Haglund's Heel

ABT Moscow reviews

Haglund has been following Russian blog comments about ABT's Moscow performances.  They've been very positive about Theme and Variations and Seven Sonatas, mostly positive about Fancy Free, and uniformly negative about Millepied's new Troika.  For those interested, here's a link to them.  It appears that there was an extremely last minute change to the T&V cast on the first night with Stearns coming out and Hallberg stepping in.  Can't wait for details of that backstage drama to leak out.

The only formal review Haglund has found so far is Kommersaut.ru.  The Google translation does its usual mixed job, but some of the (translated) comments were:

On Theme and Variations:

Well-knit American chorus led the "theme" with taste and skill, clear writing songs and pictures small seeds in the Pas-de-Bourret, framing adagio approx. Maestros acted with commendable synchronicity, even adjusting the speed pirouettes and spread legs to jump. Prima, Gillian Murphy, friendly and cute as a wealthy American housewife, were neither bright personality, beauty legs: the party she had smooth, clean, musical, but without the gloss, slightly rough failure, stop at small battus. The upper support adagio, she seemed too heavy for her partner - a high-Nordic blond David Hallberg. Anyway, in his solo, despite their blasted complexity (such as bundles of 16 double air tours and double pirouettes parterre), he felt much freer and more confident and purity of his dancing has confirmed the reputation of one of the best "classics" of the world.

[When the Russians start complimenting the Americans on their corps de ballet, you know hearts have been won.]

On Seven Sonatas:

Inspirational all were filled with "Seven Sonatas" by Scarlatti set Alexei Ratmansky in 2009 for three pairs of a special mission ABT. Neatly constructed, formally - plotless, in fact - tells about the various human characters and subtle twists and turns of romantic relationships, this ballet has permeated this crystal tenderness, which Alexei Ratmansky has never demonstrated in their homeland. It seems that job, he chose correctly. Now, with some envy can say that the best Russian choreographer, became an American national treasure - as once his predecessor George Balanchine.

And look who (among others) is pictured on the Bolshoi's website – it's Стелла Абрера dancing in СЕМЬ СОНАТ:

ABT in Moscow

AP photographer Alexander Zemlianichenko was at the ABT dress rehearsal in Moscow and caught these photos of Radetsky, Simkin, and Hammoudi in the new Millepied piece.  The photos suggest that we may have seen some of this choreography before.  The Muscovites have taken special notice that Radetsky, who studied at the Bolshoi for a year or so, is among the performers.  His comments are included in this AP article at the ABC News site.

Black Swan hissing

Megan Angelo of the Business Insider writes about the financial upside of the current Black Swan controversy about the authenticity of Natalie's dancing and Sarah Lane's contributions to the film.  She also offers an idea on how ABT might capitalize on it:

This story could even be rolled into a boost for the arts: ABT should mount a performance of "Swan Lake" with Lane as Odette/Odile and promote the heck out of it.

From her lips to God's ears.

Could someone remind Haglund of the reasons why we're not seeing a Cornejo/Lane Swan Lake this year again?  Oh yeah, now it comes back - McKenzie claims they're too short and ABT needs to audition a tall dancer to see if she fits with Hallberg.  You know, Hallberg needs to work harder at fitting with (and lifting) the other women in the company who are enormously talented.  Lately, it's been starting to look like he thinks only a few are suited (or small enough) to dance with him.  Haglund guesses that most people around here would rather see an Odette/Odile who acquired her finish by slugging it up the ranks of the home company rather than a visitor who took the easy path of going directly from the Bolshoi school to principal worship in a 2nd tier company by displaying crotch-splitting extensions and a grand jete with hips opened to second position. 

McKenzie's values today would deem Makarova too short to dance Odette - and, of course, Baryshnikov too short for Siegfried.

 

 

Credit where credit is due

Somehow Haglund missed seeing the movie Black Swan.  He probably had a dentist appointment or something the night that it played in his town.  He'll catch it when it comes around the backside unless he has another dentist appointment.  Never can tell about that.

However, his attention could not overlook the sudden flurry of articles in which ABT's Sarah Lane has spoken out about the offense she has taken as a result of the movie folk trying to sweep her and her contribution to the film under the rug.  (She was Natalie Portman's dancing double.) The straw that broke the camel's back was B.S. choreographer Benjamin Millepied's parlez vousing around town that his sweetie, Natalie, actually did more of the dancing while Sarah did less. 

