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ABT's revival of "Spectre de la Rose"


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There are only a couple of posts regarding ABT's upcoming revival of this little jewel of a miniature ballet. I realize I'm probably among the minority here about welcoming with open arms this overdue revival. In fact I'm jumping in a plane again just to see as many performances I can of it. I find "Spectre.." wonderfully crafted, and I blame the little ability of current male dancers to capture the essence of the character...at many times just an elusive perfume that the Girl feels around the stage. I have seen many performances of the ballet, mainly in Cuba, from the most acrobatic inflicted ones to the overly mannered ones, Russian style. I know that the Rose character is hard to get, both from the dancer and from the audience perspective. The bailarin needs to be able to be masculine enough not to be too overly mannered, and somehow androgynous enough to really capture the character, aside from being a great jumper and turner. I don't know nothing about all this Monotones that are to be presented-(and I suspect I don't really will care enough for them)-, but Spectre I do, and I can't wait to watch it again.

Every time I want to watch the ballet, I usually skip Nureyev and Misha to get into the clip of the wonderful Legris and de Vulpian. They are just PERFECT in the roles.

WELCOME BACK "SPECTRE DE LA ROSE"!!!! :flowers::flowers::flowers::flowers::flowers:

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I had seen Cornejo dance it at least twice the last time ABT did it (with Xiomara Reyes, who made you truly believe she was a girl who had just gotten home from her first ball). Cornejo was an explosive dancer back then, but he has grown so much as an artist since that time. I bet he'll bring even more to the role. Thanks for posting that video. Legris' arms are the embodiment of a rose's perfume. Amazing.

You've probably seen this already, but there is a video of Reyes and Cornejo dancing Spectre. Looks like it was perhaps filmed for archival purposes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4P70l_BYAY

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Oh, that was a wonderful clip of Reyes/Cornejo, although I see little choreographic differences with that of Legris. I also want to add that, being the hopeless romantic that I am, this little tableaux never fails to touch me deeply, for which it embodies the tale of the ever present chase for an elusive dream of happiness,to which sometimes we hold on for a wonderful period of time before it slips away in a grand jete. Cornejo jumps wonderfully, but Legris IS a rose. Who would I want to see in the roles, ideally...? Gomes/Vishneva for sure.

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I would like to like this ballet more than I do, but the music has, for my ears, nothing like the delicacy and dreaminess of the story. Still, I would be eager to see both ABT casts this coming season (Cornejo/Lane and Simkin/Trenary) and look forward to reading what you and others think of their performances.

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Who would I want to see in the roles, ideally...? Gomes/Vishneva for sure.

ABT likes to cast small for this ballet, but I agree that a taller, more muscular dancer could be very appealing.

I also think Gorak could be beautiful in this. If anyone could pull of "rose arms," I think it would be him.

I think casting Simkin in this is a mistake. I worry he will just turn it into a gymnastic routine. Plus, I don't think he really has the sexual/sensual stage presence to pull this off. He'll look more like a garden sprite.

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ok, i know this isn't the real thing completely, and I know that lillian gish couldn't dance and that there are a lot of things that disqualify it from being a real presentation of the ballet, but i like this; I like the way it's presented, i like the perfume of the occasion, I like that she was always a good actress and she is still one here and i just like it! (did i say i like it?)

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I think Spectre shows us nothing but what an extroardinairy artist Nijinsky must have been. I honestly believe, never having seen him, that no one owns this piece as Nijinsky did. This is the role his leaps most famously floated in... It is as synonymous with Nijinsky as Dying Swan was with Pavlova. Baryshnikov, Nureyev, Dupond, or Soloviev all performed Spectre, but all are more famous for other roles.

We all long to catch a glimpse of Nijinsky's legend in each new dancer to take on the role... but whatever romantic spirit posessed Nijinsky's soft interpretation, it must not be easily summoned. Sure, there is androgeny there, but there seems to be more than mere androgeny, Nijinsky looks as much the Spectre of Art Nouveau as La Rose, and it is in his very gaze, wide eyed or downcast. It was not just the prodigous leap, but some subtlety in the port de bras, something not trained from modern classroom port de bras, perhaps, a soft quality not trained into port de bras since the very early 1900s? Fokine made use of Nijinsky's leaps, but perhaps something unique to his spirit as well. Nijinsky seems to have done "posessed" well given the roles Fokine made on him.

There is this interesting photo of Lifar dancing it for Nijinsky. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cb/1e/f4/cb1ef43aaa3c52a736ac008c913d4048.jpg

I wonder if ABT's conductor will hold off on the last note.

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