ABT - Don Quixote June 2008

[angelica]

I also saw Cornejo and Reyes. I find him a very different dancer when solo versus partnering. When he takes to the stage himself he is, as we all know, spectacular, glowing with confidence and charisma. When he's handling his partner he seems less confident, his rapport with his partner and the audience is not as generous and open as when he's alone, and he doesn't seem to truly love it the way he loves taking to the stage alone.

Reyes is a very impressive dancer technically; she whipped off a series of pique turns with absolutely stunning speed; and her fouettes were solid -- singles punctuated with (I think) triples, and kept a clean form throughout, not sloppy. In terms of her acting, I just find her too cute. I wonder if she could carry off a serious role? I'd be interested in seeing her do something besides "cute."

Sarah Lane was beautiful as one of the flower girls... and speaking of cute, I was relieved to see her not smiling excessively, which was really grating on my nerves when I saw her last year and earlier this season.

One of the benefits of having four corps women promoted to soloist, is that it frees up all the demi-soloist roles they used to do so much. Now we're getting to see other corps members in these roles, like Melissa Thomas as the Queen of the Dryads. Very lovely, solid in her technique, with a soft and elegant manner.

I also saw this performance and was thrilled to see Cornejo's debut in this role. I understood his partnering in a different way, however. It seemed to me that in his pas de deux with Reyes it wasn't a lack of confidence or engagement with her that caused him to take a less charismatic stance as it was that he was a gallant partner, showing her off rather than himself (very different from some other brilliant male leads). He saved his bravura and charisma for his solos, when he was a miracle of technique. But even then I found him modest. I never get the feeling he is saying "Look ma, no hands," but rather that he has an innate talent and a respect for ballet that drives him to do the very best that he can--appropriately allowing his ballerina to shine in their pas de deux and dancing naturally full out in his solos.

Angelica