2022 Rep Season - Swan Lake

[pherank]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:09 AM, seattle_dancer said:

I finally saw SFB's Swan Lake for the first time this past weekend.

Thanks so much for posting this, Seattle_Dancer. Yes, I'd like to hear more about the casts that you saw.
Did you see Chung and Walsh and Park with Wei? And what about Kuranaga and Greco on Sunday, May 8th?

[Helene]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:09 AM, seattle_dancer said:

  I also think it is strange to have Siegfried choose a potential bride from the national dancers (usually there for entertainment). 

The Kudelka Swan Lake I saw with National Ballet of Canada did this as well, but his was a darker take: they all stood on boxes like theh were being sold at market.

The Stowell is unusual in my experience in dressing the Princess contenders in the same color, but with national details.  I'm more used to the same dress, but in different colors and, maybe, slightly different headdresses.

For those who haven't seen it, here is a snippet PNB posted earlier today on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdd2d7blc57/ 

It looks like they've removed the veil.

[seattle_dancer]

23 hours ago, pherank said:

Thanks so much for posting this, Seattle_Dancer. Yes, I'd like to hear more about the casts that you saw.
Did you see Chung and Walsh and Park with Wei? And what about Kuranaga and Greco on Sunday, May 8th?

Yes! I saw all three of the aforementioned casts. 

Some general impressions on the coaching/dancing:  All the leading ladies had beautiful swan arms and bird-like head/neck movements.  At the first Siegfried/Odette encounter they all had very quick, tight bourres to show as if they were frightened.  The men all danced well in their solos, I called out the choreo at the end of Act I earlier, it's so slow with such big jumps, it looks so hard and the music is so quiet so if they land loud it is really loud.  All the partnering looked good to me, all the ladies looked confident and comfortable (maybe the Chung/Walsh partnership is new here and only their second show?).

Wei Wang is the one Siegfried who stood out to me in Act III.  In his solo he started to look a little tired, then he started to do some jumps with beats, which piqued my interest.  I can't recall the exact jumps, but they were not straight up and down, he was in a diagonol position (harder IMO).  And from there into the coda it seemed like he dug deep and the energy into the end just exploded.  I don't see SFB as often as I would like but I think recall Wei in a Men in White solo from Swimmer when he was in the Corp and I was immediately his fan.  I had not seen him in a full length classical role so wasn't sure, but I thought he was great.  I just wish they didn't have him wear the period ponytail.

Before the O/Os I also want to mention the men in the pas de trois are outstanding!  Cavan Conley double tour straight into double pirouettes and a huge menage of coupe jetes and other jumps that was just really powerful almost like Seth Orza (yes Seth not Sean).  I noticed last year in the digital, and this year in person, particularly for the first female soloist, the arms are very light and cheerful which suits the music very well.  Kudos to the coaching here.  However, for that dancer's last solo, there is a windup that all the dancers seemed to not like, which leads into arabesque turns then fouette turns.  I wish the choreo was changed; I don't like it when I see three out of three dancers look uncomfortable with the choreo.  

So I do have a few "roses" to hand out for each of the O/Os:

Chung:  I was so excited to finally see her in a full length!  I cannot believe this was only her second run.  She looked like a veteran.  What struck me most is her Act II Odette.  She has a way of tilting her spine, especially the upper part and making herself multi-dimensional.  I am not able to explain it very well.  But for example at the very end of the act, there is the very quick footwork of entrechats, passes, etc. where the lower body needs to be straight up on down on their legs, but she actually had her shoulders and upper body and head moving around. Really amazing!

Park:  Wona did great, I know this is her debut year.  She is physically and technically very strong and as I covered in my general comments above, has all the swan foundation elements down.  She will grow into the role nicely.  She reminds me of Angelica Generosa at PNB in one respect.  These two ladies you never have to worry about finishing all those fouette turns.  Wona even put her arms up over her head a few times.  It might have been just one of her arms (can anyone else confirm/deny?) which is harder IMO.

Kuranaga:  From what I've read Misa danced O/O three times in Boston, so this is overall her fourth O/O.  Again, it was only my third SFB Swan Lake (albeit in quick succession), but her Act II seemed quite different to me because of tempos.  When Odette and Siegfried met, the tempo seemed much faster than both Saturday shows.  Then during the adagio pdd, it was really slow.  But Misa did not show it at all and I give her major kudos for that level of control.  Her Odile stood out - not only did she have some very quick and sharp movements, they were alternated with some very slow movements as well, so there was this wonderful quick/slow, quick/slow pattern.  There is an arabesque balance after the beginning waltz and when the music is quiet and seductive (SFB coaching seems to emphasize this as I saw all the O/Os make the effort).  Misa must have held it for at least eight counts, for which she rightfully received a round of applause.   During her fouette turns she also raised one of her arms up a few times, and finished up in fifth en pointe.

