nysusan

Does anyone remember how long the Bolshoi's DQ is? I should know - I've seen it often enough - but I don't really remember and I'm trying to figure out which train or bus I can catch back to NY after the Sunday matinee

Susan

I saw Vishneva in Sleeping Beauty with the Kirov and she was wonderful, an absolutely radiant Aurora. For me, this and Giselle are her best roles. Her Juliet was a bit too unorthodox for my taste, but still fascinating. She is worth seeing in any role, so it really depends on which ballets you want to see.

As for Dvorovenko, she’s good in Swan Lake but I also think she will be wonderful in Bayadere. Problem is, I want to see pretty much all the casts of Bayadere (and Part twice!)

Dancing for Dollars sounds like its targeted to the reality TV crowd.

Personally, I wouldn't be in a hurry to watch that Bolshoi train wreck again. It was produced as a serious documentary, but I can see how it could appeal to tastes honed by reality TV.

And if I recal correctly there's almost no performance footage - a couple of brief shots of a young Gracheva in Swan Lake but you really have to look to catch it

Hey! Misty Copeland is now listed with Corella in Sinatra Suite for February 7 in Paris on the ABT web calendar. All other S.S. performances are still listed as just Corella.

Ooh la la! Hopefully someone will see and report on this. Misty was scheduled to dance in SS during the City Center season but was replaced at the last minute due to injury (the dreaded white slip). I'll be very interested to hear about her debut

I saw the Robbins program last night. In the past I've been one of the few people who seemed to enjoy Old Fashioned, but last night it looked really lackluster to me. Mearns had ample occasion to luxuriate in the beautiful use of her upper body, but beautiful as it is it can't carry a whole ballet - especially when she's barely on stage for 10 minutes. Ringer was missing her usual elan and Krohn (subbing for Bar) was ok but had little to do. The men were a mixed bag but the whole production dragged and the one thing that stood out was how badly the live dancers were outclassed by the celluloid ones.

Despite some wonderful dancing by young dancers I love I also found 3 & 4 Part Inventions pretty dull. Woetzel is always fascinating but Suite of Dances did nothing but remind me of Baryshnikov (and I never even saw him dance in it). Fortunately "In Memory of" saved the evening for me. It's not a ballet I'd want to see often, but it was given a wonderful, very moving performance by Whalen, Askegard, Orza et al. Whalen's ethereal persona is perfect for this- she brought just the right degree of otherworldliness to the role and her struggle with Askegard's "death" was gut wrenching.

I loved ABT's production, I've seen it 5-6 times in the past 2 seasons and I see something new each time. Of course it helps that I just loved the score the first time I heard it!

Bart, have you ever looked at “The Winger”? Several dancers contribute “behind the scenes” posts and there’s one by Alex Wong with photo’s and comments on MCB’s current productions including “In the Upper Room”. I think you’ll find it very interesting, here’s the link:

http://thewinger.com/words/category/alex

If you look through their archives you’ll also find a post from David Hallberg with photos & comments on ABT’s production...

Susan

I went to the Sat night performance with Dumchenko/Korsakov and the Sunday matinee with Obraztsova and Kolb.

The production as a whole was very different from the MacMillan version I grew up with. For starters the music sounded very different - gentler, more episodic than the way I’m used to hearing it. I thought the staging followed suit - a gentler view of the story, perhaps seen through a wider lens. Though MacMillan's focuses more on the gritty side of Verona it’s focus is clearly on Romeo & Juliet and once they meet we’re all swept up in a vortex that leads inexorably to the inevitable tragedy - there can be no other path. Lavrovsky’s is more pastoral, it meanders more, brings out the country life of Verona where the story of R&J could have been just one of many tales until it takes it’s tragic turn. It’s also much more of a dance -drama than I’m used to, and the story is told within a somewhat formal ritualistic structure rather than the naturalistic structure I’m used to. For example, the motif of Old Capulet shaking his fist in the air encapsulates the image of power in a symbolic gesture, and shows us his state of mind without actually making us feel it. The use of this type of pantomime throughout undercut the drama a little for me, and I found the performance dragging a bit here and there. Also - what’s a balcony scene without a balcony? As beautiful as the scene was, there was something missing (literally).

