art076

Found it there, too - minutes after posting. :-) I swear it wasnt there when I checked for new ballet DVDs last week. Nice list price though, huh? At least Amazon brings the price down some; now its in the same price range as other ballet DVDs on the market.

Thanks for the review, Herman. And now I sit patiently and hope that they will release it in American NTSC format soon!

I'm sure this will appear in Friday's links section but: Times Names New Chief Dance Critic Anyone know more about John Rockwell, e.g. his writing, his tastes, etc.?

I must say - and I did say this when I posted about Orange County - that I did find Darci Kistler's performance in "Serenade" to be quite good when I saw it last week. And she kept that same temperament that I liked so much when I saw it on Saturday in Los Angeles, but on the second viewing, I also noticed how she lacked a certain ease and freedom of movement that the younger dancers had. This just looked odd to me in comparison to the others, especially when Bouder was doing wonderfully on Saturday night. Not to say that Bouder has reached the same level of achievement that Kistler has, but on a purely technical viewpoint, I found Kistler's Saturday night "Serenade" problematic.

Ashley Bouder debuted in "Serenade" on Saturday night, in the role of the Russain girl. It was a wonderful performance, with her dancing so effortlessly musical, assured, and secure. She was light as a feather, and the music really did seem to carry her along as though she were a sail in the wind. But what was also remarkable was how she snapped into every pose fully and with great detail; it wasn't a half arabesque because the music was so fast, it was a complete picture and it looked so effortless. Her two other principals on Saturday, Darci Kistler and Sofiane Sylve, looked a bit less effortless. Kistler, as the girl who falls down, seems to be reaching many limitations as her career grows longer, and though she had the right temperment for "Serenade" - something which I noted last week - on second viewing, her technical limitations looked odd in comparison to everyone around her. Sylve, in the Dark Angel role, doesn't seem right for "Serenade." Her eternally cool demeanor fights against the effortlessness of the choreography, and in her dancing, you can definetly see her preparations for each step - they don't flow quickly and easily as, say, Bouder's for example. While Sylve is able to incorporate this into other ballets such as "Agon," it works to her disadvantage here. On the whole, however, a decent "Serenade" from the corps, but of course Ashely Bouder was the highlight. "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" was the same cast as last week, and a similarly fun performance. "Carnival of the Animals" was cute, but I didn't take to it. Some interesting choreography here and there from Wheeldon, e.g. the pas de deux for the boy's mother, and the dance for the fossil ballerinas. On the whole, however, I found the narrative a stretch, and the set up distracting and cumbersome. I should note I've never seen a "Carnival of the Animals" before, so maybe the ballet itself is like this - there doesn't seem to be too much in the score to provide transitions between the various animals that come and go in the ballet.

Thursday night – “Concerto Barocco” is a very satisfying piece choreographically, with the way it sits so perfectly on Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. There’s a swingy undertone to the concerto that Balanchine captures perfectly while at the same time capturing the lyricism of the score on the surface. On Thursday night, it took a bit of time to warm up, but it was again quite satisfying to watch. Yvonne Borree in the principal role was a bit mechanical and cold, but serviceable. Rachel Rutherford was much more alive and was more interesting to watch, especially in the first movement, and James Fayette partnered Boree assuredly. The corps was great in the final movement: there is some great imagery here, including unison hops on point, and traveling patterns, and when done correctly it is wonderful – which it was Thursday. The momentum built to a great conclusion, and again, quite satisfying if not the best performance of the piece. (Looking forward to seeing Kowroski take the lead role on Saturday afternoon). “Hallelujah Junction” is just very fast, and features a lot of great dancing – if not a lot of great dances. I’m not completely sure what I think of the ballet itself yet; it was interesting, but I don’t instantly like it. However, the dancers in this piece – Jamie Taylor, Sebastien Marcovici, and Benjamin Millepied in the leads, with Ashley Bouder and Megan Fairchild among the ensemble standouts – dance it far more energetically and interestingly than they have danced any other piece through this entire run. Its an interesting conundrum that the best dancing comes out of this piece instead of the more revered Balanchine all over the other programs – perhaps the dancers enjoy having the new work to dance instead of, for NYCB, what would be the same old Balanchine? Alexandra Ansanelli and Stephen Hanna did “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.” Ansanelli is wonderful – great snaps in arabesque to key points in the music, an easy ability to do pirouettes and look like a serenely spinning top, and a relaxed but assured stage presence. Stephen Hanna partnered very well in the adagio, then showed off some great tricks of his own in the variation & coda. The audience ate up this display of virtuosity from both of them. “I’m Old Fashioned” started off as a crowd pleaser (people enjoyed seeing Fred Astaire up there in an old fashioned movie), but the ballet began to bore me later on. Some quaint humor here and there, but the dancing all moves rather slowly, especially in comparison to the three other pieces on tonight’s program. Serviceable dancing all around, though nothing too spectacular to mention: Maria Kowroski, Rachel Rutherford, Jenifer Ringer, Jared Angle, Arch Higgins, and Nikolaj Hubbe were the principals.

