American Ballet Theatre 2021-2022 season

[ABT Fan]

10 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I’m at a loss for words when it comes to Brandt’s performance tonight. She was extraordinary. She exceeded any expectations I could have had. Unreal.

How was Cornejo? And, Peterson?

[tutu]

35 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

How was Cornejo? And, Peterson?

Cornejo was great (with beautiful brises) but part of Cornejo’s greatness is knowing when he should be highlighting his ballerina, which he did beautifully.  Among other things, press lifts in Act II were extraordinary.

Peterson seemed like she may have been suffering from some nerves in her first few entrances (tense port de bras, didn’t seem quite as stable as expected) but something in her released and relaxed and she took gloriously imperious flight after that.  

Edited October 22, 2021 by tutu

[fondoffouettes]

15 minutes ago, tutu said:

Cornejo was great (with beautiful brise voles) but part of Cornejo’s greatness is knowing when he should be highlighting his ballerina, which he did beautifully.  Among other things, press lifts in Act II were extraordinary.

Peterson seemed like she may have been suffering from some nerves in her first few entrances (tense port de bras, didn’t seem quite as stable as expected) but something in her released and relaxed and she took gloriously imperious flight after that.  

I agree completely with this assessment. Cornejo's dancing doesn't reach the dizzying heights of his prime, but even without the extreme elevation and the bravura flourishes of his earlier days, he's still a beautiful dancer and fine artist (not to mention a subtle, understated actor). Like tutu says, his partnering was perfect. I loved the way he first lifted Brandt overhead and then raised her very slowly and smoothly into the press lifts. I'm not sure I've seen it quite like that before.

Peterson had some small bobbles in those arabesques in the opening sequence, but once she relaxed, she was so lovely. I was impressed by her incredibly expressive upper body and fluid port de bras (after the initial tenseness). It's a not too common quality among ABT's ballerinas, and it brought to mind greats like Abrera and Part, who managed to "say" so much with their upper bodies. I also appreciated that in the section of the willi's "chugs," all of her jumps were right on the music, which never seems to happen even with really great Myrthas at ABT. Maybe they are finally working to better coordinate that section with the orchestra.

i really enjoyed seeing this ballet on a smaller stage and in a smaller auditorium, even if it means having less willis or peasants onstage. It's not a grand ballet in the manner of Sleeping Beauty, etc., so being in a smaller space, where I felt a closer connection with the dancers, really enhanced the experience for me. Even when you sit relatively close at the Met, the dancers can feel a mile away.

Edited October 22, 2021 by fondoffouettes

[abatt]

Agree with all the praise for Brandt and Cornejo.  While I never doubted Brandt had the technique for Giselle, I was unsure of whether she would be believable in a dramatic role.  She should be very proud of this performance.

[Marta]

10 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Who has done them well in recent memory? The last dancer I can recall doing them with a real wow factor was Corella. I've seen Cornejo perform them adequately but they didn't make much of an impact. I feel like I've only ever seen them in their full glory from Baryshnikov (in the old video) and Corella. 

You're so right!  Baryshnikov's brises were  beautiful as well as dramatically potent.  I believe I saw Corella do them at his last Giselle with Vishneva.

[cobweb]

1 hour ago, fondoffouettes said:

I’m at a loss for words when it comes to Brandt’s performance tonight. She was extraordinary. She exceeded any expectations I could have had. Unreal

Agree. She was incredible. 

[Marta]

10 hours ago, California said:

And in case anybody has forgotten, they start at 18:56 in this clip. Baryshnikov does five the first time, six on the second. I think Stearns did three? It must be difficult on dancers when they know we have all seen The Gold Standard! (I think that was filmed on the Met Opera stage, as I remember, so he had a bit more space.

Yes, this Giselle was filmed at the Met.

[Drew]

7 minutes ago, Marta said:

You're so right!  Baryshnikov's brises were  beautiful as well as dramatically potent.  I believe I saw Corella do them at his last Giselle with Vishneva.

Completely agree about Baryshnikov. I believe I saw that Vishneva-Corella performance and, for my taste, neither then (nor at one other performance of Giselle that I saw him dance) did his brisés hold a candle to Baryshnikov's....(I usually liked Corella a lot when I saw him dance, but all the same....)

Excited to read about Brandt's debut....

Edited October 22, 2021 by Drew

[Marta]

8 hours ago, canbelto said:

David Hallberg used to do the brises very well too.

I saw a Giselle with Osipova & Hallberg in about 2013.  I think he did 24 entrechats.  I have to admit that after seeing a few, entrechats put me to sleep.  

[fondoffouettes]

6 minutes ago, Marta said:

I saw a Giselle with Osipova & Hallberg in about 2013.  I think he did 24 entrechats.  I have to admit that after seeing a few, entrechats put me to sleep.  