As those who follow ballet know, Sarah is a small dancer of big talent with a very big fan following.  Like most professional ballet dancers, her quality of movement is as distinct as a person's fingerprints to the trained eye.  So when the trained eyes of the world see this movie, it will be apparent when Sarah is dancing as opposed to when Natalie is moving, regardless of whose head is on the body. (Is that weird?) But to the untrained eyes of most all film directors and producers unaffiliated with B.S., it might look like Natalie is some kind of miraculous dancer while Sarah and the serious challenges of the ballet art form are slighted.  No audience should be led to believe that the quality of dancing delivered by Sarah or any professional can be achieved in only a year or so of training.  That's not fair.  Or nice.  No, it isn't nice, Benjamin.

These days Millepied may have something of a PR problem with the women at ABT.  He was living with his girlfriend, a favorite ABT corps dancer, while chasing around Natalie during the filming of B.S. and now he seemingly is trying to dump on the ABT soloist who did the tough dancing in the film.  Is anyone surprised that his latest creation for ABT to be premiered next week in Moscow is being danced by men?   

(Ring ring ring.  Excusez-moi.  Haglund has to put this post on hold to take a call from Myrtha.  She probably wants to borrow a pair of heels – or perhaps she has something else on her mind.)

Royal Danish Ballet @ the Gugg's W&P – Utroligt!

Well, if you missed tonight's live or live-streamed presentation of Works & Process at the Guggenheim, you missed one of W&P's best dance programs.  Featuring the Royal Danish Ballet with commentary by John Meehan and Nikolaj Hubbe, the program had a huge amount of dance and charm.  Haglund has his tickets to the RDB's presentation at Lincoln Center in June, and hopefully you have yours, too.

Hubbe is an engaging speaker and Meehan is an easy facilitator.  He drew out of Hubbe that the RDB has engaged Alexei Ratmansky for a commission next year.  Hubbe also identified several young European choreographers who he is investigating for work - the next generation so-to-speak.

Hubbe noted that the Danish trek to NYCB included Stanley Williams, Erik Bruhn, Ib Andersen, Adam Luders, Peter Martins, and himself.  It's hard to believe that the Danish women haven't migrated to NYCB in greater numbers, because they are fantastic.  Beautiful, soft, pliable feet that articulate the steps with crystalline clarity.  Gosh, the last Danish woman to make her mark on the New York dance stages was Toni Lander at ABT, wasn't she?  Anyway, the women were incredible, and La Sylphide in June is going to be a "Do Not Miss" event.

GODE NYHEDER!  If you missed tonight's program, you have another chance to see it tomorrow night at 7:30 pm (Eastern U.S.).  Click here tomorrow night:

 http://www.ustream.tv/channel/worksandprocess

The program content is listed in Haglund's earlier post here.

Manon gets richer

The Arts Desk in London reports today that Lady Deborah MacMillan recently approved the re-orchestration of the Massenet music for Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon and has decided that the new score will be the standard orchestration for all productions.  Premiered by the Finnish National Ballet, the new orchestration was prepared by Martin Yates, a conductor who has much experience conducting the original ballet orchestration.  According to AD's Natalie Wheen, who heard the new score last weekend in Helsinki:

Yates has taken a really serious look at the Massenet originals and intelligently married nuances of orchestral colours to the choreography so that the sounds from the pit complement the unfolding story in the dance: the drama and its emotional sub-text building properly together over the full span of the evening.

He apparently also restored some of the harmonies that were not used in the original compilation.  AD planted some clips of the new orchestration within its article including this one from that most passionate Bedroom PdD.

Since ABT has omitted all MacMillan productions from its 2011 Spring Season at the Met, it sure would be a treat to hear this new music at the Opening Night Gala.  Not that it would make up for the lapse in program planning, but it would be nice, nonetheless.  Haglund has a few ideas for a new Manon or two.

Spring is here!

Without fail, each year the ABT Spring Season single ticket brochure arrives fast behind the Buzzards' Return to Hinckley (that's in Ohio) on March 15th.  Some will try to deny the connection, but it is what it is. 

