ABT Swan Lake: Met 2023

[abatt]

Hurlin performed SL last year.

[angelica]

Just now, abatt said:

Hurlin performed SL last year.

Thank you, abatt.

[onxmyxtoes]

I was so impressed the time that Hee stepped in for Gillian during Act III/IV a few years ago. Gillian hurt her foot during Act II and then Hee finished the ballet for her. Hee's black swan solo was electrified and she finished the fouettes with confidence. It must've been adrenaline running through her body, being called on last minute!

I am looking forward to seeing her in the complete role this Saturday matinee.

[Rick]

Hurlin got an amazing review from NY Times for her Swan Lake debut last year. 

[LIslandArts]

Today’s matinee solidified my earlier point about Frenette and Curley. Those two men alone could lead the company into a golden age of bravura technique and bravura excellence.

 

Even with Frenette’s slight fumble in the first act variation, I haven’t seen him dance stronger or calmer. He’s grown immensely since last year, when he debuted with apparent higher nerves and was much more reserved. His last circle left myself and my friends speechless. Somehow he made the Met look small!
 

He and his ladies Remy Young and Sierra Armstrong delivered a class act pas de trois—strongest of the first three shows without a doubt. They were DANCING (isn’t that what this is all about?) Nothing held back and each dancer was emanating pure joy. 

 

Curley was proud and intimidating throughout. He seems much more in his element playing the bad guy than before. Clean, precise, and musical would best describe his solo in the third act today. His dismissal of the princesses at the end was a very appropriate comical touch. This is an Onegin in the making, folks. 

 

I am however quite disappointed with the swan corps this year. Formations were off, musicality was all but forsaken, and I can’t help but feel like the women aren’t trying like they used to. Perhaps this is the danger of all these competition kids and medal winners finding themselves at the back of the swan line? I’m certain they’d all rather be Odette/Odile for the show but you must start somewhere.

 

The character dances were rather bland today as well, minus Spanish which rose to the occasion. Lastly, anyone who had reservations about the Forster/Boylston partnership ended up missing quite a lovely show for the two principals. That’s all the SL this old soul can muster, I’ll be back for Romeo & Juliet. 

[ba11et0mane]

beautiful fouettés from isabella today. sharp and fast singles that finished with a triple. waski had a rough landing at the end of big swans and had to put her hand on the floor for a second before finishing but nothing too bad. thomas and isabella did a good job today in regards to partnering considering the 3 day replacement notice. looking forward to brandt/cornejo tomorrow 

[fondoffouettes]

This evening’s performance was really a mixed bag. I had very high expectations, perhaps too high, for Hurlin, but I found her O/O still very much a work in progress (perhaps only to be expected given her age). She had many beautiful moments — some gorgeous arabesques in the second act, overall strong turns — but I felt she lacked style and depth of interpretation. Her upper body was also a big distraction for me. Her arm movements were very unrefined, and she seemed to compensate for the lack of good port de bras by rolling her head around a lot. Her arms as she exited Act II were particularly egregious; she flapped emphatically and in quite ugly a manner. There was little sense of tragedy in her Odette. I think she’s perhaps a more natural Odile, but again, her interpretation seemed very surface level. Her Odile hardly contrasted enough with her Odette. There were some bobbles in the first set of turns in her variation, but she had gorgeous back bends later on. I love that she went for super fast singles in the fouettés. They were exciting, even if she traveled forward a lot and ended a smidge early. I get the feeling she could use a lot of coaching to take her O/O to the next level.

Whiteside was as strong as ever in his partnering, but I’ve never seen his dancing look so tentative and cautious (perhaps due to his horrible injury). His jumps lacked height and he didn’t really get enough of an arc in the air to land in a way that looked quite right (and one landing in particular in Act I was super awkward). There were several places where he made slight modifications to the steps, and there were some bobbles throughout. I’m used to his dancing being quite clean, so it was rather jarring. 

Jose Sebastian seemed out of his depth as von Rothbart and projected zero charisma and sexiness. He struggled throughout his solo. He seemed to make little impression on the audience. 

