cargill

I thought Donizetti looked very under-rehearsed. Ringer was lovely in her solos and the jumps on point were so musical, but the pas de deux had some very shaky moments and some of the timing was very off. It is a lovely trifle and needs a lot of froth, which it didn't get consistently--but it was worth it for Ringer.

Well, the Alabama review mentioned a jester, so it is not that pure! There are several things I really find lacking about the Kirov version (not just Zakaharova's dancing), the jester, of course, the silly, prancing Rothbard, and the ending, but they also drop the mime, so there is no real story, just some extra flapping. I also thought the Kirov way of merging Acts 1 and 2 diluted the magic, because, to save an intermission, I guess, it had the Prince's park turn into the lake, without him having to go anywhere. For me, it seems if he can see the lake everyday, there is no sense of a scary, mystical place. (One of the many, many things I don't like about ABT's production, too.) I think the Royal Ballet's version is pretty straight choreographically, but of course the concept is ridiculous, and having Siegfried prance around at the beginning of Act 3 like he swallowed the jester is absurd. Anyway, I agree with Mel, I would love so much to see a real Swan Lake.

I think Ballet Review does have a tendency to publish items after a fairly long time lag--I know I submitted my ABT reviews last summer so I can speak from experience!

In terms of the story of Corsaire and characterization, I think it does matter very much. Just compare Malakhov's Lankendem with anyone elses (he is creating a character) or different dancers in the Pas d'esclave. Some just danced, and some danced the underlying emotions, and it made a huge difference. But back to the topic! Actually, I think with a great choreographer anything can be danced, and with a poor one, nothing works. Ben Stevenson's The Snow Maiden had pretty much everything that Swan Lake (or the Platonic version of it) had--Tchaikovsky, a human/supernatural interaction with a tragic ending, and a good excuse for the corps to wear white, but it still ranks as the Ballet I Would Least Want to See Again. I think often the problem with translating operas into ballets is that the ballets try to be too literal. Since no one can use mime now, the steps have to tell the actual story, rather than enrich or explicate specific emotions (like Aurora's solos do--can you imagine what the ballet would look like if the King had to dance "you are sixteen (or 20 or whatever) and you must marry"; ditto Siegfried's mother?)

In the Ingrid Bergman Anastacia, the film opens in Denmark with the Royal Danish Ballet (not the real one!) dancing a somewhat odd version of Sleeping Beauty, which of course is heavily symbolic of her supposed state of mind. And of course there is the ballet in Bye Bye Birdie.

I am sure it is a losing battle, but I really think that if a dancer is wearing a tutu or a long skirt, they should not be exposing their underwear! Unitards give a completely different feel, of course, but I do like to see some indication that the dancer appreciates style. Some of the most recent Liebeslieder's at NYCB had dancers in the first half--in their ball gowns, with their legs in the air, and their skirts flopping around their waists. It totally destroyed the feel of the ballroom. The same goes for Giselle and all her sisters. And too many times, extension comes at the expense of line, which is flashy but to my mind bad dancing. But back to Makhalina--I don't remember really noticing extravagent extensions when she was dancing. They were high, but not vulgar like some of the newer dancers. I just remember that Kirov visit, when Asylmuratova seemed to have heart and Lopatkina soul, and night after night we saw Makhalina dancing like she had just been elected Mayor of Dullsville and was extremely proud of it.

I suspect that there will be more than two male roles! In fact I wouldn't be surprized if Raymonda had a few male friends, and the White Lady somehow develop a White Male counterpart. I see a very extended jumping competition between Jean de Brienne and the Saracen, too. But it has some absolutely beautiful music, and I hope it works out. I remember Ananiashvili years ago in the Bolshoi version, and she was unbelievably lovely. If Part is still dancing with ABT, I think she would be stunning.

I haven't seen much of her--only a few times when the Kirov visited the US. The first was a number of years ago, when she was very very young, and danced the opening night Corsaire. I thought she was lovely, beautiful dancing, and a beautiful face. She was also wonderful as Lilac that year. Then the next time the Kirov came back, she was featured in everything, and she seemed completely different--utterly self absorbed, still beautiful but not at all interesting. Then she just disappeared from the company's US schedule. I would love to see how she has developed, because when I first saw her I thought her dancing was so elegant.

It was danced, as has been said, by Nilas Martins and Wendy Whelan for the Balanchine festival, and then the year after that, but then has disappeared. I think it is still listed on the NYCB's web site as in their repertoire, so maybe all is not lost! I loved it, even though I thought it needed a more classical cast. The music was beautiful, and the choreography, especially for the men, was as I remember, surprisingly difficult and intricate. Yes, it did look a bit like 4 T's, but what is wrong with that! Maybe they bring it back for the Balanchine Centenary.

Guillem's Giselle, which was based closely, as I understand it, on her Finnish version, was danced in New York by the La Scala ballet a couple of years ago. I saw it, and have to say I didn't think it was any improvement on the traditional versions. For me, anyway, I thought it was surprisingly undramatic--the character of Albrecht was very undeveloped, and the mad scene didn't register. I didn't like the scenery or costumes, either.

