FauxPas

I saw three of the four "Symphonie Concertante" casts (I missed Wiles/Herrera). I felt that the Irina/Gillian combination with the perfect elegant cavalier of Maxim Beloserkovsky was the best all around. Here both women had techniques and styles that were evenly matched and did seem to be different instruments playing the same melodies. The could match and comment on each other's dancing. Wiles and Part had differences in scale, speed and style of movement. Kent and Herrera seemed to be going at their parts from different directions, however well each one was dancing at her current best level and in her own style. I think in the Spring, the casting should be reshuffled to keep Irina/Gillian but with Wiles/Herrera and Kent/Part. However, height may be the issue here since the women are constantly dancing together and even partnering each other. Julie, though long-limbed, is fairly petite compared to Part.

I personally thought that Imelda Staunton should have been Mrs. Lovett - I saw her as Jenny in an RSC production of the "Beggar's Opera" and she has a great belty sound. She is also British and is a fine screen actress. Oh well, not a big enough "name". Also, isn't Mrs. Lovett supposed to be older than Sweeney? That is how Angela came off in the original stage production? Most people thought that Bonham Carter should do the Beggar Woman role. BTW: I always thought that Johnny Depp had a rock band for a while as Keanu Reeves and other young star pups (or formerly young pups) have. Depp may surprise us as he is that kind of performer. Bonham Carter seems just lazy and obvious casting. She has talent and may be willing to deglamourize herself and stretch in a different direction. BTW: I snuck in and second acted Melanie Griffiths' Broadway Roxie in "Chicago". She sang surprisingly pleasantly with a soft, slightly unsteady but sweet mezzo that was generally on pitch and never strident. She was helped by a not too taxing range devised for the ageing vocal chords of Gwen Verdon and body mikes beefing up her tone with electronic overtones. By that point in her engagement she had mastered the dumbed-down choreography. However, she played Roxie too sympathetically, lacking the crass need for attention and willingness to step on others to get ahead that is central to Roxie. However, her persona was too perfect for the role, an over the hill baby-voiced blonde ex-chorine type with off-kilter charm and a wild streak. Also, she had stage presence that is inborn. I remember that in "Razzle Dazzle" the stage was filled with superb Broadway dancers all younger, infinitely more trained than Melanie doing sensational moves but all you could watch was Melanie sitting upstage center picking at her stockings. Something made you look at her and she was doing nothing really. That is something you can't learn. I also saw "Cabaret" four or five times. My Sally's were Natasha Richardson, Gina Gershon, Jane Leeves and Susan Egan. Natasha Richardson was a superb actress who sang the best she could. Gina Gershon had a surprisingly good singing voice and gorgeous body and more vulnerability than expected. Jane Leeves was a fine dancer with a mediocre voice but who put over the numbers with spot-on comic timing and just the right accent. She had some unexpected dramatic acting skills in the serious later scenes. One of the best Sally's was Susan Egan who did something uncannily brilliant. Susan Egan's acting was on a par with if different from Richardson but she did striking things with the numbers. She was a trained Broadway singer and dancer with a real voice and she did the numbers perfectly but acted them in a certain way - a funny breath here, an odd rhythm and careless toss-away there that suggested a dilettante amateur with no training. All the way nailing the songs and singing every note but putting the "no talent" into the presentation through the acting of the numbers. She managed to do full justice to the music while putting the non-stellar abilities of the character over uncannily. She was superb. Compare that to Jennifer Jason Leigh who I didn't see but was told played the character in an annoyingly tic ridden way and deliberately sang badly though she wasn't a real singer to begin with and her natural voice would have been mediocre enough. Or Liza Minnelli who is so incredible and in her prime in the movie that you think this girl must be seriously screwed up that with all that obvious in your face talent that could take her to the biggest venues in Berlin and she is performing in a seedy club just getting by.

I just received an e-mail from Carlos Acosta's management, Rupert Rohan of Valid Worldwide Ltd., which I will share with you guys: "Thank you for your e-mail. Carlos is tentatively scheduled to dance on 22 June (Romeo & Juliet) and 26 June (Swan Lake) with ABT. We are ironing out final details to his schedule, however, and we do hope to confirm dates very soon. Regards Rupert Rohan For Valid Worldwide Limited Management to Carlos Acosta" Faux Pas now on the line: Carlos has a very busy schedule both with the Royal Ballet and guest engagements and his own choreographic endeavors. So even these dates are tentative and may change but clearly they are working on it and it is not out of the question that he will dance with ABT next Spring/Summer.

Then one you can definitely cross off your list is the Carla Fracci/Erik Bruhn DVD from Universal despite a fine pair of historic leads and nice color. They often cut away from dancers (particularly badly during the Peasant Pas) to "reaction" shots by extras. Sometimes feet are cut off for "dramatic" close-ups. Weird inserted images and repeated sequences showing the "internal" mindscape of the characters in the second act. I like it but it won't be your first choice given your priorities. I am happy to have it just to see them then and in general it is a good if self-conscious effort at cinematization. I was told that the Zakharova "Swan Lake" from La Scala suffered from hyperactive multiple camera work and that may be happening again in her "Giselle" with Roberto Bolle. My recommendation would be the older La Scala "Giselle" with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo Murru. Ferri has a face that speaks volumes to the camera, is still in lovely form and the production is superb. Nice Romantic flavor in Patrice Bart's version (Bournonville influenced new choreography for the Peasant Pas with Bolle) and the sets are reproductions of Alexandre Benois' scenery. I think it may be currently out of print but copies are out there on Amazon (link above) and elsewhere. Faux Pas

Agreed. However I wish that Veronika was dancing "Bayadere" with Marcelo Gomes as I love seeing them together, her partner is Hallberg. However, hopefully both "Bayadere" and Veronika will be returning often and that casting is something to look forward to in years to come. Gillian and Irina as Aurora are certain but I think Wiles and perhaps Xiomara Reyes will be adding the role to their repertoire. Several "Beauty" casts are TBA right now. In fact except for some shifting of dancers and partners - Diana with Vladimir in "Swan Lake" and "La Bayadere" for example - and the lack of Acosta, there is nothing more to be desired here! Cornejo looks to be a little underchallenged, just repeating his usual repertory - though it will be wonderful to see his Bluebird again.

