Haglund's Heel

Works & Process: Giselle Revisited with PNB

The first ever live-stream event from the Guggenheim’s Works & Process was a huge success.  In addition to the 285 people sitting in the theater at the Guggenheim Museum, an average of 360 or so watched the live stream online over the course of the 1-1/3 hour event.  The online counter at the bottom of the screen showed that while a few people did drop off the connection during the course of the evening, they were replaced by others, which means that even more people than the 360 average tuned in at one point or another to view what was going on.  Congrats to the Gugg for more than doubling the attendance via the internet.  Here’s hoping that the live-stream will become an integral part of the W&P programs.  With a little more advance marketing, they could have thousands upon thousands of viewers at each event.

 

Tonight’s program was Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Peter Boal discussing his staging of Giselle based on research of the Stepanov notations completed by scholars Doug Fullington and Marian Smith.  In preparation of his staging, Boal also watched videos of Giselle by the Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet.  However, neither Boal nor Fullington nor Smith nor any of the dancers brought with them this evening has performing experience in Giselle.  Any mention of that deficiency was avoided during the evening.

 

The good news is that the Seattle region will get to see a Giselle.  The other good news is that PNB has another five months to turn its efforts into a passable end-product.  But it will take work.  And Peter Boal cannot do this by himself.  If he digs his heels in and refuses to ask for the assistance from those who have actual experience with Giselle, the Seattle audience may not be wise to it.  General ballet audiences respond more positively to story ballets than to abstract ballets, and the people in Seattle will love whatever lands on stage as Giselle, regardless of how it stacks up against the other Giselles in the world.  Basically, the ballet is so good in any form that first-time goers will not know what they are missing.

 

When they see Albrecht and Hilarion flapping their arms with every entrechat six or brise, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  When they see the girl in the peasant pas de deux pumping her wrists, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  When they see Myrta stiffly moving from side to side while smiling at the audience, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  When they see Giselle and Albrecht anticipating every mime move of the other’s, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  When they see Giselle’s mother, Berthe, in pointe shoes, standing in the perfect B+ position or a perfect tendu stretched to the back, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  When they see the amateurish and uncommited mime, they won’t know it shouldn’t be that way.  An audience that is accustomed to seeing abstract ballets of only steps will be absolutely blown away when this ballet lands on stage in Seattle.  But when one has a talent like Carla Korbes at his disposal, why wouldn’t one want to give her the greatest opportunity to develop a memorable Giselle by exposing her to the coaching expertise of one or more of the great, great Giselles who still lives?  Setting steps is not the same as coaching.  As Fullington acknowledged, the notations discovered said little about the head, torso, and arms.  Where will that information come from for these dancers?

 

It’s not clear why Peter Boal decided to bring this particular event to New York, which sees spectacular performances of Giselle on an almost annual basis.   Maybe it was to show that his company has grown well beyond the mediocre Balanchine franchise that it once was.  Let’s hope that it has.  Let’s also hope that Boal is not too proud to reach out to those around the world who can truly help him pull his company forward with this endeavor.  We’re all rooting for him.  We really are.

Program reminder: Works & Process live-stream tonight

Tune in tonight at 7:30 pm (Eastern time) for the Guggenheim Works & Process first ever live-streamed event:  Giselle Revisited with Peter Boal and PNB.  Here's the link:

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

People, we need to support the Guggenheim on this initiative so that we'll see more offerings like this.  Wherever you are at 7:30 and whatever you're doing at 7:30, take a moment to click on the above link and then drop the Works & Process folks a note ([email protected]) to tell them how much you enjoyed the program.

 

Has the chicken lost its head?

No sooner did ABT post Stella Abrera as the new Caroline in Jardin aux Lilas, they erased her from that cast and the Fancy Free cast the following night.  Totally erased from the Washington DC run - but of course she's still listed on the Kennedy Center website.  Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Clearly the next Artistic Director of ABT needs to be a clear-thinking woman who is allergic to flip-flopping, preferrably one who runs a successful psychiatric booth. 

We're never going to get another ballerina out of that company unless a woman takes over.  Wonder if Nina would be interested?  Or maybe Makarova would take it as a caretaker for a year or two while the company searches for a new permanent director.  Monica Mason is way too young to retire.  Bring her over here for a few well-paid years. What about a year or two of Brigitte Lefevre?  Or Karen Kain?  The women of the world are holding the great ballet companies together.  Bring us a woman director at ABT before it's too late!

 

 

Six Years

It’s been six years since ABT last debuted an Odette/Odile from within it’s ranks.  Six years since it has made the effort to develop one from within.  That doesn’t say a lot in a positive way about the artistic management’s abilities, and it’s evidence that the artistic management has a less than complimentary view of its soloists’ talents and capabilities.

This year we get a new Odette from Berlin via Moscow.  Polina Semionova, a lovely dancer of admirable technique, if a little bland, will be Hallberg's Odette.  It used to be that guest stars brought world class interpretations with them.  This is simply an audition opportunity for a female to see if she compliments Hallberg.  If we're going to be subjected to a guest artist as Odette, she should only be among the best in the world - which raises the question of why we've never seen Lopatkina here.

