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PAmom

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Posts posted by PAmom

  1. Although I have been a member of BA since 2000 (some of my posts got cut through a restructuring) and I was even a BTfD moderator for a while, it is rare that I post anything. This is for bingham (and Maga11) who were unable to attend any of ABT's La Fille performances. bingham has been my BA pal and we both have hoping to have a chance to see La Fille again for over a decade now and have been sharing dream casting every year.

    You would have loved it bingham! The night was so special, knowing that many of the attendees were there to support Ms. Murphy's 20th anniversary. There were still empty seats on every level but the enthusiasm of the audience made up for it. Their cheers for Ms. Murphy's entrance were immediate and exuberant as was her dancing of Lise. Her rapport with Mr. Gomes' Widow Simone was genuinely familial, acting the young lass wishing to get out of chores, be with her friends and to get away with what she could without setting off her mother.

    The chickens tried to leave a lucky chicken foot on the stage as their rooster, Mr. Frennete, lead them in a high stepping dance across the barnyard. The foot was recovered and it and the tambourine in Act 2 were the only glitches I noticed. No noses were broken with sticks like the night before nor were dragged around the stage like Mr. Bragado-Young in 2003. Even the Maypole was wound and unwound without a hitch (only the 3rd time this season in the 7 performances thus far).

    Alas, Mr. Sterns' lifts did not go off with the same accuracy but the audience cheered even more fervently letting Ms. Murphy know her dancing was just lovely and all was appreciated. I do have to say that her balance in attitude while holding the carousel-like center of the ribbons that turned her was a moment that gave me chills and brought me happy tears. It was a simple magical moment and I feel that sums up what I feel about this ballet in general. The moments like the maypole dance after a dance with Lise turning in the center of ribbons circling around her aren't repetitive, they echo imagery indeed but are no more like each other than the live pony pulling the cart and Alain riding his bumbershoot.

    Repeated imagery is important and sets a theme. If I had to choose a theme for Ashton's La Fille it would be "interlacing." The string play of the cat's cradle created by Colas and Lise, the complicated relationships between the characters and the patterns dances themselves have the audience wondering if all will come out right in the end. Each of them made interesting patterns, some shocking, some thrilling and over all a very enjoyable ballet.


    Act two was fresh and the dancers kept the static setting interesting. I applaud the corps for handing so many props of sticks and clogs and sickles and hay bails and making it looks graceful. Ms. Murphy's mime was charming and both she and Mr. Sterns projected a genuine connection. The final pas was breathtaking, Ms. Murphy's solo was most memorable with clean technique and perfect musicality.

    Of course the show was Ms. Murphy's and she did not let anyone down. The bows and guests at the end moved the audience to thunderous applause. I never thought I would see Mr. Stiefel and Mr. Radetsky on the Met stage again so yet another treat! A very special evening wrapped up in a beautiful bow of ribbons.

    PAmom

  2. It's a good thing, then, that Moderators and Admins are the only one who can tell anyone what they can't say.

    ...

    to assume that the only constraint is incompetence is unrealistic, given the constraints of time and money.

    Brava - my thoughts exactly.
  3. I'm planning to take a friend to the Nutcracker at Segarstrom tomorrow. Any advice on whether we should see Stella Abrera/Alexandre Hammoudi or Gillian Murphy/James Whiteside?

    We saw Stella and Alex last year and loved them. Honestly, their take on specific nuances in the grand pas made more sense to me than any other pair I have seen perform Ratmansky's production. I love Gillian and James but Stella and Alex nailed it last year in Brooklyn.

    t

  4. ABT misses the dark undertones of Company B. When you see the PTDC do it you get how this is not just a perky dance with jukebox melodies. Not so much with ABT. I'd recommend seeing the PTDC do this.

    As peppy as Tico Tico is as a song, I feel the dancers at ABT have been coached well in portraying a shell shocked young man. Dodging bullets, cringing from shadows - I saw nothing light in this piece when ABT performed it.

  5. The 2015 season will be over in 3 weeks. Maybe, it's time to think of next year's wishes/predictions. After the success of A Ratmansky's SB, i wish for his Munich production of Paquita. Also Ashton's La Fille, Rhapsody and/or Two Pigeons.

