Haglund's Heel

observations 7/12

        If you miss the final two performances of ABT's Sylvia today, you'll be missing the boat to Bliss Island.

        Last night's cast of Skylar Brandt, Jake Roxander, Patrick Frenette and the ABT Orchestra brought us another glorious performance. We loved seeing Brandt challenged by the Ashtononics and would love to see her in more Fonteyn-inspired Ashton roles, particularly Cinderella with de la Nuez as her P.C. Roxander, though engaging to watch and a superb partner to Brandt, was less impactful without the opportunity to blast through his reality-bending feats. He needs a second performance to figure this out. Frenette built a powerful characterization of Orion. There was one particular moment when we thought his multiple pirouettes were going to peter out just to claim an extra rotation, but then he punctuated them with a strikingly fierce arabesque that really showed us who Orion was. Are we going to see Frenette as Albrecht in this lifetime, or will we have to wait until his next life? Is it so hard to recognize that he should just be turned over to Julio to get this done?

        Corps members were given individual opportunities to shine in solos, duos, and trios with some uneven results. Elwince Magbitang made a decent start with Eros but did not approach what Carlos Gonzales and Takumi Miyake were able to pull out of the role and is not as technically gifted. Paula Waski as Diana didn't fail but didn't succeed notably, either. Fanqi Li and Jose Sebastian were a gorgeous match as Ceres and Jaseion. Finnian Carmeci as Apollo caught our eye for his gracious manner and obvious theatrical leaning whereas Remy Young as Terpsichore caught our eye for her difficulty with releves and the tension that reverberated through her torso, neck, arms, and facial expression. Zimmi Coker is still working her way back into shape after her long injury layoff; hopefully, she'll be 100% by fall. And then, there was Elisabeth Beyer glowing in every corps step she took. Beyer is not your typical second year corps member; we've all been watching her since she was 10 years old at YAGP where she crushed the most technically demanding solos and applied artistry way beyond her years. Let's get her a few challenges, uh?

        Let's talk about hair. Cut it, guys. Messy frizz in the face does no one any favors. And it looks utterly ridiculous sticking out from under some of the hats the men wear in the classics.

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        So we're coming down the home stretch of ABT's summer season with another great lineup of Swan Lakes. Then it's on to the Joyce Theater for Tiler Peck's Jerome Robbins Ballet Festival that will include artists from NYCB, ABT, Royal Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet. You don't want to miss a lineup like this. Wonderful artists all, and you get the opportunity to revisit Brooks Landegger since he grew out of NYCB's Nutcracker Little Prince role years ago and now readies his move into the ABT corps. 

ABT Sylvia 7/8 and 7/9 Matinee

        It was like going through the dessert line twice. Oh my goodness. You know that $35,000 chocolate pudding that Chef Marc Guibert throws together with caviar, high end chocolate and gold, and then molds it into the shape of a Faberge egg? We were eatin' it at ABT’s first two performances of Frederick Ashton’s glorious Sylvia. Oh my goodness. Such beauty and wondrous dancing. And if ever there was a ballet to celebrate ABT’s corps de ballet, Sylvia is it. Be there Friday night or be very sorry.

 

        First, let’s talk about the music by Léo Delibes, possibly the most beautiful music in all of ballet. in the history of the world. within or outside the universe. One cannot listen to this music and not believe one is French to the soul. On opening night Conductor David LaMarche empowered the ABT orchestra to bring its best and received well-deserved bravos at bows. The horn soloist should have taken a bow at the end of the evening, too. We’ve heard that Tchaikovsky admired Sylvia and claimed that if he’d known about it earlier, he would not have written Swan Lake. It’s funny how strains of Delibes show up in Swan Lake, particularly during the turmoil of Act IV. As rich, as delicate, as intricate and as full of grace as this music is, the choreography that Frederick Ashton wove within its architecture is no less.

 

        Ashton uses most of the steps in the book and then adds shovels, rakes, bows & arrows, and wheel barrows just to make them more interesting -- like brisé volé isn’t damned hard enough by itself. Only women who can leap to the rafters, hop on pointe, flip to arabesque on a dime, add a pirouette to everything, and pick their pointes like there’s no tomorrow need apply for the role of Sylvia. This role is a bear, a test, a testament to the beauty of classical ballet vocabulary. Catherine Hurlin and Christine Shevchenko were tangible proof.

 

        Quite different in their demeanor, Hurlin was a robust, authoritative Sylvia whose mood easily switched from heat to cool whereas Shevchenko maintained a more moderate temperature throughout the performance. Neither ballerina aced her entrance with the wind-up string of pique turns that culminate in grand jete, flip to tour jete, flip back to grand jete. They did not match our memories of Herrera and Wiles who were pretty darned fearless back in the day. The pique turns are not “the trick”; they are the preparation for the grand jete, tour jete, grand jete which are "the trick.” Also, both ballerinas rarely found that beautiful position of the arms where one is extended in an upward straight line while the hand & wrist of the other rest on the shoulder in a triangle. Shevchenko particularly swam through that position without showing us the clear form of both sides at the same time. Other than those little complaints, the dancing was superb. Even that awkward, uncomfortable lift where Aminta holds Sylvia’s right thigh to his torso while she tries to make an elegant fourth position with her pointes was spot-on for both performances. Sylvia’s swivels into developpe devant that actually move backwards (how did he think this up?) were flawless. The pointe picking was like delicious sprinkles on the pudding. Such beautiful work from both. Form and lines from the ballerinas were gorgeous although we wish Hurlin would either turn out her knees to match her feet or reduce the angle of the standing foot so as to avoid looking like a potential HSS case study.

