1/8 Matinee -- Bouder in Ballo della Regina

[Michael]

Ballo Della Regina.

I wouldn’t have written this at 10:30 p.m. on an icy winter night, but there are some things that must be said. Carley how very right you are. To paraphrase what you said on the Board last week, and again at intermission, and what a friend said on Thursday night, and what my neighbor in the 4th row spontaneously said after today’s performance of Ballo della Regina.:

“If ever there was a dancer who was born to dance a role, it is Ashley Bouder in Ballo and Ballo is the role which Ashley was born to dance.”

This performance was as good as it gets for a Ballet Fan. A performance like Ashely’s in Ballo comes along not just once a season but maybe once a generation.

What struck me about Bouder today, oddly enough, is the way that, even when she is motionless, her stillness is still “potential movement.” No, better, it is the way that Bouder’s momentary stillness “Is” movement. Really, Ashley Bouder never stops moving even when she arrives at a moment of rest. Even her standing still in fifth position, and her breathing, is Dance. I can imagine nothing more impressive in a Ballerina. At her final supported attitude rear, when the music became slow and ceremonial (a march from Don Carlo I believe) and her partner, Joaquin De Luz’s, slowly promenaded her in a rich, ample display of herself in attitude rear to the entire house, her body extended and yet controlled, the rear leg horizontal with the knee slightly lifted, the body perfectly centered yet cambered forward, the chest displayed, her face radiant (Bouder dances too to the back of the 4th ring) I realized that, as far as she was concerned, this was something unexpected and which could not have been predicted.

When, and more importantly just how has Ashley Bouder, as a teenager -- and even now on the street -- a somewhat gap-toothed, eyebrow tweezed, gawky, awkward, but sweet kid from Lancaster – when and just how has she become so radiantly beautiful, such a miraculous and numinous creature on the Stage? It is the amazing thing: How a great dancer makes of herself her own work of art. How in the theater at such a moment the energy from an entire audience pours into them and then projects back out like something from the conclusion of Raiders of the Lost Ark, so that suddenly someone becomes more real and alive and objective on the stage than anywhere else and everyone sort of holds their breath and they are bathed in this other worldy light. She indeed arrived at that point this afternoon. I’m sorry I missed Wednesday and Friday but I’ll certainly not miss her final Ballo on Tuesday. And then if I was smart I’d see nothing more this season (except La Sylve in Theme and Variations?).

Joquin De Luz, to be sure, is not an ideal partner for Ashley Bouder. He is a little short for her and thus forces her to lean backwards towards him in a supported adagio when she would otherwise, with a taller partner, be centered more forward in arabesque, somewhat spoiling the line. So that her throwing her trailing arm (left arm) about at odd angles and bending back towards him with her rear shoulder, when her center of gravity wanted to be more forward was (occasionally) one of the only marked faults she had in this performance.

But “So what?” De Luz’s solos were so especially good, so dynamic and theatrical. He had such great great speed, elevation and musicality (and his landings have in the last year become much softer) … and Ballo, anyway, has so little partnering, with the only real adagio occurring at the very beginning of the piece, that De Luz’s casting was on balance well worth the price.

Among the soloists, Sterling Hyltin, Amanda Edge and Carrie Riggins must also be mentioned. Riggins danced perfectly clean and finished all her steps, the first time I’ve ever been able to say this. And as for Amanda Edge, the way she also both finishes her steps and shows such lovely closed (even overly closed) Fifth Positions and clear pas de chats has always been her strength (the reason why the lead Marzipan Shepherdess in the Nutcracker, with its closed beats to the top of the ankle and gargouillades, has always been one of her best roles) that her performance also was something to see today.

4 T’s

I’ve been watching the Four Temperaments this week with curiosity. Although Peter Boal has appeared to me to be a little out of shape in his Melancholic (age, or too many good dinners now that he’s artistic director-elect of PNB, I suppose), 4 T’s has been very well danced and very well received by the audience, particularly Albert Evans Phlegmatic and Tess Reichlen’s Choleric.