    Just like Bingham, Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardé, as we have been wishing for a decade now.

  6. Speaking of the Gate dance (also know as Masks dance), did any of the Romeos nail the turns? Everyone that I saw struggled with them. In the past I've seen dances (including Gomes) do the double-extend-double turns flawlessly.

    If I am remembering correctly, Herman's turns were spot on in the Gate Scene. I always look to this scene as a real hallmark of how well the main gentlemen are cast against each other; I love this dance. I enjoyed the 3 being similar in build but Benvolio kept "drawing my eye" and not in a good way. At a point when they all 3 should have been together, Mr. Simkin was a bit wild in his execution and I kept thinking he was about to break into a solo while Romeo and Mercutio were perfectly matched.

  7. I'm still in ballet heaven after that amazing, astounding, heart-crushing, wonderful performance of "Romeo & Juliet" with Vishneva and Gomes!!!

    I so wanted to see last evening's performance after seeing Mr. Gomes and Ms. Vishneva in "Onegin." Thank you for your insights!

    I will be fortunate to see Mr. Hammoudi and Ms. Seo at the upcoming Wednesday matinee. So many exciting debutes this week!

  8. Seven Sonatas is a rapturous gem of a ballet. I’m looking forward to seeing it again with a different cast on Sunday, November 13th.

    The program ends with Paul Taylor’s Company B, set to the music of The Andrews Sisters.

    I am hoping to read your take on Sunday's performances comparing casts of Seven Sonatas, the two Taylor works Company B to Black Tuesday and how you felt about that specific performance of In the Upper Room.

    I was surprised at the similarities between Company B and Black Tuesday right down to the casting of Salstien in the almost duplicate roles of “Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh” and “Are you making any money?”. I much prefer Company B and the lighting has a lot to do with it.

  9. Millepied - Of course the Simkin moments were very, very entertaining. Will this be a problem in casting? Can anyone else do it? Does his understudy have a slightly different version?
    The role is Simkin's but the company has other dancers ready to dance the role. Second cast's Arron Scott's version is different. I only saw the second cast on Friday so can not give details other than what I am told is called an "aerial cartwheel" was replaced by a switch leap.

    t

  10. I guess this illustrates that it pays to leave a job on amicable terms. I'm sure that the various talented men at ABT who are trying to get promoted out of the corps are not pleased.
    I beg to differ; Sascha was always a team player, a boon to the entire company and his unifying influence has been missed.
  11. In regards to the choreography, I find this to be one of the most satisfying full-lengths overall in that there are no boring lulls, no endless matador or pirate dances, no national dances that seem to go on and on forever. All of the female corps (I believe) wear pointe shoes and are given challenging turns and leaps throughout. The result is that it's very hard for the corps to stay in synch, but I'd take fouettes in tandem anyday over a perfectly executed Hungarian dance. What struck me last night is that Ashton left no music unchoreographed--every strain of music had a coresponding hand gesture, flick of the foot, or bend of the knee. I left feeling as if he had done justice--and then some--to Delibes' gorgeous score.
    I am so glad someone could put what I feel about Sylvia into words. I know the audience will be filled with enthusiastic families on 7/4 and I will be joining them. Excited to see Alex Hammoudi's Orion!

    t

  12. I so look forward to your complete impression of Ricetto's Giselle. I heard from my son (ABT corp member) that she was flawless. This is one performance I this season that I dearly regret missing.

    t

    I'll try and write more later (especially if no one else reports, or if their opinions were significantly different than mine) as I have almost no connection now but WHAT a pleasant surprise today's matinee with Ricetto and Hallberg was! For those who do like a traditional Giselle, Ricetto certainly filled the bill--and this was only her second go at it, I for one look forward to seeing her grow in this, and I would not have counted myself as an enthusiast (I got the ticket back when this was still billed as Hallberg/Abrerra).

    In fact with the exception of Lopez in the peasant pas this all corps and soloist cast (excepting David) hit it out of the ballpark.

