Week 6

[oberon]

It's Week 6 already?

[oberon]

Wednesday 2/9 JEWELS

I realized tonight that I liked the old JEWELS sets better - much better - than the present ones.

EMERALDS was gorgeous...I cannot understand when people say it is boring. It is just so beautiful in every aspect. Tonight Rachel Rutherford and Stephen Hanna made a very attractive couple; Rachel danced with expansive lyricism and Stephen showed he is heir-apparent to all the cavalier roles. Jenifer Ringer simply radiates onstage; aside from being a beautiful woman, Ringer is a subtle and expressive dancer of the highest order. The romantic walking duet with James Fayette was a memorable moment in this performance. Amanda Edge and Carrie Lee Riggins were excellent in the pas de trois, which they and Seth Orza danced with a spacious feeling. Orza however is not a bravura dancer; he did not pull off the turns in the air...but he is a good partner and a handsome presence; in fact he would be excellent in either of the leading roles of EMERALDS.

Miranda Weese and Damian Woetzel seemed to be having a wonderful time dancing together in RUBIES...the jazzy, sexy bits were slyly underlined while both showed their super-virtuosity in the purely balletic passages. Teresa Reichlin, vastly improved over her earlier appearances as the seconda donna, gave a very impressive performance which elicited a big audience response. She could bring an even frostier feeling to the part, but that is nit-picking.

Then we were treated to a classic Wendy Whelan performance of DIAMONDS...everything so perfectly etched on the music; the extension and the swooning backbends drenched in lyricism. Her musicality is quite astonishing; the spirit of Odette really hovers over this ballet. This was one of Wendy's finest nights, which is saying alot. Nilas Martins also gave one of the best performances I have seen from him in the past few years...he is a wonderful partner and managed a lighter and more buoyant feeling than is often the case. Among the corps, a luminous Carla Korbes looked ready to assume the ballerina role, and the fetching Rebecca Krohn, subbing for Ellen Bar as a demi, was such a pleasure to watch. DIAMONDS evoked a third call before the curtain, and Wendy looked genuinely happy...she had every reason to be.

[Helene]

Among the corps, a luminous Carla Korbes looked ready to assume the ballerina role,

That is such a generous endorsement, particularly after Whelan, who I know is one of your favorites, had such a triumph in the role.

[Leigh Witchel]

Orza actually *is* a rather technical dancer. He just blew the final tour. It was tough luck, not a sign of being unable to do bravura work.

[oberon]

I have seen Orza have similar problems before...he's a very good dancer in general but (like all dancers) needs to be suitably cast. In HAIKU, for example, he was really excellent.

[Michael]

Actually, I thought Seth Orza had an amazing night -- a superb performance and the bravura elements were not the least of the qualities we saw. He holds himself beautifully. Watch him in a kneeling fourth position, for example: the lines are stretched and marvellously turned out, his entire body to the torso and arms is dramatic, elegant, almost Russian in the way he holds the stage and draws your eyes to him. He's got a big jump; instant control of his legs from the hips; lovely and feathery petite batterie when he wants to go there. The jetes in turns to the rear are hugely elevated and dramatic. Bravura is in my mind just the term I'd apply to him. He's really not naturally a corps dancer -- He stands out too much.

He also has a great sense of weight. He shows you his foot on the floor. He presses to the floor. Nice feet, actually.

He may even have pushed his performance too much dramatically last night. In the final pacing section of Emeralds the cavalier from the pas de trois is almost a "heroic" figure, he's always in the middle and seems somehow to be controlling the action, as if it's all for him -- Orza seemed almost possessed at that point, a committment I admired though I can see someone saying it was "over the top." But that's what happens when someone who deserves it isn't cast enough -- When they get their chance they are going to milk it for everything it's worth. Please please let's see more of him.

Along with Antonio Carmena, I think Seth is as fully realized right now among the male dancers in the corps as anyone else I can think of.

Regarding the rest of the performance:

I loved Rutherford in Emeralds, this is as well as she can dance, a wonderfully lyrical and relaxed performance. I also was completely blown away by Miranda Weese in Rubies -- this is one of Miranda's very very best roles. The switch in casting was a happy one.

