nysusan

I'm afraid I can't join the growing consensus. tikitatata, I’m glad you enjoyed my last post and I hope I don't offend anyone with my negative view of this company's week in NY. I really wanted to love them, I’d never seen them before and was very excited about their visit. I didn’t think I was going to love their Sylvia but I expected to love their gala & mixed rep programs. In fact I was upset that a business trip wouldn’t allow me to see their mixed rep program twice, now I’m glad I’m not going again this afternoon! For me SFB’s week in NY is ending the same way it began, leaving me with mixed feelings. Their rep program showed the dancers to much greater advantage than previous programs, and they do have some beautiful dancers. Tan, Feijoo, Possokhov, Garcia, Molat, LeBlanc, Boada & Maffre really stood out. However, I didn’t like the pieces they chose to present. I actually thought 7 for 8 was ok, not great but ok . It gave the dancers something to sink their teeth into and was the first thing I’ve seen this week that showed them at their best. I figured the program would pick up from there. Unfortunately while Quatenary also provided a showcase for the dancers it now has the distinction of being the only thing I’ve ever seen by Wheeldon that I truly dislike. It seemed very derivative of his other works and went on way too long to keep my interest. Frankly, aside from the Maffre /Possokhov pdd I found it boring. I liked Artifact and if I had enjoyed the 2 pieces that proceeded it I’m sure I would have liked it more but I was already so numb from sitting through 7 for 8 and then Quaternary that halfway through Artifact Suite I almost got up and left. Literally, I talked myself out of leaving 2 or 3 times during the last 10 minutes. I can't remember the last time I felt that way at the ballet. If this is the future of ballet I will run screaming back to the past. Fortunately, I know it is only ONE future direction out of many possibilities. If SFB is a post modern ballet company, then so be it however if they consider themselves to be a classical ballet company then I really think they missed the boat with the type of rep they brought for this engagement.

I left the opening night gala with very mixed feelings about what I’d seen and after 2 nights of Sylvia (the first 2) I still have mixed feelings. The Gala- Imagine my surprise when I read Rockwell’s review in the NY Times and found myself agreeing with him about the opening & closing pieces. I love Vertiginous Thrill and I enjoyed the SFB dancers in it but having seen the Kirov perform it a month ago I have to say that this performance just wasn’t on the same level. While I can believe that the SFB’s off center and exaggeratedly flung movement was more in line with the choreographers intent than the Kirov’s more classical approach the technical skill, speed & elan that the Kirov brought to it just wasn’t apparent here. True, the Kirov dancers are among the best in the world and some may find the comparison unfair but when your advance publicity heralds you as the best ballet company in North America I think it not only invites comparison to the best in the world, it demands it. I also love Robbins’ Glass Pieces and was really looking forward to seeing the 3rd movement - but I found it flat and was stunned at how a piece that I recall primarily for it’s relentless pulsating energy could feel so low energy... Interesting that Yuan Yaun Tan provided me with both highlights and lowlights of the evening - I really disliked her in the Swan Lake pas de deux. I don’t know if what we saw was her interpretation or Tomasson’s but one of them needs to write both “Odette is not a bird” and “Swan Lake is Petipa/Ivanov, not Balanchine/Eifman” at least 1000 times. The jutting elbows, angular arms and bird head shakes just didn’t cut it for me. Then, after deciding that she was not a dancer I was going to like very much she totally won me over in Fifth Season, I thought her line and phrasing were gorgeous here, and this was my favorite of the new choreography I saw at the gala, I found the rest fairly forgettable. Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun was very impressive, I would love to see more of her. I also really enjoyed Tina LeBlanc in the Harlequinade pdd. On opening night Pascal Molat was my favorite of the men who, again, I thought were a mixed bag. Helimets, Smith, Martin all looked like very elegant “dancers noble” and wonderful partners but I don’t recall being impressed with their technical abilities. The virtuoso dancers like Boada and Garcia were impressive, but I found them a little sloppy and lacking in refinement. I know it’s unfair to form such strong opinions on the basis of so little exposure (and my opinions of Garcia & Molat kind of reversed after seeing each of them in Sylvia), but that’s the only perspective the gala program offered. Sylvia - Wednesday Tan/Garcia/Possokhov/Castilla & Thursday Miner/Molat/Vilanoba/Sofranko Well, first things first. San Francisco Ballet does style itself as a ballet company, and as a ballet this just didn’t cut it for me. The beautiful score is intact but IMO the costumes, scenery and most especially the choreography compares very unfavorably to the Ashton version. I see there have been lots of people, both in the audience and on this board who disagree with me but to my eye for most of evening it just looked like Morris took modern dance choreography and stuck point shoes on the women. And the women were far the worse for it. Much of what he created for the men looked ok but for most of the evening the women looked awkward and ugainly. I don’t care if the steps are hard to master (they looked hard), I found it ugly. I had no problem with the gender bending, the overt sexual references or the near nudity but those dryads in the beginning just looked like pelicans on pointe, and anyone who objected to Wheeldon’s ballerinas bending over in Evenfall should see the way Morris has these dancers sticking their butts out here. That said, though I didn’t really like this Sylvia I didn’t hate it either and taken as a dance drama (or comedy) rather than a ballet the piece had it’s pleasures. I liked the use of the swing in the first and second acts and thought the 3rd act pdd was very inventive in it’s use of the veil to restate Sylvia’s character transformations and her relation to Aminta. I liked it’s subsequent change into a scarf and the reference to La Bayadere. I liked the ending to their pdd with the exuberant swings and high five symbolism and I loved (yes, loved) Aminta’s 3rd act solo. This was a beautiful, musical, inventive variation - too bad the rest of the choreography wasn’t at this level. Having a generally negative reaction and then liking aspects of the 3rd act so much is what made me decide to see it a second time. While Tan is a far more technically accomplished dancer than Miner I didn’t like her interpretation as much. She seemed very tomboyish and almost peevish ( I seem to recall a lot of head shaking & foot stomping) as opposed to Miner’s more expansive, Amazonian take on the role. Yet Miner’s line & technical skills didn’t impress. Like drb, seeing Miner made me wonder what Mearns would look like in the role. Maybe it’s just the blond beauty connection but somehow longing for Mearn’s gorgeous line and musicality while watching Miner isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of her interpretation. I hadn’t been overly impressed with Garcia at the Gala but I liked him very much as Aminta (I had seen Rasta Thomas in the Brubeck solo recently so perhaps Garcia was the victim of another unfavorable comparison at the gala). His dancing in Sylvia was very elegant and his solos both virtuosic and refined. Molat, who I loved at the gala struck me as being a little more rustic in his characterization and also a bit less elegant in his dancing, though also enjoyable. The houses have been very full, though not completely sold out. The curious thing is that the audience seems very different from the typical NYCB or ABT crowd. Morris devotees, perhaps?

