griffie

That's Hungarian-style Roma dancing, which is popular in Transylvania area; the whole region of Transylvania, though mostly in Romania, is heavily influenced by Hungarian style. My understanding is that there are many regional styles of Roma dance. My first husband was from southern Romania, near Serbia and Macedonia, where the Roma dancing style was very different: very earthy for the men, bent knees, arms held wide, shuffling and stomping. Kind of reminded me of some Greek traditional dancing. And a LOT of hip isolations for the women. So when I saw the ballet Tzigane clips, I too couldn't figure out where Balanchine was getting his inspiration from!

Excellent points, and when googling how many seats it has I came across an interesting article on those issues. Kings Theatre was one of the five Loew's Wonder Theaters, and as you say, the original cinema had poor sightlines to the stage from some of the seats. The original capacity of the theater was 3600 and in modernizing the theater nearly 600 seats were lost. The orchestra seating area is vast and the balcony comparatively small, so not ideal, but a seat towards the rear for me worked well enough for the Nutcracker I saw. Here's a link to an article on the renovation if anyone's interested. http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/reprint/KingsTheatre_original.pdf

I loved the Ratmansky version of Nutcracker when I saw it at BAM, especially the first act reimagining and the blizzard of snowflakes with bad intentions. (Though I did miss SPF and didn't care for the bee costumes in Flowers.) I felt the BAM stage was just a little too small to do the production justice; I felt some the dancing looked cramped. I wish they'd come back to NYC. I think there's no doubt the city can support two world-class Nutcrackers. I recently saw Brooklyn Ballet's Nut at Kings Theater. Kings Theater is a recently restored (2015) movie palace in the heart of Brooklyn which is stunning venue with a good-sized stage and seats over 3,000. ABT could sell really well there for many young families since, as onxmyxtoes and others have pointed out, NYCB's ticket prices are stratospheric.

It was indeed Roxander's night tonight, making the most of his first lead role! His turns and jumps are dazzling and he's got tons of charisma and stage presence already. It's been a while since ABT had a new male virtuoso, and perhaps even longer since a truly home-grown American one. I can't wait to see him in the major roles - and Tarantella too. I was thrilled and impressed. Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Roxander.

Yes, Mejia and Fairchild elevated what had a been a lovely evening into a thrilling one! Sara Adams did very well tonight: spectral and pliant in Unanswered Question with an emotive Harrison Coll, then transitioning moods into the hoopla of the opening movement of Stars and Stripes. Western Symphony, I realized when the curtain went up and I saw the costumes, was a ballet I'd already seen years ago and forgotten about. It's a trifle that I will probably forget about again. Notably, Jovani Furlan (in for Sanz) really captured the sexy cowpoke amble as the Rhinestone Cowboy. Tarantella was Pereira and Ulbricht. He's still got it, jumps still high, and the crowd loved him. Stars and Stripes is honestly a better ballet than I think it ought to be. Corny, but hugely entertaining with some splendid choreography. Fairchild and Mejia absolutely dazzled. They have it all: superb technique, playfulness, joy and a wonderful partner rapport. It was Mejia's debut and you'd never have guessed it! Star power squared.

Papagena, I'm glad that Bouder's weight was not an issue for you, even a positive; unfortunately it really wasn't that way for me. I can see that for a more Romantic-style piece like Emeralds, the plump arms and ample bosom would be pleasantly reminiscent of the 19th-century ballerinas. I might enjoy seeing ballets performed in the style of the day, with the body types popular then, as valid alternatives to today's aesthetics. From a distance, the effect of Bouder's arms may have been very different even pleasing. But as close as I was the jiggling and contrast between Bouder and the extra-long willowy arms of Laracey, not to mention the slenderness of all the other dancers on the stage, was jarring. Many famous dancers have faced criticism for having put on a few pounds but (to me) we're not talking a Martine van Hamel kind of situation. I'm not someone who wants emaciated dancers, but I do think weight matters visually; I think Bouder's weight gain is enough that I doubt we'll see her full legs this fall season because it would so affect her line. We did see different performances, and I didn't notice Bouder lagging or struggling technically - it was more that her dancing seemed to be unremarkable (which for Bouder may be criticism enough!). Her arabesque height, for example, seemed to match others' at the Friday night show. Others who are more familiar with her and the role than I am may have registered some issues but I thought her dancing was fine.

