cubanmiamiboy

Ha...I wonder if she was ever to dance the ABT version with its low arabesques, what would be the result, as the hyper extended mechanism seems to be in her blood.

She looks like Vaganova..:-)

Well...this is a fairy tale, and the physical place, unlike the 1921 production, looks very vague and undefined..(it could be a banquet hall, a formal reception room or anything in between). The seats for the royal couple lack grandeur...that's what it is. Bakst designs for the wedding act. 2015 design.

They are. Bakst design for Aurora's entrance. Olga Sppesivtzeva as Aurora, 1921. Richard Hudson's ABT design for Aurora's entrance. Gillian Murphy as Aurora, 2015. Carlotta Brianza as Carabosse, 1921 Carabosse, 2015.

I agree about the "thrones". They look like random furniture from a burgueoisie household. They don't look to belong to the nobility, and even less to be the royal couple's thrones.

So here's more..(It's Giselle, you know, so I can keep going on forever.. ;-) ) Some considerations on the production. Why is Hilarion, a gamekeeper, so richly dressed...? He even looks like a courtier instead. Here's an image of a XIX century gamekeeper. For what I know, the cottage on the right belongs to Loys, so...why does Hilarion have such easy access to it..? Usually they have him break into it with a knife, but I didn't see that detail here. Everyone is sort of overdressed. Even Albrecht, as Loys, doesn't even look like a peasant, nor the other males onstage. Women are better. ABT's Bathilde has little nuances. I've seen more complex Bathildes...some of which we could even feel sympathetic with. According to the original scheme she's way more fragil and victim like, even making an appearance at the end of the ballet to take Albrecht back following a last wish by Giselle. ABT's Bathilde is just a plain negative character. I think it could be exploited a bit more. More willis are needed in Act II. They look too sparse. What happened to the traditional female petite allegro variation in the Peasant PDD...? I don't know the variation used here-(perhaps is from the original score, but I was unaware of it). The original one is more interesting, I think...very sparkling and fast. A real pleasure if well danced-(the video of Fracci/Bruhn is a wonderful example). Great to see Berthe's full mime scene on Giselle's death premonition fully restored. ABT is going strong with the mime. The new SB is a good example. I was dying to start cheering post Reyes' mad scene. It is a tradition in Cuba, and I still don't get used to such silence from the audience here.

I think it is interesting that ABT currently holds versions of the classics that follows the original scheme vs. Russia. ABT has the double suicide ending of Swan Lake vs. Russian "Odette-becomes-human". ABT has Bayadere's temple destruction and final apotheosis vs. Russian ommited final act. Now ABT has Carabosse re instituted in the celebration-(only company now in the world to have done so...?). Those are some good news I think. How about putting a more sympathetic Bathilde back in the final scene of Giselle and adding some now lost depth into her character...? Now, THAT would be major!

The national gallery of Australia had an exhibition on the SP designs and costumes. Its website hast this list of characteres from the 1921 version. Princess Aurora, Prince Florimund, the Lilac Fairy, the Enchanted Princess, Carabosse, the Wicked Fairy, King Florestan XXIV, Queen, Catalabutte, the Fairy of the Pine Woods, Sister Anne, the Cherry Blossom Fairy, Red Riding Hood, the Fairy of the Humming Birds, Pierrette, the Fairy of the Song Birds, the Carnation Fairy, Columbine, the Fairy of the Mountain Ash, Ariana, the Spanish Prince, Harlequin, the Indian Prince, the Italian Prince, the English Prince, Puss in Boots, Pierrot, the White Cat, the Bluebird, Shéhérazade, the Shah, the Shah’s Brother, the Porcelain Princesses, the Mandarin, Innocent Ivan and his brothers http://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/balletsrusses/Default.cfm?MnuID=3&GalID=23

Bakst Design for the Bluebird. ABT design for the BLuebird.

Lopokova's :Lilac costume looks particularly rich.

