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Spring 2015: The Sleeping Beauty


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Awakening scene was BORING.

I love the awakening scene in this production. Too often Aurora hardly seems to see the prince, because she promptly gets up from her bed, with her back to him, and begins waking up everyone around her and then runs to her parents. But here nothing is rushed, and everything is given a chance of register. Aurora gets up, takes a good long look at the prince, and she's clearly thunderstruck. Instead of the king suddenly and inexplicably announcing the betrothal, the Lilac Fairy explains what's happened, the prince formally introduces himself and then asks the king for Aurora's hand in marriage. For once the scene doesn't seem ridiculous.

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The Queen's Wig looked like the Bride of Frankenstein.

The Fairies looked like Busby Berkley dancers.

Princess Aurora dies and her parents are barely responsive.

Lilac is a very demanding role, and ABT puts her in Character shoes?

Dream Sequence was an insult to the gorgeous Tchaikovsky score.

The Corps was good, Orchestra Exceptional.

Boring Choreography. No big leaps, no Bravura.

Awakening scene was BORING.

I've never seen a Pas De Trois with three Females before. Boy Girl Boy is the rule.

Pantomime in the First act was not recognizable. Hard to understand. Classic Panto, I did not get this.

3rd and 4th acts were better than the 1st and 2nd.

Seo in the Rose adagio was great.

Can we bring back the Disney Version of SB? Please? That was a magnificent production.

It will travel well, that is certain.

B-, C+ Worst SB I have ever seen.

We all are entitled to our opinions, but I find it a bit hard to reconcile your seemingly snarky statement that the show will "travel well" versus your annoyance at the interpolated "big jumps and bravura" being lost, among other things. Most folks view ballet as being something akin to gymnastics (a problem that even Bournonville railed against in his autobiography,and he died in 1879-ish), so it would seem that features you dislike also would limit the long term commercial viability of the production. This is not the production some expect, as it doesn't reflect what people today think ballet "is".

to me, that is one of this production's strengths. it seems more alive, as a cohesive, dramatic whole. The panto you dislike, for example, is what gives depth, and fills out features, from Carabosse in the christening, to the awakening scene. (While the plot of SB is pretty straight forward, I think, perhaps ABT should consider doing what PNB does for its Giselle and add a basic primer on mimetic gestures to the program?)

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...

Lilac is a very demanding role, and ABT puts her in Character shoes?

Dream Sequence was an insult to the gorgeous Tchaikovsky score.

...

Boring Choreography. No big leaps, no Bravura.

...

I've never seen a Pas De Trois with three Females before. Boy Girl Boy is the rule.

...

Take it up with Petipa -- these were his decisions.

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. Just goes to show you how much this new SB is like Bournonville.

When I was leaving Weds' show, my date (who really has only seen a few of the modern versions of the big classics) said that she really liked how this seemed more refined and less "jumpy", and asked if any companies do that style still.

My answer was immediate: yep, the Danes.

While as Helene notes, Bournonville and Petipa were working from a similar french background, I do recall that one of Bournonville's principals/soloists ended up teaching at the Marinsky, and I think this great production suggests there may be a little Danish DNA in it :)

As for the production itself, I have serious problems with ABT and many of their spring season warhorses, but for the reasons many have mentioned on this thread, I think that this is the best-presented full length the company now has in rep that wasn't choreographed by Ashton. Let's hope ABT can similarly revive Giselle, Swan Lake, et al from their ossified decrepitude.

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I can't wait for the Milanese reviews to come in this fall...particularly comments on the materials used in the costumes, e.g., Lilac's 'Cypress Gardens' gown with polyester gloves. Isn't Milan one of the fashion capitals of the world?

They didn't like the well-crafted and far-more-expensive RAYMONDA recon tutus in 2011.

Millinery and foot ware were crafted in Italy, so we should be ok there. :)

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I've never been to a performance Lane has danced in, so I can't speak from that experience. But today, I decided to head over to youtube to see what I could find. Mind you, I never took ballet, so I don't know all the terms, but I'm a musician which makes me see dance from that perspective. I watched Lane and Gorak in Flower Festival and then I watched Cojarocu and Kobborg dance in it.