Janzen looked wonderful, dancing at a very high level: clean, polished, courtly. I respect when older dancers retire when they sense the decline but the audience doesn't see it yet. Going out on a high note means your audience will always remember you in your prime. I thought Mearns was at her best; more classical, less mannered than I have seen her be in other roles. Technically she's dancing well and her star presence shines in Diamonds. Rubies was a delight. Mira Nadon is a treasure. She's a stage actress as well as divinely musical. There's something loose about her Tall Girl that seems so very American, very Balanchine - I just loved it. Huxley was excellent (he always is!) although he was more jazzily elegant and doesn't have the impishness I've enjoyed in some other dancers' interpretations. Megan Fairchild is superlative. She's so familiar with the choreography now, she can be playful and still keep control. She posted on her IG that she had tried some new things from her coaching with Patricia McBride and felt some worked onstage and some didn't. (I certainly didn't spot anything that didn't work.) I love that even after years as principal, Megan is constantly challenging herself to be the best dancer she can possibly be. Emeralds: I was sitting very close to the stage, perhaps too close. The costumes for Emeralds are forgiving and show only the arms, shoulders and feet. Although her dancing was acceptable, if underpowered, Bouder's arms are so plump that she has hanging underarm flesh that jiggles especially on her bourees. Once I registered the jiggling I couldn't unsee it and kept noticing it throughout Emeralds. She is easily 15 pounds heavier than any other female dancer onstage and looked thick around the waist. I would guess at this point after so much time since her injury that she is having health issues, either mental or physical, and I wish her well, but think she should resolve them offstage. I'd be thrilled to see her back in top form but for now I will avoid her. I know there are many opinions on the ballet aesthetic and weight. But for me, ballet is a visual art and when any one performer is too distracting it breaks the spell. IMO Management has responsibility to ticket-goers to provide a certain standard of visual excellence as well as technical excellence and I think they are not stepping up with Bouder. Laracey was as lovely in Emeralds as everyone else has already mentioned. She has a gift of realizing all the positions fully while never disrupting flow. (I stand with all those who've written they wished she'd been made a principal.) Baily Jones and Alexa Maxwell were both terrific and beautifully matched. So much talent in that company! Chan, as mentioned upthread, keeps getting better every time I see him. Jewels highlights port de bras so a special mention to Olivia Boisson for her upper-body grace, I'd not really noticed her before but she's lovely.

I'm agreeing with ABT Fan. Lovely and talented dancers all, but from what I've seen so far they don't put me in mind of Myrtha. Fangqi Li has already impressed several of us as a dancer of exceptional promise. It looks like management has faith that Li already has the stage quality to be a successful Myrtha (and at the minimum, her jetes are remarkable). It's possible she is getting the chance because of Williams being out but still it's an enormous vote of confidence to give her two Myrthas at the Met. I also think it's a wise publicity move to feature Misseldine and Li to generate more excitement for Giselle performances with Giselles we've seen before. And it's Zhong-Jing Fang's first Myrtha, isn't it? At least at the Met, I think. I'm happy to see her getting this role after so many years battling back from devastating injury. I'd love to see all three of them! I also wanted to see Hurlin's Giselle, but the all-star cast on Saturday that Gillian Murphy is leading (Murphy, Forster, and Teuscher all best-fits for those roles) - surely Gillian can't go on forever? Maybe I shouldn't miss it, just in case there doesn't end up being another opportunity. Hard choices!

Chiming in to say that I also was at Friday's Concerto Barocco/ Kammermusik/ Raymonda Variations and I fully agree with the commenters above - Laracey was just outstanding in Concerto Barocco, not that Gerrity wasn't fine (she was great) but my eye went to Laracey. They both had clean and fleet footwork, but there's something about Laracey's carriage and expressiveness that just makes her the more watchable. She's developed from being someone I looked forward to in more lyrical roles to being someone I look forward to in everything. I had that same "WHY isn't she principal yet?" reaction to Kikta in Kammermusik. Such energy and precision! She dances big. I love it when a dancer seems to be thrilled to be onstage dancing for us. Though nearly everyone onstage dancing Kammermusik seemed to be having a grand time! It must be great fun to dance that one. And of course Tiler Peck and Joe Gordon. Everyone's said it all already... I'll just add that in his cabrioles, Joe had that smoothness to direction changes that make it all look so easy. There's never any abruptness to his transition to the other side, just flow. Tiler is the queen for this quality for ballerinas. The two of them together are just sublime - they can go so very, very fast and you don't see the effort. I'm sure you need to develop it into full glory but my theory is that some are just born with truly special fast-twitch muscle capability. It was a fantastic evening at the ballet and again I was struck by the extraordinary level of execution at City Ballet . The dedication to timing and precision pays off. At one point Peter Walker and Aaron Sanz, who are dark-haired and similar in height and build, were dancing in symmetry and their timing was so synchronized it looked like I was seeing double. Not a fraction of a second's difference in timing, not a moment where their limbs and angles weren't identically placed. I do dearly love my story ballets but for me nothing across the plaza even comes close to the consistent high quality of City Ballet, and on a good night like Friday, it's touching the divine. What riches we have in New York!