This year the lovely Veronika Part graces the brochure's cover and very intentionally appears to be sleeping on the job.  Within the pages of the brochure is a beautiful archive photo of Irina Dvorovenko and Max Berloserkovsky in Coppelia.  Irina was a phenomenal Coppelia in this production staged by Frederic Franklin.   However, we won't be seeing Irina in Coppelia this year because 40% of the Coppelia performances have been allocated to a guest artist. 

In the same beautiful photo as Irina and Max is the vibrant Erica Cornejo, a jumper and spinner of talent equal to the above referenced guest artist but someone who also possesses an artistic aesthetic.  Perhaps if she had changed her name to Ireka Cornejkova when she was with ABT, she might have received more opportunities and we might have been seeing her as Coppelia instead of the guest artist.

As with the previous season brochures, there are more photos of Angel Corella than he has actual performances this year.  How sad.  His one performance will be on June 18 when Paloma Herrera celebrates her 20th anniversary with ABT in Coppelia.  Now doesn't that anniversary make us all feel old – yes, old but happy to have been able to see the majority of Paloma's NY performances over the past twenty years. 

The brochure also features a lovely photo of Irina in The Bright Stream.  We won't be seeing Irina in The Bright Stream this year because performances are being allocated to a guest artist.  Nor will we see Isabella Boylston following up on her fantastic and acclaimed debut in The Bright Stream in Washington D.C. because – wait for it – the guest artist gets those performances.

Single tickets go on sale at the Met on April 3rd.  Check the ABT website for casting updates before making the trip to the box office.  Who knows, there might be another guest artist plugged into the line-up, although as yet there aren't any scheduled who can offer anything that the company's own dancers can't offer.

Mariinsky's price tipping point

Mariinsky Ballet tickets went on sale last week for the company’s eight performances during the Lincoln Center Festival in July, but the demand so far has been soft.  There have been no long lines – unlike what is seen when ABT and Met Opera single tickets initially go on sale.   The Mariinsky may have finally stumbled upon the tipping point for prices which New Yorkers are willing to pay to see a less than classic program.  By pricing its tickets far above those demanded by ABT and the Met Opera – in some cases as much as 100-150% more – the Mariinsky is betting on the non-traditional ballet audience of operatic wealth or neighborhoods rich with Russian heritage to splurge on a night at the ballet to see a non-classical program which is not likely to display the company’s unique, traditional strengths.  Maybe it’s a good bet; maybe it’s not.  The amount that will have to be spent on advertising to fill the seats could easily exceed any gains delivered through the over-pricing.

 

	Mariinsky*	ABT	Met	NYCB equiv. **
red= Mariinsky price > both         ABT & Met Opera         weeknights
Center Parterre	225	185	420/360	135 first ring
Side Parterre	95	80	125
Prime Orchestra	125	102	310	125/110
Orch Bal	125	80	115 - 195	95
Orch Rear	95	60	90	95
Grand Tier	125	107	115/195/310	100 second ring
Grand Tier Box partial view	95	66	90
Dress Circle	95	66	115/170	65 third ring
Dress Circle Box partial view	80	40	75
Balcony	80	40	75/95	55/35/20 fourth ring
Balcony Box partial view	50	30	25
Family Circle Fr.	50	30	35
Family Circle Re.	50	20	25
Family Circle Box partial (almost no) view	40	No price avail	25

*  Here's what the press release said about Mariinsky pricing:
   "Tickets: $225, 125, 95, 80, 50, 40, 30, 20"

** Not a true comparison of price value since the theater is so much smaller
    than the Met and the sight lines in every section are superior.

 

 

Look who's on the cover of the NY Observer Magazine

At the bottom of the frame, click through to page 29.

NYO Magazine - The Upper West Side Issue  

Mariinsky @ Lincoln Center Festival

Here's the first announcement of casting from the LCF website.  It's a little unnerving that they haven't even hinted at what the ticket prices will be.  Prepare thyself.

