nysusan

Thanks for the reports! I'm taking the bus down Saturday morning & starting to get a little nervous about traffic delays due to the cold weather & pre-inauguration festivities. Hopefully I will make it to the matinee on time...

By the way, I'm really looking forward to MCB's visit next week. I LOVED the performance of 4Ts I saw them do in Ft Lauderdale and can't wait to see their take on Sym in C and Sym in 3. Hoping for lots & lots of Catoya

Susan

The Kirov-Mariinsky also calls it BI but uses the modern costumes. I saw the ABT production Richard53dog refers to a few years back and though the scenery was minimal I definitely remember it evoking a ballroom or large hall in a Czarist era palace – and remember a backdrop with a blue-white frozen landscape that placed it in a wintery Russia.

I was lucky enough to see a cast that included Nina A, Gomes and Monique Meunier in the second ballerina role. The combination of the costumes (tutus & tiras), scenery, brilliant choreography and performances that combined steely technique with theatrical inclination added up to one of those performances that will live on in my memory forever. There was no scenery chewing involved, but layers and layers of meaning revealed through the dance. You got the feeling that this was more than the interaction of 3 dancers and a corps but a look at the fading last days of the era, a glimpse into a world that was on the verge of extinction. There was certainly a sense of loss in the relationship between the 2 principals but there was also a distinct sense of time passing them by. It was pure poetry, Balanchine style.

A Hee Seo Juliet is tempting, and a Part La Sylphide is unmissable. I hope she does a Shandorf type not-quite-so innocent interpretation.

Also noticed that Copeland and Matthews are down for 2 Tchai Pas, on the same days as the first 2 Lane/Cornejo performances of T&V. And a favorite corpsman of mine, Alexandre Hammoudi is now listed as Orion in the Hererra/Gomes cast of Sylvia.

Oh, my aching wallet!!!

No Coppelia for me this time around, but I went to the last 3 perfomances of the Balanchine program. The dancers seemed to get stronger with each perfomance.

Wendy's Chaconne was ethereal & beautifully danced and Neal was a perfect partner and a pleasure to watch in his variations -but I really preferred Maria in this. Her sublime line seemed to extend out through eternity and created a vision of serenity in the opening movement, and the wit and playfulness she brought to the second half was enchanting.

Another standout was Reichlein in 4Ts. She owns this role and I can't imagine anyone except Kondaurova who is as well suited to it. Bar was good, but she just doesn't have the same dominating presence or visual impact. The same dancers did the 3 themes at all performances (Arthurs/Danchig-W, Hankes/Ramasar, Krohn/Fowler) and I thought they were all wonderful – bracing, angular with just the right musical accents & attack. Krohn brought a wonderful edge of nonchalant sexiness to the third theme.

I always love the glamour & spectacle of Vienna Waltzes, and this season was no exception. Mearns & T. Angle were wonderful in "Tales", but I miss Rutherford and hope she is cast in it again next time they stage it. I was dreading Borree in Voices of Spring, but she started out fine and improved with each performance. There were moments when I thought she was really lovely, and Millipied was a crowd pleaser. Nothing can ruin the splendor of the last segment, but I long to see someone like Whelan or Kowroski or Taylor bring out the poetry we all know is there. Last night I closed my eyes for most of it and listened to the music until it swelled into the finale, which is still just breathtaking!

I too am glad -- and relieved -- Ashley is being cast again. However, I have so been looking forward to her first T&V in New York. My gold standard in T&V is still Gelsey but I was hoping that Ashley would be her equal in that role. I hope Ashley gets cast in T&V before her retirement performance; she's almost nine years out of SAB now. When will we see her in T&V?

I would love to see her in T&V and hopefully it will happen this season! If she's 100% healthy then I'm sure it will - there will be plenty of opportunities since they subbed in T&V for the new Miroshnichenko ballet in the New Combinations program and we also get TS3 in the Tradition & Innovation program.

