FauxPas

Xiomara and Herman have done the PDD from "Le Corsaire" at various galas. The constant issue with casting Herman in leading roles is his height which limits him to dancing with Sarah Lane or Xiomara Reyes, neither of whom dance Medora with ABT. Herman wouldn't work as a partner for Gillian Murphy, Paloma Herrera, Irina Dvorovenko, Julie Kent or Michele Wiles, the usual Medora suspects these days. However, if they are doing the original pas de trois version of the famous warhorse rather than the gala pas de deux version, then most of the partnering is done by Conrad not Ali. Am I mistaken? Isn't Ali basically doing his solos and then dancing around Medora and Conrad, not actually partnering the ballerina during the promenades and lifts, et al.?

He is trying to lose the "happy smiling boy" look and go for a darker, edgier more mature look. Hence the stubble, shadows and serious expression.

I have two words for you: Norbert Schmucki... And yes, his choreography is as bad as the name sounds...

According to an article that focused on Bernard Holland's retirement, Jennifer Dunning is one of 85 writers who have accepted a buyout from the New York Times. This is not surprising since really she should have had the lead dance critic position upon the retirement of Anna Kisselgoff. That leaves Macauley in the lone dance critic spot with freelancers backing him up... http://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newssto...9&cookies=1

What is promising is that they are bringing Mikhail Ilyin and Joseph Phillips forward right from the beginning. Interesting also that Corey Stearns and Jared Matthews are getting solo roles in "Le Corsaire" along with Ilyin. Looks like some development is happening with the corps and soloist men, less for the lower ranked ladies. Typical Kevin.

Bravo, DRB for that insight. Talent (and Daniil is an electric, exciting talent) must be recognized. Baryshnikov probably blew Ted Kivitt and Royes Fernandez out of the water when he joined ABT in 1974. Should they not have hired him? Who other than those two dancers would have gained from that? Blaine Hoven may be a very nice dancer and able to carry a lead role but will he be a star who can sell 4000 seats at the Metropolitan Opera House? Very likely not. Ditto Isaac Stappas who has had a lot of solo opportunities especially during the City Center season. How about some of the women who have been languishing: Maria Bystrova, Zhong-Jing Fang et al. Anna Liceica who had a lot of potential was just thrown away. Look at all the been there, done that with the principal casting this coming season (only Cornejo and to a lesser extant Murphy have substantial new roles). There are lots of sad stories of missed opportunities at ABT and elsewhere. I am glad that Daniil is getting an opportunity and maybe if ABT adds a week to its City Center season more of these young corps dancers will get a chance.

But hasn't this always happened at ABT? What about the talented soloists and corps men Charles Askegard, Carlos Molina, Joaquin de Luz, Danny Tidwell, the 2002 Sean Stewart, Parrish Maynard et al.? All talented, all worthy and all overshadowed circa 1995 to 2006 by the Malakhov/Carreno/Bocca/Corella/Stiefel/Cornejo/Gomes dream team. They knew there was no room at the top at ABT. Askegard and Joaquin de Luz went to NYC Ballet. Maynard to San Francisco Ballet. Molina to Boston Ballet. Now there is room at the top and hence Simkin. BTW: one fellow who rose from the ranks to the top: Marcelo "the Magnificent" Gomes. Earned his status from the bottom up. Carreno, Malakhov, Stiefel, Acosta etc. were all brought in as established stars from other companies. Bocca and Corella were major wunderkind competition winners who were teenagers. They already were on their way up in the ballet world and joined as soloist or principal. Gomes worked his way up from corps on talent and hard work alone against the greatest competition in the world. Ditto Hallberg.