I figured it might be time to start thinking about the winter season so I just went to the City Center website and was shocked to see that the night of November 1st is already listed as sold out. Tickets haven't even gone on sale yet, what's up with that? The program is Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, Clear, and In The Upper Room. Anyone have any ideas about what might be going on?

This is a very interesting thread, but then Vishneva is a very interesting dancer, to say the least! Buddy, I wonder if you could elaborate a little on why you felt hat Cinderella is Vishneva’s best role. I haven’t seen the Ratmansy version but having seen the Ashton and the Kudela I’m having trouble picturing this role being anyone’s best Interesting observation. I’ve certainly felt an element of “The Vishneva show” each time I’ve seen her dance but I felt it the least in Sleeping Beauty. I think one of the reasons she gives this impression is that a common thread each time I’ve seen her is her extrordinary stage presence and the huge scale of her dancing. As beck_hen points out, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve seen her in Ballet Imperial, Rubies, Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and R&J and I also prefer other dancers interpretations of everything I’ve seen her in -with the exception of Sleeping Beauty ( I’m with Gottlieb on that one!) But her technique is so powerful, her phrasing and line so beautiful and expressive and her artistic vision is so uncompromised that I think the fact that I may ultimately prefer someone else’s interpretation is completely beside the point. The point is that she provides such a unique experience that to miss a Vishneva performance is unthinkable in the same way that 30 years ago it was incomprehensible to miss a Makarova or a Kirkland performance. You go if you can get there. I also think that the scale of her dancing and the unconventionality of her interpretations are the only things that are the same about the way she approaches different roles. That’s one point where I guess I disagree with Helene. Unlike many dancers who never seem able to submerge their personalities to the demands of a role Vishneva seems to approach each role differently. Her Aurora couldn’t be more different from her Giselle, who is completely different from her Juliet etc. Which is the way it should be. Not to mention the fact that she never seems to do the same role exactly the same way twice. She is endlessly fascinating. She may never be my favorite Odette or my favorite Giselle but she is well on her way to becoming my favorite among the current generation of ballerinas Susan