Excellent pas de trois from Misseldine, Park, and Han. I haven’t seen much of Park previously and was thoroughly impressed. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by fondoffouettes

[nanushka]

I quite agree about tonight’s performance. I found Hurlin far less convincing than in her Giselle last week. The swan arms at the end of Act 2 were truly awful. Nice arabesques and backbends though. Her Odile was somewhat better but I was less pleased by her fouettés which did start fast but then lagged quite a bit behind the music in the second half. The first attitude turn in the solo was messy. Otherwise turns were generally the better parts. Overall there seemed to be a lot of adjustments between steps, too little sense of fluid enchaînement.

Sebastian was the least interesting Rothbart I think I’ve seen. His facial expression did not change one bit throughout his entire solo. He looked like he could have been alone in a practice studio. Zero charisma. Not at all seductive. I don't even think he got a bow (and it was smart of him not to take one, as the applause was already dying down when he stood and gestured to the princesses).

Edited July 13, 2023 by nanushka

[fondoffouettes]

30 minutes ago, nanushka said:

His facial expression did not change one bit throughout his entire solo.

Yes! It was bizarre. It looked like he didn't want to be there.

Edited July 13, 2023 by fondoffouettes

[matilda]

I generally agree with the above criticism's of tonight's show but had an overall more positive takeaway from Hurlin's performance. I found her Act II pas de deux particularly beautiful and moving. Her Odette variation (normally my favorite part of Swan Lake) was less successful--the ronde de jambes looked clipped and her diagonals could have been more musical. The entrechats were wonderful though. 

I found Hurlin's Odile distinctly different from Odette. She started out extra saucy with some lightning fast and super sharp supported turns with Whiteside. I think she did 26 or 27 fouettés. I was surprised she finished them a little early since we know from last year she's more than capable of executing fiery and polished 32 fouettés. 

I was pleased to see Whiteside back on stage and dancing competently but sadly his solo dancing was just that--competent. His partnering was top notch, however. 

Roxander and Klein brought the virtuoso magic in Neopolitan. Roxander's turns are as clean and sleek as his jumps are high and exciting.

SunMi Park (in the pas de trois) is quickly becoming one of my favorite ABT dancers. She has a classical elegance that brings to mind Sarah Lane. And such a lovely demeanor on stage. 

There was a funny blooper where one of the Act I party guests dropped a maypole ribbon during the carousel circle. 

Other than Roxander, Klein, and Han, who was a very fine Benno, tonight was not the best showcase of ABT male dancing, between Whiteside and Sebastian's performances.

[abatt]

Have to agree with much of what has been written above about the Hurlin Whiteside performance.  Whiteside's partnering was excellent, but his solo work was mediocre at best and terrible at worst.  He had problems with sloppy lines, stumbling out of turns  and all of the other problems mentioned above.  I know he has had a tough road of recovery, but the audience deserves better than the level he is currently at.

 

Hurlin gave a well danced performance generally, but her arms frequently looked sloppy. There was zero chemistry wtih Whiteside.  This performance had no emotional depth or resonance.  More work to do.   Her fouettes were  initially very fast, and I think she may have slowed and cut it short at 27 or 27 because she would have been in danger of moving too far forward on the stage.  Overall, I felt her performance last season may have been more polished than the one tonight.  It was good, but it could be so much better.

Jose Sebastian did better on Monday than tonight.  

Park was again outstanding in the pas de trois.  Put her in Swan Lake or Giselle next time around. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by abatt

[nysusan]

I agree with the posters who said the Hurlin/Whiteside SL was uneven. I do think Hurlin has the makings of a great O/O, and I think its unrealistic to expect a dancer to have a fully fleshed out interpretation within the first several times in the role. Its so hard technically and so complex psychologically it takes time for anyone to develop their own take on exactly who their Odette and Odile are and be able to communicate that to the audience both through their dancing and acting.

 

Thinking back to my favorite O/Os from Fonteyn to Makarova, Gregory and more recently Pavlenko, Lopatkina and Part - they had all been dancing the role for years before I saw them, and they all had the opportunity to dance it well more than once or twice a season.

 

To add to what's been said about Park in the pdt - her first solo variation was just amazing. Not only the technical aspects - but her dancing was so airy and her phrasing was so musical I think this may have been the best pdt performance I've ever seen from an ABT dancer, and I've seen a lot of them!

 

One quick note about Roxander - he was once again wonderful in the Neopolitan but seeing him with Klein made me realize how short he is. Klein is fairly short and Roxander is shorter.