I am sure that Bouder will own the role from the minute the curtain goes up on her first T&V at the (choke) Koch Theater, but I'd also like to see Reichlen get a shot at it.

Also THRILLED to see Taylor & Somogyi back!

WOW, Washington is getting the Part/Gomes/Hallberg Swan Lake we in NY were denied last season. This might actually necessitate a quick trip to DC! I would definitely do it if it were a Sat performance, Friday means that I'd have to take a day off of work. That makes it more difficult, but still possible...

Casting is up for the 2nd week of repertory. There seems to be guest artists for Serenade - I think it's meant to be SAB graduates, in honor of the school's celebration.

http://www.nycballet.com/casting/wk8.html?...er1_TSMenuID=30

Is Delgado who is listed as a guest Anette Delgado from Cuba? Also is Herrera - Paloma? It seems like a lot of guests. I hear that Bouder is out of her boot. Hopefully she'll be back soon.

I don't think the high number of guests has any correlation to NYCB injuries - I agree with Dale, I think they are bringing in (non NYCB) SAB graduates as part of the tribute to SAB.

Did Annette Delgado go to SAB? I’d be surprised if she did, but I'll bet someone on this board knows (maybe cubanmiamiboy - Cristian???). I thought it would be either Jeanette or Patricia Delgado from MCB, but SAB isn't listed in their bios.

I'm going with Carbro on Julie Diana (Penn Ballet) and guessing Missy Kuranaga (Boston Ballet) along with the mystery Ms. Delgado in Serenade and Lucian Postlewaite (PNB), Paloma Hererra (ABT), Damian Smith (SFB) and Amy Watson (RDB) in 4Ts.

Any guesses on Delgado (Serenade Dark Angel) & Severin-Hansen (Tarantella)?

Great news! Wondrous Daria Pavlenko will return to the stage of the Mariinsky after her long maternity leave. Check this out:

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbi...09/1/29/1_1900/

Yahoo!!!!! Finally!! Thanks for the news, Natalia. Here's hoping for a smashing return to the stage, and a return to touring soon (I'm selfish, we miss her here in NY)

Its amazing how one person's highlight can be another's low point…

For me, the undisputed highlight of the year was the Kirov's City Center season. Yes, I wish they had a bigger stage and yes, I wish they had brought full length productions (you know, the warhorses!) but what glories they showed us under challenging conditions. There were so many incredible performances, so many moments forever emblazoned into my mind, but I think my absolute favorite was the Lopatkina Raymonda, both for her performance and for their revelatory performance of the national dances. I have seen the Kirov & Bolshoi perform mazurkas & czardas before – both Swan Lake & the Bolshoi's Raymonda come to mind - but nothing came close to the artistry and detail in the movement of these dancers.

Second perhaps was Tereshkina in Ballet Imperial. I'd seen her before, and been impressed, but this was a defining performance both for the ease with which she sailed through one of the most challenging roles ever made for a ballerina and for the authority and artistry she brought to it. Other highlights were her Raymonda and the Don Q pas de deux & Corsaire she did with Sarafanov, they were incredible individually & as a pair in these 2 bravura show pieces.

Although many other dancers impressed, the other indelible performance was from the dancer who will now always be known in NY as Big Red. She was stunning in soloist roles in Bayadere (and just about everything else) and soulful as the waltz girl in Serenade – but she was a Rubies "Tall Girl" for the ages. What an uncanny combination of technique, (appropriately) extended line and irresistible glamour combined with in-your-face aggressiveness. She was amazing and MUST guest with NYCB some day soon!

I will add one more Kirov Highlight – Alina Somova in Paquita, Etudes and 1 of the 3 Bayaderes I saw her do in NY. As you can tell from this post I went to many, many Kirov CC performances and thus was forced to see a lot of Somova. Even before this NY season I'd seen her a handful of times and had not been a fan. It seems a little strange to single out her dancing as a highlight when I only liked 3 performances out of maybe 15 or so that I've seen, but those 3 were beautiful and help to explain why the Kirov is promoting her so relentlessly. She clearly does have some unique qualities, let's hope she gets the coaching she needs to attain some consistency and develop artistically.

