Ambonnay

Hallberg recently tweeted: "I am surprisingly emotional about tomorrows show. The last of the seasons yet a debut for natasha osipova. A beautiful moment to relish!" [Natasha is a nickname for Natalia]

I can't wait until tomorrow --

By the way, for people attending tomorrow's double-header, Bar Boulud across the street from Lincoln Center currently offers a 1/2 dozen oysters with a glass of wine, all for $16, during a limited portion of the second half of the afternoon every day. I vaguely recall the time period is 4-6 pm, but I'm not sure. Please check and do not just rely on this description, if you decide to go. I haven't yet sampled this deal.

What do other members typically do between the two performances on a given day, if they remain in the Lincoln Center area?

Separately, I've been reviewing the Balanchine/Mason description of Kenneth MacMillan's production of R&J in "101 Stories of the Great Ballets". Here are some things I noted from the description:

-- "Juliet runs in and we are reminded at once that this girl who will become a tragic figure is at heart a child of fourteen." Is Juliet supposed to be 14 years old in this ballet?

-- "When the Capulets and Paris leave, Juliet wants to resume her play with the doll, but the nurse points out that her childhood is over, that she is a young woman now, about to be beloved. Juliet clutches her heart." More obviously when Kent performed this scene, but also when Gillian performed it, the ballerina let go of the rag doll and then seems to use both hands to clutch her bosom. It did not seem like they were clutching their heart to me, because the heart is off center and both ballerinas used each hand to clutch evenly. I did not like their interpretation, which leaves open the possibility of a more sexual interpretation.

-- On the Montague trio's dance outside the gates of the Capulet castle, before the ball: "he and his friends dance a vigorous, high-spirited pas de trois...."

-- On Mercutio dying: "Mercutio staggers. He still tries to fight, but dies with gaiety, his sword becoming for a moment his guitar as he plays his own lament."

-- When Tybalt is killed, "Lady capulet holds the body of her nephew, swaying back and forth in her grief as her husband watches helplessly."

-- On Juliet deliberating whether to take the sleeping potion: "Shes goes to the bed for the phial, but is frightened at the possible consequences of taking it. Suppose she will really die? what if the potion does not work at all and she is compelled to marry Paris anyway?..."

Kyeong -- Do you recall who played Benvolio during Thursday's performance?

Courtesy of Daniil S, a photo of Hallberg/Osipova in rehearsal. It's from quite a distance, but better than nothing:

http://twitpic.com/23j2bi

The lifts in this ballet are very difficult for the men to carry off.

Gomes' lifts looked somewhat more effortless than Hallberg's, esp in the "he thinks Juliet is dead/when she is sleeping" scene in the Capulet tombs. Gomes made Kent look lighter than Hallberg made Gillian look, and there was a slightly better echoing of the PDD from the balcony scene with Gomes/Kent in the Caputlet tomb scene. That might be because Kent is probably a little bit lighter than Murphy weight-wise, so it was easier to make lifting Kent's "dead" body easier. I'm going to pay attention to this in Hallberg/Osipova and report back, because Osipova might be a bit easier to lift.

Note the comment about about looking effortless does not mean that I preferred Gomes' lifts. Hallberg's lifts still had Hallberg with a certain beauty of line, while he was lifting, that made them special. Also, in the balcony scene, Hallberg's movements while he had a loose off-cream tunic on and while his tunic and hair were almost "billowing in the wind from the movements" looked romantic and lyrical.

One more thing - I would like to add my apologies for this long review, without much mentioning the dancing itself. As I haven't seen many ballet performances so far and do not know much about the ballet, I naturally came to focus on the interpretation and understanding of the character itself.

There's no reason for any apology -- keep the thoughts coming! What did you think of the Hallberg/Murphy performance?

Some additional thoughts about last night's (Tuesday's) Romeo & Juliet:

-- I have been thinking about whether certain soloist danseurs seem to be dancing better with, or look physically better next to, certain male principals. I think Hoven works very well with Hallberg, and Hoven is tall enough and substantial looking enough (in a good sense) that he does not get washed out by how classically distinctive and ideally-proportioned Hallberg seems. Jared Mathews on the other hand looks overshadowed physically by Hallberg's height.

