Giselle05

Let's give a hand to a wonderful ABT Spring Season! I thought it'd be nice to recap. What were some of the high points for you? Favorite programs, casts, ballets, anything at all! What were some of the low points? What did you think, overall, of this season, and if you had the *power*, would you change anything or do anything differently? And last but not least... Cast your votes/wishes for the next MET season...I'm looking forward to it already. Take your time. I'm still brainstorming.. John Rockwell in the New York Times with an Overview of the MET Season: A Time for Blockbusters and for the Guys to Shine

jllaney, I agree with you in that I think I'd rather see Albrecht on the verge of breaking down rather than picture-perfect turns, and then...a thunk. It's what I loved about Bocca's Albrecht- he did 4 or 5 beautiful turns which winded down by the end and he almost started to fall by the last two, exhausted and exasperated. carbro..I'm looking forward to hearing about Kent and Carreno

I went to see Kent and Bocca again last night. I thought it was even better than Monday night. Julie was simply perfect in the first act. Everything was just so natural, and she was so adorable!! Her mad scene was extremely different from Monday night's, but equally as effective. She was both cute, bubbly, and shy, yet ready to mature. She'd look at Albrecht, burst into giggles and run away, but if Bocca grasped her and looked at her (for what seemed like forever, nose to nose) she'd become serious, just gazing at him, not wanting to run away. Their chemistry was magical. Zerbinetta, I too noticed that moment- I thought it was one of the most adorable things I've ever seen on stage-Kent just sitting there, plucking the daisy, and Bocca totally enraptured by her, not even seeing the flower, just bewildered by her beauty, and stroking her hair and face as if to make sure she's really real. Like I said on Monday, what I really love is that Bocca is a real gentleman in that he times his jumps and his movements to perfectly match Kent's- he compromises- he jumps slightly lower and his movements are slightly smaller so he can mirror her- and that's what makes it so lovely to watch- they are always so in sync. Last night, I noticed more how Bocca was a more determined, almost agressive Albrecht, but still extremely soft and gentle. The look on his face when Giselle dies was pure horror and guilt. Kent is such a natural actress. When her mother (Karin Ellis-Wentz- who did a very great job and was extremely believable) comes out and begins the mime about the Willis, she just stood there, frozen, glass-eyed, terribly frightened, ignoring Albrecht trying to sooth her by her side. I didn't see one blink. Then she ran over, shook her mother multiple times, horrified, and then embraced her. Or for example, when Bathilde comes, she is so shy and amazed by all her wealth and beauty. She kept her head to the floor every time Bathilde passed by, knealing in a deep lounge on the floor. And that infectious smile every time she sees Albrecht! I began to tear up in Act Two, when Albrecht is dancing to his death. Bocca was the most heart-wrenching Albrecht I've ever seen- Jumping until he no longer could, shuddering, collapsing on the floor, and rocking back and forth, sobbing. Veronica Part was absolutely gorgeous. Just amazing. She was a glamorous but frightening, imperial, regal, and commanding Myrta, she was breathtaking. In her jetes, the audience actually gasped because she looked like she was flying! She was so high up, and her legs perhaps unnecessarily were almost over 180 degrees. Fang was a beautiful Zulma- though she is a softer, more lyrical dancer than this character requires, IMO. Jesus Pastor was a great Hilarion- better than Sascha Radetsky. He didn't force his jumps in Act Two, which always bothers me, because its not about the jumps at this point! He really seemed to be thrown by the Willis against his will. Erica Cornejo was wonderful in the Peasant Pas de Deux! So clean, easy, not one stumble, perfect doubles, and air-borne jumps! And a great smile and stage presence. I thought she was mismatched with Radetsky, who while nailing everything (with some stumbles here and there) looked like he was working so hard and forcing everything- I was on the edge of my seat. I'd love to see her dance it with Herman. Ferri came out at the end with Kevin McKenzie, who said some very nice words- I don't remember exactly, but something along the lines of what an amazing ballerina she was, and what a twenty years this has been. During this speech, Bocca, who looked quite emotional, dashed off backstage to get her flowers, then ran on to give them to Ferri, grabbing her and embracing her for a long time (while Ferri mussed with his hair ) Then he kissed her. It was so nice to see, made one really wish they could see them together in this ballet after dancing together for so long and establishing a partnership that will go down in history. Then Kevin McKenzie brought her a bouquet of flowers, and Ferri turned around to alknowledge everyone on stage. Bocca brought out her two little girls to bow with Ferri at her curtain calls. It was very sweet. Special mention to Julie for her generosity in stepping in for Ferri for each of her performances, especially keeping in mind she has to dance again tonight, and giving the limelight to Ferri after such an extraordinary performance.

