vipa Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Unless they cast a 16 year-old as Aurora, nobody will be credible anyway. So there's really no difference between 39 year-old Vishneva, 31 year-old Lane and 29 year-old Boylston; they are all too old. Personally, I'll go see Vishneva while we still have her. I agree about the age thing. The ability to portray youth does not correlate with being young. Still Lane has a youthfulness about her appearance and presentation. Vishneva is very mannered and to my eye calculating in her presentation. That's what makes the difference. The greatest Aurora I've ever seen was Cojocaru about 4 years ago. She was far from 16 but portrayed innocence that grew into something else. Link to comment
angelica Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Margot Fonteyn as Aurora and Alessandra Ferri as Juliet had the ability to portray youthfulness long after their youth. Link to comment
Username Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I agree about the age thing. The ability to portray youth does not correlate with being young. Still Lane has a youthfulness about her appearance and presentation. Vishneva is very mannered and to my eye calculating in her presentation. That's what makes the difference. The greatest Aurora I've ever seen was Cojocaru about 4 years ago. She was far from 16 but portrayed innocence that grew into something else. Even when she WAS 16, Vishneva was very mannered and calculating. She does always seem to be taking what she does very seriously. I hope she gets to have some fun sometimes... Link to comment
mimsyb Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Margot Fonteyn as Aurora and Alessandra Ferri as Juliet had the ability to portray youthfulness long after their youth. I would agree that sometimes a more seasoned dancer has the ability to act a role and become the character . As mentioned, both Ferri and Cojocuru danced this role splendidly and both did so well past the given age of Aurora. As for Fonteyn, she is still the ultimate standard bearer of this role. No one has ever surpassed her portrayal. MO. And of course we can also look to Ulanova who danced well past her supposed "don't use" date. Anyone who saw her dance Juliet can attest to her remarkable skills to bring a younger character to full life. These roles require so much more than just technique and actual youth. Can't speak to the new ABT production, but I have no trouble going with Vishneva for my first viewing of this revival. The "younger" ladies will eventually come into the role, but for now I would prefer to see the more seasoned ballerina. And besides, Vishneva has the remarkable Gomes by her side, so what's not to like? Link to comment
Kaysta Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Margot Fonteyn as Aurora and Alessandra Ferri as Juliet had the ability to portray youthfulness long after their youth. Agreed! I saw a snippets of a video of Ferri dancing Giselle (in what I assume was in her 40's) and I still believed she was a sweet innocent peasant girl in love during the first act. I am also seeing Sarah Lane perform, as I've heard such rave reviews from others. I think I'm going to get tickets to Murphy as well, since the Sleeping Beauty met run is split in May and June. Link to comment
CTballetfan Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Thank you to all who posted in answer to my question of which ballet to see in the spring season. I think it will be SB, either Lane, Murphy or Vishneva. Whichever, I'm sure the production will be splendid. Link to comment
sandik Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Margot Fonteyn as Aurora and Alessandra Ferri as Juliet had the ability to portray youthfulness long after their youth. Margot Fonteyn as Aurora and Alessandra Ferri as Juliet had the ability to portray youthfulness long after their youth. I would agree that sometimes a more seasoned dancer has the ability to act a role and become the character . As mentioned, both Ferri and Cojocuru danced this role splendidly and both did so well past the given age of Aurora. As for Fonteyn, she is still the ultimate standard bearer of this role. No one has ever surpassed her portrayal. MO. And of course we can also look to Ulanova who danced well past her supposed "don't use" date. Anyone who saw her dance Juliet can attest to her remarkable skills to bring a younger character to full life. These roles require so much more than just technique and actual youth. Can't speak to the new ABT production, but I have no trouble going with Vishneva for my first viewing of this revival. The "younger" ladies will eventually come into the role, but for now I would prefer to see the more seasoned ballerina. And besides, Vishneva has the remarkable Gomes by her side, so what's not to like? What she said. Fonteyn and Ulanova. And Lynn Seymour. Link to comment
sandik Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 - just can't fathom a credible Aurora pushing 40. As they say, that's why they call it acting. Link to comment
Helene Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've deleted professional reviews. Please discuss them in the "Writings on Ballet" forum. Link to comment
Username Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Someone who knows more about this than I, said that this Ratmansky production has transformed Vishneva. Where her Aurora was previously unfocused, bland and too gymnastic, in this new ABT production where her legs seldom sweep above the level of her hips, she is more youthful, more nuanced, poetic and engaging. Link to comment
CTballetfan Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 What's with the announcement today on ABT's website that Paloma Herrera will not give her farewell performance as Aurora in SB in June but has moved up her final performance to May. She and Xiomara Reyes will both give their final performances the same day in the same role, one at the Wed matinee and the other in the evening. A bit awkward, isn't it? There is no cast now for Herrera's SB in June. Link to comment