Quite obviously Kevin McKenzie realizes that his prized "born to be wild" dream team of male superstars is aging and dwindling. Bocca is retired, Malakhov gone from the roster, Acosta not available to return and unwilling to clear his schedule for ABT. Corella has his own company and international guest gigs, so his time is limited. Stiefel is fragile and in his mid-thirties. Carreno is in his late thirties and still solid but his time is limited. That leaves Gomes to lead the home team with Hallberg and Beloserkovsky giving stalwart danseur noble support. Herman Cornejo is a powerhouse and finally is being given lead roles rather than demi-caractere specialties. But his physique limits him for certain roles (Siegfried in "Swan Lake"). With Joseph Phillips, Daniil Simkin is obviously being groomed to take over as the new generation of male superstars. However, the greater failing is in the development of prima ballerinas from within the company. McKenzie has had only one major discovery - Gillian Murphy, trained in North Carolina School of the Arts by Melissa Hayden who came to ABT pretty much technically fully formed. With the departure of Veronika Part and the inevitable retirements of Julie Kent and Nina Ananiashvili in the next five years or so, who will be the next great "Giselle" or Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake"? The last major acquisitions Part and Monique Meunier did not work out well for those very talented dancers or for the company. There seems to be some fault on both sides. Alexandra Ansanelli wisely refused a soloist contract with ABT to join the Royal Ballet which has worked out ideally for her becoming a principal dancer last year. Bravo and congratulations to Daniil and ABT for finding each other. Now for a great new ballerina... (edited with correction as to Gillian Murphy's training)

I was told that Yoko Morishita (remember her?) would get up at parties and do 100 fouttes at the drop of a hat.

I was there on Sunday too. First of all, the "Sylphides" just gets better on reviewing - the soloist women were looking better than before and the whole thing gelled very well. The intimate stage gives a warmer, chamber feel to the piece much to its advantage. "Spectre de la Rose" this time had Kolb and Gonchar and there was a real difference here. Kolb doesn't have the greatest jump with the highest elevation but he had all the nuance this fragile ballet needs. His arms wafted through the air like the intoxicating perfume from a rose. His turns and landings were all soft and connected. Kolb had more connection and chemistry with his partner than Sarafanov so the whole premise worked better. Subtle little touches like this can be the difference between a "well-danced but left me cold" and "gorgeously danced and wow!" performance. "Etudes" looks very different on the Kirov than it does on say, ABT - the only other company I have seen do it. The speed with little preparation that this ballet needs is not quite in their blood - same as in Balanchine. Still looks gorgeous though. The women's corps looked lovely but the men (despite some good jumpers) are working hard and it shows. Shklyarov is boyishly charming but I found him technically wobbly especially next to Sarafanov as the "turning boy". He did have some sloppy landings and looked to be at his limit dancing the less showy but still demanding second male role. Sarafanov was a wonder and was shamelessly wowing the audience. You can do that here since this is a ballet about dance and dancers. Somova though I am not inclined to give her the prima ballerina palm is capable of fine things. Here her technical strengths showed and she has tamed her excesses. She has strong feet and is a good turner though her technique is idiosyncratic and not always "clean" (neither is Vishneva or several others aren't always "clean" technicians in the company though exciting in ways that cleaner dancers aren't!). Somova did manage some charming phrasing and style in the "sylphide" section. The chin and 180 legs were held in check and she only did some high kicking in the last "let all the technical arsenal loose" section. Like the ever wise Natalia I suspect that Somova has been working with a different coach and the difference is striking. I always thought she had physical talent (you have to have a lot of technique to do such stupid things and not fall down). But she must be held accountable for lacking the taste and musical sense that would allow her to be led as far astray as she formerly was (and will again if Chenchikova gets her hands on her again). Perhaps Macauley's slap in the NY Times had one salutory effect despite his sour, jaded negativity re: old-school classical ballet.