I am back, and it was great to see all of you. Really looking forward to next time. So, here are some of my impressions of this run of Giselles. I saw four different couples: Vishneva/Gomes, Herrera/Bolle, Reyes/Cornejo and Osipova/McRae. They were definitely all different interpretations. Starting with Vishneva/Gomes. Vishneva's Giselle is frail, shy, although a bit princess like. She definitely still has the technical power, and I couldn't really detect any problems with her interpretation. She knows the role, and she has refined it thru the years. Having Gomes as a partenaire is certainly a plus. He is wonderful...attentive, secure, exuding confidence and care for his ballerina. His dancing never tries to outdo that of her counterpart, and that always is a YES YES in my book. He has that wonderful way of keeping an eye at all times in the ballerina, so as if to take care of whatever in promptu business comes up. He went for entrechat sixes in the imploring segment, and I think did around 26. The dancing for both of them was beautiful. They are certainly in that very moment where they are able to create a perfect balance in between technique and knowledge of the role. Vishneva was careful, though, in certain segments, as when she grabbed the cross in the final scene during the arabesque penchee. Herrera/Bolle's story is more or less the same. Special kuddos to Herrera, for making a wonderful farewell out of a role that many thought was never suited for her. Her Giselle was earthier that Vishneva's. Sautes on pointe were on the spot. Pique turns section was great. Developpes and arabesques in promenades also very correct. One bit of a slip, right after the grand pirouettes in the initiation scene, she didn't raise on pointe. She just did a couple of steps before getting into the traveling sissonnes. All in all, her Giselle was very pretty. Her curtain calls very emotional. She really looked overwhelmed. Her embrace with Mme. Kolpakova was long, and her encounter with McKenzie very icy. Bolle was amazing. He even outdid Gomes in the entrechats section, doing some like 30 something. His final moment with Giselle was very dramatic. He was all Italian, desperately crying on the tomb. And then, THE Giselle of this season..Reyes/Cornejo. There was something on the air during the entire act II that made the whole thing just magical. I suspect the tempo during the PDD was slowered down a bit to make the whole thing grander and dreamier. Reyes has this wonderful capacity to go back into position from arabesque in a very slow motion, on pointe or not, so the movement is longer and lusher. During the grand adagio one could hear a mosquito fly. The atmosphere was just perfectly magic. Cornejo's overhead lifts were beautifully done. Reyes' mad scene was very wild. At certain points, when she was running in a frenzy, she was not going ballerina-pointe-heel anymore, but just regular human running, heel-pointe. She was just WILD. One of the most convincing mad scenes I've ever witnessed without being over acted. Then, there were technical segments where she really paid homage to her Cuban roots, as in the entrechats section. It is known that the norm now is to do them "Osipova style", sort of slow and jumping as high as they can, to make the step very visible. Cubans-(after Alonso)-have always gone for a devilishly fast petite allegro style here, almost without getting off the floor, emphasizing the speed rather than the elevation. She did so, and it was wonderful to watch. Another moment she went for a Cuban accent was right after the Grand Pirouettes in the Initiation scene. She did them, and right then she raised on pointe in one leg. She didn't do a whole pirouette in attitude as it is done there, but did some sort of a little pirouette in coup de pied. I secretly was hoping for her to pay a last tribute to the version she knew first by doing the Spessivtzeva's diagonal during her Pas Seul, instead of the pique turns,but it didn't happen. She mastered the piques, though. Cornejo went for the cabrioles instead of entrechats, but as someone said, they started somewhere center stage, and not all the way back. Not too satisfactory. During the final moment between Giselle and Albrecht, right after she embraces his body on the floor, one could tell that she was already also getting ready to just step out from the MET stage. Giselle's farewell with Albrecht was extremely emotional, for which Reyes was also bidding farewell to his still active partner of years and to her audience. When she gave him a single flower and started fading away, I had tears in my eyes. Her curtain calls were also very emotional. It was obvious she was very loved in the company. Each corps girl, besides giving her a flower, gave her also a kiss. Reyes Giselle was really, for me, the highlight of this run. More to come.

Bakst design for Aurora's "tutu # 1" ABT design.

Bakst design for the 1921 production. 2015 design. Bakst Design for the Sheherezade role. Maria Albaicin in the role

Particularly Aurora's dress in the wedding act. Young Aurora's tutu was very pretty though...

My pleasure!

I thought it would be interesting to compare, now that we are all worked up and in full blown mood. Lubov Egorova as Aurora Lubov Egorova as Aurora (Wedding act) Lydia Lopokhova as Lilac. Carlota Brianza as Carabosse Bronislava Nijinska as Florine

An unremarkable performance by Lane and Cornejo.

Yes, Karen and Aurora. I confess it was a bit of a shocker to see every chainee turns segment on demi pointe (Gillian only did them on pointe in her solo during the wedding grand pas). I am on my phone right now, and my tablet crashed, so I will be posting mire in detail when I am back in Miami (oh, I miss the beach..!! :-)). Still...this is definitely a HUGE improvement since Kirkland`s.

Oh, It has been WONDERFUL to see you all. I am really happy to see old friends, like Natalia, Fauxpas, Nysusan, abatt, Leigh Witchell, Ivy Lin and many others, as well as new ones. Tomorrow I will be at "Christian's bar" once again at the matinee. Cheers!! :-) :-)

Sorry I was not aware of it. No, I did not it was "widely publicized", so I sort if bumped into it. That I am not enjoying it..?! Hell, you better bet I am, girl! (demi pointes and everything). More to come from my big, loud mouth.

Spoil alert: Too much demi pointe going on. Not sure I like it. And...I don't think I like Lilac s shiny long gown. I actually want her back in her mid century all tutu/pointes incarnation. Murphy's technique keeps being solid. Her headpiece is hideus.

It has been wonderful to see all of you too!! I love talking about ballet and being bad mouthed too about what I don't like..(something I can't do here. :-) :-) :-)). I will be in "my bar" again, tomorrow night for SB. See ya!! :-) :-)

It was right after Albrecht collapses, when she commands him to get up. Still, she managed to get up, and even barely able to walk, she came flying in her final diagonal of jetes toward upstage right, doing a huge one at the end.

Tonight poor Osipova took the NASTIEST fall I have ever seen...and then, after limping a bit she did one of the GRANDEST grand jetes I have ever seen. Divina !! I really hope she is ok.