 

        If we weren’t already giddy enough about our Sylvias, our Amintas sent us over the top. This is Calvin Royal III’s best role of his career, thus far. He was magnificent. Everything was working for him — the tempi, the temperament, the connection with his partner, his huge jetes and solid pirouettes. It may be that Hurlin inspired him to move beyond his comfort zone. Whatever it was, he sold us another ticket for the weekend. Guest artist Reece Clarke brought all that Royal Ballet uncompromising detail to his Aminta which we pray will motivate every ABT dancer to imitate. The sight of those long arms holding a perfect — repeat, perfect first position while doing rhythmic rotations in his pirouettes with easy, relaxed head-spots was among the most beautiful technical moments of either performance. It’s doubtful one could fully appreciate it from an orchestra level seat, but from above, oh my goodness, it was breathtakingly beautiful. We’re afraid that size matters — oh yes, it does. Clarke is unquestionably blessed with unusual height, length, and good looks, but his technical exploitation of it is the result of a lifetime of work. One doesn’t so much as notice the huge man as one notices the huge performance that he is giving. He did not struggle in the least to command the cavernous Met stage. 

 

        A week after his Polixenes practically sent Leontes to the funny farm in The Winter’s Tale, here was Cory Stearns again masterfully manipulating the plot to his liking as the over-heated albeit cold-blooded Orion. James Whiteside also gave a strong, unsubtle, likable performance in the role.

 

        Carlos Gonzales and Takumi Miyake stood the role of Eros, god of love, impressively before pas de chevaling around as the shrouded sorcerer who brings Aminta back to life. Their solos replete with soaring tour jetes and grounded petit allegro were a joy to watch. Virginia Lensi and Sierra Armstrong were featured as Diana, the huntress and goddess of chastity, in well-deserved opportunities. Both are such interesting and beautifully disciplined dancers. Hats off to the two exotic man servants who had to battu their brains out while holding their hands up in the air. Nathan Vendt and Cameron McCune with substitute Luis Ribagorda yesterday were phenomenal. All of the Attendants were gorgeous as were the Muses. It’s always nice to see Nicole Graniero stop by for the Met season. We enjoyed seeing Patrick Frenette dancing with Virginia Lensi as Jaseion and Ceres and look forward to seeing his Orion on Friday.

 

        Friday’s performance is slated to honor ABT’s corps de ballet. This production of Sylvia shows off their collective and individual dancing like no other ballet — although Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage comes close. It all leaves one breathless thanks to the geniuses of Ashton and Delibes. We’re going to do something a little unusual here and toss our highly prized HH Pump Bump Award, a gold-embossed Givenchy sandal with horn heel, to Conductor David LaMarche and the ABT orchestra for their glorious music.

 

 

 

 

 

ABT Giselle 6/21 Mat & Eve She keeps forgiving him

        Forgiveness used to work. That’s what Giselle reminds us. It was sometimes a path to realizing one's deepest single love. Not so these days, though. "So long” is an easy no-fault click away online. Everyone senses they have options that are better than what they have.

 

        So why does Giselle still resonate? For starters, it’s easy to understand. It has love, betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness in equal amounts which are equally beautiful and justifiable. Viewers don't have to pick sides. We can like and admire everybody: the victims, the perpetrators, those dishing out life sentences, the King, and the poor. It’s a relief of sorts.

 

        ABT opened its generous run of ten performances of Giselle last Saturday. Each of its nine principal women will get a chance to dance the role of Giselle, and guest artist Olga Smirnova is the tenth. The company’s production is and always has been fulfilling but it needs refurbishing of its costumes, sets, and lighting. The peasant costumes in Act I look like rejections from the free box at Goodwill that some local ballet school picked out for their amateur production. They’re horrible. They’re tasteless. They shouldn’t be tolerated. The lighting dims the production for all but the first dozen rows in the orchestra.

 

        Saturday's matinee featured Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III as Giselle and Albrecht. Both artists are long in line, elegant, and possess the same type of introspective reserve. This lack of contrast didn’t always serve the performance. Shevchenko’s Giselle was a classical beauty whose refined phrasings were akin to those of Olga Smirnova in the evening’s performance. Her detailed competence never came off as dry as some of ABT’s Giselles have been, but rather, Shevchenko’s Giselle was heartfelt and genuine. In Act II, especially, she floated like wispy cirrus clouds signaling the approach of severe weather.

 

        There’s something to be said for a ballerina's spiritual devotion to academic standards. Olga Smirnova, a messenger of Vaganova Academy's values and peerless training, boasts physical blessings of length and line that almost look like they were created from a Prequel app that Disneyfies photos into perfection. In her Act I solos, her arms astonished for their length and their refusal to cross that invisible plane in front of her. She seemed intent on showing her artistic heritage and how the choreography can be beautiful without adding Western sauce.  Except for some extraordinary albeit unnecessary detailing in Giselle’s mad scene, Smirnova came off as a thoroughly charming and naive Giselle. She already comes equipped with huge wondering eyes. When she stretched her eyelids open even wider to denote her descent into madness, she looked ophthalmic-ly weird. More importantly, while the insanity came through loud and clear, her victimization did not. After all, Giselle goes mad because she’s a victim of Albrecht’s fraud. The hurt and victimization should show through in addition to the insanity. Smirnova's Act II easily met the bar for being hauntingly beautiful. Every shape we expected was there. Every moment we anticipated fulfilled our expectations. We've never been a fan of having the tempo slowed to a crawl during Giselle's entrechat quatre so that she can jump higher. The fast, low to the ground entrechat quatre are far more theatrical and ghost-like.