Acosta on his official website still is mentioning ABT as "provisional" on his 2006/2007 schedule mentioning R&J, Manon, The Dream, Swan Lake et al. I sent him an inquiry e-mail via his website re: ABT Spring appearances and repertoire and if I get an answer may I share it with this board? My guess is that Acosta's schedule is still being filled in and there are enough TBA's on the ABT performance calendar to accomodate him. Yay for Veronika getting two Nikiyas with Hallberg and Wiles as her co-stars! (I now formally withdraw any previous criticisms I hurled at the ABT management for denying Part her old Kirov roles). Yay also for several "Symphonie Concertante" performances with Wiles and Hallberg. She will almost certainly be dancing the Lilac Fairy in "The Sleeping Beauty". That plus her one Saturday matinee "Swan Lake" with Marcelo and this is shaping up as a good season for her. Irina Dvorovenko is adding Manon, Nikiya and Aurora to her repertory with Max and that is excellent news. Marcelo Gomes is adding Othello, Prince Desiré/Florimund in "Beauty" and Solor in "Bayadere". I think Oberon in "The Dream" is new to him too, am I correct? Malakhov has a better than usual season with Des Grieux, Prince Desiré/Florimund and the addition of "Symphonie Concertante". If Ethan can't dance "Bayadere" with Diana, I hope Vladimir gets it, ditto the TBA "Swan Lake" with Diana. That pairing is very special. I am surprised that Alessandra Ferri is not doing "The Dream" as well since Titania stills seems a viable vehicle for her if she can get through "Manon". Nina Ananiashvili is doing Odette/Odile and Nikiya and has also done Aurora, Manon and Juliet in the past. The MacMillan roles might be good vehicles for her if she decides to go on into 2008 and 2009. I would have liked to see Diana Vishneva dance "Symphonie Concertante" as well but she is doing a lot (Odette/Odile, Manon, Juliet, Titania, Nikiya). However, the repertory this upcoming season is looking fresher and more exciting than Spring 2006 with more of our favorites unveiling new roles and expanding their horizons.

Thursday night, October 26, 2006 Program: Clear (Welch) Kent, Corella with Radetsky, Belotserkovsky, Hallberg, Salstein, C. Lopez, Piris-Nino in support. (intermission) Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins): Abrera, Carreno (pause) Sinatra Songs (Tharp): Marcelo Gomes, Luciana Paris (Intermission) Fancy Free (Robbins): Radetsky, Salstein, Carreno, G. Murphy, P. Herrera, Angela Snow First of all, some bad news - Ethan Stiefel was to dance in the "Faun" but was replaced by Carreno. Stiefel is no longer down for any City Center performances on the ABT website casting page. He has been replaced in "Fancy Free" as well. This does not bode well for his recovery. He has been not dancing with ABT for almost a year now. The rest is good news. I don't know what I think of Stanton Welch's "Clear" as a ballet. There is a lot of energy on the stage and it gives the men of the company a lot to do (always a big Kevin McKenzie priority). Angel Corella gets lots of pirouettes and extending turning sequences which of course he performs with joyous abandon. The dancers are constantly moving about the stage. Max and David Hallberg have a big ballet boy dance-off. Julie Kent just looks like (lovely) stage decoration or a ballerina prop as she flits across the stage to be briefly noticed and lifted by Angel before flitting off and letting the bare-chested boys do their thing. After various groups of boys have their big dance competitions and Angel gets a pyrotechnic solo, suddenly, it gets serious. Julie is back and she means business actually dancing for more than 30 or 45 seconds. Then there is a final pas de deux for her and Angel in contracting spotlight with them gazing up into immortality. Suddenly, we are having intimations of mortality or something but where it came from and what it means is introduced too late with nothing building up to it to have much significance. Nice vehicle for the dancers though the style of choreography reminded me of Kylian, Mark Morris and others. The performers gave it all they got, I think with a lesser cast the conceptual flaws would be more evident. The evening's theme could have been either "Men with their shirts off dancing" or "Sexy Latin Devils Strut their Stuff for You". Carreno was working both of these criteria last night. I am going to descend from the sublime to the trashy in saying that José with his shirt off is an aesthetic masterpiece in and of itself with or without a ballet surrounding it. Okay, now that I have gotten that off my chest, back to dancing. He is in great dancing shape and brought an animal sensuality to the young dancer as well as the necessary self-absorption. The problem with the first cast last year (Stiefel/Kent which I didn't see) was that they seem very mature, experienced people onstage. The whole theme of this ballet is youthful sensuality, self-absorption and the first experience of sexual contact (PG-rated of course). Better that you cast young or young-seeming dancers in the roles. Herman and Xiomara might be wonderful in it too. Or Angel Corella and Misty Copeland. Anyway, I thought that José might be too manly and experienced in it but he suggested a very young man who had put all his energy into his dancing but in the intimacy of the studio and alone with a woman was pulled out of himself. Stella Abrera's delicate, porcelain beauty and her air of sexual allure with a touch of remoteness was a convincing erotic magnet. Very good performance. This was my first encounter with Tharp's "Sinatra Songs" so I can't compare this cast with others this season or with Misha and Elaine Kudo back when. Marcelo had his shirt on but was working the sexy stuff as well. He has strong stage presence and that is necessary with this piece. With his slicked back jet black hair, flamenco strut and erect carriage he could have been a tango dancer. Marcelo is also one of the very best partners at ABT and that is a plus in this piece with its adagio dancer acrobatics (woman doing cartwheels over the man's shoulder, lots of lifts and spins). I don't know if this is a masterpiece of choreography but it is striking and a good vehicle for the dancers. My only complaint is that there was one odd section where it looked like Marcelo was duckwalking while carrying Luciana Paris in an awkward position for a few bars. That might have been the original choreography but it needs work and they both need to loosen up a little and have fun with it - holding certain poses and milking certain moves with brio. Marcelo's final solo was very fine. Lots of young people around me in the upper gallery and they were loving the piece. "Fancy Free" has been programmed recently at NYCB and I have seen it before with ABT and with Carreno. I still enjoyed it yet again due to the more intimate space and the elan of the fine cast. Carreno was still terrific and funny as the would-be ladies man mamboing sailor. More personality and theatricality then you usually get from him. Sascha Radetsky is ideal for a piece like this and had both brashness and boyish charm as the romantic sailor from a small town. Craig Salstein is a natural comedian and despite some cautious splits in his solo was very bouyant and funny in the Jerome Robbins role. Paloma Herrera was spot on as the girl with the red purse and Gillian Murphy had a mischievous twinkle as the other girl and danced up a storm. Both did more acting than we usually see from them and funny, sharp acting as well. Lots of students up in the gallery and they seemed to enjoy the evening as did I. Nomination for most valuable player in the ABT City Center season: Sascha Radetsky (David Hallberg a close second or tie). He looked good up there up against such competition as Carreno and Corella. He seems to be dancing in everything. He has a recent new tattoo on his right shoulder. He is dancing better than ever in a wide variety of dance genres. Bravo Sascha and let's hope some big roles in the Spring season materialize!