True, Mathews' portrayal of Mercutio last evening was intended to be young. I had never before seen Mathews with a shaggy mop of ungelled/unmanipulated hair (with natural bang-type hair on his forehead) and playing a sort-of-wit-imbued role. Mathews is not a short danseur, but last night he looked shorter than Hallberg and Hoven and his jumps seemed more earth-bound than theirs. That being said, Mathews did well last night; the height of his jumps were never his strong point anyhow and it's hard to follow Cornejo in a role.

-- There are points in the ballet when the Montague trio are wonderfully playful and the interplay among them, filled with wit and charm, adds to the overall ballet. Examples are when the three (1) are dancing outside the Capulet castle, before they venture in, and (2) are playing with Juliet's nurse who had been asked to deliver a letter to Romeo. In the latter scene, the three put their Capulet ball black eye masks on and initially dance in a line parallel to the audience with their arms linked. Then, some of the trio play with the nurse's gown while others hold her arm. At one point, as the nurse is moving along with Mercutio and Benvolio on each side, Romeo sneaks in behind her and lifts the bottom of her skirt (she has other layers) behind her and sort of "hides behind the audience" behind that large skirt. Very cute sequence.

-- I remember Kent's Juliet tried to drink some of the poison from Romeo's vial, but then there was no more, before she stabbed herself. Gillian did not try to do that yesterday night.

-- Patrick Ogle was a pretty good Tybalt. Like Saveliev, he added a small beard and he looked pretty uptight and threatening.

-- This is the first time I have seen either Hallberg or Gomes meaningfully sword fight. Interestingly, they fight sort of in the styles that they dance. Hallberg has more classical posture even when he is fighting. He holds his "non-fighting" arm quite straight (not rigidly so) and at the level of his shoulders behind him as he fights. Until the death of Mercutio, Hallberg's sword fighting is more restrained than Marcelo's.

Ambonnay- how did you post so quickly? I saw the same show and right when I got back I saw your post!! Speedy!!

I definitely think David and Marcelo have different approaches to Romeo. As David said in the recent ABT e-newsletter: "[Romeo's] life seems incomplete. Once he meets Juliet, he never questions it again." The way I saw it, David's Romeo believes in finding "the One" and is not too interested in Harlots. He thinks he loves Rosaline, but is tentative and shy. We see a change in his approach when he sees Juliet. Immediately he realizes that she is "the One." He goes for her right away without inhibitions. I loved David's performance tonight. He looked wonderful on stage.

I didn't see Marcelo's performance last night, but I've seen him before. I think he has Romeo more on a testosterone high and basically wants any girl he can have. I remember he placed a huge kiss on the bride's cheek (during the wedding procession in act 2) and was much more into the Harlots. Of course his love for Juliet was much deeper, but he showed more uncontrollable adolescent desire than Hallberg.

I'll be watching the gomes/Vishneva performance on Sat. night so I can confirm or deny my above statements about Gomes.

I'm pretty curious about Osipova. I can't really imagine her as Juliet, and I wonder how she'll do on her Juliet debut!

onxmyxtoes -- There were two intermissions, and I stayed in my seat during one of them. I started taking down some thoughts on my iPhone which became the crux of my post.

I'm glad you mentioned Marcelo kissing ladies other than Juliet. He planted a full on kiss on one of the harlots' lips during Act I Monday evening. Cornejo did the same on a harlot after he gets stabbed by Tybalt and as he saunters about before his collapse in death. I was wondering whether Hallberg would follow suit. As you might recall last night, Hallberg only pecked on the cheek one of the harlots, in a gentle/greeting kind of way, during a market scene other than the first one. Hallberg has already met Murphy at that time, and the kiss on the cheeks (as opposed to Marcelo's on the lips) seemed an unobtrusive greeting and expressive of how the Montague trio viewed the Harlots with compassion and did not look down upon them.

I agree that Hallberg's portrayal of Romeo is less hormones-drive. He's more pensive, more coming onto his own. He seems slightly younger than Marcelo's Romeo. What is great about that is each danseur's portrayal is in keeping with how their dancing styles would suggest they might play Romeo (not the only way each could play Romeo, but one of the ways you could see each of them could play that role).

I must stress how beautifully, beautifully David has been dancing this Met season. I thought he danced gorgeously last year and before, with great technique and beauty of line. He has continued so remarkably.