Should also note from a sales standpoint - the orchestra section was jam packed today in Los Angeles, and from what I could see, some of the upper levels were well populated as well. Orange County attendance last week - based on visual estimations - went up and down dramatically.

Opening night in LA - enjoyed "Symphony in C" much more today than last week. The corps was much more musical and on target today, but the fourth movement was still a bit off (especially the moment where they all stand around the stage and do some very basic motion in unison - there were arms swinging all over the place tonight). Maria Kowroski did the second movement beautifully, but my memory still sticks on Sofiane Sylve's marvelous performance last week. "Agon" was pretty good; Sylve did the second pas de trois and she really does look much different in temperament and style from the rest of the company. But instead of the difference being jarring, it was actually quite interesting to watch. Sylve did a great job here, and the audience gasped at her prolonged balance on point at the end of the introduction. Wendy Wheland and Jock Soto did the pas de deux; nothing to complain about, except that Whelan looked very, very slim and small following Sylve as she did. "Who Cares" was a bit of a doozy; weak corps work at curtain up (including an unfortunate fall) kept the ballet looking like a school recital until the principals came on. They were Jennifer Ringer in peach, Ashley Bouder in pink, Alexandra Ansanelli in green, and Nilas Martins. I've reviewed in completely reverse order here; but they'll be some good ballets and casting to look forward to this week.

Glad you made it back, Giannina! I agree totally with your assessment of "Violin Concerto," though based on Thursday's performance (I skipped out on Saturday night...) As for Nikolaj Hubbe, the way the anouncer on the Live from Lincoln Center telecasts has been pronounced his name is "ni-ko-lie you-bay". What I did see on Saturday was the "Jewels" matinee. The performance was much improved from opening night in many regards, but not that opening night was bad per se (though on Saturday afternoon, I noticed that "Diamonds" as a ballet in and of itself, is starting to get humdrum for me). Sofiane Sylve was a marvel in "Emeralds" - very ethereal and off in her own world, though very much in a good way. Rachel Rutherford and Robert Tewsley repeated fine performances from Wednesday night, and the rest of the ensemble gave "Emeralds" much the same wonderful effect from Wednesday. "Rubies" was led by Yvonne Borree and Benjamin Millepied. Borree was unfortunately rather boring in the role, for while each step was executed clearly and cleanly, there was no personality. The lack of character was made especially clear in contrast to Millepied's high flying, raw, and very fun dancing as her partner. Teresa Reichlin again brilliantly gave the tall-girl role sexiness and power. The "Diamonds" corps work was far better than from opening night, but the main attraction was Maria Kowroski in the pas de deux. Partnered ably by Charles Askegard, Kowroski really sparkled in this role; the adagio was breathtaking, and she gets at the aura of the role much better than Whelan (opening night's Diamonds girl) did.