In watching Lane first, I found that I admired her port des bras, but that I thought she danced in a very measured way. She had a way of sinking dead center in the music - what I call sitting in the beat - which is very nice, very pretty, but very unexciting. In dancing to music (I teach musical phrasing to championship Irish dancers), one can be on the beat in 3 different ways: one can be charging, one can dance in the very center of the music, and one can "bring up the rear." The first scenario shows an energetic dancer charging the beat. It's exciting and very crisp. The second example has a dancer performing right in the center of the beat. They are usually very neat, pretty dancers, but there's no electricity. The final way of staying on the beat is what I call "bringing up the rear" meaning that while technically, the dancer is not off time, but s/he appears heavy.

In Irish dance, the ones who charge are the ones who win. There's an electricity to that kind of dancing. Cojaracu is that kind of dancer. There's nothing measured about her musical phrasing. It's quick, yet very much well timed musically. There's practically an electrical flow to what she does, whereas Lane, while musically correct, appears bland by contrast. When I work with Irish dancers, I always tell them to charge the beat. It can completely recreate a dancer's look. There's nothing wrong with dancing in the middle of the beat, but it's dull. Maybe beautiful, but too much sameness. That's what I see in Lane.

I apologize for the very un-dance terminology. But I have found that every time I love a dancer and find that others find that dancer exciting and very musical as well, it turns out to be someone with that bit of charge. Sitting in the beat creates too much smoothness, too much sameness.

I agree with your definition of the dancer who "charges" wins. I call it "dancing on top of the notes". It's what makes City Ballet dancers so special and , as you say, electrifying.

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Ok if it's not fair to compare Lane to the very best (Fonteyn), here is another other petite Aurora who also never attained principal status in her home company:

Here is the lovely Olesia Novikova:

OK, this was really lovely. All the cavaliers were nicely standing away from her so to reveal her, Aurora. I think it also enables the dancer to better gage her balances in the end. Far too often the male dancer is simply too close to the ballerina. And let's for a moment talk costumes. I think the paler pink color is superior to the deeper rose that ABT now has. She just looks younger, fresher. The darker color at ABT comes perilously close to looking like a costume for a bordello dancer. It doesn't compliment the dancer. And here I love the costumes on the little "fiddlers". They totally compliment the scene. At ABT, those "Jingle bell" costumes are out of place, gaudy, and do not in any way compliment the Aurora. They simply pull focus. In watching this, I couldn't help but think how much I'd love to see Skylar Brandt dance Aurora at ABT. She has many of the same stylistic touches of Novikova. And she has the technical chops also. Next year???

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An interesting tidbit: A video crew from Brazilian television was in the company box on the grand tier (adjacent to the stage). They are making a documentary/special about Marcelo and spent the day with him. There is so little available footage of him dancing, I hope they will eventually make that show available to US audiences, perhaps by donating a copy to the NYPL dance collection. (Source: me - I talked with them at intermission)

That is interesting, because there's been a Gomes documentary in the works for several years, initially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and it has not yet been released. Perhaps this one from Brazil will end up being released earlier.

As far as dancing big or small, I disagree that roles like Peasant PDD, Swan Läke PDT, and Amour encourage soloists to dance small. Those are pace-eating roles with demanding technical challenges, and they can be danced as big and make their sections as commanding as any of the lead roles. Smaller solo roles are the same, and I've seen quite extraordinary performances where a dancer has a lesser lead, like April Ball in "Divertimento No. 15" in Berkeley with Suzanne Farrell Ballet or becomes a first among equals, like Simone Messmer as one of the Fairies in the last ABT "Sleeping Beauty" and Carrie Imler and Jonathan Porretta in the closing Handel in Forsythe's "New Suite" for PNB, where it was a if suddenly I was looking at the stage through a giant magnifying glass compared to what came before and after, where there was dancing that followed.

What those roles do not do is prepare a dancer to carry a full-length ballet, even a role as abbreviated as Desire in "Sleeping Beauty," in terms of dramatic arc, pacing, and stamina, as many a soloist or inexperienced Principal has shown in his or her first attempts at a role.

