ABT Giselle: Met 2023

[California]

10 hours ago, abatt said:

. . .  Cornejo clearly has declined since Fall of 2021.  He did the brises and killed time to wait out the remainder of the music where is is being danced to death.  He also cut back elsewhere in Act Ii.  So for example, in a sequence where some men do three jetes, he would do two. i would rather remember him as he used to be in his prime.  

 

Sad to hear about Cornejo's apparent decline. Some people do hang on just a little too long. I'll be very interested in the fall schedule to see if there are suitable retirement performances for both Murphy and Cornejo. She could do The Dream. I seriously doubt that he could do Etudes. Perhaps Other Dances?

[abatt]

I don't think principals at ABT retire in the Fall season.  They get the full blown goodbye at the Met Opera House.

[FauxPas]

I think Misty and Herman could do "Other Dances" together.  Murphy probably will want to wait until the 2024 Met season and do a big farewell in a major warhorse ballet.

BTW: though I noticed a fall off in Herman's brisées in "Giselle" Act II, his solo was pristine and his partnering, dramatic insight and general artistry and elegance were to die for.  Obviously with over a decade of experience, Cornejo's dramatic interpretation was more consistent and convincing than Bell's Albrecht or even the histrionically gifted Camargo's. 

I can deal with a slightly diminished Herman for another season or two if he still has so much to give.  I also feel that the reactions to Skylar Brandt's Giselle are a little harsh.

Teuscher and Hurlin were both fine Giselles but clearly works in progress.  In fact, I felt (without dismissing her overall excellent achievement) that Hurlin's Giselle was still somewhat surface.  In that she had all the details in place (some of them striking like her wild animal chase through the assorted villagers in Act I's mad scene) but not much inner life and a rather unspecific interpretation of the role.  Is Giselle a fragile waif or a robust hearty village girl who loves to dance more than life itself?   Hurlin has a slender tallish elongated physique that creates beautiful lines with a lot of muscular strength for bravura dancing.  She has a big, expansive jump which is a big plus in Act II.  But I felt she hadn't yet found the phrasing or shaping in Act II to create indelible images.  However, overall I really enjoyed her dancing and am excited to think of her potential and where she will go in the role.  Teuscher has limited flexibility in her back and hips but was coached beautifully to disguise these flaws or minimize them.  Her hops were solid if off the music in her Act I Spessivtseva solo.  (Hurlin was also solid and even rotated the raised leg from the knee). 

But it was Teuscher's Act II I found quite moving and artistically satisfying.  Her serene but determined face showed that Giselle chose love and forgiveness over vengeance and was determined to save Albrecht.  Her Act II Giselle radiated spiritual strength.  Neither ballerina is particularly good at projecting physical frailty - both have previously danced impressive Myrtas (I have never seen Hurlin as Myrta, Teuscher several times).

Aran Bell danced so well and looked so beautiful onstage that I overlooked a somewhat undeveloped dramatic interpretation in Act I.  He seemed sincere, that was enough.  In Act II his dancing carried the day.  Camargo also seemed to lean into the Latin playboy Albrecht interpretation but not excessively.  He seemed more an impetuous young man in love.  I didn't find his chemistry with Hurlin that strong and his final despair at Giselle's death seemed a little superficial to me.  Camargo's Act II had a lot of emotion and his connection to Hurlin's Giselle seemed stronger.  I was delighted with his strong classical technique in Act II.  I was sitting close enough to see faces and expressions.  One potential complaint is that Camargo had his mouth open very often while dancing.  It was a plus in his heartbroken staggering from Giselle's grave just before the final curtain because he looked totally lost in emotional shock with his mouth agape.  Still it is something for his coaches to watch for.  He is an extremely handsome man and a natural actor.

I was impressed with Fanqi Li's Myrta which is a debut and I felt that it was a very, VERY good start.  Misseldine started somewhat tentatively on Tuesday afternoon with a lack of authority and some awkward transitions in her entrance and opening solo but her solo in the Wili ensemble picked up momentum.  On Wednesday night, Misseldine had more authority (and speed) right from the beginning and seemed well on her way to being a great Myrta.  I believe Veronika Part hasn't danced in several years, so wishing her up there onstage is a lovely but impracticable dream.  I will be excited to see Misseldine develop in the role - her future definitely seems bright!

