ABT – Swan Lake Opening Night 6/21

It had been a long 359 days since Haglund's last Swan Lake - when Nina Ananiashvili bid us farewell and Haglund thought the world might end.  Good thing it didn't – wouldn't want to have missed this year's opening performance with Veronika Part as Odette/Odile and Cory Stearns as Siegfried - a late substitute for Marcelo Gomes who was to have been a substitute for Roberto Bolle.

 

This was Stearns' New York debut.  Junior just got his Siegfried operator's license last April (in Chicago) and tonight he took the company's Odette LX 950 out for a spin.  In six lanes of traffic - at top speed.  He squealed the tires once or twice, stuck close to the road's shoulder, and rarely looked in the rear view mirror choosing instead to focus on the road straight before him.  He was observed trying to smoke while driving.  At other times he seemed to stand at a green light waiting for it to change.  Junior was not exactly sure where he was going with the Odette LX 950, but he didn't have an accident, didn't nick her finish and managed to bring her home safely – to the relief of all.

 

Faced with the responsibility for the opening night performance of Swan Lake and then having two partners wuss out with injuries, Veronika went on to give one of her strongest, most confident performances ever.  She made a clear statement which Haglund will paraphrase as, "I don't need no stinkin' _____ in order to bring down the house with Swan Lake."  And no, she doesn't.

 

Conductor David LaMarche nearly wrecked the first two acts with his cartoonish, fast tempos.  Haglund thought, "Well, maybe this is how ballet companies employ economies of scale to save money - they just dance everything faster."  Not a good idea.  LaMarche has a proclivity for going rogue with tempos and this wasn't the first time his erractic conducting nearly wrecked a performance.

 

But Veronika prevailed, undaunted by the speed, and delivered all the expected details:  luscious lines that were endless in their beauty, mime so full of emotion that Haglund's own eyes got misty, and extensions where the top of the foot curved over giving the line the fluid dynamic of an ocean's wave.   When Odette collected her feet on pointe and began a passe up the front of the leg, there was a whole chapter of her story in the unfolding of that developpe.

 

The PdD of Act II was beautiful.  Stearns made no mistakes, although his emotion did not register.  He will look stronger theatrically when he dances with a smaller, more reserved Odette.  But Haglund will give the kid credit for not freakin' out for having to debut in New York opposite Veronika Part on opening night.  No doubt he will tuck away that rose that she gave him at bows in a safe place and the memories will last for a long time.   His own dancing included pirouettes that were slow and workman-like but he ended them with a strong statement.  The inflexibility in the back made his arabesque look 40 years old.  Same with his jumps which really didn't go anywhere and didn't form strong, clear shapes.  But Stearns stood firmly behind Veronika and was determined not to let her down from a technical standpoint.  He didn't.

 

Veronika's Odile was the best Haglund has ever seen her perform.  She hissed.  She spit.  She seduced.  She not only did 32 fouettes, she pumped 32 releves - with no resting in multiple revolutions.  The tentativeness that used to mark Veronika's Odile is gone.

 

Haglund must comment on some of the other fine performances from last night:

 

The PdT with Sarah Lane, Yuriko Kajiya, and Jared Matthews sparkled.  Sarah, unfortunately for us, is a jewel being kept in the safe and is only brought out for a quick peek now and then.  She should have been our Sleeping Beauty this year and she certainly should be our Juliet.  She is Exhibit A for McKenzie's under-utilization of the company's homegrown and remarkable talent.  Exhibit B is Stella Abrera who looked like another Odette misplaced in the swan corps.  She and Hee Seo  were beautifully coordinated as the two Big Swans.  Exhibit C is Misty Copeland whose Hungarian Princess was  one of the most charming and prettiest solos in Act III.  Exhibit D is Renata Pavam, a small dancer whose fundamental abilities are the widest ranging and strongest in a corps of technical wizards, continues to be overlooked for growth opportunities.

 

Lastly, the ladies of the corps must be congratulated for their superb performance.  They were beautiful beyond words and brought the magic of this story to life.  Haglund knows how much the corps dreads Swan Lake Week and the utter torture and fatigue that it brings each year.  But he hopes there is comfort in knowing that the swans bring a spectacular theatrical production to life each and every night of that special week.  Were there no swan corps, no one would bother to come to see Swan Lake.

And so, with special thanks to the ladies of the corps, Haglund bestows this gold and diamond Christian Louboutin Pump Bump Award entitled "Love Hurts" to all the performers for their incredible opening night of Swan Lake.

Comments

[Jocelyn D]

This is a fair review of last night's performance, but I feel it's a bit too laudatory for Part and a bit too harsh for Stearns.

Part definitely has beautiful lines and perfect arms for this role. But I expect to see a stronger contrast between Odile and Odette in the interpretation and the expressiveness. Although she was quite impressive in the pas de deux, she could have been more precise: she was a little bit off the music during the 32 fouettes. And finally the jump in the lake looked more like a jump in a pool to me, she didn't fly...

On the other hand, Stearns who really has little experience in this role, was able to convince the audience. I think his technique has become strong and neat.
His jumps were high, light with soft landing and his ballon is notable. His double cabrioles were really sharp and clean with a perfect tempo. Regarding his arabesques, he may not have a super flexible back, but he keeps control of the line, especially when landing in arabesque after a tour en l'air. And at the end there was a real effort to pose in the air while jumping in the lake.

That said I'm looking forward to reading your reviews on this week's performances!
Thanks

[Sylvia DelaCerna]

Wonderful review!! Thank you once again for the very kind words about Misty!!

Very Best,

Sylvia DelaCerna

[Haglund's Heel]

Hi, Jocelyn. Thanks so much for the comment.

In reflecting on Stearns' jumps after watching Hallberg this evening, I don't think that Stearns' problem is his strength but rather it's a matter of coordinating the pattern of energy more efficiently and quickly. It'll eventually click with him if he keeps trying to improve and studies the great examples of long-legged jumpers around him.

- Haglund

[Jen in Brooklyn]

Thank you so much for this review. My family and I were in the Family Circle, and I wept at the pas de deux. As far as acting, even up there Stearns convinced me.

But Ms. Part left me ravished. Such a special night, and I'm grateful to James Wolcott for leading me to your blog.

[Haglund's Heel]

Hi Jen and thanks for following James Wolcott's link to Haglund's Heel.

How beautiful to hear "My family and I were in the Family Circle." Going to the ballet should be a family affair although it seems to be less so as time goes on.

ABT's Swan Lake is marvelous, isn't it?

-- Haglund