On your curiosity about Hallberg/Osipova, I'll try to report the best I can on that. I also have tickets to the Gomes/Vishneva, because I had been intent on seeing Corella. I didn't think I could do both ballets on the Sleeping Beauty double bill Saturday (because the pair I preferred seeing Hallberg/Osipova was in the evening, and I worried that watching the earlier couple would make me tired for the evening performance). However, I had originally planned to see whether I could see Gomes/Vishneva after Hallberg/Osipova this Saturday. We'll see if I can do that.

4mrdncr -- Thanks. I guess the 3 harlots are less objectionable in tonight's Hallberg/Mathews/Hoven depiction of Romeo/Mercutio/Benvolio. Somehow Hallberg's demeanor and his comportment of youth made the relationship with the harlots lighter and not romantic-focused. Also, Hallberg seemed to be more defending the harlots against the disrespectful behavior of Tybalt and some of the other Capulets towards the women.

I guess the harlots could serve other potential purposes in the ballet, beyond the prominent one you identified:

-- They serve as partners for the Romeo trio at one point in Act I.

-- Their antics allow some of the leading characters to get sufficient rest at some points. At a point in Act II, while Mercutio/Benvolio/one danseur from the villagers' wedding procession, dance with the three harlots, Romeo is positioned at the top of a flight of stairs in the Verona market area. He is sort of resting for a little while.

-- I guess the typical full-length ballet has several roles for female soloist-level-type dancers. In Romeo and Juliet, there really isn't a meaningful ballerina dancing role among Lady Capulet, nurse, Rosaline, etc., beyond Juliet. The support female roles, other than the harlots, are more acting roles. So the harlots provide the typical opportunities that one would like for female soloists or soloist hopefuls (e.g., the non-lilac, fairies in Sleeping Beauty).

July 6, Tuesday

Romeo -- Hallberg

Juliet -- Murphy

Mercutio -- J Matthews

Benvolio -- B Hoven

Tybalt -- P Ogle

Paris -- G DeLong

Lady Capulet -- K Boone

Lord Capulet -- R Zhurbin

Friar Laurence -- C Luckett

Three Harlots -- M Copeland, S Abrera, M Hamrick

This performance was carried along as though flushed with the blush of young love and the feeling of wind beneath the lovers' wings. Just like Hallberg's jumps and lifts.

The performance was so accomplished -- lush, refined, engaging and exquisitely danced by Hallberg. Murphy was effective as well.

The pair communicated well their budding, but deepening love. They breathed emerging feelings and growing esteem.

Hallberg was much more refined a Romeo than Gomes, and portrayed better the young generation of a noble and wealthy family than did Gomes. Gomes could well have been a member of the Verona band of joksters. Hallberg appropriately seemed like he was not at any point in time romantically interested in the harlots, but was just friendly with them, whereas Gomes seemed like he could have had some sort of seamy relationship with them.

I think Hoven worked as well here with Hallberg as lead danseur, as Hoven did in this season's two Hallberg Swan Lakes. Hoven danced better than Mathews tonight, leaping taller and being more constantly in character and more involved even when not at the centre of the action. This is the most handsome Montague trio one could imagine.

Roman Z continues to show good acting in roles that are supposed to be occupied by much older danseurs. With facial makeup, he looked (including his face and the way he carried himself) the age that V Barbee did yesterday in the same role.

Today's Paris was somewhat "softer", more laid-back, than last night's proud, controlling Paris.

Monday, July 5 performance

Romeo -- Gomes

Juliet -- Kent

Mercutio -- Cornejo

Benvolio -- C Lopez

Tybalt -- G Saveliev

Paris -- S Radetsky

Lady Capulet -- S Abrera

Lord Capulet -- V Barbee

Frair Laurence -- F Franklin

Three Harlots -- L Paris, A Milewski, K Boone

Marcelo technically paired Kent well. However, in Acts I and II (except for the Act I balcony scene and the Act II chapel scene), I found Marcelo's Romeo to be too forward, flamboyant at times, and impetuous. During those portions, the positive qualities in Marcelo that make him a good bravado-type lead left me thinking that his Romeo lacked a soulfulness and an inner reserve. During those portions, he seemed more into himself (or conforming to his notions of himself) than anything, or he could have been playing Basilio in Don Quixote.

While Kent danced expressively, I'm not sure she is convincing as a young girl. That being said, she danced well during the Capulet ball and balcony scenes.