 

        Calvin Royal III as Shevchenko’s Albrecht was a sturdy partner with beautiful lines and picturesque leaps, but he muddled and shortchanged the entrechat six. There’s only one way to unload a full magazine of entrechat six when needed and that’s to practice them everyday. Royal’s Albrecht was sincere without an ounce of intentional cheat. He was a nice guy, but we never saw Albrecht’s flawed character. His overhead lifts of Giselle were exceptionally stirring and beautiful. All of the partnering including the lifted arabesque hops across the stage were gorgeous.

 

        Daniel Camargo was a fully-considered Albrecht whose technique was impressively used to further his story. While we can’t say that Camargo and Smirnova approached our memories of that other Brazilian-Vaganova pair of Gomes & Vishneva, there was enough rapport between them to suggest that a couple of more Giselles might build into something extraordinary. Camargo's Act I Albrecht was sufficiently ambiguous when it came to the question of dalliance or devotion. His choice in Act II of combining a diagonal run of brises followed by the circling sautes in attitude was pleasant to watch but not as thrilling as a double dose of brises where Albrecht desperately falls to his knees so close to Myrta that her lowering spectered arm nearly meets him between the eyes. We’re recalling just such a performance of Stiefel’s Albrecht and Abrera’s Myrta that made us gasp and nearly stopped our hearts. 

 

        Chloe Misseldine’s Myrta in the Smirnova/Camargo cast had much more authority than when we first saw her in the role. Fangqi Li in the Schevchenko/Royal cast had some lovely moments that conveyed spectral intent but her overall dancing was small and ineffective for a Myrta. Neither artist evoked the horizontal wind-shearing effect in her grand jetes. Both seemed more intent on landing big jumps rather than long jumps that covered distance like a ghostly avenging spirit whistling through the wind. Again, we point to Abrera’s Myrta.

 

        In both performances, Zulma and Moyna were disappointments. Zulma’s reversés by Zimmi Coker and Sierra Armstrong which are supposed to be huge and lingering were nothing to write home about. Nor were the pique penche arabesques. Here, we point to Leeann Underwood as having set the high bar for this role. Moyna as danced by Breanne Granlund and Remy Young could not have looked smaller or more unimportant. The expected artistry simply was not present.

 

        Both Andrii Ishchuk and Joseph Markey were fine Hilarions—Ishuchuk was the more genuinely in love whereas Markey was more about rightful possession of Giselle.

 

        The Peasant Pas de Deux was danced brilliantly by Lea Fleytoux and Jake Roxander. We hate how ABT is wasting Fleytoux’s value and career time on these secondary roles. This season should have been her Giselle debut under a huge spotlight. Ditto with the criminal underuse of Elisabeth Beyer.

 

        The Corps de Ballet was mostly well-drilled but the mishmash of sizes and silhouettes disrupted visual continuity. A few did have a problem holding the arabesque line without wobbling in Act II.

 

        The HH Pump Bump Award, a stiletto of simple elegance by Jimmy Choo, is bestowed upon Christine Shevchenko for her beautiful interpretation and clear dancing in Giselle. 

 

observations 6/20

        Haglund didn’t attend ABT's Woolf Works this week. He’s not much of a fan of either Virginia Woolf or Wayne McGregor; so there wasn’t much point in suffering through the work again. Virginia Woolf once publicly referred to James Joyce’s literary masterpiece Ulysses as pretentious, underbred, and inferior after which she went on to try to copy his stream of consciousness style in her own work Mrs. Dalloway three years later.

        Over his lifetime Joyce was described as a musical writer whose language danced. His daughter, Lucia, was an accomplished modern dancer who was admired by many including WB Yeats who once considered hiring her to perform in Plays for Dancers by the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet which he co-founded with Ninette de Valois. That company was short-lived, but Yeats continued to write and de Valois, thankfully, found other meaningful things to do.

        Lucia was also admired by playwright Samuel Beckett who kept a favorite photo of her in her silver fish scales costume. We retrieved that photo by Berenice Abbott/Getty from a fascinating 2018 Irish Times article about Lucia by Deirdre Mulrooney.

 

        This could be from L'après-midi du poisson.

 

 

        James Joyce loved dance and loved to dance on a whim — sometimes sober, sometimes not. His characters danced throughout his literary works with rhyme, reason, allusion, puns, and streams of consciousness that turned their ordinary lives into extraordinary literature. From A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:

 

"His heart danced upon her movements like a cork upon a tide. He heard what her eyes said to him from beneath their cowl and knew that in some dim past, whether in life or revery, he had heard their tale before."

 

Simply put, Act II of Giselle.

 

Here we go into the best week of the season . . .

 

 

ABT Swan Lake 6/11 mat, 6/14 mat & eve Holy Hiss & Spit!

