Haglund's Heel

observations 9/25

 So sorry to read of the passing of Diana Cartier, an original member of the City Center Joffrey Ballet, and a beloved teacher at David Howard's studio for years. Many have the same strong memory of her towering form standing at the barre while articulating exercises for the students. Always positive, always encouraging, and always musical. RIP

NYCB 9/22 NYCB takes Balanchine's RV out for a fast spin

911:    911 operator, what is your emergency?

Caller:    The ballerinas are out there drag racing again in the street by Damrosch Park. I can smell the rubber burning and the noise is not exactly music to my ears.

911:    Oh no! Are you sure?

Caller:    Yes, it sounds like they're running the RV at top speed from one end of the block to the other.  What is it with these women? They put on pink and all of a sudden they think they can go out and create a commotion.

911:    A patrol car is on its way. Stay inside. Thank you for calling 911.

[What the cops saw.]

Oh my goodness, what a night it was in the theater. Just to clarify, there was no civil disturbance and the crowd was well-behaved. New York City Ballet was simply dancing the dings out of Balanchine's Raymonda Variations on the third night of the season. This ballet has nothing to do with the story of Raymonda that Petipa created. It's a series of virtuoso solos bookended by the spirited dancing of eight corps women and a pair of principals dancing two pas de deux -- all of it set to the same glorious Glazounov music that Petipa used. It ends with one of those "how brave (or crazy) can they be?" moments when the ballerina -- in this case, Megan Fairchild -- says "Hold my beer" and races forward toward the edge of the stage to launch herself straight at the audience with the hope that her partner -- in this case, Anthony Huxley -- will be there to catch her before she goes tumbling head first into the wind section of the orchestra. He was.

The fine soloists included Sara Adams, Baily Jones, Mary Elizabeth Sell and these two -- Emily Kikta and Ashley Hod -- who as a pair pushed out the wings of the stage with their grand allegro in addition to performing their own remarkable variations. Raymonda Variations is not a dance for any ballerina who is afraid of hops on pointe - it's a hopping Hades if ever there was one. Sara Adams' diagonal of forward hops while in an unwavering arabesque were perfection. Anthony Huxley's batterie, so crisp and clear, included a ridiculous series of brisé volé.

The corps de ballet, but for a moment or two of confusion, was gorgeous although we could do without the Vogue-ing mouths that some were displaying. What's up with that?

Indiana Woodward and Taylor Stanley created new interest for us in Duo Concertant. Every time we see a new pairing in this ballet, we see a new story. It was the first time that Haglund observed violinist Sean Lee instead of Maestros Delmoni or Nikkanen on stage. The Stravinsky sounded less bold but more refined making it another new experience for us. Elaine Chelton was the wonderful pianist.

Our other wonderful pianist of the evening was Susan Walters who rocked the pink shoes as the soloist pianist in Piano Pieces -- Jerome Robbins' ballet to Tschaikovsky's melodies. Sebastian Villarini-Velez stepped in for Roman Mejia as Le Petit Cavalier and performed with intense energy and joy. Would like to see more variability and individual musicality in his dancing as opposed to straight line winds impact.

Sara Mearns and Chun Wai Chan were gorgeous in the Reverie but Sara's neck seemed stiff during the Natha Waltz. Her blond hair was stunning in a unique twist but that made the lack of movement of the head all the more apparent. Would a Ratmansky-preferred low bun (which Sara also wears beautifully) encourage her to use her head and neck, we mean really use it, not just a slight turn of the eyes or chin? But these two dancers as well as the other pairs made Haglund realize that he likes this ballet more than Robbins' Dances at a Gathering which Piano Pieces now and then resembles.

Tiler Peck and Joseph Gordon in the November Troika were playful -- each with a commanding presence in their solos, as well.

But the highlight of this ballet was the Chant d'Automme performed by Mira Nadon and Aaron Sanz. My goodness, are they ever attractive together. Both have luxurious length in their lines, classical carriage, and an ultra sensitive relationship with their music. Their pas de deux was so seamless and beautiful that we did not want it to end. So, we'll toss them the H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Chamandi stiletto available at Bergdorf Goodman for $840, with the hope that we will see them together a lot in the future.