Ups and downs tonight at NYCB’s third California performance. Sofiane Sylve – as socalgal wrote – was the highlight of the evening, with a truly mesmerizing Second Movement in “Symphony in C” (the closing ballet of the evening). Her dancing had mystery to it; there was some real personality, as well as being wonderfully musical. It was clear she was THE ballerina, with the way she carried herself in regal style. The corps de ballet which backed up the rest of the ballet, however, was disappointingly sloppy and sluggish, taking much of the momentum out of the ballet. Especially in the fourth movement, where the dancing is supposed to build to a crescendo of unified movement, the disunity of style and musicality was alarming – made the ending very anticlimactic. “Thou Swell” – the middle piece on the program – felt like an entertainment on a cruise ship. Performances were fine, especially from Darci Kistler and Maria Kowroski, but I can’t say its one of my favorite ballets. The choreography is unremarkable, the piece continues for longer than it really should, and the musicians and singers give that atmosphere of a lounge act. The dancing for the men was more Broadway in style – but unfortunately, this style doesn’t fit well on NYCB’s very classical men. It was too pretty, too balletic, and not enough “pizzazz” or raw oomph (for lack of a more coherent way of describing it). Having gone completely in reverse in my review here, “Polyphonia” opened the program and was the best overall piece of the night. Great dancing all around, especially from Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto in the first and last pas de deux, and Alexandra Ansanelli in the sixth movement, with a pas de deux and great solo. The whole piece was very smooth and fluid – it floated above the music in a kind of ethereal way, with Wheeldon’s choreography providing fascinating movements and combinations. I last saw this danced by San Francisco Ballet, which seems to prefer a sharper attack to the piece, more in line with the jagged, near-pounding nature of the opening piano movement. But I like NYCB’s smoother interpretation; it’s not as jarring and it doesn’t look as much like “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” So, despite the great opening, with "Polyphonia," “Symphony in C” was a bit of a let down. So far, the company has done far better in the more modern-looking ballets – “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” “Polyphonia,” and “Rubies” in particular – while the more traditional ones – especially “Diamonds, “Serenade” and “Symphony in C – have suffered. This is a bit troubling to find; at first I thought it might be a fluke on opening, but seeing “Symphony in C” in such a state was a bit nerve-racking. --Art

After the second performance here in Costa Mesa, one can finally open one’s arm’s wide and say: New York City Ballet – welcome to California. Overall, a much better evening than last night’s subdued opening. Tonight progressed towards moments of thrill by the time the curtain came down. The night, though, got off to a slow start. It’s not very possible to mess up the opening tableau of “Serenade” – the image is gasp inducing without needing any movement at all. But as the dancing began Thursday night, the corps, like on opening, seemed to be thinking its way slowly through the steps instead of dancing through with the music. The steps were present and correct, but there was no excitement. That didn’t change until halfway through the second movement, where the soloists start to take over the bulk of the dancing. Darci Kistler was the Girl Who Falls Down, and though she danced understatedly – that is, no fierce attack and no display of amazing flexibility – it was an assured performance, and one could tell this was a veteran turning in a model performance. As the Russian girl, Janie Taylor added the much needed spark to the ballet as she tore up the stage in the third movement – and it was appropriate, too, as it was right in line with the music’s up tempo. Taylor was confident and hit all her technical feats perfectly, so it was refreshing to finally see some fire up there on stage. Maria Kowroski as the Dark Angel was serenely perfect – by being there, confident and precise, it did wonders above the corps’ stepping through of their roles in the 4th movement. By this point in the ballet, however, the corps’ role is much reduced, and the focus is instead on the prinicipals, who salvaged what would have been a very dull performance of “Serenade.” After this piece, it seemed there was a very distinct discrepancy in the quality of dancing between the corps and the soloists/principal ranks – the upper ranks are doing just fine, but the corps appears very young and somewhat nervous up there. More experience seemed necessary. The company gave a fine performance of “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” with Yvonne Boree, Nikolaj Hubbe, Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto in the leads. The piece is a wonderful program partner with “Serenade” – it’s a great contrast, and the choreography is angular and witty, just like Stravinsky’s concerto. The ensemble was sharper and more aware of its presence on stage when it was in fewer numbers – in the groups of four, and even when they recombined in full for the finale, they were an entirely different-feeling ensemble from “Serenade.” Whelan and Soto did a fine first Aria. Whelan seemed more at home in the more contemporary style of “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” than she did in the Diamonds pas de deux last night; not quite sure how to describe it, but she seemed more free and didn’t have to project an overly majestic air to her dancing – she could just dance (similarly, in New York, I enjoyed her in Four Temperaments, but found her to be rather boring in Stars and Stripes). Borree and Hubbe were playful in the second aria; great job there. With the jaunty music of the finale, the company picked up the dancing and really reveled in it. Finally, as the curtain fell on “Violin Concerto,” I really felt like we were getting New York City Ballet on its best legs. “Stars and Stripes” was just a firecracker of a finale. The entire company – from top to bottom – was simply “on” for this closing piece. There was great dancing with personality and musicality, there was fun, and there was excitement up there on stage. And the audience ate it up, capping things off with a standing ovation. Ashley Bouder led the first campaign; they should have Bouder start things more often – her sheer sense of confidence and precise technical ability in “Stars and Stripes” really made the stage much brighter than it had been for much of the run. Bouder has remarkable presence – she knows how to BE on stage and project a personality to the audience, thus putting it in a happy mood for the rest of the ballet to come. This made it easy for Ellen Bar and Tom Gold, leading the second and third campaigns, respectively, to come in and wow the audience with technical tricks. Alexandra Ansanelli and Damien Woetzel then blew the top off the piece with their pas de deux. It was a completely charming and delightful performance from the both of them, as they flirted and joked with each other through the duet while continuing to wow with technical tricks. By the time the finale came, they had the audience in their hands – and the crowd was even clapping along to the thumpy music. So by the end of Thursday’s performance, fears that the company might turn in stale performances for the rest of the run were put to rest. We’ll see what happens tomorrow night – the company will need to work on the slower, more traditional looking pieces like “Serenade” and portions of “Jewels,” but at least the capacity for excitement has shown itself. --Art

