Manhattnik

The corps that impressed me the most in recent memory was the Bolshoi's, when they did Kingdom of the Shades at the State Theater, and then a bang-up Symphony in C. I still get chills down my spine remembering how they did the big ecarte in Shades as one. As far as NYCB's corps, well, it's a different animal altogether, as is NYCB, and while the corps must certainly fall short if measured by the standards one would use for a Bolshoi, POB or Kirov corps, that really isn't the point. First of all, said corps would crumble to dust if faced with the kind of rehearsal/workload/learning curve demanded of the City Ballet corps. Moreover, I agree with Michael. Under Balanchine (during my time in the audience), NYCB's corps was magnificently sloppy, and charged with a kind of almost-neurotic energy that I've never seen elsewhere, and that marked it as very much a New York City institution. In City Ballet, we don't have the single, organic animal of a corps that we have in some of the above-mentioned companies, but we do have a collection of individuals. It's hard for me to bemoan the lack of uniformity in the corps when I know about half of the dancers by site, and when I've seen, over and over again, how quickly and professionally they pull themselves together even when it's clear their dress rehearsal is often the first night of a revival. Comparing what's been gained with what's been lost, I'm more than happy with City Ballet's corps right now. If I want to see the Kirov's corps, well, I can always get a video out of the library. Or wait until Universal Ballet gets here in August.... To clarify -- if you look at NYCB's corps with an eye for only the same qualities that distinguish the world's other great corps, you'll not only be disappointed, you'll miss the particular qualities that make NYCB's corps, to my eye, equally great, albeit different. [ 06-14-2001: Message edited by: Manhattnik ]

I remember seeing Monique dance the pas de deux from Stars and Stripes on the last day of the winter season, and thinking she looked sensational. Then I saw her (as a substitute -- for shame!) in Walpurgisnacht, and she looked even more sensational. She was dancing as full-out and grandly and, dare I say it, heroically as ever. She got a huge ovation from the crowd, and all I could think is "Why is this woman not being cast more?" I did notice that Meunier, a woman who has never been svelte, wasn't at the lightest I've ever seen her, but neither was she at her heaviest. It certainly seemed that the ever-capable Charles Askegard had no difficulties lifting, not to mention flinging, her about. I do wonder if Martins is perhaps punishing her in some manner for having put on a pound or two. If so, it's quite disappointing. He's not only depriving a wonderful dancer of the opportunity to perform, he's depriving us of the chance of seeing her. And, yes, she's a wonderful Siren. I think of Meunier much as I do Pascale van Kipnis, another wonderful dancer in whom Martins appears to have lost interest. If it's not Meunier's weight (which really is fine as far as I'm concerned), I can't imagine what it must be. And if it is her weight, it seems the best way to get it down would be for Peter to show some faith in her, and also get her onstage more than once a month!

Hubbe in Who Cares (he hasn't done it, has he?) Actually, Amanda, he has. I'm not quite sure he had a handle on the role at the time, although I suspect the next time he does it he might find a way to make it work a bit better for him, if you can imagine "James Does Broadway."

I have a feeling Sheezno's career may last much, much longer than Dame Margot's. Sheezno will always be with us!

Oh, as a PS, Murphy may have borrowed the "fan-over-the-head" bit from Dvorovenko, who's been using it to bring down houses for a few years now. Not that there's anything wrong with borrowing, and I'm sure Murphy was great at it -- she's nothing if not a demon turner (remember her quadruples in Le Corsaire a couple of years back?). I don't mean to take away from your enjoyment of Murphy's Kitri, and perhaps it's the beginning of a new era for her. I can't say, as I wasn't there. I just remember her Black Swan from last fall's City Center season, where she didn't begin to get interesting (for me, anyway) until she did hit the fouettes, which was just a bit late in the day for my taste.

I have seen lots of dancers fall, and, like Michael, I admire the way they tend to bounce back up and find their places and continue on, like troupers. I've always observed that the gal (or guy) with the biggest smile onstage is always the one who's just pulled herself up from a fall, because she knows everyone is watching her (to see if she'll do it again?). Falls come with the territory. Dancers aren't machines, and mistakes happen. It's really no big deal as long as it doesn't happen every night. When dancers actually injure themselves, it's another story. I'll never forget poor Robert Weiss's busting his Achilles tendon during Ballo de la Regina, which led to Merrill Ashley's legendary act of finishing the ballet alone. Or a recent opening-night performance of Symphony in C where Nikolaj Hubbe took a hard fall and hobbled off the stage, not to return (thank God he was back dancing shortly thereafter). One doesn't deduct points in such situations, of course, but simply pray for the dancer's speedy recovery. It is sobering to realize just how much these people put themselves at risk every night for our entertainment and inspiration. (Funny, I don't think I ever saw Kirkland fall.)