        Those ABT Odiles are a bunch of sharp-elbowed bitches, ain't they? We’ll get to them, but it’s more important to first highlight the initial revelation of the season — one that we have been anticipating for a few years. 

        Last evening Bearcat Michael de la Nuez, a sixth-year corpsman, debuted as Prince Siegfried opposite the company’s adored Swan Lake senior specialist, Gillian Murphy. The profound depth of his characterization came as a shock; we had only expected great dancing. 

 

        When he first appeared at the top of the staircase to tumultuous cheers, it was difficult to tell who was more excited: this new, handsome Siegfried or the peasants below who were thrilled to see one of their own rise to royalty. This was going to be a group effort to make sure that Siegfried stayed the course and soared far above his exospheric leaps. No, there was never a need for the equivalent of the theatrical “Line, please.” But we did have a love-chuckle when Siggie’s buddies under the Maypole obviously re-positioned him back a step before they hoisted him up on their shoulders. And oh my goodness, the broad smiles of the peasants dancing for his benefit could not have been more genuine nor more proud.

 

        It’s been a while since ABT’s Siegfried has so deeply conveyed the prince’s questioning and indecision as to what direction his life should take. De la Nuez’s bare honesty of Siegfried's emotional dilemma captivated us from its very first moment. His long, scrupulous leg lines — there’s something in the Ohio water that triggers them (Klesa, von Enck, Catazaro) — hit their positions in the air and on the floor like magnets snapping together. To repeat, his grand jetes were exospheric in height. Beautifully shaped pirouettes and EF5 tornadic turns a la second were punctuated with exquisitely pointed feet. He aggressively went after the many double tours that landed in arabesque and steered most of them definitively and some elegantly. De la Nuez's partnering of Gillian Murphy had a stutter or two, perhaps from over-partnering, but it was clear that he was going to err on the side of doing too much rather than too little. Siegfried's devotion to Odette, his momentary lapse of fidelity, and his sincere regret were all palpable in this portrayal. Such a fine, fine debut.

 

        Thus far, we’ve seen the Swan Lake performances of Misseldine/Bell, Teuscher/Ahn, and Murphy/de la Nuez. What a roaring start to the summer season it has been. Chloe Misseldine and Devon Teuscher herald a new era of Ivanov interpreters and Petipa progressives just as Gillian Murphy did almost twenty-five years ago. Aran Bell and Joo Won Ahn each have developed substantive interpretations of Siegfried that go with their gorgeous dancing. Bell is elegance personified but is still justifiably cautious compared to earlier seasons prior to injury; Ahn, a technical gambler, is thrilling when he finds his confidence and makes his own luck. 

 

        Words cannot fairly describe the beauty & majestic qualities of Misseldine’s and Teuscher’s Odettes/Odiles. One can only feel their true power in one’s own heart while watching. The viewer believes them. Who could possibly ask for more beautifully-lined limbs that convey honesty and suffering one minute and poisonous treachery the next? And yeah, they not only did all the steps; they relished in them. This includes Murphy who in her penultimate Odile managed thrilling stop-on-a-dime pauses to her pirouette/attitude en dehors combination — with a viper-like glare out to the audience.

 

        Joseph Markey’s purple von Rothbart impressed with its toxic force. Sung Woo Han, Patrick Frenette, and Jake Roxander each excelled in the role of Benno. Frenette’s interpretation was particularly well-developed and suggested his own aristocratic bearing. Are we going to see him as Albrecht, like when, in his next life? Come on … 

 

        Elisabeth Beyer in the Pas de Trois reminded us that women should and can do entrechat six as well as men. Some of the women featured as soloists and demis couldn’t even manage to cheat their ways through entrechat six; some just gave up. The double tours of the corpsmen were awesome. Their coupe jete entournant were beyond formidable. 

 

        The Swan Corps was serviceable and at times rose to the level of great beauty, particularly in Act IV. David LaMarche’s nuanced and sensitive conducting instantly read what each artist needed. Charles Barker’s steady hand allowed the artists to know exactly what to expect. The exceptional violinist should have been credited in the program insert. Can we fix that for the final week of Swan Lake?

 

        The H.H. Pump Bump Award, designed for acceleration and long mileage, is bestowed upon Michael de la Nuez for his courageous debut as Siegfried.

 

 

 

 

 

6/7 Evening School of American Ballet Workshop Performance

        So this happened.

        Saturday about 1pm Haglund was on a crowded northbound M11 bus on 10th Ave coming home from the gym. As the bus approached the 34th St stop, he was endorphin-laden relaxed and casually strumming his pickleball paddle. The bus door opened and on climbed a very tall elderly gentleman with a cane. He was dressed to the nines— so elegant that he could have been starring with George Clooney in Good Night, Good Luck in the live broadcast that night. He was accompanied by a younger middle-aged woman.

 

        A passenger seated at the front got up and offered the elderly gentleman his seat. He sat down and immediately struck up a conversation with the young man directly across from him who, thankfully, was not the typical New Yorker who rides the M11. After exchanging their “very well, thank yous” the elderly gentleman sat up straight and announced, "We’re in town just for today. My granddaughter is graduating from the School of American Ballet.” He beamed. Could not hide his smile. “It’s the most prestigious ballet school in the country. My granddaughter is going to be in THREE ballets today!” The atypical M11 passenger opposite said how wonderful that was. The gentleman beamed like the warm sun which on this day was nowhere in sight — it was raining. He began explaining to the passenger opposite just what made ballet so beautiful and how hard all the dancers work. He professed his admiration for Tiler Peck who he said had recommended his granddaughter for something or other. He urged the passenger opposite to go to the ballet to see Tiler Peck in anything. The passenger thanked him with genuine kindness and exited through the back door at 42nd St.

