cargill

She danced an excerpt from Giselle (the 2nd act pas de deux) with Herman Cornejo at the recent Studio 5 (from City Center) program honoring Cornejo's 20 years with ABT, and even in that setting (no stage, no sets, bright lighting) I thought she was magical. I really hope I get to see her do it.

Oh my gosh, that is just too cute!

It was a touring company in Texas I think.

Those 19th century stagers really went all out--I can remember my grandmother talking about seeing Ben Hur with a live chariot race.

The author seems to have been quite successful, going by Wikipedia. I loved the titles of his other works on the cover page!

Well, time does fly.

I just saw that Maina Gielgud has posted this on her youtube channel. "Steps, Notes, and Squeaks" was a program she devised about 25 years ago, and one of the versions has Beriosova coaching the grand pas de deux from "The Sleeping Beauty". She doesn't dance it, but she does move, so it is possible to get a glimpse of what she must have been like. Her part starts about about 27:50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzldHPaQNmw

In some productions she presents them to her mother, which is a much nicer touch!

Well, she is in good company--John Martin of the New York Times dismissed Symphony in C as "That ballet of his, this time for some inscrutable reason to the Bizet symphony". The second movement (which I love) is like Swan Lake without Tchaikovsky.

She certainly cut the pas de chat in her solo, just before the fouettes--or at least just barely indicated it.

Yes, I remember it. It was years ago, and Stiefel was wonderful as the boy in blue. Gillian Murphy (I think she may have been a soloist then, but maybe she was in the corps) was phenomenal as one of the girls in red. (with all the turns)

It is a combination--Sleeping Beauty in practice costume would certainly not be as effective as the complete production. Costumes are important for the overall look and effect of a piece--City Ballet did "Les Sylphides" in practice costumes for a while--it is certainly great choreography but it just looked flat.

Last year, I went to an interview with Ratmansky and Cassandra Trenary, and he talked about "Whipped Cream" as a ballet feerie. At the question time, I asked him if working on Sleeping Beauty had influenced his thinking and he said "Most definitely". Here is the quote from my writeup. "There are a number of processions in the ballet presenting these, [fantistic creatures] which he said are based on the ballet féerie idea. (Petipa's "The Sleeping Beauty" is also a ballet féerie and in answer to a question at the end of the interview, Ratmansky said emphatically that his work on "The Sleeping Beauty" was a great influence on "Whipped Cream".)

I remember her performance in "Symphonic Variations". She was one of the side girls, and It was the first time I had heard of her. She was absolutely stunning. I saw a ballet acquaintance on the subway later and we both just said "Fang!". There was such a serenity about her and absolute authority. She used to do the nocturne in "Les Sylphides" too, which was so lyrical, and again, had such quiet authority.

I think you meant Apparitions, not Illuminations, though it would be fascinating to see him in that one! Sarasota has done Illuminations, so we can hope.

Maybe she changed for the curtain calls! I definitely remember a dress with colorful splotches at the beginning of Act II.

It looks like they are using the first act Bonne Fee costume now for the finale--I saw it the first two nights and she had changed for the second act into something more colorful, though I didn't think it was quite as elegant as the first act one.

Everyone had hats and they were gorgeous! Especially Boylston's in Act I. I loved that the hats were part of the choreography, bobbing around.

As I recall from the Maryinsky reconstruction, Nikiya was certainly in character shoes in the first scene, and point shoes in the shades. I actually don't remember if she was in character shoes other times, but I do remember she did the sad little dance before the poison flower trick carrying a vina (a sort of a guitar). There are some vestigal gestures sometimes now in that solo , but I guess carrying something would make the modern show-off balances too tricky,

I do so love the variety of those older dances. Nikiya was in character shoes in Bayadere's first act too, so there was so much more contrast between it and the shades scene.

I think that the Sergeyev notations have Lilac in a tutu for the Prologue (there are notated dances for her) and then in heeled shoes and a longer gown in the vision scene.

I don't necessarily agree that the Shades solos should be corps roles. When the Royal Ballet first did the Nureyev Shades version, often principals danced the shades (at that time, they also often danced the Sleeping Beauty fairies, too). Roles like that are as big or as small as a dancer can make them.

In some Coppelias, the Doctor is present at the wedding and Swanhilda apologizes to him, which I think works very well, as it includes him and shows that Swanhilda has changed. ABT does it that way, as I recall, and they use a version set by Freddie Franklin, who knew an older version. I have never seen the Royal Ballet's version, which was based one set by Sergeyev, so I don't know if that happens, but it should!

I find the ending more gratuitous than shocking. I would feel the same way about the piece if Ferri and Cornejo and the two little girls walked off into the sunset petting bunnies. For the me choreography was so unmusical, jerky, and overwrought, making the dancers look ugly for no apparent reason than to signify "this is not your mother's ballet", like a boy writing naughty words on a wall, just to feel important.