[matilda]

Among ABT's female principals, Hurlin is one of the most naturally blessed with ideal ballerina attributes: height, proportions, flexibility, and beauty, plus technique and "star quality" to spare. 

I agree she has the makings of an exceptional Odette / Odile and is already doing impressive work having only done the role twice. I hope she gets a partner who can offer equal solo work next time. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by matilda

[nanushka]

I certainly agree about Hurlin's innate qualities as a dancer, and she put them to superb use the week before as Giselle. Her performance last night, though, was to me disappointing and unsatisfying, in part because of those innate qualities and that prior success, but also just judging it as a performance by any principal dancer and the impressions I got of its good and not-so-good qualities. If last year's NYT review is to be believed, it sounds like she did much better in her first Met outing in the role.

Edited July 13, 2023 by nanushka

[abatt]

Indeed, she did do better last year in SL.  Sometimes when all of the training is fresh for a role debut, the level of attention to detail is much greater at  a debut.  Who knows how much additional coaching was undertaken since Hurlin already performed the role.   

And it is interesting that Ahn, who did two Siegfried performances last season, was shut out this season and instead got Rothbart.  Looking at Whiteside's performance last night, maybe he would have been better off performing the shorter, less demanding role of Rothbart.

Hurlin had two major debuts in classical roles - Giselle and next week as Juliet.  Maybe it is difficult to prepare  for so many debuts and at the same time take on a revival of a role you did once before.  I would certainly be interested in seeing her again next season in SL.

Edited July 13, 2023 by abatt

[onxmyxtoes]

While we are on the topic of early debuts, I have a strong memory of a Don Quixote tour performance of very new principals (at the time), Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes. There were quite a few fumbles and some "tricks" had not been perfected yet. They seemed like really inexperienced principals (as they were), and I was a bit disappointed to not get the star power I expected from principals like Angel Corella and Paloma Herrera. 

Fast forward 10 years and those two principals became the power houses of ABT; their Swan Lake was absolutely formidable. I think it's wise to be kind to these newer principals and know that you choose to see their early performances as a stepping stone in their careers. This is part of the process of making a true star. If you want to see a fully-formed interpretation, you're better off choosing a senior principal (albeit not one who has come back recently from a very serious injury).

[DPell]

37 minutes ago, abatt said:

 

And it is interesting that Ahn, who did two Siegfried performances last season, was shut out this season and instead got Rothbart.  Looking at Whiteside's performance last night, maybe he would have been better off performing the shorter, less demanding role of Rothbart.

I believe Ahn had one Siegfried and was also supposed to debut Rothbart,  but got the second Siegfried added when Stearns got injured. 

[onxmyxtoes]

The principal man roster seems a bit light at the moment. I remember when Purple Van R was often performed by principal men like David Hallberg, Marcelo Gomes, Ivan Vasiliev, and Cory Sterns. Recently it's been more of a corps and sometimes soloist role, although no soloists are dancing it this year either - the soloist roster is also very light. I do realize that Ahn is a principal performing Von R. 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

Saw the Seo/Bell cast on Tuesday night. 

Seo is a strong Odette. She made such beautiful use of her upper body at every moment: head, neck, hands, arms, shoulders, and back all so fluid and conveying such tender emotion. I have seen her in this role before and have always been impressed by her Odette, but since I last saw her she's refined her use of her upper body even further to have a really exquisite "melting" quality that I loved. Unfortunately her Odile really fell short for me last night as it has in the past. She never looked less than gorgeous with her lines and her fouettés were credible if not show-stopping, but her Odile felt far too close to her Odette and lacked any real verve, menace, or sex appeal. It was a shame because her act I, II, and IV were so accomplished. It's not a passionate portrayal, but it feels like a carefully honed one that is truly hers and is moving in its vulnerable beauty.

Bell was excellent all the way through to his final leap, which was one of the boldest and most elegantly shaped I can recall. Technically stellar and thoroughly princely, though I look forward to seeing his characterization continuing to develop to become more individual.

Joo Won Ahn was flat for me as ballroom Von Rothbart. I'd love to see Klein or Curley do that role. Or Carlos Gonzalez, after seeing him as Benno.