Dale Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Official release: PALOMA HERRERA TO GIVE FAREWELL PERFORMANCE WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE IN GISELLE ON MAY 27 MATINEE AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Paloma Herrera will give her farewell performance with the Company at the 2:00pm matinee of Giselle on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Ms. Herrera's farewell performance was previously scheduled for Tuesday, June 9 as Princess Aurora in the Company's new staging of The Sleeping Beauty. Ms. Herrera has decided to change the date of her final ABT performance to dance a role she has performed since 2001, and one that is very familiar to New York audiences. American Ballet Theatre's 2015 Spring season runs from May 11 through July 4. Individual tickets go on sale beginning Sunday, March 22 at 9:00am at the Metropolitan Opera House box office, by phone at 212-362-6000 and online at www.abt.org. Link to comment
abatt Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Outrageous. How insulting for Paloma and her fans. She learned the new SB role, so why did she suddenly have a change of heart now. No adequate partner for her? Link to comment
sandik Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Outrageous. How insulting for Paloma and her fans. She learned the new SB role, so why did she suddenly have a change of heart now. No adequate partner for her? This may be her choice. She might want to finish in a work she knows well. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Outrageous. How insulting for Paloma and her fans. She learned the new SB role, so why did she suddenly have a change of heart now. No adequate partner for her? This may be her choice. She might want to finish in a work she knows well. This is very surprising, but I agree it may have been her choice after performing it in CA last week. She may not feel comfortable in it and wants to give the best farewell performance possible. But, I agree this is an awkward announcement and an even more awkward scheduling choice. Two retirements on the same day? I imagine some of her fans work during the day and will have a hard getting to this now. Link to comment
ksk04 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 The partner issue seems like a likely culprit. I don't understand how assigning her who she wanted for her farewell performance wouldn't be a priority for ABT. But I agree it's insulting only if she felt like she was pushed into it--not if she decided she just didn't want to dance in SB as her final performance (though you'd think during the rehearsal process you'd realize whether it was a role you were comfortable in or not, especially with her experience) and would prefer it to be Giselle. Link to comment
abatt Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I would have gone to her SB farewell regardless of her partner, but I'm not planning on taking the day off of work to go to the Wed matinee farewell. Additionally, they have been charging higher prices for the farewell tickets than for other tickets, so now everyone who bought tickets to her SB farwell has been overcharged. Refunds? I doubt it. I've never heard of anyone at ABT retiring on a Wed matinee. Link to comment
FauxPas Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 The sad thing is that Aurora was a very good role for Paloma while her Giselle when I saw it was really a poor interpretation. According to what I have read about her SC performance, Paloma can still dance Aurora technically well despite the complaints about lack of interpretation and artistry. Lack of artistry and interpretation is more damning in "Giselle" than in "Sleeping Beauty" and she is making her Farewell at a Wednesday matinee. Really bad. Link to comment
abatt Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I agree w. FauxPas. She was excellent in previous outings in SB, but her Giselle is not particularly distinguished. A bad way to go out after 20 years. I guess that either Seo/Stearns or Murphy/Whiteside will pick up the additional SB date vacated by Paloma. I hope they plan on casting Paloma in their Gala so that her fans can say goodbye. Also hope they cast her as one of the two women characters in Fancy Free - a role she has performed previously. Link to comment
Natalia Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Outrageous. How insulting for Paloma and her fans. She learned the new SB role, so why did she suddenly have a change of heart now. No adequate partner for her? I totally agree, abatt. Such a star & now her farewell will be a MATINEE? I smell a rat. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Wow, this is really clumsy, even by ABT standards. Link to comment
Helene Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 If this is Herrara's decision, and there's no evidence that it's otherwise, I think it's generous of ABT to give her that option, especially knowing they will get flack for the change. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 It's true, there is every indication that this was Herrera's own decision. But a Wednesday afternoon farewell is a strange end to 24 years of service to the company. I'm not sure how ABT is being generous in the situation. By not forcing her to go on in Sleeping Beauty? Link to comment
FauxPas Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 What would have made sense would have been to move Hee Seo from the opening night "Giselle" to the Wednesday matinee. Then Herrera's farewell would have been on the Friday opening night. Link to comment
Recommended Posts