 

        On climbed a spry NYC-wise senior citizen, an attractive woman probably in her mid seventies, who sat down opposite the elderly gentleman. He immediately started flirting  — acknowledging her energy and telling her to keep it up. She smiled back at him with a side wink and asked, “Are you visiting from out of town?”  The elderly gentleman sat up straight, "We’re in town just for today. My granddaughter is graduating from the School of American Ballet.” He beamed. Could not hide his smile. The lady beamed back. The gentleman said that he was 79. The lady asked, “1945?” He replied, “1946.”

 

        A couple of stops later, Haglund exited the bus. He had wanted so badly to join the conversation because he would be attending the evening SAB performance but it was just too wonderful sitting there observing this grandfather in his pride and joy. Whoever his granddaughter is, we hope she knows how lucky she is and what a joyful impact she has had on this man’s life.

 

        Saturday evening’s SAB Workshop performance was outstanding. The kids from the Nutcracker party have grown up. The bugs from Midsummer Night’s Dream are navigating in pointe shoes. The young boys are now rumbling in Robbins’ Glass Pieces. 

 

        Raymonda Variations, staged by Suki Schorer, Lauren King and Gonzalo Garcia, was exquisitely led by Jaiya Chandra and Simeon Neeld. Soloists Charlotte Hall, Leah Carter, Lennon Sullivan, Simone Gibson, Renee Augustyn and Yeva-Mariia Skorenka dispatched the challenging choreography with poise and professionalism. 

 

        The upper divisions danced an excerpt from Cortege Hongrois staged by Aesha Ash. The dancers were impeccably drilled and unafraid of the obvious challenges before them. NYCB corps dancer Laine Habony choreographed a truly charming piece to Franz Schubert entitled Schubert Symphony for the lower division students. It was a perfect vehicle for these young students — a bit on the order of the Garland Dance — who were so ready to take over the audience. And did.

 

        Robbins’ Akhnaten excerpted from his Glass Pieces for the upper division students closed the program. It was everything we saw from the main company this past spring on the main stage. Incredible energy, joy, all of it concentrated on living within an ensemble, for the ensemble, by the ensemble. The Capstone Class kids are about to go forward into the rest of their lives guided by the unique discipline, persistence, and citizenship values instilled in them at SAB. One doesn’t have to be a proud grandfather to be gratified by that.

 

 

 

NYCB 5/30 Puck in the net for the Stanley Cup win

        Notwithstanding Taylor Stanley’s impetuous, scene-stealing Puck, New York City Ballet’s Friday evening performance of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream caused more wince than wonderment. Sure, the kids were cute enough. But how long can one sit there and witness the women heaving unsightly ill-positioned attitude derrière after ill-positioned attitude derrière thrown out from the side like gymnasts pandering to judges for a 10? Honestly, it seemed to be a main & monotonous foul in both acts of the ballet and came to a painful head in Act II when the six Divertissement ladies faced the audience and bent over in penche attitude. Oy, no two extended legs were even similar, let alone the same. What a mess to see. We noticed this issue in Ballo as well when a soloist grossly threw open the left hip in order to make the grand jete en attitude appear more grand. No, it’s not Balanchine technique, People; it’s bad form.

 

        [We’ll pause this thrashing to say how beautifully the New York City Ballet Orchestra played Mendelssohn’s starry score. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, this orchestra deserves to have a stint at Carnegie Hall just the way the Met Orchestra does. A program of Divertimento No 15, Ballo della Regina, the Bach from Concerto Barocco, and Firebird would have the Carnegie Hall regulars begging for more — which they could only get by coming to the ballet.]

 

        An ongoing problem that stems from a lack of experience in classical theatrical productions was the forced mime that looked like parody. None of the men in this production or in Sleeping Beauty know how to wave their arms to summon others on the stage to action without making it look like they are flipping-off someone. Since NYCB has Craig Salstein and Alexei Ratmansky on the premises often, why not ask one of them to fix this?

 

        Then there is the issue of dropping character when the steps get tough. Joaquin de Luz never dropped character in the face of challenging steps or perilous partnering. If anything, he added more character, because it helped him get through it. That said, we were otherwise thrilled with David Gabriel’s debut as Oberon in so far as the steps go. Aaron Sanz’s Cavalier and Emilie Gerrity’s lovely Titania were an attractive pair. We thought that since Aaron has become such a skilled partner, Emilie could have trusted him more by being less guarded. There were enough glimpses of what a freer Titania would look like to make us want to see much more. 

 

        Naomi Corti was the Hippolyta of Shakespeare’s own dreams. She came out of nowhere with a fierceness and huge dancing that made the stage look small. Her fouettes were a show of strength that we haven’t seen in a long time — her working leg shot out furiously and carried past second position before whipping around. In the Act II Pas de Deux with Owen Flacke, she showed great composure and elegance and held on those few times when Flacke blinked before anticipating what was needed. Oh my, what a presence Flacke is on stage and what an impact he makes when those scrupulous lines are in motion. Praying to the dance gods that he possesses beautiful double tours, too.

