American Ballet Theatre 2021-2022 season

[abatt]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/arts/dance/giselle-american-ballet-theater.html

 

NY Times review of Wed and Thursday Giselles.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

I suspect that the degree to which one found Trenary's debut satisfying depends on whether or not one found her dramatic interpretation persuasive. I found more than persuasive: I was moved by it. And, I appreciated how far inside the role Trenary appeared to be; to my eyes at least she was doing more than executing the steps with a dollop of acting on top. Hadshe been visibly struggling with the choreography, or had she been less musical, I would likely have been much less taken with the performance.

I didn't mind her falling off pointe during her hops any more than I minded Cojocaru falling out of some turns during an otherwise radiant performance as Aurora. (Also: I am no more invested in those hops than I am in Odile's fouettés or Aurora's balances. They could be replaced with any other step that fit the music and the dramatic moment, and I'd be fine with it.) 

PS - I think it's fine to weigh the various aspects of a performance differently or to prefer different interpretations of a role. That's why it's a good thing that ABT could present us with six credible Giselles. 

Edited October 24, 2021 by Kathleen O'Connell

[Kathleen O'Connell]

3 minutes ago, BalletFan said:

I enjoyed Giselle so much that I wish I could have seen all six casts. 

This was the rare ABT run of a ballet where I actually wished I could have seen all the casts, with the possible exception of Seo / Stearns. I definitely wanted to see each and every debut. For the first time in a long time, there's a cohort of dancers at ABT who I want to watch while their careers develop rather than simply watching the finished product.

(This is harder to do at ABT than NYCB simply because of the nature of ABT's repertory and casting choices: you get a Giselle, and you get a Giselle, and you get a Giselle ... everybody gets one Giselle a season.) 

[abatt]

Giselle is a vehicle that can make all kinds of dancers at various stages of their careers and with vastly different technical abilities look good.  That is why a lot of dancers keep this ballet (and R&J)  in their rep until they retire.  Weaknesses are much more exposed in the Petipa classics like Swan Lake, SB and Don Q.

[angelica]

I intended to see three Giselles, but at the last minute had to donate my ticket for Brandt's performance. Sooooo disappointed to miss it, and definitely my loss.

When Trenary opened the cottage door and did her first jump, I gasped, it was so buoyant and landed soundlessly. And off she went, skipping and hopping and doing all sorts of Giselle steps that I thought were lovely to watch. In Act II, however, when she made those supported Romantic arabesques, three to each side, leaning further and further into each one, I found myself tearing up, I think because the "picture" was so exquisite, like seeing the most beautiful thing you'd seen in a long time. I think she'll get better and better with the role dramatically (and technically), but may she never lose the shapes of those gorgeous Romantic arabesques. In addition, when she did the entrechats and passee jumps, the conductor slowed the music down so she could go higher than she might have done otherwise. In short, I think she's a natural Giselle with phenomenal ballon and I look forward to seeing her again asap.

As for Royal, he is soooo gorgeous, with a handsome face and a perfectly proportioned ballet body, that all he has to do is stand there and I will applaud. But he didn't just stand there, he gave it his ALL, and I think he too will get better and better with every year (I remember the years when he didn't point his toes). Wonderful dancers usually get better the longer they are in the company,

I also LOVED Shevchenko's Giselle, which seemed a much more realized characterization than Trenary's. I think she was perfect, maybe too perfect. I'd like to see her take some risks in subsequent performances. She has the makings of a Russian ballerina (and why not, after all?) and I'd love to see her make the most of her gifts.

[ABT Fan]

Intermission:

More later but today’s peasant pas was the worst I’ve ever seen. Paris couldn’t stay en pointe for one turn, barely left the ground for any jump and basically danced like she’s been on the couch for the past 18 months and just last week took her first barre. No stamina, no strength at all. Shayer struggled to get her around for any supported pirouettes and several were botched completely. One shoulder lift looked he was about to drop her. His dancing was better than hers but he’s done better. The entire thing was an embarrassment.

Edited October 24, 2021 by ABT Fan

[pbl]

I saw Shevchenko/Bell/Teuscher last night, so wonderful to be back seeing live performances. I enjoyed all the principals, especially Teuscher and Bell, and also Fangqi Li. A few things I was curious to hear others' thoughts about: First, the mime and narrative/expository acting in ABT often seems less clear in ABT's productions than, for instance, Russian companies' productions. Little things, like Albrecht not wearing his sword when he enters in Act I, and not changing his costume to look like a peasant; or the whole business of Albrecht wanting to sit next to Giselle on the bench and her naïve obliviousness to this, are simply unclear, and this saps some of opportunities for dramatic expression, even for an audience which largely knows exactly what is going on. Bell, in particular, in both entrances looked as though he had nothing to do, nothing to express dramatically for long stretches. Bell has what it takes to dance with feeling and bravura, and I wonder if perhaps he just needs to watch the Brayshnikov/Makarova tape ten times to inhabit those acterly moments more - the happy rake of act I's entrance and the depths of regret and shame for Act II. Later in both acts his acting came closer to the standard of his dancing.

