drb

Further confirmation and details are reported by Cuba's ACN news agency* regarding the two winners from that nation: * http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2008/0507fernandoalonso.htm

Me too! I was glad to to see that both ballerinas and both male dancers all dance with passion and emotion. I just found this Russian telecast of the winners receiving their prizes: http://www.1tv.ru/news/n121156 (I found this link on the Russian language forum that is often associated with the Bolshoi.)

A check of the Benois site* now lists these six, including ABT's Marcelo Gomes, as the 2008 Benois laureates: Details in English about all the competitors and their categories: http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/season/press-offi...ex.php?id26=905 * in Russian, bottom of the page: http://www.benois.theatre.ru/history/2008/

May 6, 2008 Janie Taylor's Dybbuk I went voluntarily and on purpose to see a ballet I very much dislike. The promise of seeing Janie Taylor onstage for more minutes than she's been on for full seasons was just too much a temptation. And so there they are, in Joaquim De Luz's dream. There could be no doubt they were in love, and should be. Janie-of-the-dancing-hair of course herself a dream. But then we see him spiral into madness, the madness of love not bounded by life or not life. Mr. De Luz gave a totally committed performance, of unbending dramatic power. Even his virtuoso solo drew not a single clap, so strongly did he hold to higher dramatic purpose. I have never seen this from him. For me this was true male dancing. As Ms. Taylor was taken, she was so complex, in a way yielding self to love, and finding fulfillment, even sexual, thereby; yet when emptied by the exorcism, remaining truly empty of self, with much the void eyes of Charles Askegard when as Schumann he walks away from Clara and into the sea, in Balanchine's Davidsbundlertanze. And yet, then, somehow her lyricism, her hair seemed on its own to dance her body. Yes, Mr. Cornejo spun forever, and held a balance long enough to even dazzle Cynthia Gregory had she been there. The cast of Fancy Free also gave us Damian as Damian and found Tyler Angle melding his lyricism to Robbins' virtuosity as his growth continues. Merovingian Queen Clotilde Otranto was the splendid conductor, who merited the audience's love. May Janie Taylor be forever free from injury, and grace our eyes and souls later this season with her Faun and Goldberg Variations.

Saturday matinee, May 3, 2008 Nor can I, canbelto: Mr. Macaulay has already posted thrice at the Times! Regarding this afternoon's performance I find myself very much in harmony with the Times criticism of Wednesday's performance of this program. Symphony in C was, perhaps, miscast at the ballerina level, especially given the alternatives available. Regardless of the technical wonders these ballerinas deliver, there was a trivializing one-note persona delivered by Abi Stafford in the first and by Tiler Peck in the fourth ('though, based on her growth in non-Balanchine roles, I share Mr. Macaulay's optimism re Ms. Peck). There must be more to Balanchine-fast than just one fixed smile. It has been a long time since the first movement seemed a masterpiece, although in recent times I'd learned just to watch Tess Reichlen's thrilling demi-soloist performance here, but she is no longer so cast. One may, I suspect, look forward to the cure when Ana Sophia Scheller takes command next week. In the corps were two I'd cast immediately in the leads: Kathryn Morgan for the first, Erica Pereira for the last. They both have demonstrated sufficient technical chops, and also each always brings extra dimensions that give the bite of life, that take dancing beyond the classroom. Ms. Peck's partner, Sean Suozzi, had that life and delivered a fine performance. In the third movement Megan Fairchild, while not there yet, continues to learn to flesh out her part, to escape from cutesy: there was a pleasing flourish to her dancing, and I suspect Mr. Garcia improved on the Times reviewed performance. Sara A. Mearns, partnered with care, nobility, and warmth by Charles Askegard, is gradually mastering some of the technical hurdles of the Farrell movement. This time her forehead came within an inch of her shin, literally feet closer than at her debut last year. While this remains casting against (technical) type, I did not find her as uncertain as seen by canbelto. As noted by Mr. Macaulay, her absorption with the role was enthralling. Yet, how on earth is Tess Reichlen not given this part, one that she was born to dance? Symphony in Three Movements was dominated by the central PdD of Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans, although their time is flying, especially elsewhere in the ballet. The duet is still magic, although a new team should be gaining experience while still being able to learn by watching this pair. Airy Sterling Hyltin and airborne Daniel Ulbricht supplied a fine contrast to the lead couple. While one might carp about the corps relative to the Mariinsky's precision, I'll take the home team's for its joy. The last two movements of Western Symphony were the source of great optimism. Kathryn Morgan's dancing had everything that was missing earlier in today's program. The technical dancing itself was superb, the Italian fouettes tossed off with ease. But for young Ms. Morgan neither this, nor anything else, is a trick. Everything is in context, as her characterization evolves with the music and "story". All-of-her dances, in a grand arc, a complete artistic experience. This is not acting, but inhabiting. Not "just the steps", but the steps in relation to one another, the steps as music. Her partner Adam Hendrickson joined in the experience, a beautiful duo to watch. The final movement is a priori an event, because Damian Woetzel's in it. And was he ever, dancing with that reckless abandon, retiring's gift of freedom that gives to us the artist's final gift: that he will always be for us forever young. And with this came THE ballerina turn of the day, Tess Reichlen dancing bigger and better and more joyous than ever. The Mariinsky has its Big Red, Ekaterina Kondaurova, but we have Tess Terrific. I ain't complaining!