Petipa/Vaganova Program April 10, 2008 Le Corsaire: The Kirov performed a similar conflation of dances in the video "Kirov Ballet in London" filmed circa 1990 with Asylmuratova. The main difference was that in 1989 the Jardin Animé finale sequence they included the second ballerina Gulnare danced by Kunakova. She is supposed to be there as well. Ayupova was one of the Odalisques. Last night had only Vishneva as soloist in the Jardin Animé. Vishneva was having an accident prone night including the bit with the dropped flowers, stumbling on one of the floral arches placed on the floor and doing some overambitious fouettés that nearly spun out control. She attempted too many doubles and overrotated and came off point at one point, started to travel and had to readjust several times. She is still totally glamorous and magical to watch. Korsuntsev is a lovable lunk of a Russian ballet hunk (cute smile) and Korsakov was very soft and fluid as Ali. Not as virtuosic as Corella or Carlos Acosta at ABT but still impressive. Diana and Acteon: This is much classier with the addition of the female corps of nymphs - it frames the choreography beautifully and gives the whole pas de deux elegance. Tereshkina is strong, clean dancer with elegant lines and here was radiantly smiling and joyous in her dancing. Lobukhin who resembles the actor/playwright/female impersonator Charles Busch (in facial features and smile but not in manner!) is a charmingly old-fashioned bravura male dancer. This is exactly what this piece needs. His jumps have great elevation and he did several trick leaps. Don Quixote Pas de Deux: This is an Alina Somova I can live with and even enjoy. Gone was the chin and the 180 degree extensions. In its place was a certain hoydenish charm and girlish exuberance totally in the spirit of the role and ballet. I thought she had some very impressive pirouettes and her feet are very strong. Her fouettés were also overambitious with kicking the working leg up above the hip and such and they eventually had to be changed with the foot by the knee. However, it is always shocking how Somova can do this crazy stuff with weird placement and never falls. It takes really impressive physical talent and technique to dance that badly! Imagine if she put all that effort into dancing cleanly and simply with classical form? She could blow us all away. I think that tempermentally she is basically a soubrette but this really suits. I wouldn't even mind seeing her in the complete ballet. Definitely with Sarafanov who is the only real male virtuoso (along with Kolb and now possibly Lobukhin too) in the company. Wonderful assemblé turns and pirouettes from him. I have been spoiled by the ABT men but he was really good. La Bayadere: I am very impressed with Yevgeny Ivanchenko who is elegance personified - long lines and aristocratic. My last encounter with the Shades scene had Somova in her chin to the sky/ankle to the ear mode, so Lopatkina was like a sublime antidote to that memory. Classical yet spiritual and very centered, she brought some poetry to the stage. Maybe Ananiashvili and others have danced it more impressively in their day, but Lopatkina is in the great tradition. Lovely evening.

The Kirov 1977 is the Sergeyev production and is a classic and the template for the Paris Nureyev version and Makarova's version for ABT and the Royal Ballet. I frankly prefer the leads in the Royal Ballet performance because they have greater emotional depth and dramatic flair than the POB dancers. I cannot fault the dancing of Guerin, Hilaire and especially Platel but they are very much on the surface emotionally. Their first priority seems to be technique, style and placement and acting seems an afterthought. They strike me as cold. However the same criteria bear glorious fruit in the "Shades" scene - particularly the corps. I saw this production live at the Met when the POB toured New York with the same cast as well as with Carole Arbo and Kader Belarbi and later Platel as Nikiya and LeRiche as Solor. Delphine Moussin was one of the Gamzattis. The filming was done when the production was new. The Met tour showed the cast after they had performed it many times and I remember greater authority and warmth from the live performance. They were all more inside their roles but still dancing superbly. The Makarova staging is admirable in many ways and has allowed the ballet to be performed complete outside of Russia. However, Makarova has a desire to weed out the character dance and exotic aspects of the piece. The Betrothal Grand Pas has all the wonderfully kitschy tribal dances (e.g. the drum dance) edited out as well as the "manu" dance and other character pieces. It looks more like "Sleeping Beauty" or "Raymonda" with pure classical dances albeit in the "exotic" faux Indian style. Like all the Petipa ballets performed in the West, all the bits where the children's corps dance are removed as well. The Kirov Sergeyev has the contrast of pure Petipa classicism with exuberant character dances.

I have a quick question for those who attended on Wednesday and Thursday: in "Paquita" the Paquitas on the second and third performance had also performed solos on the opening night: Somova and Tereshkina. In the later performances, did the ballerinas keep their solos or were they replaced? Did they dance two solos including Paquita's "harp variation" or did they cut the earlier variation? The program listed no alternate ballerinas.