Last night's Sleeping Beauty was a joyous delight. (The last SB I saw was ABT's rather garish Kirkland production; this was far better. So many lovely court costumes!) Echoing that Fairchild and Gordon were wonderful - expansive and assured. They made it all look easy, even the fishes. Dancing of all roles was of the highest level. Loved the Garland Dance as seeing so many dancers moving in intricate patterns is just deeply satisfying to me. I thought the fairies' choreography often looked a bit frenetic. I admire speed and dazzling footwork as much as anyone, but feel a steady diet of it for five variations in a row isn't the best presentation. All fairies did really well although I did see some tiny weight adjustments here and there due to the extreme difficulty and speed of the steps. Baily Jones in the final (red tutu) variation was notable for her quickness, precision and secure footing. Mira Nadon was a beautiful regal Lilac with her long limbs. She danced and acted very well in her debut, with lovely musical back-bendy attitude turns, but I did feel she came across as a bit solemn compared to the smiling, warm and gracious Stella Abrera I last saw as Lilac. Perhaps that's an artistic choice for Nadon; every dancer has their own personality onstage. The cattiness of the White Cat and Puss (E. Von Enck and Harrison Cole) got many laughs from the audience around me. So did the tiny Little Red Riding Hood with her small forest tree friends and her (very avuncular) Wolf. She looked like she couldn't have been more than five or six years old and not only was she adorable in her big number, but later during the reprise, she kept up with all the adults covering a great deal of ground in the mazurka. She was practically running and still did all the steps and right timing. I know that small children with that talent, level of discipline and commitment exist, but I have never met one! Certainly not mine. Although I liked the dancers and the music, I didn't think the choreography for the Jewels brought enough extra to the fairytale section to be worth the added time. If someone were to tell me that it was more Martins than Petipa, I would not be surprised; even when Martins was at his best, I rarely seemed to "click" with his work. (Except for his early piece Calcium Light Night, which I do appreciate and don't think he ever topped.) Question for those who know this kind of thing. In her Rose Adagio, Fairchild didn't make a show of holding the attitude balances for a long time. They were secure but fairly brief. I've no doubt she could sustain them for an extended time if she tried. Is that her personal choice (maybe to not slow down the music tempo), or is that Balanchine discouraged that kind of grandstanding?

Completely agree. For health reasons I haven't been able to attend much in the last few years and had never seen him dance until this past fall, when I saw him as the Poet in La Sonambula. He was beautiful: magnificent technique, wonderful acting, musical sensitivity, and what a physique! To me, the "total package," and I resolved to see more of him. Gone too soon for sure.

