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md2103

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Posts posted by md2103

  1. I agree with Ceeszi about last night's performance. What an amazing night from start to finish. I was a fool to not buy a ticket for this show (because I was in denial that Nina is leaving) and ended up with a last minute craigslist seat in one of the Grand Tier boxes. I stood for the entire performance!

    I too attended the Vishneva/Gomes performance on Wednesday and thought that it would be tough to melt my heart like Diana and Marcelo did but I was wrong. I almost started to cry after the White Swan PDD las night. So here is what I thought of the rest. I still find the corps to be disorganized and not exactly together in Act I. I thought that Gennadi did an excellent job in the Peasant PDT, much better dancing than he did as Von Rothbart earlier in the week. Simone Messmer was lovely and her jumps strong and high. I wasn't impressed by Renata. I think that the corps overall had a much higher level of energy last night throughout. They seemed more together in Act II but still rough patches throughout. Melanie Hamrick is so long an beautiful and I enjoyed her as one of the two swans. The Act II PDD was absolutely perfect for me. Nina's phrasing was beautiful and what I love about her the most are her weightless arms. I noticed every detail of her arms and hands even without my binoculars. Angel partnered her wonderfully and it looked like they had an amazing time dancing together. Act III - Marcelo Gomes was the best Von Rothbart! I've seen him do this role before but there was something about last night that was exploding with energy. He really did steal the show for a minute after his solo. I think he owns this role! I read a few earlier posts that people found his interpretation to be slightly over the top but I disagree. There was nothing spectacular or particularly interesting about the character dances. I did notice a difference between Blaine Hoven and Grant de Long in the Neapolitan dance. One appears much more energetic and technically strong than the other. The Black Swan PDD was sensational! I loved it. Nina's energy was radiant. I was a little worried about the coda but it was fine. Nina definitely looked like she was concentrating on her fouette turns and turned at a normal speed (as compared to the light speed double turns of her earlier years) and was controlled throughout. I definitely think that Angel Corella did significantly better dancing than he did on Tuesday night (with Murphy). I was actually a little disappointed after his performance on Tuesday however he completely redeemed himself last night. He was full of energy in Act III and he looked like he was having so much fun. The fish dive at the end of the Black Swan PDD with Marcelo and Angel was entertaining and the audience loved it. I am not a fan of the Act IV of this version of Swan Lake so I will skip comments. The corps was a little more organized than earlier in the week but still disappointing. The curtain calls were amazing! Ceeszi described it all in her previous post. I particularly liked when Marcelo and David Hallberg bowed all the way down to the ground on their hands and knees when they gave her flowers. Nina is such a generous and genuine ballerina. She graciously appreciated all of the screaming applause and flowers. Her daughter is adorable by the way. The audience definitely did not want the performance to end. I am so happy that I got to see Nina's rippling swan arms two extra times. It's mesmerizing when she does it. All in all, the best performance of the season (Vishneva/Gomes Swan Lake in 2nd place). I think that Nina can keep on dancing for more years to come but at the same time, I will never forget this performance. She was able to deliver in every way and she really did finish her career at ABT with a bang, and then some. I am so happy that I was there and I will remember it forever.

    Sorry for the rambling review but I am still excited, even the day after.

    I can't wait to read what other people thought. I'm going to skip writing about the other two Swan Lakes I saw earlier this week.

  2. Hi everyone. As always, thanks for the reviews. I went to see Giselle last night (Ananiashvili/Carreno/Murphy). I am so happy that I went because I thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance but I am also very sad that I won't get to see Nina perform Giselle anymore. It's a shame that there is no DVD available for purchase of her in Giselle. I never get tired of watching the Don Q and Swan Lake films.