I just remembered one more item:  ABT/McKenzie is the version I am most familiar with where the couple kill themselves and the set up there the dancers can take a pretty big jump (Marcelo Gomes was the best!) .  It looks like the SFB setup does not allow for such a big jump?  But I want to give Angelo Greco a rose for his jump.  He raised one arm and did some sort of spiral, kind of like a diver.  Very dramatic!

Well, that's all I can remember right now.  It was a bit of a whirlwind weekend and a lot to take in since it was my first time seeing this production and had not have seen the company live since February 2020.  And I did enjoy the new seats in WMOH very much (Orchestra Rows R, F and Dress Circle A)!  From the Dress Circle I could see the ramp in the big stone and the stairs at the top, so that was fun.

[pherank]

6 hours ago, seattle_dancer said:

Yes! I saw all three of the aforementioned casts.

Wow, that was a jam-packed weekend, Seattle_Dancer. You're a real trouper.  ;)
It's just too bad you didn't get to see De Sola and Cauthorn as well, but those three couples all differ enough that you got to see a lot of variation. I envy you. I expected Kuranaga and Greco to be at the top of their game, but wondered if the others had "gelled" as SL partners.

Frances Chung started dancing on a whole other level after the birth of her son. She was a somewhat cool, and shy, virtuoso originally. But she's acquired a fire and soulfulness now that is so satisfying to watch. Her PDD in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Ulrik Birkkjaer was one for the ages.

Thanks so much for the write up - it's nice to have something for the record.

P.S.: I saw Seth Orza dance in Seattle, so I know what you are saying.

[pherank]

Wona posted a short video online from her performance:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cde8wIfgtbl/

And Misa has countered with a swan in the pool in winter performance:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cde8wIfgtbl/

Looks like Misa just celebrated her birthday, and Maria Kochetkova just had hers as well. Angelo Greco had his birthday recently too.

[Josette]

I saw all four casts in SFB's last performance weekend at the opera house and had a wonderful time.  I will report my thoughts this weekend when I have a break from work.  Just briefly, I will say that Frances Chung is amazing in the way she continues to flourish and deepen as an artist.   Her Odile with Joe Walsh was one of the most memorable and thrilling Black Swan pas de deux I have ever seen, and this was not just about a technical display or counting fouettés or how long a balance lasted. 

Helgi Tomasson came out for a bow at the very last performance on the Sunday matinee.  There was a huge roar and ovation for him and he looked barely able to contain his emotion - I'm so happy to have been there for that moment. 

The casts for the pas de trois and the soloists for the Act III national dances changed frequently from what had been originally announced (for example, I never got to see in the pas de trois Thamires Chuvas, who had been beautiful in Dwight Rhoden's new work, and Carmela Mayo had the opportunity to dance- she is always a delight to watch).   

Edited May 14, 2022 by Josette

[pherank]

1 hour ago, Josette said:

I saw all four casts in SFB's last performance weekend at the opera house and had a wonderful time.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on De Sola and Cauthorn's partnership, Josette. Sounds like you had a very full weekend.

[Josette]

4 hours ago, pherank said:

I'd love to hear your thoughts on De Sola and Cauthorn's partnership, Josette. Sounds like you had a very full weekend.

I loved them.  I'll get back to you with more details.

 

[seattle_dancer]

On 5/12/2022 at 11:16 PM, pherank said:

Wow, that was a jam-packed weekend, Seattle_Dancer. You're a real trouper.  😉
It's just too bad you didn't get to see De Sola and Cauthorn as well, but those three couples all differ enough that you got to see a lot of variation. I envy you. I expected Kuranaga and Greco to be at the top of their game, but wondered if the others had "gelled" as SL partners.

Frances Chung started dancing on a whole other level after the birth of her son. She was a somewhat cool, and shy, virtuoso originally. But she's acquired a fire and soulfulness now that is so satisfying to watch. Her PDD in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Ulrik Birkkjaer was one for the ages.

Thanks so much for the write up - it's nice to have something for the record.

P.S.: I saw Seth Orza dance in Seattle, so I know what you are saying.

Saturday my plane landed 12:15, I took BART, dropped off bag at Inn at Opera, and went to the carriage side entrance.  The vaccine check took a long time.  People were not prepared and the couple in front of me walked away saying "That was a waste of $500."  I sat in my seat and literally the house lights dimmed.