Dumchenko was lovely, a really beautiful dancer. She looked to be perfectly proportioned, every movement performed with delicacy and her character built with great subtlety, very much within the representative structure of this production. I hope to see more of her in the future. Korsakov is a dancer I’ve liked very much in soloist roles, and I liked him again here. He has a baby face, and was a very ardent, love struck Romeo who was in way over his head. His solo dancing was superb but I think he was not quite tall enough to partner Dumchenko in this. Although I didn’t see any obvious mishaps some of the overhead lifts looked strained, and they certainly didn’t have the ease and flow that I saw in the second performance. And I have to admit that while I loved watching Dumchenko, Korsakov and the whole company in this, the performance didn’t really move me.

Obraztsova & Kolb were a completely different story. While I regret missing the Obraztsova/Fadeev cast, and take the word of the posters here that they were phenomenal, I really can’t imagine anyone being more perfect together than Obraztsova & Kolb were on Sunday afternoon. Kolb is a dancer I didn’t warm to immediately. Always a beautiful and elegant dancer I have found his acting a bit lacking in the past. Not here. He WAS Romeo. His line was beautiful & evocative, his leaps high and clean and his acting utterly convincing. He was a very passionate Romeo, and his devastation when he heard of Juliet’s death was shattering. He leapt into the graveyard with the most startlingly beautiful jetes I’ve ever seen, and could barely bring himself to look at her “corpse”.

And Obraztsova - what can I say? She was perfect. Sara Kaufman’s review in the Washington Post says it all “Leaps and turns flew out of her, yet she didn’t fudge a step”. It really did look like the music, the emotion just poured out of her. What phrasing & musicality, a perfect blend of dancing & acting that all looked completely spontaneous and was totally convincing. The arabesque was Juliet’s signature move, and hers were breathtaking. I know that there is no comparison between the two but somehow, in my mind knowing that there is this great new Juliet out there will make it just a little easier for me to say goodbye to Ferri’s Juliet later this year.

The whole company looked wonderful, and while I’m sorry to have missed Sarafanov & Kuznetsov I thought the dancers we saw as Mercutio & Tybalt were very good. Loved Selina/Lobukhin and also Ostreikovskaya/Zyuzin. The Kirov is so deep in female dancers and for me, Elena Bazhenova is one of their unsung heroines. I think I’ve seen her in every production I’ve seen from them in the past few years - as the queen mother in Swan Lake, the queen in Sleeping Beauty, Bathilde in Giselle and now as Lady Capulet. She is incomparable in this type of role.

I'm glad I got the chance to see this production, and hope to see these wonderful dancers again soon!

Did anyone see the Rasta Thomas cast of Othello? I've only seen him once, guesting with the Lar Lubovich company but I found him to be a very beautiful dancer and a compelling performer. I really appreciate all the posts here - I'm trying to decide who to see in Othello when ABT does it in NY this spring.

I have to admit that I've tried twice now to watch the SFB tape and was overcome by boredom both times. ABT's casting sounds wonderful but I have a feeling that I'm not going to want to sit through 4 performances, no matter how wonderful the casting is.

I am very glad to hear how good the corps looked in Bayadare, I'm looking forward to the full length production this spring as well as hoping for a Lane Aurora....

Susan

My request would be for Raymonda, I would LOVE to see the Sergeyev version. I'd also like to see them do La Sylphide, and I never tire of their Swan Lake

Susan

In her recent review of NYC Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty on Danceviewtimes, Mary Cargill wrote:

“the Bluebird has captured Princess Florine, and is controlling her. The little hand to the ear gestures of Florine show her listening to his commands and following his lead; the choreography should not be just a series of unconnected flutters”

This is the first time I’ve heard of a scenario where the Bluebird had captured Princess Florine. Any other thoughts on this interpretation, and where it may have originated?

Craig Hall is already a soloist.

Hi Juliet! Where did you hear that? As of the 2007 winter brochure Hall was still listed in the Corps, and he hasn't been mentioned in any of the promotion press releases that I've seen. Hard to believe, I know...

Susan

Renee Robinson is a wonderful dancer – I’ve enjoyed her performances immensely over the years. Unfortuntely this year even though I went to see the Ailey company 3-4 times I managed to miss her completely.

Still, there are so many wonderful dancers in this company. My 2 favorites this season have been Linda Celeste Sims and Clifton Brown. Sims is very graceful with beautiful, almost balletic limbs but with freedom of movement through her torso and a strong sense of groundedness which is very unballetic -but very Ailey.