[pbl]

Also, Bell did the entrechats wonderfully - but I always prefer the brises. 

[aurora]

4 minutes ago, pbl said:

I saw Shevchenko/Bell/Teuscher last night, so wonderful to be back seeing live performances. I enjoyed all the principals, especially Teuscher and Bell, and also Fangqi Li. A few things I was curious to hear others' thoughts about: First, the mime and narrative/expository acting in ABT often seems less clear in ABT's productions than, for instance, Russian companies' productions. Little things, like Albrecht not wearing his sword when he enters in Act I, and not changing his costume to look like a peasant; or the whole business of Albrecht wanting to sit next to Giselle on the bench and her naïve obliviousness to this, are simply unclear, and this saps some of opportunities for dramatic expression, even for an audience which largely knows exactly what is going on. Bell, in particular, in both entrances looked as though he had nothing to do, nothing to express dramatically for long stretches. Bell has what it takes to dance with feeling and bravura, and I wonder if perhaps he just needs to watch the Brayshnikov/Makarova tape ten times to inhabit those acterly moments more - the happy rake of act I's entrance and the depths of regret and shame for Act II. Later in both acts his acting came closer to the standard of his dancing.

This doesn't address the bit about the sword, but as for the bench business--I think the lack of clarity there was a feature of the cast you saw.

Different casts have a fair amount of freedom in the details in the production. For example, some Albrechts walked slowly towards the audience at the very end, others ended crying on Giselle's grave.

I'm sure that greater dramatic maturity will come to Bell with time--he did just turn 23 this month.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

12 minutes ago, pbl said:

Little things, like Albrecht not wearing his sword when he enters in Act I, and not changing his costume to look like a peasant;

This struck me as a weird omission because that bit of (necessary!) exposition is detailed in the very plot synopsis that ABT puts in the program:

"Count Albrecht arrives with his squire and enters the cottage opposite Giselle's. He emerges dressed as a peasant, submits his disguise tho the squire's inspection, and dismissed him."

Hilarion's breaking in to Albrecht's cottage makes no sense if we haven't first seen Albrecht hide his sword and fancy clothes there.

[California]

21 minutes ago, pbl said:

like Albrecht not wearing his sword when he enters in Act I, and not changing his costume to look like a peasant. . . 

Assuming it's the same costume I saw Wednesday and Thursday, Albrecht does consider that brown top to be a peasant outfit. That's clear when Bathilde re-enters and looks at his outfit scornfully. He gestures like he was hunting with bow and arrow as that explains it to her. 

[California]

20 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

This struck me as a weird omission because that bit of (necessary!) exposition is detailed in the very plot synopsis that ABT puts in the program:

"Count Albrecht arrives with his squire and enters the cottage opposite Giselle's. He emerges dressed as a peasant, submits his disguise tho the squire's inspection, and dismissed him."

Hilarion's breaking in to Albrecht's cottage makes no sense if we haven't first seen Albrecht hide his sword and fancy clothes there.

Does anybody have a program handy from their previous performances at the Met (spring 2019?). I wouldn't be surprised if they just used the same program note and didn't notice this change in the current production. Willard is carrying the cape, sword, and horn, isn't he?

In the film, Baryshnikov enters Act I with his blue velvet top, knee-length pantaloons, cape, and matching hat with a feather. Then he disappears into the side house and re-emerges with the peasant costume. I suppose ABT could have duplicated that but were tempted to cut that corner and hope we wouldn't notice.

Edited October 24, 2021 by California

[abatt]

51 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Intermission:

More later but today’s peasant pas was the worst I’ve ever seen. Paris couldn’t stay en pointe for one turn, barely left the ground for any jump and basically danced like she’s been on the couch for the past 18 months and just last week took her first barre. No stamina, no strength at all. Shayer struggled to get her around for any supported pirouettes and several were botched completely. One shoulder lift looked he was about to drop her. His dancing was better than hers but he’s done better. The entire thing was an embarrassment.

This is exactly what happened earlier in the week (maybe Friday?), except that there was no issue with the shoulder lift the day I saw them.  And these are ABT soloists?!