Yes, Tewsley did dance as socalgal mentioned; he was also fine in his solo moment during the pizzicatto finale. The men don't get much to do in Emeralds besides partner so I kind of glossed over him in my review. Giannina - Why don't you exchange either your Thursday or Saturday ticket into Program III (which is Friday evening and Sunday at 5:30)? You'd get some variety, at least.

Quick notes from first night in Orange County - “Jewels” Emeralds: Jennifer Ringer was mesmerizing in Emeralds – she was the second soloist for the solo variations, and the second pas de deux with James Fayette (I can’t seem to get the “role” distinctions correct in my head at the moment). Very musical, seemed to melt into the music and let it take her for a ride. Looking back on the entire evening, I would say Ringer’s two solos were the most memorable portions of the evening; they were moments where I was completely taken into the performance and got a swell of happiness as the solo ended. Rachel Rutherford was the other main girl, and she was fine, though noticeably jerky in some parts. Ashley Bouder, Megan Fairchild and Arch Higgins danced the pas de trois; Bouder tore into the role in her usual fearless style, but that kind of attack didn’t quite work in Emeralds. It was too harsh and speedy, so this quality that I so liked of hers when I saw her in New York seemed to work against her here. Perhaps she’ll need to calm down into the role as she grows. Emeralds as a whole has really grown on me; when the Kirov was here last year, it was the part of Jewels that I just wanted to get through, to see the rest of the ballet. But Wednesday, it was my favorite part of the entire evening. Rubies: Wednesday night, my eye was drawn straight to Teresa Reichlin for Rubies, she dancing the tall-girl role and being great fun to watch. As the curtain rose, she established herself as THE person to watch for this ballet – this despite the fact that she technically isn’t the lead in Rubies. Amazingly flexible, also played it coy and sexy. The lead couple was Alexandra Ansanelli and Damien Woetzel, who performed admirably. However, some of the fun, jazzy elements appeared “put on” for the two of them – it was like they’d concentrate real hard to get some of the steps right, then suddenly go “Oh yes! This part can be fun and I can swivel my hips a bit and wink!” But then they’d fall back into trying to get through the steps – it was inconsistent. Perhaps, though, anyone I see in the central couple of Rubies will forever more be compared to Diana Vishneva’s absolutely searing performance with the Kirov Ballet last year – Vishneva just had IT with that role: there was fire, there was sexiness, there was flirtation. It was stunning to say the least, and so that likely made it hard for Ansanelli to stack up in my mind. Also, on opening night, the performance lacked a bit of spark because of the orchestra's subdued and somewhat clumsy playing of the score. It seemed they were conciously trying to keep it slow for the dancers, while the dancers looked like they were holding back to stay with the orchestra. Diamonds: Performed crisply and cleanly by the company as a whole, but there wasn’t much excitement to the whole affair. There was nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about either – just a clean performance. Wendy Whelan and Nilas Martins were the lead couple. Again, with the pair, nice and clean execution of the pas de deux, with Whelan showing remarkable control and Martins partnering steadily and surely. Overall: This may be because the company just came in from Tokyo a few days ago – but much of the dancing appeared tentative. None of it was bad, by any means, but save for a few standout performances – Ringer and Reichlin, mainly – things felt subdued Wednesday night. I would normally forgive the company on opening night, but I also felt the same way while I was in New York this past may (at the time, I chalked it up to constantly performing a 7 show schedule for weeks on end). The steps, in NY, all seemed to be there, but warmth only seemed to come in bursts from a few soloists, or from a few select pieces. Now, about those new sets: I loved the Rubies set, with those geometric, bright red lines coming down the sides and back of the stage, and a burst of lines up at the top. It was just perfect for this ballet, especially when the curtain rises on all those girls lined up on point – the juxtaposition of the bright, straight white lines of everyone’s tights against the red lines was one hell of a stunner. The only thing I found strange was the glowing-red asteroid type object painted into the upper part of the backdrop; I know it’s supposed to be a kind of imppresionist ruby, but it looks like a glowing space object – those of you from Southern California will get this reference, but as I looked at it, it looked like the giant planet from the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland. Otherwise, though, I liked the Rubies set very much. The Emeralds set worked fine; it was inobtrusive and atmospheric enough to give that ballet the hazy, seductive feeling it needed. The Diamonds set, on the other hand, I did not like at all. It looked cartoonish, in a Christmas-card, winter wonderland kind of way. I suppose you could say it is designed to be reminiscent of a Russian winter palace – but still, the way the set was painted and set up, it looks like a giant cartoon, not elegant or grand at all. Looking forward now to tomorrow night, with Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto and Stars and Stripes.