 

 

NYCB 9/21 Divertimento No. 15, Scotch Symphony, La Sonnambula

After a day of chasing away recurring thoughts about redecorating the apartment in yellow and white with blue accents, Haglund plopped down in a seat in one of the theater rings so that he could gaze down upon the beauty of Barbara Karinska’s tutus in Divertimento No. 15. Madame Karinska was Ukrainian; so it comes as no surprise that she knew how to put together the national colors of yellow and blue in their most exquisite fashion. Tonight her tutus were worn by a taller cast of Ashley Hod, Emily Kikta, Isabella LaFreniere, Ashley Laracey, and Tiler Peck in performances that were just as stunning as the previous evening's but included individual detailing.

Ashley Hod’s intelligent musicality was pure pleasure to watch. She delivered it with such spontaneity in unexpected places that it made us think that we were seeing the variation for the first time. Meanwhile, Tiler Peck chaînéd the designs atop the pancake tutu like they were loose glass in a kaleidoscope. It is such a relief to see her dancing full force again. All the women danced with grandness but always with a sense of generosity as well.

 

Joseph Gordon repeated his brilliant performance from the prior evening. Davide Riccardo and Aaron Sanz dazzled in their allegro and allowed each of their partners to appear to dance effortlessly.

 

Scotch Symphony was led by Sterling Hyltin, Anthony Huxley, and Olivia MacKinnon debuting as the pink footed soloist in the red kilt. It was quite the celebratory debut, successful in every way, and with the added pleasure of her sister Mary dancing close by in the corps with nearly combustible pride and joy. 

 

As the Scotchman and the sylph-like lassie, Anthony Huxley and Sterling Hyltin were everything one could ask for in this ballet: beauty, partnering ease, joyous expression, perfection in form, complementary musicality. It was a tremendous joy to watch them.

 

In the opening night review, we forgot to compliment the fine dancing of Alec Knight and Victor Abreu as the demi-soloists in Scotch Symphony. So happy to see Alec dancing in top form and hope to see him featured in more prominent roles.

 

La Sonnambula’s all-debuting cast included Unity Phelan and Harrison Ball as the Sleepwalker and Poet, Jared Angle and Georgina Pazcoguin as the Baron and Coquette, and creating a striking impression as the Harlequin was Cainan Weber. Unity was lovely and had no issues with the choreography, but she motored it along slightly over-charged and too expansively rather than gently bourreeing along with tiny steps that made the sleepwalker appear to almost float. 

 

Harrison Ball was outstanding as the Poet, so expressive and believable. The wonderment on his face as the sleepwalker stepped over his arm was real. His own dancing impeccable and clear — here, another dancer who has set high standards for himself. For that we bestow the evening’s HH Pump Bump Award, a little black stiletto by a favored designer, upon Harrison Ball.

 

 

NYCB 9/20 Opening Night

It was as though the morning sun rose to shine upon the beginning of NYCB’s 2022-2023 season. A bevy of ballerinas wearing Karinska’s warm yellow and soft white tutus with blue trim stood motionless just long enough to make the audience gasp at their sight before taking flight in Balanchine’s wondrous choreography of Divertimento No. 15.  Oh it’s true that many of us consider the anthemic Serenade as the perfect start to any season. The emotional Tchaikovsky always triggers spine chills and weepiness. Mozart’s bright Divertimento, on the other hand, made us feel like we should be toasting the start of the season with a glass of bubbly. 

It’s been said that Mozart had a taste for luxurious clothing. Elegance to the point of extravagance was his daily fashion. Karinska, to her great credit, captured not only Mozart’s sense of elegance in her designs but captured his fondness for nankeen with a little added sunbeam. Don’t expect to ever see a more beautiful tutu on stage than her creation for this ballet.

 

Our cast arrived determined to please Mozart, Balanchine, Karinska, and the evening’s audience. Joseph Gordon astonished with the strength of the statements made with his dancing and the clear punctuation of his musical phrases. It is just thrilling whenever we encounter a dancer who is compelled to take his brilliant artistry to an even higher level. Gordon has set some very high standards for himself, and we can’t help but cheer him on with our appreciation. Megan Fairchild flew through the allegro as though she were a top whose string had just been pulled sharply. Emilie Gerrity’s warm serenity and sure-footedness, Sara Adams’ sparkling speed, Erica Pereira’s new elegance about the neck and shoulders, and Unity Phelan’s crystalline lines and opulently arched feet more than did justice to the music, choreography, and costumes. Harrison Coll and Sebastian Villarini-Velez managed both sizzling allegro and gallant partnering. The corps de ballet was gorgeous although we would rather have seen Alexa Maxwell and Christina Clark in yellow soloist tutus instead of white. 