I perhaps should've gone to see Murphy's Kitri, but I am among the party that firmly believes she's way too cold. Cold is fine, but there's an ininflected, metronomic quality to her dancing that I find rather, well, dull. I'd rather shell out my heard-earned bucks for Ananiashvili's Kitri (she was quite sensational last night) or Dvorovenko's (always a high point of the summer!).

I saw the Saturday night and Monday night performances. And, yes, there were some ups and downs in places, but considering that these were student performances, I thought, on the whole, the evenings were quite wonderful, particularly on Monday. I don't think I've ever seen such a glowing, happy performance of Divertimento before. While with City Ballet or other companies, it's often just another ballet (no matter how well-performed) for these kids it was clearly a culmination of years of hard work, and almost a religious experience. Even the corps girls glowed. And if some of the roles were a bit sketchy, others were quite wonderful, I thought. Far be it from me to mention names, but the girl who did the Melissa Hayden role with the crazy-fast footwork has a great future, I'm sure. I liked the way Barak's piece managed to be set to Baroque music with two lead women without seeming at all derivative of or even quoting that other Baroque, two-lead-ballerina ballet that NYCB does. The Telemann was joyful, fluent and helped the kids dancing it to look great, I thought. Speaking of happy, it doesn't get happier than the pas de six (sure are a heck of a lot of dancers for a pas de six!) and Tarantella from Napoli. Again, some kids were better than others, but there's a reason why: these solos are hard has hell. I loved the joy and panache we saw from most of the kids (and yes, the kiss-blowing solo was delightful), despite the occasional less than tidy moment. I remember how pallid NYCB's Bournonville Divertissment had become by the time it was last given a rest, and I'm glad to see how much the SAB students relished their roles. I certainly left the theater feeling energized and happy myself.

Speaking of "debuts," Bouder's debut in the soloist role in "La Source" brought the house down, and it's doubtless the reason Peter Martins thought she was ready for Firebird.

I need to see a true "ballerina" who is one with the movements and can express herself through the steps, not simply execute them. Such a shame you missed Margaret Tracey, then.

I heard throught he grapevine about Bouder's debut, and I'm glad I made it. I can't add much to Michael's comments -- it was a very strong and moving performance by Bouder, who seemed to be on top of the character, from her striking makeup, floating leaps and her dreamy final bourrees. It was interesting to compare Bouder's rising star with those of the soloists in Swan Lake -- Jennifer Tinsley and Pascale van Kipnis. There was a time we'd see Tinsley every night, and now her roles are rare. Same with Van Kipnis, who's been scarce since her return from a long layoff due to injury. It was nice to see them, particularly Van Kipnis, but Big Swans are not exactly glamor roles. While Tinsley is growing stronger and more assured, she's still finding herself in the City Ballet repertory, or, rather Martins is still trying to find a place for her. And so she's a Big Swan. Van Kipnis is the sweet and glowing dancer I remember from before her injury, and I've missed her tremendously. It's good to see her back, even if in such a minor role. I can't help but see a little morality play here -- the dramatic debut of the new up-and-comer coming right after a couple of former Martins darlings in a "flavors-of-the-month" graveyard. It doesn't seem to take long for Martins to lose interest in many dancers, and sometimes it seems like being made a soloist is the kiss of death. Anyway, Wendy Whelan was sensational in Swan Lake. She's been having a wonderful season, and if I hadn't already consider her a Goddess of the dance, her recent performances would've left no doubt at all.