Fokine Bill: Sunday matinee 4/6/2008 Chopiniana: The whole greater than the sum of the soloist parts. Gorgeous corps in perfect style and unity breathing together. Yevgeny Ivanchenko as the Poet very romantic and fluid in line, elegant yet not effete. Nadezhda Gonchar was very fine dancing the Valse Op. 70 with strong footwork and creamy phrasing. Yuliya Bolshakova I think was a little off-toe with some shaky footwork but still delivered an evocative performance. Daria Vasnetsova was strong in her variation. I may be mixing up the women with all the changes in the casting and not knowing these soloists at all. All the ladies were good but sometimes missed images or effects in the choreography - little things like pausing a moment just before a jetée to give a sense of flight or letting an arm linger a bit in the air before launching another step. Subtle things that a Makarova or Alicia Markova would nail. Still as a group they were lovely and well-balanced. Le Spectre de la Rose: Gonchar returned to fine effect as the Young Girl. Leonid Sarafanov has flashy technique but allowed himself to be less muscular and more aerial and feline as the Spectre. Not the highest jump I have ever seen but smoothly executed with lots of distance. Well performed but not unforgettable due to some missing nuances. The Dying Swan: Lopatkina is touted in the program notes as the finest contemporary Russian interpreter of the Dying Swan. She did not disappoint. First of all: the arms - seemingly dominating her whole physique like the wings of a bird. She definitely has a certain stoicism and restraint - never descending to hysteria or bathos. Lots of nuance and atmosphere here and she definitely spoke to the audience. Scheherazade: Again dancing with a great deal of commitment and style - which this piece of semi-kitsch desperately needs. My first thought was "why do they need a virtuoso ballerina like Vishneva in a character dancing role like Zobeide?" The answer is sheer overwhelming glamor, charisma and dramatic authority. Diana looked like some kind of glittering serpent with her boneless, sinuous movement. She radiated allure and decadence. The final scene where she decided to take her life than go on in the harem was a clearly delineated tragedy. Igor Zelensky returned for what is probably his farewell to New York. He is looking more mature and substantial even beefy as in beefcake - but as in muscular, powerful but not awkward. His brooding sexual magnetism here reminded me of the late Alexander Godunov. He is still very strong technically with great jumps and very fast tours a la seconde. Maybe not as absolutely sharp as fifteen years ago but no lack of stamina and power. Zelensky's Golden Slave has no hint of the androgyny that Nijinsky brought to the role but was pure masculine power and sex. Fokine's more loosely structured style here suited him giving the freedom to shape the movements to his body and strengths. I don't remember Zelensky ever giving a dramatic performance that impressed me but here he did impress me with his strong presence and attack. Great chemistry with Vishneva. The corps and character dancers and mime seemed really into the spirit of the piece and having a lot of fun with it. Gergiev came out at the end and presented a bouquet to Vishneva and took bows with the company, I guess to let everyone know that someone is in charge. Some general notes: unlike the Petipa grand pas which looked cramped on the City Center stage, the Fokine Bill ballets look very good in a smaller stage with the intimacy adding to the impact of the pieces. Probably not too different from many theaters where Diaghilev's company performed them. The orchestra played very well for all three ballets.

I remember seeing the Bolshoi perform at the NY State Theater about eight years ago and the "Giselle" seemed cramped there. The sets were designed for the huge Bolshoi stage and the flats and ground pieces were so pushed so far downstage you could see the light units behind the upstage set pieces from the upper balconies. Obviously the depth of the Bolshoi stage meant that those set pieces were much further back and the angle obscured the lights behind them. I believe that one of the provisos for the Bolshoi's return two summers ago was that they would be allowed to dance at the Metropolitan Opera House. The unspoken comment was that the Kirov-Mariinsky because of Gergiev and the Mariinsky's relationship with the Met has had a monopoly on the Met's facilities. For me it has been a major source of irritation that the Royal Ballet, Bolshoi and Kirov have toured extensively in the last decade due to renovations at their home theaters yet their NY exposure has been limited. I read on this board about all these tours to Washington, D.C. and Orange County and L.A. and wonder "why not here?". Especially when the Met Opera house has been dark and unused for several summers. Funding is one thing and corporate sponsorships will be harder to come by in the future, I suspect. One upside about City Center - I felt very close and intimate with the dancers from my mid-mezzanine front seat. I could see the faces without opera glasses. Try that at the Met in the Family Circle.