Cornejo danced well, as did Carlos Lopez, as Mercutio and Benvolio. Their portrayal of Romeo's friends made it seem like a college-frat-type atmosphere, however. I found the way the Mercutio death scene is staged a bit too drawn out -- he walks around for a while, then drinks some wine and dances with a Harlot, then picks up the sword, walks around some more, and then collapses. To me, those steps seemed to lessen the impact of Mercutio's death. S Radetsky was a very proud and controlling Paris.

This was the first time I saw the ABT production of R&J. Some parts don't seem to be ideal. As examples, (1) Juliet literally playing with a cloth doll and jumping into nurse's lap during the sequence when she is introduced to Paris in Act 1, (2) the distracting nature of the role of the three harlots (I understand they pair Romeo and his buddies in some sequences), and (3) horrible costumes for Paris (the super long droopy sleeves that hang down like balloons) and for most of the corps (although the costumes for Romeo and Juliet were fine). Also, some parts of the translation from Shakespeare's play to the ABT production that are omitted seem to be unhelpful. In the ballet, there is no attempt on the part of the Frair to warn Romeo about Juliet's having taken the "deep sleep" potion to mimic death. In the play, there is such intent on the part of the Frair, but the message never reaches Romeo. That makes sense. Not even explaining why Romeo was never attempted to be alerted to Juliet's "deep sleep" does not. Also, I don't like the addition of the Harlots into the ballet, relative to the Shakespeare play. And the "market"/town center backdrop is used too much and is somewhat monocromatic.

There was a leaflet included in the program, honoring G Parkinson:

"This evening we honor Georgina Parkinson, a luminous Juliet and the original Rosaline in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's production of Romeo and Juliet. After an illustrious 20-year career as a ballerina with The Royal Ballet, she became a cherished ballet mistress and coach at [ABT]. Georgina supported, mentored and inspired our dancers for over 30 years. Her steadfast commitment and sparkling wit are greatly missed."

I had a smoked salmon plate ($11 or 12; different from the smoked salmon sandwiches) and a sangria during one of the intermissions.

To my eye, for the last two seasons Corella has looked out of shape technically and has also gained weight. In addition, even in his prime, he had some difficulty with the lifts in Romeo and Juliet (you can see him laboring with Ferri in the balcony scene, in the La Scala production of R&J that is on DVD).

Unless Corella is injured or otherwise out of his own true volition chose not to perform, switching Corella out is unfair. If Vishneva wants to perform with Gomes, she should have articulated that to Kevin M before the schedule was announced. Then, Corella could have been paired with somebody else.

How can Kevin M remove an important role from a danseur who has so few full-length performances this Met season to being with? Unless the decision was Corella's (which I doubt), this is truly adding insult to a danseur whose performances many ballet goers adored and adore.

I really appreciate Corella, and, not inconsistent with that, did report that his upper thighs seemed chubbier in last year's Swan Lake. But I really enjoyed Corella as Siegfried because he can act, because he uses his whole body to express what is happening to the character, and, while Corella may not be in his prime technically, his technique remains good enough. So, while I love watching Hallberg as Siegfried (or in any other role, for that matter), I found qualities in Corella's Siegfried that made me prefer his performance last season. Corella's artistry is so much more important than whether he has gained weight, or whether he is at the height of his technical powers. I've never seen Corella dance Romeo and I will be deprived of that opportunity (at least for this Met season).

I saw Corella in other roles, e.g., Prodigal Son and Ali in Le Corsaire, last year (I think,last year) since his then weight gain. Corella did not look like he was outside of the reasonable range of weight for his build, even though he had gained a bit of weight. This year, I saw him in the Opening Night Gala and he looked fine in terms of weight. I also saw him perform when Corella Ballet Castilla Y León made its debut in NY and he looked fine there too.

On a separate note, I think it's amazing how well things work out sometimes. Members might recall that it was Stiefel who was supposed to pair Osipova, instead of Hallberg, in the roles that Hallberg ended occupying opposite Osipova last year. But Stiefel was injured. Can you imagine how akward it would be if Stiefel could not match the technical abilities of Osipova (no negative connotations on Stiefel, but he is no longer at the height of his technical liablities)?

Finally, an update from Daniil S's twitter:

"Casting for the 8th week at the MET: Wednesday,

July 7 (Benvolio in 'Romeo and Juliet'), Friday, July 9 (Benvolio in 'Romeo and Juliet'), Saturday evening, July 10 (Benvolio in 'Romeo and Juliet')

I have not been performing in some of my previous shows due to a (relative) minor ankle injury. I hope to be able to perform this week. If n...ot, I will let you know here."