In light of Jenny Somogyi’s absence, Alexandra Ansanelli has stepped into Sanguinic and, as usual, has danced her heart out in a role to which she may not be ideally suited physically. I miss Somogyi’s “mass,” her plasticity and displacement of space in this role, her great physicality. Alexandra is, further not really a “Sanguinic Lass” at heart in the traditional sense of the word. Or, if she is, she’s a rather hyperactive and consumptive one. But the thing is that, in the end … she totally won me over. After thinking all these thoughts, I suddenly found myself watching her and watching her and being fascinated all the same. Just another instance of how this girl, always unconventional, somehow wins me over, night after night, with the sheer and complete emotional sincerity and physical abandon of her performances. She appeared a little stiff in the upper back today.

But back to my curiosity about this Ballet. What I’ve been trying to do is to find some kind of underlying unity in the 4 T’s. I’ve concluded in the end, however, that -- much as I love this Ballet – the underlying artistic unity just may not be there. The idea of the 4 T’s as such, first of all, appears to me as a whole to be quite pretentious. I’ve looked for echoes or precursors of the Melancholic, Sanguinic and Phlegmatic motifs in the three opening Themes (with Choleric only appearing at the end) and have at times found them. I’ve found sorts of physical leitmotivs in the movement patterns themselves as a matter of fact. But in the end I think that this Ballet is best understood and best enjoyed as something which is simply episodic, despite the intellectually imposed unity. Viewed as dance, it’s better than the sum of its parts. Viewed as a single Ballet, it’s less than that sum. If you think of a lot of what the Melancholic dancer does as a depiction of melancholy per se, it’s quite trite and shallow. All those yearning backbends, Oi Vey. If you forget about the idea and sit back and simply enjoy Peter Boal or Albert Evans, it’s much better, in fact it’s almost really good. I know I shall be fried and toasted for this apostasy.

Faye Arthurs was quite incredible in the initial theme. At some other point this season, I hope I can appreciate this fine dancer, now at her peak, with a few more paragraphs. It would now, I think, extend this already too-long review to a too-great further length. I’ll just say that Arthurs is wonderful at the moment. Emotionally serious, beautifully proportioned, she moves with great grace and musicality, but more importantly possesses a sort of “gravitas” and special weight which is hard to find. Good feet, a fine extension -- but what is more important is the way she controls and modulates her extension – There is no one in the company, I think, who has the instant and complete control of her legs from the hips that she does.

Musagete

I forced myself to sit through Musagete for a second time. It is even worse than I remembered it from last Spring.

Robert Tewsley continues to perform the title role as guest artist. I hope they are paying him well. His performance is a tour de force, it looks like he could just about kill himself lifting Wendy Whelan from with his legs from the small of his back and turning her with his feet. I had forgotten the part where, after Tannquil Le Clerq is stricken, Tewsley lies in the middle of the stage in pool of spotlight supported on his rump, with his arms and feet twitching upwards as if he’s resisting being sucked into space by the Force.

One of the gravest troubles continues to appear to be that, because this is a Ballet whose plot involves the depiction of Balanchine choreographing on his dancers, Eifman has had himself to choreograph a good deal of “faux Balanchine.” And his false Balanchine is, unfortunately, execrable. I can tolerate the long passages of pure Eifman -- that is, the pas de deux for example for Tewsley and Whelan as Mourka the Cat/Tamara Geva, etc..

What I can’t stand are the long passages which purport to be classical dance but which are about as about as close to amateurish as can be imagined. Once divorced from his own peculiarly inventive and melodramatic movement palate, Eifman has no idea how to construct the simplest choreographic passages here. He would have done better to have quoted Mr. B verbatim. The whole thing is far too long. Eifman must have been paid by the minute for choreographing this.

(Ellen Bar looked quite good in this, it must be said nonetheless. She has lost weight and I was struck by the fact that she has become a mature and finished dancer. I look forward to seeing her cast in Tschai Suite #3 this coming week.)