Both of these ABT videos were put out by Paramount Home Video. Don't hate me but I found a perfect condition used copy of the "Giselle" at Academy Records in NYC for just $10. You will also get Marianna Tcherkassky dancing the Peasant PDD. She is also young and lovely here as is Van Hamel et al. The audience actually gasps at Baryshnikov's brisé volés in his second act solo and at an early jeté after he sees Giselle's spirit where he seems suspended in space for a moment. Some kind of pressure should be put on Paramount to put this out on DVD if they are still the rights holders. I asked Kultur Video if they could get the rights to it but they seemed sure they couldn't. Faux Pas

Let me just interject some clarifying notes here. There were absolutely no visible mistakes in Veronika Part's performance on Saturday afternoon (10/21). Yes, that turn was gone and seemingly due to her difficulty in executing it (Michele it is reported could do it at the Gala Opening). Otherwise her performance was indeed gorgeous and she did dominate the stage with a larger presence and bigger scaled phrasing than Wiles. Wiles however showed greater technical command and speed in her pirouettes. Neither was deficient in any serious way and the content and beauty of the ballet was very evident indeed. Whatever was missing or whatever imbalance there was between the women, the quality of the choreography and Balanchine's vision was communicated and made visible to the audience. That was what was important. I am not going to fail to see or burn down this forest because one tree was missing or changed. I am sure that Balanchine on occasion for a favorite dancer changed a bit of choreography because it was uncomfortable or unsuitable for that dancer. I know that certain entire variations devised for Violette Verdy were replaced because she had a style of moving that no one in the company could replicate. I am sure that all of the Balanchine divas of beloved memory, Allegra Kent, Suzanne Farrell et al. also had bad moments or even whole seasons onstage. Also, I think we have all seen some of our favorite dancers - some of them virtuosos - have gaffes or even falls onstage. Makarova I think fell more than once. Irina Dvorovenko, a strong turner, has been particularly accident prone in several performances I have attended with her (I think I am her bad-luck charm). She has skidded after jumps and slipped onstage on evenings when I was present. She still is a fine dancer and her accidents didn't impede her promotion. Nor did falling off pointe impede the younger Julie Kent (in Symphonie Concertante in 1999) and the young Susan Jaffe (stepping off of pointe in "Birthday Offering" and fall out of a fouette sequence in "Swan Lake" in the early nineties). Both ladies put themselves through a demanding technical reworking by Irina Kolpakova and emerged stronger in the mid-nineties. Part has been given a lot of Balanchine to dance and I think with the intention that it would use her classical training but would give her greater speed, allegro technique and strength. Much of her work in Balanchine has been very striking and beautiful because she is a very musical dancer and Balanchine worked to make his dancers a physical embodiment of the music in his choreography. Her injury is another setback and this after she showed such progress just a year ago in the 2005 City Center season. Which was followed by a dull, inactive and repetitive schedule at the Met in 2006. Probably she will have at least the Lilac Fairy to look forward to in the Spring 2007 Met Season to add to her meagre list of roles. I would love to see her Nikiya in "La Bayadere" but somehow doubt it will come her way (the Kirov thought she was worthy to do it but ABT knows better about Petipa I guess). When her breakthrough with the company will happen is anyone's guess but I don't think it is going to happen this year. Hence the frustration...