So, if Daniil's ankle permits, he's dancing Benvolio to Gomes' Saturday evening Romeo. I thought that ABT would schedule him to be included in the Natalia Osipova Saturday matinee, which is sure to be reviewed by Alistair M, but apparently not.

I wonder whether Gomes' receiving his third Romeo has any negative connotations on Kevin M's view of Cornejo playing the role (and I am not suggesting any are necessarily implied). But Cornejo only has one Romeo, and his performance is early enough in the week relative to the Vishneva performance. Has Cornejo worked with Vishneva before, and are there any issues to their potential pairing (e.g., how tall is Vishneva)?

Hallberg is not possible for the Vishneva performance because he will have just performed with Osipova during the matinee the very same day. Also, since this is Osipova's first Juliet, Hallberg will need to commit presumably more practice time to her. Hallberg is already dancing two Romeos.

Cory Stearns also has two Romeos, and is performing the Friday before the Saturday evening Vishneva performance.

That left Gomes and Cornejo as the likely Romeos that Kevin M would have chosen between, to work with Vishneva. I happen to think Gomes would be a better Romeo for Vishneva, but, if I were in Cornejo, I would be taking note of Marcelo getting his third Romeo and trying harder to get additional roles opposite ballerinas not named Xiomara.

Unless Corella is injured or the decision is Corella's,

this substitution is untenable. Corella has so few

full-length ballets this season even before the change.

He has stated in an interview that the paucity of

performances he has this season is not by his choice

(ie not due to his involvement with his ballet

company not permitting more ABT performances).

Raylene:

I don't know about the ABT apprentice process, but I assume ABT II is one of the sources of supply for apprentices. All three current apprentices (April Giangeruso, Meaghan Hinkis and Courtney Lavine) from the ABT website have ABT II experience. One of the apprentices from last year and now a full corps member Jose Sebastian is also from ABT II (formerly referred to as ABT's Studio Company). As are dancers like Michele Wiles, Eric Tamm and Cory Stearns. Not all ABT II participants make ABT, but I think ABT likes to consider people from ABT II.

Also, Nicola Curry, Leanne Underwood, Nicole Graniero, Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster, Roman Zhurbin, Hee Seo also all came out of ABT II, I think. Not bad.

And if you wondered how some dancers get into ABT II...

http://www.abt.org/contactus/enews/summerintensive.asp

(Hallberg and Mesmer discuss their participation in the ABT summer intensive program)

I went to see last evening's performance of the ABT Premieres Repertory:

(1) The Brahms-Haydn Variations

S. Abrera, A. Hammoudi

M. Wiles, C. Stearns

X. Reyes, H. Cornejo

H. Seo, G. Saveliev

M. Riccetto, D. Simkin

Hee Seo was radiant in this piece, and, although unmentioned as one of the main pairs, Blaine Hoven paired Yuriko Kajiya well. Hoven has been dancing much better this season than last year. This may be the first time I have seen Wiles and Stearns paired (although they have performed various times together before). They have a nice visual presentation together.

Overall, I found this piece a bit frenetic, despite the unfrenetic musical score and the soothing shades of brown and beige found in dancers' costumes with clean lines. There are so many couples in the foreground and the background, traversing the stage and dancing at different positions, that I found it difficult to capture what was happening at any given point in time with respect to a single couple. That might be part of the intent of the piece, but, at least to me, the piece, while visually beautiful in some respects, was difficult to meaningfully digest.

(2) On the Dnieper

M. Riccetto

S. Messmer

G. Saveliev

E. Tamm

G Saveliev is not as exprsesive a dancer as Marcelo Gomes was, in the lead danseur role of the soldier returning to his home town. Saveliev needs to work on improving his communication with the audience through his facial articulation and to develop body movements that convey emotions.

Eric Tamm was a good fiance to Olga. His dancing of the main solo where he exhibits anger involved very rapid feet movements that he executed well. Compared to Hallberg, who originated the role, Tamm's legs and feet (while very nicely positioned) lack a certain line and the poignancy from perfectly pointed toes and curved, arched legs shapes that Hallberg can, in his singular style, provide. In some places, Tamm's long lines in his legs come across as involving a leg that is held quite "straight" (even though he is moving his legs quickly and in different directions).