I did and it was divine. It was nearly a full house and a very appreciative one. "JuliaJ" upthread said that Devon Teuscher was becoming a dancer to really seek out this season and I agree wholeheartedly. She's always been a wonderful and reliable dancer but her artistry seems to have gone to next-level lately. Her Juliet was beautifully acted. Her every movement was either liquid or clear as the choreography called for. Her arms were willowy and tender with longing. Teuscher's technique is so secure she's at the point now where she makes it all look effortless. Bell's Romeo was fantastic. His boyishness, and the obvious youth of his friends (Garegin Pogossian as Mercutio and Sung Woo Han as Benvolio) made it so believable that these were all just teens full of pent-up energy. The men danced well in their pas de trois, the part that sounds a bit like Peter and the Wolf). Bell handled all the choreography and partnering with ease, including the three press lifts from the knees. He and Teucher have beautifully matched lines and physiques. The balcony pas de de deux ended with the the swooniest kiss I've seen yet - it certainly looked like Aran Bell really knows how to kiss a woman. The audience sighed out loud. Utterly romantic. Pogossian knocked all our socks off - not just blazing through the jumps with splendid height and technique, but great dramatic presence onstage. Where has he been, able to develop such assurance and command of the enormous Met stage with so little exposure? A wonderful new talent. His smaller stature means he might not have the danseur noble career, but I'm hoping he's given a Puck in the fall season's The Dream. If he does, mark your calendar. Thomas Forster was a fine and menacing Tybalt, with a splendid-looking sword fight with Romeo and died magnificently. Forster is every inch a world-class principal dancer in every respect. He's been superb in everything I've seen him in the last few years. Andrii Ischuk, as Paris, again makes the most of a small role. He too has personality to burn. The way he walks has such grace and power (reminds me of Cornejo and Gomes who would just walk into position for their variation and I'm already entranced). Sung Woo Han as Benvolio danced crisply, beautiful feet; but in an evening where the magic happens from the storytelling, his was the only performance that I felt had room for character development. Roman Zhurbin was his usual impressive work as Lord Capulet, and (if I have it right) Alexandra Basmagy as Lady Capulet was heartrending in her grief for Tybalt. Wonderful acting. R&J is never my favorite ballet as I'm not much a fan of the Prokofiev music. The score is often dissonant, frenetic, or both. But when the Macmillan choreography is performed not only skillfully but with so much heart and emotion, it's a magnificent night of theater.

Just back from the Boylston/Simkin matinee. Simkin superb in every way: pure flowing line, astonishing technique, comic flair and tons of charm. And of course the crazy jumps and spins he is known for drew gasps and applause. But it's his playful musical timing that makes him one of my very favorite dancers. (Cornejo has always had this in spades, too.) Simkin's still in his prime years and his dancing is glorious. This is one of Boylston's best roles, I think. She handled the technical aspects of the role very well: leaps were high, stretched and dramatic, fouettes were fast and secure (though I think all singles), plenty of energy and personality. Her legs and feet are just beautiful. But I'd have liked more Spanish style in her carriage; and the too-straight elbows, bent wrists and splayed fingers that I find mar the lines of her port de bras in pure classical roles were still very much in evidence. Devon Teuscher's Mercedes/Dryad Queen was outstanding. Her Mercedes really had great Spanish style in her hands and posture. As Queen, her hops on point were very secure and covered lots of ground; her jetés had remarkable height. I don't know if Teuscher has danced Kitri yet but I do hope she will soon - she'll be splendid. Her partner Calvin Royal, subbing for Forster, handled his cape well and had good bravado, but sitting in orchestra I was surprised to see that his feet weren't always fully pointed in jumps. Jonathan Klein impressed as the Gypsy leader. I had not seen him in a featured role before and he has great presence. Katherine Williams and Paulina Waski were both excellent and delightful flower girls. Strong work from everyone in supporting roles. Cast looked well-rehearsed. I'm fairly certain that Luigi Crispino was the dark-haired toreador who caught my eye for his over-the-top Spanish machismo and panache. He was having so much fun that I began watching him specifically in the toreador ensemble numbers. Overall a wonderful afternoon performance and when this same cast gets to do it again, and pulls out all the stops on Saturday night, it'll take the roof off!

Allegra Kent was at Tuesday night's performance of Swan Lake - I heard her giving her name for her tickets as I was picking up my own ticket. I hope she was happy with the current production. She is still beautiful, and as often happens when I see dancers who give the impressions of being long and elegantly tall onstage, she is quite petite in real life! Such a lovely dancer; I was fortunate enough to see her perform, although I was too young at the time to fully appreciate her gifts.