I am seeing Irina Dvorovenko and Gillian Murphy in "Symphonie Concertante" on November 2nd. I wonder if the killer turn will still be absent as both of these ladies are known to be human gyroscopes. Paloma I bet would have had no trouble with it since she is a superb turner and has excellent balance. But if the step is repeated by the Violin ballerina, it probably was omitted for Julie Kent (still double pirouettes are not easy either, especially for someone dancing over 20 years). I too wonder if Irina might indeed be better in the Tallchief Viola role but it will be interesting to see her paired with Murphy. I will report when I attend their performance.

I attended the Saturday matinee on October 21st. I noticed the differences between Veronika Part and Michele Wiles though I felt both did quite well. My question is whether the ballerinas are supposed to be complementary or contrasting. I know that Tanaquil LeClerq and Maria Tallchief created the ballet (two very different dancers) and I saw it about a decade ago at ABT. From Gia Kourlas' review in the New York Times today of the Friday evening performance, I would guess that Julie Kent's lyrical line, elegance and elongated physique and the weight of her mature artistry would blend better with Veronika whereas Michele and Paloma might mesh well. But I am not sure "meshing" is what Balanchine wanted. The women are constantly mirroring each others movements but the differences in the way they move (they represent different instruments) might be the whole point. The ballet in general made a lovely impression though the choreography is kind of academic in the way that it mirrors exactly the music. Anyway, there were no technical bobbles on Saturday afternoon from either lady, though Michele's pirouettes (and my there were a lot of them) were noticeably higher and tighter and faster than Veronika's. I think the killer passage that eluded Veronika at the Gala may have been simplified or removed from the choreography but I am not so conversant with this ballet to confirm that. Marcelo the Magnificent Gomes in the cavalier role danced with courtly elegance suffused with joy in movement and controlling and changing the space around him. He was like dance personified. Much of the same joy was displayed by Jesus Pastor in "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes". He charges through the stage like an animal bounding happily through a dancing forest. He usually doesn't impress me in classical ballets, maybe he is really a contemporary dancer in the wrong company. Paloma Herrera also shines brighter in contemporary and neoclassical choreography and I can't imagine her role being done better. Craig Salstein in his difficult solo brought a touch of wit that is a hallmark of Mark Morris' style. David Hallberg and Gillian Murphy shine in both classical and contemporary choreography due to their athleticism refined by a sense of classical form. Kristi Boone, Sarah Lane, Maria Bystrova and Sascha Radetsky also danced with joy and despite some ragged corps formations, the ballet looked fresh and beautifully coached. The afternoon ended with a joyous "Rodeo" with Xiomara Reyes as the Cowgirl, Sascha Radetsky as the Champion Roper and Jared Matthews as the Head Wrangler. Reyes impressed me here with not only the pathos she brought to the role (much of the underdog spirit that illuminated her wonderful Cinderella in Kudelka's version this past Spring) but her dead-on comic timing and slapstick ability. She had a Chaplin-esque quality here mixing pathos and humor. Sascha Radetsky (taller than most Ropers I remember - usually the men are physically contrasted in this ballet) had affable, humorous nice-guy charm and was a mean tapper in the final dance. The way that he transitioned from a teasing playful older brother type to a determined suitor was well done. Jared Matthews had the right narcissistic machismo as the Head Wrangler. Children who had been bored and restless during the Balanchine were audibly laughing and "awwing" at the engaging stage antics. The smaller scale of the City Center hall helps this ballet immeasurably, I enjoyed it much more than when I saw it at the Metropolitan Opera House (with Shawn Black and Gil Boggs) because it plays as theater in this space. However, my companion mentioned that she didn't expect to enjoy "Rodeo" as much as she did and that it looked more "dancey" than she remembered. A lovely afternoon.

Danny Tidwell did indeed return to classical ballet last night (October 18th) in fine form to great applause at his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. His elegant carriage, lightness of attack and technical control looked undiminished. His pirouettes a la seconde in the coda to the "Dance of the Hours" garnered great applause. The ovation at the end was the same as that received by Corella. Letizia Giuliani remained as the ballerina and was lovely again. The partnering in the pas de deux section looked more calculated and less seamless due to less rehearsal time together but that should be worked out by this Saturday's matinee (October 21). ABT should put his leaving the ABT as due to "growing pains" and invite him back as a soloist. He is missed. If you are reading this Kevin, you know what you have to do! DO IT!!!