Skylar Brandt's Giselle was the most dramatically worked out and seemingly delicate and childlike.  However, she is an incredibly strong dancer - so that tension between delicate fragility and technical strength was central to her interpretation and part of its magic.  Act II has some very basic looking choreography that is actually horrifyingly exposed and difficult to execute smoothly.  For example in Giselle's Act II solos she has exposed slow developpées where the leg has to rise but with no shifts in the hip or wobbles.  Brandt's working leg looked detached from her pelvis and rose smoothly with no break or wobble creating exactly the right effect.   Also, Brandt had more of the Romantic dancing style than Hurlin or Teuscher with beautifully curved arms and back and neck, creating the iconic images in the grand pas de deux.  Cornejo was 250% backing her up and creating the magic with her.

Obviously, Brandt has the most experience in the role of Giselle, so her interpretation was more worked out and detailed.  Perhaps it may be leaning towards over sophistication or calculation at this point but it did not cross the line into affectation or phoniness.  Overall, I felt that Wednesday night was on a whole other level above what I saw the previous two afternoons.  I found the Brandt/Cornejo pairing comparable to the Vishneva/Malakhov, Vishneva/Gomes or Osipova/Hallberg performances.

Zimmi Coker danced wonderfully as Zulma on Wednesday afternoon and enchanted in the Peasant PDD on Wednesday night - add my voice to the chorus advocating for her promotion to soloist.  Jake Roxander was jaw-dropping in the male peasant variations - give him more, More, MORE!  Sunmi Park on Tuesday afternoon was airy and delicate in the female peasant variations and lit up the stage.  Also I was impressed with the artistry and presence of Jarod Curley as Hilarion.

BTW: the corps looked very polished and overall "Giselle" is one of ABT's strongest classical productions.  I enjoyed all three performances very much.

One thing about some of the older soloists and principals hanging on:  Susan Jaffe danced with some of these people when she was a ballerina with the company but even more she worked with them and was invested in their development when she was a ballet mistress with the company.  Even as director, I am sure Jaffe is still doing coaching and supervising rehearsals.  That is a plus.  Kevin McKenzie was in the audience on Wednesday afternoon for the Hurlin debut, this is his production of "Giselle" and I would suppose he was assisting with rehearsals for this revival.  So I wouldn't expect dramatic overnight change.  The recognition, promotion and exposure of promising new very young dancers is a welcome change.

Edited July 6, 2023 by FauxPas

[matilda]

Skylar's Instagram stories--yes, there are a ton to click through--contain a few clips of her performance last night from the audience. Worth watching if you missed the show, or rewatching for those who were there.

She makes incredibly difficult choreography look so easy. Her pirouettes en dedans to dehor in Act I couldn't have been more seamless. Sure, there are roles she can grow into more, but in my view she's already a world-class Giselle and a very important ballerina overall. 

[abatt]

I thought I read somewhere that Misty intends to return in 2024.  it does not seem like she would participate in the fall 2023 season. 

Who knows if Kevin did any coaching.  I think he may have been there to see Hurlin, who has been a part of ABT since childhood, make her debut in this major role. 

Given how much better Misseldeine was on Wed night compared to the prior  nights, I would say somebody definitely gave her some additional coaching before her Wed evening show. 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by abatt

[WLH]

57 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Totally agree. Even at the end of his career, I’d still much prefer to see Cornejo than a lot of the other ABT principal men, where you are often choosing between A) solid technician, or B) acting capability. I look forward to a retirement programme that honours his artistry. 
Brandt’s technique in Giselle alone is worth the price of the ticket. In the grand scheme of things, she hasn’t been performing this role very long, and it’s exciting to consider how she will develop her interpretation in the years to come. 

[bingham]

 

 

1 hour ago, FauxPas said:

I think Misty and Herman could do "Other Dances" together.  Murphy probably will want to wait until the 2024 Met season and do a big farewell in a major warhorse ballet.