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Well, maybe to aspire to but Olesya is just wonderful, one of my favorite Mariinsky dancers. I like Sarah but she's never going to be anywhere near Olesya (who may be younger than Sarah, I'm not sure). Really, no one at ABT except Diana (who is, of course a Mariinsky dancer) is anywhere near that level of accomplishment. But ok, an aspirational goal. Also, maybe Obraztsova (who is also tiny and, IMO, not as good as Olesya) could be someone more realistic to aspire to. I know Obraztsova is now a Bolshoi principal but that was because Fateyev made it clear she was going to go nowhere at the Mariinsky.

Novikova and Obraztsova are very different types of dancers in my view, only similarity is that both 5'4" and under dancers dance BIG which is a good thing. Novikova almost two inches taller than Obraztsova, I think Novikova is Vishneva's height. Novikova dances in a more sleek, gymnastics emphasis than Obraztsova's softer, more academic yet dramatic style. There's nothing wrong with Obraztsova leaving for a company with an Artistic Director who appreciates her talents more so than Mariinsky. Novikova could have done the same in order to dance more roles if she had wanted to. Both have great technique but with different kinds of artistry and presence, but I think Obraztsova excels in dramatic roles like Juiet and also Romantic roles like Sylphide much more than Novikova. Novikova is brilliant in her recent foray into modern ballets such as Le Parc, absolutely fantastic. Both are great Auroras but it really depends again on what type of Aurora fits your taste. In this video I do not like Novikova's tendency to employ extensions as a way to phrase passages in classical ballets, it's predictable and not in Aurora's character.

https://youtu.be/_Y0ROuf04U0?t=1m57s

Just for comparison, here is the "softer" Obraztsova in the atrocious Bolshoi production.

https://youtu.be/Gm41MFu5VOM

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What those roles do not do is prepare a dancer to carry a full-length ballet, even a role as abbreviated as Desire in "Sleeping Beauty," in terms of dramatic arc, pacing, and stamina, as many a soloist or inexperienced Principal has shown in his or her first attempts at a role.

You make a very cogent point here -- I think we've all seen dancers debut in one of the standard program-length works, as they've had more or less success with the arc of the full ballet. Even if you've danced a one-act excerpt on a mixed program, it's a different challenge to articulate that character over an entire evening.

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What those roles do not do is prepare a dancer to carry a full-length ballet, even a role as abbreviated as Desire in "Sleeping Beauty," in terms of dramatic arc, pacing, and stamina, as many a soloist or inexperienced Principal has shown in his or her first attempts at a role.

You make a very cogent point here -- I think we've all seen dancers debut in one of the standard program-length works, as they've had more or less success with the arc of the full ballet. Even if you've danced a one-act excerpt on a mixed program, it's a different challenge to articulate that character over an entire evening. There are issues of physical and theatrical stamina that just don't get developed until you have to step up to the full work.

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Gillian nailed her Rose Adagio! And Stella's lilac solo was stellar. Very good first act and prologue.

Seconded! If McKenzie passes her up for promotion again, he's a fool.

Watching this production, I'm more excited about the future of the company than I have been in years.

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Today was amazing! I absolutely am in love with this production. Gillian was better today than opening night. The rose adagio was truly perfection. She had a little bobble during the vision scene with the seashell contraption, but otherwise was stunning. One of the best performances I've seen from her.

I feel like I've just seen James Whiteside for the first time. His acting--spot on. The footwork in his solo--lovely. His partnering--perfect one handed fish dives. For the first time, I really felt something watching him.

Already mentioned Stella. Best lilac solo I've seen this year. Please promote her KM, please!

There were some minor mistakes in other areas, but overall it was a really good performance. I'm enjoying this ballet more each time I see it. I even loved the garland dance this time, it seemed cleaner than the earlier performances.

Now I get to see Vishneva tonight!

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Today was probably the most all-around satisfying of the three performances of Sleeping Beauty that I saw this season. (Previous were Lane/Cornejo in May and Boylston/Gorak on Wednesday night.)