 

Scotch Symphony received a performance of mixed qualities. Baily Jones as the Scottish soloist was delightful and danced with impressive articulation. She’s a lovely, lovely dancer but her tiny stature prevents much projection out to the audience. When she’s dancing far down stage, she commands our attention. Otherwise, not so. Jovani Furlan in the male lead held the performance together with his natural sense of drama and beautiful dancing. But the ballet could not withstand the stale dancing of Ashley Bouder who was far from the level of fitness that is normally required on NYCB’s stage. The steps were there, alright, but not much else in the way of performance or balletic beauty. The extra flesh in her arms and shoulders made her arms look even more short and stocky than usual. Her swollen size made her head look too small for her body. What is going on here? Why is this dancer who obviously lacks professional discipline equivalent to her colleagues permitted to throw her weight around and bulldoze her way onto the stage? Similarly, senior corps member Laine Habony has not been able to recover her pre-pandemic fitness and looks particularly bulky and pedestrian along side her colleagues. The ruffles around her waistline In La Sonnambula made the size of her girth even more apparent. 

 

It’s a common theme among dancers who cannot or will not commit to a fitness regime that can produce professional results to criticize the ballet culture as being unfair or out of date. It’s not. The standards are high but not as high as elsewhere. Imagine being in the NFL and being weighed and measured every single day, being told what to eat every day, having your execution speed and accuracy measured every single day, and then being cut from the team when your numbers are fed into a formula and come up below the median. If dancers want the public to perceive them as professional “athletes” as well as artists, they’d better live up to the standards. Stop whining about how unfair ballet is to the average person when the average audience member doesn’t ever want to see the average person on stage. Haglund doesn’t ever in a million years want to see himself “represented” on stage. Not kidding. We come to see the extraordinary, the better-than-we-could-ever-hope-to be physical instruments engaging in Balanchine’s masterpieces which have always required an aesthetic of length and line. Bouder should not be featured in any role until she can recover her professional fitness and eliminate her bulk, and she certainly should not be permitted to stand in the way of other dancers who are at the height of their powers and would thrill the audience in the same role. Her time is up. 

 

La Sonnambula closed the evening with outstanding performances from Taylor Stanley and Sterling Hyltin as the Poet and Sleepwalker, Sara Mearns as the Coquette, Andrew Veyette as the Baron, and the ever remarkable Daniel Ulbricht as the Harlequin. Ulbricht’s commitment to perfection has been our privilege to watch for an amazing two decades. 

 

In his role debut, Taylor Stanley captured his poet’s delight and disbelief at the Sleepwalker’s unusual parasomnia. His theatrical gifts are extraordinary and so wide-ranging that NYCB really needs to have a choreographer come in to make a piece which exploits his dramatic weight. (Would love to see him take on Robert Fairchild’s role in Spectral Evidence.) Sterling Hyltin's fleeting bourrees and eerie remoteness conveyed the perfect combination of delicacy and trance that seized our attention at her every step. 

 

We were ecstatic over the Pas de Deux performed by corps members Jacqueline Bologna and Maxwell Read. We’ve been paying new attention to Bologna in the past few seasons since she has achieved a streamlined silhouette that makes her classical lines stand out and emphasizes her very lovely legs and feet. She was sensational in the Theme section of The Four Temperaments in the recent past. Read is in steady development, too. Sometimes his level of energy soars beyond his stretched lines, but we’re watching him with great interest.

 

The season’s first H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Sophia Webster beauty available at Saks for $895, is bestowed upon Joseph Gordon who has become one of the company’s most prominent standard makers.

 

 

 

 

 

observations 9/12

Haglund misses the dancing of Ana Sophia Scheller so much. Since departing NYCB under a wispy cirrus cloud several years ago, she has evolved into a full service ballerina with stunning classical form and ability. Recently she had to depart Ukraine's national ballet company because of the war. But she has been guesting around Europe and this month danced in a gig in Italy where she performed the PdD from La Bayadere with ABT's dynamo Luigi Crispino.

Crispino dances like he's about to explode and loves to punctuate his phrases dramatically. He makes the viewer feel the music pulse up and down the spine. We just cannot wait to see more of him on stage. Until then, here's the PdD from Ana Sophia's Instagram page. We wish she would come home to New York.

 

And we're off and running . . .