The Metropolitan Opera has its own in house ballet and then for shows which require more dancers (i.e. "The Rite of Spring" on the Stravinsky Triple Bill or the "Samson et Dalila" orgy) they will hire extra dancers. The Met also has resident staff supers but gets supplements for big shows like "Turandot" or "Aida". They also have special supers for specific tasks (the executioner in "Turandot", the Countess of Aremberg in "Don Carlo" and Andromache in "Les Troyens"). The ballet only has had solo turns as a stand alone performer in these special events like "The Rite of Spring" and "The Nightingale" (which had Damian Woetzel and Julie Kent later Amanda McKerrow as guest stars). I think when they did "Parade" there was a ballet segment too. Ballet stars sometimes guest with them as in the "Nightingale" mentioned above. Angel Corella danced in the "Dance of the Hours" ballet in "La Gioconda" and Bujones and Cynthia Harvey used to drop into the ballet divertissement that Zeffirelli put in his previous "La Traviata" production (not the dancing cows show done now). BTW: Griff Braun and Eric Otto former corps men of ABT are now in the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

Alastair Macauley weighs in via the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/arts/dan...l.html?ref=arts He also has critical words for Somova but is also giving backhanded compliments to Lopatkina and throwing cold water on Vishneva's success. Sounds all very jaded and been there done that. I mean, this is a mixed program of Petipa showpieces - not an evening of Balanchine or Antony Tudor. These are three classical showpieces engineered to show off virtuoso dancers and dazzle the crowd - the "Bayadere" shades working on a higher level as well (though maybe not with Tuesday night's cast). A certain amount of virtuosity for virtuosity's sake is a given considering the repertoire and the gala opening night occasion.

The quality that ATM711 loved in Danilova's "Raymonda" piano variation I suspect was "slavic soulfulness" rather than melancholy. A kind of remoteness with a hint of melancholy, very lost in one's own world. Lyudmila Semenyaka nails this in the Bolshoi video (much better looking on Kultur DVD now) from the early eighties. Oddly, Irina Kolpakova is very cheerful and smiling in this section on the newly released Kirov performance. I think ATM711 would have approved of Lopatkina who had a kind of serene, regal hauteur here - a little remote but not cold or totally sad. She had a light, happy touch elsewhere - remember its her wedding day! I also must mention Vishneva's mesmerizing arms in the "harp variation" in "Paquita" - she was weaving dreams out of the air.

Here is a video that will give you an idea of Somova's style in her Paquita variation but this dancer has much better italian fouettés: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFeauF0eKgo...feature=related

Just a few notes as I basically agree with everything I read above: Raymonda: Lopatkina was lovely and rules the stage. The only one who could compete was Kondaurova who has real amplitude and strength. Korsuntsev is a pleasant, steady cavalier. The corps looked underrehearsed on the small stage and there were some sloppy moments. Given the level of perfection in corps unity and style we are used to with the Kirov, this was unusual. Hopefully they will improve. This scene had a set, a platform with a drop behind it - somewhat faded and musty but evocative. The costumes are gorgeous and elaborate. Paquita: This really sparkled for me. Vishneva got huge entrance applause - international prima ballerina star! Fadeev also has his local admirers who welcomed him enthusiastically. Somova had the audience gasping and applauding each 180 degree ecarté that she was able to hold endlessly. Unfortunately once she was beyond that point the italian fouettés were loose and wonky looking due to the fact that her raised leg was overextended. I found Kondaurova a dream in the "Kalkabrino" variation with its gorgeous music. Tereshkina also was incredibly impressive in her heroic leaping variation. This had real excitement and sense of occasion. This was in contrast to the "Raymonda" which had an air of accomplished but slightly dull routine. The corps was more on here too. Bayadere: This is may be my favorite classical ballet and you have to work hard for this scene to fail for me. It looks like the corps got the most rehearsal for the "shades" entrance because despite the lack of a set and a ramp, they looked good. Sarafanov actually stole this from the prima ballerina despite her attempts at audience-pleasing circus tricks. Sarafanov gave us some of the old-time bravura excitement with real virtuoso leaps, barrel turns, assemblé, tours a la seconde, you name it. A powerhouse. Somova was frustrating. Clearly someone worked with her carefully on this and there were some good things. She was not falling out of pirouettes though one unsupported pirouette where Sarafanov had to catch her at the end didn't come off properly - it looked like she fell into him. She showed that she could connect steps together smoothly to create line - when she wanted to or was told to. Then she would do something flashy and break the line - and the spell. Her footwork didn't look sloppy or uncontrolled and her arms weren't flapping about. But she has a general lack of elegance and her insistence on poses, exaggerated poses at the expense of form and line intrude despite the good intentions of her coaches. She also was indeed jutting out her chin and pushing out her arms in a way that said "look at the star" rather than projecting the character or the mood. Clearly she has talent and physical gifts but she would look better doing contemporary ballet or something like "Don Quixote" - at the Bolshoi. But they already have Zakharova (and had Volochkova) - two former Kirov ballerinas of some talent who Somova seems to want to become a cheap caricature of. Hopefully if a new regime comes in they will either a) clean up her act big time or b) kick her out to dance in the provinces. She does lack taste and musicality but on the other hand she is very young and I feel she has been led astray and encouraged in the wrong direction by people who are supposed to know better. So, lots to be happy about (particularly the soloist women) and some things to be worried about (the corps and Somova's prominence). I saw Maxim Belotserkovsky in the audience as well as Kolpakova.

