aurora

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately the only seats that showed up for sale were out of my price range, but my intrepid feet and I decided that we could deal with standing, and thus I got to see the show. And wow was Bouder fantastic!! So thanks for giving me the encouragement to try it. I'm so glad I didn't miss out.

I wasn't the one who made the suggestion, my guess, however, is that they were suggested as a pair because they are married. Not this necessarily qualifies them to run a company together, but they are both experienced in NYCB and she did have the experience of dancing under balanchine.

Wow, that was a lot of post! Thanks so much for the detailed descriptions of all the performances you saw. I'm amazed that Herrera had trouble with balances--that really must have been an off night for her. I'm *not* a big fan of hers at all, but balances are a strength of hers, I still remember watching her in class at SAB adjusting her foot to hold the balance--pretty astonishing. As for Dvorovenko--I think she may have dropped the inappropriate vamping. I saw her 2x last MET season--Swan Lake and Giselle. I enjoyed the swan lake, but it was not spectacular. Still--her portrayal was perhaps cold, but not bad. Her giselle however was really fantastic. Well characterized and exquisitely danced. If my recollection is right, she didn't do any of the things that bothered you in this performance. She was absolutely ghostly and silent in act two, simply floating. I've rarely if ever seen anyone seem so much spirit in that act (that said, she still maintained the earthly connection to her prince..I'm just talking about her physicality) I was going to quote some of what you said about murphy, but had trouble cutting it down to one thing that I'd respond to, so I am just making some general statements here... I know where you are coming from, but I have to say I do like her. I'm not sure why, and I did avoid her briefly for much the same reasons you did. I think its not a matter of just wanting to be a star. I think perhaps she overthinks some roles. She seems to have trouble believing in the characters in some of the classics, and becomes rather cold. I'm truly not sure how she's going to be characterwise in Sleeping Beauty--there really is not much to the role emotionally--yes, you need to show 3 diff phases of the character, but there isn't a lot of psychological depth to it. And I think Murphy needs a character that she can really grapple with to come alive. Juliet, well here I think that she has potential. Yes she's playing sort of against type (i think of her as a bit tall and developed for juliet--although the ridiculous "ooh i have breasts!" mime will actually make sense for once), but I think Juliet is a character that has a lot more to it. And as such, being more than 2 dimensional, I think Murphy could actually make something pretty spectacular out of it. It could be a disaster, but I think she has the potential to do a very interesting, and perhaps different, characterization of Juliet. Whether its a triumph or a disaster, I have a feeling it will be worth seeing.

It doesn't quite work because he cut it too much. If you don't have time to see a ballet and have to leave early because you have something to do first thing in the morning, maybe you should opt to go see the ballet on the weekends, even a matinee, so that you can (or could, I know you live in manhattan now) see the entire work. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but when you get ballet tickets, you have some idea of how long the ballet lasts--and should be able to commit to it. I live in brooklyn, and it often takes me up to an hour to get home, but that's how it works--I don't expect others to deal with truncated ballets or ones where the intermission is oddly placed, so that it suits me. And I'm not unsympathetic to the pains of a commute--I do a 2 hr each way reverse commute 2-3 days a week--I know how much 'fun' commuting is ;)

So I went to see the Saturday Matinee with Bouder. I've never seen the NYCB production before, and can't remember the last time I saw ABT do it--I believe its been out of active rep for quite some time. First by way of general comments: I thought the costumes and sets were beautiful throughout (I wasnt crazy about those for the last act jewels however, esp emeralds and Rubies) I believe someone suggested breaking it differently--so that the intermission occurs prior to the Hunt--I think this would be a great improvement. It makes much more sense story-wise, as it is now, all the story is in the first half, which spans over a hundred years, and the 2nd act is dancing with no plot development at all. Act I The Christening I wasn't terribly impressed here. I love these variations and did not think anyone did a great job with them. This is the one place where I thought the tempi may really have been a problem. Not that the dancers couldn't keep up, but the idea of these variations is that they are all supposed to be distinct. Some are lightning fast, others more legato. The differences became a bit blurred i thought, by a uniformly quick speed. More importantly the dancers all looked stiff and uncomfortable to me--I know they are supposed to be sharp, but they didn't look comfortable at all. I thought the variations done later by Ruby and Emeralds had the sharp sparkling attack that was totally missing in these variations. (I know Ana Sophia Scheller was in both, but I found her much improved in the latter). The Spell Ashley Bouder was fantastic! I saw someone complain she was a mere technician. I'm an ABT person, not a city ballet one, but I couldn't disagree more. She didn't appear nervous about the rose adagio--she totally inhabited the role of a 16 yo excited about her birthday and trying to size up her suitors. I was completely enchanted. there were a few bobbles in her performance (I'm including her entire performance here instead of breaking it up btween acts), but they didn't detract at all. I can not agree with the poster above who called the 2nd fishdive a minor bobble however. They *really* messed it up. But it didnt hurt the performance as a whole, and their recovery was admirable. As I posted late last night, I just wish someone would tell her not to do that awkward NYCB curtsey in Sleeping Beauty, it jars. And also the pulled in/crossed pirouette arms were a modern touch in what was otherwise a classy and classic performance, easy to fix! (Nota Bene: I HATE the bow, but don't mind that style of arms--it was just wrong in this context) I wasn't overly impressed with Hankes as the Lilac Fairy--She was fine, but she didn't have much presence. Act II I don't want to comment on this whole act, it'll take me all day. I thought the cats were fantastic, Florine and Bluebird soso--they certainly didn't steal the show as that variation can I was confused by the Jewels--is this a peter martins thing? I cant say for sure how ABT did it, but I know the old Royal version i have has only 2 girls, not 3, and there was music interpolated here (that for Gold and Diamond) that I didn't recognize. I wasn't loving that. Maybe I'm confused here--I'd like to hear other opinions. I did think both Scheller and Peck were excellent in these roles, and had all the verve and sparkle that was lacking in the Act I fairy variations. Bouder just stole the show however, I would love to see her in more classics. She was really something else. She fully inhabited the role and her musicality, the way she stretched things out with her arms and her breathing, was really extraordinary.