Having discovered this old thread through doing a search it reminded me of a story I had heard about a ballerina living in New York who was killed when a ceiling fell on her. I did an internet search and found her name: Miriam Rosa Toigo d'Angeli. She was a 39 year old Brazilian ballerina who was killed on March 12, 1990 in an Ansonia café called Croissant & Co. at Broadway and 74th St. in a freak accident when the ceiling collapsed. She had popped in for a coffee after her daily advanced dance class at Steps 74 close by. The tons of debris that fell on her caused asphyxiation and compression of the neck and chest. Miriam Toigo had studied in Russia at the Kirov School. The Joinville Dance Festival has a special trophy named in her honor: http://www.festivaldedanca.com.br/site/ing...regulamento.asp Here are some excerpts from a Newsday article from March 14, 1990 by Alison Carper and Joseph A. Gambardello : In the U.S. Toigo D'Angeli had danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and was planning on returning to Brazil to dance and teach. Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article written by James Barron on March 14th, 1990: Another tragic dancer was Margarita Perkun-Bebeziche who was killed in a car accident with her husband on August 6, 1981 at the age of 24 when she had just won the gold medal at the 1981 Moscow International Ballet Competition in front of such judges as Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya and Robert Joffrey. The grand prix went to Irek Mukhamedhov. Another gold medal winner that year was the 17 year old Amanda McKerrow. Ulanova was deeply impressed with Perkun-Bebeziche and felt that she brought much of the passion and conviction to dance that she and others of her generation tried to bring to the art. McKerrow, Janis Pikieris and Perkun-Bebeziche can be seen in the VHS release "Holiday of Ballet" a documentary on the fourth Moscow International Ballet Competition on a Kultur VHS release. Perkun-Bebeziche was seen in several of her winning performances with a long limbed elegant but also deeply emotive plastique grounded in good classical technique. I wondered what happened to her afterwards what she did in Russia but could find little or nothing about her. Googling on the internet showed several mentions of her name including a few memorial web pages which told me of her tragic end. She had just returned from a tour of Peru with her home company, the Moscow Classical Ballet, and was riding in a car with her husband returning to Moscow from a short vacation by the Sea of Azov. In the early morning hours of August 6, 1981 just two months after her gold medal win, the car was struck by a truck on the Moscow-Volgagrad highway. Her husband Valery who was driving the car survived as did their poodle but Margarita was instantly killed. The truck driver was later found to be at fault for the accident. Very sad.

Of course, Carabosse is a character that has changed the most dramatically from production to production. Originally a male mime role it was doubled with the Bluebird, Enrico Cecchetti a veteran virtuoso who was about to segue into a later career as a mime. Later it was mimed by a woman in the 1921 Diaghilev production in London by the original Aurora, Carlotta Brianza. In the 1965 Soviet movie with Alla Sizova as Aurora, the fiftyish but still agile Natalia Dudinskaya dances on pointe new choreography by her husband Sergeyev with leaping rats. She still has razor sharp pique turns. I have always had a yen to see Carabosse done as a kind of Odile, a ballerina fairy in a black and silver tutu like the Lilac Fairy et al. but evil. Kind of linking her to the others in type and not so different as to be a totally different type of dancer or not a dancer or not a woman. My other big, big fantasy (perhaps my secret dream role) was to have a Trocks-type male dancer on pointe do the role in the Odile manner and costume. Imagine Julio Bocca in the role done this way.... Just some wicked musings, feel free to discuss (and dismiss!)

In the early 1980's, Gelsey was invited to dance Aurora at the Royal Ballet around the same time Cynthia Harvey guested with them. This was in her brief return to the stage after her recovery from her addictions and personal crises. Reviews praised her sensitive nuanced dancing but mentioned that she danced a simplified version of one of the famous dances, I think the solo in the wedding scene pas de deux. I forget what production this was but it would have been the very traditional one that preceded the Salvador Dali one (Dowell/Bjornson?) that Viviana Durante danced on tour in NYC in the 1990's and is on video. The ABT version done in the 1970's would have been based on the Sergeyev/Messel Royal Ballet classic production somewhat watered down. Big question, who is designing this "Beauty"? - my vote would be for Desmond Heeley but I suspect Zack Brown will repeat his assignment from McKenzie's "Swan Lake".

Kenneth MacMillan's "The Judas Tree" - only Irek Mukhamedhov in a ripped T-shirt and tight jeans saved it from utter worthlessness. Very creepy attitudes towards women and male/female relations. I heard of an interesting ballet the Royal Ballet did in 1960 called "The Invitation" with choreography by MacMillan with Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable. It evidently was quite sexually explicit and shocking for the time. I believe it is about an innocent young couple taken in by a rich and decadent older couple and duped into sexual betrayal and possibly rape. I've think it might be ripe for revival.

Wheeldon and Angel know each other well (I have seen them attend performances together and checking out each other's big premiere nights) so rights to the choreography would not be a major arm-twisting negotiation ... Faux Pas

I saw all three casts of "The Pharoah's Daughter" (from standing room) last summer when the Bolshoi visited NYC. I reviewed the opening night cast with Zakharova and Tsiskaridze on this board at that time. Lunkina was actually the most emotional and moving of the three ladies who danced Aspicia. Her mime was very human and specific. For example in the grand pas in the second act in the palace throne room after being affianced to the King of Nubia: Aspicia is being partnered by Ta-Hor and Lunkina projected an intense sadness that Zakharova and Alexandrova didn't bother with. You suddenly realized that Aspicia was realizing that this was her last moment of contact with Ta-Hor and that fate would separate them. She realized she would be unhappy without him and that motivated her flight with him at the end of the act. Little touches like that separate the artist from the talented dancer. Luckily after a "Bright Stream" performance in that same run, Ratmansky came onstage at the curtain call to announce her promotion to First Principal. It was richly deserved and quite overdue.

In Roland John Wiley's books on the Tchaikovsky ballets he mentions that Petipa in 1890 was somewhat divided on how the Lilac Fairy should be cast. Early notes and proposed cast lists include the blonde, delicate, lyrical Anna Christianovna Johansson as the proposed Lilac Fairy. She was a classically trained ballerina, taught by her father in the Imperial School. Later Petipa re-envisioned the role as more of a character dancer/mime role and gave it to his statuesque daughter, Marie Mariusovna Petipa who hadn't gone through the complete training in the Imperial School. So the refashioning of the role for a soft, lyrical classical ballerina isn't really that far from Petipa's early plans for the role. Anna Johansson later danced the equivalent role of the Fairy Godmother in his "Cinderella" ballet with Pierina Legnani, who took over as Aurora after Carlotta Brianza returned to Europe after the 1890 season.

