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Jennifer Kronenberg and Mary Carmen Catoya were admirable Giselles, but in quite different ways. I saw Catoya and Reyes Saturday night. While Kronenberg's Giselle was the more moving and complex, especially in Act II. Catoya's stood out for clarity and beauty of technique. I don't mean this to downplay Catoya's acting abilities. Catoya, a principal since 1999, came across as one of the "youngest" (Act I) Giselle's I've ever seen, and one of the least mannered.. Her's was a more more spontaneous, original Giselle than Kronenberg's, with a hint of recklessness. Sometimes Giselle's innocence can be overplayed. This Giselle had a brain and a sense of humor as well as an almost contemporary (in the best sense of the term) grasp of what it is to be a young girl in love. Her mad scene projected undertones of anger, not just pain and fear. She seemed to resent and to be fighting against her impending madness, which made her collapse at the end especially interesting. Reyes was a strong Albrecht, but more conventional than his partner. (For real drama, I preferred his powerful Hilarion the night before.) Catoya's technical purity was the high point of Act II. Kronenberg's Act II made me feel deeply for the character. Catoya's made me appreciate how beautiful the choreography is. One difference may have been that I moved to a seat further back (Grand Tier first row) Act II. The stage pictures were stunning, but elements of detail and individuality was inevitably lost. Callie Manning's Myrthe is a real beauty, even when observed from a distance. She's also an Ice Maiden, upper body completely still during her fast but almost invisible pas de bourrees, no matter what the direction. The jumps were powerful though changes in upper body while in midair seemed effortless. The balances were secure and were held for dramatic effect. Reyes did a fine job in a slightly old-fashioned manner and handled most of the technical challenges (jumps, lifts) quite well. There was something strange about those iconic brises voles -- his bending of the spine, a large gap between the two feet. Didier Bramaz's Hilarian was elegant but perhaps a tad over-subtle for tthe drama. The corps -- a number of whom are from the school -- was impressive. These young dancers moved with remarkable synchronicity and with a real Romantic shaping, as though they had been dancing this kind of choreography for years. The effect was hypnotic, although they were not helped by the big scenery, which hemmed them in and deprived them of space upstage and to the sides. Those hops in arabesque alongee were beautifully done and would have looked better if given more space to move. . I wouldn't have missed either these casts for the world. Vive la difference. P.S. Regarding the Saturday matinee performance, which I missed. A good friend, a woman who has seen many Giselles beginning with Markova's in the mid 1940s, mentioned that Delgado's performance was "very promising .... technically strong .... she will be a very good Giselle in five years." My friend was enthusiastic about Renato Penteado's Albrecht. Penteado is the company's best classical dancer, but one who can also act and move in a variety of styles. He was interviewed by conductor Gary Sheldon before the Friday night performance and was delightful. (I also learned that he is married to MCB's senior Ballet Mistress, former NYCB dancer Roma Sosenko.)

Kronenberg and Guerra are certainly marketed as a love couple. Until last night, I've not found them to be an ideal romantic partnership on stage. The illusion of love depends (I think) on some kind of artistic equivalency. Guerra's growth in this role since the last time out made me believe in all the love elements of the story and made Albrecht's fate as moving, in its own way, as Giselle's. Agree entirely about Delgado's Myrthe. Astonishing as to detail and stage presence. You don't have to be tall and long-limbed to dance big. Those who keep thinking about Delgado in terms of her ability to express joy -- the critics of the 'Delgado smile' -- are missing something if they think that is ALL she can do. This Myrthe didn't grim. More relevant, neither did she glower, grimace, or tighten her features to convey a Really Bad Mood, as some Myrthe's do. I can still see Delgado's head in profile, mouth stern but unstrained, eyes missing nothing, chin strong without being forced to jut outward, body standing downstage in a perfectly still B-plus pose. The best stage actresses don't have to keep "doing things" to draw your eye in their direction. We don't orget this Myrthe for an instant, even when she stands still. I regret not being able to see what Delgado will do with the very different role of transparent, naive peasant girl, whose every Act I emotion seems to pass over her features like sun and shadow on the surface of a lake.

Yes, welcome, Isabelka. Looking forward to hearing from you. As a former "adult beginner" (now retired) I always appreciate the insights of those who have learned the value of learning by doing.