You've nailed it, Violin Concerto. It was as if today she set out to show us how to hear Petipa and see Tchaikovsky, all phrasing and musical nuance, turning technique into pure beauty. A polar opposite to her Vishneva-like drama on Tuesday. There is no Bouder Aurora, or rather there are as many as the number of performances she gives. Just in case you need another excuse to see her again... I hope to write a more complete review tomorrow, but really, Bouder was exquisite. One of the most wonderful things I've ever seen. My only quibbles, and I realize they ARE quibbles, but in such a fully developed performance as this, they did strike me as off, were the NYCB style arms in pirouettes, and the curtseys. I admit that I detest the broken back foot that NYCB dancers do when they curtsey, but it's acceptable in Balanchine ballets. It is NOT acceptable at the end of a ballet "after petipa" and most certainly not in the middle of one. It is such a little thing, but it did break the mood for me, and was a clear off note. That said, again, I thought Bouder was amazing, and inhabited the character so marvelously that it was hardly to be believed.

I'd like to second this--When I worked as a super in the early 90s the ushers at the MET were really nasty about keeping us in standing room for the 2nd acts (if you werent in them). It seemed rather unnecessary There are actually standing room sections in multiple places as the met, not only orchestra, but I think your point about that is valid

Regarding your comment about Gomes and Hallberg--i have to agree. It's one of the things I find so outstanding about Hallberg. He is so young, and has such lovely lines--he really could have coasted on physical talent for a while. But his committment to his characters is total, and he brings out the most in those around him (cough, Paloma, cough). I'd love to meet up with some of the other Ballet Talk people when the Met season comes round. Last year I was so new on here I didn't want to speak up so much yet. But I'm really looking forward to this season. Especially the Sleeping Beauty. I used to be a super in their old production, back in the early 90s

Ok--you've sold me--especially since it sounds like we had the same initial reaction to her. And it seems our tastes are somewhat similar generally. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see her this spring. Sounds like she deserves another chance! I respectfully disagree on that one. Well, not as compared to Xiomara as I don't have recent experience of her. I think Murphy has acting problems in the classical roles, but when given more comedic roles (cinderella in the new production, the gf/whore in manon, things of that sort) she's really stellar. It's odd as she is technically strong, and can dance well in the classics, but she seems to have trouble relaxing in them. She comes alive when she gets to ham it up. hahaha! I did *not* mean to suggest Part as the girl in Rodeo! I was just saying there are other good actresses in ABT. While I disagreed somewhat with aspects of the recent discussion of types and appropriateness, there are just some things that do not seem like a good idea!

my answer is Yes! many of them, including Veronika Part, at least on the strength of her Swan Lake, and Gillian Murphy when not in the "classic" roles--but in works like Cindarella, and as the gf in Manon Is this a common perception of Xiomara Reyes? I see someone seconded it below. I've avoided seeing Reyes the last few years because I felt just the opposite--She seemed to me to be unrelentingly perky and have a grin perpetually pasted on. She is a dancer I have not managed to warm up to at all. I can see her in "cute" roles, and can believe she was well-suited to the cowgirl, but she never seemed to have much emotional depth to me. Then again, as I said, I've generally avoided seeing her in major roles because of this, so my opinion is admittedly based on limited experience I'll try to give her another chance this spring at the MET. I'd be interested in hearing more opinions on this however.