Other highlights – at NYCB Bouder, Whelan & Kowroski continue to astound and Sara Mearns blossomed into a true ballerina. I particularly recall a run of Jewels where deciding whether to see Ms. Mearns in Emeralds or Diamonds presented an almost insurmountable dilemma (I went to both, of course). Kathryn Morgan & Erica Pereira grew in artistry before our eyes and I feel sure that they will be providing us with highlights for years to come.

An unlikely highlight for me was the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Impressing the Czar. Truthfully, the only reason I went to see it was that it was the slow season in NY and there was nothing else going on. It sounded like a combination modern ballet/performance piece, which does not appeal to me at all. That description was pretty accurate, but it doesn't come close to describing the piece. I found it witty, intriguing, and I loved the fact that there was so much going on it was impossible to take it all in at once. I saw it twice, and will definitely try to go again if it ever comes back to NY.

Osipova & Vasiliev's Flames of Paris pdd had to be one of the highlights of the decade, let alone the last year. I can only say that it's not #1 on my list because amazing as it was I was prepared for it, having been lucky enough to see them in Don Q twice in 07. I can't wait to see her with ABT this spring, and hope that Vasiliev comes back to NY soon too!

I loved Wheeldon's Within The Golden Hour – it's my favorite new ballet since After the Rain. This highlight came courtesy of the San Francisco Ballet, and just about everything Yuan Yuan Tan danced is also on my list. Their 4T's was a highlight due to the extraordinary individual performances of Domitro & Ivan Popov, but though the general level of dancing was high and the steps were presented clearly and without affectation I felt that their attack wasn't quite sharp enough, especially compared to the Miami City Ballet. I don't recall the individual performances of MCB being as outstanding as SFB's, but the whole MCB ensemble brought so much energy and style to the ballet that it was stunning. Here was the speed, accent and attack that I missed from SFB.

ABT also contributed some memorable moments – most recently the Melissa Thomas/ Thomas Forster cast in Jardin aux Lilas and the stunning Pillar of Fire from Murphy & Hallberg at the Tudor Celebration night. Going back to the spring season Nina's Giselle was magnificent and very moving, however I agree that her Don Q was a big disappointment and would go even further than abatt to say that I think Swan Lake is also stretching her abilities now.

Other low points include ABT's decision not to give us a Part/Gomes Swan Lake and SFB's Divertimento. I was really looking forward to this – I love Divertimento so much I bought tickets to 3 performances of it, and didn't really enjoy any of them. I know that Divertimento is Balanchine in his "Petipa mode" – but whatever the inflection I can't think of anything less Balanchinian than safe, academic dancing. He was all about the energy, the daring. SFB's Divertimento was so slow and academic it was almost as painful for me to listen to as it was to watch. The flip side was that this program included the Wheeldon & Yuri Possokhov's Fusion so it was a high/low combo!

But beyond question, the absolute low point of the year for me was Vishneva's "Beauty in Motion". Bravo to her for taking the risk – but boy was it awful.

Fortunately there were many, many more highlights than low points this year, and the New Year always starts out right here in NY with NYCB putting away the Nutcracker and starting their regular rep. Let's go 2009!!!!

I was at yesterdays evening performance, where Tiler Peck and Adrian D-W replaced Janie Taylor & Rob Fairchild. They were wonderful. I knew Peck had the technical chops for this, but she was also a warm and gracious SPF. Hyltin was a dynamic Dew Drop, Arthurs an elegant Arabian. Despite an extrememly noisy, late arriving crowd (6pm curtain) - it was an enjoyable evening.