Some scattershot impressions and comments: Sylvia: Thursday, July 27th - Elizabeth Miner, Pascale Molat and Pierre Francois-Vilanoba I was told by NYSusan that there wasn't really any dancing until the third act. I actually was very taken with the first act. The stage was somewhat bisected by a stream and greenery on the upper stage left which cut into the dancer's space. The set of the ABT/RB "Sylvia" is similarly rather cumbersome and intrusive on the dancing space. I liked the opening dance of the satyrs, dryads and naiads with the naiads and dryades competing for the attentions of the satyrs. Morris used the music well in letting the shimmering arpeggios in the accompaniment signal the entry of the naiads from the stream. Elizabeth Miner had an airy, outdoor fresh quality to her Sylvia with some of that cheerleader spunk you associate with the "All-American Girl" choreography that Balanchine created for Suzanne Farrell. However, she is also definitely very feminine and warm onstage, so her conversion was never really in doubt. Where I felt Morris did better than Ashton is in the mime and storytelling. The relationships seemed a bit more fleshed out in this version with dramatic tension sought out in the choices. Eros is more of a clown and trickster which seems appropriate and gives a comic dimension to this story of amorous misadventures. In fact, Morris never stooped to camp which some people were looking for knowing his previous work. He threw in dry humorous touches but played it quite straight and let the humor take care of itself. So there was contrast between serious ballet presentation and goofy modernity. There was contrast too between the choreographic steps - the leads were very balletic with some fluent solos but the supporting characters were given more modern dance moves. There is no such contrast in the Ashton where everything is very 19th century balletic. Either you prefer the stylistic consistency and period charm of the Ashton or you are turned on by Morris' eclecticism. The second act which some people liked best, I liked least. Maybe it was more what you would expect of Morris but I found the choreography thin. The Pas D'Esclaves music was just thrown away on a clumsy dance for the male corps with little invention. The cutesy orientalism of the music didn't fit the primitive roughness of the male slaves/cave dwellers. The clumps of rocks in the middle of the set limited the dancing space though it did create levels. I used dramatic license to dispel disbelief that Orion could be knocked unconscious by Welch's grape juice, perhaps he is diabetic. Luckily this act is short. Morris made the dramaturgical choice to keep Orion in pursuit and his lovers in suspense for Act III. In Ashton's Act III the plot has basically been entirely resolved and it is all just a lovely divertissement marriage celebration like Aurora's wedding in "Beauty". In Morris, Aminta though alive doesn't know where Sylvia is or that she now loves him. Sylvia is brought in disguised as a houri-like slave girl by Eros disguised as a pirate/slave dealer. Sylvia is veiled and Morris devised a gorgeous pas de deux (I may prefer it to Ashton) for the veiled Sylvia and the still-clueless Aminta. First of all, this lets the lovers discover each other and provides the missing love/courtship scene because previously they have been kept apart by circumstances and only reunited by divine intervention. The use of the veil was a direct quote from the "Kingdom of the Shades" act from "La Bayadere" one of my favorite, if not my first favorite, ballets. I liked the choreography for Aminta's solo in this act very much but wished I was seeing Marcelo Gomes or Angel Corella dance it. Pascale Molat was generally elegant but seemed to have to push here. Orion reappears in this act and fights with Aminta for Sylvia but is vanquished by Diana. The denouement is then similar in both ballets. However, this choice keeps the dramatic conflict going throughout most of the evening. In the Ashton the story seems pat and anecdotal. The third act set of a courtyard with columns in the background with a drop of an idealized Hellenic landscape by Martin Pakledinaz was stunning and open and was a wonderful space for dancing. The beauty of the music is evident in this version and is emphasized by Morris' musicality. But the problems stem from the story and libretto which leaves all the work to the deus ex machina and makes the two lovers seem like puppets with no inner life of their own. The love story between Aminta and Sylvia happens mostly offstage. There were enough lovely moments, good ideas and fine choreography in this version that I will miss certain elements when I see the other version, though I feel that Ashton, in general, is more successfully realized. I wish Ashton was alive to steal some of Morris' better ideas for his version. I also attended the first night on Saturday July 29th of the mixed program and will post on that later. Faux Pas

My source seems to suggest that the solo was worked up by Lopukhov when Lubov Egorova took over the role of the Lilac Fairy from Marie M. Petipa. Here is an article by Doug Fullington on the Vikharev reconstruction which discusses the two variations notated in the Sergeyev collection. http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/Beauty2.html

My feeling about Balanchine is that he was attempting to achieve in 20th century dance what "modern" composers were attempting to do in music and artists attempting to do in the visual arts. That is free the art form from the slavish imitation of reality and explore abstract pure forms and compositions. America with its embrace of new technology and speed and its openness to new ideas was a good place to do this. Europe, particularly France (Paris Opera Ballet) had too much invested in its history and traditions to fully embrace his aesthetic in its purest forms. "Symphony in C" was no problem but "Agon" or the other leotard ballets? However, this is a simplification of what Balanchine was about - he was haunted by his Imperial Russian past, 19th century European art and also affected by popular media in the U.S.A. Compare and contrast "The Four Temperments", "La Sonnambula", "Ballet Imperial", "Square Dance", "Raymonda Pas de Six", "Agon" and "Western Symphony". The interest in pure form and mirroring the music almost mathematically in movement is omnipresent but expressed and achieved in different ways. This eclecticism is also something that is very American. The drawback with the U.S. as opposed to Russia and Europe was the lack of established schools and consistent training which he and Kirstein corrected by starting the School of American Ballet. But it took a generation or two of using dancers with differing backgrounds and training and molding them to his style. By the time the American dancers were all trained by him (mid-50's), he started to reach his pinnacle as a choreographer. In America it was easy to be "the boss" and "Mr. B" because the field was open. In Europe and as previously stated in France he would have had to deal with bureaucracy and official approval. The situation would have been twice as bad in Russia with the Communists and KGB filtering of the Arts. He definitely would have been purged as a "formalist" in the Stalin era and might have ended up tragically or with an aborted career like so many.