There are times when I think it is an advantage not to know too intimately the details of a complex ballet. Deconstruction can be useful. It can also create mental static and distraction.. When I focus on specific details I often find myself being pulled away from the larger emotional and dramatic arc of the piece. With story ballets, this can be a big mistake. My experience of last night's compelling performance (Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra; Jeanette Delgado as Myrthe; Reyneris Reyes as Hilarion) confirms this, for me at least. Giselle's greatest triumph, it seems to me, is to tell it's story well. Details are crucial to this, of course. Most important to me, however, is maintaining the suspension of disbelief. You have to believe in the existence and unqiue value of Giselle -- her naivete, her madness, her place in the village community, her essential goodness, the centrality of "dance" in her life and even after her death. You have to believe in and come to care about Albrecht's journey through his turbulent and morally-challenging experiences. Kronenberg and Guerra made all of that work last night. For me, at least.. Each has grown enormously in these roles since the last time MCB performed the work. When the individual artist grows, so does the partnership. The live orchestra was a huge advantage. Gary Sheldon's attentiveness to the dancers, communicated in the form of subtle variations in phrasing, tempo, dynamics, gave new life to the performances of just about everyone on stage. Much was different from a few years ago, but the gains in musical responsiveness were what impressed me the most. Important, too, is the three-dimensionality and spontaneity of live performance. I'm not a believer in relying too much on dvds or YouTube clips. They help me to understand and to analyze. But watching them, even at the highest level, leaves a great deal out. At the Kravis Center last night I found myself thinking -- this may not be Paris, Havana, or St. Petersberg. But it's where I am now. It's what I have now. It's infinitely more than I could ever have expected when I moved to this place. I own a number of Giselle dvds -- great performances from great companies. I revisited Fracci's, Makarova's, Ferri's, and Cojocaru's Giselles before to going to the Kravis last night. It was a fantastic exercise. But nothing I experienced sitting alone in front my computer screen came even close to what I saw and felt coming from the Kravis stage and pit last night. To see art being "made" -- illusion being created, risks being taken, ensemble being woven together ... NOW ... is what I love most about any performing art. I'll wait until I've seen the Catoya/Reyes and Albertson/Cerdeiro casts to write more. (I have to miss Delgado/Penteado.) I hope to address the question of technique at that time, something I tend to see as being slightly different from questions of canonical versions and authentic texts. In the meantime ... for those who are interested ... here's an old thread about the 1969 Boston Ballet Giselle, performed by Violette Verdy and one of her best partners and closest collaborators, Edward Villella. Revisiting this thread gave me some insights into how a version "adapted and staged" by Edward Villella could be so effective when performed by dancers better known for Balanchine, Robbins, Taylor and Tharp. http://balletalert.i...-boston-ballet/

Thank you so much, checkwriter, for your research. I believe that the Knight Foundation challenge grant for the return of live music played a significant part in increased budgeting starting in 2010. However, your data confirm Jan Sjostrom's characterization of MCB as "a company with a history of living beyond its means." One of the things that always amazes me when companies like MCB hit economic hard times is the way that this ALWAYS increases the size and budget of the development staff and consultants for fund-raising.This is an understandable response to a budget gap, but one which inevitably leaves the company saddled with even larger expenses, often for the long term. A small clarification. This article actually appeared in the Palm Beach Daily News, a.k.a. the "shiny sheet," a small-circulation newspaper catering to the residents of the island of Palm Beach. I do not recall seeing it in the Palm Beach Post, based in West Palm Beach, which has a large readership throughout Palm Beach County and beyond. The Post owns the shiny sheet, which has its own editorial content, including reviews and arts coverage, and of course a wealth of coverage (with numerous photos) of what the socialites are doing.

I was interested in the following: There aren't as many jobs like that for ballet dancers as there once were. Matthew Bourne's work for the West End comes to mind. Or Twyla Tharp's, for Broadway (not ballet but employing many ballet dancers). I wonder whether some dancers in conventional companies might actually feel the same way. The fantasy of having time for a "normal life" must be seductive from time to time.

brokenwing, thanks for that Saturday matinee casting. I'm sorry that it is the one performance I will not be attending. (I'm going for a long-anticipatead screening of the National Theater's Comedy of Errors, with Lennie Henry ) Would have loved to see Delgado's first season playing Giselle, not to mention Esty (always a delight) and Sciturro, who has definitely earned a crack at a truly great role. Good luck, Christie. Casting for the other Kravis performances: Friday night: -- Giselle and Albrecht/ Kronenberg and Guerra -- Hilarion/ Reyneris Reyes -- Berthe/ Callie Manning -- Peasant pdd/ Nathalia Arja and Kleber Rebello -- Myrthe/ Jeanette Delgado Saturday night: -- Giselle and Albrecht/ Catoya and Reyes -- Hilarion/ Didier Bramaz -- Berthe/ Kronenberg -- Peasant pdd/ Jennifer Lauren and Shimon Ito -- Myrthe/ Callie Manning. Sunday matinee -- Giselle and Albrecht/ Albertson and Cedeiro -- Hilarion/ Reyes -- Berthe/ Manning -- Peasant pdd/ Arja and Rebello -- Myrthe/ Delgado