Are there not three primary reasons for promotion? 1. A (financial) reward for long and exemplary service. 2. To hold on to a dancer who fulfills a very specific need (e.g., the tall man needed to partner a tall star ballerina). 3. Talent. A company needs stability, fit, and dancers with the electricity to attract audiences. When budget constrains, I believe that talent must get first priority. Hopefully an AD will not miss talent right under her/his nose, and not fall into "the grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome...

While Melissa Hayden may have been the NCSA instructor with the highest profile, it was Warren Conover, Frank Smith, Duncan Noble, and Fanchon Cordell - all ABT alumni - who applied the "finish" to Murphy that gave her a chance to succeed at ABT. After her success as Odette/Odile in March's Festival at the Mariinsky, Ms. Murphy gave an extensive interview to the Russian publication Vremya*. Following some extensive discussion of the difference in national criteria to perform white ballets (dancing en pointe, turning, in USA vs. use of arms and upper body in Russia), she noted that her performance was helped immensely by an extra week spent working on her arms at the Mariinsky, the topic turned toward her ballet education. Her first two years of serious training was with former ABT principal William Starrett in Columbia. Then she went to North Carolina, where Asked about Ms. Hayden's classes, she said While this is perhaps not the thread to go much further with this long interview, I cannot but conclude with the following. When asked whether she was satisfied with her stay in the citadel of "Swan Lake"?, she replied * http://www.vremya.ru/2008/49/13/200366.html

Now that Sarah Lane is getting her shot (Aurora) this spring... and just the right height for Mr. Simkin! Z-J Fang, wasting in the corps, certainly has the look of a Giselle, too! This NYCB season a flock of ABT men will dance with NYCB. Why shouldn't this relationship be transitive? Number 1 on Ashley Bouder's wish-list is Giselle, and she's already shown it is ideal for her with her Aurora (Vision Scene), Odette (the Giselle-cloned Martins Danish Lake Act 4), and the Russian in Serenade.

Photos of the Beauty in Motion program, mostly by Nina Alovert, are now posted in Ms. Vishneva's Gallery: http://www.vishneva.ru/eng/gallery.php

The Fifth Beatle. Ivan Vasiliev or Herman Cornejo?

YAGP has posted the winners at http://www.yagp.org/eng/nyc08.asp Mr. Vasiliev has a thread under Dancers. http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=25160 On it there is a video-interview with him from the British press last summer.

Balanchine Martins Swan Lake or Balanchine Swan Lake? (Will NYCB ever do the latter again?)

In January she was again promoted, and is now a First Soloist. Here is her updated bio from the Bolshoi site (in English). Don't miss the nine photo slide show of her (you can click on each to make them big). http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/theatre/ballet_tr...fo&id26=822

Then there is the matter of multiples. For this record, would a triple be counted as 1 or 3? Marianela Nunez did a quintuple in performance (can still be seen on You Tube, if you look for Nunez/5). Is this a record for multiples? Since someone can do five rotations, maybe true artists will quit this push for triples and artistry will matter more. What makes a perfect single? What about musicality and beauty?