As much as I love Dvorovenko in other things, I have to say that as Giselle, she's a good Kitri. In Act I, I got little sense of who Giselle was, what made her interesting to Albrecht, or Albrecht to her. It seemed like they just had to get together, as they had the two whitest smiles in the village. Belotserkovsky was wonderful, I thought. He's got beautiful line and princely style, and danced his solos flawlessly. He played Albrecht very much as an impetuous Princeling following his feelings until he's in way over his head before he knows it. I always knew what his character was doing and thinking at any time, and he had many nice touches, such as his passionate, mimed importuning of Wilfred to do something when the hunting party returns after Hilarion exposes Albrecht's deception. I did find a bit overdone Belotserkovsky's mime when the hunting party is about to appear for the first time. He hears the horns, then takes a few steps towards Giselle's cottage. "Wait, they might go in there and find me." He then takes a few steps towards his own cottage. "Wait, I can't go in there. Hilarion's going to sneak in there and find my sword in a minute." Then he lets us know he's just had a brilliant idea by snapping his fingers: "I've got it -- I'll hide in the wings. They'll never think of looking for me there!" I thought Belotserkovsky was a great partner in Act II, and danced his solos beautifully. And he acknowledged the audience's applause after collapsing to the stage at the end of his big solo by reaching to Myrtha, not by turning to the audience while supine, as does Carreno (it looks way too silly). As for Dvorovenko, while she certainly had her technically impressive moments in Act II, this is not a role where the ballerina should be hitting us over the head with her technical prowess. I remember Makarova would use her great balance to appear to float in the air, so Albrecht could see her. Dvorovenko uses her great balance to let us know she has a great balance. Similarly, with her entrechats and changements that brought down the house, these steps are not a place to have the conductor slow the tempo way, way down so one can show off one's great elevation. Bravura really has no place in this ballet, and all I could think of saying, after repeated demonstrations of Dvorovenko's brilliance, was, "Not bad for a dead girl." I found the way Dvorovenko chose to play Giselle's very last moments onstage, before returning to the grave, as a good example of a very questionable decision on when to show off her technique. As Albrecht throws himself at her feet, she reaches down to him for her final farwell... and drops into an over-the-top, six-o'clock penchee. So we have the charming final image of Giselle bidding farewell to Albrecht with her foot floating somewhere up in the stratosphere. (Most ballerinas are quite content to be merely standing in tendu back at this moment.) Perhaps it was just her way of letting Albrecht know it was time to go home, in which case the poor girl's just as bad at counting the clock as she is daisy petals. [ 05-21-2001: Message edited by: Manhattnik ]

Wasn't 2nd Mvt. Symphony in C made for Toumonova?

Yes, thanks for the detailed review, Bellepoque! Part, but only part, of the problem with empty seats at NYCB right now is because there are three companies performing in NYC right now, and only so much audience to go around: NYCB, ABT and Eifman. I was surprised to see Eifman tickets were available at the half-price booth in Times Square -- last year they were sold out every night. I think this must have something to do with the big-gun competition this week. It is also nice to see reports of Weese and Woetzal working well together, as veteran observers can attest that this hasn't always been the case.

Katya, it was switched to Carreno a day or so ago. I have no idea why. Although I am a big fan of Malakhov, I can't fault Carreno's performance at all -- he was excellent.

Just a quick post to say that I want to take back every joke I've ever made about Julie Kent's acting ability. Tonight she delivered one of the most well-thought-out, subtle and nuanced performances of Giselle I've ever seen. I would rate it right up there with the Giselles of Diana Vishneva and Viviana Durante that I've seen in recent years. This was a gorgeously danced and very personal and, in some ways, unusual interpretation of Giselle. I've never seen a Giselle look so utterly griefstricken and distraught in the second act. Remote, incorporeal, even desperate to save Albrecht, but never as emotionally ravished as Kent's portrayal. She was just plain brilliant. And Carreno's Albrecht was also subtle in ways I hadn't expected from him. He danced magnificently, and partnered Kent the same way. More soon.

Perhaps a bolt of lightning will strike me dead for saying this, but I think Peter Boal's Oberon is one of the finest performances I've ever seen by anyone, anywhere, and, yes, I like him better than my (admittedly fuzzy) memories of Villella.

For me, Patricia MacBride will always own Swanhilda. It's very hard for me to imagine a more perfect dancer for the role.

Well, last night with Dvorovenko/Belotserkovsky the corp looked much, much better. I thought they were good in Act I, and very good in Act II. Unlike Friday, this time the whole Wilis bit, from Myrtha's entrance to the end of their "divertissment" was a breathless rush. Murphy was much, much better, regal and icy indeed, and I was particularly impressed with the Zulma of Carmen Corella who, unlike Michelle Wiles as Moyna, remembered she's supposed to be a ghost. I was a bit surprised that I came away from the performance much more impressed with Belotserkovsky than Dvorovenko (whom I adore in the right roles -- here's a real Odette/Odile if there ever was one!). But more on that later.

Well, the corp looked better then they have in recent memory, that's for sure. But unfortunately, that's not saying much, either. The real test will come next week when they do Kingdom of the Shades.