I'll be going to as many as I can also; so far plans are firm for Wednesday THursday and Friday in Orange County, and Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles - but more will likely appear on my schedule. For anyone who hasn't purchased tickets yet: half price tickets are being offered through Gold Star Events, at www.goldstarevents.com, for both the Orange County and Los Angeles performances. Also, based on my experience as an avid student-rusher at ballet here in So Cal, there is student rush at both venues, which I called to verify about - $20 and $10 at Orange County (depending on where you want to sit), and $25 in Los Angeles. Simply call the box office on the day of the show to see if there will be rush available for that evening's performance. Also, in Los Angeles. there are 100 general rush tickets available for $15 to the general public, that go on sale at 12 noon the day of the performance (on sale time varies for matinee days) - seating is generally in the upper balcony, in the slightly handrail obstructed view sections. And I didn't tell you this, but generally you can move a bit as curtain time nears. Visit www.musiccenter.org for more info on these programs in Los ANgeles, and call the Orange County Perfomring Arts Center for more information on these.

The only thing I don't like about this casting is that just one name will change for a ballet like Jewels or Symphony in C for each performance - and it will be a name that I want to see in that role! So it means I'll have to find a way to go and see it. Worse things can happen of course. But LA and Orange County were lucky to get this kind of rep to begin with - all favorites plus a few newbies, so to get some interesting casting is an added bonus.

Doh! Slipped my mind that it was a British company...makes perfect sense now. Usually I'm more prepared for it when I have to type "co.uk" in the address bar, but I arrived perfectly save and sound with a ".com". It is a Region 0 encoded, though in PAL format, so technically you could play it on your computer system in the United States. You couldn't play it on your TV if you only have an NTSC-format DVD player, though, since it won't read the PAL format correctly. But then again, you'd also have to convert the 24.99 GBP price into American dollars, plus add overseas shipping - might not look that pretty anymore once you get it here...

Anybody know what this is?: Tchaikovsky – THE SLEEPING BEAUTY Sofiane Sylve, Gael Lambiotte; Ermanno Florio, Dutch National Ballet, Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, 2004 (Opus Arte) Link It's being released by Opus Arte, but its not clear exactly when the release date is (the Opus Arte web site lists, on their upcoming releases page, 1/10/2004, which has clearly passed). Amazon.co.uk lists October 4, and yet another website lists "sometime in November." It is not on Amazon.com (for the U.S.). ALso according to Opus Arte, it is a production by Sir Peter Wright, and clocks in at a whopping 180 minutes with 4 bonus features, including one on Sylve herself. Anybody know anything about this production? E.g. when it was recorded, the quality of the Dutch National Ballet's production overall, etc. I think the main interest for American fans is with Sofianne Sylve as Aurora, now that she's dancing with New York City Ballet. Any idea when it'll be released in the United States, much less released at all?