Yes, Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle danced Petit's Carmen, but unfortunately placed directly after Osipova/Vasiliev. It was very sexy, of course, with direct references to traditional sex (he became a bed for her) and what one might (to remain apolitical on the Primary day) call White House sex. And the finale where she lies down upon him and he slides her down... Of course any artistic impact was numbed by following the Beatles. Also, would have liked to see her dance classically. Earlier Wendy Whelan (especially fluid) and Philip Neal danced the only substantial choreography of the evening, Balanchine's Chaconne (bloating the program notes with The Trust's arrogant pomposity), beautiful, but relatively unappreciated. The program ended with the Corsaire PdT. A very elegant, meltingly precise Mizuka Ueno partnered by the very elegant and soaring David Hallberg and a somewhat renewed and exciting Jose M. Carreno. Also Canadian Greta Hodgkinson and Bolle made the most that could be made from a PdD from Kylian's Petite Mort. Sarawanee Tanatanit and Blaine Hoven broke free from their career-confining ABT circumstances to dance beautifully in the premiere of Marcelo Gomes's Tacaca. We got to see two new members of Wheeldon's Morphoses in the premiere of Hougland's Alloy, sort of Wheeldon-on-the-floor-like: but Drew Jacoby and Rubinold Plank look unique, interesting, and I hope we will see more of them this Fall. There was a very entertaining piece by MOMIX, danced by Nicole Loizidies and former YAGPer Steven Marshall, on skis.

I was able to recognise Mr. Hernandez, 13, from Rock. Gold, Juniors(as many anticipated). A virtuosic stylist, 17, from The Royal won the Men's Gold. The woman's Gold went to a very impressive 15 year old(Mexico?), I think, and a young man from Germany I believe won something above that, but his talents were hidden by the worst thing I have ever seen (and again and again at Galas), that Brel cigarette-smoking monstrosity. But names, at least to my weak old ears were impossible to pick up. I am sure someone will soon post the list. The Rock School had a huge piece, by Christopher Fleming that filled the stage with dozens of magnificent dancers. What a triumph for that school.

Monday, April 21, 2008 Osipova and Vasiliev Assoluta Bouder excepted, Natasha Osipova is my favorite dancer in the world, so when the Stars of Today portion of the evening skipped by sans her Corsaire, I was unhappy, although there turned out to be much else to enjoy. As always this evening, the next dancer's name was stated first, during the applause for the last act... but through the noise "... of Paris" could be heard. Whew! So on came Natalia and Ivan. Just nine days before her delayed debut in the Bolshoi's Korsaro, what a splendid warm-up for her. It is good to see she is developing so fast, in leaps and bounds, well those are still there, but also in her maturity and style. She was glorious, but this was Mr. Vasiliev's New York debut. The next Baryshnikov? Of course not, just as Baryshnikov wouldn't have been Baryshnikov if he were a mere next somebody. In addition to Misha-ness, Ivan seems on the way to layering on a level of his namesake Vladimir! He is Bolshoi! But moreso, he is Ivan Vasiliev, unlike anyone else ever, and there is no one even remotely close. By the time we got to his second variation, his entrance was greeted by a thunderous wall of screams. He is the new Beatles! He couldn't hear the music, so backed off stage. Confusing the crew, and the lights were turned off. Then lights back on, and he reentered. The screams. Perhaps there was a cue, for this time the variation began. I suppose there will have to be a new vocabulary for what he does. Finally, Natasha's fouettes: doubles and triples. Then his tours-a-la-seconde? Well, no. Is "quads-a-la-seconde" an official ballet term? As Natalia rockets through Giselle, Sylphide, and next Corsaire, we can safely anticipate the next generation's Assoluta of all the Russias. As for Mr. Vasiliev, we can only wonder at the wonders to follow. I wish him good health, with that all miracles follow.

I believe that Maxim Khrebtov is on our far left (stage right).