I emailed the webmaster and she kindly wrote back immediately. I think there was if you ordered tix normally--problem was they didnt somehow translate that over to the 4th ring circle thing, which was how I ordered my tickets. She actually hadn't been informed of the problem and was really glad that I brought it to her attention. Oh well. At least the webmistress was very very nice (unlike the woman who called me about the snafu, who just sounded vaguely annoyed that she had to break the bad news). Unfortunately I think I'm going to miss out on sleeping beauty this season. It was really the only time that worked for me (I'm a performer and I am working in the available evenings).

Hi everyone, This is my first time starting a topic, but just wanted to give people a heads up. Today I ordered tickets through the NYCB website for sat matinee. I placed my order with apparently no problem. Then several hours later got a call telling me that the performance has in fact been sold out for a week and a half, and that they have no idea why the website is allowing people to buy tickets--"it must be a website glitch." I just thought people might like to know--it might be better to trust to the phone at the moment. Best, Aurora

Oh believe me, I agree--I find the whole thing highly distasteful quite honestly. I just look at what has happened lately in our own country (if you don't agree with everything the president does or don't vote republican you are "letting terrorists win"!) and get a bit squeemish about the idea of firing people for their political views, no matter how repugnant. NB--I don't mean the above to start a discussion of American politics as it would be inappropriate here and I'm sure there are people on this board with various views and that's as it should be. It was not a condemnation of republicans as a party, but rather certain politicians that have verbetum said (in the last 2 election cycles) what I quoted above. I'm sure there are things dems have said that are similarly unpleasant to other people...I just included it here because it's easy to say "those views are repugnant, she should be fired," but I'm sure there are people here whose (gasp) liberal views are repugnant to what has been a republican monopoly on federal govt (until this week), and I don't think we'd want to be fired for holding those views.

GWTW is right. It may be a narrow minded and unpleasant party with views we find reprehensible, and it may be inconceivable that a dancer who is partners with a Cuban born chinese man and dances in a company filled with foreign born dancers could hold such views, but it doesn't seem an offense that should result in her being let go. I would imagine however that it leads to a *really* unpleasant and tense working environment. I'm sure she is pretty hated in her company...

I've retained some of SanderO's comment in the quote below, but cut it down so as not to make my response overly long... I think you are correct to an extent, but that it's largely a matter of emphasis. Ballet training is often so geared to technique without a corresponding emphasis on what one might call acting skills, that young dancers don't even think about needing to work on this aspect until they are already a professional dancer. I think if a dancer focuses on the artistry as well as the technique, they are often able to achieve a high level of artistry as well as technical ability at a young age, depending of course on personality and a deep interest in doing so. The problem is that many of them don't realize they really need to work on this until they are older. As an example of one dancer who is unusual in his artistic maturity at a young age, I'd cite David Hallberg, who although quite young, has shown great sensativity in his parts so far, and an interest in expanding himself in parts that one might not assume would be within his range (Death in The Green Table, for example). He also seems especially good at coaxing emotional responses from dancers (Paloma) not always known for their emotive powers.

Heh, well I hope you didn't think I was saying those things! If a role requires wit and charm, a dancer should have those things to do the role properly...that goes to what I was trying to say about having the proper emotional temperment for a role, as *well* as the proper physical attributes, and in my view that and how a specific dancer moves has a lot more to do with their "appropriateness" for a role, than a simple height equation. As for favorite dancer being 5'2" and doing siegfried--well for one it would be hard to find a proper partner, and again, it depends on emotional appropriateness as well as having the capacity to do that style of movement well. So maybe yes, maybe no (I do realize you were being flip with that one!) Your point about Myrtha is exactly what I was trying to get at..people of widely divergent body types being effective at the same role. And yes, I'm going to bring up Veronika Part again... Veronika Part is a tall girl, and I think a very effective Myrtha. The part was also given to Michele Wiles last season, who is also tall, and is the "stronger" dancer. But with her sunny personality and charm, it was NOT a happy casting. Sure, she can do the movements, and has the long lines etc, but she does not have the menacing presence that a Myrtha needs. No criticism of her is meant by this, it just didn't suit her personality.