BTW: though I noticed a fall off in Herman's brisées in "Giselle" Act II, his solo was pristine and his partnering, dramatic insight and general artistry and elegance were to die for.  Obviously with over a decade of experience, Cornejo's dramatic interpretation was more consistent and convincing than Bell's Albrecht or even the histrionically gifted Camargo's. 

I can deal with a slightly diminished Herman for another season or two if he still has so much to give.  I also feel that the reactions to Skylar Brandt's Giselle are a little harsh.

Teuscher and Hurlin were both fine Giselles but clearly works in progress.  In fact, I felt (without dismissing her overall excellent achievement) that Hurlin's Giselle was still somewhat surface.  In that she had all the details in place (some of them striking like her wild animal chase through the assorted villagers in Act I's mad scene) but not much inner life and a rather unspecific interpretation of the role.  Is Giselle a fragile waif or a robust hearty village girl who loves to dance more than life itself?   Hurlin has a slender tallish elongated physique that creates beautiful lines with a lot of muscular strength for bravura dancing.  She has a big, expansive jump which is a big plus in Act II.  But I felt she hadn't yet found the phrasing or shaping in Act II to create indelible images.  However, overall I really enjoyed her dancing and am excited to think of her potential and where she will go in the role.  Teuscher has limited flexibility in her back and hips but was coached beautifully to disguise these flaws or minimize them.  Her hops were solid if off the music in her Act I Spessivtseva solo.  (Hurlin was also solid and even rotated the raised leg from the knee). 

But it was Teuscher's Act II I found quite moving and artistically satisfying.  Her serene but determined face showed that Giselle chose love and forgiveness over vengeance and was determined to save Albrecht.  Her Act II Giselle radiated spiritual strength.  Neither ballerina is particularly good at projecting physical frailty - both have previously danced impressive Myrtas (I have never seen Hurlin as Myrta, Teuscher several times).

Aran Bell danced so well and looked so beautiful onstage that I overlooked a somewhat undeveloped dramatic interpretation in Act I.  He seemed sincere, that was enough.  In Act II his dancing carried the day.  Camargo also seemed to lean into the Latin playboy Albrecht interpretation but not excessively.  He seemed more an impetuous young man in love.  I didn't find his chemistry with Hurlin that strong and his final despair at Giselle's death seemed a little superficial to me.  Camargo's Act II had a lot of emotion and his connection to Hurlin's Giselle seemed stronger.  I was delighted with his strong classical technique in Act II.  I was sitting close enough to see faces and expressions.  One potential complaint is that Camargo had his mouth open very often while dancing.  It was a plus in his heartbroken staggering from Giselle's grave just before the final curtain because he looked totally lost in emotional shock with his mouth agape.  Still it is something for his coaches to watch for.  He is an extremely handsome man and a natural actor.

I was impressed with Fanqi Li's Myrta which is a debut and I felt that it was a very, VERY good start.  Misseldine started somewhat tentatively on Tuesday afternoon with a lack of authority and some awkward transitions in her entrance and opening solo but her solo in the Wili ensemble picked up momentum.  On Wednesday night, Misseldine had more authority (and speed) right from the beginning and seemed well on her way to being a great Myrta.  I believe Veronika Part hasn't danced in several years, so wishing her up there onstage is a lovely but impracticable dream.  I will be excited to see Misseldine develop in the role - her future definitely seems bright!

Skylar Brandt's Giselle was the most dramatically worked out and seemingly delicate and childlike.  However, she is an incredibly strong dancer - so that tension between delicate fragility and technical strength was central to her interpretation and part of its magic.  Act II has some very basic looking choreography that is actually horrifyingly exposed and difficult to execute smoothly.  For example in Giselle's Act II solos she has exposed slow developpées where the leg has to rise but with no shifts in the hip or wobbles.  Brandt's working leg looked detached from her pelvis and rose smoothly with no break or wobble creating exactly the right effect.   Also, Brandt had more of the Romantic dancing style than Hurlin or Teuscher with beautifully curved arms and back and neck, creating the iconic images in the grand pas de deux.  Cornejo was 250% backing her up and creating the magic with her.