Mille-feuille, I'm in full agreement on every item you wrote above. 4T's was absolutely beautiful last night - the style, precision and timing were so good I was surprised to check the program afterwards and see how many newer names were cast. Everyone was prepared and fully committed and my goodness it looked wonderful. The dancers' body types in cast were exceeding similar in height and legginess so that the symmetries really shone. Emily Kikta, as others have mentioned, was spectacular, but all the featured dancers were superb. Sonatine was pretty but not especially memorable. Taylors Stanley danced with his usual liquid grace and Ashley Laracey had nice lines - very fluid through her upper back all the way to the fingertips. Mira Nadon's Black Swan was dramatic, and I loved her stage presence. (As Fernie suggested she'll make a splendid Siren.) Clearly she has the technical ability to meet the demands and I was happy to attribute her difficulties on the fouettes to nothing more than too much adrenaline making it harder to manage those long limbs. I like how she is already finding the "space between the steps". A huge talent and I will definitely seek out shows where she is featured. Chun Wai Chan impressed as well, lots of drama and presence plus solid technique. And his double tour plie landings reminded me of the best ice dancing teams - the huge soft deep knee bends create a lovely strength and smoothness. Joe Gordon looked just terrific as the Prince. He danced "big" in his variation, especially in his travelling jumps, and earned much applause. I understand now why he has so many ardent fans. Tiler's Odette was fine, it's not like it's ever a bad night when she dances - I adore her - but I was so often dazzled in the past, I felt she didn't reach the bar she has set for expectations. I'd been hoping that my less-familiar eyes wouldn't see the comparative stiffness that other regulars have been reporting. But it was really noticeable last night. Perhaps her neck has been giving her extra trouble recently? I couldn't help but wonder if she's in peak form right now. It's not just that extensions are low, I can be okay with that and often I even prefer those gentler lines to the extreme extensions. But the clean fifths and clear shapes just didn't seem to be there the way I had remembered them. I hope she comes back in full glory soon.

Volcanohunter, thank you for taking the time to write all this up and for the wealth of knowledge, observation and thoughtful opinion. Much appreciated. And interesting that you note the bulging insteps. In the Bolshoi's Jewels broadcast I mentioned earlier, it looked to me as though both Evgenia Obrazstova and Svetlana Zakharova were wearing padded arch enhancers. They look lovely when the foot is pointing, but create a knobby hump on the top of the foot when it is flat on the ground. The closeups on the large movie screen make the wearing of these gimmicks more noticeable than it is in the theater. Both of these dancers - like Osipova who also wears them in films I have seen - already have beautifully arched feet! I'm guessing they are trying to achieve the aesthetic you described. And although her physique is not her fault, I always found Misty Copeland's appearance less than ideal in classical roles for the very thing you describe: her hyperextended legs and overarched feet create wavy lines rather than straight ones. In Misty's case the disrupted line is accented by her knotty calf muscles. The visuals do matter to me. I tend not to like any stylistic look taken to extremes anyway- for example although I enjoy the lines created by a long lean leg, I'm still happy with the look of Margot Fonteyn too. Skeletally thin dancers distract me - I worry for them!

Re: Elizaveta Kokoreva - she and Dmitry Smilevsky just knocked my socks off in today's Pathe cinema broadcast of the Bolshoi's performance of Jewels. They played the lead couple in Rubies and the ease, the crystalline clarity, the musicality. Really extraordinary! I thought they seemed quite at ease with Balanchine style. They seemed to be romping with the choreography: smooth, quick, and clear shapes, and somehow made everyone else's dancing look a touch effortful by comparison. Kokoreva is an absolutely stunning talent and Smilevsky matched her - I loved them together. Emeralds was lovely, with the cinematic closeups lingering on Evgenia Obrazstova's exquisitely beautiful face - it never hurts to be gorgeous as well as a strong dancer. But I also very much liked the dancing of super-slender Anastasia Denisova. Diamonds well presented too (Svetlana Zakharova, Jacopo Tissi). Wonderful costuming. I especially liked how the Emerald bodices didn't have a flat edge at the waist, but were slightly tapered. (NYCB's boxy Emerald bodices can make a 90-pound waif look like she has no waistline.)