I also saw the Pereira/Peiffer debut last week and agree that they were wonderful! I just love her, and found her dancing technically flawless and exciting but for me both she and Morgan (whose SPF I saw last year) need to "grow into" the SPF role. This is not a criticism of either of them , they are both extraordinarily talented young dancers but they are both very young, and just seeing Peck reminded me that neither Pereira or Morgan was able to imbue the role with that regal warmth that tells you that she is not only the exepmplary woman/mother figure but also the queen of all she surveys as she welcomes the children to her kingdom. For me, the current ultimate NYCB SPFs are Kowroski & Ringer.

At the same perfomance (Wed mat) Morgan blew me away with her Dew Drop, but so had Pereira last season. It will be a joy to watch these two develop.

By the way - Bouder (Dew Drop) has been replaced on Wed with Peck.

I saw the new piece, Fiesta Baroca, a few days ago. Unfortunately, I think the negative review it received in the NY Times is pretty accurate. The choreography is thin, and the piece is WAY too long to maintain the viewer's interest. There is a lot of pointless, rapid arm movement. The best parts are the 2 pdd, which are very acrobatic in nature. On a positive note, the costumes were very colorful, and I enjoyed listening to the recorded opera music to which the dance is set. Also on a positive note, I enjoyed the first piece on the program, Suite Otis. I didn't stick around for the final piece, Revelations, since I have seen it so many times in the past. The audience applauded both Suite Otis and Fiesta with hearty applause. In Fiesta, the Ailey dancers are so much better than the material they are given to perform.

Sounds like we were at the same performance, but I don't remember seeing you there - am I losing it? I saw that program on 12/14 (eve) and then saw the first Ailey & Ellington program last night. Agree about Suite Otis & Festa Barocca, I enjoyed the first piece, loved both the pdd and the costumes in Festa Barocca but could have skipped the rest. And it was definitely too long. The live music for the Ellington program was wonderful and brought a different energy to the performance. Attendance on Sunday was pretty good, but ast night it was packed! The gallery was closed but the rest of the theater was sold out except for the last row or 2 in the extreme sides of the rear mezz.

I stayed for Revelations both times- I can never see it often enough. It would be worth it to me, even if only for the sheer joy the dancers exhibit in the Move, Members, Move section however there is usually wonderful dancing throughout. On Sunday Constance Stamatiou & Anthony Burell danced Fix Me Jesus - they were new to me and did a surprisingly good job considering that I thought I'd seen the definitive version from Graf & Roberts last season. Last night it was Mr & Ms Sims, who were trancsendant. In fact, last night could have been subtitled Linda Celeste Sims night. Renee Robinson withdrew from the program so Sims danced all of her roles (except the umbrella woman in Revelations) as well as her own. It was remarkable to see her in Night Creature, then excerpts from Caravan, Pas De Duke, Three Black Kings and finally, in the Fix Me section from Revelations and then leading the finale & encore. It was quite a marathon. ALL of the dancing has been fabulous this season, in adition to Ms Sims I especially enjoyed Courtney Brene Corbin as the umbrella woman both nights, Clifton Brown as the second "Sinner Man" last night (amazing series of jetes, among other things), Hope Boykin in everything she did and I love Yannick LeBrun more every time I see him.

Susan, could you tell me if you got them through a website with tickets, etc. I had no idea they were already on sale. Are you going in spring? I couldn't find the ticket sales location. When I called them, they said nothing about tickets ready yet, and didn't know various other things, whereas they did know all about the Kennedy Center perfs.