I agree with most of the praise for Vishneva & Corella that’s already been posted here - I thought Vishneva’s Juliet was beautifully danced and like her Giselle, a fascinating and highly individual performance. beck_hen writes “When Vishneva is really on, as she was last night, she has the ability to make completely controlled technique seem utterly spontaneous” and that is a perfect description of her Juliet. She was riveting. Her portrayal was so well built, detailed and dramatic yet it appeared to be completely spontaneous. It was impossible to tear your eyes away from her. It was particularly rewarding to watch the interactions between her and Veronika Part as Lady Capulet. As drb pointed out we are very lucky here in NY to have in Vishneva and Part two ballerinas who “write each performance anew”. It is a rare and precious gift. I really liked Vishneva and Corella together and hope this partnership continues. I saw him with Ferri last year (or maybe 2 years ago) and loved the boyish enthusiasm he brings to the role, his natural brio serves it well. I have no criticism of Vishneva’s dancing here – this time out she was marvelous. The thing that struck me at the beginning was the expressive use of her arms, and how gawky her Juliet was in the early scenes. Even in the first scene with Paris, she really seemed to be a very wild, almost geeky teenager with none of her mother’s grandeur or social graces. She seemed very out of place in that household. When she met Romeo she was transformed and after their first discovery of each other there was an explosion of passion. In the bedroom scene it seemed like he had to literally escape from her, she was not about to let him go. Whereas Ferri's Juliet is girlish and innocent, Vishneva's is girlish and wild, completely unprepared for her role in society. I think I would have preferred a little more modulation in her characterization but on the other hand, perhaps the extreme and uninhibited nature of her performances are part of what make them so exciting. ABT really did bring out the A team for the first R&J. As FauxPas noted, this can be a tough ballet to sit through. Often it feels like you’re just waiting for the next pas de deux but it’s much more enjoyable when all the roles are well done, from top to bottom!

Erica was replaced by Marian Butler as the lead pirate woman tonight (July 7). Corsaire is the kind of ballet that you just don’t go to see if you’re offended by blatant displays of virtuosity, but even for Corsaire I think tonight was over the top. There was a big group of teenage girls there absolutely screaming & squealing for each big trick and especially for Cornejo, who was awesome. Not only were his variations jaw dropping, he also acted the part very well and made a charming Lankendem. After Cornejo’s big variation in the market place I turned to my husband and (jokingly) whispered “wonder if Corella will try to top him”. As a matter of fact it looked like that's exactly what was going through his mind, resulting in the sloppiest pas de trois variation I’ve ever seen from him. I usually love him in this, but he really tried so hard that he lost his form and actually tripped himself up with a couple of very visible mistakes. I was really looking forward to seeing Part as an Odalisque, and she did not disappoint but I was also surprised at how much I liked Ricetto in the first variation and Abrera in the second. Reyes makes a charming and technically dazzling Gulnare and Hallberg was a pleasure to watch as Conrad but the real surprise was Herrera - Hallberg really brought out something special in this dancer that I don't usually care for. She was both modest and sparkling at the same time and she was so engaged when they were on stage together, she danced with almost a reckless abandon in their pas de deux. As much as I love Hallberg I don’t always like the combination of him and Wiles, so I find the idea of this as a potential new partnership very exciting. It seems to bring out the best in both of them.

It was quite flat - not much of a surprise there. Kent was meltingly lovely from start to finish. She looked so cute shaking her little bow at Eros and the audience wasn’t about to quibble over a few wobbly pirouettes... Saveliev was fine, as were Radetsky as Orion & Lopes as Eros but none were particularly distinguished. Kristi Boone danced well but didn’t have the same authority as Carmen Corella as Diana. Still, I was glad I went to see it again, it’s a lovely ballet. Getting to see Fang and Grant DeLong as Jason and Ceres was worth the price of admission. beck_ hen, you’re in for a real treat with the Herrera/Hallberg Romeo & Juliet. I just saw them in Corsaire and Herrera was a completely different dancer from the one we saw in Sylvia. At first I thought it was because the role of Medora suited her and the circus atmosphere both allowed her to be more effusive and at the same time made her look somewhat demure (compared to Reyes, Cornejo & Corella). However by the time the 2nd act pas with Conrad came around it was clear that the partnership with Hallberg was a big part of the equation. They have great chemistry, he really brought out the best in her and I regret that I won't be around to see them in R&J.