 

        Mira Nadon and Peter Walker were a stunning pair in the Divertissement. Mira seemingly was thinking well beyond the steps to project something much bigger. She exploited the steps to create a magical world of her own. Peter’s partnering flattered Mira in several ways. His own arms were long enough to allow her to extend her own extraordinary length as far as possible. Between the two of them there were complementary and supplementary angles everywhere we looked. It was nice to see that big smile when he landed the double tour to the knee.

 

        Whether Balanchine intended it or not, the star of this production is now Puck. Taylor Stanley’s range of Puck’s facial expressions and physical detail just keeps growing. On Friday his mischievousness surged all the way down into his toes. No matter how many times one has watched this ballet, one could not know what he would do next. How hard it must have been for the other dancers on stage to look him in the face and not lose composure. His sprint-stop-sprint scampering around the stage was like the classic Roadrunner “meep meep" whoosh before something went terribly wrong for Wiley Coyote. Whenever we have seen Stanley’s beautiful dancing in white tights roles such as Apollo, Emeralds, or Nutcracker, we want to see him in nothing else. Then comes Puck. How lucky we are to watch this versatile artist night after night.

 

        Our HH Pump Bump Award, a studded stiletto from Louboutin, is bestowed upon Taylor Stanley -- absolute gold in Puck and everything else.

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Veyette's Farewell Performance 5/25 He went a little too crazy.

        For the past decade of his 25 year career with New York City Ballet, Andrew Veyette has kept us on the edge of our seat. “What is he doing?! OMG, doesn’t he know how old he is?! He got away with it!” He would then laugh his way into the wing. He launched pirouettes like a kid launching rocks from a slingshot — where they landed wasn't the aim; just hit something. Few people could hang on for dear life to a pirouette or turns a la seconde like Andy Veyette.

 

        Today we celebrated Veyette’s career and final performance. The program was magnificent in design. It didn't so much show what a charming versatile performer he was as it showed what was important to him -- the community of artists with whom he worked and lived.

 

        In the excerpted final movement from Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces, Veyette burst onto the empty stage and ran counterclockwise as the thundering drums of Akhnaten called to the rest of the tribe to join him. Out they came. Has NYCB ever had such a handsome male corps —  doubtful. These guys could give the firemen a run for their money if they did a calendar. Veyette danced with them shoulder to shoulder and then skedaddled off before the women’s corps entered for the finale. He had to quick-change into his costume for the next ballet that followed a short pause. 

 

        Next up in Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro, Veyette entered the empty stage again but this time circling it clockwise. What was the significance of beginning the program running counterclockwise and evolving into going clockwise? Haglund knew if he thunk on this too long that he’d come up with some plausible but unlikely theory; so he’ll let the readers speculate.

 

        Chiaroscuro plays on the contrast of light and shadow. The skillful and inventive choreography, now 30+ years old, still outshines much of the new stuff that NYCB hard-sells to its audience as the next most incredible thing. Ashley Laracey, Olivia MacKinnon, Brittany Pollack, Preston Chamblee, and Daniel Ulbricht (Ulbricht & Veyette each got their apprenticeships in 2000) joined Veyette in the ensemble piece dancing under spotlights and in the shadows. The piece ended with a dramatic knee slide by Veyette to the foot of the stage with his arms outstretched and head thrown back. It seems that knee slide might have been more dramatic than we could see — as we shall later see.

 

        After intermission Veyette danced “Cool” from Robbins’ West Side Story Suite with a little help from friends Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward, and Alexa Maxwell — and of course a tribe of men from the corps and soloist ranks. But something was off with his gait and balance. The whole thing wasn't as cool (as in hot) as Veyette’s previous Cools. But it was good enough and served its purpose.

 

        Next, Emma Von Enck and David Gabriel sizzled in Ballo della Regina. As at their performance last Sunday at 11 a.m., the tempi were scorching which made the performance all the more exciting. We’d still like to see Ashley Hod and Peter Walker dance this. The ballet was made on taller dancers who possessed the speed of their smaller colleagues, and it’s why taller dancers always look better in it. We weren’t sold on the four soloists, however.

 

        Then the pause before the excerpt from Stars and Stripes turned into a delay. After about 15 minutes, Conductor Andrews Sill suddenly left the podium and pit. He returned a short time later with quiet instructions to the orchestra members who started quickly flipping past pages in their scores and making notations. Not a good sign, ever.

 

        Veyette and Ashley Hod entered the stage for the PdD but it was obvious that something was wrong because Veyette was having stability issues with his leg. At one point he stepped back as if in a rehearsal and dropped his hands to say that he just couldn’t do it. A bit later it appeared as though his leg collapsed on him. They got through the PdD, which was not the spectacular Liberty Bell debut that we know Ashley would have had under other circumstances. They both covered their concern well. No variations were danced. The three regiments led by Erica Pereira, Megan LeCrone, and Daniel Ulbricht marched on and the finale proceeded. At the point where Capitan stands downstage at the wing and watches the corps, Veyette shook his head as if he could not believe his fate of the finale being cut out from under him. But yes, cruelly, that’s just what happened.