They'll be at the Skirball Center May 12-16 doing a rep program and 3 performances of Clytemnestra. The Skirball is an NYU theatre in the Village that's a little bigger than the Joyce - it probably holds 900 people. Very good sightlines. I got my tix at the box office but you can also order them online , here's their website:

http://www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu/

Go to Calendar+ Performances on the top right and then scroll down on the list that pops up in the middle

Susan

Thanks so much for the report, Natalia! I remember seeing Clytemnestra as a teenager. Although I was already a fan of the Graham company all I remember of Clytemnestra is that it wasn't one of my favorite pieces, and that I found the music really difficult. However my tastes have changed a great deal since then, and I bought tickets for the NY engagement as sooon as I heard about it. Very much looking forward to seeing it again, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that Shue reprises the title role in NY. I think she is an absolutely extraordinary dancer, and although I always enjoy seeing the company it hasn't been quite the same for me since she stopped appearing with them regularly a couple of seasons ago.

Hi. I went to see the Ailey Company on Fri. evening. The program started w. Memoria, with Linda Celeste Sims dancing the lead. This is one of my favorite Ailey dances, and the company looked great. Next up was the premiere of Go In Grace, featuring a live performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock. I had never seen Sweet Honey before. I really enjoyed their singing. The lyrics were very meaningful, and the singers were fantastic. Unfortunately, the choreography was simplistic and uninteresting. The last piece fo the evening was Revelations. I've seen it many times before. The standout for me was Clifton Brown in the I Wanna Be Ready Section. I'll be going back several times this season, although the ticket prices have become incredibly high. By the way, does anyone know what has happened to Alicia Graf, my favorite Ailey dancer? She is no longer listed in the program as a company member.

abatt, it appears that Graf has retired from performing due to injury. So sad, I felt that last season she was really starting to look comfortable in the Ailey company style. She danced a "Fix Me Jesus" that was absolutely transcendent.

I'll also be going to Ailey several times this season, I really like the Bejart Firebird, Night Creature, Pas de Duke, and I can never get enough of The River - even without pointe shoes!

See you there.

Just a note: I checked the Kennedy Center website and there is some reshuffling in terms of casting. Vishneva/Ivanchenko are now scheduled for opening night and then Friday Jan 16, while Somova/Sarafanov have been moved to the Saturday Jan 17 evening performance.

Damn, I had a feeling that perfect weekend casting wouldn't hold! I'll be happy if they at least keep Obraztsova & Tereshkina on the matinees.

Thanks for the update!

Susan

Tear down the Met & State Theatre? Never! It's not just the perfect sightlines & magnanimous openness of the NYST and the (admittedly over the top) glamour of the Met I love, I love the whole complex. I always feel so happy the minute I step out of the train or off the bus and the Lincoln Center plaza comes into view.

Agreed that the Met isn't the best place to see ballet but it's far from the worst, and it's such a beautiful building. I love the view from the outside and I've always loved those gaudy lights that raise up just before a performance, and now that the crystals have been refurbished they sparkle even more brightly. Those red carpeted staircases manage to convey both glamour and a spacious wide open feeling. There's no better feeling than walking up the 8 or so steps to the parterre boxes, but it's also fun to look down on that staircase from the very top level when I'm sitting in the family circle boxes

And the State (I will never call it the Koch) has always struck me as having a perfectly democratic design – no grand staircases curving up the middle, instead that wonderful, wide open promenade where everyone traverses the floor, mingling and saying hello to friends before finding their group in their own little corner. I also love strolling around the interior balconies that overlook the promenade and taking in the wonderful display of photos that recall the different eras of NYCB.

Now as to the gala program itself – it left much to be desired. I pretty much saw it as drb did way back at the beginning of this topic. Taylor & Ulbrich in Unanswered Question were the highlight of the evening, Calcium Night Light was enjoyable, the singer almost (but didn't quite) ruin "The Man I Love" and the rest of the evening was an unbelievable waste of talented dancers.

I have posted, on another thread about recent promotions, that Somova has just been made Principal Ballerina. So there will be three Principal Ballerina Kitris on this tour: Vishneva, Tereshkina and Somova. Novikova and Obraztsova remain First Soloists.

Somova in the same league as Lopatkina, Vishneva, Pavlenko et al? What a joke! Natalia , thanks for the news, no matter how bizarre... at least I can hold out hope to see Ayupova live someday before she really retires

Susan are you heading down to DC?