I agree with both of the above reviews of this mixed bill. Fangqi Li again made a lovely impression (she was the lead in purple in La Follia Variations). I also noticed the diminutive Kanon Kimura in that. The ballet was pleasant, if slight, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to because of the commitment, technique and unity of these dancers. All of them were corps and many of them unknown to me: cast was Scout Forsythe, Jonathan Klein, Emily Hayes, Melvin Lawovi, Kanon Kimura, Jacob Clerico, Fangqi Li, and Joseph Markey. If this is the quality of the up-and-comers in the next generation at ABT, color me impressed. The casting in Pillar of Fire was perfect, to me. Gillian Murphy as the lonely middle sister Hagar and Zimmi Coker the flirtatious younger sister. Their both being long-limbed redheads enhanced the idea of them being sisters. Thomas Forster was the diffident Friend charmed by the pretty and confident younger sister. Cory Stearns played the Young Man as a handsome, careless cad; Cory's good looks came into good effect here. Not having seen earlier interpretations of the role as sleazy or malevolent, I found his portrayal entirely convincing. I've known handsome men like that: charming when in pursuit, but losing interest once the hunt is over and uncaring of the damage they leave behind. Not quite qualifying as malevolent as the harm they cause is only a side effect of believing they are entitled to satisfy their own desires at all times. Gillian's the best dance actress ABT has and here she was exquisite - never too much drama, never too little. Zimmi enchanted me with her lightness, precision and acting ability. I think she's going to be fast-tracked into bigger things very soon. Thomas Forster's dancing was very good, and his final duet with Gillian, touching & heartfelt. I've been a big Forster fan for many years and am happy to see him doing so well in major roles. Most of all I was moved by Anthony Tudor's ability to express story and emotion through his choreography. This is my first viewing of Pillar and having it sandwiched between these two newer ballets reminded me of what it's like, as a native New Yorker, to visit regional city art museums. In NYC, everything's a masterpiece. In, say, Cleveland Art Museum, you see lots of very good, even fine art, but when you come across a masterwork there, it glows even brighter by comparison with the art around it. And so it was with Pillar last night. Zig Zag was pretty good choreography - Lang knows what she is doing - but I still didn't warm to it. It feels like it was designed to be a crowd-pleaser. The loud-volume music was recordings of past-his-prime Tony Bennett: older & thinner-sounding. (And in his duet with Lady Gaga I couldn't help but be aware that vocally she wasn't up to the task.) But it was fun, very Broadway-style, and danced with verve and enthusiasm with cute costumes. I noticed that the more elderly audience members near me - particularly the gents - seemed to enjoy it hugely. It's hard to tell how much of a hit it was from audience response though because the house was only about half-full. Pillar of Fire isn't a big box-office draw and the other two works were both new and while fine, neither were they something I would be excited to see again. I worry that ABT, having moved away from the guest-star model of getting ticket sales, will decide it must return to that because it's not making ends meet when the fault is not lack of home talent but poor programming.

I also saw that Fall for Dance show, though on Saturday night, and agree Mejia has it all. I had no idea Fandango had originally been commissioned for a female dancer; it appeared as if it had been designed for him. It's wonderful, both the dance and his performance. He's delivering on the high expectations set in his first years with the company. The Bloom piece was a delight - besides the joyous dancing of Peck and Cornejo, I very much liked the simple costuming and the melodic music by Caroline Shaw. ( I'm not much a fan of the look of bare knees with point shoes, but that's probably just me not keeping up with the times.) They are a beautiful pair together, both so musical and free - and fast. There were many tricky changes of direction and momentum in Justin Peck's choreography and it looked easy when they dance it. The music for the tap number was outstanding: the blues singer, Crystal Monee Hall, was sensational. I found the tap number a little overlong, and my mind wandered to debating whether the notoriously difficult problems of amplifying taps had finally been solved. They roamed all over the stage with no difference in sound quality, so it couldn't be stationary mics. Maybe technology had evolved to wearing tiny mics in their shoes? (All the classic Astaire and Gene Kelly films had the tap sounds added in by foley artists after filming.) But that marley dance floor isn't going to make a good metallic tapping sound, and tap sounds we heard during the tap dance performance were both crisp and amplified to the point of being quite loud. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if they were "foot-syncing" and eventually decided that yes, the tapping sounds were not live but had been pre-recorded. I may be wrong but it certainly seemed that way. It didn't detract from the live performances at all - it likely made them more engaging.

Helene, was that book "Off Balance: The Real World of Ballet" by Suzanne Gordon? I remember it well. I had decided the year before it was published that I would not be pursuing a ballet career. I didn't feel I had the single-minded dedication it takes, or the ideal enough legs and feet, and I wanted to go to regular high school and have some fun instead of missing out on everything if I wasn't going to be a professional dancer. Reading that book really helped me feel that I had made the right decision. (That summer I was at SAB and bulimia was sadly very evident - it's harder to hide than plain anorexia nervosa.)

