angelica

Lopatkina is probably the most "spiritual" ballet dancer I've ever seen. Weightless, dancing from the depths of her soul. For many, ballet is a religious practice, and surely for her. And then she is so sweet and seemingly humble as she takes her bows. Can anyone tell me the difference between Mariinsky bourrees and American bourrees? As Lopatkina and other Russian ballerinas do them, there is a back-and-forth (front to back) motion in addition to the tiny up-and-down motion, that I don't see in ballerinas with other pedigrees.

For me, ballet has two distinguishing characteristics: (1) turnout, and (2) placement, with the chest forward and that gorgeous curve of the back. I realize that Balanchine often would have his dancers turn in for a specific step, but Balanchine's ballets use mostly turnout. Petipa, of course, is danced with the most turnout possible. What turnout allows is greater stability of the body, high extensions, and that beautiful curve of the leg that begins at the hips and thigh, extends downward along the calf muscle, ending in the arched and pointed (whether winged or not) foot. In my classification scheme, dance that doesn't use turnout isn't ballet. East Asian dancing is often done turned out, but the knees are usually bent in the turnout out position, so maybe we should say three distinguishing characteristics, (3) being the straight leg unless called for by the step, e.g., pas de chat, or otherwise choreographed. A pure classical line includes placement, turnout, and straight knees (unless....you know), and this classical line can be used in character dance, on and off pointe, and even in certain so-called "modern" dance. But you can always tell a dancer who is classically trained, and that has nothing to do with whether the dancer is on pointe or not, it has to do with #1, 2, and 3, above. In fact, I've heard it said that a trained eye can pick out a classically trained dancer from the first plie. What pointe work does is extend the classical line, which is why it is so much more satisfying to those who would argue that ballet = pointe. I happen to love the classical line and so I prefer ballets that are danced on pointe. However, ballets such as Fancy Free and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, as well as the character dances in many full-length ballets can be appreciated if you are seeing them performed by dancers who have that classical line sculpted into their bodies

Double Like.

I join with all who are applauding the promotion of Stella Abrera to Principal Dancer. May she be granted all the leading roles she deserves so well, so that we, her devoted audience, will have the pleasure of seeing her as Nikiya, Juliet, Aurora, Odette/Odile, etc., etc., etc., and, of course, again as Giselle.

KarenAG, please let me know when you're coming to New York. Maybe we can see a ballet together.

I also go to ABT to see ballet, abatt. For me, what make a dance ballet are the following: (a) ballet line, i.e., classical ballet placement of the body (very different in modern dance); (b) turnout, except when specifically choreographed otherwise, e.g., specific steps in some Balanchine ballets; © pointed feet and straight legs, except for certain steps and (d) not absolutely necessary but makes a big difference: pointe shoes. There's a Balanchine ballet in several parts in which, in one of the parts, the dancers are in soft shoes, and even though they have (a), (b), and © above, I still miss the pointe work. Pointe work elongates ("finishes") the classical line.

Thank you!

No, KarenAG, although I LOVE the Bard campus (I went to music camp there decades ago), it's much easier for me to go into the city. I remember seeing The Green Table as a child, and being bored to tears, but I didn't yet have a context to appreciate it. But it's going to take more ballet than is so far programmed to get me into the city. I've never seen Company B--I'll have to look it up on YouTube.

Yes, it seems that so far the programming is top-heavy with modern dance. I want to see ballet too.

What a great day! I've been waiting for it for 10 years and feared it would never come. Now we'll be able to see Stella in the many roles we've imagined her in--O/O, Juliet, Nikiya, more Giselles, and many others. And tomorrow--her first ballet as a Principal Dancer--Cinderella!

I don't know if Hammoudi has it in him to "step it up." I thought he did his best in Swan Lake with Murphy but his emotional portrayal was way ahead of his technique. He had a serious injury not too long ago and that may have held him back as well.

I'm glad you found that, its the mom, because I originally read that Golding had danced in several companies between ABT and the Royal, but when I went back to verify which companies, all I could find was Dutch National. I vaguely remember ENB also, but perhaps I'm mistaken. It's too bad that Corella Ballet didn't get the support it needed to become a viable world-class company.