It was a real treat to see three dancers (Gonzalez, Coker, and Granlund) who made the most of what can be wonderful chance to see rising dancers but is all too often a bit of a dull slog at ABT. Gonzalez danced big yet precise, nailing the sudden shift from high jumps and turns into tight landings. Coker went for broke all the way through: megawatt smile, every step clear and danced to the full. Granlund was lovely too but seemed to be flagging towards the end, especially in contrast to the indefatigable Coker in the final sequence.

I felt lucky to be seeing such luxe casting for the small roles, as in addition to the excellent aforementioned trio we got Chloe Misseldine and Sunmi Park as the two swans. What gorgeous dancers they both are. Chloe, especially, has an authority and amplitude to her dancing (and of course her height) that reminds me a bit of much-missed Veronika Part.  Also was glad to see Roman Zhurbin leading an especially lively Czardas with Paulina Waski. The petulant peasant girl who flirts with the prince and upsets her beau made more of an impression than it usually does: I think it was Virginia Lensi, and Fanqi Li stood out amongst the aristocrats. 

[nanushka]

1 hour ago, onxmyxtoes said:

I think it's wise to be kind to these newer principals and know that you choose to see their early performances as a stepping stone in their careers. This is part of the process of making a true star. If you want to see a fully-formed interpretation, you're better off choosing a senior principal (albeit not one who has come back recently from a very serious injury).

There are no sure things in ballet performance; I've seen senior principals give unusually disappointing performances, and I've seen much younger dancers give exceptional ones. I went to see Hurlin's O/O precisely because I wanted to see what she'd do with the role; she's impressed me in the past (especially last week in Giselle), she got a rave review last year in the Times, and she's a principal dancer in a major company — deserving of scrutiny and, I believe, very able to withstand it. I don't think there's anything unkind about giving an honest description and evaluation of what one has seen. I certainly do expect her to improve as she becomes more experienced, and I look forward to seeing that as well. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by nanushka

[Papagena]

2 hours ago, onxmyxtoes said:

The principal man roster seems a bit light at the moment. I remember when Purple Van R was often performed by principal men like David Hallberg, Marcelo Gomes, Ivan Vasiliev, and Cory Sterns. Recently it's been more of a corps and sometimes soloist role, although no soloists are dancing it this year either - the soloist roster is also very light. I do realize that Ahn is a principal performing Von R. 

Good point. Purple Rothbart can be such a delightful, hammy highlight that it sort of justifies the other cheesy elements of this SL production. A dull Purple V R is almost worse than a dull Siegfried for me (in this KM version, anyway) - a dull performance can suck the tension out of Act III. 

I've also seen O/Os really respond to the energy he brings. His variation is almost an appetizer that wakes up the audience before the Odile pas - such an important role that should be treated as such! How spoiled we were when Gomes, Hallberg, and Vasiliev would tear into it. Wish I could see Curley in thus run! 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Papagena

[abatt]

McKenzie created the Rothbart role because at the time it was created ABT had so many incredible men that he wanted to include an additional lead role for a male, according to interviews I recall reading.  It was created on Vladimir Malakhov, not a sex symbol but certainly a great dancer. 

The most incredible Rothbart was Gomes, and the most brilliant use of the role was in Nina Ananiashvill's farewell.  McKenzie allowed a modification, and I recall Gomes literally tossing Nina to Angel Corella, who was playing Seigfreid.  The audience went wild.  I wonder if there is any youtube footage.

[nanushka]

34 minutes ago, Papagena said:

A dull Purple V R is almost worse than a dull Siegfried for me (in this KM version, anyway) - a dull performance can suck the tension out of Act III.

Definitely. I can't help but think that the more-than-usually-audible response to last night's special effect flash of Rothbart's transformation resulted from the audience having become lulled by the lack of drama in the moments and minutes leading up to that. There was no seduction of the court, no believably devious machinations during the pas, no triumphant glee in the instant of Siegfried's mistaken vow. The whole act become dramatically inert.

Edited July 13, 2023 by nanushka

[Rick]

And Nina’s farewell remains my benchmark Odette/Odile. 

[abatt]

5 minutes ago, Rick said:

And Nina’s farewell remains my benchmark Odette/Odile. 

Yes, she was one of the greats.   Maybe the greatest I have ever seen at ABT.  I would add to that list Lopatkina, who I saw when the Mariinsky did Swan Lake at the Brooklyn Academy of Music about 10 years ago. From NYCB I would add Mearns.