Anna Karenina

July 11 Diana Vishneva, Konstantin Zverev
July 13 Ulyana Lopatkina, Yuri Smekalov
July 14 Yekaterina Kondaurova, Andrei Yermakov

The Little Humpbacked Horse

July 12 Viktoria Tereshkina, Vladimir Shklyarov, Yekaterina Kondaurova, Yuri Smekalov
July 13 mat Yevgenya Obraztsova, Vladimir Shklyarov, Anastasia Petushkova, Yuri Smekalov
July 16 mat Alina Somova, Alexander Sergeyev, Anastasia Petushkova, Yuri Smekalov

Carmen Suite

July 15 Diana Vishneva, Danila Korsuntsev, Konstantin Zverev
July 16 Ulyana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev, Yevgeny Ivanchenko

Symphony in C

July 15 Viktoria Tereshkina, Andrian Fadeyev, Ulyana Lopatkina, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, Yevgenya Obraztsova, Vladimir Shklyarov, Maria Shirinkina, Alexei Timofeyev
July 16 Viktoria Tershkina, Andrian Fadeyev, Yekaterina Kondaurova, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, Yevgenya Obraztsova, Vladimir Shklyarov, Maria Shirinkina, Alexei Timofeyev

Vishneva as Madame X

Haglund would not make this up.

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in LA  announced yesterday that Diana Vishneva will present a world premiere program November 3-6 entitled Madame X.  Marcelo Gomes will either be her Ricardo Montalban or John Forsythe - maybe both, you just never know.  Bernice Coppieters of Les Ballet de Monte Carlo and members of the Mariinsky will also star.

Murder, alcohol, blackmail, men-you-want-but-shouldn't-have, heartbreak, downfall – in short, perfect ballet material.

Stay tuned.

Madame X by John Singer Sargent

 

New Ratmansky Firebird for ABT

Sometimes wishes come true - just not in the order you want them. 

Back in November 2009, ABT teased its audience to design the 2011 season.  Haglund took it to heart here  and listed his 1-2 wishes as Mayerling and a new production of Stravinsky's Firebird that makes good dance-use of the final five-minute musical orgasm.

Well, we haven't gotten Mayerling YET (Come on, Lady MacMillan.  We truly, truly need your help on this!!!), but it seems that we will see a new Firebird by Alexei Ratmansky in 2012.  At least, that's what the local paper is reporting.  This is all assuming that Mr. Ratmansky doesn't burn out by then.  He has set an unimaginable pace for himself in choreographing new full length ballets.  He just finished ABT's Nutcracker.  Now he's in Moscow working on a new full-length ballet Lost Illusions with music by Leonid Desyatnikov for the Bolshoi.  Soon he'll be at The National Ballet of Canada working on a new full length Romeo and Juliet to Prokofiev.  Then comes the new ABT Firebird.  Throw in a few assignments for short pieces - like the one this spring for ABT at the Met, and you have a manufacturing and creative output rate that rivals Apple's.

But this is pretty exciting news.  Several years ago, many cried their eyes out when a planned production of Firebird had to be cancelled by ABT for bugetary reasons.  Can't wait to finally hear that big Stravinsky music in The Met.  How wonderful it would be if Mr. Ratmansky incorporated just an itsy-bitsy amount of the Fokine choreography into his version – otherwise, we may never see it performed again.  Odds are good that Mr. Franklin could help with the steps.

Bolshoi's Don Quixote live-stream presentation

This morning Haglund climbed aboard the M57 crosstown bus on Manhattan's West Side and road a few blocks to Moscow's Bolshoi Theater for a live (streamed) performance of Don Quixote.  The theater was packed; so was the cinema.  Thanks to the Ballet in Cinema effort by Emerging Pictures and the French company CielEcran, we were treated to spectacular live performances by Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev as Kitri and Basilio.  Everyone expected the spectacular from them and they didn't disappoint.  The surprise of the performance was how the character principals nearly stole the show. Kristina Karasyova as Mercedes, Andrei Merkuriev as Espada, Anna Leonova as A Street Dancer, and Anna Antropova as the Gypsy were like hot lava flowing through the streets of Barcelona melting everything in its path.  Mercedes' fan = sex toy.  Well, almost.  What exactly was her message when she completely bent over backwards and slapped that fan on the floor?!  Lordy, and on a Sunday morning no less. 