Don't forget Old John's - a diner on 67th just east of Amsterdam. It may be a bit more expensive that your average diner but the menu goes from soup & salad to burgers to entrees - and it's just minutes from the back entrance to Linclon Center!

Quoting myself (!), either I was remembering last year's rave review for Herrera incorrectly, or I absolutely disagree. She was fine, and I thought this was a good role for her in general but if I was advising someone on which Sylvia to see it would be Murphy - emphatically. I always thought of Herrera as a great technician who lacked lyricism and flow in her upper body, but I agree with Faux Pas that even technically she was no match for Murphy. Her leaps didn't soar (I found them kind of clunky), and I found her lacking in musicality and phrasing. I also thought her interpretation wasn't well defined. Murphy used the individual qualities of the steps as well as acting to delineate Sylvia's personality very distinctly in the 3 acts, I found much less differentiation in Herrera's interpretation. In the first act she did have bounce & enthusiasm but was too sweet to be believable as a proud, fierce Amazon and at the start of the 2nd act it really wasn't that clear to me that she was plotting against Orion and not just enjoying a little dose of hedonism - whereas Murphy's intentions were crystal clear. Her third act characterization was much better but, again, as Faux Pas said she wasn't on technically and her timing seemed off. I thought Corella's characterization was perfect for Amnita, so open & guileless. His leaps soared but I don't think the quick Ashton changes of direction looked good on him. I agree that Pasteur may have been a little small to partner Herrera effectively, but I still really liked him in the role. From your lips to McKenzie's ears!!!!!!! I was in DC for the Royal's Sleeping Beauty and so much of Sylvia reminded me of it, especially the pastel costumes and pastoral scenery, as well as the style. I wish ABT would bring us THAT production (with a few minor changes, of course!) I haven't seen Kent (yet) , but I was just thinking that if Kent can do it surely Part can and finally, I really love this ballet, and last night I just suddenly realized that the season is almost over and that it will be a long time until NYCB starts its post Nutcracker run (I'll be out of town next week and miss most of the R&Js). So against my better judgement I've decided to go for one more and give that Kent/Saveliev/Radetsky cast a chance! beck hen and faux pas - it was great to meet you, I'll look for you next time!

That is a disaster!!! Herrera is not one of my favorites either, but reports have been good lately and last year one of the papers said that she was their favorite Sylvia in the whole run (I can't remember which reviewer it was, but I think the review said that she was able to do all the hard parts and was more lyrical than Murphy in the last act) That was enough to convince me to buy a ticket for tonight, and I hope you will too!

Hi Chauffeur! Cory Stearns looked fabulous in a couple of the 3rd act national dances at both the Part & Vishneva Swan lakes, but I didn't notice him in Sylvia on Monday. Doesn't mean that he isn't the dancer beck hen was talking about, just that I didn't notice him I saw Murphy's Sylvia last year. I liked her then but after Monday nighty's performance I think she has really come far in terms of delineating Sylvia's character development throughout the 3 acts. She is a dancer with such technical prowess but she really has a hard time portraying tenderness & vulnerability so, yes, this is a great role for her and I was really glad to see her bring some of those elements into her portrayal. Belosekovsky and Gomes were both great and it was wonderful to see Part & Underwood, even in such small roles. I also liked C. Corella as Venus, another small role that was done well. This was my 3rd viewing and the ballet dragged a bit in places but I still love it, for me it is a very welcome addition to ABT's repertoire. As for the length - or lack of it - I think part of the problem is McKenzie's self imposed mission to "streamline" his full length ballets . As far as I'm concerned it's one of his most misguided policies, but it's clearly a priority for him. I recall reading that when the Royal first revived Sylvia they presented it with 2 intermissions and McKenzie ditched the 2nd intermission for ABT's version. I'll be interested to read reports on the Wiles/Hallberg Sylvia. I saw Wiles last year and thought she did a pretty good job. Since reports from ABT's recent West Coast engagement were pretty negative I'm looking forward to hearing about this performance.