    Nina danced beautifully in act I. Despite her age, her acting was wonderful and she portrayed a young Giselle very genuinely in my opinion. I always love Nina and never have anything negative to say about her, ever. I really liked Kristi Boone as Bathilde, she is so pretty and elegant. It was nice to see her as Bathilde since I enjoyed her dancing as the Siren alongside Angel Corella two weeks ago. Gennadi is a great actor and his dancing is excellent as well. What I did not like much was the Peasant Pas de Deux for reasons not related to the dancing. Sarah Lane is beautiful and dainty and it surprises me that for someone so tiny she moves very well across the stage and uses her space effectively. Her pirouettes are beautiful and she dances with such ease. I always like her! I felt the opposite about Simkin. It appeared that he over-danced his variation and over-jumped everything. It surprised me that with his super high jumps and extra accentuated beats (especially in the double cabriole) he was able to keep everything under control. At times he seemed kind of wild with the jumping. Besides that, I didn't enjoy him as a partner. As someone had mentioned before, it appeared that he was dancing for himself, and the entire Peasant PDD was about him. Having said that, there were no major partnering errors but there was little connection between him and Lane. I think she would have looked even more beautiful had he presented her more effectively and been more involved as a partner. Enough on that. The mad scene was great! I sat a little too close so I was able to see Nina's expressions very clearly. She is amazing. Something weird was going on with her hair though. Maybe since her hair is normally short she wore a hair piece that looked a little strange. I guess that's what I get for sitting so close. As for Carreno, he was wonderful. I enjoy watching him in all of the full length ballets. He is such a solid and well rounded dancer and he dances so well with Nina. It was evident last night that they really enjoyed dancing together and there was such a great connection throughout the entire ballet.

    I liked act 2 better than act 1. Gillian Murphy was spectacular as Myrta in her own way. I can't say that she is a true romantic ballerina but she impressed me in so many other ways. Her jumps were high and her control was excellent. She is so musical and her technique is so impressive to me. I really wish she would change her pointe shoes, so badly. What impressed me the most about her was her portrayal of Myrta. I could almost feel the evil queen coming out of her. Her bourrees were captivating. I am seeing her Swan Lake for the first time in two weeks and I can't wait. I was never a fan until recently and I have no idea why. I always avoided her performances and now I feel like I've missed out. After yesterday, I am officially a fan. Though she could improve her upper body to fit into the romantic style of ballet, I think she dances Myrta much better than Wiles. I saw Wiles as Myrta last season and am not a fan. I absolutely loved the PDD. To me, it was perfect. I was sitting at the edge of my seat soaking up every minute of it. Nina was in a zone. I don't have much to say about the corps because I didn't really pay attention to them because I was too focused on Nina and Jose. The lines looked a little sloppy but I sat too close and didn't have a full view of them in action. Hee Seo was beautiful and I hope to see more of her in the upcoming years. She floated around so delicately. I guess that's all I can think of. Oh one more thing, it appeared that Nina almost tripped on her grave while exiting the stage and it totally freaked me out. Did anyone else notice that? The audience went wild at the end and Nina got many curtain calls, which she definitely deserved. Many flowers where thrown on to the stage and cameras were flashing. I stayed until the very end because I didn't want it to end! All in all, it was the best performance I've been to all year (ABT and NYCB).

    I hope to read what others thought of this performance.

  3. This is my second review on BT so I'm still nervous to write on here! Thanks for all the nice reviews. I enjoy reading them.

    I attended the Balanchine Tchaikovsky Spectacular on 5/19. First of all, I had a very large head in front of me and I am hoping that this person does not have the same Tuesday subscription that I do. If so, I will have to get one of those red velvet pillows to see next time.

    AB - I really enjoyed Murphy in this. What stood out the most for me was her crisp and clean triple pirouettes that were perfectly timed with the music. Her bright red hair looked nice with her peachy pink silk dress, although I thought it was going to be an odd combination. Her variation was very well done and her petit allegro is so energetic and entertaining to watch. I will say though that I wish she would open her eyes wider and smile a little more. She looked too serious at times, but I guess that is her. Ethan really stood out to me, not only for his stage presence and beautiful dancing, but also for his obvious mastery of Balanchine ballets. I did not particularly enjoy the corps and felt they looked a little disconnected. The corps men danced well in general but not necessarily well for a Balanchine ballet.

    Tchai Pas - Marcelo Gomes was absolutely wonderful in this, most notably as a partner. I think that he just keeps getting better and better every season and is at the top of his game. Even though I like him better in the story ballets, I thought he was excellent in Tchai Pas. Paloma wowed the audience with her daring fish dives and quick turns. It seemed that she was a little off music tonight, like speeding up and rushing at times. I am not her number one fan and I always seem to just stare at her legs and feet, which I can't complain about, but it can get boring. Herrera and Gomes danced so well together though and it was definitely the highlight of this piece, watching their partnership.