Obviously, Brandt has the most experience in the role of Giselle, so her interpretation was more worked out and detailed.  Perhaps it may be leaning towards over sophistication or calculation at this point but it did not cross the line into affectation or phoniness.  Overall, I felt that Wednesday night was on a whole other level above what I saw the previous two afternoons.  I found the Brandt/Cornejo pairing comparable to the Vishneva/Malakhov, Vishneva/Gomes or Osipova/Hallberg performances.

Zimmi Coker danced wonderfully as Zulma on Wednesday afternoon and enchanted in the Peasant PDD on Wednesday night - add my voice to the chorus advocating for her promotion to soloist.  Jake Roxander was jaw-dropping in the male peasant variations - give him more, More, MORE!  Sunmi Park on Tuesday afternoon was airy and delicate in the female peasant variations and lit up the stage.  Also I was impressed with the artistry and presence of Jarod Curley as Hilarion.

BTW: the corps looked very polished and overall "Giselle" is one of ABT's strongest classical productions.  I enjoyed all three performances very much.

One thing about some of the older soloists and principals hanging on:  Susan Jaffe danced with some of these people when she was a ballerina with the company but even more she worked with them and was invested in their development when she was a ballet mistress with the company.  Even as director, I am sure Jaffe is still doing coaching and supervising rehearsals.  That is a plus.  Kevin McKenzie was in the audience on Wednesday afternoon for the Hurlin debut, this is his production of "Giselle" and I would suppose he was assisting with rehearsals for this revival.  So I wouldn't expect dramatic overnight change.  The recognition, promotion and exposure of promising new very young dancers is a welcome change.

WOW, FP, what an evaluation. It's almost like I have watched these performances. You're a treasure for people living away from NYC. I can't wait for your posts for the rest of the ABT season. Thank you.

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, bingham said:

 

 

WOW, FP, what an evaluation. It's almost like I have watched these performances. You're a treasure for people living away from NYC. I can't wait for your posts for the rest of the ABT season. Thank you.

Thank you! 😍 I am also looking forward to Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal tonight!  🤩

BTW: one small addition - the orchestra is playing well.  Back in the Kevin McKenzie era when the season started in mid-May and conflicted with the NYCB season, the orchestra in the first weeks of the season often sounded horrible with flat horns and harsh, out of tune strings, etc.  Lack of rehearsal.  Then a few weeks in, the orchestra would mysteriously improve coinciding with the NYCB musicians being off for the summer and taking freelance gigs!  Both the orchestra and corps are doing excellent work this season.

[MarzipanShepherdess]

2 hours ago, WLH said:

Totally agree. Even at the end of his career, I’d still much prefer to see Cornejo than a lot of the other ABT principal men, where you are often choosing between A) solid technician, or B) acting capability. I look forward to a retirement programme that honours his artistry. 

Co-signed. So many of the current ABT principal men are SO boring to watch even though they've got the technical chops. I prefer to see Cornejo, or Royal, to a number of their peers who've got more formidable technique but less artistry. 

I also don't feel Cornejo is guilty of hanging on so long that watching him leaves you sad and just thinking of what once was (which was how I felt watching Bolle in his final performing days). I still find Cornejo's performances to be a joy. 

[abatt]

Did anyone else notice that in the two lifts that Cornejo did in which he lifted Brandt overhead (the so called table top lifts), he did each lift in two stages.  First she was lifted relatively low above him.  Then he paused  and fully extended his arms to lift her higher above his head.  That's how you lift a barbell, not your beloved Giselle.  It took me out of the ballet.  None of the other Albrechts I have seen have paused mid-lift in this manner. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by abatt

[nanushka]

6 minutes ago, abatt said:

Did anyone else notice that in the two lifts that Cornejo did in which he lifted Brandt overhead, he did each lift in two stages.  First she was lifted relatively low above him.  Then he paused  and fully extended his arms to lift her higher above his head.  That's how you lift a barbell, not your beloved Giselle.  It took me out of the ballet.

Oh I disagree. I thought the lifts were very effective. He lifted her overhead, and then very slowly raised her higher and higher. As @fondoffouettes described it above, it looked like she would float away. I imagine it would have been rather easier for him to simply raise her up and keep her suspended.