I have to dissent about Whelan in Diamonds, however. Strongly. I love Wendy Whelan. I've particularly loved her this season. (And that's a bellweather in some ways for anyone's relationship to this company -- Whelan is a strongly flavored physical presence -- You have to get used a bit to seeing her rather extremely attenuated physical presence in order for her performances to seem quite natural to you -- But I have reached this point long ago and I think that means I've seen this company a lot. All the same, if you took the company on tour to say, the Paris Opera, I think there is no Ballerina, the very first view of whom would cause more disagreement amongst those who had never ever seen her -- But only until you got used to her. And everyone, or just about, does fall in love with her in the end, she's too completely gifted a dancer for that not to happen).

But, that being said, Wendy just looked physically a little bit weak in the Ballerina Role in Diamonds last night, as if she was neither strong enough in her native constitution, nor moving largely and freely enough to be the Diamond in the middle of the setting. Some of it, but by no means the major part, can be attributed to casting her with Nilas as her partner -- as Nilas is clearly too small for her.

But in many ways, since her return from her injury, Whelan seems even more ethereal than she did before. In "After the Rain" Wheeldon exemplified and in a sense immortalized this. In Diamonds last night, I thought that perhaps there was just not enough of the physical body left.

(As to her and Nilas also -- when Nilas Martin's solo variations and Barrel Turns earn more spontaneuous applause than anything the Ballerina does, it's a good sign that the Prima Ballerina is not really popping in Diamonds).

But the problem is there's really no one else for Diamonds right now besides Wendy. The exemplary performance, in recent memory, was Daria Pavlenko when the Kirov was here a couple of years ago. Now there was a Diamond to place in the middle of the setting. In contrast, I can neither see Maria in the role, she's too big for it, nor, upon consideration, Sylve. (She would appear too physically huge being draped in those back bends and off balance turns, who in the world could partner her, anyway, Askegaard simply couldn't do it). So Wendy it is.

The women's Corps de Ballet is greatly improved in Diamonds this Winter, over what we saw last Spring. In fact, the women's corps has looked splendid all winter, the best season within recent memory. On the other hand, the casting of the four soloists in Diamonds was, I thought, weak. The four soloists are as important in Diamonds as they are in Theme and should have had as strong a group. In Theme it was Barak, Golbin, Hanson and Abergel. In Diamonds Barak and Golbin were missing and it was not nearly as strong of a group.

All the same, a good and strong performance of Jewels last night.

[oberon]

While it is true that Nilas was well-applauded last night, I don't think that implies a failure on Wendy's part. Any sequence where a male dancer does a series of turns or jumps or a combination of the two tends to be an applause-getter, even if they are not especially well done. Barrel turns practically come with a built-in "Applause" sign. Also, I do not see a corresponding applause-opportunity for the woman in DIAMONDS; her role - while very difficult - is less overtly showy, more sustained. I did think Nilas was pretty good last night and I also think he & Wendy are very well matched, having been paired many times.

Wendy last night seemed to me so light, so glowing from within, and so wonderfully musical. I believe she said in an interview not too long ago that she wondered how the audience would adjust to seeing her more vulnerable side and perhaps that is what Michael saw. For me, Farrell's description of the Diamond role, "...a mysterious prism that reflects the entire spectrum..." seemed to epitomize Wendy's performance.

I also agree with everything that Michael says about Seth Orza's dancing except to say that in REUNIONS, SWAN LAKE (Benno), SLEEPING BEAUTY (Gold) and then again last night there is just that very last tiny degree of "perfection" that eludes him and keeps me from viewing him as a virtuoso dancer. Last night in the double series of pirouettes/air turns, the first ended with a hard landing and the second air turns were not finished and ended with an off-balance landing. The woman sitting in front of me released an exasperated little sigh, so I think I was not the only person to notice. Orza is a great stage presence and he is (and will be) a huge asset in many roles, but so far he hasn't really convinced me that he has the virtuosity that others see in him. He would be superb, I think, in the other EMERALDS role: the man in the "walking" pas de deux. Orza certainly has the face, the body, the partnering skills and a sort of all-American nobility that make watching him a treat.

I look forward to the second JEWELS cast next week though I wish somehow the old sets could be restored.

[GeorgeB fan]

I guess it's true what people say that a group of people can see or experince the same thing and yet have a different reaction to it.

JEWELS

EMERALDS. This is one of Balanchine's most delicate and fragile masterwork and because of that it must be rehearse and perform with great care. Emeralds is a haunting, mystical work that leaves the scent of elegance at it's most serene. Unfortunately for me last night performance fail to capture, on the whole, that elegance. The ballet started out wonderfully enough, but the correct mood simply was not there. There was a great deal of charm, but not enough elegance.