Skylar Brandt's dancing tonight was breathtaking. Her jumps were even springier than I remembered pre-pandemic; the height she achieving skipping out of the house in her first entrance had me thinking of Osipova. She covered so much distance on her hops on stage in the Spessivtseva variation that she nearly ended up offstage. Dizzyingly fast attitude spins after being summoned form the grave, check; solid adagio solo balances, speedy footwork, perfect turns and control - check and check. I like her portrayal of Giselle as beautiful and flirtatious, but visibly fragile. Skylar has the bones of a sparrow so this is especially believable. Skylar's version of the mad scene had long periods of stillness, where the action stopped. It was a very different take than the more dramatic renditions I've seen, and it may grow on me. However ABT's staging has Albrecht standing around on the side a bit awkwardly for much of the early mad scene, and this was more noticeable without the distraction of more action from Giselle. I was there for Skylar's debut, but Herman's performance was magical. His jumps were beautiful and noiseless, his form and bearing graceful and regal, his playful courtship of Giselle funny, his grief sincere, his partnering divine - he made Skylar skim and float. Well, his jumps weren't entirely noiseless - from the 2nd ring you could hear his calves slapping together in his magnificent brises, yet not hear his landings at all. Incredible that he is performing at the level he is after such a long career, accumulated injuries, and a pandemic layoff. What a complete dancer he is. Stephanie Peterson (Williams) gave a fine debut as Myrta and I was particularly taken with the elegant dancing of Fangqi Li as Moyna. Li has absolutely lovely head carriage and port de bras, which I am missing without Stella Abrera and Sarah Lane. I enjoyed Andrii Ischuk as Hilarion; he reminded me of Isaac Stappas in that role - such a great character actor he was! I remember really feeling for Isaac's Hilarion as he first stomped around, then had his heart broken and finally was danced to death. As much as I loved the performance, I will say I don't love the first act women's costuming. Giselle's dress was a rather drab lavender and the peasant dresses were dull except for the six peasant friend' dresses which were so bright they look garish by comparison. I do think ABT could do better.

I saw the mishap with Megan Crone; it looked as though, when she was in an attitude balance and the two men each holding her hand switch places, that Villarini-Velez changed sides and took hold of her hand as expected. The other partner, Andres Zuniga, also switched places and from my view, never reached for her other hand at all. Not reached and missed - it appeared he simply didn't do it at all. The momentum from V-V's taking her hand, without the counterforce of the other partner, made LeCrone slowly rotate. She struggled to hold the balance but slowly veered off center as she turned and eventually fell, with V-V keeping her from collapsing on the floor, in an ungainly way that couldn't be covered or disguised. I felt terrible for all of them. Despite this disconcerting early mishap, LeCrone danced full-out and splendidly, reminding me of a gymnast getting back on the beam and nailing the rest of the routine. It was an especially long-leggedy Agon - glorious and space-eating. Agree with others, Unity Phelan and Preston Chamblee were spectactular in After the Rain. Someone upthread wrote that it's best if it's a taller ballerina in this piece, for the joy of seeing long limbs unfolding , & she delivered. Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia match each other wonderfully. He still seems very young onstage, but he already has impeccable timing and musicality like Tiler. The lifts and drops were so beautifully timed that I heard the woman next to me actually gasp at the final shoulder-sit lift that closes the piece. It's not a showy lift but they delivered maximum impact! And they were having so much fun in the last pas de deux, it seemed they both knew by then they were "on" and that his debut was a smashing success. His jumps are high, clean and soft. A promising debut. I think I am not a La Valse fan, though I loved the costumes and it was nicely danced.