 

        What followed was an outpouring of love onto the stage by Veyette’s colleagues. So much love — and a stool from Tyler Angle for Veyette to sit on. Marika Molnar, longtime physical therapist and the company’s health and wellness coordinator walked out holding a yard of what looked like kinesiology tape for Veyette. Principals, soloists, corps, artistic staff, and a cadre of orchestra members and conductors all paid tribute to Veyette with flowers.

 

        It doesn’t matter if one’s life goes clockwise or sometimes counterclockwise, one’s time marches on in the same direction — just like the regiments coming forward at the end of Stars and Stripes. Andrew Veyette has had a good, long career and has brought much joy to the people who have watched him dance. We hope he will choose to pass on what he has learned to others for the next 25 years. We bestow upon him our magnificent red, white & blue Gucci H.H. Pump Bump Award.

 

 

 

Rumors of Haglund's demise have been greatly exaggerated NYCB's Starship lands for the Spring Season

        Sometimes life gets in the way of ballet and blogging. Here it is the end of the fourth week of NYCB’s spring season, and Haglund is just firing up. He saw some performances and has a few things to say. First off, the company looks sensational — in some of the best shape of its life which is amazing considering the talent that has been sidelined due to injuries, most notably Huxley, Danchig-Waring, Riccardo, and now sadly, Bolden. All of these artists are sorely missed. 

 

        But the Starship holds a mega-load of high-octane fuel as demonstrated by the bold, crisp, confident dancing of the soloist and corps men who night after night heralded nothing’s gonna stop us now. Y’all may have thought we built this city on rock ’n roll. Oh no no no. We built this city on grace and slick. And we got plenty of power, grace, and slick during the first four weeks of the season. 

 

        Soloists David Gabriel, Jules Mabie, and Aaron Sanz —  each so different, each developing his own unique conversation with the audience — carved out their repertory with commanding performances. Gabriel in Ballo Della Regina, Paquita, Brandenburg, and Sonatine revealed that he’s far more than a technical showman. Mabie finally conquered Scotch Symphony, showed exceptional partnering in Brandenburg, and delivered clean, beautiful allegro in Divertimento No 15. Sanz continued to infuse his strength of line with dramatic power in Brandenburg opposite the impossibly talented Mira Nadon, in After the Rain with the quietly beautiful Miriam Miller, and personified male elegance opposite the luxurious dancing of Isabella LaFreniere in Vienna Waltzes.

 

        Threatening to overshadow these male soloists was a contingent of talented corpsmen who will grab the controls of the Starship in coming seasons and steer it to unforeseen heights. Owen Flacke and Charlie Klesa, besides possessing Disneyesque handsomeness, are each Captain Scrupulous in their lines and feet and in their comportment. McKenzie Bernardino Soares was so quietly commanding that when one finally focused on him it was like finding gold. We’re hoping that these three have been working hard on their double tours which have been a little uncertain in past seasons. 

 

        The women are nothing to turn up our noses at. Soloist Ashley Hod made striking debuts as a muse in Apollo and in Paquita. She is a leading dancer, if ever there was one, and we need to see her leading more in high profile Balanchine principal roles. She was stunning in her soloist role in Ballo Della Regina, but really, but honestly, she should have been dancing the lead role which was made for a taller ballerina with distinctive geometric lines. The principal’s allegro comes naturally for the smaller allegro specialists and it can sometimes look rather un-special. But when a taller dancer takes on the challenges of Ballo, it becomes something else altogether different. Ashley Laracey employed her unique lyricism and hypnotizing limbs to mine the full beauty of Scotch Symphony, Paquita, and Divertimento No. 15. We’ve always thought that she might set a new standard in After the Rain, but Wheeldon seems to have veered from dancers like Wendy Whelan in his initial casting to the tallest, leggiest women whose sight in a somewhat flesh colored leotard makes a bigger impression than the choreography itself. It’s all about the hair and bare leg effect in what has now become a gala piece. It needs a good long rest unless it is offered to Ms. Laracey to dance.

 

        The corps women collectively are a little hodge-podge in size these days and care needs to be given not to plant a tall corps behind short principals. We saw very lovely, spirited work from Meaghan Dutton O’Hare and Malorie Lundgren in Paquita dancing like tomorrow doesn’t matter tonight. Mia Williams caught our eye whenever she was on stage. Her debut in the Minkus Pas de Trois in Paquita revealed respectful attention to classical style right down to the turn and presentation of the face and port de bra when executing a grand jete in attitude. (She was the only one who managed to move the head correctly on the jump.) Her rock solid technique came with a tranquil expression of confidence and generosity. She’s a lovely, lovely dancer who we can’t wait to see more of her in classical works—e.g., Fairy of Tranquility or Generosity in Sleeping Beauty.