Piazolla Caldera dates from 1997, I believe. Miami did it in 2004 but I don't know about other ballet companies. It will be included in the Taylor Company's season at Lincoln Center later this month.Cristian, it's "modern" only in the sense that it is NOT ballet. It's tango -- but not your typical tango piece. I'd almost say that it is closer to Tharp than to the other Taylor pieces in MCB's rep. From the NY Times review (1998):

Thanks, broken wing. The season does seem to include a lot of recycling. I, like you, would have liked and expected something that reflected -- and honored -- Villella's long career, especially with the Balanchine repertoire. Midsummer Night's Dream would indeed have been a gorgeous -- though extravagant -- way to conclude the Villella years. I'm trying to find a "theme" here but don't seem to be able to. Perhaps Villella's oft-repeated statement that "these dancers can dance anything" is as close to a theme as there can be. It's good to see Liam Scarlett's new piece on the list, although we already knew about this. Also, it's good that the Ratmansky piece will be there for those who did not make it down to Miami for the special performance with the Cleveland Symphony. Apollo (not seen since 2002) is a big plus, raising questions of who will (or can) dance the God as it should be danced? (MCB has lots of women who can do an excellent job as one of the Muses.) Les Patineurs will be interesting. Definitely Kleber Rebello is the Blue Boy of choice. Looking forward to seeing the men's corps, after their technical brilliance and esprit in Ballet Imperial a couple of months ago. Always love to see MCB in Dances at a Gathering (2006 and 2010), La Valse (2005 and 2008), Divertimento No. 15 (2004 and 2010) and Slaughter on 10th Avenue (2002 and 2010). The Robbins especially is associated with Villella. Two works I haven't seen MCB do: Steadfast Tin Soldier and Duo Concertant (Stravinsky! Musicians on stage!) Revivals I can do without: Don Quixote Pas de Deux (full ballet performed in 2006 and 2009, with frequent performances of the pdd at various galas, Open Barre, etc) and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. No Tharp! But there IS one revival of a Paul Taylor. I saw Taylor's own company dance Piazolla Caldera just a week ago, so it will be fun to compare my memories of that with what MCB does. MCB danced it in 2004 but I have no memories of it. (P.S. I also saw the Taylor Company's Brandenburgs -- with its visual homage to Balanchine's Apollo plus a fantastic male corps. I would have LOVED to see MCB do that.)

It's wonderful to read about the Seattle Orfeo ed Euridice. Thanks, Helene. I used to be able to see a Seattle Opera production every once in a while and was invariably impressed. (Aida in the Caiaro Museum; a Walkyrie where the women rode carousel horses.) Also: Stories about last-minute replacements always get heart beating a little faster. (For example, the replacement Aida at the Met, featured in today's NY Times.) http://www.nytimes.c...?_r=1&ref=music Palm Beach Opera did Orfeo last season. I hadn't seen it for decades -- a time when Orfeo was invariably a mezzo (Marilyn Horne is the one I remember seeing on stage). So it was almost a "new" opera for me. I was bowled over by the beauty of the music and how well it works as a performance piece. I Palm Beach Opera has a New York-centered and relatively sophisticated opera audience. They have been able to cast young, well-connected singers -- many of them American trained -- in all kinds of major rep. In this case, Orfeo was a young Princeton graduate, Anthony Roth Costanzo, who recently appeared in the Met's Enchanted Island. The Euridice was even younger, Nadine Sierra, who is now on the West Coast as an Adler Fellow at SF Opera. Both were absolutely lovely. Our production was semi-staged, with with orchestra seated on risers at the back of the stage. This limited the choreographic possibilities for the dancers, of course. But, having to keep them far downstage gave an eerie frieze-like look to the work. Even the Furies weren't inhibited (much). What did you think about the contempory costuming and design at Seattle? PB's was more generic -- something out of a mixed bag labelled "classical" -- as I recall. Am trying to figure out whether an Orfeo in long johns and leather-jacket would be plausible? Or distracting? Or what?