Go see HAIRSPRAY! True, there's very little in terms of technically demanding "concert dance" or ballet, but there's tons of refreshing and energetic dancing in there nonetheless. At the very least, it reminds you that even in its simplest forms, dance can invigorate and energize an audience. The choreography is mostly very clever 60s-ish pop dancing, but its still very fun. And of course, the rest of the stuff - the music, the singing, the plot - is great as well. Movin' Out will definetly satisfy your hunger for dance, too. It's basically a full-evening ballet by Twyla Tharp - no talking, just singing from an onstage band that happens to be singing Billy Joel songs. It's being marketed as a full scale Broadway musical (and I can't blame the producers for doing that, since "musicals" seem to sell better to the Broadway crowd than "ballet by Twyla Tharp"), but in reality its just a full evening ballet. There are some excellent dancers in the cast, and if you were looking for ABT, Ashley Tuttle is starring in the main balletic role of this show. The choreography has its very good moments, and the whole package does come together quite nicely, so I would most definetly recommend Movin' Out for dance. Broadway is reportedly having a slow week thanks to the Republican National Convention, so I'd definetly say try and get some tickets to both shows. Both are hot shows, but since this week is (reportedly) slow, go for it! Also, check www.broadwaybox.com - sometimes discounts are available for major shows.

Not to add to the speculation too much, but evidence surrounding the Bolshoi's currently anounced summer engagement for 2005 does make it certainly look likely that the Bolshoi might be headed for the Metropolitan Opera House for the summer. They have an anounced engagement in Orange County in July, and after touring the US extensively in the fall, it would seem unlikely for them to return solely for Orange County next summer. So it must be Orange County plus something - and the Met certainly seems like a likely choice. But I guess we'll have to assume nothing until an anouncement comes...

Don't forget ABT will still also be in Los Angeles in April - granted, Los Angeles is quite a bit further from Orange County, but its still a heck of a lot closer than New York. They will be performing a TBA mixed rep and a weekend of "Giselle." The dates are April 27 to May 1 2005, at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. It appears that the close proximity of the Los Angeles dates might have made it easier for the company to drop its November engagement - the November one would have been more costly, and the company would have another date on Southern California during this touring season anyway. (Though technically, LA and Orange County are pretty distinct markets - not very widespread cross-mixing of audiences except for devoted dance fans [like us] or unless the event is exceptionally special [e.g. Paris Opera Ballet or Royal Ballet]. It's actually quite a drive between the two areas - an hour, or more in traffic.). I'm still a bit disappointed though, because the November rep in Orange County looked really interesting: they had listed a piece by Christopher Wheeldon ("VII," I think it was), as well as "Symphonic Variations." I was interested to see ABT do a Wheeldon for the first time. This probably means that it will be done in the New York City Center season - marketing copy for the Orange County run advertised the company as being "fresh" from its City Center engagement. Maybe we will see one of these pieces in Los Angeles instead - here's hoping! Maxi - You really should check out Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker while it is in Orange County this year. Bourne is not ballet per se, but I find his sensibility to be very much like story ballet. His choreography is very inventive and his story telling top notch. I can guarantee you his Nutcracker will be a bit wacky and irreverent (and unlike a classical Nutcracker), but it will be a good experience nonetheless - with great dancers to boot.

Good to go for Monday. What a great idea!