I saw her dance The Lake and Two Cities sections of The River (at different performances). They don’t dance this on point, which obviously makes no difference for the men but I found it to be a major drawback in the women’s parts. For me, she was the only one of the women who captured the fluidity of this piece while dancing on demi point. She was stunning in everything I saw her in this season.

I’m a newbie when it comes to Opera but since I live in NY and just discovered the Met’s new $15 seats I’ve gone several times already this season. While looking over their schedule I noticed “The Magic Flute” – abridged 100 minute family friendly version in English as well as Die Zauberflote – full length 3 hr and 10 minute version in German (I haven’t seen either one). So, while you may have been disappointed that they chose to simulcast the abridged version, at least they are presenting both in their repertory this season and make a clear distinction between them. There were lots of posters around town promoting the abridged Magic Flute as a new holiday family tradition in the weeks before Xmas, and Netrbko posters popped up a week or 2 before the Puritani run started.

As for simulcasts of ABT or NYCB – I don’t know. I don’t think ballet translates very well onscreen. I suppose a simulcast is better than nothing but I’d hate to have people with no familiarity with ballet judge a performance by what they see on a movie screen. The 3 dimensionality and quality of live movement make a huge difference in impact. One of my pet peeves is when people form opinions of dancers or ballets based strictly on having viewed videos or, worse yet, compare a live performance to a filmed one. It’s something we all do (myself included), but it’s such a false comparison.

Casting is up for the Bolshoi's February visit to Kennedy Center. It looks like we won't get to see Krysanova's Cinderella or I. Vasiliev but at least Osipova is cast in DQ with Matvienko!

Oh, and they're also bringing Zakharova, Alexandrova, Filin et al

The London casting is up on the ABT calendar website, but the Paris is not. It's good to see Stiefel listed for Black Swan and Fancy Free. Corella got the nod for the only London performance of Sinatra Suite. They've added Le Spectre de la Rose with Cornejo and Reyes. Part, Dvorovenko and Herrera will do La Bayadere, Act II...

Thank goodness it sounds like Steifel is back and V.Part has recovered from the injury that sidelined her at the end of ABT's City Center season.

It's perfect that Sinatra Suite still only lists the man!

If the City Center casting is any indication then you can look forward to seeing either Misty Copeland or Sarah Lane in Sinatra Suite with Corella. Copeland was cast with him but was injured and replaced by Lane. Luciana Paris was cast with Gomes who was riveting in it - I look forward to hearing reports from London!

Further to the idea of "meet me at the ballet"... would it make sense... assuming there is the desire to meet... for BT ballatomanes to announce which performances they are seeing in advance, so that they might have a face to face with other BT members who might be attending the same performance, before, during intermission or at the conclusion of the performance?

Hi SanderO – that’s exactly how some of us have met when traveling to see ballet – ie – I’m going to see the X ballet at the Y Center in Anytown, USA – anyone else going & is there a central place to meet?

… I often wonder about online communities, such as BT where members freely converse about a performance online (after the performance of course), for example, but failed to do so at the actual event they attended. Maybe they do and I am wrong here...

One of the benefits of an online community is the opportunity to express your opinions in an anonymous forum. Not everyone wants to “come out” but there are lots of BT posters in NY - I’d guess that some posters have known each other for years and look forward to meeting at the ballet while others prefer to keep to themselves – or to a small circle of friends. Next time you’re going out to see one of the local companies why don’t you post here again and those of us who are interested in meeting can pick a central place to say hello.

Any plans to see the NYCB this winter, or are you strictly an ABT fan?

Susan, I'll definitely defer to your viewing history on Makarova.

I would never expect anyone to defer to my viewing history of Makarova - we all have different preferences. Especially for people who never saw her live, a tape to tape comparison is the only one possible.

As to a model for the opposite approach to Odette - I never saw Pliesetskaya live, but was totally enraptured by the tape of her in the Bolshoi's SL. I think her performance would be an excellent role model for a ballerina like Murphy.

Now, now. I lived for quite a while in the Hamptons. For us, Patchogue was the Big Apple.

I don't mean to demean Patchogue, bart, but it is not possible to get a decent latte there.

Perhaps not possible to get a decent latte but possible to get surprisingly good Italian food at the restaurant right next to the theater!

I love the RB so I’ve thought about trying to put together a trip to London to see them but haven’t been able to pull that off yet. However I do travel quite frequently to see ballet, sometimes combining it with family visits and sometimes not.