Osipova and Vasiliev were their own steam explosion.  Of the two, Vasiliev had the more "on" performance with easy multi-revolution pirouettes in which he changed body positions and wound down to a complete stop - finishing with a mischievous smile as if to say "I got you with that one."  Osipova's performance was her basic fill-in-the-superlative, superlative, superlative Kitri – the most athletic interpretation that Haglund has ever seen with legs and feet as sharp as a bull's horns.  In the Act II dream sequence, the arabesque line under the white tutu seemed to lack aesthetic but the top half was lovely.   Together in the grand pas Osipova and Vasiliev were dancing as one, reading each other's moves, finishing each other's sentences – truly harmonious in every way.  Vasiliev may be short, but he has paws the size of a bear and he pressed Osipova into one handed lifts like she was light as air.

The corps de ballet was just fabulous in the character scenes and especially in the dream scene where lines were stunning, everyone was together, and all had beautiful unstressed expressions on their faces. 

Haglund's only complaint about the performance was the camera director's tendency to zoom in on faces while we missed the overall formations and actions on the whole stage.  Zooming in meant that when the action did start, parts were blurred – which kind of made Haglund a little queasy after a while and irritable about what he was missing.  The camera work was the worst of the three Bolshoi live-streams produced thus far by CielEcran.  It would be better to see the entire scope of the stage from about 12 rows back in the orchestra with minimal zooming in.

Crummy camera work aside, this presentation was a great treat.  There wasn't an empty seat in the cinema.  Seating was very democratic.  It didn't matter who you were - if you didn't get there early, you didn't get to pick your favorite seat.  Political favors and media clout got you nowhere.  This isn't Russia, you know.

So, thanks to the Bolshoi for such a spectacular performance from everyone.  Haglund doesn't want to leave out Anastasia Stashkevich as Cupid, Yekaterina Shipulina as Queen of the Dryads, Alexander Petukhov as Sancho Panza, Olga Kishnyova and Victoria Osipova as Kitri's friends, and Alexei Loparevich as Don Quixote – all of whom gave wonderful performances.  But the Haglund's Heel Bump Pump Award, this black lacy little character pump from Christian Louboutin, must be bestowed upon Kristina Karasyova for her steam-filled portrayal of Mercedes:

 

Erik Bruhn Prize Competition this weekend

Next week would have been the 56th birthday of Fernando Bujones, who died in 2005 of lung cancer at the age of 50.  His potentially most significant protege, Joseph Gorak, is about to compete for the Erik Bruhn Prize in Canada this weekend.  The National Ballet of Canada which hosts the competition has made a point of noting that this year commemorates the 25th anniversary of the death of the prize's namesake.  Bruhn also died of lung cancer, at the age of 57.  He and Bujones danced many of the same roles while with American Ballet Theatre, but Bruhn was closing out his career just as Bujones was asserting his brilliance, and their paths hardly had time to cross.  Each danseur was known for distinct and uncompromising clarity in technique and each excelled in allegro-intense ballets such as La Sylphide where the demands of the technique could not be allowed to over-shadow the delicacy of the story.

When Gorak was 14, he joined the trainee program at the Orlando Ballet which was directed by Bujones and shortly thereafter became a member of the company.  In a sequence of the documentary, The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones, the very young Gorak can be seen intensely focused on the barre work during class under the watchful eye of Bujones. 

Since joining ABT's corps de ballet about a year ago, after having served a year apprenticeship plus a couple of years in ABT II, Gorak has distinguished himself by executing the corps choreography with uncompromising clarity and precision - so exacting in the smallest details that one couldn't help but notice that without showing off and without straying off the mark, he was just doing the steps better than everyone else.  Not differently, just better.  Also noticeable was the light in his face when performing and his alertness to what everyone around him was doing - not unlike Angel Corella who seems to be able to engage every last dancer on the crowded stage in a production like Don Quixote.  Last year in Lady of the Camellias and later in The Nutcracker, Gorak was entrusted with a few steps outside of the regular corps work and he made them quite memorable.  The enormous talent and intensity in this young man are apparent and exciting.

This weekend, Gorak and his partner, the beautiful and talented Christine Shevchenko whose grace reminds one of Julie Kent - an Erik Bruhn Prize winner in 1993 - will perform a PdD from La Sylphide in the competition.  Whether either is awarded a prize won't really matter much in the grand scheme of things.  We already know some of what the future holds for them.