The part where Ansanelli -- as Tannquil Le Clerq -- is stricken by polio, is totally offensive and difficult to watch. Having just read Deborah Jowett’s biography of Jerome Robbins and perused Le Clerq’s correspondence there; and having begun to grasp what she meant to those who knew her and to this company … I have to believe that, had either Jerome Robbins or Lincoln Kierstein still been alive, this could never have appeared on the N Y State Theater stage. In faithfulness to their memories, to Le Clerq’s memory, and finally to Balanchine’s memory, this indeed should never have appeared there.

[Alexandra]

Sob! We're not getting "Ballo" down here!!! But it is wonderful to read about it, Michael. Thank you!

[charlieloki]

To set the record straight: was it not Merrill Ashley whose superb dancing was the inspiration for Ballo?

Ashley Bouder did a fine job, but Merrill Ashley's performance in this piece can never be equaled. She was so fast, that you had to blink and wonder if you really had seen what you had seen - also, she was beyond perfect.

It's good that we have someone in the company who will approach perfection in the part, and who has the courage to attempt it.

Brava to both the "Ashley's".

I sat through musagete again, only because i was with a friend who had not seen it and I wanted to be there in case she fainted, or something. (She didn't faint, but did feel a little sick, and I did also.)

The depiction of Tanaquil's paralysis is revolting. It should be noted that she died not too long ago. Would Eifmann have had the nerve to put this tragedy on the stage in such a fashion had she still been alive?

The music in the production is not representative of NYCB music. Whatever happened to Stravinsky? The collaboration between the geniuses - Balanchine and Stravinsky - is surely one of the wonders of the dance world.

I could go on and on about this, but I'd just get more upset.

What curious programming: two Balanchine masterpieces - Ballo and Four T's followed by a real, very expensive, over-produced putdown of Balancine's life and work.

[Leigh Witchel]

I'm familiar with Ashley's performance (she's one of the few original cast dancers in a Balanchine ballet I was fortunate enough to see often) and I'd argue Merrill Ashley's performance in the role shouldn't be equaled. The only way to give a good performance in a role with a certain indelible interpretation would be to do it your own way. I felt Miranda Weese restored the role to repertory, and Bouder's done it again. Weese's performance was sharper and witty, Bouder's huge in scale, both as was their wont. I adored Ashley in the role and it was her role, but when I see Bouder, I don't pine for Ashley.

Michael - I'm not going to fry and toast you, but I think you're looking for Tchelitchew's original concept (I think it was Tchelitchew even though Selgimann made the designs) that had little to do with anything Balanchine made. He made a work of brilliant structural unity, and even if Melancholic isn't melancholic, nor is Phlegmatic particularly phlegmatic, there's a journey in the work, from statement and conflict to assimilation and resolution that I think can be seen in the structure and choreography. Don't look at the chapter headings, follow the arc of the movement.

[Balanchinomane]

I don't think anyone could equal Merrill in Ballo. It is so perfect a role

for her. I liked Kyra Nichols perform it afterwards. Her approach was more

like Merrill's in her lyricism. Bouder looked like an athlete to me - I still

have trouble watching her. I can't look at her face. It looks like she is

wearing a mask. I hope I get over it because she's taking over more

roles and I want to enjoy her as much as everyone else seems to.

I'd like to see someone choreograph something especially for her

-- she is such a gifted dancer.

I liked de Luz and the rest of the cast. The corps was well rehearsed and

I think the costumes are new.

Four T's with this cast would be hard to beat. It was near perfect.

As usual - the only skunk at the picnic was Boris Eifman.....

[Michael]

even if Melancholic isn't melancholic, nor is Phlegmatic particularly phlegmatic, there's a journey in the work, from statement and conflict to assimilation and resolution that I think can be seen in the structure and choreography.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Leigh that's exactly what I was trying to say. I've seen this work for years. Originally, I just adored it and during that time I simply ignored the "Melancholic," "Phlegmatic" stuff and absorbed on its own terms, so to speak, as its own little world with its own strange inner logic. The men so passive, the women so objectified, abstract and unreachable, sometimes aggressive, rarely active agents in the body of the work until Choleric clears the stage, etc. That is the way I'm trying to go back to seeing it now.