I grew up with ballet in the late 60’s early 70’s when NY was the center of the ballet universe (or so it seemed) and I’m still not quite accustomed to the idea that great companies like the RB, Danish RB, Bolshoi & Kirov do North American tours and skip NY. So I’ve been traveling a lot recently to see them in Boston, DC, Chicago and LA. I also have family in South Florida and occasionally have been able to see the Miami City Ballet when I visit.

I guess LA has been the farthest I’ve traveled to see a performance and Patchogue the closest, however the trip to LA was definitely easier than the trip to Patchogue and probably cheaper than some of my trips to DC. The longest travel to performance ratio was last month when I traveled to and from Boston the same day to catch Pavlenko/Zelensky in a Kirov Swan Lake matinee. It was appx 8 hours of travel for a 3 hour performance and I spent the whole trip out thinking how insane I was for was doing it – especially since I’d seen Pavlenko in Swan Lake the previous week (in Chicago, visiting my family). Then, when I got there I was privileged to see one of the most touching Swan Lakes I’ve ever witnessed, and immediately decided that it was well worth 8 hours of travel time. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Right now I’m planning trips to DC for Obtraztsova’s Juliet and possibly for Osipova’s DQ and Krysanova’s Cinderella (if the Kennedy center ever posts the Bolshoi’s casting so I can see if those dancers are even scheduled for the trip). So I’d say that how far to travel and how many performances to see on a trip depend solely on your budget and taste for travel.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting fellow BT posters just about everywhere I’ve gone – a lovely bonus!

Hi Becky! I found your comments very interesting…I’ve always disliked the overly bird-like approach to Odette. After all, the only time the audience (or Siegfried) sees her in swan form is in the first seconds of the first lakeside scene, when she is transforming from a swan to a woman, and the last seconds of the same scene when she changes back into her swan form.

I don’t like Makhalina’s interpretation (the DVD, I’ve never seen her live) both because of her “swaniness” and because of her neoclassical line which I find inappropriate for Odette. However I’m surprised that you also consider Makarova to be one of the swanny Odettes – maybe even the progenitor of the type. Fonteyn was the first great Odette I’d ever seen, Makarova the second and I’ve always considered them both to be of the very human, womanly variety. Thinking back on Makarova/Nagy Swan Lakes of the 70’s what I remember most is the depth and the desperation of their love story, which is not the feeling I take away from many current interpreters including Murphy/Corella. Of course I also remember (with the help of the “76 video) the beautiful arc of her back and melting flow through her torso, shoulders and arms which set off the gorgeous legs in arabesque or attitude. Murphy’s poses are beautiful but they're far too vertical for me, and there’s way too much motion, too much going on. Much earlier in this thread somebody lamented the absence of repose in Murphy’s Odette and for me that’s a key point. I agree with you that her Sylvia last season was a triumph, but I always love her in strong roles. Its vulnerability and romanticism that I think she still has trouble projecting.

Can you tell me a little about what makes you think of Makarova’s Odette as too bird like? It’s the opposite of what I’ve always felt.

Sorry I’m late coming to this thread, a crazy work schedule is interfering with the rest of my life yet again. My husband and I actually did take the LIRR there and back. There was more than enough time to catch the train back to the city, but though the walk to the train station was short (maybe 10 minutes) it was deserted. Fine for the 2 of us but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing it alone. Next time we’ll rent a car!

Despite the length of the trip the excursion was very worthwhile. I agree with most of the comments by other posters – the chance to see MM was what got me out there but seeing the rest of the dancers in such an intimate setting was also a factor.

Who Cares is so much fun. I always love it but often when I see it performed by other companies the phrasing & movement is all smoothed out and it can take on a very sugary sweet feeling. Not with these guys – it retained the sophistication and tartness that sets it apart for me. Everyone looked great but I was particularly fascinated by Ashley Bouder’s performance in it. Has her polish, the finish and flourish to the her use of her arms and upper body grown exponentially in the handful of times she’s been on stage since her injury, or was it just the intimate setting that allowed me to see it so clearly? I really feel like she is developing from a prodigy to an artist right in front of my eyes. Pert & efficient indeed!

I enjoyed the entire program with the exception of the Ray Charles piece. It was fun to watch Joaquin de Luz cut loose in “It should have been me” but the rest of it was so banal that I can see no reason to ever sit through it again. I also found the choreographed bows within the piece to be a very strange and anti climatic way to end the evening.