It had occurred to me that perhaps Vishneva was under the weather, or nursing a minor injury or deprived of rehearsal time etc. Still, she is considered by many (including me) to be one of the 3 or 4 greatest ballerinas of her generation, and has begun to be spoken of in the same breath as Ulanova, Fonteyn and Makarova. While I sympathize with Vishneva (and anyone can have an off night) I think a dancer of this caliber must be held to higher standards than mere mortals, and it must be noted when they turn in a sub par performance. It should also be noted that most of the audience was enthralled by the performance. It will be interesting to hear what the local papers have to say. Also - Makarova and brittle don't belong in the same sentence IMO. While Vishneva did bring Makarova to mind last year, I thought that this performance couldn't have been farther from Makarova's approach. Especially with regard to the lack of poignancy in her portrayal and the lack of elasticity and expression in her back. The 4th act was her best and her arms were gorgeous, but a little too superfluously swanny to me. Melt she did not. Up to a meeting for next time better (in my best Dianglish).

Cargill I agree with you 100% . It's unfortunate but these days when we are subjected to ballets called Swan Lake that feature Odette confined to a mental ward or Von Rothbart dragging a dead swan across the stage or a Can-Can in the third act I can understand how a mass market review can consider any production that hews to the basics of the story and includes some of the traditional choreography to be "traditional". Not only McKenzie's, even Martin's version is considered by some people to be traditional in relation to what's out there. Perhaps we need to start a truth in advertising campaign for ballet companies. I understand that Swan Lake fills the seats, but there should be some basic requirements for calling a ballet Swan Lake besides just using the Tchaikovsky score.

Aurora - I am a great fan of Vishneva's. I loved her Giselle and her Aurora is stunningly beautiful. I loved her in Swan Lake with ABT last year but I was also dissapointed in her performance last night. Gone was the beautiful, flowing upper body she showed last year. This time she looked very angular. Her Odette was regal and passionate but not the least bit vulnerable or tender. There was ZERO chemistry between her & Carreno. After a slight bauble in an assisted turn she actually broke character and flashed him a big smile for saving the turn. It was only an instant but it pretty much told the story of the whole evening - it was a very deliberate performance, never "in the moment". Shockingly bad, especially after the monumental Part/Gomes Swan Lake in the afternoon. Re: the Swan Queen drowning - she has to drown herself while in her human form, which is why she's in such a hurry to do it before she turns back into a swan.

drb, what a beautiful description of the performance. It was magnificent, Part and Gomes together were magnificent. He really did end the first act with a soliloquy, a poet-prince. He was such an ardent prince, so ready to meet Odette it was as if she answered the call of his heart. The dancing wasn't bad either!

I’ve seen so many unfamiliar dancers in the past 2 weeks that some details of the various SB casts are a little jumbled in my mind at the moment, but I recall that one pairing did the fish dives so deliberately that it felt like I was watching them in slow motion (I’m pretty sure it was either Marquez/Bonelli or Lamb/Samodurov) and, in any case, the only couple who did them with that “snap” was Cojocaru/Kobborg- at both performances. I really liked Lamb, even though she looked a little academic at times. She was very much a princess “to the manor born”, rather than young & coltish. Her dancing was beautiful - crisp & authoritative but she hasn’t quite learned how to connect all the movements with that heavenly fluidity that Cojocaru displays. Let’s give her a little time, the pressure must have been huge. None of the Auroras really nailed the Rose Adagio. Cojocaru’s balances on Sunday were unbelievable - she really took her time and lowered her arm to take each prince’s hand with great flourish - but she overdid it with the pirouettes and came off point in all but the last series. Still, she brings so much to the role that this was inconsequential. I loved Ansanelli as the Crystal Fairy but as the Lilac Fairy I thought it was very obvious that she did not blend into the RB style. Her solo was beautiful but too showy (compared to the company style) and she doesn’t have that very open upper torso or the flow to her port de bras that the rest of the comany has. Among Lilac Faries I agree that Nunez was outstanding. By the way - I don’t have a long history of seeing different SB productions but when the Kirov brought the Sergeyev version to the West Coast last year I remember a lot of talk here about how all their Lilac Fairy did was bourre around the stage. While I love all the mime in this production I was surprised that the only real dancing this Lilac fairy did was the 1st act solo. She is certainly integral to the plot, but in this production it really is a mime role, as opposed to a dancing role. Among the Bluebirds the Maloney/Morera pairing was the clear winner for me. I also liked Kenta Kura on Saturday afternoon. Though his elevation was not outstanding the stretch in his upper body during his solos was beautiful. I liked his Florine, too -Yuhui Choe. Her movements were a little birdlike for me in the beginning but her solos were beautiful, very light & delicate. The only Florestan that I really liked was Makhatelli but from my barely legible scribblings I think I liked a couple of the sisters a lot - Deirdre Chapmen, Samantha Raines and Natasha Outred. And I loved Laura Morera in everything she did - over the course of the engagement I saw her in 2 of the prologue fairy variations (Golden Vine & Enchanted Garden), in the Florestan pas de trois and as Princess Florine - I thought she was really outstanding in all her roles. On Saturday night I particularly liked Victoria Hewitt’s Crystal Faity and Sian Murphy’s Woodland Glade. I sat in 4 different locations for this run and it really made a big difference. Many of the effects were not visible from the orchestra but read perfectly from the 1st & 2nd tiers - the initial vision of Aurora in the 2nd act, Carabosse in the mirror above Aurora’s bed in the 3rd, even just the way the scenes became visible through the scrims worked really well from the balconies and really badly from the orchestra.