 

        (Parenthetically, we just want to mention how dreadful the supposedly skincolor-matched tights are becoming. Until around 1970 most women’s ballet tights were thick bubblegum pink. Then Freeds arrived with their so-called European pink tights and shoes that were more peachy than pink and much more sheer. The bubblegum pink tights reflected stage lighting so well that the audience could see every tendon up the leg. The tights matched the shoe ribbons which made the ribbons nearly invisible and elongated the line. These days all of the tights are darker and more sheer and do not reflect the stage lighting. Instead, they absorb the light which makes it difficult to see the legs and makes the legs less attractive. The ribbons are more visible and truncate the leg lines. Additionally, all of the costumes do not look color-coordinated over tights that suggest a Kardashian spray tan. (We’re not going to get into how dark spray tan with shiny bleached blond hair could possibly enhance the cohesiveness of the women’s corps — it doesn’t and it’s annoying.) The dark tights absorb the light instead of reflecting it. While watching In G Major, it seemed so pitifully stupid to have all the men prancing around in glistening white tights while the women wore a mishmash of tights and shoes, none of which were coordinated with the costumes. NYCB should stop wasting donors' money and the company’s precious time with this shallow testimony of its dedication to inclusivity. They’re making the women’s legs look bad. It’s time to go back to bubblegum pink tights and be done with it or else start also dressing the men’s legs in flesh colors and re-do all the costumes and the lighting to go with the new tights.)

 

        One of the strongest performances we have seen thus far this season was Chaconne led by Isabella LaFreniere and Peter Walker. It was masterful in every respect and brought out the beauty of the ballet through adherence to the ballet principle of unfussiness. Nothing got in the way of the choreography and musicality. It was perhaps the most architecturally elegant and musically potent performance of this ballet that Haglund has ever seen. Isabella visualized power and grace as equals. The majestic line from the ear down the neck to the shoulder, the breathing wrists, the connection of the steps with such flow that the viewer could not imagine ever seeing them any other way, the softness of gaze without excessive drama — it was a dreamy performance. Peter was outstanding as well. He danced with an urgency that came right to the maximum line without going over. Every step was crisp and complete and purposeful. 

 

        Another memorable performance was Taylor Stanley’s titan Apollo which Haglund thought was the best of the three; the other two being Chun Wai Chan and Roman Mejia. Taylor’s interpretation was rich with understanding. The viewer felt the weight of Apollo’s time as well as his impatience and questioning. Taylor seems to be blessed with soulful eyes and a gaze that can see far beyond what others have managed. There was a depth of feeling in those eyes, a sense of fate and responsibility. 

 

        The Muses in NYCB’s Apollo need reconfiguring. Terpsichore and Apollo are on the verge of something that will get her 5 to 25 years locked up. Theirs is not supposed to be a love story. In the first part, the Muses are supposed to be authoritative sources of knowledge — Montessori-type guides who influence young Apollo with the arts, not flirt with him. We’ve never seen Muses hit their marks more perfectly than when Kowroski, Mearns, and Reichien ushered Chase Finlay’s Apollo to maturity. What an upbringing that was!

 

        Moving along with the Starship. Sara, Sara, storm brewing in your eyes. We found Pavane with Sara Mearns to be exceptionally beautiful. Balanchine set the work to Ravel’s famous Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess). We were easily able to connect with what Sara was putting out on stage in a such a simple, heartfelt fashion. The sweeping use of a long white scarf as a prop restrained the overuse of her arms which is often distracting and was so in her performance of Chaconne earlier this spring. But this Pavane was gorgeous, and we think Sara should keep it in her pocket all the way to the finish line. 

 

        One of the sayings around the Starship is It’s not over ’til it’s over. We got a big celebration coming up on the 25th. Until then, we want to bestow the H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Jimmy Choo diamond slingback, on Isabella LaFreniere for her diamond-worthy performance in Chaconne.

 

 

 

 

 

observations 4/11

        In a stunning but artistically important move, Cassandra Trenary will leave ABT to join the Vienna State Ballet as a principal dancer working under the guidance of Alessandra Ferri who is about to become the company's director. Vienna dances traditional ballets but also more wide-ranging, artistically adventurous works, which it can afford to do with generous governmental support. It does not live or die by the commercial successes of its Swan Lake and Nutcracker.

        This is how it should be at ABT & NYCB. A principal dancer should give the best that they have while it is still the best that can be had in their company's signature works and then go feed their artistic souls elsewhere. Don't hang out so we can watch the technique start to decline, steps drop like ATT cellphone calls, and artistry stagnate while upcoming talents wither away waiting for opportunities.

        Haglund had kinda hoped to see Trenary lead Lady of the Camellias, but it doesn't seem that production will land on ABT's stages any time soon. Best of luck to her, and we hope that other local talents are watching her move closely.

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        We're pretty excited about some of the upcoming casting for the first week of NYCB's Spring Season. Big, big opportunities for Owen Flacke, Ashley Hod, Domenika Afanasenklov, and Charlie Klesa. We're relieved to see Isabella LaFreniere return after being on the IL for too long. And we are looking forward to the cast of tall Muses in Apollo - Nadon, Miller, Kikta! Soooo, how's that broken foot coming along on Davide Riccardo -- anybody know? We're fairly anxious to get him back but we certainly don't want a repeat of Harrison Ball's foot history that ended his career.

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        At this point in time, we have to recommend saving your money by giving Roundabout Theatre's Pirates, the Penzance Musical with David Hyde Pierce a pass. Pierce is in way over his head as Major General Stanley. At 66 years old, he's a very old 66 and tends not to move his body in this dance-heavy musical. His voice is weak and the patter songs are colorless and less than entertaining as he struggles with the speed and lyrics while standing still. Ramin Karimloo as Pirate King carries the show -- even with leaving his shirt on but, of course, unbuttoned. Warren Carlyle's choreography holds up well and basically holds up the show when it really shouldn't have to. Haglund may go again when the understudy for Major General Stanley steps in.