I already have my tickets for Sat mat & eve & Sun eve – and I'm PRAYING that the announced casting holds. Some advice for anyone who's planning a trip to DC for this engagement – if you can find a reasonably priced hotel book it now – with the inauguration on 1/20 hotel rates are ridiculous

Susan

I was there on Saturday night and while I missed Natalia, it was great to meet Jack & Cristian.

vrs, they did announce a substitution in the pas de neuf and while I know the last name I heard was Delgado I'm not sure which one it was. I think it was Patricia but would love verification from someone who really knows the dancers.

I hadn't seen the Balanchine Swan Lake in 30 years and it was great to see it again. I can see where words like expressionless and aloof come into play here. It was not in the dancer's individual performances, at least not with Seay & Sarabita – they danced it in full story mode. I think the choreography & staging themselves – the distillation of an abstraction to it's essence made it even more abstract than the original, like you were looking at it from a distance, or over time. I found it beautiful, but not moving except at the very end. I loved the mechanical swans (like the Kirov's) and the hunters (like the old Fonteyn/Somes RB version) and I liked the ending of the pas de deux much better than the one the Martins full length uses. I like the traditional version of the pdd best, but at least this one makes sense and is interesting. The corps tutus looked very familiar to me, I think the ones ABT used in their first production of SL (the Blair staging) used a similar design. By the way – I vote for calling it Balanchine's Swan Lake – it's most certainly not Swan Lake Act 2 since it incorporates music from act 3 and almost all of act 4, nor is it the full length SL.

I loved, loved, LOVED their 4Ts. Having seen NYCB do it recently, and the SFB do it 2-3 weeks ago I really enjoyed the way MCB danced it – I wish they were bringing it to NY. I've never seen a 4Ts I didn't like, but this one was special. I actually agree 100% with Macaulay's description of it as compared to SFB's – much faster, more sharply accented with very strong attack but with the same beautiful, fully engaged arms & upper bodies that we saw from SFB. I do not consider this elegant use of the arms Balanchinian – it's certainly not what I remember from his company in the 70s (which is when I saw them on a regular basis) but I really like it. I recall the look of 1970 -75 NYCB so clearly because the ugly, nonchalant dangling arms and ragged corps work of NYCB really annoyed me back in the day. This 4Ts was so good that I can't even single out a dancer or two – I loved all the themes, Wong's Melancholic, Cox's Phlegmatic, J Delgado & Penteado in Sanguinic and Spiridonakos as Choleric – they were all great.

I am a huge fan of In the Upper Room – I find it exhilarating. MCB did a great job with it but that smoke alarm going off was too weird. I was in the balcony and did see a bunch of people rush out but I assured my friends that they just hadn't accounted for the smoke effects. We stayed, and it did stop, but not nearly soon enough. How can this happen at the same venue more than once? It was very distracting…

I am a fan of both Yuriko & Sarah, but I have to say that I felt like a schizophrenic watching Yuriko in Ballo. She was absolutely beautiful and so very, very wrong for the role. Gorgeous arms, a light, easy jump, delicate phrasing, a feeling of utter joy in her performance. These are wonderful attributes in a lyrical dancer but they made for an unrecognizable Ballo. Along with the blurred feet there was no attack, no accenting in her phrasing (or at least, no Balanchinian accenting in her phrasing). What was Kevin thinking giving her Ballo & T&V? I can think of a dozen roles that she'd be great in (including La & Les Sylphide) but her foray into Balanchine only made one wish for Bouder. Even more than Kevin, what was Merrill Ashley thinking? Don't the Balanchine police (I mean trust) have any say in how the ballets they set are performed?

I thought Eric Tamm made a fine debut in the male lead. He may have been a little over eager and certainly there is room for improvement but I loved his long, clean line, elegant legs and secure partnering. This was a very impressive performance from a young corpsman I don't think I've ever even seen in a featured role before.