That said, the work is expressly called the "Four Temperaments." The sections are expressly named "Medlancholic," "Phlegmatic", etc. The piece is expressly accompanied by a program note which also says something about this. And the more I take that stuff seriously the less I enjoy this. When I take it seriously, I find it pretentious to the point of laughability and begin to find the choreography itself at times quite trite -- i.e., all the angsting about by Melancholic in particular "Oi ... Oi ... Nobody knows the Trouble I've Seen!"

Thus, if I watch Melancholic without thinking "Aha, Melancholy" I see a wonderful variation which resembles somewhat the strange one with the backbends in "Square Dance" we're going to see next week. If I think "Aha Melancholy" I see "Oi Vey." I'd rather switch my mind off and watch this Ballet.

Now, Charliekoi, regarding Merrill Ashley: Did I mention Merrill Ashley? Did I say a thing about her? But if I had anything to say, which I now do, it would be to note that she is the very one who is responsible for the staging of this very ballet we saw yesterday. She not only owns the piece, but the current staging is the one she set on the company last year for the Balanchine festival, one of the soloists (Hyltin) was coached in it by her for her SAB workshop, and I would bet you dollars to donuts that it was Meririll Ashley who coached Ashley Bouder in this role for these performances. I think we can thus credit Ashley Bouder's performance to Merrill Ashley herself.

And I did also happen to see Merrill Ashley in this, though only in the last three years of her career. I'll take them both, the two Ashleys, without any comparison. (I know that the comparison is sometimes just instinctive and I certainly respect your not having been transported by La Bouder the way I was).

MP

[charlieloki]

to those folks wanting to see ballo in its true balanchine-directed form, it is available on one of the city ballet balanchine tapes (not sure about dvd's) and is dated 1979 -- it's from the dance in america series, which was on pbs

merrill ashley's partner is robert weiss

i remember being at one of the very early performances of this piece, and being totally dazzled

[socalgal]

I certainly would give Merrill Ashley credit for her staging of Ballo as well!

PABallet performed it for the first time last October and it was brilliant. The company had incredible energy, sharpness and musicality from corps to principles. She must put her heart and soul into her coaching and it shows, it really does!

[richard53dog]

to those folks wanting to see ballo in its true balanchine-directed form, it is available on one of the city ballet balanchine tapes (not sure about dvd's)

Yes,

It's been released on DVD. There are two different releases called Choreography by Balachine.

One DVD has Chaconne, Ballo della Regina( with Ashley), Steadfast Tin Soldier, Elegie, Prodigal Son, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.

There is a second DVD with other material.

I watched both of these, on loan from a friend, and they all appear to be from PBS' Dance in America series.

Richard

[Helene]

There were a few changes to accomodate the televised version of Ballo, which Ashley describes in her book Dancing for Balanchine. As Ashley describes it,

A hand-held video camera was brought to these rehearsals so that a "work tape" could be made for teh Nashville cameramen to study and so that Balanchine could see what sequences were distorted by the camera's lens.  Whenever Balanchine saw such distortions, he would rechoreograph the sequence to make it look effective on television.

(p.171). She then goes on to describe one change, which is that when the pique turns looked "flat and uninteresting" on camera, Balanchine replaced them with en dedans fouettes. I haven't seen the ballet for a while, and I don't remember if this was retained for the stage version.

Croce's initial estimation of the ballet in a 30 January 1978 review called "Adagio and Allegro" (reprinted in Going to the Dance) was rather tepid:

In spite of the show put on by Ashley, Bonita Bourne, Sheryl Ware, Debra Austin, [stephanie] Saland, and the ensemble, Ballo della Regina doesn't add up to much.  It lacks conviction as a ballet. [she goes on and concludes]...Balanchine's Ballo della Regina is a quarter-hour discourse about the qualities of Merrill Ashley. 

(Later, in a review called "Ashley, Balanchine, and "Ballade" (2 June 1980), she says about Ballade, "Not even Ballo comes this close to a true portrait.")

Although she later called it "dear little Ballo in "The Legacy" (23 May 1983), she followed with "Who cares if it isn't great?"