[Barbara]

I thought Luciana looked fine on Friday but Gabe’s dancing looked sloppy and uneven. Nailed a couple fifth positions but then had to save a landing to the knee, as an example. 

[fondoffouettes]

The production used in this run of Giselle looks identical to me to what has been used at the Met, with a few things rearranged (grape bowers moved downstage left and right). In past seasons, scenic designer Gianni Quaranta and costume designer Anna Anni (who were the designers for Dancers) were credited for the production seen at the Met. I think they’ve been using the production all these years since the movie came out.

Here's the story on the movie sets getting transferred to ABT:

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/movies/about-the-arts-how-ballet-theater-found-giselle-at-the-movies.html?searchResultPosition=2

Quaranta and Anni are credited in these recent reviews:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/arts/dance/review-american-ballet-theaters-giselle-bounds-as-past-giselles-watch.html?searchResultPosition=1

https://dancetabs.com/2020/02/american-ballet-theatre-giselle-washington/

I don’t recall having seen Albrecht do a costume change in Act I in past years, but I think he would sometimes come out with the cape and sword (not sure).

Edited October 24, 2021 by fondoffouettes

[pbl]

12 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I don’t recall having seen Albrecht do a costume change in Act I in past years, but I think he would sometimes come out with the cape and sword (not sure).

I think those details matter. Even if almost everyone in the audience knows the story, those props and expository actions support important story beats, and they act as fulcrums for dramatic interpretation. I don't know why anyone would omit them or make them indistinct. 

[GB1216]

Went to this afternoon’s performance!!! All in all I loved it.  Boylston was great as well as Whiteside, while Katherine Williams was fabulous as Myrta.  The mad scene especially I thought was quite good.  The audience was also very much with them - it was as an enthusiastic crowd as I’ve ever been in.

the only negative was the peasant pas - it was just bad.  I’m not an expert but even I could tell they were struggling.  She fell out of point, looked stiff and it looked like he was struggling with turns - not good partnering.  Also, I’ve heard so much hype about Gabe Stone Shayer and was not as impressed as I thought I would be.  

too bad it’s the last show - would have loved to go back for more!

side note: Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber were sitting not far from us in the orchestra.  Love that she’s a ballet lover.

[California]

46 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

The production used in this run of Giselle looks identical to me to what has been used at the Met, with a few things rearranged (grape bowers moved downstage left and right). In past seasons, scenic designer Gianni Quaranta and costume designer Anna Anni (who were the designers for Dancers) were credited for the production seen at the Met. I think they’ve been using the production all these years since the movie came out.

Here's the story on the movie sets getting transferred to ABT:

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/movies/about-the-arts-how-ballet-theater-found-giselle-at-the-movies.html?searchResultPosition=2

. . .

I don’t recall having seen Albrecht do a costume change in Act I in past years, but I think he would sometimes come out with the cape and sword (not sure).

Fascinating history on that set. 

The 1977 version (as seen in Live at Lincoln Center) does have a very different set. Baryshnikov enters with his cape wrapped around him and only briefly leaves the sword in his house. No time for a real costume change in there. It's at 3:56. 

 

[canbelto]

At the Mariinsky Albrecht runs into the cottage with a fancy cape and comes out with his "peasant" brown outfit:

 

[slyodile]

I saw the Brandt and Trenary performances. I would have liked to see Shevchenko as well to get a look at all three debuts, but I had to forego one due to time constraints and ultimately decided Shevchenko was the one I was least interested to see (she’s a lovely dancer but not a natural Giselle to me, and I’ve also seen her in many big ballerina roles already unlike the other two).

Of the two shows I saw, I definitely preferred the matinee, though I think Brandt’s was undoubtedly the superior technical performance. Her rigorous technical command is truly impressive; I don’t think I can recall ever seeing someone pull up into relevé out of those attitude chugs en dehors, and the amount of control required for her to sail through that turn as she did is just enormous. 

I liked Royal more than Cornejo as Albrecht. He’s not the cleanest, or the most powerful, but he has such compelling lines and quality of movement. My only real complaint is that he lacked the strength and elevation to achieve two distinct beats in the double cabrioles in the Act 2 variation—I know it’s hard with those long legs but I was sitting super close (second row for both shows) and definitely did not see enough air between the legs to feel I could call those doubles. On the other hand, he managed a turn in attitude en dehors out of the pirouette while Cornejo simply opened his leg. 