Thanks, Cristian, for your post. Giselle moves up to West Palm next weekend, and I'll be thinking about your comments as I watch the performances. Based on previous seasons, however, I agree with your general impressions. Am looking forward to seeing what the various casts make of the leads. Kronenberg, Catoya, and Albertson all have strengths, despite not being naturals in this kind of rep. I'm especially interested in looking at the way the corps handles (a) the unfamiliar creation of idealized peasant life in Act I and (b) the iconic Willi choreography of Act II. Your posts on other threads have helped educate me about Giselle in its various versions, so I'll be bringing more to these performances than in previous years. The very fact that this is not "in the bones" can make it fascinating to watch. Some dancers seem to do a remarkable job of assimilating things that I know could not have been given much time during the preparation process. Others do not catch on so quickly. At this stage of my ballet-viewing, I am finding that I am developing a new philosophy: There is ALWAYS something worth watching when a good company dances a great work.Thanks for your strong endorsement of MCB's version of Berthe's mime sequence, especially as performed by Callie Manning.

Agree 100% with Quiggan and others. I;m amazed at how generously, even lovingly this parody is performed. It's based on real observation -- observation of the art form itself, not just a repeat of cliches from earlier parodies. Nothing is overstated or goes on too long. I love the banana bouquet and the ballerina's lovely gesture of handing a single banana to her cavalier. And ... the llittle swan who just can't keep her mouth from flapping. And ... and ... and. I did not remember how beautifully modulated Kovacs' voice was. His introduction -- words and also the manner of delivery -- is plausible. Kovacs does more than introduce; he sets the tone for the (relative) subtlety of the piece that followed. And not a "wink-wink" to be seen. (Was Percy Dovetonsils treated so lovingly? I can't recall.) Thanks, Mme. Hermine, for giving us another example of your astonishing skill in tracking down ballet videos of all kinds.

Regarding R&J. If, as has been suggested, Juliet marries Paris, what happens when her little "Romeo" grows up? If her son marries, possibly to Raymonda, who lives just across the Adriatic, Juliet becomes a mother-in-law. So what about Balanchine's statement that there are no mothers-in-law in ballet? Will Juliet have to give up her dancing career? Regarding Bayadere: especially the suggestion that Solor might marry Gamzatti. This would require serious character adjustments on the part of both. Does the vocabulary of classical ballet allow for things like "growing up," "maturing," "compromising," and even "growing up"? I know that Aurora is allowed to "grow up" in Sleeping Beauty. But the spectre of watching someone actually "reform" on stage might be a turn-off to many in the audience -- despite the high level of moral absolutism we in the US are currently enduring in our national political debates.

Good to hear that, Cristian. We have a week to go before MCB 's Giselle reaches us in West Palm. Still hoping (hint, hint) to see your detailed impressions on the Program III thread.

My feeling is that MCB produces a Giselle, along with a few others of its brand-name full-lengths, more because they think that the audience wants them than out of any devotion to that particular kind of ballet. This audience, like many I suppose, is not particularly knowledgeable or demanding as to nuance or ballet history.Cost is a factor as well, I imagine. Edward Villella is able to do much of the coaching for Balanchine revivals (aided by repetiteurs with whom, in several cases, he actually danced). This saves money. Contracts with the Tharp, Robbins, and Taylor organizations require bringing in professional coaches familiar with those repertoires. t would be exciting to see what MCB might do with Giselle if they were willing to devote time and expertise to preparing the dancers on the level that they are prepared for other choreographies.

I wonder what the rationale for this is. Aesthetic preference? A sense that the older version is somehow old-fashioned? Desire to shorten the performance time?

What a great quote! And how true. AND ... a reminder of keep things in balance. So often, when conflicts like this become personalized, policy tends to be seen as a matter of either-or. When you think of it, there's no need for artistic vision and good financial management to be incompatible. I'd hate to see either sacrificed for the sake of power games.

The current (Feb. 18-24) edition of The Economist includes full page notice (with photo) devoted to Liam Scarlett, including a brief summary of his career and choreography so far. I regret that I could not create a Link to this, but here's the paragraph relevant to his new commission from the Royal Ballet. For a glimpse of the 1907 crime that is Scarlett's inspiration, see below: http://www.tate.org....ooms/room6.shtm I would have thought this was more in the league of the late Kenneth MacMillan, though he tended to focus on the more glamorous classes when it came to picking sensational stories, as in Mayerling and Manon. It will be interesting of what Scarlett makes of this.

In this fuzzy video, it is difficult to make out just how the feet are moving as she comes forward. The legs ripple but the feet seem to glide across the floor. It's quite astonishing, really. Are these the tiniest bourrees on record? Or is the camera and/or film altering reality, as liebling suggests?

