empty after this summer.

Maybe they are doing something now? (Though somethig called Gypsy fills their July schedule.) With Wheeldon and ABT in October/November, Ailey December (always a sell-out five weeks, no?), Vishneva's Beauty Tour a week in February (already being sold), Taylor much of March (again, a fixture), Mariinsky three weeks in April (already being sold). Will there be another Fall for Dance in September? Will the 2008 Ananiashvili State Ballet of Georgia Tour play here? The five venues announced so far seem to suggest a tour beginning out west, through the midwest to ?, as winter marches on.