Yesterday the New York Giants announced that they were hiring their first "Intimacy Director on a pilot basis to care for the physical and emotional well-being of the players." Veteran Center Phil Bendover said that while he had always been comfortable with Eli Manning’s hands tucked into his crotch, he was less so with the young Daniel Jones who could get a little frisky during the excitement of the game. Daniel, in his own defense, said that the Center was just trying to be the center of attention by suggesting that he has been or could be the victim of a quarterback’s swift and hidden fingerings.

 

Oh wait. Haglund is confused again, or still. It wasn’t the New York Giants who hired the Intimacy Director; it was the New York City Ballet. Yep, it’s like a strip out of Doonesbury. Our donations are now going to pay Intimacy Director Zipper to give the dancers psychological tummy rubs.

 

Intimacy Director Zipper:    Miss Boopsie, are you feeling threatened by this Stravinsky Violin Concerto choreography that you are not even cast in?

Miss Boopsie:    Yes, I am, I always have, and I will continue to be thweatened by it until I get cast in it. 

Intimacy Director Zipper:    But you realize that black & white leotard ballets are not – ahem – your best look. 

Miss Boopsie:    What??!! You’re thweatening me with your microaggressions! I’ve been studying all about that in college.

Intimacy Director Zipper:    College, as in college? I’m speechless. Come here and let me pet your little head.

 

Miss Boopsie:    Okay, I feel so much better. I feel so present and validated and in control and important to everyone. Thank you, Zipper. Now, can you get me a gig teaching at SAB where I'm basically banned because of that time I snuck into the dorm for a hoochie-coochie with a student?

 

Intimacy Director Zipper:   I'm speechless.

Well, enough about that.

 

We're very excited about the start of NYCB's Fall Season. That curious artistic decision to slot the sleepy La Sonnambula as a closer is finally coming into focus now that we observe that Taylor Stanley and Harrison Ball will debut as The Poet during the run. Each of these artists can be expected to bring a powerful and uniquely dramatic reading to his free verse.

 

Our most favorite costumes return to the stage with Divertimento No. 15. If that wasn't exciting enough, the ballet will be loaded up with our extraordinary soloists and the supremely talented Davide Riccardo.

 

Raymonda Variations should be thrilling if the conductor accommodates the corps and soloists with their preferred blistering tempi. And Tchaikovsky PdD soars back onto the stage with Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia. Given how these two hauled ass in Allegro Brilliante on consecutive nights at the BAAND Together Dance Festival at Lincoln Center last month, we can say that both artists' spines are in fine, flexible shape, and Tiler may be enjoying her own renaissance. Holy moly, did anyone else see that?

 

We also bought some tickets to ABT's upcoming Fall Season. Mark Ryden's designs and costumes for Whipped Cream are going to look fantastical on the Koch Theater stage. No one should pass by the opportunity to witness his imagination in all its magical grandness in the theater. If that wasn't enough, audiences will be treated to Jonathan Klein's reprisal of The Boy. Herman Cornejo's Puck should not be missed. It's likely that this will be the last time that we see Herman, Gillian Murphy, and Cory Stearns in The Dream. Each has had a much too abbreviated run in this ballet over their careers. Stearns is so Dowell-like that at times one thinks one is watching the original. The casting of Ratmansky's The Seasons has been mostly refreshed and will provide a good opportunity to see what some of the newer corps dancers can really do.

 

Off we go . . .

 

ABT 7/8 Redeemed By Giants

Kisses to the new corps, demi-soloist pairs, and principals in last night's Theme and Variations. What a difference from the night before! Not only was everyone supremely elegant, supremely accurate, and supremely glistening, everyone seemed so filled with joy to be dancing this great masterpiece. And when all 26 dancers realized toward the very end that they had truly nailed it, their proud faces were something to behold. Such a great, great job from everyone.

When the curtain opened and the academic tendus began, the posture of our principals conveyed that we were about to see something special. The mature elegance of Skylar Brandt and the calm command of Herman Cornejo grabbed our attention like few other couples in these roles. It was remarkable how these two, as small as they are, managed to look like giants on the stage.

