laurel

This typical Wed. matinee audience was mostly composed of parents, children, and seniors; I imagine the vocal Stella fans probably will be at the Saturday show. Since the Act I curtain rises with Cinderella and her family already on stage, there was no real opportunity for today’s crowd to greet Stella the way she deserves. However, she did receive thunderous, well-earned applause at the final Act III curtain, and at the post-performance curtain bows as well. Stella gave what I thought to be a near-flawless performance. She was lyrical, heartbreaking, and just plain gorgeous to watch. Her en-pointe entrance to the ball was ethereal, as if she were floating down the stairs. Gorak made a really fine prince, and he appeared more expressive in this role than he did as Romeo, but he still could use a good acting coach. All of his heavy lifting with Copeland seems to have paid off, because he had virtually no trouble with the lifts, and he and Stella were well matched, both so lyrical and lovely. As the fairies, I thought Sarah Lane as Spring and Luciana Paris as Autumn were the best. If Lane had only danced Aurora last month with as much verve and vibrancy as she did today, things might be a little brighter for her. I must add that this was the quietest audience full of children I’ve ever experienced. Even the newborn baby swaddled by her mother across the aisle made no sound throughout the three acts. Just amazing. I guess they were all mesmerized by Stella!

Lane is my favorite dancer and I’ve run to see every major performance she’s given in New York since 2007, including her four Auroras. I remember her NY debut in Sleeping Beauty very well, including the Cheshire Cat grin; if I recall, the critic referred to her great performance as “sweet.” Two years ago she gave an even better performance as Aurora, flying across the stage like a firecracker, with a Rose Adagio unmatched by anyone else. This time at least he called her “radiant.” And this was a year after her debut in Swan Lake with Corella in Barcelona. When she wasn’t promoted at that point it was obvious something was wrong with management. I’ve always looked to her for technical perfection. This has been the first season I’ve ever seen her fall off pointe, or have difficulty with any technical challenge presented by the choreography. Her concentration has been off, her dancing low key. I hope she can snap out of whatever it is that’s been holding her back, because I’d miss her terribly if she left for another company.

Lane now will have to make a major decision about her future: to stay and double her efforts to improve over this disastrous season she’s just had, and hope for a possible future ABT promotion; or to pack up and leave for another company where she’d be welcomed for the superb classicist she is. She’s only 30; she’ll be 31 towards the end of the year, so there’s still time for her to succeed. What is this mania for Kotchekova that makes two major American companies want her so badly? She leaves me cold. Lane is a far finer dancer, and a more lyrical figure on stage. Copeland, on the other hand, is about to turn 33, and with all her past injuries, fractures, plus a plate in her leg, I wonder just how much longer she’ll be able to perform leading roles in 3-act ballets. I won’t be paying to see her any longer, but if I were, I would try to catch her performances over the next two years, while there’s still a chance she might improve, and before the major injuries take hold. And Stella Abrera – thank heaven for Stella Abrera! Now I have a real reason to return to ABT! Hooray for Stella!

Exactly.

It's a decidedly guarded review. For once, Macaulay is afraid to offend. He takes obvious flaws and spins them as something positive. Copeland's inability to complete the required fouettes, and substituting quick single turns instead? "A smart alternative." What?! Can you imagine how he would tear through a dancer from NYCB, or any other ABT dancer, who chose not to display technical skill while making their major NY debut? http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/arts/misty-copeland-debuts-as-odette-odile-in-swan-lake.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

Gorak did indeed look wonderful this afternoon. His dancing was head and shoulders above everyone else on stage, beautiful, clean and lyrical. It was obvious that he and Copeland had been thoroughly rehearsed to get through the lifts without major problems and they performed them carefully and without incident. Neither one is a natural actor, though he is somewhat better than her. At least when he smiles it reaches his eyes, and his dancing just sings. For me, Copeland dances without depth or soul. Her emotions may seem overwrought but it’s because she’s posturing, not feeling. She goes through the movements of the dance, exactly as she was shown, but she can’t connect emotionally, and she’s unskilled at moving her face expressively. She’s either blank-faced, mouth open and staring, or, in the final scene, face clenched tight as in a tantrum, her mouth gaping like a giant maw. Perhaps she’ll improve with time but frankly, I’ve been attending her performances for seven years, and she’s never yet failed to disappoint me. She’s about to be promoted to principal and you’d think they’d have provided her with an effective acting coach by now. I wish her well, but this is the last time I’ll be paying to see her. I’ll leave it to others to watch and report on her from now on.

Beverly Sills was the Chairperson of Lincoln Center in the 1990s. Deborah Borda, formerly of the NY Philharmonic, is now Pres. & CEO of the LA Philharmonic.