Highs: 1) Marcelo Gomes as Albrecht in "Giselle", Lescaut in "Manon", the Prince in "Cinderella" and everything else. 2) Erica Cornejo and Martine Van Hamel as the Goofy Stepsister and the Stepmother in "Cinderella" 3) Guillaume Coté and Xiomara Reyes in "Cinderella" - they brought great youth and heart to a ballet that needed it. Kudelka's busy ballet improved on acquaintance and is full of interesting and creative ideas. The Ashton is the best choreography of this music and the most suitable for ABT (think of Julie Kent and Gillian dancing Ashton's choreography) but this was better than the previous Stevenson version. If the Joffrey can acquire the Ashton, why not ABT? 4) Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Malakhov mesmerizing in their partnership in "Giselle" and "Manon" - they seemed to create a rare symbiosis - you didn't dare look at one because you would miss something fascinating the other was doing. 5) ABT's "Noche Latina" "Le Corsaire" spectacular: it was flashy, superficial, pure showboating and simply heaven! Bocca with all the old fire heating up Herrera, Reyes, Corella, H. Cornejo and Carreno. 6) The already impressive and still developing partnership between Angel Corella and Diana Vishneva - he has found a partner who matches him physically and is a prima ballerina on his level but also demands more from him as an artist. More please. 7) Buoyant and fresher than ever dancing from Jose Manuel Carreno - one of his best seasons at ABT. 8) Julio Bocca's Joker in Cranko's "Jeu de Cartes": a bravura vaudeville turn with such comic force that it made worthwhile a ballet that lacks choreographic distinction and relies too much on slapstick. 9) The corps enlivening the filler surrounding the magical pas de deux in MacMillan's "Manon" - I sat through it for three nights in a row and didn't get bored. Bravo to Monica Parker for making this ballet so fresh and theatrical with her restaging. Bravo to the three sets of lovers Ferri/Bocca, Vishneva/Malakhov and Kent/Carreno - each brought something unique and special to the ballet. 10) Carlos Acosta as Apollo - raw power being refined by art into pure form and beauty. A God being formed before our eyes as he learns from and then inspires his Muses. 11) David Hallberg smoothly ascending to the principal rank his elegance and form deserves. High and Low The end of the Julio Bocca/Alessandra Ferri partnership in their final "Manon" - a night to remember all that Julio has given, all it has cost him and how much he will take with him as he leaves. You felt very full and very bereft at the same time. Julio was determined to leave ABT on the same high level that he brought to it when he came. He danced better than he has in years. There is too much fire and too much artistic drive in that man to just drift away on a boat or coach in a studio. Julio, this may be just the rest time before starting another new adventure. Invite us along wherever you go, Julio. Lows 1) The only soloists who made progress this season were Sascha Radetsky and Stella Abrera. Arron Scott, Simone Messmer, Jared Mathews and Craig Salstein in the corps took advantage of those tiny opportunities they were given. Those amazingly talented soloists and corps members whose careers remain stalled or in limbo include: Anna Liceica - totally underused, undervalued, forgotten about - ABT's loss Sarah Lane - a goat in "Sylvia", a teen hooker in "Manon", not much for a shining classical talent. She is very young but no more seasons like this for her in the future, Kevin. Misty Copeland - where were the second leads she used to get? Both she and Lane and Zhong-Jing Fang spent too much time as Giselle's friends or Swans. Maria Bystrova showed real stage presence in walk-ons like Bathilde in "Giselle" and Rosaline in "R&J" - when are Kevin and his staff going to wake up and see the light they have hidden under a bushel? Veronika Part - how much longer can she be pushed aside and dancing Nurse Maids in "Petrouchka" and Terpsichore in "Sylvia"? - yes she also got Terpsichore in "Apollo" and repeated her Myrtha but her one and only Wednesday matinee "Swan Lake" shows what ABT feels it can waste on the sidelines and plan nothing for. The full-length repertory and the way it was cast didn't have opportunities for much of the emerging talent that is trying to break through. Ultimately some of the starry principals who do the same roles each season will drop away and then these people will be needed. They may not be there. 2) "Jeu de Cartes" - very minor Cranko that a less starry regional company or the Joffrey might do better adding to their rep in a smaller house. This besides the Kudelka "Cinderella" was the only novelty and new acquisition the company made this season. How about Cranko's "Romeo and Juliet" to give us a rest from MacMillan's tedious harlots and street brawls? 3) Erica Cornejo leaving for Boston Ballet - it is probably better for her personally and professionally but she will be missed. At least 10 dancers are leaving at the end of this season - (per Matthew Murphy's blog) - including some valuable and promising talent (Laura Hidalgo). How about inviting Danny Tidwell back as a soloist to reverse some of the damage? 4) A lot of deja vu in the repertory casting and revivals - shake things up! The new premieres weren't for the ages. Only individual star turns (Vishneva, Bocca, Gomes, Ferri, Part, Malakhov) and excellent staging (e.g. the "Manon" revival) livened things up.