The tempi were blessedly faster than ABT is accustomed to in Theme and Variations, but every dancer on stage seemed ready and eager to fly at the pace. When Herman began his double tour/pirouette series, Conductor Ormsby Wilkins noticeably accelerated the orchestra to give Herman precisely what he needed to attain perfection. The level of mastery in his pas de bourree/six/grand jete entournant and the travelling ronde jambe en l'air was mind boggling – so simply done and so smooth. Skylar's variations were at or near the speed that we see Megan Fairchild take this ballet. She was just beautiful and articulate without any pushiness. The chainees were a blur until Skylar stopped on a dime with seemingly no effort at all.  She got all of the quick changing port de bras in smoothly, and served up this Balanchine like the grand feast that it is supposed to be. Though some credit must go to Tchaikovsky, her pas de deux with Herman brought forth tears. And we must say that the make-up was gorgeous. Skylar, normally youthful and wide-eyed on stage, possessed an elegance that we have never seen before.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Louboutin in crossed fifth position loaded with kisses, is bestowed upon the corps de ballet, demi-soloist pairs, and our glorious principals Skylar Brandt and Herman Cornejo for the performance of the season in Theme and Variations. The maker can once again rest in peace.

 

 

 

 

 

ABT 7/7 American Splendor an offender

At the end of the first ballet last night a white cloud appeared on the stage. A little old man with receding hairline floated out of it, eyes blinking rapidly as he took little sniffs through his nose. He wore a black string tie and rolled up shirt sleeves and appeared slightly disheveled. He spoke in broken English:

“I rest happily in backstage area since 1983, and then — and then (he scrunches up his face) –– I need to change program right now. Single Zig and Eye Zag do another night. We do over Theme and Variations and make right. I conduct.”

 

He hadn’t just rolled over in his grave as ABT butchered his Theme and Variations, he rose up from it to wrestle back control of his masterpiece from ABT’s outgoing director who has never been able to get it right. This time was just too much for the choreographer. American Splendor was an offender.

 

What is happening to Joo Won Ahn, the male lead in Balanchine's Theme and Variations? Who has gotten into this man’s head to convince him to dance with the caution of someone walking through a mine field? Last night was excruciatingly painful to watch. From the opening moments, he seemed recoiled and defeated. The tendus were like the first ones in the morning, lacking in stretch and importance — and uncrossed. His first set of double pirouettes to fourth position were so slow that any other dancer would have had time to do triples. Hesitate. Hesitate. Hesitate, thanks in part to a lazy tempo. The double tour/pirouette combination was ballet’s equivalent of Chernobyl. Ahn had a complete meltdown. The audience could be heard grumbling in McEnroe tones “Are you serious?! Are you serious?!”

 

At the opening bars, we weren’t sure about Devon Teuscher either. Nerves were apparent. Feet were not planted. But then she seemed to realize that the entire responsibility for this ballet was going to rest on her gorgeous shoulders. The woman took over, and she gave a whopping huge performance – not like anything we would see in the House of Balanchine but something we’d experience at the Palais Garnier. Her majesty matched Tchaikovsky’s measure for measure. Her clarity matched his clarity note for note. Was it all too slow? Yes, definitely: so slow that Devon had to add balances to fill out the music. But if the slow-motion killed the thrill of this ballet, it revealed its glory, too. Unfortunately, we need both thrill and glory. This ballet deserves nothing less. 

 

The demi-soloists and corps were, in part, rough. Those who clearly understood where to dance on the music chaffed against those who didn’t. McCune, Frenette, Tamm, Sebastian, and Hoven anticipated the music and hit their marks beautifully. Most of the ladies were still in Swan Lake mode—and why shouldn’t they dance that way with a sluggish tempo that felt like a raw egg smoothie going down.

 

Single Eye (Alonzo King) and ZigZag (Jessica Lang) required neither orchestra nor affection for ballet but did require great patience. What’s worse than seeing professional ballet dancers as backup to singers? Answer: seeing professional ballet dancers as backup to taped singers. Not that we don’t love Tony Bennett. In fact Haglund’s greatest ever experience in the Metropolitan Opera House was in 2011 when Tony Bennett made his debut singing at the Met. Re-live it here. But Lang’s fluffy ZigZag, a faux Broadway-type revue, is the poor man’s Susan Stroman. It relies on kitschy flounce and costumes that try to recapture the sashaying big dress styles of the 1950s.To its credit, it gives a lot of fabulous, underused dancers a chance to step out and be seen, such as Michael de la Nuez. The man simply explodes every time he catches the spotlight.

 

Single Eye is one more pretentious Angst & Yank ballet that can’t be forgotten fast enough. Nothing new here. Nothing articulated. A lovely gold front curtain and some fetching costumes, but little else. Is anyone else sick and tired of the cliched pose of the turned in leg crossed over the side of the knee of the other leg that one of King’s dancers made famous in a poster decades ago? Every ballerina seems to need to mimic it, and King seems to have made it his signature. 