Edited July 6, 2023 by nanushka

[WLH]

I also found Cornejo’s take on the lifts to be beautiful, definitely more difficult to execute. But can certainly understand preferring the more classic version. I quite like when dancers are confident enough to do something slightly uniquely, makes for some interest after viewing multiple performances in succession. 

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Oh I disagree. I thought the lifts were very effective. He lifted her overhead, and then very slowly raised her higher and higher. As @fondoffouettes described it above, it looked like she would float away. I imagine it would have been rather easier for him to simply raise her up and keep her suspended.

I also thought they were very effective. I didn’t notice a pause either, maybe for a split second, it was just very slow and impressive to me. But, I also very much like the traditional way of doing it. 

[angelica]

Does anyone know what the shout was in the middle of the performance?

[choriamb]

I attended Seo/Stearns on Monday and Shevchenko/Royal on Thursday.

For me, what has been most exciting about the past few seasons is seeing better stagecraft/partnering across the board. Whether it's the addition of McKerrow/Gardner to the coaching staff or a silver lining to repeating last year's rep, I'll take it.

Granlund and Gonzalez did have technical flubs during Monday's performance...but I personally liked the way they continued to go for broke and to really interact with each other throughout. They didn't go glassy-eyed, focus purely on steps, and ignore their partner. (ABT has never lacked bravura dancers, but the ability to keep a show moving and to make partnered dance look like a conversation is what makes a bravura dancer a good principal.) On Thursday, they had a totally clean run:  Gonzalaz, in particular, showed real elan; Granlund was subdued initially, but warmed later.

I was similarly impressed by Misseldine's Myrtha on Monday:  like Granlund and Gonzalez, she's one of those technical prodigies whom I've seen present solo variations directly to an audience very effectively...but without really acknowledging her parter or anyone else on stage. (Last summer, she had wonderful attack...but little nuance.) And, like them, she's begun to move past that phase at a far younger age than any of the current crop of ABT principals did:  like others mentioned, her first entrance was subdued...but grew more confident by the minute. This was a prodigious NYC debut...and she's been elevated early enough to develop not just a good Myrtha but an iconic one. (Her arms bothered me less than others, as few of ABT's other recent Myrthas--with the exception of Williams and Abrera--really used true Romantic port de bras in that role. More linear, aggressive arms like Murphy used or grander, weightier arms like Part used may even cut through the gloomy lighting and convey power better.)

Thursday was the revelation, though:  it was overall the most effective Giselle that I've seen at ABT since Vishneva/Gomez. The extra stage time in the role that Shevchenko had on tour with the United Ukranian Ballet and ABT has clearly paid off. She and Royal had real chemistry, straight out of the gate:  she's always been a whiz-bang technician, but she's finally learned the right way to project her body and eyes both toward the audience and her partner. Her mad scene needs a clearer narrative motive and her Act II entrance was a bit subdued...but those are my only quibbles. (If her port de bras doesn't have the float of Seo's, whose does?) And Royal's dancing and acting has gained both energy and polish since his Giselle debut last summer. (There are absolutely nits to pick with his landings, but I will save those for when I am no longer euphoric that onstage chemistry is slowly becoming the norm at ABT again.)

Andrii Ischuk's Hilarion was great both nights (his projection and energy were slightly better on Thursday).

Lensi's Zulma was gorgeous both nights, too:  rock-solid balance, weightless arms, and musicality to boot. Park's Moyna was one long beautiful line. (Li's Moyna was solid, but less Wili-like.)

And I'll say it again:  Courtney Lavine's interpretation of Bathilde is so much more effective than ABT's usual haughty/petulant/disgusted version. When you take the POB's approach of simply looking past/not noticing the peasants, it makes Bathilde's generosity to Giselle (when she is physically touched and does see her) more believable, it makes seem Albrecht doubly faithless...and it's uncomfortably truer to what happens in real life.

[abatt]

I think Schevchenko has made enormous progress due to her performances with the Ukranians of the role, and I did like her chemistry with Royal.  I had not previously seen Royal as Albrecht.  The thing that disappointed me was that Royal did only about 20 entrechat sixes, and then tried to kill time to wait out the rest of the music.  Definitely not a dance to the death, just a dance till I'm a bit tired.   I expect that for older dancers, but Calvin in still relatively young.