The brisés seem to make more sense dramatically, the way they are directed on a diagonal toward Myrtha. It feels like Albrecht is imploring Myrtha for mercy. 

It does seems like the Koch stage limits the number of brisés that can be performed. I think Cornejo did four at first, then three in the second round. It felt like there was extra music left over after he'd finished the brisés.

Edited October 22, 2021 by fondoffouettes

[griffie]

Skylar Brandt's dancing tonight was breathtaking. Her jumps were even springier than I remembered pre-pandemic; the height she achieving skipping out of the house in her first entrance had me thinking of Osipova. She covered so much distance on her hops on stage in the Spessivtseva variation that she nearly ended up offstage. Dizzyingly fast attitude spins after being summoned form the grave, check; solid adagio solo balances, speedy footwork, perfect turns and control - check and check. I like her portrayal of Giselle as beautiful and flirtatious, but visibly fragile. Skylar has the bones of a sparrow so this is especially believable.

Skylar's version of the mad scene had long periods of stillness, where the action stopped. It was a very different take than the more dramatic renditions I've seen, and it may grow on me. However ABT's staging has Albrecht standing around on the side a bit awkwardly for much of the early mad scene, and this was more noticeable without the distraction of more action from Giselle. 

I was there for Skylar's debut, but Herman's performance was magical. His jumps were beautiful and noiseless, his form and bearing graceful and regal, his playful courtship of Giselle funny, his grief sincere, his partnering divine - he made Skylar skim and float. Well, his jumps weren't entirely noiseless - from the 2nd ring you could hear his calves slapping together in his magnificent brises, yet not hear his landings at all. Incredible that he is performing at the level he is after such a long career, accumulated injuries, and a pandemic layoff. What a complete dancer he is.

Stephanie Peterson (Williams) gave a fine debut as Myrta and I was particularly taken with the elegant dancing of Fangqi Li as Moyna. Li has absolutely lovely head carriage and port de bras, which I am missing without Stella Abrera and Sarah Lane. I enjoyed Andrii Ischuk as Hilarion; he reminded me of Isaac Stappas in that role - such a great character actor he was! I remember really feeling for Isaac's Hilarion as he first stomped around, then had his heart broken and finally was danced to death.

As much as I loved the performance, I will say I don't love the first act women's costuming. Giselle's dress was a rather drab lavender and the peasant dresses were dull except for the six peasant friend' dresses which were so bright they look garish by comparison. I do think ABT could do better.

 

[California]

I don't disagree with any of the rave reviews of Skylar Brandt and Herman Cornejo. She is really one to watch. 

She posts extensively on her Instagram coaching sessions with Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky. I assume they were in the audience. Did anyone see them?

One welcome detail: no masks on dancers at this performance. Whew!

I thought the timing/phrasing was a little odd in some of the partnering. E.g., right after Albrecht's solo, she appears and he "floats" her to the other side of the stage. It seemed rushed and way off the music.  But that's haggling over details. 

[tutu]

6 hours ago, griffie said:

I was particularly taken with the elegant dancing of Fangqi Li as Moyna. Li has absolutely lovely head carriage and port de bras, which I am missing without Stella Abrera and Sarah Lane.

Oh yes, Li was sublime.  I’ll be looking out for her in other roles.

[fondoffouettes]

2 hours ago, California said:

She posts extensively on her Instagram coaching sessions with Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky. I assume they were in the audience. Did anyone see them?

Yes, I saw them in the lobby before the performance.

[JuliaJ]

Not much to add about Brandt's performance except that I felt like I was experiencing ballet history being made. A very special moment to have witnessed. I knew she could turn but I had no idea she could jump so high and act so convincingly. Past-his-prime Cornejo is still spectacular; Brandt was very lucky to get him as a partner. Despite all of ABT's issues, this was a reminder of why I love attending their shows. 

Betsy McBride and Jose Sebastian danced the peasant pas. They were ok. McBride seemed tense but she was the better of the two. 

I agree that Peterson had a successful debut. Of course she's no Christine Shevchenko, but she pulled off the jumping and the other technical elements well, and she was appropriately ghostly and elegant. I was very impressed by Adrii Ischuck and Fangqi Li, two dancers I had never heard of before. Good to see some new-ish talent in the lower ranks since, unlike at NYCB, exemplary individual dancers can be harder to spot in the corps.  

Thank god no masks on dancers!!

[tutu]

10 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

i really enjoyed seeing this ballet on a smaller stage and in a smaller auditorium, even if it means having less willis or peasants onstage. It's not a grand ballet in the manner of Sleeping Beauty, etc., so being in a smaller space, where I felt a closer connection with the dancers, really enhanced the experience for me. Even when you sit relatively close at the Met, the dancers can feel a mile away.