 

We can’t watch this program again in its entirety but will find a way to see what Brandt & Cornejo do with T&V. The cheap factor is just too overwhelming and it is typical of how McKenzie has missed the mark over and over and over again. No Pump Bump Award for this one.

 

 

 

 

 

ABT's Swan Lake 6/29 mat & eve

Lakes have life cycles. Once a lake is formed by glacial, fault, or volcanic activity, it immediately begins to evolve through its life stages. The constantly changing balance of nutrients in the water affects which aquatic life thrives and which eventually succumbs to stress. And so it goes with ABT’s Swan Lake which has evolved through its 22 year run through constant, though not always careful management of its ecosystem. Years of replenishing with guest artists – an invasive species – proved fatal to parts of the natural habitat. 

 

Of late, though, we’ve seen some stirrings of new life in ABT’s old lake. Skylar Brandt, in an astonishing Odette/Odile debut Wednesday evening, revealed every classical detail with remarkable clarity. As the music cued the iconic moments, she delivered the anticipated phrasing, poses, and temperament of both Odette and Odile as carefully set on her by Irina Dvorovenko and Max Beloserkovsky. Like the daughter whose mother insists on a high level of social courtesy in everyday life but who won’t come to realize the full value of those manners until she matures, we can expect Skylar’s interpretation of Odette to deepen as she absorbs what Irina and Max have so generously given her. Meanwhile, we are simply blown away by the delightful trickery of her Odile — a swindling Harold Hill in black sparkly tutu. Smooth and seductive, balancing brilliantly on her outrageous lie, and spinning a story with fast-talking fouettes, this Odile had little trouble getting Siegfried's wallet, watch, and Social Security number.

 

Skylar is the Odette/Odile that Herman Cornejo should have had much earlier in his career. She is now at a technical level where he was a dozen years ago. But they still make for an awesome match and for that, we are grateful. From his entrance at the top of the staircase to his fatal leap into the lake, Herman’s intensity and energy raised the level of the entire cast’s performance. All of sudden, everyone on stage had extra spark and color. If this was Herman’s local sign-off of Siegfried, it was a darned good one. There is still plenty of juice left in his legs and he delivered the requisite turns and leaps, if not always at the level of his youth. We felt Siegfried's anguish and confusion. His Act IV relentless quest for Odette sunk our spirits which had been soaring since Act II because, well, we already knew how it would turn out even if he didn’t.

 

The Wednesday matinee cast of Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III enjoyed similar highs. Here we had a very different Odette - an old soul through whom we felt the sorrows of past Odettes. She brought our breathing to a stop with her exquisitely beautiful port de bras and the lengthening of lines that seemed to be pulled even longer by the generous conducting of Charles Barker. The gentle curves in her arabesques and attitudes were emotionally exposing. As Odile, Shevchenko maybe wasn’t as soulless or conniving as other Odiles, but she drew a clear distinction from her Odette. There were partnering issues that marred moments such as the famous line of step-over pirouettes that ends with a dramatic attitude pose. Odile ended up on two feet on the other side of Siggy. But the lifts in Act IV were incredible and all but made us forget about any of the awkwardness that preceded them. 

 

This was Calvin Royal’s debut and at times he looked under pressure and his variations were under-powered. Given the fact that his second performance of Chaereas in Of Love And Rage was a spectacular improvement over the first one last week, we are confident that things will go much better for him at Monday’s matinee of Swan Lake. There was a sense of Calvin trying to figure out how Calvin fit into the character of Siegfried rather than simply adopting a theatrical characterization that has nothing to do with the performer’s own circumstances and empathies. Once on stage, it’s too late to be questioning what the character’s motivation is. But because the second performance of Chaereas was so strong, we don’t want to miss what might happen on July 4th.

 

The secondary principals, soloists and demis at the Wednesday performances were a mixed bag. Andrii Ishchuk’s conservative debut as Von Rothbard showed only a glimpse of what we can expect to come. He was hesitant to take the character over the top – which is an absolute must – but the dancing was quite fetching. In the evening, Gabe Stone Shayer chewed up the scenery rather successfully, we thought. It was our first time seeing a short-ish Von Rothbart; so it was kind of a shock. But somehow, Gabe made the character outlandish and cinematic, and it all worked well. 