I wrote the last post on the train out to Boston, heading there to see the Kirov one last time. I'm so glad I decided to make the trip. From the moment Daria Pavlenko bourreed out on stage and stopped in her tracks, terrified by Zelensky’s Prince Siegfried you knew this was a different Daria Pavlenko from the one who had danced the role just a week ago in Chicago with Sarafanov. She had been great then, but today she was in another zone entirely. The electricity coursed through her veins and out into the audience.

Long story short – this had been an on again off again proposition. She was originally scheduled to dance the matinee, then I heard that she had withdrawn from the tour and hadn’t even gone to Boston with the company. The casting inserts said it would be Lopatkina & Zelensky but right before the curtain went up there was an announcement that it would be Pavlenko.

This was the kind of performance that takes your breath away. In the 3rd act she stumbled out of a turn, and nobody cared. Her 32 fouettes were completed decently, but nothing more – and nobody cared because we all loved her Odile with that enchanting smile – first mischievous, then haughty and finally triumphant. Zelensky must still be nursing his injury because they skipped a lot of the big lifts – and nobody missed them. Instead of the overhead lifts in the first lakeside scene he turned her in arabesque penchee. They skipped the big climatic lift at the end – and nobody cared. I think they substituted a series of pique arabesques punctuated by desperate embraces as they made their way through the 2 lines of swans but I wouldn’t swear to it – I was so entranced by the spell they cast I couldn’t take time away from watching the action to actually analyze what they were doing. This was an incredible performance – one that sent chills down your spine and left you with goosebumps.

Last week what struck me most about her performance was her beautiful legato phrasing, the softness and perfect integration of her dancing with poses stretching and changing and flowing into movement. Today what struck me was the way that this subtle, lyrical style of dancing was wed to some of the most powerful emotion I’d ever seen on a stage. Not in an over the top dramatic way, either. It’s hard to explain, because she did act – she just didn’t overact & she acted with her body, with her steps as well as with her face. It was total integration, total commitment.

A couple of examples – at the end of the first lakeside scene when she turned back into a swan, her desperation not to leave Siegfried was so strong that she reached for him with her entire body and thru the tips of her fingers as the power of von Rothbarts spell was tugging the rest of her in the opposite direction. She clung to her dream and fought for it until she was absolutely forced her back into her swan body and back to the lake. I thought she was going to be torn apart by the force she was exerting in opposite directions. As the last act was approaching the finale, again, the desperation her arms expressed as she was caressing & clinging to Siegfried just broke your heart. When it was over and von Rothbart lay defeated she gave us my favorite version of the Kirov ending, the one I saw from her the last time I witnessed a Swan Lake of this caliber. Battered & defeated she lay on the floor and as Siegfried tenderly lifted her up she looked around with a tremulous, disbelieving look. First down at von Rothbart, then up at Siegfried, then down again at her hands and then this incredulous look came over her face as she realized that her nightmare was over. Her face this afternoon is the best argument I can think of in favor of the happy ending

I’m finally getting a chance to post some thoughts from the last 3 performances of the Kirov in Swan Lake that I saw in Chicago. Sorry for the long post, but there are just so many details I want to share!

Although I know I’m echoing the thoughts of many others who’ve already posted here, let me say that having been privileged to see 4 performances in a row last weekend I came away again overcome by the beauty of this production and the magnificence of both their corps and the dancers who fill all those small solo & demi roles. I can’t identify most of them but they were all breathtaking, down to the last czardas dancer, the last princess and the last aristocrat way in the back of the stage practically hidden from view during all the action in the first act. Of the soloists I did recognize I believe that Kondurova really was everywhere, and the scale of her dancing drew my eye to her often. Another dancer who seemed to be everywhere is Svetlana Ivanova. This is the first time I really noticed her and she stood out for her bright personality and crisp clean dancing.

The female pairs for the first act pas de trois (the Prince’s friends) were supposed to be Osmolkina/ Golub and Gonchar/ Tkachenko. Tkachenko was also listed as one of the 4 lead swans at all the performances in Chicago but if she was there I didn’t recognize her. I think Daria Sukhorukova may have taken her place (pretty brunette with small, sweet face?). I’m not familiar with her but she was listed for only 1 performance in the pdt on 11/2 so I’d bet she filled in for Tkachenko at the Saturday & Sunday matinees. At any rate – all 4 of the women I saw were wonderful. They all danced with speed, technique, ballon, wonderful phrasing & musicality. The men were both good but I preferred Korsakov to Scherbakov – he had beautiful elevation and élan. Gonchar and Golub also alternated as one of the 2 featured swans and they were both lovely and lyrical.