In fact, the most enjoyable part of the season for me were the flashes of brilliance I saw from dancers I didn't know 3 weeks ago. Ilyin, Phillips, Scott, Boylston, Boone, Copeland, Lane, Messmer & Melissa Thomas were all wonderful, but we've seen their potential previously. Over the past 2 weeks Katherine Williams, Leann Underwood, Alexander Hammoudi and especially Thomas Forrester all looked like future stars. It was a shame that Hammoudi missed his solo roles at the end of the engagement, I'd really like to see more of him & Forrester next season. LOTS more!

I was pretty unenthusiastic about the announced line up for this short City Center season but got more excited as casting details started coming out. I went to opening night and then again last night and really enjoyed both performances.

My favorite parts of the gala were the Tudor R&J pdd and Company B. I loved the way that Tudor was able to convey such deeply felt emotions so clearly with such restraint & economy of movement. I love the McMillan version but this was a welcome alternative and very well realized by Murphy & Hallberg. I look forward to seeing it again and hope for a revival of the full ballet.

Having seen the Taylor dancers perform Company B many times in the past few years I have to admit that I felt ABT's dancers didn't fully capture the weight or earthbound energy of his style, and this production didn't bring out the contrast between the reality of the war and the cheery denial in the popular music of the times as strongly as his production does, but I still thought they did a great job with it and while the message may have been a bit diluted it wasn't completely lost. It goes without saying that all of the dancers were incredible.

Last night I sat in the back of the rear mezz, which is much farther back than I usually sit. While I thought it might be a problem for a ballet as subtle and evocative as Leaves I found that it had the opposite effect on me. I saw it more as a whole cohesive piece rather than focusing on the individual sections and the beauty of the structure, the mingling of entrances, exits and main focus made the ballet come together for me more than it did last year when I watched it from up close. I thought all the dancers last night were very good. While neither the Reyes/Saveliev pairing or Kent/Gomes (who I saw last season) matched up to my memories of Kirkland and Kage, I thought Reyes/Saveliev were much improved over their performance last year, and even over last month when they did the pdd at FFD.

From my seat upstairs I could not ID the young woman partnered by Roman Zhurbin, but she was wonderful and I hope someone will tell me her name.

I don't recall 100% who Zhurbin's partner was but it wouldn't surprise me if it was Melissa Thomas. She was a real stand out – she presented the dance simply without embellishment but with lyricism and ravishingly beautiful line.

I was intrigued by Overgrown Path, I loved the music and was fascinated by how fully the dancers inhabited Kylian's modern style but I think it suffered a bit (no pun intended) from its placement right after the Tudor.

ABT's T&V also benefited from a little more distance, those pink & lavender costumes that I find so overpowering from 10 feet away looked quite lovely from the rear mezz. I peeked though my opera glasses a few times and when I did I will agree that I found the look on Ms Lane's face a bit frozen and plastered on – it's something for her to work on however I thought her dancing was beyond wonderful. Technically assured, there was also an absolute graciousness and elegance to her dancing. This was no "small" reading of the role, she looked like a ballerina in all her glory. Cornejo was also amazing, as we have come to expect, but I thought his partnering went south very early in the coda – it started to look like he was hauling a sack of potatoes around the stage and considering how small Lane is that was disturbing. She isn't the only one with some work to do…

Lastly – it was indeed very noisy in the rear mezz – both at the top and on the sides where latecomers chattered and ushers used their flashlights to seat them WELL into the evening. Very distracting

Is there a commercially available video or DVD of Leibeslieder? If so, please direct me to it!

Jack, thank you so much for your wonderfully evocative comments about opening night. I'll be there for both performances on Saturday and I can't wait.