Meant to respond to this earlier — also think that the production works better at the Koch.  I was seated pretty high up, so for me, it wasn’t necessarily my proximity to the dancers, but the scale just seems more human.  

Part of me wonders if the relative uniformity in the Wili corps (much better than I’ve seen at ABT in a while) is the result of the stage better matching the ABT studio dimensions?  My other theories are that (a) the ABT school / standardized curriculum is finally paying off or (b) reaping the benefits of having the run at the beginning of the season, before the extremely hardworking, every-single-performance corps dancers are exhausted and more injuries deplete their ranks.  (Would that ABT had the budget and extended season to allow for a corps big enough to give some of these dancers more rest.)

[abatt]

9 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

The brisés seem to make more sense dramatically, the way they are directed on a diagonal toward Myrtha. It feels like Albrecht is imploring Myrtha for mercy. 

It does seems like the Koch stage limits the number of brisés that can be performed. I think Cornejo did four at first, then three in the second round. It felt like there was extra music left over after he'd finished the brisés.

Yes, that's exactly what happened.  Cornejo ran out of stage space so he had to improvise while the rest of the music played.  Similarly, in Act I, when Brandt did those incredible hops on pointe across the stage she had a few beats of music left but no more stage space. 

[FauxPas]

FondofFouettes and Griffie really were spot on in their assessment of Brandt and everyone else.  Some notes of my own:

Skylar Brandt in Act I is a believably virginal and demure Giselle - dancers like Diana Vishneva suggested a hint of wildness or rebellion or nascent sexuality but Brandt kept her interpretation well within traditional lines.  The mad scene was restrained - no melodrama - and seemed a retreat into herself from a traumatizing reality.  I think with time Brandt will add more individual touches but there was nothing wrong with this.  Nothing she did felt false or applied from outside.

Technically she was a wonder all night - the sautés in the Spessivtseva solo took her across the stage to Giselle's front door and beyond.  Her jumps cover a lot of distance but are not especially notable for elevation - I think she may have been working to sync with Cornejo who has to be careful these days.  Brandt has a special gift for petite allegro - delicate light footwork - that really brought out the fine details in the choreography.   All the little beats with the feet were hummingbird-like in their speed and accuracy. 

I find that some ballerinas are Act I Giselles - better at acting and lyrical phrasing - while others are Act II Giselles - better at pure dancing rather than mime and/or finding virginal fragility hard to fake.  Brandt was a fully satisfying Act I Giselle - especially her solos - but really cut loose in Act II.  There all her technical strengths were focused on creating an otherworldly character and the dancing told the story.  On the other hand, her port de bras was very Romantic in style (for a petite dancer she has long arms) and she had gorgeous sustained line as well as quick footwork.

Cornejo was a dream partner who really made Brandt levitate in the air.  His solo dancing is still clean but at 40 and with two replacement knees he isn't taking big risks - no huge jetés, no bent knee spins, etc - but his form and line are gorgeously intact.  He is a true classicist and elegant partner.

Stephanie Petersen (formerly Williams) made a promising debut as Myrtha.  Yes the opening arabesques into penchée were a little rusty - debut nerves and also coming back after a long layoff.  She steadied herself and gradually gained authority.  The final jetés were impressively high.  She also has a dark, sternly beautiful appearance and long limbs - the material is there.  I hope to see her expand and be more confrontational with Giselle and Albrecht when she repeats Myrtha on Saturday afternoon with Schevchenko and Bell.

I thought Betsy McBride in the Peasant Pas de Deux was charming and dancing with vivacity and sparkle despite  a touch of brittleness probably due to nerves.  She is dancing the Peasant Pas again this week with Carlos Gonzalez and should relax and improve.  I am glad they are utilizing McBride more.  I thought Jose Sebastian did a very good job as her partner and his solos were danced with airy open phrasing.  Let me add praise for Fangqi Li as Moyna who showed more airiness and delicacy than April Giangeruso did as Zulma.  Andrii Ishchuk made Hilarion's intentions clear and showed off a big jump in his final exit in Act II being dispatched by the Wilis.  Luis Ribagorda was Wilfred, Isabella Loyola a knowingly aristocratic but not cruel Bathilde and Susan Jones was Berthe.

One note about the size of the stage:  I counted twelve of Giselle's friends in Act I - is that less than usual?  Also, we saw a great deal of the sides of Giselle's and Albrecht/Loys' cottages on stage left and stage right.  Both could be pushed back into the wings another two to three feet each and open up 4 to 6 feet of dancing space.  The stage space in Act II didn't seem as much of a problem and I think the dancers are adjusting to the set up.