Not having seen too much of Amanda McKerrow, I was amazed by how many adoring fans she had, all of whom were there last night to send the ballerina off. It was a special celebration and many audience members were tearful. I am so happy she had such a warm farewell. It just made me think how this generation of dancers was slowly leaving- within a few years, a completely new generation will have begun at ABT. I am one of those who thinks this in fact was a glorious era. The principal dancers presenting flowers were also very touching. I was a little surprised that none of the women were on hand..

The music from Giselle is probably my favorite of all ballets! The opening passage, just before the curtain opens always gives me chills

Before I begin about the July 11, Giselle: drb, Kent and Bocca, to my knowledge, have not danced together too often before. His most frequent partners have always been Alessandra Ferri and Nina Ananiashvilli. Kent and Bocca danced a Romeo and Juliet a few years ago (Kent replacing Ferri) and a Manon...perhaps some other things as well, but the point is, only this season (and please correct me if I'm wrong!) have they really begun to dance together often- due mostly to the withdrawal of both of Bocca's principal partners. (Nina was to dance all the Corsaires and Swan Lakes and Alessandra the Giselles) That is one reason their recent performances have been just incredible- they have developed such an astonishing rapport so quickly- it seems as though this has been a partnership developing over many years. Though I looked forward to seeing Ferri and Bocca together in Giselle this entire year ( ) I have to say I have never seen a more beautiful Giselle. Albrecht was no fool in risking everything he had (his identity, respect, marriage, standing, etc.) to learn more about this charming girl. She was timid, afraid yet eager, charming, beautiful, forgiving, earnest, innocent, and very alluring at the same time. I felt like I was watching a conversation- with Kent and Bocca on stage, there was something to see every single nano-second. Every gesture, and every expression looked so natural, like a natural reply. Albrecht's sometimes cheesy gestures looked totally convinving and heartwarming. My favorite moment was when Giselle first feels a little ill, and she goes to sit on the bench- Bocca ran over to her, stroking her face and her hair, taking her "fever", warming her hands, frowning and shaking his head, and if you were sitting close enough, you could just see him mouthing whatever it was he was miming. Bocca mirrored everything Kent did- and this was a perfect way to show just how awe-stricken he was of his Giselle. Their arms, hands, legs, and feet were always perfectly together, shaped exactly the same way, like they were echoing eachother, or even feeding off eachother. It was a pleasure to watch. Kent's mad scene was very out of the ordinary, IMO, but one of the most tragic I've ever seen. She didn't run around, horrified and shaking like so many ballerinas do it. She was invested, even possessed- recalling every single gesture she and Albrecht had made earlier, mimicking and almost mocking it. She stayed in one spot, extremely still, and you could just see the horror and the memories running through her mind- something about that was more powerful than any overemoting/dramaticizing. Then she convulsed in what looked like actual tears and ran to her mother. *Note: Susan Jones as Giselle's mother made no secret of the fact that she was removing pins from Giselle's hair- much more refreshing than the scrambled petting one usually sees. Julie emerged with lovely hair completely down, her mother stroking it. I felt Act Two belonged completely to Bocca. Though Part and Wiles were lovely as Moyna and Zulma- and especially Part. (ABT needs more women of Part's stature, with large, lush, regal movements) Murphy was a strong Myrta but like Ceeszi said, not nearly intimidating enough. I reviewed the movie "Dancers" this past weekend in preparation (Ferri, Kent.. ) and no one can beat Leslie Browne's Myrta for me. Murphy's was too different, and..cool. However, she now tops my "Loveliest Bourree" list. Bocca never overdid anything, I felt everything was always just right- he seemed to hang in the air with desperation, and then come down, failing, then trying again. He seemed to be holding onto the air, as if it was the only thing that could save him. Farrell Fan, Monday night was one of the first times I actually saw that happening! Bocca really looked as if he might just collapse of sheer exhaustion and desperate love at any second. Kent was a cooler Willi, but looked determined at all costs to save her, if unrequited, lover. More than that, she was such an ethereal Willi- she seemed to float across the stage, always just out of Albrecht's reach- never too close that it seemed silly he wouldn't catch her, and never too far she seemed out of reach. Kent and Bocca were indeed dancing as one. Perhaps it was Murphy's lack of projection.. Ceeszi, I almost was as heartbroken for Albrecht as I was for Giselle. :rolleyes: Another side note: Happy Birthday Julie! Last night, perhaps during a beautiful performance of Giselle, she turned 36. (July 11, 1969) I will report once more after the 15th- and don't forget- Ferri's 20th anniversary celebration following the performance

That sounds wonderfulllll.... No Ferri. No Bocca. I'm really looking forward to Robbins' ( ) Afternoon of the Faun and to Apollo.