Saturday evening, April 19, 2008 Souls Dancing TPC2 The Lopatkina/Zelensky pairing created immense anticipation, what with the two being seen as top competitors for a certain prestigious position! And Fate tossed so many strikes against them: her shoes terribly squeaky till late first act, and his through act two. Lots of squeaking by the corp, too. And incredibly ugly lipstick applied to Igor. Also, last night Viktoria Tereshkina had given an exhibition of perfect dancing by a perfect body. Admittedly she danced much of the time with the same monotone smile (but in the second movement's holy PdD she was moving); still, "just do the steps" when danced as she did was awesomely enough. Uliana comes out with a defiant look, plenty of authority. Later, Igor has entered and she comes back on stage, approaching him. There is a look of deep affection on her face, and as she's reached him there is a something-else from within that seems to continue flowing toward him. They are gravely serious, yet also happy, and seem very close. The point (repeated) where she moves away, her back toward him, one feels her attention is still on him, something emanating from her back. In her solo that ends the first movement she looks very happy, signs of that opening night surprise. (This happiness she shows: I've read last month's in-depth interview* in Expert, where she goes deeply, philosophically, into happiness, and tells how she'd never known it till being taught by her little girl.) Zelensky still showed some of his old NYCB virtuosity, watching through the squeaks... Then the holy second movement. And my favorite moment inTPC2: Lopatkina enters from stage rear left, moves toward rear middle, a grave, deeply sorrowful look, and then she approaches Zelensky through the parting corps. There were hardly bodies dancing, perhaps just two souls... and as she took her leave you knew she didn't want to, there was some force pulling her back and away, and her helplessness was... Well, this was not the emotionless ballerina one reads about, just maybe The Soul of Russia. In the third movement, somehow all was made right. Uliana Lopatkina was an explosion of Radiance. Huge ovations, followed by many curtain calls. Serenade again lost so much (to NY eyes) with the very slow music. But where Friday night Kondaurova's Dark Angel stole the show and applause, tonight she was the lead, called Walse in the program. As Helene said of Friday's performance, Ekaterina could dance any of the roles. Currently NYCB delivers an incomparable Russian/Angel pair in Bouder/Mearns, but suffers terribly by miscasting Waltz. If only Kondaurova were here! By now it looks like she can do everything. And does, each time I've seen her. She towered (not a height comment) over this production, and I cannot honestly recall her superior, since of course the incomparable Farrell. Yet again Olesia Novikova was called in for Rubies rescue. Friday night she was up against Kondaurova, Ekaterina's monumental sequence of penchees, and grasp that this is a SEXY ballet. That sexy aspect was missing from Novikova. This time her partner was Sarafanov, and did he ever get it! Such a wonderful playfulness, and the choreography flowed as something purely natural for two playful youngsters going for nature's next level of play. From Olesia, some hints of McBride, from Leonid, joyous, unforced virtuosity. Still, perhaps also tempo, not what NYCB can do, IF they've been given rehearsal time and pro-Balanchine casting. * http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest...view_lopatkina/

Yes, Andre, it has been that way since opening night. She owns us! While Diana Vishneva excelled in delineating her different personas with each of her partners in Tuesday's Steptext (but then what I most love in her dancing is her mind), Kondaurova was simply overpowering. She must know by now that she is an Event in NYC, and her dancing oozes confidence, joy, and complicity with her audience. The Act II pair of ballets did not grow on second viewing, but the finale, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, again dominated the program. Viktoria Tereshkina even surpassed her Tuesday performance, and Albrecht Sergeev also stood out. But it was that battle for Mikhail Lobukhin between Viktoria and Ekaterina Kondaurova that stands as one of the major high points of this visit. Just curious, is Big Red Kondaurova this great and so loved at The Mariinsky Theater? For our Balanchine taste, valuing dancing full-out, fearless, and fetching, she's a real Farrell/Bouder fix!

