Perfect Ballets

[jimmattimore]

This was a magnifect program with the wonderful students of The School of American Ballet Two highlights were Bourree Fantasque which hadn't been danced in New York since 1993, and Square Dance.

Suki Schorer coached the students brilliantly and I regard Square Dance as a PERFECT ballet.

I also rate Afternoon of a Faun as another Perfect ballet. Any other candidates balletomanes?

Jim Mattimore

[Helene]

Since there's already a thread in the NYCB forum for reviews of the SAB Spring Workshop here and there was such a good question in this post, I've renamed the thread "Perfect Ballets."

I tend to think of perfect ballets as either those I want to see over again as soon as they are finished or those that make me want to go straight into a darkened, sound-proof room to ruminate upon for days. For me, these are Symphony in C, Square Dance, and Liebeslieder Walzer.

[Giannina]

Ashton's "Monotones II".

Giannina

[zerbinetta]

How strange. After a performance of Concerto Barocco last week, I was thinking of starting a thread about The Perfect Ballet.

For me, Concerto Barocco is just that. A healing ballet. On a par with Nozze di Figaro & Fidelio in that respect.

On a given night, without first class performances, it might not be my favorite ballet but it tends to be almost performance proof.

When it ends, I sigh deeply & just feel better about life.

[Giselle05]

I have to second Afternoon of a Faun and Symphony in C, and add Theme and Variations, Serenade, Who Cares?, and a nice good romp of either Don Quixote PDD or Le Corsaire PDD. Not really ballets, but.

[carbro]

. . . tends to be almost performance proof.

I agree that Cto Barocco is a perfect ballet, but perhaps the operative word in your description, zerbinetta, is almost. I see it -- at NYCB -- as a barometer of the company's overall quality control at any given moment. That was why, for about four years, I could not bring myself to see the company perform it. Too depressing! The performance I saw last week was not bad, but the corps seemed to be dance with too much reverence. Abi Stafford brought the right freshness and energy to the second ballerina, but this ballet needs its corps as much as its principals to give it flight.

[klingsor]

I find most of Balanchine's ballets perfect.

Agree with Giannina anout Ashton's "Monotones II".

Though I've always felt it was misogynistic, Robbins' "The Cage" is a perfect ballet, in my opinion.

[sandik]

Monotones

Theme and Variations

4 Temperaments

[Hans]

I actually can't bring myself to answer this question, as in my opinion, it is impossible for a perfect ballet to exist.

[drb]

In an imperfect world...

Multi-act: Giselle and La Fille Mal Gardee(Ashton's version)

Single-act Story: Davidsbundlertanze(Balanchine) and A Month in the Country(Ashton)

Single-act Abstract: Serenade and Symphony in C

[Farrell Fan]

On another currently active thread, the one about Ben Huys, Ib Andersen is quoted as calling "Apollo" a perfect ballet. That's my choice too, but it requires an asterisk, since Balanchine apparently regarded it as so imperfect that he truncated it, even losing some Stravinsky music in the process. With profoumd apologies to Mr. B, I prefer the original version, although the shorter one is also perfect.

[papeetepatrick]

Davidsbundlertanze, Liebeslieder Walzer, La Valse (Balanchine and Ashton), Concerto Barocco, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Apollo, Emeralds, Chaconne, Romeo and Juliet

(or, if they're not all perfect, they're all beautiful enough for me not to worry about their flaws.)

[ViolinConcerto]

Stravinsky Violin Concerto (couldn't ya guess that?)

Symphony in 3 Movements (Those two being Mr. B's two favorites, in that order.)

Liebeslieder Waltzer

Symphony in C

Obviously, my ballet world is narrow, but deep.

[Helene]

On another currently active thread, the one about Ben Huys, Ib Andersen is quoted as calling "Apollo" a perfect ballet. That's my choice too, but it requires an asterisk, since Balanchine apparently regarded it as so imperfect that he truncated it, even losing some Stravinsky music in the process. With profoumd apologies to Mr. B, I prefer the original version, although the shorter one is also perfect.

In addition, in the pre-performance Q&A, in response to a question from the audience, Andersen said that Apollo was his favorite ballet.

He also said that he taught the ballet the way Balanchine taught him, which is the full version. Hübbe is performing the role, and I'll see him in this version for the first time tonight.

[sandik]

Hübbe is performing the role, and I'll see him in this version for the first time tonight.

Lucky duck!

[papeetepatrick]

Stravinsky Violin Concerto (couldn't ya guess that?)