Hi Buddy, Thanks for your kind remarks. That definitely was Kondaurova as Myrtha at the last matinee. I've been meaning to post some thoughts about that last performance, and especially about Pavlenko's Giselle but I've been in DC at the RB Sleeping Beautys. I'll post some more when I'm back in NY Susan

I am a huge fan of Veronika Part and I try to go see all of her performances but it is obvious that despite her greatness, she is working against certain handicaps. Her size is definitely an issue. A couple of years ago she had put on some weight, and if you saw her then you might have been taken aback by it. She has lost all the excess weight and is now quite svelte, but she’s still very tall and I can see how that can be a problem for some people in terms of their perception of a role ( for instance, some people could never accept Cynthia Gregory as Giselle – and I’m not sure I’d want to see Part as Giselle, either!). For me, her height is only problematic in terms of partnering. It’s tough to find a partner for her, and even with her best partner (Gomes) the partnering can be kind of rough sometimes. In terms of her dancing, much of Part’s brilliance is in her upper body – it’s so flexible and expressive. Yet so are her developees and arabesques – her line is awesome. Her technique is more than adequate but she does struggle sometimes with the most demanding footwork (she is not particularly an allegro dancer) and sometimes stamina has been a problem. One of the most impressive things about Part is how hard she works to remedy her technical shortcomings. She struggled some with Ballet Imperial and Mozartianna a couple of seasons ago, but as kfw said - she won and the audience was the better for it - she gave absolutely beautiful, magical performances But, Part’s most impressive characteristics are the intangibles – I’m paraphrasing here - she has that ability to “draw you into a universe created out of her own imagination, a universe of which she is the center”. If you love allegro dancers Part will not impress you. If you love adagio dancers she is a dream come true. If your preference in ballerinas tends to the delicate and small then Part is not your girl. She is a big, lush, beautiful woman.

Some eras, like ours, have a number of very great ballerinas, yet one of them stands in a class apart. Ulanova, Farrell, Cojocaru. They could be the greatest before they were their greatest. Hi drb& atm711, and a big shout out right back to chauffer! I absolutely LOVE Cojocaru but IMO only time will tell if she joins the pantheon of Ulanova, Fonteyn, Makarova and Farrell. She may be “the greatest” in a specific role but as a ballerina for now I would group her with Vishneva, Pavlenko and Lopatkina . Certainly I think these dancers stand out above all of their contemporaries but they are very different dancers, and I think that whether one really stands out above the others depends upon the role, the specific performance and, above all – the viewer’s taste. Vishneva’s Aurora was every bit as good as Cojocarus in many ways. She was a high voltage Aurora, a 1000 watt light bulb that lit up the stage but she was also a very athletic Aurora, and her huge personality dominated the evening. Cojocaru was a much gentler Aurora. Her endless line, beautiful flow and classical epaulment perfectly expressed the classical virtues that Aurora is supposed to embody. And I do feel that she developed the character, both in her acting and most especially, through her dancing. For me, hers was the ultimate interpretation but we all have different opinions and that’s what keeps things interesting! I like this production in general, it has a very British sense of gentility but it really ambles along. Pastel colors and lovely backdrops made it the set look like a beautiful water color painting come to life. It looked like a peaceful, bucolic kingdom. But some of the costume choices were baffling. A group of girls in Act 1 were wearing green dresses that looked like they could have been modern day picnic dresses. And I have to say that I prefer the Kirov’s fairy variations and Puss-in-Boots (Sergeyev version, I haven’t seen the reconstruction). But, I love the vision scene, and the grand pas de deux, especially the coda. Marquez was fine, she acted the part very well and the audience loved her but I didn’t really see Aurora’s character expressed through her DANCING. Also, she didn’t have that endless line and her phrasing was kind of sharp for my taste. I’m not talking about her musical phrasing, and maybe I’m using the wrong word here. I mean the way she actually executed the steps. She’d hit a pose on the beat and then go on to the next, she didn’t linger in her poses. Her leg seemed to move from the hip in her developees and go directly up to it’s final height, there was no resistance, no development. Bonelli looked very good and I much preferred David Makhateli as Florestan and Brian Maloney as the Bluebird to the 2 who danced on Thursday. Maloney especially had beautiful line. Londoners may think that Ansanelli still looks like a Balanchine dancer, but I was amazed at how far she has come in terms of developing the use of her upper body. At the State Theater her shoulders always looked tight to me, and her upper body kind of stiff but not anymore! The carriage of her shoulders, neck and head were beautiful, and she gave us a lovely Crystal Fountain Fairy. I was also very impressed with Laura Morera’s Florine.