I, personally, am glad it survived, that Ashley is staging it around the country, that Bouder was cast in it, and I can try to envision her performance through your descriptions.

[Leigh Witchel]

Come and see it, Hockeyfan. Why do you think JetBlue has sales?

[Helene]

Come and see it, Hockeyfan.  Why do you think JetBlue has sales?

Unfortunately, to get another day off from work, I'll have to sell my soul to the devil! (I hate having every vacation day for the next two years accounted for!)

[Natalia]

Sorry but I was not bowled over by Bouder. Yes, she's pert and zippy. Yes, she has crisp jumping technique. Yes-- she's musical (dances on the beat). HOWEVER, she did a tad too much emoting with her heavily made-up face (a bit of 'Michelle Jimenez-itis'...though not nearly as bad as that favorite Washington Ballet principal). Besides, Bouder could not complete her short series of fouettes near the end of the ballet (fell off balance...not a neat completion). All in all, she began strongly but 'pooped out' during the final 3-4 minutes of the piece.

I absolutely adored Sterling Hyltin as one of the four demi-soloists in Ballo AND -- especially! -- the magnificent Teresa Reichlen as 'Choleric' in Four TTs. What an ideal, reed-thin torso and arms; born to be the Swan Queen, I say! Very 'Kirovian' in her look.

Musings on 'Musagete' -

I enjoyed Musagete but would have enjoyed it more had Eifman been allowed to go 'all-out' in his usual outlandish way, in the form of a full-evening ballet. As it is, it is 'rushed' and makes little sense (why only Zorina, LeClerq & Farrell?)...and his trademark 'special effects' are weak. The production-qualities (sets/costumes/use of lighting & props) were weak, as if Eifman wasn't allowed to indulge his usual creativity &, instead, was constrained by budget and time. The finale was lovely...but, again, it should have been six 'wives' (counting Farrell as #6) with partners at the front of the ensemble.

I could see where Eifman wanted to go.

Like every other 'biographical pastiche' ballet created by Eifman, I took it as just that -- a pastiche based on 'themes' in a Mr. B sort of character. We all should know by now that Eifman had no intention of this being a biographical work! [Didn't Eifman state the same...that this was just a fantasy on a few elements of Mr. B's bio? That's why the character is "The Choreographer" & so on.]

The "silver girl solo" for the glorious Maria Kowrosky, as the 'Farrell'-like character -- is among Eifman's loveliest compositions. I could watch that solo forever!

I loved the idea of the socko Balanchinean ending with 'the wives' dancing. This is a reminder to all of us that, in the end, what goes on 'backstage' doesn't matter one iota; it's the final product through which all of those characters live on.

- NN

[AmandaNYC]

I have been refraining from writing reviews and leaning more toward just factual posts for the last few months as I found that I was not enjoying performances as much when I thought I would be writing about them (that "thinking" thing got in the way of the pure emotional reaction, i guess). But, I felt like popping back on...

I had an odd reaction to the Bouder performance. I don't think there was any way of improving the performance she gave on Friday night, with the only improvement on Sat. matinee the proper finishing of the fouettes (on friday, she not only did all the fouettes, but finished with what seemed a triple pirouette). I thoroughly enjoyed each moment. Both performances were fully realized-- with innate musicality and exceptional technique, as well as a gorgeous use of the upper body and a ballerina presence. At times, she played with balances, but not to the detriment of the subsequent sequence (as she often did during her "early" years of doing Dewdrop).

But, I wouldn't say this was the one performance not to miss- not really close, in my opinion. So the "odd" reaction being that I thought she was near "perfect" but I was a bit let down. You all know I adore Bouder, and several of the my top ballet-going experiences come from having watched her. These performances were not close, and I think it had to do with the ballet. I am not in love with the ballet. It's like divers who might do a perfect dive but do not do the hardest dive possible, so they can't get a perfect 10. I'm not talking difficulty here, though. I just don't think any performance of this ballet can knock me over. I saw Ashley's early performance of the ballet on video and live performances of hers during the later years, too. This ballet just has its limits for me.