I dunno, Monica Mason, Ninette di Valois, Maina Gielgud, Brigitte Lefevre (former ballerina?) and others have headed major companies.

You think this is sad? Much sadder is the situation with the Martha Graham Company and the whole Ron Protas drama and its aftermath. There was another putsch of Christine Dakin and Terese Cappuccilli after the new regime came in. I am sure the drama is continuing. Various people (with various motives) were trying to wrest the company from Graham while she was alive (especially during the period of her drinking). It has only gotten worse after her death. I often look at what a fine company San Francisco Ballet is under Helgi Tomasson and wonder "what if...?" Helgi's choreography is rather pleasant too. Perhaps Mr. B picked the wrong Scandinavian? On the other hand, geniuses like Balanchine and Robbins come along once in a century. Anyone inheriting their company and expected to assume all their creative and administrative duties is set up for a fall. In a way, Suzanne operating as a free agent puts her in her own spotlight and takes her out of the shadow of Balanchine and his company. She gets to shine on her own rather than as a keeper of the flame cloistered away in the temple of dance.

Amusingly enough, I know Richard Slate personally and sent him this link. He dances the tango. There was an article in either the New York Times or the New Yorker magazine that discussed Suzanne Farrell's pariah status under Peter Martins regime. The article cited an incident where "Tzigane" was being restaged for the Balanchine Celebration back in 1993, I think. Anyway, Darci Kistler was to take over the role that marked Balanchine's readmitting his errant muse back into his creative imagination as the first ballet he created for Suzanne on her return. The coaching sessions went very badly for both parties with Suzanne finding fault with such things as the color of Darci's tights (pink, standard rehearsal wear). The author opined that perhaps Suzanne, retired less than a decade was not "ready" to pass on this treasured role yet. (She has set the ballet on her own company). I don't think "Tzigane" has been performed at NYCB since Suzanne retired (did she have an alternate in the part back in the day?). Anyway, Peter had "issues" with Suzanne and her coaching style and there was a rift. The Balanchine Trust has not had any rift and Suzanne's coaching activities with them have taken her as far as Russia and back. Here is a New York Times article discussing her firing and the New Yorker article from May 17, 1993 that triggered her dismissal: http://tinyurl.com/2funmj The article in the New Yorker was by David Daniel and called "Between the Acts: In Mr. B's Steps" BTW: there are dance writers and critics of NYCB including Mr. Daniel who feel that Peter Martins is threatened by senior dancers who have a longer history with Balanchine and might challenge his authority. Hence, Kay Mazzo and Sean Lavery who came in at the same time as Martins or later are major ballet masters but Villella, Farrell, D'Amboise, Von Aroldingen, Hayden, Tallchief, even the wheelchair bound LeClerq did very little staging and coaching at NYCB. I could be wrong about that list and would appreciate informed corrections.

None commercially available. Check out this old thread: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...=nerina+giselle

Now that I know that you are able to do this, I will post a Youtube link to a clip from this performance: This is not from the same source as the VAI release, as I would know since MarloManners66 and I are on such intimate terms that well, we are often thinking the same thing at the same time and have the same taste in everything... (How could such thing be...it's almost like we are the same person...) You will find more selections from this performance if you click on various links on the right.