The AD began ignoring Sarah Lane long before Black Swan. It was right after she made her NY debut as Aurora – when was that, 2008? It was a Wed. matinee with Cornejo, and she gave a gorgeous, technically superb performance - she nailed that Rose Adagio! - and the audience went wild for her. But she had a Cheshire Cat grin plastered on her face through much of the first act, which seemed to be a major strike against her. Instead of giving her additional opportunities so she could improve, the way he does now with Hee Seo, the AD simply stopped casting her in leading roles. Her wonderful debut was also brushed aside by the critic from the NY Times as if she were simply a speck of dust. Whatever it was the AD didn’t see in her then, he’s never changed his opinion since. Tragic, and such a terrible, terrible waste.

And in case you hadn't noticed, Seo's Tuesday night performance has been given to superstar Misty Copeland. As far as the AD is concerned, it's ABL (anyone but Lane).

Wow, this is stunning news! What a wonderful dancer she is, and very much missed here in NY. I do hope we get the chance to see her again in the near future.

Never pass up the chance to see Sarah Lane in a leading role, especially with Cornejo. The opportunities for this teaming are few and far between, and who knows how much longer either one will be with ABT. You can always see Hee Seo or Boylston or some revolving-door visitor from Europe; why waste the opportunity to see some really great, gorgeous dancing from a ballerina who is a soloist in name only? She gave a tour-de-force performance as Aurora two years ago which should have brought her a promotion; this is a great role for her and shouldn't be missed.

All the complaints about the costumes and wigs are making me laugh. This has to be the most perfectly designed, sumptuous period ballet I’ve ever seen. Richard Hudson has achieved something extraordinary with this production: it was like seeing an early 20th century fairy tale book come to breathtaking life on stage. When the curtain went up for the Prologue, I was overwhelmed with delight. I could have been watching Moliere at the Comedie-Francaise – and the staff there know how to build 17th century costumes and wigs. Those wigs! The wigs are superlative. SUPER-LATIVE. If you don’t know what the Queen had on her head in Act I, google “fontange” and check out some of the images. And in Act III set in the 18th century, I was actually disappointed there weren’t more towering wigs. Well, you can’t have everything. Though Hudson based his designs on the work of Bakst and his orientalism, the costumes reminded me very much of the work of Edmund Dulac, early 20th century illustrator of fairy tales who was strongly influenced by Bakst. Actually, I thought Hudson’s use of the Bakst color palette was rather conservative (I really love deeply saturated hues) but he has a great sense of balance and knew where to draw the line. What a pleasure not having to sit through yet another parade of lollipop-colored tutus! I never want to see that McKenzie production again. As you can see, the dancing was almost an afterthought for me today. This production deserves multiple viewings. Very happy I’ll be going to see Lane & Cornejo again in June and hoping they’ll be over their technical jitters and have a bit more joie de vivre by then. For me, this production belongs to Richard Hudson.

Once again, this "critic" has shown that he does not exist in the same reality as I do, nor, I suspect, many others present at the Met last night. Why is this review essentially about Boylston??

One of the most incredible nights at the ballet, ever! Stella’s performance was as brilliant and perfect as everyone imagined it would be. She and Vladimir Shklyarov were superb together and received a standing ovation from the ENTIRE AUDIENCE at the Met, which extended into multiple curtain calls. Sascha Radetsky seated several rows behind us, grinning from ear to ear! ABT hasn’t seen a debut like this in many years. If the AD doesn’t give Abrera more leading roles after this, he’s more than a fool. Congratulations to Stella!

Clip below of Sarah Lane dancing final scene of SL with Angel Corella 3 yrs. ago in Barcelona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2arJbmGUBTg&list=PL7D178C196E31E34F&index=17

Last night’s T&V performance was in sharp contrast to Tuesday night’s, when Lane & Cornejo moved together in blissful perfection. Boylston hurtled too quickly through the dance and several times was unable to slow herself to keep pace with the music. During the pas de deux she fell out of sync with Stearns and had to make a quick adjustment. Stearns was as sluggish as the music, and in the polonaise Boylston approached him too quickly and bumped into him before he was prepared for the lift. Maybe they were unable to rehearse together enough, but they certainly were not a great team. None of it mattered, though, since what audience there was appeared to be half asleep as well. As someone noted earlier, there were even fewer people in attendance last night than on Tuesday. I was seated in the orchestra and surrounded by Russian fans of Semionova, who were more than annoyed by her absence. However, Simkin and his acrobatics in Fancy Free woke up everyone and made the Russian fans, and the rest of the audience, very happy indeed.