Ceeszi – you hit it right on the head for me with those comments. Cojocaru was the ultimate Aurora for me, possessing all the qualities you described. I was a little surprised by the height of her extensions (I know that she can do them, but thought she’d be a little more circumspect) but her dancing embodied a joyful, gentle radiance. Early on she brought to mind the Homeric image of “rosey fingered dawn” gently bringing the morning light. She was lovely, and Kobborg was her perfect partner. The prince can be a really lackluster role – I remember a few of them looking pretty stupid – but Kobborg brought a kind of regal naturalness to the role, and his dancing was elegant and effortless. Usually my favorite part of this ballet is the Rose Adagio. Hers was good, outstanding even, but not a Rose to make me forget all others. But she just kept getting stronger with each appearance – her 2nd act vision scene was one of the loveliest moments I have ever seen in many years of ballet going, and her final act was brilliant. Like you I was totally unimpressed by the 2 male soloists who danced Florestan and the Bluebird – so much so that I wondered why they were cast. Absolutely loved Sarah Lamb and am looking forward to her Aurora at tomorrow’s matinee. I will reserve comment on the production itself till I’ve seen a couple more casts except to say how much I loved the mime, and Genesia Rosato’s Carabosse. I thought the mime was one of the best things about this production, it was clear and confidently presented. For Ansanelli watchers – she is scheduled to dance the Fairy of the Crystal Fountain tonight (Friday), Saturday night and Sunday matinee in addition to dancing the Lilac Fairy at the Saturday matinee. Susan

Congratulations to Erica! We'll miss her here, though...

On the "Royal Ballet - U.S. Tour?" thread people have posted about meeting during intermissions at the bust of JFK - which is right in front of the entrance to the Opera House. You can't miss it - see you there! Susan

Thanks pj. When I took a good look at her photo on the Mariinsky website I realized that it was the same face. It's confusing sometimes since dancers often wear wigs, or just look different with different hairdos and the Kirov so rarely announce casting changes. I guess Zelensky must be very tall, cause she looked really petite with him, and really tall in the Forsythe!

I fell in love with Alina the first time I saw her in that ABT Bayadere with Angel. Since then I’ve seen her and Johann at 2 galas ( the Giselle & Don Q pdd’s at the Stars gala that Ceeszi mentions and the Black Swan pdd at another gala the year before), and in Scenes de Ballet, Cinderella and the Voices of Spring pas de deux with the Royal at the Lincoln Center Ashton celebration. So I’m off on the Vamoose bus tomorrow morning to catch the Thursday night performance but I’m going to stay for the weekend, and my husband will join me for the Sunday matinee (he loves her, too!). I’m sure she will meet all of our expectations, especially after Natalia raved about her recent Aurora in St. Petersburg. Can’t wait!

Awesome. What amazing dancers Bocca and Ferri both are, it’s so hard to accept that their partnership is ending. This was the first time I’d seen Manon – though I’ve seen clips and several pas de deux. I hated it, as I thought I would but Ferri and Bocca poured their hearts & souls into it, it was such a privilege to witness their performance. I wish I could see them again on Thursday! Ferri has such an affinity for MacMillan, too. For me the 2 overwhelmingly moving scenes were the first love scene in Des Grieux’s apartment, and of course the final scene – it gave me goosebumps. At the end I was so drained I felt like I had been up there dancing myself