The audience was very pumped and enthusiastic and Brandt and Cornejo got whooping screaming entrance applause and also cheers after their big solos and duets.

Irina and Max posted pictures of Herman and Skylar on Instagram with a mention of the hard work Brandt has been putting into the role:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVUQVzZrbO-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

"Congratulations to our dear @skylarbrandt for her breathtaking debut in NY as GISELLE. Her devotion and endless hours we spent together in studio, perfecting every little detail made her performance tonight an absolute magic. Same goes to her incredible partner and artist @hermancornejo . A night to remember!"

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by FauxPas
Typos

[aurora]

4 minutes ago, abatt said:

Yes, that's exactly what happened.  Cornejo ran out of stage space so he had to improvise while the rest of the music played.  Similarly, in Act I, when Brandt did those incredible hops on pointe across the stage she had a few beats of music left but no more stage space. 

It is worth noting that this is because of the absolutely extraordinary distance Skylar travelled on this passage.

I saw two dancers do the act I variation in the dress rehearsal Wednesday and no one else had this issue (although they did the hops beautifully).

Skylar just ate space on this. They were also exceptionally light and delicate.

 

 

[fondoffouettes]

24 minutes ago, aurora said:

It is worth noting that this is because of the absolutely extraordinary distance Skylar travelled on this passage.

I saw two dancers do the act I variation in the dress rehearsal Wednesday and no one else had this issue (although they did the hops beautifully).

Skylar just ate space on this. They were also exceptionally light and delicate.

I'd never seen someone travel across the stage so quickly or so far in that sequence; I don't really have feelings on whether that's a positive or negative. During the sequence, did she insert pauses to hop in place (I'm thinking of the parts where the ballerina often looks back to Albrecht)? It felt like one long line of traveling hops, but last night was such a whirlwind that I might not be remembering correctly. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by fondoffouettes

[nysusan]

I've been very down on ABT lately and have been looking forward to this run of Giselle with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

 

I'm happy to say that the Wed night performance was great. The only dancer I felt was not up to par was Jose Sebastian in the pdd. His landings were stiff and positions were not stretched. His partner, McBride, was not exceptional but she was good. I really enjoyed both Wili attendants (Li and Gingiarusso) and the corps looked great.

 

Agree with other posters that Peterson's initial balances weren't strong, but I loved her epaulment which gave her the Mariinsky-like mixture of softness/regret and fierceness.

 

I often avoid Cornejo in the classics because he's been such a poor partner in the past. Not anymore. He was great and I was stunned that they even did the table top lifts (I thought they'd sub something else), let alone how well they came off.

 

I know that this was only Brandt's NY debut but she can't have danced Giselle more than a couple of times and she was fantastic. This was an all around well danced, well thought out portrayal. I wish she was getting 2 chances in this run, I'd love to see her again immediately! Not only her dancing but her acting was excellent. In the 1st act her dancing was light, crisp and buoyant and those big eyes served her well. Her second act was exquisite and my only quibble was that at times she didn't seem ethereal enough for me which I think was because she was putting in so much effort to dance as fast as she could and make her jumps as high as they could be. Not that anything looked effortful, just that I feel like the effort she was putting in detracted from the weightless, ghostly movement sense that I like in the 2nd act. In some ways she reminded me of Osipova here but Osipova's barely-dead Giselle seemed like part of her overall approach to the role. In Brandt's case it seemed more incongruent. This is such a minor quibble though. She was wonderful and exceeded all expectations. I look forward to seeing how she grows into the role.

[ABT Fan]

Thanks to everyone for their reports on last night. I wish I had been there. Wonderful to hear that Brandt’s debut was so extraordinary and very happy that Peterson did so well in her Myrta debut.

[cobweb]

22 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

I was very impressed by Adrii Ischuck and Fangqi Li, two dancers I had never heard of before.

I have to agree with the praise for these two dancers, who both stood out to me. Fangqi Li was very elegant and polished and someone I would eagerly seek out again. Ischuck made Hilarion more sympathetic than he sometimes is (he came across like a nice guy, not an awkward loser). He's a tall guy, so hopefully we will get to see him in a dancing role soon. 

[abatt]

When did Aaron Scott leave?  He's not listed in the playbill.

 

Also, Gorak is still listed as as a soloist but not cast in anything. .

[Marta]

47 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Thanks to everyone for their reports on last night. I wish I had been there. Wonderful to hear that Brandt’s debut was so extraordinary and very happy that Peterson did so well in her Myrta debut.

I second that thank you.  I really wanted to be there but could not.  All of your detailed knowledgeable reviews helped to create an imagery of that performance. .