Is the Arabian dancer identified as a eunuch in the program? I never interpreted it that way -- I always just thought of him as a man harried by too many wives. There's a hackneyed old theatrical trope/stereotype of an Ottoman harem eunuch portrayed as a bald, bare chested man who has lost all his body hair and is either muscled and carrying a sword or become fat due to castration. I don't know if this had any basis in reality, but the sight of a bald headed man in Turkish trousers in the Arabian dance signaled "eunuch" to me. Of course, they don't portray him as a fat man, but I don't think there'd be any other reason for the dancer in that role to wear a bald cap. Currently, the TV series Game of Thrones also features a eunuch character depicted as a bald, fat man who is involved in court intrigue.

I haven’t posted on this site for a long time, but I did want to respond to Rstorms since I also attended the 12/13 matinee featuring Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak. Lane is one of my favorite dancers and it’s been great watching her artistic growth over the years. On Saturday it was evident just how superb a dancer she’s become. She moved with supreme confidence on stage and gave a buoyant, richly emotional performance. Her porte de bras, beautiful before, is now gorgeous, complex and, I believe, unmatched by any other ABT dancer. Lane's performances are always aesthetically and emotionally satisfying; I always feel elated after seeing her dance. I think the problems which Rstorms noted were, sadly, all related to partnering. Lane & Gorak had partnering problems with the difficult lifts in last year’s Nutcracker and it was obvious they’d worked hard to get it right this time. They were almost there, but not quite. Gorak’s arm was visibly wobbling at one point as he struggled to keep Lane steady. I’m not sure if you saw his face after those lifts, but I did. I was seated two rows from the stage and it was evident he was not pleased. He looked rather grim and frankly, he appeared exhausted; the front and back of his neck were covered in sweat. Gorak has some major lifting work ahead of him this spring, and if this performance is any indication of his current ability, he’s got plenty of work ahead of him. Lane is usually spot-on technically and has no problems with balance, so I’m not sure what you’re referring to. Anyone who saw her two performances in the Sleeping Beauty will recall how her Rose Adagio was utter perfection, both times. The problems in her performances are often due to poor partnering, and this is a problem endemic to ABT as a whole, not confined only to the Nutcracker and its difficult lifts. I’m not sure what you mean by the baffling Arabian dance, but are you aware that Hammoudi was playing a eunuch being chased by sexually frustrated harem girls? I’ve always found that dance amusing. By the way, that was some of the best dancing I’ve seen from Hammoudi. He may have the potential for some wonderful future performances which we’ve not yet been permitted to see. Overall, it was a wonderful afternoon at the ballet, and despite the partnering issues, Lane, Gorak and the entire cast gave all of us in attendance a terrific treat. (By the way, the performance appeared to be sold out.)

I also attended the June 19th performance of Sleeping Beauty with Herman Cornejo and Sarah Lane. I thought Lane was wonderful in the role and made a terrific New York debut. Over the next few years I expect her to grow both as a dancer and a person and her dancing will begin to reflect that maturity. At that point, I would love to see her tackle something more dramatic, perhaps Romeo and Juliet. I think she and Cornejo are a superb team and will be extraordinary in those roles. However, I take issue with the folks who think that Cornejo, one of the greatest dancers on the scene today, is just not tall enough to carry romantic leads, like the Prince in Sleeping Beauty. Succumbing to stereotyping is never a good idea, and if he is able to handle the role technically there is no reason why the aesthetic of the production can’t be shifted to support him. By that I mean, you see what you want to see. If you see Napoleon and Josephine on stage, you are not seeing what you should be seeing, which is Sleeping Beauty and the Prince. Human beings come in all sizes, shapes and colors. You can stereotype people by height just as you can by race. The film and theatre critic John Simon used to be notorious for criticizing the New York Shakespeare Festival for casting non-white people in Shakespearean roles. As time has passed, that kind of criticism is no longer valid. If your preference is for a tall leading man, then don’t buy a ticket to see Cornejo in the role. But you shouldn’t limit yourself by thinking that a certain type of role can only be played by someone with a certain body type. One other thing about this particular production I’d like to mention, which no one else has here, and I’m not certain if anyone else has in the past. As a former costume designer, I find that the costumes are usually a signal as to how a production has been created and pulled together. The costumes in this Sleeping Beauty are not simply garish. In Acts I and II, the costumes contain very specific references to mid-15th century France. In Act III, they are specific to late 18th century France. That’s a span of 300 years. Yet in the traditional fairy tale, as well as the program, Sleeping Beauty and her kingdom fall asleep for 100 years. I don’t think somebody goofed on purpose with this. They probably liked the look of both eras for the costumes and figured that nobody in the audience would know or care enough to see that things were incorrect visually. I wouldn’t call it contempt for the audience, but I think it does show a lack of concern that is obviously mirrored in the jumble they’ve made of the ballet. Well, my only thought about this is, maybe they’ll change the production again next year, or just drop it for now!