As noted above, the peasant pas went much better last night for Gonzalez and Granlund.

I would not favorably compare any of the performances so far this season with Vishneva- Gomes, Osipova-Hallberg or other truly greats from the past.  (Ferri, Ananiashvilli  and Bocca!!)

One thing that must be noted is that apart from whether a dancer has skill on his own merit, it takes a period of working together to establish chemistry.  The above greats regularly worked together over a period of years or decades.  However, in the current company there is a regular shuffling of partners, which hinders the development of a meaningful partnership. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by abatt

[nanushka]

1 hour ago, choriamb said:

Andrii Ischuk's Hilarion was great both nights (his projection and energy were slightly better on Thursday).

Ischuk and Curley were both very good on Wednesday as well. It seems the company has a lot of strong younger men now.

[FauxPas]

10 hours ago, angelica said:

Does anyone know what the shout was in the middle of the performance?

Right after the second act pas de deux some idiot shouted "Shevy!!" which is Shevchenko's nickname.  It sounded like something else.  Way to break the spell....

I saw Veronika Part in the plaza after the show surrounded by fans.

[abatt]

I thought I heard Calvin screamed out.  I did not hear it as Shevy.

[angelica]

I saw last night's performance of Giselle and think that Shevchenko was sublime, exquisite in every way. I believe she is, certainly in this ballet, in the same league as  Vishneva, Ferri, and Ananiashvilli. What distinguishes her from those dancers, alas, is that she doesn't have a partner in the same league. Although Royal has improved greatly over the years, he is not on a par with Gomes, Hallberg, or Bocca. I saw Jake Roxander in the Peasant Pas in a dress rehearsal, and he looks to be a Principal straight out of the gate, but my crystal ball is only that, and not a determinant for the future. I would so love for Shevchenko to have a partnership deserving of her potential greatness.

[abatt]

Shevchenko should have been with Bell, as the last time ABT performed this.  But Bell is the only guy apparently who is tall and big enough to partner Teuscher as Giselle.  This is the partner shuffle problem at ABT.  

[Fleurfairy]

I agree with @fondoffouettes about Brandt's Giselle. She does a lot of great gymnastic tricks and her technique is rock solid but something is seriously lacking. There's no there there. Her Giselle reminded me of a Kewpie doll with the giant eyes and open mouth. I felt the same way about her Odette.  I just think she's better suited to the bravura roles like Don Quixote where she can smile and go for all the whiz-bang power-jumps and turns. Tragic creature, no. 

 

Cornejo...well it's time to retire. I hate seeing once glorious dancers try to eek out more time with lesser dancing.

 

Misseldine is a star. I do love loud pointe shoes though. It brings me back to days in the studio. 

[matilda]

Teuscher frequently dances with Ahn and Stearns so those were options too. In fall 2021 the pairings were:

Seo/Stearns

Brandt/Cornejo

Boylston/Whiteside

Trenary/Royal

Shevchenko/Bell

They could have kept those pairings, adding Hurlin and Camargo, but put Teuscher with Ahn. 

[NinaFan]

4 hours ago, abatt said:

One thing that must be noted is that apart from whether a dancer has skill on his own merit, it takes a period of working together to establish chemistry.  The above greats regularly worked together over a period of years or decades.  However, in the current company there is a regular shuffling of partners, which hinders the development of a meaningful partnership.

I agree.  Those partnerships seem to be a thing of the past.  On top of that, for the most part they don't seem to partner dancers with those of  equal technical and artistic ability.  What I mean to say is that when they partner one of their best dancers (of which there are too few these days) with a lackluster partner then the overall performance suffers.    

Edited July 7, 2023 by NinaFan
edit

[NinaFan]

8 minutes ago, abatt said:

Shevchenko should have been with Bell, as the last time ABT performed this.  But Bell is the only guy apparently who is tall and big enough to partner Teuscher as Giselle.  This is the partner shuffle problem at ABT.  

Exactly