We'll never see Cornejo as Siegfried because of McKenzie’s lonely prejudice against short dancers as danseurs.   We won’t see Sarah Lane as Odette, because, well, she’s simply too short according to McKenzie.  We won’t see Stella Abrera because she’s so injury prone that the long preparation might prove to be too much stress, and besides, McKenzie has an entire career of repertory and second level principal roles planned out for her. No time for an Odette for her, or for us.

But McKenzie doesn’t seem hesitant about hiring injury-prone guest artists for principal roles.  Really, who’s more injury prone that Alina Cojocaru?  Roberto Bolle is so injury prone that he could dance fewer than half of his commitments last year in New York but immediately ran off to dance in Mats Ek’s weirdo Giselle where he rolled around naked on the floor swinging his ding, and then had the gall to complain about all the publicity he got.

 

Six long years.  What's everyone been doin’?  Apparently using the donors’ money to shop for guest artists instead of embracing the challenges of developing the talent that lies within.  But then, this is New York – the Steinbrenners' town - where you just throw money at whoever you want and they come whimpering your way.  Well, you won’t be throwing this Golden Circle donor’s money at anyone again.  Haglund’s 2011 donation is going to the company where Cornejo gets the opportunity to dance Siegfried.  And frankly, all of the soloists at ABT should seriously consider packing up and moving to New Zealand.

Guggenheim's Works & Process LIVE-STREAMED

The Guggenheim is going to LIVE-STREAM the Sunday, January 9th Works & Process program that features Peter Boal discussing PNB's new production of Giselle which he is staging with the assistance of dance scholars Doug Fullerton and Marian Smith, who researched the Stepanov notations and will also be in attendance.  The program includes performances by Carla Korbes, Carrie Imler, James Moore, and Seth Orza. 

To see this presentation live, click here on January 9th at 7:30 p.m.:

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

So, you won't have to wait in the long cancellation line on Sunday and you won''t have to line up for an hour in the cold on the long, steep driveway down to the lower level of the Guggenheim.  You can make yourself a normal sized sandwich to chomp on while you're watching and drink a glass of your favorite wine. 

What's not to like?  Well, you won't be able to ask Peter Boal – since he's never danced in Giselle and Fullerton and Smith have never danced in Giselle and none of his dancers have danced in Giselle -  how does he intend to hand down any interpretation at all?  Is there anyone associated with this new production who has ever danced Giselle?  Or maybe it's all in the sterile steps – which require no interpretation.

If Haglund irrefutably proved that he'd read every book on the planet about heart surgery - in fact, memorized every page - and then said he wanted to operate on you, would you let him?  Doubt it. And don't try to argue that Giselle isn't heart surgery; it is.

On Haglund's Calendar – perhaps too much

NYCB opens the Winter Season on Tuesday, January 18th, and Haglund plans to be there for a wonderful evening of Walpurgisnacht Ballet, Duo Concertant, Valse Fantaisie, and The Four Temperaments.  Hopefully, you will be there, too.

 

Then Haglund will Bolt down to DC the next day (Jan. 19th) to see ABT’s Stella Abrera debut as Caroline in Tudor’s Jardin aux Lilas, and Maria Riccetto and David Hallberg debut in Balanchine’s Duo Concertant.  As if that wasn’t a rich enough program already, add Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo in Theme and Variations and Fancy Free with Gomes, Radetsky, and Salstein.

 

Saturday, January 22nd sees a return trip to DC for the Reyes, Cornejo, Simkin, Boylston cast for the new production of Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream. 

 

The following Friday January 28th at 6 p.m., The Film Association’s Dance on Camera Festival screens the world premiere of  Fabrice Herrault’s film CLAUDE BESSY, LIGNES D’UNE VIE (Traces of a Life) at the Walter Reade Theatre.  Later that evening, Susan Stroman’s new ballet set to the music of Duke Ellington will premiere at NYCB.  The program includes Ratmansky’s romp, Concerto DSCH, and Wheeldon’s Polyphonia.   Haglund will be at both events – simultaneously, if necessary.

 

Then on February 21st, the impossibly magnetic artist with the heavenly voice known as

 

will be in concert at Carnegie Hall.  People, that’s a Monday and a holiday, and there are tickets as low as $17.  But they won’t be there long, so go here and reserve yours.  If you are having the slightest thought of missing this concert, go here for a sampler.  Dmitri Hvorostovky's appearances in New York are getting less frequent and less frequent.  Rumors are that he may sing this entire concert in one breath.  He is also appearing at The Met this month in Simon Boccanegra, but you won't find any tickets for $17.

 

Scratch this

Poison Ivy has been itching to start her own blog for quite some time.  2010 was brutish to her, and so, she decided to kick the year out on a positive note – by launching a new culture blog in December.  It includes reviews of ballet, opera, TV and more.  Check out Poison Ivy’s Wall of Text.