Well, actually, just last week, after the kiddie corps debuts in Divertimento No. 15, I split. I suppose I would've stayed had there been something really compelling on the program, but the truth of the matter was, I didn't need to. I'd already gotten my money's worth.

I'd read about how much-improved ABT's corps was in Washington, so I had high hopes when I went to the Met to see Nina Ananiashvili and Julio Bocca in the first Giselle of the season. Well, I thought the corps looked good enough, but not spectacular. While I enjoy, even love, Ananiashvili's dancing on many levels, I've often found there's just a bit of the "generic-International-Superstar" to some of the performances she and Bocca turn in, and this Giselle was no exception. It was a fine, carefully realized performance with many lovely, even gorgeous moments (she's a heartbreaking naif in the first act, and almost immaterial in the second), I didn't feel much of any emotion between the pair, and this might be more Bocca's responsibility than Ananiashvili's. Bocca seems to be getting coarser and more erratic every season, and while he didn't seem to be making up Albrecht's solos as he went along (as he does sometimes in Don Quixote, say), there were moments, such as in a rather abrupt transition to a piroutte preparation, where he was quite jarring. In the Peasant Pas, Herman Cornejo was quite clean and spectacular (his cabrioles drew bigger gasps from the audience than Bocca's), and Xiomara Reyes, a short, dark woman with the kind of large face, eyes and smile the stage loves, was strong, clean and charming. Gillian Murphy's Myrtha was also strong and clean (although she didn't throw hereself into those big circular Romantic ports de bras with quite enough enthusiasm to my eye), and yet, though she was appropriately cold and distant, she also seemed rather disconnected from the action. I don't think she necessarily decided to do an overly aloof Myrtha; it's just that her natural demeanor turns Myrtha (as it does most of Murphy's roles) into the Dryad Queen. A few little glitches: Nina dropped the sword during the Mad Scene, but quickly recovered it, even though it required a bit of quick improvising. And what's with that non-breaking myrtle branch? In Act II, Ananiashvili responded to the huge and well-deserved applause after her big solo with a typical "in-character" bow -- fluttering back onstage, posing in a pique arabesque while the crowd roars, then flitting off again. So far so good. But after her little allegro solo, where she flies offstage in those big grande jetes (with Bocca trotting after, so he can get ready for his brise volees), the conductor and wilis kept moving right along into the next bit, while Nina trotted out for yet another hanging-in-arabesque bow. Doubtless she noticed the wilis in motion around her as she scampered offstage quickly indeed for a wraith. I loved the way she seemed drawn to Bocca at the very end of the Act II pad de deux in front of the Wilis, as if she were utterly without weight or mass and was simply being pulled along in his wake, as he walked downstage and kneeled. I'm beginning to think that Ananiashvili is a better Odette/Odile than Giselle. Thoughts, anyone? [ 05-12-2001: Message edited by: Manhattnik ]

Yes, fourth ring was only about half-filled. I thought the Martins' work was actually quite pretty, for him, although it seemed a bit obsessivly symmetrical, and he's still into this "let's change partners and dance" thing. The Wheeldon was a real treat, I though. Bits were brilliant, beautiful and funny. I am not sure how the backstage schtick will weather. Will it gain in stature as, I think, The Concert has done, or become a "oh-how-cute-not-THAT-again" thing. I loved it last night, though.

Liebs, Baryshnikov and McBride were totally mis-matched in training, presentation and performing style. It's a tribute to their great professionalism that they managed to look as well together as they usually did, but they never seemed "right" to me, the way a great or even just appealing partnership should. Of course, I thought Baryshnikov was a fish out of water at NYCB, but that's another discussion altogether.

Albrechts? Barysnikov, Ivan Nagy, Peter Shaufuss (he did one with Makarova I'll never forget), Helgi Tomasson (I saw him do one in a tiny high-school auditorium in NJ). I'd second Malakhov as a great Albrecht today. And I'm rather fond of Corella, except, gosh darn it, he's just too nice sometimes. A recent video of a rather odd Danish documentary on a Royal Danish Ballet production of Giselle showed a section where Henning Kronstam did Albrecht's role in the Act 1 pas d'action (you know, sitting on the stool, the daisies, etc.). He had a commanding presence, and not charming or ingratiating at all, and there was something very virile and not exactly nice in the way he bent Giselle to his will. He's supposed to have been a great Albrecht, and this bit of mime left me convinced he must have been. Oh, I bet Youskevitch was a treat, too.