Tamm has been getting a lot of opportunities this season, deservedly. One area where he could improve is in the expressiveness of his face. His facial features tend to wash out a bit on stage. That is something that could be slightly ameliorated with stronger make-up. For example, I have noticed that Hallberg sometimes uses a very strong darkish (almost blackish) brow pencil in his makeup. That helps the audience to see his facial expressions more. Maybe Tamm should consider doing that.

Riccetto danced well, as did Messmer. In fact, Messmer was no worse than Herrera in the lead Olga role.

(3) Fancy Free

C. Salstein

D. Hallberg

M. Gomes

Ah, finally, the piece that I had bought the night's ticket to see. This was my first ever Fancy Free viewing. What a pleasure to see Hallberg in the uncustomary role (even uncustomary, in my mind, taking into account the fall ABT seasons I have attended) of such a slightly "dopey or goofy" (in a slap-stick kind of way) and romantically challenged sailor. Even the way Hallberg's gait was with his walk, the way he carried his shoulders, the way his legs were positioned when he was standing, were different. He did a fine mime of how he had been off fighting and gunning down people, when he was alone with Julie Kent (the second female role in the piece, the first being K Boone)in the bar before the two other sailors return. It was wonderful to see Hallberg's solo -- so whimsical and endearing and special. And the ending for Hallberg's solo -- where he positions himself along the floor, with his arms propping up his head and looking cutely at Julie Kent's character -- was just right.

Gomes was wonderful as the third sailor.

The two intermissions were not short, even though the overall performance did not end later than is typical for the ABT. I had grabbed a bite to eat at Bar Boulud again before the performance. Yesterday night, the restaurant was pouring Avril's 2004 Clos des Papes (Chateauneuf-du-Pape) en magnum

mimsyb -- David Hallberg too!

Also a number of the soloists, incl but not necessarily limited to Kristi Boone, Misty Copeland, Yuriko Kajiya, Jared Mathews.

On the Osipova/Hallberg SB, I agree with some members' observations (and the NYT article) that Osipova's Aurora is not as developed as her Kitri or Giselle (or her La Sylphide, for that matter). However, I thought her performance was strong overall with respect to technical aspects (except for the first set of "suitor" balances in the Rose Adagio -- see below) and character portrayal. For example, Osipova's back had flexibility (in contrast to the rigid, antiseptic way that Paloma Herrera always positions her back) and Osipova's body was flexible and expressive. Osipova conveyed the youth of Aurora in Act I, unlike Herrera who danced with no spring in her step and seemed almost robotic in some of her sequences.

In the Rose Adagio, some members have mentioned that Osipova did not raise her hands over her head. It should be noted that the Herrera SB performance of this year and a Wiles-as-Aurora SB from a prior year did not involve those Auroras raising their hands fully over their heads in the first balances like they do in the second balances. Both Herrera and Wiles did a sort of elongated lift of their hands in the first balances to a height where the hand was no higher than the shoulder. They sort of elegantly moved their hands/wrists when their hands were lifted more meaningfully in that way that was a lot prettier than the "barely lifting of her hand" move that Osipova did in the first balances. However, I don't fault Osipova for taking a safer approach in her inaugural SB.

In the second set of balances of the Rose Adagio, Osipova performed well. She was not extraordinary in terms of how long she kept her hand above her head before addressing the next suitor, but she calmly and steadily performed those balances well. If one didn't have sky-high expectations based on her being Osipova, one would have found her second balances very pretty indeed.

I really appreciated, among other sequences, Osipova's acting and dancing after she pricks her finger and falls into her deep sleep. Her facial expressions are very expressive, reminding me of how well I thought she did in her "going crazy" sequence in Giselle last year. She also showed well how the effects of the spindle prick were traveling through her body, and how disoriented she felt. The very fast way she moved when she danced in a little circle before she collapses into her sleep was nice too.

Nobody has yet mentioned how, during the Osipova SB, Misty Copeland, as a fairy, fell out of an en pointe position when she was linked by her hands with three other fairies in the portion of the ballet preceding Act I. At least one other fairy was en pointe at that point. Misty and this other fairy were in the middle of the four-fairy row which had a designated closing position for the sequence. Misty was en pointe for a very short time, then fell off it. The other fairy in the middle then also went off pointe to adjust to the problem.