 

Thank goodness in the evening we stumbled upon Breanne Granlund in the Pas de Trois who seems to be that rare woman at ABT who can manage entrechat-six. What is going on here? How does someone get into the corps of ABT (or get hired back!) without being able to do a few entrechat-six in a row? Granlund, Zimmi Coker, and Patrick Frenette delivered a very respectable PdT full of verve and style. Frenette’s Benno was expertly danced and we look forward to finally seeing much more of him in significant roles. He has such danseur noble potential that it has been almost heartbreaking to see him underused for so long. However, there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed. First and foremost are the odd quick-changing facial expressions that look calculated & unnatural and a proclivity for over-emphasizing details that one does in class in order to get the message into the muscles but shouldn’t do on stage. Then there is the overuse of make-up. Frenette is unfairly handsome and doesn’t need excessive rouge and eye shadow to make that any more clear than it is. Why is ABT’s make-up team trying to make him look clownish?

 

The swan corps de ballet at each performance appeared well-drilled. The Cygnettes did not disappoint. And oh do we love the new Tutor who strode into the village: Ruben Martin (formerly of SFB, now JKO). Big, big theater chops. Hope to see more of him. 

 

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Louboutin crystal-embellished stiletto, is bestowed upon Skylar Brandt, Christine Shevchenko, and Irina Dvorovenko for packing such beauty and artistic integrity into ABT's Swan Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABT 6/20, 6/21, 6/22 mat Of Love and Rage

Open your hearts to Alexei Ratmansky's new production Of Love and Rage, which is loosely based on the story of Chaereas and Callirhoe by the Greek novelist Charitan who wrote during the 1st century AD.

ABT doesn't have another ballet that so masterfully allows so many of its dancers to display their gifts. There are so many roles to fill that dancers sometimes have to play five roles in a single performance. Andrii Ishchuk, a young Ukrainian corpsman who danced his feet off on opening night in the major role of Polycharmus, on Wednesday had to perform as one of the Chorus Men, one of Dionysius' Soldiers, a Captive, a Babylonian Courtier, and finally fought a war as a member of the Babylonian Army. That's a lot of character switching and choreography to remember, not to mention costume changing. Even on Broadway where a swing has to learn a lot of different roles, he doesn't have to dance them all in one night!

Dramaturg Guillaume Gallienne simplified the story of Chaereas and Callirhoe and distilled it down to just a few important characters and episodes. Charitan, the author of what is purportedly the world's first ever romance novel, conceived a plot that has the density of a black hole. But fuggedaboutit! This new ballet doesn't strive to convey a story for the sake of conveying a story. The story is merely a vehicle to transport the blisteringly brilliant dancing of ABT's Corps de Ballet to the front of the stage. And for this, we thank Ratmansky who always seems to be able to recognize the talented artists who have otherwise been orphaned at ABT.

Thanks to this ballet, we got to see Ishchuk's beautiful, clear dancing in the role of Polycharmus, Chaereas' friend. The next night our longtime favorite Eric Tamm was back with a bang in the same role. His deer-like leaps with their ever-upward trajectory and his commitment to character have always been meant for the front of the stage, regardless of how the reality played out at ABT. At the Wednesday matinee, Jonathan Klein was superb in the same role - with a face that catches the light and reveals stirring emotion.

The dark, glowering Mithridates received an intensely theatrical and dazzlingly danced performance from Jarod Curley who got his corps contract a mere six months before the pandemic lockdown. We've seen basically nothing from this guy and all of a sudden he's in our faces dancing like a dramatic heavy-weight star at the Bolshoi. The normally blondish Curley was transformed by a nasty black wig and ill-kept facial hair through which his normally handsome smile became a relentless sneer. His use of the head to convey Mithridates' dangerous nature made for a commanding performance which was perhaps the highlight of the show. And Patrick Frenette was superb as well in the role at the matinee. Dark and cunning, Frenette made the most of his character through bold musical choices. His sudden pauses put the viewer on edge. When he leaned into the faces of other characters, it was with the smooth hostility of a serpent.

Where Ratmansky excelled beyond anything else that he has ever made for ABT was in the corps' choreography. It was highly imaginative, inventive, disciplined, and without arbitrary frenetic upper body and arm movements that have crept into earlier works. It looked less impulsive and more edited. In one instance the Chorus Ladies formed a tight triangle with the vertex downstage. While bourree-ing backwards, they expanded the triangle to gorgeous effect -- like air expanding the lungs -- while raising their arms in a V to create a large triangle made up of multiple triangles through port de bras. At another point they grand jete'ed right-left-right-left-right-left in a circle with such precision that they nearly sounded like a single pair of feet landing each time. At times their formations were broken down into smaller trios, duos, and soloists which had the effect of spotlighting so many individuals even though they were in the corps.