Andrei Ivanov took the role of the jester at all the performances I saw except the Saturday matinee when we got to see Grigory Popov. He took a slightly more low key approach and had a bit more elevation than Ivanov, but the amazing thing about Ivanov was his speed in the many series of turns, and the details and command of his character.

I got to see 3 different von Rothbarts – Maxim Chashchegorov, Alexander Klimov and Ilya Kuznetsov. All were good, but Kuznetsov was outstanding. The others should take a hint from Kuznetsov and wear dark gloves under their “wings’ – at least for the last scene. It’s tough enough to buy the ripping the wing off deal but it’s even worse when you see a bare hand flapping around.

Despite his eventual triumph, Siegfried really is a thankless role in this production. Of the dancers I saw Korsuntsev and Kolb were probably the best partners. Zelensky seemed a little underpowered but still, what a joy to watch. Despite his boyish looks Sarafanov may have been the most convincing dramatically – he was very much engaged with his partner from the minute he set eyes on his Odette. His jumps were light and high, his line elegant & stretched (as usual) and I’m happy to report that his partnering seems to have improved. I wouldn’t swear that he and Pavlenko didn’t simplify a lift or 2 but I saw no mishaps, and she looked relaxed and happy to be dancing with him. I think my favorite Siegfried was Igor Kolb, who danced with Tereshkina at the Saturday matinee. This was a little surprising since I didn’t like him as Albrecht in Giselle recently, but this time out I noticed how beautiful his line is, what a wonderful, high arabesque he has and how elegant his dancing is in general. He really was a textbook example of the classic danseur noble, and his characterization was very engaging.

As for the O/Os – for me, there is no question but that Lopatkina and Pavlenko are in a class by themselves. The surprise for me was that I liked Tereshkina less than I thought I would, and liked Somova more than I would have guessed -though still not much!

With her soulful face and beautiful epaulment I thought that Tereshkina would be an Odette to remember. In a few years perhaps, but this time out I found her boring. Although her line was beautiful Canbelto said she thought she was having some problems integrating her arm and leg movements and I think she’s right. Anyway, I found both her phrasing and her characterization bland. Her white acts were fine, but very generic. I expected fireworks from her Odile, and she was more interesting here but she had some problems with the fouettees and was noticeably off the music by the time she was halfway through them. Somova was the opposite. I thought I would be ok with a flashy, heel to head Odile but expected to hate her Odette – I just pictured those screechingly high extensions in the 2nd & 4th acts like fingernails on a blackboard. While I wouldn’t call her Odette refined, I really didn’t find her extensions to be much more extreme that Lopatkina’s or Tereshkina’s, and at times she was very beautiful. The problem for me in the white acts was that there was no flow to her dancing. She hit some exquisite poses but the sum effect was very choppy. My biggest problem with Somova was with her 3rd act. It was like she decided to portray Odile as an acrobat and thus showed us some of the UGLIEST images I’ve ever seen at the ballet. In addition to the horrible line of her sky high extensions, her legs seem to be hyperextended. What I mean by this is that when her leg is extended at a 90 degree angle (or thereabout) her toe looked several inches higher than her knee. Not very pretty! I saw scary looking supported jete splits and a hideous 180 degree side developee that she held for 5-6 seconds (to thunderous applause) but her fouettees were the absolute worst. They were fast, but she traveled horizontally and they were so ugly! They looked like Rockette fouettes (no offense to the Rockettes). She kept kicking her working leg out to the side and it would hit the spot and then she’d whip around, bouncing up and down like she was on a pogo stick. The scariest part was that the crowd loved her. Ugh.