You took the words right out of my mouth, nanushka, and you said it better than I would have. Balletomanes, especially, feel a unique degree of intimacy towards their most beloved dancers. I wonder whether the fact that they expose their bodies to us tends to drop the barriers that normally exist among strangers.

Thank you, nanushka! I'm exhausted from all the performances and posts (mine, I'm not exhausted from reading anyone else's!)

Yes, nanushka, you're absolutely right, and IMO that's yet another example of his lack of vision. Perhaps one reason why he hasn't tried to find her a suitable partner. So sad.

Yes, of course, mimsyb, there may be many reasons why a dancer might leave a company, but given how many promising dancers have left ABT in recent years, it isn't unrealistic to posit that the AD's vision may have been too short with Golding. Golding joined Dutch National Ballet as a second soloist, so I don't see that as a mighty leap forward. However, as Golding trained at the Royal with his Prix de Lausanne scholarship, it's possible, even likely, that the Royal was Golding's target all along, and that ABT and Dutch National were mere stepping stones in that direction. I do think that during her years at ABT, Veronika has been virtually partner-less (someone on this board noted the great partnerships of the past for which ABT dancers were renowned), and that Golding could have made a great partner for her. Of course, in 2003, the AD didn't see Veronika as his reigning Swan Queen either, yet another example of his short-term vision.

That is the big question, bingham! IMHO, the five greatest ballet companies in the world (Mariinsky, Bolshoi, POB, RB, NYCB) all have company styles in which their dancers are trained in their schools. The Mariinsky emphasizes the pliancy of the upper body more than any other school, which is perhaps one reason that audiences love Vishneva, Obraztsova, Lopatkina, Makarova, and their ilk. As vrsfanatic said above, "Being an American born and trained student, dancer and now teacher of the generation of the early 60's until now, I have rarely met American teachers who know how to teach the usage of the upper body as we see in those trained in Europe and specifically Russia. There are a few, but not many." The JKO schools describes its training curriculum as follows: "The American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School aims to provide the highest quality ballet training, consistent with the stylistic requirements of American Ballet Theatre, and to provide dancers with a rich knowledge of classical technique and the ability to adapt to all styles and techniques of dance. The curriculum of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School is ABT's National Training Curriculum, which combines scientific principles with elements from the classic French, Italian and Russian schools of training." By trying to be all things, the training ends up being non-specific, a neutral form of training that emphasizes everything and nothing. Although more and more dancers are being accepted into ABTII and then the main company, it remains to be seen whether they develop this fluidity that so much distinguishes the great dancers of all time. Anyway, that's why my eye was drawn to Shevchenko, which started this whole discussion

When someone is that good, the AD needs to have the ability to see a place for him in the future, and to offer that perspective to the dancer. If I, a mere balletomane, could see Golding's promise, and the fact that he seemed headed to carry on the torch, then surely a good AD would have that ability too. Golding seems to have been all over the map before landing at the RB, where his abilities are obviously appreciated. Had he stayed at ABT he would have been a principal dancer now and we would not be wringing our hands to find partners for the likes of, say, Veronika Part.

If I followed the Royal Ballet as closely as I follow ABT, I might very well be asking that very question. Nevertheless, I did see Matthew Golding while he was at ABT and was astounded when he left. Sometimes I want to hit a certain AD over the head.