For those of you who adore Bouder but are missing the Ballo performances, I just want to let you know that, depending on your reaction to the ballet itself, the experience might not have been as incredible as it was for some on this board... just so you don't feel as bad about missing it!

-amanda

[AmandaNYC]

I had an odd reaction to the Bouder performance. 

-amanda

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Let me just add that this type of "odd" reaction is probably also due to the HUGE expectations I have for Bouder. For better or worse, I have gotten used to performances that leave me on a high for days...

As I recall Leigh noting last year, "poor" Bouder has set a lot of our expectations very high (though he said it differently).

-amanda

[carbro]

Quick overview of my first week: I went three times, but only saw six ballets (two of them twice), leaving early on both Wednesday (for reason posted above) and Saturday afternoon (final ballet, Musagete).

You all know how much I enjoyed Ashley's debut in Ballo . Her dancing was crisp, ebullient and clear as could be. With Quinn conducting, the ensemble was hard pressed to keep up, but there was Ashley taking her old, sweet time, phrasing as if she could just as easily do it at twice the speed. I would aim my one criticism of her at her tendency to mug. By her second performance, the mugging was pretty much gone. I love this kid's musicality and phrasing, and her voracious appetite for m-o-r-e, which she just can't hide. I suspect that as long as she can do the steps, this will be her ballet at NYCB, and if, as Amanda points out, it isn't among Balanchine's Masterpieces, I usually find it at least an exuberant pleasure. On these occasions, from top to bottom, it gave sublime satisfaction.

On Wednesday Ben Millepied brought an airborne elegance to the role, on Saturday Joaquin deLuz gave it a quicksilver brilliance. Amazing contrast between the two. Even in this role, where partnering is not particularly tricky or arduous, Joaquin and Ashley ran into a small bit of trouble.

The four soloists remained the same in both performances, all looking as if they had been coached to emphasize the positions and shapes. Only Amanda Edge succeeded here without interrupting the choreography's flow, but Ana Sophia Scheller sliced the air like a razor. The corps was energized and together.

Backtracking a bit to the terrific program on opening night of rep, the Divert 15 was excellent. As the Theme dancers, Jared brought a languid legato to his dancing which was countered by Arch's crispness. As was mentioned, there was one unfortunate flub. As Ashley was going through the arabesque releves of her variation, just as I was thinking, "She makes it look as though any clod can roll out of bed and do it," splat!, missing but a single beat. Great recovery! I was tantalized by the dark tones Megan sprinkled through her pas. I'd never seen it danced like that before, and it worked beautifully for me. As the "first among equals," Miranda, the veteran among this crew, was stunning, if aloof. I loved the way, in her pas, her reverences toward the floor looked like gestures of honor to the floor, almost drawing it in as a character.

Here, too, the work of the corps was excellent. Michael has cited their "focus"-- a perfect description. And it was true, too, in The Four Temperaments on both Tuesday and Saturday. I savored the weight and deliberateness of Peter's Melancholic in one of the most profound performances it's gotten in many years. I was slightly distracted, though, by Pauline Golbin's readjustment of her position after every pivot in lunge. Both days. I agree that Alexandra is not seen to best advantage in Sanguinic and that she tended to "act" the role. Still, she is a very intelligent and versatile dancer, and given the opportunity, she may find a way to make it work for her while keeping it true to itself. Albert in Phlegmatic was a perfect complement to Peter. But the stunner of the ballet was Tess Reichlen, quietly commanding Choleric, completely devoid of Colleen Neary's Walkyrie quality, but goddesslike all the same.

Chuck Askegard was a gracious cavalier to Sofiane Sylve in Cortege. She radiated a faint aura of decadence, not entirely inappropriate to the occasion and about which I am ambivalent.

Let me just add that this type of "odd" reaction is probably also due to the HUGE expectations I have for Bouder. For better or worse, I have gotten used to performances that leave me on a high for days...

Yeah. Me, too, Amanda. That's why I was so unenthused by her Sugar Plum. What a cross for a young dancer to bear, huh?

--Carley