More than anything, I just loved his interpretation of the character and the way the character dynamics came together in this cast. Royal seemed way more into Giselle, whereas Cornejo just read as a bit of a womanizer whose eye is on Giselle for the moment (definitely a valid interpretation of the role but one that does make it a lot harder to root for him in the second act). And Royal seemed more patrician than Cornejo, which I liked (less rich bro who likes slumming it with the local yokels, more sheltered noble putting himself in an environment where he’s deeply uncomfortable for the sake of this girl he can’t stop thinking about). There’s a moment where Wilfred is trying to convince Albrecht to quit the cosplay and go home, and Royal’s Albrecht just stared cooly at Ribagorda for a full eight counts without doing anything else, until Wilfred backed off—it was chilling.

I think the differences in Bathilde and Hilarion casting amplified the two diverging interpretations as well. Lavine’s Bathilde was so deliciously snobbish and bossy that Albrecht’s preference for Giselle made sense, whereas Loyola was so warm and lovely in the role that Brandt’s sort of dispassionate Giselle lacked appeal in comparison. On the other side of things, while I loved Ischuck’s Hilarion, I was surprised to find myself enjoying Frenette’s even more. He was so annoying, especially in his moment of taunting Albrecht with his sword! It just helped up Albrecht’s appeal by comparison.

There were a few things about the partnering that I preferred in the matinee. I personally did not love the slow-rising approach to the angel pressage that Cornejo and Brandt took, though knowing the mechanics of partnering I’m aware of how much more challenging it is to do the lift that way—it just looked a bit hydraulic-lifty to me, and I’d rather see the pose itself than the ascent. The first time they did it I thought there might be a hand placement issue and that Cornejo was struggling to get her up; it wasn’t until the repeat that I realized it was a stylistic choice. And I think Trenary and Royal had much better musicality in all the partnering than Brandt and Cornejo did. 

As for the Giselles themselves, I really did just prefer Trenary’s interpretation to Brandt’s; it was unconventional but so much more interesting and compelling. Trenary was just so much more human and charming. I could really understand why a guy would risk it all to hang out with this girl, or why everyone in the village wants to be her best friend—she was magnetic. I loved her moment with Bathilde’s dress; most dancers usually stroke or hug the dress like they’re just mindlessly wooed by all the luxury, but Trenary was sort of looking at the stitching like she’s trying to figure out how to make one for herself at home. And the anger mixed in with the grief during the mad scene was brilliant. I wish more Giselles were a bit angry about what’s happened to them. Trenary was maybe not quite phantomlike enough in the second act, but I did like this idea that part of what makes her succeed in her attempt to save Albrecht is not just her love for him but  that she has the backbone to defy Myrta. It makes a kind of interesting thematic connection to the first act and her dynamic with Berthe who is always controlling her dancing. Again, it’s not the typical interpretation of the choreography or characters but it has a lot of internal logic and thematic cohesion. It’s been awhile since a production of Giselle made me think this much about the characters or the story. In contrast, Brandt’s interpretation, very by-the-book (an innocent and naive living Giselle becomes a tragic and frail spirit Giselle), felt a bit more doll-like and detached, a bit less rich or affecting. I spent a lot of time in the Brandt performance going “wow” but it was Trenary’s performance that moved me to tears, even with the big snafu in the Spessivtseva hops. 

Secondary cast was a bit more mixed. I found Hoven more charming in peasant pas even though he had some sloppy fifths and only managed one rotation in his final tour en l’air in passé. McBride was inconsistent and not very dynamic; Williams was gorgeous, though personally I like a more boisterous approach to peasant pas (would have LOVED to see Williams’ Myrta given that coolness and poise). Petersen as Myrta was definitely shaky in the promenades both nights but strong in later parts of the act. More than anything I felt she lacked the presence and command of a great Myrta, but I think that will come in time and this was a promising start. I thought Li was a lovely Moyna in the evening and Loyola was a lovely Zulma in the afternoon (her renversé diagonal was excellent), but didn’t find either of their partners remarkable. Can’t remember who replaced Petersen as Zulma in the evening when Petersen replaced Shevchenko as Myrta. Richardson’s Moyna in the matinee was sluggish for me; she did one less beat in her assemblés than dancers in that role usually do these days. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by slyodile
Formatting

[ABT Fan]

3 hours ago, abatt said:

This is exactly what happened earlier in the week (maybe Friday?), except that there was no issue with the shoulder lift the day I saw them.  And these are ABT soloists?!

I place the fault of the partnering mishaps mostly on Paris. Even in a supported pirouette, the ballerina must push off for momentum to start the turn herself. Here, Paris barely raised herself en pointe and with no push off, thus forcing Shayer to crank her around awkwardly which ended more than once with her crashing into him with her back facing the audience. For the shoulder lift, the ballerina must push off from a plie while raising her first leg almost parallel for momentum. Again, Paris did not push off so the fact that Shayer got her over his shoulder at all is miraculous. I don't know how he kept her up because the final pose was precarious. Shayer's dancing wasn't bad, it was even very good at times, but I think he was rattled and distracted by what had just happened. Yes, as a soloist (albeit a new one) he needs to learn how to overcome such things in the future. But, Paris never should have been out there. There's a big, visible difference between someone having a bad day or a bad performance and someone who is woefully out of shape, and she is the later. I have seen her dance several times in the past and she's a reliable (though unremarkable) technician so she is (or was) more than capable.