I'm a huge and avid fan of Sarah's dancing (her port de bras is exquisite) and her artistry; when she's "on", she's magical. I am terribly sorry she is gone from ABT. I wish she hadn't said some things in this interview because the impression may hurt, not help, her chances for future employment. Cobweb, I also wonder about that R&J offer. Sarah says she "tried" to file a formal complaint; she doesn't say she did. She says she was offered a Juliet as a final performance and then says she felt, "it's important to be honest and keep my own voice rather than keep quiet and do this performance." But she was indeed scheduled to debut her Juliet with ABT last May 28th - it was canceled, along with everything else that season. One possible explanation that comes to mind is that she took the offered deal, but didn't get to dance her Juliet, so now is presenting ABT as trying to silence her and herself as having been too principled to accept such a deal. All that might not be appealing to the management of companies thinking of hiring her. In the interview I reacted to her "respectfully" asking to not dance with her partner "ever again," as thinking that must not be the whole story. I can understand requesting not to be paired with him while injured, if it was endangering or seriously compromising her, but for forever for any reason is a big ask for an AD; let alone a temporary reason such as injury. Once AD's start allowing dancers to choose which partners they will dance with, casting would quickly become untenable. Again, that might not be appealing to the management of companies thinking of hiring her. Sarah mentions her work ethic has kept her from injury. But getting injured does not have to be a personal failing brought on by negligence. Sarah saying that the partner was "never in class" felt like something added only to give the impression this (seriously injured) partner, struggling through their rehearsals, wasn't being serious about their dancing. Whatever went wrong with her partnership with Cornejo, lack of dedication to his art is probably not the problem. Dancers nursing injuries may not want to take company class, and companies have allowed some dancers to oversee their own conditioning. Dancers with long careers have worn, older bodies and accumulated injuries and may not be best served by daily company class. Whether or not they're in company class isn't relevant to Sarah's rehearsal time; it's her judging that the injuries come from not enough work ethic. Again, if I were management of a company wanting to hire her, these comments would be a bit of a red flag. Many of her grievances are widely know to be valid, including the guest-star era holding back career development, insufficient coaching and stage rehearsal time, and of course being expected to pretend Natalie Portman did her own dancing. It's been a hard road, and I can wholeheartedly support her in speaking up about those issues!

Piling on to say how much I also loved the extra detail, pantomime and story. So much mime took a bit of getting used to at first, but the story development made the ballet so much richer and fit the musical narrative so well, I am now going to miss it when I see other Giselles. Ratmansky paid a lot of attention to having the storylines make more sense and having movement match the music beautifully. I liked story details like having Loys (Albrecht) run to safety behind the cross after dancing with wili Giselle, and then being discovered there and brought to Myrtha by wilis later; in some productions it seems he wandered off for a while for no reason while Hans (Hilarion) appears and is danced to death. I also liked all the added special effects - especially Giselle rising and disappearing into her grave on a little elevator. A few were a little hokey, such as Myrta rumbling past on her arabesque scooter, and the hinged tree branch for lily-dropping, but the effects seemed so in keeping with the flavor of the period that I enjoyed them. I found the super speedy but very musical choreography for the peasant and village dances dazzling. The entire first act was engaging and full of one delight after another. I found myself feeling more sympathy for Hans/Albrecht in this version: his love was sincere and convinced me that he didn't want to be an aristocrat and marry Bathilde; it wasn't within his power to change his birth and he was trapped by fate into marrying a woman he didn't love. Hans/Hilarion was rough, even violent, persisted in pursuing Giselle even after she had told him she loved another man, and seemed motivated by spite to reveal the prince's identity. Usually he seems to have gotten an entirely raw deal but in this version I was little less upset with his death by wili. The dancing was superlative in every role, with a special compliment to the fine acting of the two leads. Artemy Belyakov was not only technically excellent, tall and princely and heartfelt, but catches the breeze with the finest male coiffure I've seen since Peter Martins. Vlashinets was a superb Myrtha, imperious, coolly controlled with every movement and possessing a beautiful effortless high jump. I personally didn't think the addition of the fugue was a completely success; the dance and patterning was lovely but it sounded as if suddenly a baroque composer had been hired on spec to fill in extra music. I agree that having Giselle sink into the earth was a lovely addition, but I would have preferred that happen nearer to her grave as that was her passageway to the underworld. It gave the impression that because the stage mechanics for the grave elevator and the sinking earth couldn't be combined into one spot, that Giselle had to sink on stage right, and thinking about the logistics of it took me out of the moment. Loved that she gave her blessing to the marriage before being covered by turf (a beautiful effect!). I also wasn't sure I liked Bathilde finding him at Giselle's grave at dawn. I wondered how she ended up there. Was this noblewoman out with search party for him all night, or was it that she couldn't sleep and wanted to visit Giselle's grave herself? I do hope there is a DVD and I would move mountains to see this production if it should be performed in the USA. Here's hoping.

Faux Pas, I too wondered what Tidwell is doing these days. I did a quick google search and found he guested as Russian in the Nutcracker of Salisbury Ballet this past December in North Carolina. So he is still dancing at at least occasionally. But it does seem like he is not dancing much. Such an extraordinary talent. I remember picking him out of a corps of men at ABT as someone to watch back in the early aughts.