Just wanted to bump up the LINK to Holly Brubach's take on this story, now printed in the NYT Sunday Style Magazine. DANCING AROUND THE TRUTH. A novel of Tanny Le Clercq's life riles her friend Holly Brubach This time I looked more closely at the three superb photos, two of which I've never seen before. In one, Leclercq (wearing a Western Symphony costume???) holds a glove and looks to the side. Balanchine, to her left, has an almost identical pose, looking like a Georgian prince, his elegance and grandeur softened by that sweet and silly western bow tie. (Was this a formal dress version of the string ties he wore so often at the studio?) The third photo is something everyone who cares about Leclercq (and Balanchine as well) HAS to look at .... (Can anyone find a photographer credit for this one?)

Cristian, have the casts Friday and Saturday been those originally posted? I mean .... -- Friday: Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, with Jeanette Delgado as Myrthe -- Sat: Mary Carmen Catoya and Reyneris Reyes, with Callie Manning as Myrthe. If so, I'm especially interested in hearing (in detail, please) what you thoughts about Catoya/Reyes. I would not have suspected that Catoya would create the kind of Giselle that makes "cubanmiamiboy" enthusiastic. And few of us have seen much of Reyes -- a veteran Cuban dancer who was a principal at Boston and Royal Winnepeg -- even though this is his second season at MCB. I'm thrilled that you loved them, and very curious to know what it is they did that made them stand out for a viewer who has seen (what?) a hundred or so Giselles. If you can talk about Manning (a favorite of mine, as you know) I'd be grateful. My own feeling is that she could be a superb Myrthe, with just a little tweaking having to do more with matters of focus and "address" than to anything technical. I'd love to hear what you think, especially if you can P.S. You have revitalized my enthusiasm for the Kravis season, coming up in a few weeks.

I seem to remember reading on another thread that Myrthe was, originally, NOT a role dominated by big (and/or tall) dancers. This question occurred to me because Cristian expressed, on an MCB thread, deep disappointment that Jeanette Delgado has not been cast as Giselle this season. (She IS, counter-intuitively I think, first-cast Myrthe, though I haven't seen her yet.) Delgado is not tall, though she registers on stage as strong, and was particularly effective in the new Liam Scarlett piece, Viscera, in which she was required to dominate a stage filled with other dancers in identical costumes. Something -- personality, stage presence, what? -- made her stand out and dared you to look elsewhere. This is "power," a quality Myrthe possesses in spades. It has nothing to do with physical size or proportions. The choreography, performed with spirit and conviction, is enough to do the job. It struck me that Act II of Giselle, separated from Act I, is close in spirit to one of those earlier American works of Balanchine, which do not tell a detailed story but which develop powerful visual situations into something approximating a story. La Valse came to mind, especially the first appearance of the girl in white -- which prefigures her later dance with Death. (A clip of this, danced by the creator of the role, has been posted on the Tanaquil Leclercq thread.) I can imagine that there are dancers who have the technical skill but have not yet acquired the wide and nuanced set of skills required to make Giselle's story real and moving. Myrthe's emotional range is so much narrower than Giselles. So is her repertoire of steps and gestures. So, why not start with Myrthe, while taking time to develop the more sophisticated skills required to carry across the "simple" ( ) peasant girl, Giselle?

Thank you, Setpoint99, for taking the time to write to the Balanchine Trust. Maybe more of us should make our feelings known directly, as you did. carbro, I agree with you entirely. It's refreshing to hear the Balanchine Trust say something other than "No" or "Can't do." As others have pointed out, the Trust is just one part of the puzzle. The truly Byzantine structure of multiple "rights" and restrictive contractual agreements is still the problem that keeps all but a few US performances of Balanchine off the market. It's mind-boggling, but it remains firmly in place.

Thanks for helping us see the other side to this, joelrw. Your point regarding Brubach's "proprietary feeling" about the Leclercq story is well taken. A number of us here have strong proprietary feelings of our own, so I'm glad to be reminded that this can sometimes limit us. So far, you are the only poster who has actually read the book. I clicked the Amazon link (bottom of page; a portion of each purchase made via this link helps Ballet Alert) and found an advance offering of the Audio version, though not the printed book or ebook. Reading some of the advance reviews -- and making inferences based on the names and bios of the reviewers -- is interesting. http://www.amazon.co...29579697&sr=1-3 I'm a big fan of serious historical novels, though have not been tempted by imagined reconstructiosn like Anne Beattie's recent take on Patricia Nixon. it's good to hear that this book is based on serious research and aims at accuracy. I'm looking forward to reading the reviews -- including those by dance specialists and historians -- when they appear. I'm also hoping that there will be a chance to read, on Amazon, some selections from "Inside the Book," which would give us a sense of style as well as content.