I attended last night’s (Wednesday’s) performance of ABT’s Etudes - Rabbit and Rogue, and frankly, I can’t imagine what could have been better. The combination of good friends, great seats, and a superbly danced program made the evening near perfect for me (well, better weather would have helped). I also agree that the construction work at Lincoln Center is annoying, but I’d rather be standing in a crowd waiting to get into the Metropolitan Opera House than a crowd waiting to get onto a subway train. I’ve never seen Etudes before, and though it seemed a somewhat monotonous piece, I thought it was danced beautifully and danced with gusto, especially by Jared Matthews, who apparently was a last minute substitution. Next came the Tharp piece, complex and astonishing all at once. I found the complexity of the dance combined with the propulsive nature of the music and the sheer number of people on stage exhilarating and aesthetically beautiful. It reminded me of not only other Tharp ballets, but also of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, the Broadway show from the late 1970s. I remember at the time I thought that the dancers (including a young Ann Reinking) seemed literally to be flying across the stage, as were the dancers in Rabbit and Rogue, and for me I think it has something to do with their being coached through the original work by the choreographer him or herself, and not by someone a generation removed from the original. Having the creator of the piece there to push, goad and inspire you with their fire and enthusiasm makes an enormous difference for a performer. What I found very troubling was Alastair Macaulay’s review of the evening in today’s New York Times. While Rabbit and Rogue may not be Tharp’s best work, he also gave her previous work, Nightspot, a heavy critical drubbing a couple of months back. I don’t know if critics expect a masterpiece from Tharp every time she produces something new. But when the chief film critic for the paper gives a new Adam Sandler movie a better review than the chief dance critic gives to a new Twyla Tharp ballet, it seems to me that there is something very wrong with the world in which I find myself. I watched Ethan Stiefel and Herman Cornejo fly across the stage last night and thought, “These guys are like two Nijinksys! I’ll never see Nijinsky dance, but I’ll bet these guys come close to what he was like!” Maybe my standards are lower than Macaulay’s but I feel that it’s far better to spend an evening at any ballet, even a mediocre one, than it is to let your mind and imagination rot away on pop culture junk food-style entertainment. Anyway, I’m scheduled to see both Sleeping Beauty and Merry Widow in the coming weeks, and woe to any critic who tries to stop me!

I attended the Saturday showing of this great “triple feature.” The Walter Reade theatre was virtually sold out. I’d say at least half the audience were friends/students of the Brianskys, who were there in person and were interviewed on stage following the films. They proved to be as charming in person as they were on camera. Virginia Brooks, the director of “Felia Doubrovska Remembered” was also there to introduce her film. She said the project began in 1972, when she was a graduate student at Columbia Univ. and making a thesis film about SAB, where her daughter was a student. Doubrovska was one of her daughter’s teachers and the footage of her in class and at home dates from that time. Everyone was astonished at the sight of Doubrovska (in the film) demonstrating a bit of choreography from “The Prodigal Son”, dipping down low on bended knees, bending backwards, nearly knocking over her little dog who was nearby - she would have been about age 76 at the time! Virginia Brooks said that “The Sleeping Ballerina” was shown as part of the program at her suggestion, since Spessivtzeva and Doubrovska were great friends through their entire lives and she felt it would be an appropriate choice. Brooks added that she is hoping to donate all her unused footage of Doubrovska and SAB to the Library of the Performing Arts, but it’s difficult for them to accept what she has because of the extensive cataloging it would require. She’s started working on the cataloging process herself. I do hope they accept her footage at some point - it’s priceless stuff!

In case anyone is still looking for the Ballets Russes "Easter Egg" feature, it's really easy to find. In the "Encores" section, click on "Additional Footage." Under Additional Footage, the first listing is "Dancer Beginnings." If you position your cursor at the far right side of the word "Beginnings" the image of a pair of red pointe shoes should appear. This is the Easter Egg icon. Click on the shoes and it will take you to the Easter Egg, which is extra footage of Wakefield Poole and Yvonne Craig discussing their fim and TV careers. Fun!

So pleased to have found this site! I am a former childhood dancer and though I haven’t danced in many years I have never lost my early love for ballet. I now subscribe to ABT, both the fall and spring seasons, and was at last month’s premier of the new Jorma Elo Chuck Close ballet at City Center (New York). I was at first disappointed that I was seated way in the back that evening, in the next to last row of the orchestra, until I realized that many of the people in the row behind me were members of the staff and administration of ABT. Just before the Elo ballet began, who should sit down in the empty seat next to mine but Paloma Herrera, fresh off the stage from her performance in the ballet “Clear.” As far as I am concerned, the back row of the orchestra is suddenly a wonderful place to sit! I'm looking forward to ABT's spring season at the Met, and also looking forward to interesting discussions/reading on this site.