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jmballet

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    fan, used to dance
  • City**
    New York
  • State (US only)**, Country (Outside US only)**
    NY
  1. I wholeheartedly agree! As someone who has been away from ballet for a while outside of watching the occasional performance, the stars seemed to have aligned this week to remind me what makes ballet the exquisite art form it can be. My Manon week began with the dress rehearsal Monday. Last year, the performance of Manon that I saw didn't really capture my attention and I wasn't really sure that I liked Manon as much as the other story ballets. But Monday, Ethan Stiefel's comedic turn as Lescaut began to change that. And yesterday, after reading here that Ferri (one of my all-time favorites) was unexpectedly slotted to play Manon today with Corella as Des Grieux, Stiefel as Lescaut, Abrera as Lescaut's mistress, I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to see this performance. So, I purchased a ticket, hopped on the train and wow, was it worth it. Ferri was absolutely ethereal, passionate, and truly living the character of Manon. Many ballerinas "act" the part of Manon, but watching Ferri you almost forget that it is Alessandra Ferri and not Manon in front of you. Every gesture, every look, every expression feels true to the character; not just choreographed or overlaid. And the passion and emotion left me with chills. Her experience with this role shows through as she dances as Manon. Stiefel was even better today than in the rehearsal where presumably he was saving a bit for his performance later that evening. His comedic turn and skills drew your eye to him on the sidelines, even as others were dancing center stage. But the genius of the comedy was his ability to be perfectly off-center and "drunk" while not losing his technique or balance. At times, you could see him almost lose control (or balance) but he would pull it back at the last minute. But the true surprise for me was Angel Corella and the way Ferri and Corella truly embodied the young lovers. Ferri is known for her ability to abandon herself to the passion, drama, and character, but today Corella did the same. You really saw Corella fall in love, felt his despair and longing when he thought he lost Manon or when she was not responding to him, saw his nobility while protecting his love, and ultimately felt his despair when she dies. I have never seen Corella like this. They both just threw themselves into the characters and their movements reflected the raw intensity of their emotions. It was clear that both were embracing the fact that this was one of Ferri's last ABT performances and holding nothing back and more importantly, leaving nothing in the practice studio. As a side note, seating makes a huge difference (at least to me). For the rehearsal I was seated in the last row of the orchestra & today in the 2nd row, center. And today, the nuances of everyone's performance were so much more easily seen and appreciated. The last row gives you a great sense of the entire scene & company and the big movements that "act"/express an emotion or plot line. But up close, the lift of an eyebrow or downturn or flutter of an eye or a look between partners added subtlety. And because so many of the main characters today (particularly Ferri) seemed to "be" their characters, as opposed to acting their characters, I hate to think of the nuances missed from the inability to see the many smaller gestures. All in all, today's performance blew me away. After experiencing the entire roller coaster of emotions along the with dancers, I left feeling both exhausted from the emotional journey, yet at peace and content with the beauty (and comedy) of this ballet. Thank you Ferri, Corella, and Stiefel for reigniting my passion for ballet. I too hope Ferri changes her mind and keeps performing. This trio was spectacular.
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