It was the same story for the men. They were all doing principal-level variations in unison, trios, duos, and solos. Groups traveled backwards in lightning fast jeté battu combinations, off-balance coupe jetés were thrown in like seasoning -- all of it was fast, fast, fast. Near the end of Act II, the Babylonian Courtier men appeared in brilliant blue costumes to accompany the gorgeous Babylonian Courtier women. All of a sudden, one of the men broke out into an insane variation that included sliding all over the floor and crazy turns -- we think it may have been Michael de la Nuez -- which made a point that we all need to remember: so much to dance, yet so little time. Were it not for Ratmansky, we likely would never have seen this man's valiant dancing.

Yes, there were lead dancers, but they were not the stars of this show. They were there to give the corps de ballet an occasional rest - that's all. But they all did well in choreography that was not as inspired as what was conceived for the corps de ballet. Tom Forster gave the biggest reading of Chaereas of the three performances that Haglund saw. His brilliance was marked by the velocity with which he executed the grandest of the grand allegro moments. His manege of coupe jeté went on for about an hour and seemed to accelerate right to its dramatic end. Forster was more theatrically invested than either Aran Bell or Calvin Royal III with whom he shared the role. Both Bell and Forster managed some epic torch lifts of their Callirhoes whereas Royal truncated his. All three seemed to get all of the steps but there were big differences in how they exploited them or simply did them.

Catherine Hurlin, Christine Shevchenko, and Hee Seo shared the role of Callirhoe. Until the third performance, Haglund was not convinced that this was a principal role. Part of the problem was Callirhoe's costume which was made of heavy-looking fabric that fell nearly to the ankles. She was made to look like the Chorus Ladies only in satiny white. The costumes worked for the Chorus Ladies but not for Callirhoe whose leg lines and choreography were often hidden or obscured by the costume. It needed slits in the skirt or perhaps a different fabric. It just didn't work. Nor did the one-armed tunics for the men. They just looked sloppy. Instead of tunics, they should have had tunic-like forms that hugged the torso.

Hurlin gave a lovely and honest portrayal of Callirhoe with admirable execution of the choreography. Shevechenko gave the strongest technical performance but did not read as dramatically as was needed. Seo had some technical slip-ups, and made some alterations, e.g., the fast stepping horizontal bourrees that changed from front to back to front to back became standard bourrees. However, her dramatic reading finally brought the needed depth. She has all that experience of portraying suffering heroines to fall back on -- Juliet, Giselle, Nikiya, Tatiana, Caroline -- and she used it very, very well. Haglund was completely shocked at how much he enjoyed Seo's performance and how well she pulled the viewer into her story.

All of the Callirhoes were more affecting emotionally when dancing Pas de Deux with the characters of Dionysius and Mithridates than with Chaereas. Daniel Camargo made a sensational debut as Dionysius on opening night. As soon as he strode onstage, the level of tension in the story increased exponentially. We can't say how well Camargo does in white-tights roles, but in this dramatic setting he was a dynamite performer. His allegro felt like it was the relief valve opening on his pressurized character. Both Blaine Hoven and Joo Won Ahn skillfully crafted their characters and danced well, but it was Camargo who, in the final moments, made us feel what he was giving up when he released the hand of the child he long thought had been his own but who was actually Chaereas'.

This production by Ratmansky came as a surprise. The strong elements eclipse the weak elements (costumes in Act I; mundane choreography for the leads) which can be revised over seasons. All in all, it is truly a gift to the hardworking corps de ballet dancers who deserve to shine like they are shining this week. The sets are neither over-stated nor inadequate; they are exactly what is needed to help move the story along without getting in the way. Khachatyrian's music is glorious, and the ABT orchestra is doing itself proud. My goodness it all sounds beautiful in the Met Opera House. The score doesn't have a lot of pauses where an audience can express appreciation and sometimes doesn't meet the drama of the choreography. In one instance of a PdD between Chaereas and Callirhoes, there is a phrase that ends in a spectacular upside down lift but the music doesn't match its potency. But these are trivial issues as is concern for the level of detail in the story. The whole thing works, and works well.

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, Versace's gold & silver stiletto, is bestowed upon the men and women of the Corps de Ballet who are the stars of this important new production.