Like SanderO I just read the old thread... What struck me is how unneccesarily limiting these ideas seem to me, and how vague. There were people who diverged greatly on what made a successful Odette/Odile for example, and for many roles there was disagreement, or just uncertainty as to how they should be classified. Also as the discussion of Apollo illustrated, it seems that some roles have changed over time, and that multiple types could be seen as successful Apollos. I agree there are dancers who are not suited to certain parts, whether tempermentally or physically (the allegro/adagio brought up by I believe Leigh(?) seems a much more sensible division, although again there are of course dancers who blur the lines), but I hate to see it so based on questions of height. Provided they have a partner of suitable height, I see no reason why a male virtuoso dancer of lesser stature cannot be a prince, as long as their technique is good and they inhabit the role emotionally. One last thing, regarding Odette/Odile--the two parts seem to me to ask for very different things from the dancer, that being the case, why can't various types be given the role? Some dancers excel in one part, others in the other. For me Ananiashvilli is the epitome of grace in both, but she's a rare bird (horrible pun intended). Perhaps a lack of security in Veronika Part's Odile ruined her Odette/Odile for some, but I thought her sufficient in that role, and her Odette was one I will never forget, it was one of the most moving things I've ever seen. (not to bring this to a discussion of these particular dancers, I just wanted to be a little less generalizing) PS--did anyone ever resolve the question of whether Van Hamel did continue to do Myrtha after her single Giselle? I believe she did as I'm sure I saw her in this role, and I was not an active ABT viewer until somewhere around 1980 (and I was quite young then so my memories of those early years are still hazy).

I have to say, she might not have feet like, say Paloma (whose feet are really extraordinary in the true meaning of the word, she does minute adjustments of balance in her foot), but I wouldn't call her feet physically deficient to the point of requiring her to compensate. (for example see http://www.gillianmurphy.com/GillianSwan.gif fine feet, not great, but fine) I wonder if her choice of shoe might be part of the "problem." she uses Gaynor Mindens. I love them personally (I have awful feet) but I know a lot of people don't love their look. Or maybe we're just spoiled by those superb feet (like 180+ panchees) and ok feet are no longer, well, ok.

Heh, well that last doesn't sound too likely. Mom isn't common as a name is it I guess her mom could have taught her at a very young age. I was more wondering whether she could have been refering to my sister-in-law, as she did live with my brother and sister-in-law for a while when she was studying with them. She might have picked up calling them mom and dad from living as one of the family. Stupid tangent, sorry! I wish I remembered better myself, but I was pretty young at the time...my brother's kids are older than I am.

Do you have any more information on this? I'm just really curious... I didn't know her mother was a dancer, or that she studied with her. As far as I know she studied first at Olympic Ballet Theater in Edmonds WA. (I realize this sounds odd...OBT was run by my brother and sister in law, and is now run by my sis-in-law and nephew. I've known Dana since she studied with them)

I noticed that as well. I'm rather interested to see what she makes of them--I tned to prefer her when she's given more obviously dramatic or comedic characters to do something with (the gf of the brother in Manon--where she was fabulous last year, Cinderella, etc). Juliet is new to her rep with the company is it not?

While I agree there used to be more nights with mixed bills (vs one mixed bill this season), ABT has always done a good number of full-length ballets. There has never been a MET season where there were "3 or 4 different ballets every night," the schedule has always included at least 3 full lengths per season, probably more. Granted I haven't been around since the foundation of ABT, but I've been around since the early 80s, and performed as a super with the company in some of those full-length ballets done in the early 90s.

Unless there has been a recent announcement to the contrary, Ananiashvilli is also still dancing, although it's true she has been out recently because of having a child. I certainly hope she still has a few more season's with ABT--I'd be heartbroken if I never got to see her Odette/Odile again. Just an aside,now back to Vishneva!

I just got back from seeing Hallberg and Herrera-- He is just fabulous. He really does bring out the best in her. She won't ever be my favorite juliet, but I did enjoy her, and more surprisingly found her quite moving in the role. I cant get over him though--To act so well, as well as dance so well at his age. Fabulous. The lifts *could* have been better, but the connection between them was good and the dancing was excellent overall--I think they'll get those down with a little more time (this is what, his 3rd or 4th time out in the role?) I found Pastor, who danced Mercutio--well, sloppy. He did some fabulous things, but he is sort of all over the place. Jared Matthews who was Benvolio was quite elegant and enjoyable to watch. Isaac Stappas was a truly menacing Tybalt, his dying leap onto Romeo was fabulous in its intensity. lets see...um, Carmen Corella was a fairly subdued Lady Capulet. I really wish I got to see her actually dance more, I feel like I see her only in the most minor of soloist parts, or ones like this that have little in the way of dancing. I know she did one of the stepsisters in Cindarella, but she was not part of the cast I saw.

Any opinions about the casts since monday night? I'm so eager to hear how they've been! There was a tantalizing mention of the Ferri/Carreno performance on tuesday, but no more. How about Reyes and Corella on Weds matinee? I can't really imagine her in this role--did anyone see it? How was their connection compared to Corella and Vishneva? What about Hallberg and Herrera on weds night? I would love to see him as Romeo but am unsure about her as Juliet. Opinions?