While I'm at it – this seems as appropriate a place as any to direct a big thank you to the gentleman with whom I stood on line for 4 hours at City Center last month waiting to buy Fall for Dance tickets. The hours flew by as we exchanged our views on the current NY dance scene and when I told him that there was going to be so much ballet at CC in October that I wasn't planning to make my usual pilgrimage to see the Kirov/Mariinsky or head down to DC to catch the Farrell Ballet performances he looked at me like I had two heads and said something to the effect of "What are you crazy? How many more opportunities do you think you'll have to see Suzanne Farrell stage her favorite Balanchine pas de deux and give her thoughts on the Balanchine couple?" His words hit me like a thunderbolt and I bought tickets the next day. What was I thinking?

Hi Art,

Last week I tried to use a coupon from Fall for Dance at the CC box office to buy discounted rear mezz seats for SFB and was told that they decided not to open the rear mezz. So it looks like a general lack of demand has caused them to withdraw the seats, not a sell out

Susan

Interesting casting Part as the eldest sister in Pillar - talk about casting against type!

I much prefer an Odette that takes it easy on the swan mannerisms. They can be very effective when used sparingly – i.e. at the beginning and ending of the first lakeside scene and maybe a little preening here & there but I think they lose their effectiveness in direct proportion to how often they are displayed. The 2 most striking examples of swan arms I’ve ever seen (both live) were by Makarova and Cynthia Gregory, both in those last few seconds when Odette’s turned back into a swan and is exiting the stage at the end of the 1st lakeside scene. The physical movements of their arms were completely different but both started somewhere deep in their backs. It was along time ago but as I remember Gregory’s arms were like powerful rippling wings, Makarova’s fluid & boneless but both created chilling, spine tingling magic that demonstrated how powerless they were to break Von Rothbart’s spell.

I can forgive some bird-like movements at Odette's entrance because some ballerinas like to use that moment to show us her transformation from swan to human. (Although to be nitpicky, the transformation occurs offstage--that's what Siegfried is seeing before he runs away, so by the time Odette has entered, she is already human.)

I don't think the Swan-to-Woman transformation has to be an on/off thing. In fact, a valid interpretation might show Odette never fully shedding Rothbart's curse. Of course, the strongest swan effects should be saved for her Act II entrance and exit, where she is clearly fighting to resist her reswanification.

While I’m sure a constant swan/woman Odette can be a valid interpretation in terms of the logic of the story I just don’t think it’s an effective one. For one thing – there’s the yuck factor. A couple of people posted (in the Siegfried’s Vow thread) about how weird Siegfreid was to fall in love with a bird. Well, if Odette is played as a bird or some bird/woman monstrosity then I totally agree. For me Swan Lake derives it’s power from the fact that Odette is NOT a bird, she’s a woman who’s been cursed & is doomed to live as a swan by day, only regaining her human form at night. Well, when Siegfreid (and the audience) meet her it’s night, and he falls in love with Odette the woman, not a bird. The pathos of the story comes both from his thwarted attempt to save her and from her struggle, her hope to find love and to be a whole, full woman again – to have her life back. I don’t think it’s anywhere near as moving if she appears to be a continuous human/animal hybrid

I think the most important characteristics of an O/O (or more correctly, an Odette) are the ballerina’s extensions, line, fluidity and phrasing and her ability to make you see that human essence in Odette. I’ve only seen Lopatkina’s Odette live once, though I’ve watched the DVD many times. I think she is a wonderful, beautiful O/O, but not quite up there with my 3 favorites simply because I am too mesmerized by the beauty of her form to be truly moved by Odette’s dilemma. Perhaps if I have the opportunity to see her live a couple more times I’ll change my mind. Another top current O/O for me is Veronika Part. She is stunningly gorgeous with endless extensions and a deep emotional connection to the role. I believe she would be truly heartbreaking in a better production but unfortunately I am cursed to have to watch her in McKenzie’s SL so for now my pantheon of O/Os remains Fonteyn, Makarova & Pavlenko.