Three "Giselles" to close out the Royal Ballet's performances in Costa Mesa - now all of you in New York get them! The corps was uniformly excellent throughout the Act IIs, as Maxi mentioned about Friday's performance. They were all wonderfully wistful and ghostly in their opening Waltz, but strong technically as well. (The Wili "chug" towards the end of the Waltz - that part where they are all in arabesque and hop forward - did not get applause until the final night of performances). I liked watching the corps right after Hilarion's death scene, where they arrange into groups of four, then leap off in groups to go find Albrecht - each group was perfectly together and the clonks as they hit the stage floor after the jetes were right in time with the music, as they should be. There were even hints of vengefulness - these Wilis are, after all, out to kill. Overal performances, however, were less even in quality. The trend, however, was a huge increase in quality from opening to closing, starting with Friday night's relatively muted and flat performance and escalating to Saturday night's absolutely firecracker closing cast. Friday saw Miyako Yoshida as Giselle. Despite her perfect, beautiful technique, Yoshida unfortunately failed to project much warmth or character. Her mime was too flowy and pretty, lacking spontenaity and drama. Act I of Giselle needs you to believe in Giselle as a character, and to feel for her as the story progresses. With Yoshida, it was harder to do that, as it looked like she was simply going through the pre-choreographed motions of the role. Yoshida's dancing, however, almost made up for it. During her variation in front of Bathilde - occurring near the end of Act I - it was like she suddenly woke up and things got exciting. But then her Mad scene failed to build properly towards a climax, and it was a rather cold death. As a consequence, Act I seemed subdued Friday night. Federico Bonelli was her Albrecht, and he did not help much in the character department. He is, however, relatively new to the Royal Ballet, and perhaps he will grow into something more. Things picked up in Act II, where Yoshida's technique made for a fabulous Dead Giselle. Zenaida Yanowsky danced Myrtha - and she's very tall, especially in comparison with the rest of the company. She danced large, and her jumps carried a weight that the other dancers didn't seem to have. But her Myrtha was an appropriately cold and stately queen - a very good performance. Saturday afternoon was a marked difference over Friday. Robert Marquez danced Giselle with much more conviction and spunk than Yoshida. Hers was a girl who delighted in the idea of falling in love, and her Albrecht, Ivan Putrov, made it easy to do so. Marquez also has great technique, not quite as crystal clear and polished as Yoshida's, but it was remarkable nonetheless. She still hit her variation in Act I wonderfully - the hops on pointe got cut a bit short, but she made up for it afterwards. Marquez' Act II nearly got overshadowed by Putrov's amazingly high jumps during the Albrect variations. Putrov, more than any of the other three casts, really did seem like he was dancing to death - there was energy and there was athleticism. So he did end up looking tired as he approached death, and not in a bad way either. Vanessa Palmer danced Myrtha, and I liked her Myrtha the best of all three I saw this weekend. Very icy, technically strong (all those huge jumps and turns nailed perfectly) and dramatically very sound as well. Saturday evening’s “Giselle” was spectacular. Dramatically, everyone in the cast seemed to wake up and join the action. It was a theatrically sound production, where Act I for once did not feel long, and the mime didn't seem outdated or excessive. Every dancer, from the corps de ballet to the soloists in the pas de six, were alive and wonderful. It was theater as much as it was ballet. Then, there were Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg. Cojocaru was brilliant as Giselle. She was a girlish Giselle, full of life and reveling in the joy of being in love. But her characterization was also detailed, nuanced and spontaneous. You never knew what she was going to do next, and it was like watching a very real person up there – despite the fact that real people don’t mime to talk, and real people don’t hop around on pointe to walk. She made the ballet dancing and the pantomime all so much a part of her language that it all seemed organic and natural. It was a remarkable performance. And the same went for Kobborg. He and Cojocaru are very in tune with each other as actors and as dancers. They paid attention to each other, and it looked like they were reacting to each others’ gestures as though for the first time – in or out of the rehearsal room. They were Albrecht and Giselle, in real life. For Kobborg, this was a marked improvement over his Prince of earlier this week. His Prince in “Cinderella” seemed bored, and he was technically unsure. But his Albrecht was detailed and sympathetic – his Albrecht seemed to truly love Giselle, he wasn’t just playing around with a peasant girl. Dancing wise, both were excellent as well. Cojocaru has wonderful extensions, which she used to ghostly effect in Act 2. She did flub the hops on pointe during her Act I variation – she hopped for a bit, then did a turn, then hopped again and turned again. I couldn’t tell if this was to cover a mistake of it was a choice of hers to change the choreography for herself. This was a minor glitch, however, as she made everything else shine so brightly. Her Act 2 was exquisitely rendered, and as I said before, all the dancing seemed like a natural language for her. As Myrtha, Mara Galeazi seemed to be having a bit of trouble holding the extended arabesque poses at the beginning of her dancing, but she later grew more comfortable and added much to the great evening that was Saturday evening’s “Giselle.” Other notable dancing in these three “Giselles:” instead of the Peasant Pas de Deux we got a Peasant Pas de Six, using a principle couple and two subsidiary couples in what looks like Ashton choreography (I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is Ashton – but I’m not sure...anybodu know?). Laura Morera and Ricardo Cervera were particularly good in the pas de six on Saturday night, and Marianela Nunez impressed on Friday night.

And conversely, I'm very disappointed that Costa Mesa did not get Scenes de Ballet, the Divertissements and Marguerite and Armand! Yes, it's true, you really cannot have everything...