So I would have like to have been better rested for the Chung/Walsh show.  I hoped they would have been the evening show, after I could check in and get a little rest at the Inn, but it didn't work out that way.  In between shows, I had outdoor meals and saw friends, some I hadn't seen in a two years.  So by the time I did my write-up, I could only provide the highlights at the top of my memory as the trip was a whirlwind and a bit uncomfortable as it was my first overnight flying trip since Covid and I always wear N95 inside.  I noticed noone was posting any post-show comments so I figured something was better than nothing.  I thought all the partnering was really solid, especially when I sat in the orchestra on Saturday and was close.

I admire De Sola's and Cauthorn's dancing very much, I'm sorry I couldn't rearrange my trip last minute to see them.  I am eager to hear about them.  The rehearsal clip on IG was beautiful and it was nice to hear from them in the POV recording.

I'm also writing right now because last night I started watching the PNB Swan Lake digital stream (still available https://order.pnb.org/22-digital/swan-lake/ $35 unlimited viewing through Monday midnight PDT).  PNB in person run ended two weeks before I went to SFO, then I had closing weekend at SFB, now I'm watching PNB digital.  I only got through Act I last night and it really struck me the difference in the size of the companies.  We have 46 dancers and I think my friend told me SFB has 80?  It was funny, I was watching the corp dances, and I thought, wow there's not nearly as many dancers on stage.  But, I do have to say, the costumes are a lot brighter and the silks are lighter and move so beautifully, I really recommend a viewing.  Lesley Rausch is the O/O and it is her 4th run at it.  I saw her last show in person and thought you would never know the partnership with James Kirby Rogers (Siegfried) is new, they had great chemistry.  Also, James Yoichi Moore, a principal dancer from SFO and SFB/SAB trained, plays Wolfgang in Act I.  It is not a huge dancing part, Wolfgang is actually Siegfried's friend who gets tipsy and has a featured short tipsy dance toward the end of the act.  However, in June, for PNB's last program Moore will reprise his role as the main character in Twyla Tharp's Waiting at the Station (also available digitally).  It will also make its NY premiere at Lincoln Center June and CA premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in July.  

@pherank Thanks for coming up to Seattle to see PNB.  Glad you saw another Orza!

Edited May 16, 2022 by seattle_dancer

[pherank]

7 hours ago, seattle_dancer said:

Saturday my plane landed 12:15, I took BART, dropped off bag at Inn at Opera, and went to carriage side entrance.  The vaccine check took a long time.  People were not prepared and the couple in front of my walked away saying "That was a waste of $500."  I sat in my seat and literally the house lights dimmed.

It's hard for me to understand why someone would pay $500 and not pay any attention to the Covid protocol notices. Or did SFB simply fall down on the job of alerting ticket purchasers?

I think we all appreciate your reporting back - any word on West Coast performances is a good thing. I've never understood how so many people can attend performances, but not want to talk about it in any detail online. Between SFB and PNB there are thousands of tickets purchased each year, but apparently no one wants to record their impressions. It's hard not to envy the NYC companies - their fans are very talkative.

On a lighter note, here's a short video of Sasha De Sola in her O/O roles:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdjI68HlFvN/

[volcanohunter]

On 5/15/2022 at 7:52 PM, pherank said:

It's hard for me to understand why someone would pay $500 and not pay any attention to the Covid protocol notices.

It's a particularly confusing time, when vaccination passports and masking requirements are disappearing in some areas and in certain settings. I would have stayed on the safe side and assumed that masks and boosters were required, but now especially patrons need extra reminding of what the rules in specific venues are.

On 5/15/2022 at 7:52 PM, pherank said:

I've never understood how so many people can attend performances, but not want to talk about it in any detail online.

For one thing, sometimes they feel as though they are writing into a vaccuum and no one is interested or cares. A lot of commentary has moved onto blogs, Facebook and even, though it doesn't strike me as a particularly amenable platform, Instagram. On social media in particular, given the possibility of tagging performers, writers may not want another person to respond, "well, I thought dancer X was vulgar/sloppy/excessive/phoning it in/whatever," when there is a good chance that X will read the comments. Up until very recently I recorded my impressions of practically everything I saw, unless it was completely unmemorable, but I do it for my own benefit, to help me remember those performances in the future, not because I think anyone else would be interested in reading them.

[pherank]

Note that Rachel Howard's Swan Lake review (in the Fjord Review online) is worth a read. It's mainly about Sasha De Sola's interpretation of the O/O roles.
It's free and easy to signup at the Fjord Review, btw.