In addition to the peasant pas, the performance as a whole was very disappointing. I wasn't expecting artistic greatness from Boylston or Whiteside, but they are both seasoned principals at this point so I expected better. Whiteside's dramatic ability has been slowly improving, but that wasn't evident today. Technically, they were both very good. Boylston had a few bobbles, which is uncharacteristic of her. Whiteside did 24 entrechat sixes and his cabrioles were excellent. Dramatically there was no chemistry, no romance, no passion. In Act I they were like two BFF's out having fun dancing. Her mad scene was generic and unconvincing - when she collapsed in Albrecht's arms it was anticlimactic. Act II had no Romantic or dramatic sensibility. When Giselle positions herself in front of Albrecht with her arms out-stretched protecting him from Myrta, you should feel her summoning her strength from the depths of her soul. Boylston might as well have been standing in front of a light post making a TicTok video. Then, near the end of Act II, after their solos and climactic pas de deux, Albrecht's and Giselle's emotional exhaustion (and not just physical exhaustion) should be palpable. They were blank. 

I was really looking forward to finally seeing Williams' Myrta and she was very, very good. Authoritative with steely eyes, and fast, light bourrees. Although, I really hope Shevchenko doesn't retire this role in favor of Giselle because she's an extraordinary Myrta. Ishchuk was a very good Hilarion, but I was longing for Craig Salstein whose interpretation is the best I've seen thus far. They should cast Tamm as well next time. Frenette was a dramatic and potent Wilfred. Lavine was beautiful and appropriately haughty as Bathilde. I missed Susan Jones as Berthe and Zhurbin as Prince of Courland. Giangeruso was unremarkable as Zulma.

I agree with some others who thought the stage looked a bit cramped, though it was nice to see faces a bit closer. Whiteside and Williams had to practically jump under themselves a few times to avoid running out of space. And, whether due to covid restrictions or the smaller stage, or both, I missed the supers and the warmth and color they always add (especially the older fella with the frothy, white beard who is in virtually every full-length).

A few to watch: Sierra Armstrong seems to be making strides and her Moyna was technically strong, though her feet didn't come together in her cabrioles. New corps dancer Chloe Misseldine stood out - she's a tall, dark beauty with wonderfully arched feet and dramatic intelligence. I expect we'll see great things from her. Why on earth wasn't Coker, who needs to promoted to soloist already, doing peasant pas at all? I also suspect she'll make a very fine Giselle herself one day.

Lastly: the Wilis were excellent. Very much in sync and technically on point (pun intended).

Edited October 24, 2021 by ABT Fan
Ghastly typos

[California]

42 minutes ago, canbelto said:

At the Mariinsky Albrecht runs into the cottage with a fancy cape and comes out with his "peasant" brown outfit:

 

Having Albrecht enter first and go into his "house," followed by Hilarion's entrance, gives him time (dramatically) to change, even though he is wrapped completely in a cape on the first entrance. 

[KarenAG]

On 10/22/2021 at 1:51 PM, MoMo said:

I feel the need to respond to this inquiry. The phrase “putting someone named Petersen”, as if she was a stranger . Stephanie Petersen (née Williams ) was married during the pandemic and also had a baby in February. This off time during the pandemic was a horrible experience for everyone. I think it is brave of her to work hard and come back and perform after so long. It is said she did very well, even though she was probably nervous. Brava to her! 

Thank you for this comment, MoMo, my sentiments exactly. 

[abatt]

To most people who follow the company, the name Stephanie Petersen is that of a stranger because her stage name for her entire career was not Stephanie Petersen.    That's why performers generally don't change their surnames, or use a hyphenated stage name after marriage.  

[volcanohunter]

On 10/21/2021 at 7:00 AM, abatt said:

The Koch stage looked very cramped.  I'm pretty sure they were using fewer Wilis in Act II because the stage was too small

In years past the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi had fielded a full complement of wilis on that stage. I'm looking at a POB program from 2012, and there were 24 wilis (including Amandine Albisson, Valentine Colasante and Laura Hecquet), plus Myrtha, Moyna and Zulme. My guess is that under the circumstances ABT decided to put fewer dancers into its studios for rehearsals.