The upcoming Amanda McKerrow retirement has me thinking... how long is the ballerina's career presently? McKerrow is 41, and retiring. Ferri is 42.

I'm not a big fan of hers, but as she is nearing to her final performance with ABT I decided to dedicate a topic to her- I searched the Dancers forum and didn't find one. What have you seen her dance, and what did you think of it? Is anyone seeing her Giselle on the 14th? I'm also wondering- does anyone know how old she is? She seems to have had a remarkably long career- I remember she won at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in the very early 80s when she was around seventeen...?

Thank you, Mel, for that wonderful description. Colleen, you have definetely aroused my interests. :rolleyes: I'm hoping there is something in the Fall repertoire for Ferri and Bocca to dance together. What is "A Month in the Country" like? Editing: Just found it on my "Great Pas de Deux" video, and I've also enjoyed reading about it on the forum in "Ballets". It is indeed beautiful- and Ferri and Bocca would be magical in it. It's a pity that it most likely will not happen.

Thanks, Carbro, for your quick responce. Dale- does ABT have the rights to Robbins' Faun? That would be amazing :blush: And it is strange that City Center took down the ABT page..

I'm sorry to say that I'm only familiar with three of these- Apollo, Gong, and Les Sylphides. Upon browsing through ABT's reportory archive, I've found that their Afternoon of a Faun is Nijinsky's staging. I'll bet it's very different from NYCB's version...? What sort of piece is Upper Room and The Green Table? I wish I had some sort of idea :blush: Anyone?

After reading all of your posts I am a bit upset I missed Vishneva and especially Part! I figured I'd still have time to see them... I saw Kent and Bocca- who will be celebrating their 20th anniversaries next year . I went to both of their performances, last Saturday night, and the Wednesday matinee. I just want to say that while I missed out on the huge successes of both these dancers, those who didn't see Kent missed out on something extraordinary as well. I have to say, I never expected the performance I saw from Kent, who has been in and out, and not in top shape recently. I instead witnessed something above and beyond. As I walked out of the theater after both performances, all around I heard people gushing about what they had just witnessed. In fact, even during the pas de deuxs, and especially during Act Four, I heard several people breathlessly whisper "Now she is a swan". First of all, Kent is in tip-top shape. Her pirouettes/piquees en dedans and en dehors were all perfect- clean perfect doubles, not one stumble anywhere- all her transitions were so smooth. In Act Two- her very first entrance- she had so much control. She looked so strong and confident. 32 perfect fouettes, traveling forward just a bit- no doubles, nothing fancy, but who needs doubles when there is such striking beauty on stage? As Gia Kourlas put it, her beauty is indeed "like a ray of sunlight". I still cannot decide whether I liked her Odette or Odile better. Her Odette was this fragile, beautiful, mystical creature with whom any prince would be crazy not to fall madly in love. And those arms! Every nuance had a meaning, every flutter of the eyelash signaled something. Her steps were so soft, almost buttery. Together with Bocca, it was one of the most emotional things I have ever seen. Their second act adagio was so gentle- you could just feel both the pain and love they felt. Kent's Odile was wicked only in the way that she was so electrifying and hard to resist. I loved how it was easy to see why Siegfried would think it was Odette. She would smile slyly at him, stop dead in front of his face, and ripple her arms, eyes flashing, daring him to dance with her, almost saying "I dare you not to believe its me. HA!" I absolutely loved the final pose of the pas de deux- Julie stared Julio down, and with a silent scream of glee/delight, she bent backwards at the last possible second (she may have even been a tad late), with a flick of her wrists. Bocca's Siegfried was drawn to her, it was almost like magnetic forces pulling him towards her. Her Odile was very feminine yet powerful and controlling. I am so happy that Kent and Bocca have been paired together so often. You can see they like dancing together. Their curtain calls are always lovely. Kent gave Bocca her entire bouquet both times- she seemed genuinely thankful. She stroked his face during the bows- it was very touching. They are such a wonderful match- his masculinity contrasts beautifully with her graceful femininity. What a loving and committed prince Bocca was. While the Act Three pas de deux solos were not as exciting as they were, say, ten years ago (though I felt that in Le Corsaire he was at the top of his game and I am still utterly amazed by what I saw) he was one of the most tender princes I've ever seen. You could see his breathing change whenever Odette or Odile was around- and not only that- his breathing changed differently whenever Odette or Odile, respectively, was around. Unlike Corella in the PBS taping, he was not a grief-stricken prince from the beginning. He gradually became first disheartened, then confused, then sad, then angry, miserable, desperate. Saturday night, Cornejo danced the Pas de Trois with Reyes and Kajiya. I'll say it again- he soars through the air- it's like hes flying up there, and then just about when the music signals for him to start a new step, he decides to just...come down. I have grown to really like Reyes a lot. She is so strong and really captures your attention on stage. Kajiya- I'm not too sure. Something about the stiffness of her arms and wrists and the way she carries herself just doesn't appeal to me. I do think that Cornejo should not be cast in the secondary roles. Cornejo should be given the lead- he should be carrying the entire ballet. The audience was extremely responsive, especially Saturday night- with standing ovations from the very beginning to the very end, and numerous curtain calls. What was totally awful about Wednesday's performance was the distraction of crying toddlers during the quietest and most emotional parts (Act Two, Act Four, anyone?) Talk about ruining the atmosphere. Just at the climax of the famous adagio, it seemed like all the little kids (many of whom were sitting in Orchestra Prime! ) were either hungry, sleepy, emotionally distraught...I don't know, something. :blush: I know its not their fault...but still. Acosta was the human Von Rothbart Saturday night and Hallberg on Wednesday. IMO, Hallberg was a bigger success. I wasn't sure about him after seeing Gomes' dark, seductive Rothbart, but something about Hallberg's blonde grandeur I loved even more!! Kent and Bocca's Giselle should be beautiful. Hopefully I will get to see more of Part and Visheva in the future For now, I'm good. And I hope I have several more years to see these two.