    Also, kudos to Ricetto for extreme graciousness. Forget giving your partner a rose, she gave David the whole bouquet :wink::) :)

  13. Although I was unable to attend the matinee performance I was very happy to have seen Wednesday evening's cast. It is never a happy moment when casting changes but I can say I was thrilled with the performances of both Ananiashvili and Pavam last evening.

    It was understandable how Ananiashvili's Kitri fools Krauchenka's Don Q into thinking she is his lovely Dulcinea; she won me over completely. Carreño was a wonderful sight to behold, as always. His Basilio was all one could ever hope for up until his final variation which left me a little flat.

    Carreño and Ananiashvili were well matched. The joyous playfulness they projected combined with their rock solid technique made them a most enjoyable couple. Their trust in each other as partners blossomed into breath taking moments by the final curtain. The audience responded to them in what I found to be surprisingly more lively than typical mid-week politeness.

    Flower Girls Copeland and Pavam were a highlight as was Scott's debut as lead Gypsy. With a nod to Cornejo's costuming, Scott sported the open fronted shirt and was on his leg for solid turns.

    The pinnacle of the evening was Lane's Amour. Her sprightly and gay performance had me beaming and feeling blessed to be able to be in the audience. It is rare when we can afford the trip from central PA to see ABT at the Met; that evening's Don Q was like a gift to us

  14. Comparing and contrasting the couple of the La Bayadére performances I attended.

    Radetsky's Thursday evening performance of Head Fakir was technically more clean and better danced than Matthew's Saturday matinee but my husband enjoyed Matthew's quirkiness. I guess Radetsky's biting of the rubber snake upon exiting wasn't quirky enough for him, he probably would have further enjoyed Salstein's energetic Saturday evening Fakir even more.

    Although it took a while for him to warm up to commanding the stage as Solor, I found Hallberg's Thursday performance to be completely engaging. By the end of the performance the polite audience was readily applauding his variations. His double cabrioles were breath taking.

    Choosing between Nikiya's from the two performances, I much preferred the depth of Dvorovenko's performance. Herrera's lovely arching back and blistering fast footwork to Wilkins' evening tempo was amazing but the character remanded two dimensional for me.

    Barbee's Brahmin was much more effective than Zhurbin's passionate matinee performance. I felt badly for those who were seeing Bayadére for the first time during the Saturday matinee as the scarf that conveys the visual representation of Nikiya first from outside the temple to the palace interior was lost. Not that Zhurbin's mime was poorly done but the scarf physically did not reappear during his informing the Radjah of Solor's secret love. The indiscretion of the moment was not as clear because of this.

    I had double the pleasure of seeing two of Murphy's Gamzatti performances. There was something about the accuracy of her turns Thursday evening that made me enjoy her better that evening. The response of the matinee audience in comparison would have begged to differ. She was an icy and beautiful royal woman both times, it was hard for me to find any fault in her performances.

    Shade corps for both performances did very well with the exception of the lack of balance in the same first / second year corp member. During both performances the audiences gave them very supportive recognition through lengthy applause. Of Shade solos I very much enjoyed Lane's first solo Thursday evening.

    It was Scott's debut as Bronze Idol that brought our Pennsylvania crew to both performances. Both of his performances showed crisp automaton-like movements and turns but his matinee performance revealed better stamina and ease in his later jumps. "Chicken & waffles all around!" to quote PA native Mr. Stiefel. :thumbsup:

    t

  15. You OC folks are the best, thanks for your insights! I hope the Sylvia corp polishes up a bit before Met season. I will be attending the 7/5 Sylvia matinee so will hopefully get to see the M. Wiles/D. Hallberg/C. Salstein/G. Saveliev cast.

    t

  16. Overall, a fun evening and its great to see the company doing works like this when they usually only visit with story ballets. It will be interesting to see how my perspective of the ballets goes with cast 2 of the mixed rep tomorrow night (Dvorovenko will dance Terpsichore... which should be, well, interesting).

    Thank you so much, art076, from someone who so wishes to be there. I also am hoping sidwich or anyone attending Sunday's matinee will post their views.

    t

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