Vishneva's physical attributes make her effective in a wide variety of roles that sometimes are thought of as separate emploi. She seems to be both tiny and large at the same time and in different ways in each ballet. She also blends the sensuous and the austere in her movements. Her lower body is very strong and virtuosic with a strong level of technical ability but her upper body is very flexible and expressive. Her long arms, flexible back and long strong legs make her a very good romantic dancer in "Giselle". However, she is also an excellent Kitri in "Don Quixote" and not in the soubrette tradition either. Except for Ekaterina Maximova not many ballerinas excel in both roles. She also has the radiance and technical control to be a great Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty". I have seen her dance Balanchine's "Rubies", "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" and "Ballet Imperial" to fine effect. Her "Manon" and Juliet in "R&J" in the MacMillan ballets shows her to be expert at detailed theatrical portraiture with minimal virtuoso brilliance in three act story ballets. The revelation of her recent ABT appearances is her dramatic ability which is seen at its best with Vladimir Malakhov. When they are together onstage every moment is a fascinating revelation and you don't know where to look. If you look at Diana realizing a moment or creating a fascinating dramatic gambit you miss a heartbreaking reaction or revealing gesture from Vladimir. I saw her "Giselle" and "Don Quixote" with the Kirov on tour in New York - her ABT performances were vastly more fascinating and brilliant. The difference was her dramatic portraiture and artistic interpretation - I always loved her dancing but the acting is really something now. The only great classical role she hasn't as of yet completely synthesized all the elements of is Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" which is a recent addition to her repertoire. I think that in two or three years probably with Malakhov she will conquer the role. Oddly, as I see her as naturally an allegro dancer, her Odette is currently better than her Odile. Her performance at ABT in 2005 showed a fascinatingly willowy vulnerable Odette but a brittle small-scale Odile. This year her Odette wasn't as fragile and more staccato but her Odile was more of a ballerina and siren and generally more effective despite tiny technical glitches. She is still exploring "Swan Lake" but I am confident of her eventual triumph. Her first Giselle in NY with the Kirov was nothing in comparison with what she achieved with Malakhov this year.

The Corella/Vishneva pairing is fortuitous since Angel hasn't really developed a partnership with a ballerina who is on his level who is a physical match. The Angel/Paloma pairing didn't really develop and Paloma has actually looked better with Bocca, Gomes and Carreno. Xiomara Reyes is a charming partner in things like "La Fille Mal Gardee" but really doesn't have the star wattage that Diana has in the great ballerina roles like Giselle. I found Ananiashvili too mature for him and Gillian Murphy kind of overwhelmed him physically. Ferri and Corella were a good match physically but not on the same emotional or interpretive level and their pairing dimmed in comparison with the Bocca/Ferri symbiosis. Vishneva, similar to her Giselle this season, brought a kind of willful abandon and restless rebellious spirit to her Juliet. She seemed a young girl who could not be contained by her family's hatred or society's dictums - a true free spirit. Angel also began to suggest a young man addicted to danger and easily bored. He seemed to stir up trouble if things were going too smoothly. His reckless pursuit of Juliet at the Capulet ball suggested someone who also had a disregard for public attitudes. The seamlessness of his dancing with endless chainés of pirouettes and turns never showed strain or pushing for effect. Your eye was drawn to Angel in the trio dances with Benvolio and Mercutio though his partners Radetsky and Cornejo are excellent technicians. Both Angel and Diana had dangerous moments of abandon together and solo. Her wild run offstage with her cape flowing behind her seems to have sent her into collision with a light bar or leg drop. Angel tore into the duel with Tybalt so fiercely that he bent his foil. This is the kind of electricity that makes for a memorable evening and redeems the ballet from its cumbersome padding and unwieldy length. Of course this is the first time they have danced this ballet together and I hope they will continue to dance it - I thought the partnering was for the most part successful and tempermentally they worked off of each other very well. Give them a few more performances and the magic will deepen. The cast surrounding them was very much the "A Team" at ABT. Veronika Part suggested the uneasy emotions of a woman asking her daughter to make the same compromises that marked her life - but why should Juliet be exempt from every woman's lot in marriage? Part's regal glamorous presence fixed the eyes and I was struck by her emotional force during the grief over Tybalt's body. Gennadi Saveliev has the Tybalt 'tude down - his death was in the good Bolshoi chew the scenery tradition. Freddie Franklin brought a spiritual center to Friar Lawrence, Victor Barbee was forceful as Capulet, Maria Bystrova a Rosaline preening with self regard and David Hallberg coolly suspicious under a noble exterior as Paris. Herman Cornejo was a lively, impish Mercutio who appropriated the Mandolin solo to great effect and rapturous audience response. A special word for Sascha Radetsky who held his own onstage with Corella and Cornejo, strong competition for even the greatest male dancer. He has really matured this season and can be given greater responsibilities in the future. I find that MacMillan's choreography is exciting during the male classical variations and pas de deux's but really feels flat and padded in the corps choreography. I needn't reiterate that the endless horseplay with the harlots and lengthy swordfights and processions seem to get longer with each viewing. You kind of know that the Balcony scene pas de deux or some exciting solo is coming up, so you just hold on but I know why I avoided MacMillan's version of this ballet for ten years.