Is there anywhere you can find the data on salaries over at ABT?

Julio Bocca and Alessandra Ferri in the bedroom scene from Romeo and Juliet in the movie "Ballet", by Frederick Wiseman.

I was just browsing through the City Center website (www.nycitycenter.org) and found that the repertoire and schedule for the ABT fall season, which runs from October 19 to November 6, is up: American Ballet Theatre Oct 19, 7:00 PM Gala Gong Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 20, 7:30 PM Les Sylphides Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux New Quanz Work -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 21, 8:00 PM Apollo Gong The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 22, 2:00 PM Les Sylphides Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 22, 8:00 PM New Quanz Work Gong Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 23, 2:00 PM Gong Apollo Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 25, 7:30 PM Apollo Gong The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 26, 7:30 PM New Quanz Work Dark Elegies In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 27, 7:30 PM Apollo Pas de Deux Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 28, 8:00 PM Les Sylphides Dark Elegies In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 29, 2:00 PM New Quanz Work Gong The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 29, 8:00 PM Les Sylphides Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 30, 2:00 PM Les Sylphides Dark Elegies The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 01, 7:30 PM New Quanz Work Dark Elegies In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 02, 7:30 PM Les Sylphides Apollo The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 03, 7:30 PM Gong Dark Elegies In the Uppper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 04, 8:00 PM New Quanz Work Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux Rodeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 05, 2:00 PM Apollo Dark Elegies In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 05, 8:00 PM Apollo Pas de Deux The Green Table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nov 06, 2:00 PM New Quanz Work Afternoon of a Faun Pas de Deux In the Upper Room -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tickets go on sale online on July 11. Does anyone know when casting usually goes up?

I'm so happy D. Wingert and F. Perron did well! They danced Who Cares?, right?

What is the PDD from Romeo and Juliet like?

Thank you!

carbro- she also did the PDD from Onegin at the Tschaikovsky Spectacular twice with Bocca. Ferri was scheduled to perform in Giselle at La Scala in very early April- and she started the performance, and had to stop in the beginning. Someone replaced her, and Zakharova came a few days later to fill in. I'm pretty sure she's been injured since. She has been taking a little bit of class here and there.

I am going on the 22nd to see Spartacus, with this cast: Spartacus: Dmitri Belogolovtsev Phrygia: Anna Antonicheva Crassus: Alexander Volchkov Aegina: Maria Allash Has anyone seen Antonicheva? Thoughts welcome

Thank you, zerbinetta!!! That is good news, indeed. I am crossing my fingers- PLEASE PLEASE Alessandra, get better!! fandeballet: I agree about Kent and Bocca- I think they have truly wonderful chemistry and their Giselle should be beautiful. I am excited But....Ferri and Bocca...is a whole other thing on its own..

I am the Other poster I voted for the Bolshoi's production of Swan Lake

1. Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet 2. Giselle 3. Bizet's Carmen (especially the intermezzo- or PDD) some parts of Afternoon of the Faun, and I love Gershwin's Who Cares? And Swan Lake, and Raymonda.. carbro- I now love the music from Petrouchka as well! and the pas de deux from the 2nd act of Corsaire (Conrad and Medora-bedroom), which I STILL don't know details about!

Best wishes to Alessandra for a speedy recovery- may she get well very soon! I'm heartbroken. Perhaps they'll pull out Giselle in the near future?