I also was distracted by Stephan Hanna's overplaying. No question Hanna is one of the finest partners the company has, but his constantly posing and overemphasize body gestures thinking, I guess, this is elegant is to me overacting. Rachel Rutherford is an angel, I just admire her. It is so obvious she process all the natural quailities to make the lead ballerina role something special. Unfortunately no one it seem is taking the time to properly rehearse her in the role. If there was ever a ballet that the smallest details and gestures need to be truly understood by the dancer, Emeralds is that ballet. This is made crystally apparent in the famous sole. The movement of her arms in the beginning was lovely, however I never got the sense she was discovering them for the first time. That's one of the most magical moment in the whole ballet. That wonderful moment as if by accident the ballerina discover her arms and hands and gesturely thinks, "Oh, what's this and look how wonderfully I can move it - and here's another one". It that sense of wonder, that sense of merriment (the whole sole it seems is base on the fascination of the ballerina discovering her arms for the first time) that makes this sole one of the most enchanting soles that Balanchine ever created. Also the fliration was missing. Towards the end there's that nice moment when the ballerina with one hand lift up the front of her skirt sightly to show a hint of her legs. Instead Rutherford with both hands stretch out her skirt from the sides. This maybe insignificant to some, but for me it takes away from the original ideal and purpose of that movement. Instead of a fliration of a woman, it became more of a girl showing off her pretty feet. Rutherford would benefit greatly if Violette Verdy is able to coach her. Not that Rutherford and Hanna completely disappoint. Their second pas de deux was marvelously perform. Rutherford was more lyrical and Hanna was less animated.

The thing I love most about Jenifer Ringer is that she is a woman first, a ballerina second. Her solo was a portrait of a mature woman enjoying the privacy of being along with her thoughts. James Fayette is a partner any ballerina would love to have. His calm strength and attentiveness to his ballerinas makes her radiant even more. Of course that radiance glowed even brighter from Mrs. Fayette. Their step duet was the hightlight of the ballet. Amanda Edge and Carrie Lee Riggin in the pas de trois was wonderful. Seth Orza in his debut was nicely reliable and with time I'm sure with perform with more confidence and assurance.

RUBIES. This is the showpiece. If Emeralds is the elegant restaurant and Diamonds an imperial state ballroom, then Rubies is the nightclub everyone goes to too let down their hair and party. Miranda Weese and Damian Woetzel certainly lived up to that. She may not have dance the role with the coquettish sexiness I think the role requires, Weese was as always technically sharp and strong. Woetzel match her in strength step for step. They clearly was enjoying themselves. When she made her debut a year ago, Teresa Reichlin was wonderful. This year she is down right terrific! But that's what happen when a dancer is given a role and the time to develop into it. Now with more confidence, she's dancing with more abandonment and strength. She really getting into the choreography. For my money, she owns this part.

DIAMONDS. Poor Wendy Whelan. I agree with Michael, she didn't capture the overall brilliance of the part, but that's not why I'm saying poor Wendy. The pas de deux is one of the most demanding and challenging that Balanchine created. It's a dance in where the ballerina is the unquestion queen-empiress and her cavalier is her prince consort who attend to her with unmoving reverence. His awe of her makes her even more grandeur and imperial. In other words the atmosphere they create together is as important as the steps they perform. Unforunately Ms. Whelan got Nilas Martins. Talk about detachment! Was he even there? I swear I could almost sense the moment when Whelan simply gave up trying to connect to her disenchanted partner. It wasn't until he danced his solos did he finally came alive - and I've seen them danced better. Where's Philip Neal when you need him? If ever a dancer should be given the patent to a part, the cavalier in Diamonds rightly belongs to Neal. This lack of connection between Whelan and Martins may account for Wendy's unpolish performance. That along with Maurice Kaplow speed-up conducting. Martins had to race to get on his knee and kiss Whelan hand at the quick speed Kaplow was the playing the orchestra.

If fact through-out the evening Kaplow was playing to fast for my taste. That may account for some of the loss phrasing and nuances that was missing in Emeralds and the pas de deux from Diamonds.

Believe me, this is something I don't enjoy writing. Jewels is one of my all-time favorite! But last night performance was not one of it's best perform.