I should have included this too, only saw it once live, but think big Peter Martins with tiny Kay Mazzo is one of the most fantastic weird-beauty things I know.

[BalletNut]

Just a question for everyone out there:

What makes a perfect ballet perfect?

[perky]

Balanchine's The Nutcracker and Divertimento No. 15. And watching Concerto Barocco makes me feel like my soul has been purified. How perfect is that?

[Petra]

perky, what a wonderful way to describe Concerto Barocco (and you found the perfect icon!!). I too think it's a perfect ballet.

Swan Lake is another type of perfect ballet IMO. The combination of a very Romantic almost-mythic story and the Classical symmetrical construction of the 4 acts enable it to withstand almost any production.

[Giannina]

BalletNut. Well, for me anyway....primarily a perfect ballet has to have simply glorious choreography, movements that are beautiful to see and that flow smoothly together. But I find "Monotones II" perfect because the choreography fits the music perfectly (how many time am I going to use that word?). I've known the music all my life, and were I to picture dancing to it I couldn't dream up anything more....apropos....than what Ashton did. I am so thrilled by the ballet that I cannot sit still while watching it, and once done the ballet leaves me drained.

Giannina

[nysusan]

How strange. After a performance of Concerto Barocco last week, I was thinking of starting a thread about The Perfect Ballet.

For me, Concerto Barocco is just that. A healing ballet. ...

On a given night, without first class performances, it might not be my favorite ballet but it tends to be almost performance proof.

When it ends, I sigh deeply & just feel better about life.

.... And watching Concerto Barocco makes me feel like my soul has been purified. How perfect is that?

Those are my feelings too when I see a great performance of Concerto Barocco. I wouldn’t quite say that it’s dancer proof, because a poor performance doesn’t have the same effect. However - since I’ve seen some poor performances in the past few years I can say that it still a very good ballet even when performed by a sub par cast. But good just doesn’t cut it when you’ve seen great. Ditto for Swan Lake. A great production, a great cast = perfect ballet.

I agree 100% about Monotones II, but I like to see both parts together. I don’t think I rises to the same level as II, but I think it sets it off well, and makes it even more perfect.

Also agree about Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Symphony in C and Apollo and would add Symphonic Variations to the list.

I've just indulged in multiple performances of Apollo, Barroco & C, and each time the ballet was ending I couldn't wait for the next performance. The Giselle fest starts next week!

[AmandaNYC]

Concerto Barocco and Symphony in C....

Hence the great night at NYCB last saturday night (one of the few nights of solid programming IMHO).

While Serenade is a favorite, i think there are some places, when it gets a bit emotional, that make it slightly imperfect. Still, i think those in Chicago have as near to a perfect night at the ballet when NYCB is out there, when they have Serenade, Barocco, Duo Concertant and Symp in C on one program and 4 Ts on other nights.

-amanda

p.s. did i mention i am walking down the aisle in Sept. to the 2nd mov't of the Bach Double Violin Concerto aka Concerto Barocco?

[Petra]

Congratulations, Amanda!!!!

[AmandaNYC]

Congratulations, Amanda!!!!

Thanks! I picked out the Barocco music for my wedding, before i ever met my fiance! It ended up being the first ballet i took him, too.

On the perfect ballet note... the ballets that came to mind as contenders when I read this thread were all the more abstract, non-story and less emotional ballets. I'm wondering if, at least for me, the introduction of too much emotional aspects to a ballet... make it less perfect... maybe b/c sometimes you "feel it" when watching the ballet and sometimes you don't-- which makes the ballet subject too much to the eye of the beholder... For me, all the contenders for "perfect" ballet were pure dance pieces. As I mentioned earlier, Serenade is my all-time favorite, but sometimes the last movement is a little much for me. Not too much in that I don't enjoy it... but somehow I am not as lost in the dance... even if the mov't still matches the passion in the score.

Do i just equate the 'perfect' ballets with a certain purity?

but, then again, i think apollo nearly perfect. and there a guiding story and character and emotions...

This is a bit of a stream-of-conscious post as I am not sure how to organize my thoughts about why I (and others) chose certain ballets as "perfect"...

-amanda

[sparklesocks]

if they're not all perfect, they're all beautiful enough for me not to worry about their flaws.)

A good point. In which case I would say Rubies and Diamonds from Jewels, Romeo and Juliet and a couple of pas de duex if they count...I'll have to digest for a while before I put my two cents in on the PDD