I think those of us of a certain age will all vote for Fonteyn! I only saw her last few Swan Lakes, and for me she has never been matched. Odette was so moving, so hopeless--even though she loved Siegfried and believed he loved her, she knew something was going to go wrong. There was such an undercurrent of tragedy in her performance. I will never forget the last act, when she mimed I will die with those beautiful arms and her whole soul. And I know I have said this before, but in the first act, when she first meets Siegfried and goes to the corner of the stage and folds her arms, I really did see wings. By then she really couldn't dance Odile, but yes, I could see that she was hard and crisp, trying to be Odette, rather than just slutty and trying to seduce him. Much more subtle and difficult.

I am pretty sure that the Solor dancing in Bayadere is a later addition--Chabukiani, I remember reading. Albrecht and James are Romantic heros,and are taken into the other world but Solor, Desire, and Siegfried are human observers, not really part of it. At least that is how it seems to me!

Mel, I think there are old sets of Ruslan and Ludmilla--when the Kirov Opera was here several years ago at least, the sets were from the early 20th century (along with some wonderful choreography credited to Fokine.) Even though they had to abridge it due to time constraints at the Met (it was one kidnapping short of coherence) I thought it was one of the most beautiful productions I have ever seen. Absolutely magical. As someone who thought the old/new Kirov Sleeping Beauty production was a true revelation, I would like to see more. Yes there were some peculiarieties--too many head whackers doing Aurora, but there were some truly wonderful illuminations. I loved the prologue where the court seemed dressed like people in lots of different colors, not like set decorations. Having Desire in heeled shoes in the Vision scene made so much sense. He is visiting a magical realm, which he can see (and we can see through his eyes) but which he is not part of. It is not his world, so he can't dance in it. It helped make the difference between the mortals and the magic so much stronger. And having Carabosse be invited to the wedding was such a gentle touch. No absolute triumph of good versus evil, but harmony and civility prevailing over a pedantic sense of justice. And the final scene, when the ceiling rises, it went so perfectly with the music--which is not surprising, I guess, because it was written for it! I don't think every production can or should slavishly follow it, but it does seem when there are reasonably early notes of choreography, producers should try to get as much pf the choreogrpahers intentions as is possible and feasible. The Bayadere was somewhat more problematic, I think. Just putting the corps in vague approximations of 19th century puffy wigs and letting them dance with modern extensions seemed to make both styles look out of place. But if I had to choose between a Kirov reprodution of Petipa and some of the modern versions (like ABT's Swan Lake, or the Bjornson Sleeping Beauty), I would vote for even the most rigid authenticity. At least someone later could make that come alive, while the modern versions are DOA.

Sarah Lane danced the pas de deux from Corsaire, as I recall it was only the coda so she didn't do her solo. Her fouettes were amazing, but even on that small, cramped stage very close to the audience (it was at the Guggenheim), she had a real sense of character. I had seen her earlier in an ABT Studio Company performance, where she danced the lead in a new ballet by a student (very much influenced by Interplay, and none the worse for it--it suited the young dancers very well), and thought she was lovely and lyrical. It was quite a switch to see her as a technical whiz kid, but I really thought she was something special, not just technically, but she seemed to have a real sense of how to create someone interesting on stage.

I was also struck by her dismissal of Von Aroldigen, who was after all as I understand it, very involved in the 1988 (?) revival of Liebeslieder, which was pretty unanimously regarded as a triumph of casting and coaching--and dancing, too of course! I wonder where the idea came from that all NYCB needs is a few Russian teachers.

I just got around to reading this, and thought it a very strange article. She went on and on about Balanchine's teachers who were based on Vagonova, but I think she got the timing wrong. Vagonova developed her teaching after Balanchine and people like Vladimoroff and Dubrovska had left Russia. Muriel Stuart came from Pavlova's company, which was strongly Cechetti, I think. She goes on and on about how SAB can't teach, but begins her criticism by condeming Sylve, who clearly had nothing to do with SAB! The dancers she praises (other than Peter Boal, of course) are mainly the ones I see as being particularly mannered--floppy hands, weak turns, etc. I think the Nation could have done better than this.

A corps dancer who I loved to watch (she has left, unfortunately) was Rosalie O'Connor of ABT. She was such a wonderful actress, and in small featured roles like Bathilde or the Ayah in Bayadere could bring a character to life. Her nurse was so evil and so slinking and so obsequious, without any scenery chewing. I still get shivers remembering the Rajah (Graffin) stalking over to her in the Bethrothal scene and her glee in giving poor Nikiya the basket. She was wonderful in Lilac Garden as the girl in white who cried, as well. I remember sitting with someone who had seen years of ballet and tended to be NOT impressed with today's dancers, sitting bolt upright and saying "Who was that?" when O'Connor gave Caroline her cloak. She was able to convey such a sense of sympathy and understanding in a small gesture.