[lampwick]

GeorgeB fan,

I totally agree with what you said about Nilas Martins' partnering. I never felt like he was "presenting" Ms.Whelan at all. Wendy is my ballet IDOL, and I felt like she was underserved in this role. Still, it was a fantasic performance.

Jennifer Ringer had me spellbound in Emeralds and Teresa Reichlin is one of my new favorite dancers. I love tall, hyperextended, bendy dancers who are STRONG. She's awesome.

The set for Rubies still made the audience gasp when the curtain went up. It's a very good design.

[oberon]

Friday 2/11

After so many years and seeing it so many times, APOLLO still looks so clean and fresh. I'm sure the Nilas-bashers will find plenty to complain about in his performance, but I thought he was fine - he reminded me tonight more than ever of his father. Wendy replaced Darci and gave a performance of great clarity and musicality; Sylve and Rutherford were extremely attractive and danced beautifully.

CHICHESTER PSALMS is unlike anything else in the repertoire; it is more of a ritual than a ballet. The rise of the curtain brought a sigh and wave of applause from the audience. Anyone who thinks NYCB's dancers aren't attractive only needs to see this ballet. I didn't know who to look at first, they all looked incredible. Korbes & Ramasar danced with sustained lyricism. And I have fallen in love - again - this time with Lauren King...what a beauty! The boy soprano, Jason Goldberg, who has had a very busy season at the Met, sounded like his voice might be about to change. This is the only Bernstein score I can endure.

ANDANTINO replaced EROS PIANO...Fairchild & de Luz danced well enough but lacked the air of romantic tenderness that Borree and Boal bring to this piece.

SHAMBARDS is so dark; even the folk-dance elements have a somewhat ominous feeling. Korbes & Ask LaCour look great together but I am not quite sure how their duet relates to what the corps is doing in the first segment. The pas de deux for Jock & Miranda is breathtaking; Wheeldon has created one of the best showcases for Soto's partnering skills, and Miranda is poignant in her resistance and final submission. They were very strongly applauded. The company's whiz kids (Bouder, Fairchild, de Luz & Ulbricht) were highlighted in the final section...Bouder walked off with the honors.

Amanda Hankes, who has not danced so far this season, was listed in SHAMBARDS but she did not appear.

[oberon]

Saturday 2/12 evening

Very large audience for this All-Robbins programme...repeats of FANFARE and ANDANTINO, and a spell-binding AFTERNOON OF A FAUN. The simplicity of this piece, with its thrice-familiar music, somehow always manages to draw me in; tonight we had an other-worldly Damian Woetzel and the extraordinary Janie Taylor, that rare ballerina who can be both frigid and smouldering at the same time. I don't know what her secret is, and I don't want to know...I love being mystified by her, as by Wendy Whelan. Between Taylor's hypnotic legs and her incredible hair, you cannot take your eyes off her...except that Damian radiates his own powerful sexuality and mystique. This was one of the highlights of the season.

It's always disheartening to have a big slip of cast changes fall out of your programme...there were 4 in FOUR SEASONS and I was sorry that Eddie Liang and Carla Korbes were not on hand tonight...I didn't really expect to see Alexandra as she has been out for a couple of weeks, and also Ben Millepied did not dance. Jared Angle replaced Liang and was very good if a bit earth-bound in Spring, while Jenifer Ringer delivered a joyous, flowing performance...she's one of those ballerinas you could watch for hours at a time...a fascinating dancer. Rutherford replaced Korbes and she danced beautifully, as did Stephen Hanna...their partnering was not quite smooth, however, perhaps they didn't get much rehearsal. With Fall, a trio of virtuosos unleashed a barrage of pyrotechnics that astounded and delighted the audience. Anyone who hasn't yet succumbed to Bouder Fever needs only to see her in this ballet...speed, clarity, daring, and superb musicality all wrapped up in this petite package of balletic delights. The same might be said of Joaquin de Luz, whose blinding smile and casual command of the whole bravura vocabulary seemed to send shock waves thru the house. Not to be out-done, Antonio Carmena served up his own feast of treats, fearless and looking rightfully pleased with himself. As the climax of a fine night of dancing, I can't imagine anything that would be this much sheer fun.

[carbro]

Anyone who hasn't yet succumbed to Bouder Fever . . .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw her debut in Autumn, and one of the charming details that struck me was how, during the passage when she prances in a wide circle, you could see the corps dancers acknowledge her smiles at them. I think it was another example of her ability mentioned elsewhere (by Michael?) to connect with everyone around her, on either side of the footlights.