I liked Wiles as the lilac fairy during the Osipova peformance. But I have always liked seeing Wiles and Hallberg together in full-length ballets. It's too bad for Wiles, from my perspective, that she may have lost her historically developing partnership with Hallberg at McKenzie's hands. Wiles isn't dancing with Hallberg as lead at all at any point during this Met season. From David's perspective, I guess it is a good thing because he can work with Vishneva in Swan Lake and with Osipova several times. Even though Wiles' performance is more technical and not particularly lyrical, Wiles was more believable as a fairy that could partially protect Aurora than Maria R, whose slight frame makes her look generally more fragile as lilac fairy for Herrera's SB.

Osipova and Hallberg came out for curtain calls three times.

I'm going to have the happiness of seeing all of Osipova's performances with the ABT this season: the Giselle PDD with Hallberg during the Opening Night Gala; the Don Quixote with Carreno; the Act III performance of Don Quixote with Carreno as part of the A Alonso celebration; the SB with Hallberg; and the upcoming Romeo and Juliet with Hallberg It of course helps that she is so frequently paired with Hallberg, but I enjoy watching her very much.

If one is interested in sampling champagnes, it should be noted that the bar on the Parterre level (one has to enter the accessway to Parterre before the bar is visible) has a better champagne selection than, say, the Revlon bar where the red Chagall mural is. At Parterre, one recently had a choice of: Veuve Clicquot Rose; Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label; Louise Roederer Brut; Taittinger Brut; Piper-Heidsieck Brut; and one more rose. The prices range from about $15 or $17, to $25. Different bar areas within the Metropolitan Opera may have different drink and food combinations. For example, the food portion of the Revlon Bar is where one can get sangrias during the ABT season and smoked salmon sandwiches. The Parterre bar does not carry food. So, going for the Parterre champagne selections usually means there is not enough time to also line up for the other bars' food.

Before the performance, I had a quick cheese plate at Bar Boulud across the street from Lincoln Center. A plateful of freshly shaved-off Jamon Iberico Bellota (acorn-fed Spanish patta negra/black pig ham) was tasty ($38). Bar Boulud frequently has a magnum of a different wine available by the glass every evening, available at least if one dines before the ballet performance. Sometimes the magnums are of wines that have a bit of age on them. I particularly like this feature of the restaurant and follow the restaurant on Twitter, where sometimes the magnum for the evening is announced.

Raylene:

I don't know about the ABT apprentice process, but I assume ABT II is one of the sources of supply for apprentices. All three current apprentices (April Giangeruso, Meaghan Hinkis and Courtney Lavine) from the ABT website have ABT II experience. One of the apprentices from last year and now a full corps member Jose Sebastian is also from ABT II (formerly referred to as ABT's Studio Company). As are dancers like Michele Wiles, Eric Tamm and Cory Stearns. Not all ABT II participants make ABT, but I think ABT likes to consider people from ABT II.

christine174 -- You're welcome.

The program insert said that Irina is indeed injured.

Part danced well. I thought the positioning of her arms/wrists/hands was more expressive than I had anticipated, esp in Odette segments. The partnering with David did not betray the apparently limited period of time they likely had to practice together this year. One minor aspect I noted was that, like some members had reported when Part danced an Odile excerpt with Gomes during the Opening Night Gala, Part sometimes tilted when she was spun around as Odette in Act II. But David readily addressed that, in an inconspicuous manner. The only other nit I have with Part is that her "jump" to her death was not among the more audacious and full jumps I have seen. David's jump, on the other hand, was almost from a running start and was a very full jump. Part's acting as Odile seemed appropriate tonight -- not overdone like during the Opening Night Gala.

David was as excellent throughout the entire performance as usual. [Heart] It's such a pleasure to see David, among other performances, twice in Swan Lake this year (with Part and Tuesday with Vishneva), as well as twice in Sleeping Beauty (Osipova and Herrera). I think I'll see him twice in Romeo & Juliet as well soon.

Blaine Hoven replaced Jared Matthews as Benno. Peasant PDD was with Stella A and Maria R. Jared Matthews' purple v Rothbart was pretty good. Roman Zhurbin (corps member) left an impression as green/monster-faced v Rothbart. Zhurbin was effective in the final Act in particular, when he seemed much more physically menacing than most green v Rothbarts I have seen. Zhurbin was not only applauded at the end, but also somewhat booed (in an apprecative way). Cygnettes were Y Kajiya, S Lane, M Copeland and R Pavam. Two swans were only OK -- K Uphoff and D Teuscher. Princesses were H Seo, S Lane, G Bond and S Smith. Wolfgang was Frederic Franklin.