As suggested above, Gillian's performance was both beautiful and agile. I saw none of the sluggishness or weightiness that's previously been reported about her performance in this role. The Rose Adagio was excellent -- confident, with lots of lovely little touches on the acting front. One thing I noticed that Gillian did which I don't think the other two Auroras had done: when she gets each of the first set of roses, I've generally seen Auroras shift their right foot from in front of the leg to behind. I've always loved this little detail (which is echoed in, I think, the Vision Scene), but I missed it from Sarah and Isabella.

Joo Won Ahn has been a real standout among the Fairy Cavaliers in all three of the performances I've seen, with swift legwork and nice elevation.

I continue to miss what the big fuss is about regarding the Fairy Violente's variation. To me it seems perfectly in keeping with the character of these variations collectively.

Question: what is the meaning of the mime gesture performed by the Fairy Candide during her variation, where she looks like she's sliding long gloves off her arms, from her elbows down to her wrists? Carabosse mocks her for this and it's later repeated by the Lilac Fairy just before the Vision Scene, when she's describing Aurora to the Prince.

Keith Roberts was very good as Catalabutte, but I really don't like Clinton Luckett's performance of the tutor in Act II. During the blind-man's-buff he doesn't seem to understand that his goal is to tag those who are swatting at him. Craig Salstein was much better at this on Wednesday night. Salstein's Carabosse today was also quite lively; nearly as good as Marcelo and much better than Nancy Raffa, who made much less of the character and extensive mime. I love watching Carabosse and her rats and her little monkey boys (or whatever they are) dancing around!

I agree that Stella's Lilac variation was quite good, but it was also a bit simplified; the tricky footwork that Devon Teuscher did quite well in May (though apparently not so well the other night) was missing. But it was still the harder of the two versions of the variation -- not the one that Veronika did on Wednesday (which actually included more mime bits -- gestures toward the crib and such).

While their costumes do seem a bit out of place, I do love how the Violin Pages in Act I look with their red tights and impressive leg work. Those girls are impressive!

I sat in Dress Circle today, after sitting in Orchestra Balance for the other two performances. What a difference this made for the Garland Waltz! It still looked a bit crowded, but not nearly as bad. I love the colorful garlands used in this production; so many companies use rather drab looking garlands that don't at all capture the spirit of a dance with flowers as the visual focus.

(Sorry this review is kind of all over the place -- I realize I'm not really going completely in order! Just looking at my program and noting whatever catches my eye and triggers my memory.)

Isabella Boylston was very good as the Diamond Fairy. Lauren Post stood out among the other three, with lovely attitudes and crisp legwork.

Sarah Lane's Florine was a bit disappointing. I was very much looking forward to this, but Stella did a much better job in the other two performances I saw. There were two odd flubs in the adagio: one supported pirouette early on seemed to get stuck before completion, and Sarah just held an odd pose for the rest of the phrase. (Quite possibly the fault of Zhiyao Zhang, her Bluebird.) And then when she went down on one knee at the end, right after the lift, she had to hold herself up awkwardly with one arm on the floor.

Zhang was a very good Bluebird, but I liked Blaine Hoven's performances better. Zhang has a nice look for the part -- slimmer legs, for one thing. But Hoven had greater elevation and (despite his "thicker" look) swifter footwork, I think.

The Grand PDD was exceptional all around, to my eye. James Whiteside was an excellent Prince Désiré throughout the afternoon, and then his dancing in the variation was quite striking. Much swifter and lighter than Gorak's, whose performance really slowed down in the last portion. (I'm generally a big fan of Gorak's dancing, and I liked his overall interpretation of the role, but the Grand PDD was disappointing on Wednesday night, from both him and Isabella, who had danced a wonderful first two acts.)

The fish dives were also much better here than on Wednesday, though I do wish Gillian would get her bottom leg up into position more quickly. She ended up almost upside down, which was a bit different from what I've seen before. They held on to the last one an extra long time.