For me, the most exciting part of the Gamzatti role is the confrontation scene, which is often done with Gamzatti in character shoes. (Which I like, as it makes her seem like a real person, not a ballet dancer looking for 5th position.) If that isn't done well and strongly, then she can turn like a windmill in her variation, but it doesn't create a character. I have seen Gamzatti done a lot of different ways, from Scarlett O'Hara to Gidgit with an attitude, and if the dancer concentrates on making the mime clear and forceful, they have worked. I haven't seen Bussell or Platel (a dancer I loved) in Gamzatti, but my first impression would be that they are too sweet and refined to be convincing.

Ditto for the footless tights--it is so HeatherWatts/1980's and a useless distraction--or would be useless if the choreography for the works were any better. Another costuming trend which I find distracting is having dancers in point shoes and bare legs. The combination of realisim and artifice (throbbing muscles and point work) seems to make the choreography seem artificial and silly. That was one of the many things I didn't like about the new Carosel--and having men in jeans do ballet steps had the same effect of trying to be realistic and fantastic at the same time, and being neither. (The other thing I didn't like about that ballet is that the pas de deux is extremely similar to MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet pas de deux, with a lot of flailing and flopping and hollow emoting, but that wasn't the fault of the costumes.)

I may not know how to define bad taste, but I know it when I see it! It includes obscenity and nudity because someone with talent could make their points without deliberately attempting to shock. And hands down, ballets which exploit individuals are in bad taste--including Eifman and any and all ballets about the Princess of Wales. Of course, tasteful works can still be bad, and I suppose I have enjoyed bad taste, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

This is probably off topic, but I am one of those tiresome people who feel that if you didn't see Lynn Seymour as the Girl in Green, you have missed so much! She was so very funny, flirtacious and fussy, and then all of a sudden so still, when walking with one of the boys. And then a burst of I don't care at the end. And that little wave of her arms at the end--she wasn't needy at all.

That sounds like a wonderful event, much richer than the little promotional chats we sometimes get here. As I wasn't there I may be presumptious in commenting, but in terms of Tchaikovsky's music being so much better than the usual um-pah-pah, I don't think Delibes should be forgotten. And Gade and Hartmann had written A Folk Tale for Bournonville, which is great music; Petipa was familiar with that ballet, I remember reading, and there are some interesting parallels between them. So the music for Sleeping Beauty didn't just appear out of nowhere. And besides, there has been much greater choreography to Minkus than to anything by Beethoven and Mahler! I was also struck by the comment that Sleeping Beauty was a political tract--I am overstating it, I am sure. Since everyone connected with the ballet were basically civil servants, no ballet could damn the Tzar, but I think there are much richer undertones to Sleeping Beauty. Vzevolovksy loved France and wanted to celebrate its culture. He thought the old Russian culture was backward, and wanted it more western, though I am probably oversimpliying things. He encouraged Tchaikovsky as opposed to the more Russian composers like Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Sleeping Beauty (which was his original idea) is very much a vision of a perfect, rational, and civilized France as opposed to the more uncouth Russia. The new/old Kirov version gives much more importance to the King and his being torn between justice and mercy, so I hope that isn't some of the mime that is discarded. It seemed to me that Sleeping Beauty (if the Kirov reconstruction is accurate) is also a meditation on the virtue of mercy over justice--Carabosse being justice. She is of course within her rights to be furious, but the Lilac Fairy, being mercy, is able to counteract the letter of the law. That is what the King decides in the knitting needle scene--justice says they should be beheaded, but mercy wins out. In the old version, Carabosse too is forgiven and is invited to the wedding (though well-guarded!), so evil is not destroyed by some overarching power, the court makes a very personal decision to forgive Carabosse. It is hard to imagine that this was only a tract for the king (though in part I am sure it was); it is such a strong message for everyone. I also think that the Lilac Fairy should be a principal dancer--it certainly used to be! I remember when the fairies in the prologue were often principals.

On the subject of Antique Epigraphs, I wish I had known Drew way back when--she could have talked to me! This cast looked as good as I have ever seen the ballet look, beautifully rehearsed and performed, but the ballet just so full of phony and pointless drama and goes absolutely nowhere, at least as far as I can see. I kept thinking it could have been called Dances at the Parthenon--I love Dances at a Gathering--when it is replayed in my memory with the cast I saw first, that is--but I wish he hadn't made it over and over again, getting hokier and hokier all the time.

I agree it was a great evening--though I don't really know what works were processing! In some ways it was almost too much; I would have loved to hear a lot more from each dancer about their training and experiences. David Halberg implied that he did not like being in Paris at all (he was at the school for a year) but said he got very good training, and it would have been interesting to here more about that--what he liked about the training, especially. Gomes and Murphy were a bit non commital about competitions, I thought. Murphy said since dance is an art, you really can't rank dancers, which made me want to cheer. It was a great venue to see these amazing dancers so closely, and John Meehan did a great job with the interviews. He seemed to love the dancers and to be so excited about their success. I overheard some ladies behind me saying they had to get tickets this season to see them, which is I think pretty much what everyone felt.

I was going to say Swan Lake, but actually I would love more than anything to see a real one--it's just that there aren't any left anymore. So if there had been a category for ersatz Swans I would have voted that way. Instead I voted for Nutcracker, not that there is any chance it will go away soon.