 

Guggenheim Works & ProcessRoyal Danish Ballet – Live-Stream Event

Haglund wants to get this posted right away so that The New York Times dance writers won't be disappointed when they come trampling over his blog looking for something to write about. 

Bad news:  The March 20th and 21st Guggenheim Works & Process presentations of the Royal Danish Ballet are sold out.

Good news:  The event will be LIVE-STREAMED on the Guggenheim Works & Process website on both dates.

At 7:30 pm (Eastern Time U.S.) on Sunday, March 20th and/or Monday, March 21st, please click on this link to join the audience from the comfort of your own couch with your own wine and your own sizable sandwich:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/worksandprocess

This is going to be jam-packed with dance.  The Works & Process folks sent Haglund the following program rundown:

PANEL
Nikolaj Hübbe
John Meehan
 
CAST
Susanne Grinder (Principal)
Gudrun Bojesen (Principal)
Amy Watson (Principal)
Kizzy Matiakis (Soloist)
 
Jean-Lucien Massot (Principal)
Thomas Lund (Principal)
Ulrik Birkkjær (Principal)
Nikolaj Hansen (Soloist)
Alban Lendorf (Soloist)
Alexander Stæger (Soloist)
 
PROGRAM
Excerpts from Bournonville Variations
Music: Bournonville schools arranged by Martin Åkerwall
Danced by Alban Lendorf, Ulrik Birkkjær, Thomas Lund, Nicolai Hansen, Alexander Stæger
 
Excerpts from Lost on Slow
Music: Antonio Vivaldi
Choreography: Jorma Elo
Costumes: Annette Nørgaard
 
2nd movement
Danced by Kizzy Matiakis, Amy Watson, Jean-Lucien Massot
 
4th movement
Danced by Jean-Lucien Massot
 
The Jockey Dance
Music: C. C. Møller
Choreography: August Bournonville
Costumes: Jens-Jacob Worsaae
Danced by Thomas Lund, Alban Lendorf
 
Excerpts from A Folktale
Music: N. W. Gade, J. P. E. Hartmann
Choreography: August Bournonville
Pas de sept
Danced by Gudrun Bojesen, Susanne Grinder, Kizzy Matiakis, Amy Watson
Ulrik Birkkjær, Nicolai Hansen, Alexander Stæger
 
Excerpts from La Sylphide
Music: H. S. Løvenskiold
Choreography: August Bournonville
Costumes: Mikael Melbye
 
The Window Scene
Gudrun Bojesen, Ulrik Birkkjær
 
The Death Scene
Gudrun Bojesen, Ulrik Birkkjær
 
Excerpts from Napoli
Music: E. Helsted, H. C. Lumbye, H. S. Paulli, Ole Bull
Choreography: Nikolaj Hübbe
Costumes: Maja Ravn
 
Pas de Deux from 1.act
Susanne Grinder, Alexander Stæger
 
The Tarantella
All

There will be an opportunity for online viewers to Tweet with one another during the program @worksandprocess.  The March 20th Chat Moderator will be NYCB's Ashley Bouder, and the March 21st Moderator will be Candace Thompson of The Winger and DIY Dancer.

Don't miss this great program.

ABT casting for Moscow

Haglund has searched out a little info on ABT's upcoming trip to Moscow (March 29-31).  First, it appears that Stella Abrera is off the disabled list and back in the regular starting line-up for the Tuesday and Thursday performances of Ratmansky's Seven Sonatas - a promising sign for the spring season at the Met.  Moscow will love her.  Muscovites will also be treated to Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo in Theme and Variations on Thursday, and Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg on Wednesday.

Benjamin Millepied's new one-act ballet, which was commissioned as a dedication to Mstislav Rostropovich, is entitled Troika.  It is set to selections from Bach's Suite for Solo Cello No. 2 in D Minor and Suite for Solo Cello No. 3 in C Major.  Costumes are by Paul Cox and lighting by Brad Fields.  The World Premiere cast on Tuesday, March 29th will feature Daniil Simkin, Sascha Radetsky, and Alexandre Hammoudi who will also dance the piece on Thursday.  The Wednesday performance will feature Blaine Hoven, Jared Matthews, and Tom Forster.  The cellist will be Alexander Knayazev who played under the baton of Rostropovich during his career.