April 15, 2008 Ekaterina Kondaurova: BIG RED TRIUMPHANT! (But first a message from The Program: Igor Zelensky to partner Uliana Lopatkina in Saturday night's Ballet Imperial) The Forsythe program was a joy that turned into bliss in the concluding In the Middle..., that was highly elevated by a commanding Ekaterina Kondaurova. In the middle of the piece Big Red and Mikhail Lobukhin danced a duet that demands that these two dance the Agon pretzel. She is so precisely loose, limbs of grandeur, reaching so high that one would like to think she's in contact with Mr. B. She fills this stage, would fill the Met's, and even Madison Square Garden. Later, the ballet ends with her partner meeting Prima Tereshkina for the final PdD. But the lone Ekaterina lurks in the shadows, rear stage left, watching... Even as the sublime Viktoria and powerful Mikhail demand attention, the eye cannot avoid watching that dangerous red feline, lurking, planning, in the near dark. It is ending. Ekaterina approaches center stage as just in time Viktoria leads her partner off, to stage right. Kondaurova commands. The curtain falls, ovations and cheers begin. Numerous curtain calls, the greatest roars of all for Our Big Red. In all, the company really impressed tonight. First Diana Vishneva, serious yet glowing in Steptext, surrounded by the male triumvirate that she'd brought on her Beauty tour. One might have imagined her married to Igor Kolb, yet when she became attracted to the two young men, her look changed. That of a lightly romantic fling, with Alexandr Sergeev, then, with Mr. Lobukhin, she let go control a little as he swept her off her feet to exit stage left. However, she was soon back to Mr. Kolb, a little wiser and a little happier. Sorry, but I needed a story, as the butchering of Bach was painful, the early silence with house lights full on, seeming to confuse some ushers who were unsure, still letting folks in. Ms. Kondaurova will dance this in the last two performances. After intermission, a pair. First Approximate Sonata that began with wretched music that seemed to want to ape Bjork, but without her intelligence or voice. Andrey Ivanov had to make some sour faces, then his partner Elena Sheshina came out to brighten him up a bit. They talked, her voice off stage. (Later they would end the piece, talking again as she worked out some choreographic issues.) Then Ryu Ji Yeon brought a lot of charm in her duet with Sergey Popov. But what made this dance worth seeing was Yana Selina and Anton Pimonov. In their duet she suddenly traces love circles skimming the floor's surface, toward him. I refer to the movement in Ashton's Dream that Diana Vishneva directed toward Oberon in her ABT triumph, signaling that she would submit to love, if real and mature. Shortly Pimonov goes to stand rear center. She strikes a pose of incredible beauty, then with pure beauty dances off. Ekaterina Kondaurova (partnered by Maxim Zyuzin) is her grand and glorious self. But until her In the Middle..., it was the third couple (also fine in the last ballet) that gave my high point of the evening. The second of the pair was The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, a fun, balletic piece with those famous pancake tutus, starring Elena Androsova, Olesia Novikova, and Ekaterina Osmolkina. The two guys were Leonid Sarafanov and Andrian Fadeev. This was splendid, but it is almost cheating, using such glorious music (finale of Schubert's 9th).

One was sent to me. I am not a member and do not know why (I had purchased some tickets well before October: could they have obtained a list of such people from City Center?). I was motivated to then buy tickets (upstairs) for that performance, just on the hunch I might get to see Zelensky. I was not disappointed in his performance. Even the updated casting list that's been available in the outer lobby since the season began made no mention of Kolb's replacement.

Oh but he was not, Catherine. Kolb was to have danced Scheherazade with Vishneva on that Sunday afternoon. I know some Kolb fans who traveled from Japan to the USA specifically to see Kolb w/ Vishneva, who were extremely disappointed to get Zelensky -- not looking his greatest at age 40ish -- instead. Yes, Ardani did not list Zelensky, but he was to perform: the Sunday, April 6th performance was a Gala for the White Nights Foundation of America, who sent out the following information last October to sell Gala tickets. (Subsequently I understand a blessed event prevented Ms. Pavlenko from performing.) This was posted on the Kirov Ballet at City Center thread at the time:

Peter Boal Ratmansky or Wheeldon?

Natalia Osipova's appearance at the April 21, 2008 YAGP Gala at City Center, where she is listed as dancing Flames of Paris with Ivan Vasiliev, is confirmed on her website: Also noteworthy is that her debut (delayed from early January) as Medora is now scheduled for April 30. This is confirmed on the Bolshoi's site (Russian Version). Ivan Vasiliev is listed there in Pas d'Esclave. Since, as may be read in Sergei Filin's thread under Dancers, according to the Moscow Times he retires at the end of April, having him as her Conrad is a singular honor.