In the final Chicago performance Pavlenko provided the perfect antidote to Somova. It didn’t quite reach the same level of emotional power as the last time I saw her in DC with Zelensky, but I think a performance that sublime is extremely rare. This time she was merely extraordinary. Her dancing is lyrical and fluid, her expressive back, torso, neck, head and arms creating a soft, beautiful legato flow that spoke of her longing and despair and complemented her beautiful arabesques and attitudes. Along with the pathos and poignancy of her Odette her humanity always came through. There is something very genuine about her so that even when her dancing is soft and ethereal you still feel such a direct connection to her and to what she is feeling onstage. She and Lopatkina both have very pliant backs & arms, and a similar way of moving so although I could describe them with many of the same words – soft, flowing, warm- their personalities and bodies produce completely different, almost opposite effects. Lopatkina, through all her beauty & sadness is every inch the Queen, while Pavlenko sometimes looked so achingly sad that you just wanted to reach out and comfort her. It was a wonderful performance, the end of a great run in Chicago.

After watching ABT in a great program at City Center last night, I made it to Chicago this afternoon.

It seems like I’ve been looking forward to Lopatkina’s Swan Lake forever. I’ve seen her in 3 other roles and loved her, but even though the reports I’ve read about her O/O have been glowing they have also been confusing to me and I’ve been having a hard time imagining what it would be like. Most everyone agrees that she’s impressive technically, that her arms are amazing and that she’s a great Odette but almost in the same breath I’ve heard her Odette described as remote, platonic, intellectual, philosophical. I didn’t get that from her at all. I do agree that dancers like Vishneva and Ananishvilli are more dramatic, but I didn’t find Lopatkina cold or remote. In fact the 2 words that come to mind are warm and beautiful. She was certainly tragic and heartbreaking but the most outstanding feature of Lopatkina’s Odette for me was how absolutely beautiful, vulnerable and expressive she was in her every movement & pose. Her Odile may have lacked subtlety, but I didn’t mind her “all guns blazing” approach and she really did wow both her prince and the audience. Her fouttees were fast, clean and musical and she slowed the last few down so she ended perfectly in time with the music, face front and in total control.

The whole company looked great. I liked Korsuntsev more than I remember liking him last time I saw him. His Siegfried isn’t too deep or melancholic but he’s not wooden either, and he’s a rock solid partner with a beautiful danseur noble line.

The pas de trois was danced beautifully. I love the Kirov’s version and Osmolkina, Golub & Korsakov were great. I kept seeing Kondaurova in small roles she wasn’t listed for (one of the 2 swans & the mazurka) but maybe they just have a lot of tall redheads these days, she couldn’t possibly have danced everything I thought I saw her in! One dancer I recognized in small roles was Yulia Bolshakova. She was one of the prince’s potential brides and also one of the first line of swans. It’s nice to see that they have her dancing corps/coryphée roles again. She’s lovely but it looked like they were pushing her too fast last year, so I’m glad to see that she’s getting a chance to regroup

I will be at Saturday's matinee performance in Chicago. Anyone going to be there?

I will, I'm in town for the weekend. Is there a central meeting place for those of us who want to say hello?

Susan

The tears came during Strangers in the Night, when Gomes' longing for the lady was all but unbearable. It was all told through the angle of his head, subtle changes of posture and timing. And this dancer broke my heart in a most unlikely vehicle. His One for My Baby was not up to the (extraordinary) level of the prior four songs. It may be that Marcelo lacks the necessary cynicism, or perhaps the absence of a partner to bounce off of was the missing element.

But that Strangers in the Night . . . Oh, yeah!

[humming "Love was just a glance a way, a warm, embracing dance away."]

Gomes was wonderful in Sinatra Suite, truly wonderful. I hope they keep this in repertory for a few seasons, I really have to see him in it again (and again, and again)! Watching both Cornejo and Carreno previously I’d been thinking to myself that without technical tricks to wow us with, neither one was really able to make this compelling. I should have known that Gomes would do it justice. While his One For My Baby may not live up to the original (who’s could?) I thought it was very pensive and expressive.

Since I was not hesitant to express my disappointment with Luciana Paris when I first saw her dance this with Carenno let me say that she was a completely different dancer here with Gomes - so passionate and engaged! The only thing that still bothers me about her performance is that her character didn’t really change for That’s Life - she seemed perfectly happy to be knocked around by her partner. I wonder if that was a conscious choice on her part or just a lack of experience.

Watching Sarah Lane in a later performance with Corella (she was substituting for an injured Misty Copeland) really illustrated how important the woman’s role can be in this. She managed to be an active participant rather than just a beautiful cipher throughout the whole piece, but especially in That’s Life. Their rendition of this wasn’t about him tossing her around - this was a series of fights and reconciliations, and she gave as good as she got!