    Mozartiana - no comment. From now on, I'll stick to watching City Ballet perform this.

    T&V - This was my first time seeing Wiles in this ballet. I didn't like it much. Wiles has really nice footwork, technique, and turns but her upper body doesn't do it for me. Maybe she just needs to perform these ballets more. I'm not sure what it is but I found her to be rather boring. I loved the corps though. The costumes always surprise me when the curtain goes up as if I've never seen them before. I especially liked Marian Butler. Her technique is solid and she leads the corps well. She also has a great smile!

    In response to an earlier post about Kajiya in this role...I've seen her do it once with Hallberg and it doesn't seem like the right ballet for her. She executes all of the steps just fine but something huge is missing, not sure what. I wonder why she keeps dancing the lead in T&V, not that she doesn't deserve it, but I feel like there are so many other roles that she is much better suited for.

    Thanks and that's my review! Please correct me if I went against any of the ballet talk rules.

  4. Hi. I also attended the 2/14 matinee program and I really enjoyed it as well. This is the first time I review a performance on here so I'm totally nervous!!! I do enjoy reading what everyone else writes so thank you for all the wonderful comments and opinions.

    This was my first time seeing the one act Swan Lake and I really enjoyed it. Since I am used the four act saga, I felt that it ended quickly. Wendy Whelan made a beautiful lead swan and I wish I sat closer so that I could see her facial expressions and attention to detail during the pdd and the ending. Charles always dances the classical roles well (maybe because of his years at ABT). He has great stage presence and poise and it really showed in my opinion. I loved Danny Ulbricht and M. Fairchild in Tin Soldier. His ability to execute such a clean and crisp petite allegro never ceases to amaze me. I thought that they made a perfect pair for this ballet. I was a little distracted by the balloons in the background but whatever, not important. Since I am not a huge fan of Yvonne Borree (sorry those who are) I was delighted to see Kathryn Morgan as Juliet. The pdd was well danced but I didn't feel that there was a strong connection between Morgan and Angle. Perhaps because of a casting change? I hope that Morgan gets more opportunities to shine, she really has beautiful lines. I also liked the simplicity of the set and how it was very dark. I thought it contrasted Juliet's dress nicely. I guess this scene is always like that but I wasn't distracted by the scenery like I usually am in R&J. The final piece (10th Ave) was by far my favorite. Maria's long and beautiful legs and ridiculously high and perfectly timed battements were mesmerizing. I always end up going to programs where she dances the ballerina roles so I absolutely loved her as the strip tease girl. All in all, I really enjoyed this performance and I am so glad that I bought a last minute ticket. I hope that I build up more courage to write more postings on here.

  5. Hello. I just happened to buy two of these cards last Thursday (Robbins night) in the gift shop at the theater. The ones I got were CB40514 and the dancer is not identified. The description says "A corps de ballet dancer as a "snowflake". I also got CB40510, Maria Kowroski and Philip Neal in Diamonds. These cards are still for sale at the gift shop during performances. If I remember correctly, the other ones that were on the rack that I didn't buy:

    CB40501, CB40504, CB40506, and a few more but I don't remember. They are $2.50 each.

  6. I just called the Met Box office to ask about the ABT performance in Miami and whether or not I could purchase tickets over the phone and was told that tickets are not for sale and to call ABT directly. I then called ABT and explained that the Miami tour dates are no longer posted on the ABT website nor are they on the Arsht website. After being transferred within the press office a couple of times I was told again that tickets are no longer for sale. I am so upset. I guess I will find something else to do while in Miami for the weekend. Perhaps enjoy the weather.

  7. Hi. I never post so sorry if I posted incorrectly. I do enjoy reading everyone's wonderful reviews. Thanks!

    Anyway, I was looking on the ABT website for the March calendar and it appears that the Miami shows are not on the calendar anymore. Could it be that they are updating the site to post casting? I got kinda worried because I am going down to Miami that weekend and planned on going to two performances because I love Giselle. I was waiting for the casting to be posted before I bought tickets.

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