You're welcome.

I think Part/Hallberg might have collaborated in short pieces like Apollo and, not really dancing together, in On The Dnieper, but I haven't seen them in a full length ballet before

Edit:

By the way, doesn't the fact that both Irina and Max B were swapped out (even though tonight would have been their second Swan Lake as a pair this year) suggest that the swap is not necessarily due to an injury. Even though Irina and Max B frequently dance together, wouldn't an injury to one typically just involve that person being substituted for, instead of both being substituted for?

If the swap is not due to injury (a big if), did somebody (Part or otherwise) complain to McK about the possibility that Stearns did not adequately partner Part?

Wouldn't it be unusual for the replacement pair chosen to have never danced the relevant full length ballet together before, as is the case, to my knowledge, for Part/Hallerg?

Part/Hallberg/Mathews replace Irina/Max/Hallberg tonight!!!

"yes I know Part was never the star in Russia Vishneva was, but as a lead in, it seemed really cruel given the circumstances...We have another great Russian ballerina here and its not you!)"

Can I infer from your quote that you believe Part was a star of any kind in Russia? Or anywhere, at any point in time, for that matter?

Daniil S notes the following info about his roles during Week 2, on his Facebook pages:

Tuesday, May 25 (In the Country in 'Lady of the Camellias' [debut])

Thursday, May 27 (In the Country in 'Lady of the Camellias')

Saturday, May 29 (The Gypsy King in 'Don Quixote' [debut])

Here is the NY Post's take on the evening:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/thea...s&FEEDNAME=

Consistent with members' comments, the Thais PDD, Giselle excerpt, and Dame aux Camelias generally were described favorably. The Don Quixote PDD gets decently reviewed, despite the description of the performance as having less polish.

Sleeping Beauty PDD was criticized for being a "generic performance". Part was slammed: "Veronika Part is riveting in the right roles, but the "Black Swan" pas de deux isn't one of them. Her flexible body is hard to control, and Marcelo Gomes was working overtime to keep her vertical."

Isn't it depressing for Part if she needed help to "keep her vertical" in a classic role that she should be very well-versed in?

I was also at the gala and hope to post some comments later when I have time - but wanted to mention that I just saw a tweet from David Hallberg saying that he just found out that he won the Benois de la Dance. I assume this was in the best male dancer category where he was nominated for his Albrecht. Congratulations David!

Yeah!

Here is some info on the other nominees.

http://benois.theatre.ru/english/history/2010/

Can't believe that Boylston was nominated for "Everything Doesn't Happen at Once". I wonder if she won

La Dame aux Camellias: ... Julie looked very lovely and expressive. This will be very good. I don't think Neumeier is idiotic or trashy. He does use a lot of acrobatic lifts in a style used by Cranko and other 20th century choreographers. This Act III pas de deux had emotional specificity.

Fauxpas -- I agree with your take on La Dame aux Camellias.

However, I am not sure that the point where the excerpt begins is helpful to the audience taking the piece too seriously. Bolle is sitting in a slouched, perhaps dejected, position on the ground, his head down on the right hand side of the stage near the audience from the audience's perspective. In the middle of the stage is Kent, standing initially stoically with a large black cape or coat on. On her head, she has a black cap or hood that closely fits around her face and that has a lace veil that partially obscures her face, although the lace allows some portions of her face to show through. These opening positions seem a bit melodramatic.

There are other arguably slightly melodramatic sets of steps in the La Dame excerpt, presumably intending to either convey internal conflict on the part of Bolle's character or the sexual and other tensions so evident throughout the piece. For example, at one point, Bolle seems to be getting ready to leave the room, but dramatically comes back to be drawn in by Kent.

As mentioned above, there are some sequences of movements that seemed - at least to me -- to connnote sexual activity between the two characters. That is after Bolle removes her black dress and she is in the blush pink camisole-like number. Initially that number is visible slightly from the back when Kent has the dress on. Kent looked very fragile at times when she had the camisole-like number on. This made Bolle's character seem more forceful and powerful physically, presumably an intended effect.

ABT has been promoting Dame. I got a several-page color leaflet about Dame in the mail a few days ago.