Gillian's variation was lovely, with again a lot of nice acting touches; her artistry has really grown in recent years, and her dancing has become softer and more all-around engaging and joyful. Her Vision Scene variation was equally lovely, though I have to say I really prefer the other version of this -- chor. by Sergeyev, I believe, though to the music Tchaikovsky originally intended for the variation. The music Petipa ended up using, for the version Ratmansky reproduces here, sounds quite out of place, to me -- with orchestral accompaniment like a wheezing barrel organ. Tchaikovsky's original music is much more in keeping with the mood of the scene and the image of an ethereal vision of beauty.

Seeing this production from up above today, at the front of Dress Circle, was quite a delight. It's really beautiful -- with some odd touches, to be sure, but those seem to just add to the overwhelming texture and spectacle of the whole. Much nicer than when everything looks overly coordinated, with everyone wearing coordinating colors as they never would in life. I particularly liked seeing the fairies and their cavaliers in the Prologue; while the fairies' costumes and the cavaliers' costumes can seem odd when they're together as separate groups, when they get paired up (fairy to cavalier) and all 12 are onstage together they suddenly make so much sense.

Very much looking forward to seeing more of this production next year, when it will hopefully return (as new productions of the full-lengths generally seem to, in their second seasons).

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I completely agree with you about Lane's Florine. I was not impressed. The partnering between Zhang and Lane was a bit sloppy. Zhang's solo was nice though.

Unfortunate to hear about Zhang as I recall him as the Golden Idol a year ago in LB, he was amazing! I often wonder if there is enough partnering coaching time for some of these dancers. Looking forward now to R&J week!

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To me this version of Blue Bird serves neither dancer. Neither gets to really show off and flaws are really exposed.

I'll be interested to see how well this version of SB sells after the premier season. Personally I don't think it serves the dancers well and it is so differently stylistically from every thing else it will always eat up a lot of rehearsal time.

Re Sarah Lane. I wish she'd get out of there before it's too late. She isn't going to be promoted to principal and others will be promoted to soloist.

She'll get less ad less to do. I saw her Aurora in 2008 and thought it a stunning debut for a first timer in her early 20's. The only complaint I heard about her performance was that she smiled too much. It took 6 years for her to be cast in it again. To me that is talent abuse.

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I'll be interested to see how well this version of SB sells after the premier season. Personally I don't think it serves the dancers well and it is so differently stylistically from every thing else it will always eat up a lot of rehearsal time.

ITA. I fear it will go the way of Ratmansky's Nutcracker. It is much too long, with many boring stretches. Completely unbalanced roles for Aurora and Desire, and even if Petipa did it that way, does that mean that a full reconstruction is always the way to go? If you're going to go back to the 19th century original, you still have to bear in mind that the audience is 21st century, not 19th. It is quaint and new this season, but further down the road I think the audiences will thin out. Unlike Swan Lake, for example, which is a highlight year after year, no matter how terrible the production.

Think of all the money that went into this production and could have been spent instead on coaching and developing the many talented dancers who begin their careers at ABT and then have to leave because of neglect.

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ITA. I fear it will go the way of Ratmansky's Nutcracker. It is much too long, with many boring stretches. Completely unbalanced roles for Aurora and Desire, and even if Petipa did it that way, does that mean that a full reconstruction is always the way to go? If you're going to go back to the 19th century original, you still have to bear in mind that the audience is 21st century, not 19th. It is quaint and new this season, but further down the road I think the audiences will thin out. Unlike Swan Lake, for example, which is a highlight year after year, no matter how terrible the production.

Think of all the money that went into this production and could have been spent instead on coaching and developing the many talented dancers who begin their careers at ABT and then have to leave because of neglect.

I actually have quite the opposite view. I think this production demonstrates an unusual commitment to company coaching and training that must have been given in order to achieve the degree of company unity that has been on display during this production's run. This strikes me as a good sign for the company, and if it takes an unusual production such as this to instill a sense of the need for company coaching, then all the better. Perhaps ABT has been complacent for too long, dancing ballets that they think they can manage with little corps unity, and perhaps this production is posing a challenge that will force the dancers to rise to the levels of achievement that it requires.

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