Okay, I'll weigh in on this. Attending Thursday night was a "command performance," for me, so to speak, because it fell on the birthday of my granddaughter, who had traveled many miles to see it as a birthday present. I would not have chosen it otherwise. I had just seen Veronika and Cory the night before and had been thoroughly enthralled by Veronika's performance, surely one of her best, most detailed, and refined. Murphy definitely had her fans in attendance Thursday night, as the applause for her throughout was frequent and loud. For me, I felt her Odette was serviceable, but she has nowhere near the fluency or expansiveness of Veronika, and her acting seemed more cerebral than intuitive. Her swan arms had bony points in them, i.e., they never rippled seamlessly. Where she was in her element was, to no one's surprise, the Black Swan pas de deux, where her 32 fouettes included seemingly effortless multiple triples and very slight downstage movement at the end. I was disappointed that Murphy's Odette didn't have the softness she displayed in the film of Giselle with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, as I had been hoping she could have carried some of that vulnerability to Odette. Perhaps her Odette has been carved in stone for many years, but I still think she has the potential to build on the beauty she achieved in Giselle. Coaching, coaching, coaching. The surprise for me that night, however, was Alexandre Hammoudi. He was definitely trying like the devil to do his very best, but his technique wasn't quite up to the task, nor was his stamina. You could see him take those runs for all they were worth in order to achieve height in his jumps. There were several bobbles along the way, and I felt he wasn't quite up to the role (and now that I've seen Matthew Golding with the Royal Ballet, I can't help wishing that Golding had stayed with ABT) and was chosen for it by default. Nevertheless, his emotional development in the role was totally credible. After he realizes his huge mistake in Act III, his remorse, his sorrow, were expressed so deeply that he brought tears to my eyes. That had not happened for me in many years in SL and it gave a new dimension to the performance. There was something very satisfying in seeing how much dedication Hammoudi showed overall, especially in his acting, but also in his efforts to dance his very best, and I applaud him for that. I had noticed Sterling Baca three years ago in a corps studio rehearsal and had singled him out as someone with potential, so imagine my delight in seeing him cast as Purple Rothbart Thursday night. I thought he did very well for a debut. Now mind you, this was the evening after Marcelo's performance in that role, so Baca was following in the footsteps of a master. I was most afraid that he would overplay the role, but I was pleased to see that he did a very creditable job and I would be happy to see him again. He has a beautiful line and his acting was fine.

I saw Matthew Golding in the Royal Ballet's "The Dream" last night. He's a principal dancer there and definitely looks the part. His bio says that he joined ABT in 2003 and left for Dutch National Ballet in 2009, before joining the RB. He was stellar last night, handsome, a gorgeous dancer with a beautiful line, both on the floor and in the air. From my seat in the second tier he looked tall and regal. How did ABT let him get away?

I have been impressed by Christine Shevchenko in her soloist roles this season. She has a pliancy of the upper body that gives her dancing great fluidity. Does anyone know if she trained in Russia before coming to the US or at any point in her life, because I find that Russian training emphasizes pliancy of the upper body more than any other school.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Devon Teuscher in ABT's Raymonda (was that last Fall?), I did not enjoy her performance as Myrtha last Spring. I'm thinking that, overall, Teuscher needs to work on her jumps, which is the reason she doesn't achieve what would otherwise be satisfying performances in the roles that require elevation.

I was at the Veronika/Cory/Marcelo performance last night. I think it was the best O/O I've ever seen from Veronika. She was "on," so to speak, stunning throughout, maintaining her sublimely fluid upper body Mariinksy-trained line, lusciously extending her gorgeous long legs, technically secure! e.g., holding balances longer than I've ever seen her hold them, and I wasn't chewing my nails when it got to those 32 fouettes. In the past I used to think that she over-acted, partly to make up for the blandness of Cory's acting or perhaps to elicit more emotion from him, but last night he seemed to embody the character of Siegfried more than ever (which isn't to say that he couldn't bring more to it) and freeing Veronika up to dance her own role, e.g., her Odette was the essence of sorrow and her seduction as Odile was a tour de force. Ironically, I found Cory's dancing, while technically clean, to be somewhat lacking in projection, as if the energy that went into his acting had been borrowed from the energy that went into his dancing. All in all, a magnificent performance by Veronika. And it was no surprise that Marcelo brought down the house as Purple Rothbart. I also thought that Cassandra Trenary was lovely in the first act pas de trois and I look forward to watching her develop and, hopefully, move through the ranks.

And of course, a crucial element, apart from the proportion of ABT roster-members being cast, is who is on that ABT roster, and at what level. For example, I'm not especially happy with the current ABT Principal roster, both men and women, so I won't go rushing out to buy tickets for dancers whom I've seen enough times to know that the experience won't be worth my time and energy. I, like many on this board, am very unhappy with the current state of ABT. And if Copeland and Kochetkova are added to that Principal roster, I will be more unhappy still.