Ashley appeared as Riff's Girl in West Side Story last week, and during the calls, she came forward as part of a group of about eight. They bowed, then turned upstage and retreated. Even as she was merely walking away with her back to us, part of a group, I could not take my eyes from her. There was just some kind of magic.

Hah! And I haven't said one word about her actual dancing!

[atm711]

Sat Mat 2/12 Jewels

I read Rockwell's review of Wed. eve performance, and for once, I can agree with him. I did find him too restrained in his views of Whelan's Diamonds. I don't know when I have seen a dancer more unsuited to a role. She attacked the role as though it was one of the leotard ballets---no poetry, and worst of all, no femininity. Her poor skinny arms moved like dried twigs. I say this as an admirer of Whelan...a few years a go I saw her Odette on the s ame day that I saw Ananiashvilli's---and she stood up quite well in the comparison. Her performance was more than an 'off day'.

Seth Orza in the pas de trois of Emeralds showed us a beautiful easy flowing technique, what a gorgeous line and such an easy jump. The male corps was in top form in Diamonds---where else can you see a male corps made up of 16 men?

I always regret that Balanchine did not give them more to do as a group. They were in top form at this performance.

[GeorgeB fan]

One of the things I hope most from going to the ballet is that I will leave the evening with a sense of wonder and awe. Saturday night's (2/12) performance certainly did that for me!

The thing I've notice since the promotions is that all the dancers promoted seem to be dancing with a great deal more authority, stature and strength.

In FANFARE Teresa Reichlen as the harp was very much the queen of the strings. With her long extension, height and slowly developing other-worldly stage presence, I sure she is going to have a long and successful career at NYCB. The ballet as a whole was wonderfully perform. The hightlight for me was the percussion. Tom Gold, Amar Ramasar and Sean Suozzi found all the humor in the choreography without over saling it.

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN. This is one of Jerome Robbins' major masterpieces. The way he created a moment in time between two dancers in a dance studio - detach and undetach, curious and yet uninterested, sensuous yet innocence - is a small miracle. Damian Woetzel and the extraordinary Janie Taylor capture all of that and more. An awesome performance.

ANDANTINO. Megan Fairchild and Joaquin De Luz perform very well, but I'm with Oberon, they simply did not capture the needed romanticism that ballet calls for.

THE FOUR SEASONS. How could you not love this festival ballet!! When perform correctly this is a ballet, more then any other, that will leave its audience floating out of the State Theater on a serious hight! It certainly did that for me. The humor in the winter section was wonderful felt by the dancing of Adam Hendrickson, Aaron Severini and especially Megan Fairchild. In fact currently speaking this is the type of role I think Fairchild is best at. Light, carefree and energetic. While I regret that I wasn't able to see Edwaard Liang in the spring section, Jared Angle more then made it up. His easy technical skills which he execute with calm strength and elegent presence made him a perfect partner for the always sublime Jenifer Ringer. Kyle Froman, Craig Hall, Seth Orza and Jonathan Stafford was dancing leap frogs. I so much was looking forward to seeing Carla Korbes in Summer, but Rachel Rutherford was a lovely replacement with Stephen Hanna being a noble cavalier. But I think we all know that THE FOUR SEASONS success or failure rest on the final section of Fall. I've seen this section danced wonderfully in the past but I can't recall that last it was so brilliantly dance as it was by Ashley Bouder, Joaquin De Luz and Antonio Carmena. All three was having a field day with the choreography. If they found any of the steps difficult they certainly didn't show it. A marvelous performance.

[Michael]

Watching Seth Orza carefully again on Saturday afternoon: Where the sense of "Weight" comes from, the sense of Pushing to the Floor, is the Pliee.

In her book on Kronstam, Alexandra Tomolonis relates that Vera Vokova, wanting to give "Weight" to Kronstam's style, had him precisely work on his pliee. It's uncanny how true this is. When a Boy has a really strong pliee, it informs everything they do, every step, even the walking ones, with that slight bit of spring from the thighs.

Also re Seth -- the Jetees to the front are almost French/Paris Opera in the ease, the quickness and the sure presentation of a turned out line in the inner thigh, calf and foot.

Emeralds is the masterpiece of Jewels. It stands up to viewing after viewing after viewing. I doubt I can tire of it at the moment. That's not true of the other two parts. One viewing a week is more than enough of Rubies for me, and maybe even too much of Diamonds, depending on the cast.