NYsusan - Here in Costa Mesa, Cinderella was clocking in at 2 hrs 55 min; we'd be getting out at roughly 10:55 each night. You would probably have to take the late train back to Long Island, unfortunately. But if you were to leave at second intermission, that gets out just after 10 pm. I'll have to trade my Thursday performance for Gianina's Monday performance - a nasty traffic snarl on the freeway made me late for Act I, and they held me outside in the lobby for the entire act! So I watched the house scene and fairy variations on a monitor in the lobby - a terrible way to watch it. But of Acts II and III - I thought Jaime Tapper was wonderfully light and clean as Cinderella. Her variations and pas de deux were perfect, if not a bit mannered. Tapper, however, lacks the sheer charisma that Cojocaru or Rojo brought to the role. Even if Rojo was a bit icy on Wednesday, she still had a certain "it" to draw your attention. Tapper made it by the simple prettiness of her performance. I can't comment on her characterization of Act I (it was impossible to see clearly on the monitor - don't be late in New York! The company has mandated a hold on latecomers). David Makhateli, listed as a First Soloist in the program, was an adequate Prince, though he clearly needs to grow into what it means to make the most of a cavalier/ supporter role. He made it through the performance by going through the motions. So that was the end of the Royal's "Cinderellas" in Costa Mesa. I very much enjoyed watching the choreography - that Ashton is simply priceless. He was so in tune with Prokofiev's music - the score is somewhat odd for a fairy tale story ballet (especially if you have seen Matthew Bourne's production of "Cinderella"). The music is very jagged, sometimes cacophonous, and definetly not your lyrical Tchaikovsky. But Ashton mined it for some brilliant imagery and patterns, not to mention his trademark "Britishness" of style. The Waltz which closes Act I is brilliant, as the star pattern on the stage fits in gloriously with the menacing edges of Prokofiev's waltz. And then there are those fabulous variations for the Fairies, which everyone here has gushed over at length already. "Cinderella" also gave us the chance to look at many of the Royal's principal and soloist women, and it's a good outlook for them. Many strong ballerinas and some fantastic stars in the "Cinderella" roles. Cojocaru made the most exciting Cinderella, with a strong characterization and a glittering ballroom scene. Rojo came in second with her formidable technique and flawless execution of the Ashton. And in the Fairy roles, Isabel McMeekan truly impressed with her Fairy Godmother (twice!), and Lauren Cuthbertson seared her rendition of the Fairy Summer variation into my memory. The main weakness in the Royal's production of Cinderella seems to be what to do with the Prince role - how to make it unboring, and more significant. Inaki Urlezaga seemed to surmount that challenge well, while the other three unfortunately did not do much with the role. All in all, however, a very enjoyable week of Cinderellas. I wish I could move to London for the year and watch the Royal do all sorts of Ashton work! I did a marathon of "Giselles" this weekend also; still composing my thoughts on that, but I will post when ready!

Saw another "Cinderella" Wednesday night! Main highlight tonight was Inaki Urlezaga as the Prince; I liked Urlezaga very much. He brough a charisma and charm to the role that the other two Princes this week were lacking. I actually enjoyed watching his role, and for once did not simply fade away into the background. He made Acts II and III more fun to watch, as the Prince was not just this bored-looking block walking around. Urlezaga seemed to take genuine joy in finding his Cinderella, and in dancing as well. Tamara Rojo was somewhat of an Ice Queen Cinderella during the Act II ballroom scene, but it worked out okay since she danced the Ashton choreography so exceedingly well. There's this moment in her ballroom variation where she stands up on one foot on pointe, does a little back bend in place, straights back up again and continues as nothing happened. It's a kind of breathtaking moment if the effect is executed properly - Benjamin flubbed it last night, Cojocaru got it Monday but sparkled so much elsewhere that the backbend moment simply flew by. Rojo tonight used it to full effect - wonderful. Rojo's pas de deux was crystalline. The Ugly Stepsisters really hammed it up during the curtain call today, maintaining their silly characters to the end. It was very funny. Fairies were the same as Monday night, and were great again, as usual. I was hoping, though, to see Zenaida Yanowsky as either Fairy Godmother or Fairy Winter (reports from the winter run in London said she had danced these roles)...doesn't look like she'll be dancing either this time, but she may dance a Myrtha in "Giselle" over the weekend. I enjoyed watching Yanowsky as Dewdrop on the "Nutcraker" DVD and as Prayer on the Coppelia DVD, and had hoped to see her dance in person. Great performance tonight, up some from Tuesday night. I feel like I'm keeping score in a baseball championship series.