Saturday, February 25

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A review of New York City Ballet in "The Sleeping Beauty" by Mary Cargill for danceviewtimes.

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The February 23rd performance had a new Aurora (Isabella LaFreniere), a new Lilac Fairy (Emily Kikta), and a very new Prince (Peter Walker, substituting for Jovani Furlan).  LaFreniere, a tall, stately dancer, is not a typical Aurora, though her luxurious arabesque shimmered.  She seemed to be concentrating on the steps, and danced each act with the same fixed smile, so there was little emotional arc to her portrayal.  Her Rose Adagio was a bit unsteady and the conductor (the sensitive and nuanced Andrews Sill) had to stretch out the music for the final balances, but she finished with a triumphant (and slightly relieved) flourish.  Her solo, despite her rather fixed grin, was expansive and luxurious and her final diagonal was beautifully modulated, the jumps growing in height until it seemed she could fly off.  Her puzzled, pained expression when stabbed by that spindle was a vivid picture of a girl who had never been hurt and could not believe anyone could be so cruel. 
 

 

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Andre Lewis is stepping down as artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

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Andre Lewis became the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s artistic director in 1996, and in 2018 he was also appointed chief executive officer of the company.

Lewis began his dance training in Ottawa before being accepted into the professional division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in 1975.

 

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Photo gallery of the Baghdad Ballet Academy.

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Dancers from the Baghdad Ballet Academy perform in a show called The Four Realms at Al Rashid theatre, in the Iraqi capital.