Haglund's Heel

ABT – Swan Lake – 6/29

Presently, is there anything on the stages of New York that is bigger than a Marcelo Gomes performance?  It's doubtful.  He owns the town this summer – Armand, Albrecht, Prince Charming, Siegfried – what a collection of performances for which there simply are not enough superlatives.

Tonight Gomes took the role of Siegfried into the stratosphere and carried most of the cast with him.  His Act I solo was soulful and soul searching with beautiful pirouettes in a la seconde that concluded by rotating the leg to the front.  His Act II partnering was as tender as could be.  His Act III variation was blistering and passionate.  (Gotta thank Gomes for not really forcing his tongue down Odile's throat which might have actually happened had there been one or two more counts of music in one particular phrase.)  His desperation in Act IV was so fully realized that you wanted to go off the cliff with him.  

Paloma Herrera as Odette/Odile found herself in the unusual situation of having to challenge herself to keep up with Siegfried tonight.  Sometimes she succeeded while other times she made some unfortunate choices that really detracted from her performance.  But first and foremost, she gave one of her best dramatic Odette and Odile readings that Haglund has seen.  Herrera needs a partner with a big personality to open her up.  Of late, her performances opposite Stearns, Bolle or Hallberg have been somewhat disappointing from a theatrical standpoint whereas her performances with Corella and Gomes have demanded that she pay more attention to the non-technical aspects of her dancing.

For whatever reason, tonight during her Odette variation, she omitted the battement brush from fifth position with the ronde de jambe developpe.  Instead, she did something weird that looked like a fondu coupe developpe.  It came off as one big cheat after another during the sequence, and looked awkward as well.  There's no other way to describe it other than a cheat.  Then in Odile's variation, instead of doing the double pirouette that evolves into an attitude turn or two, Paloma did a triple pirouette, opened the leg to second position and then brought the foot behind the knee and releved for two more quick revolutions.  The effects of the iconic sequence were lost.  It just looked like another instance of cheating by trying to do something easier.  One last complaint:  In the Act II mime sequence, Odette's mother's tears didn't make it past Odette's chin.  Is it possible that Herrera really never watched Nina Ananiashvili perform this with such perfection that the audience actually saw the tears roll off the tips of Nina's fingers? 

Overall, however, Paloma's dancing was exquisite.  Her balances this evening were truly impressive, not to mention beautiful in form.  Her final sequence in the Act II PdD was especially lovely wherein each of her three developpes before the revolution was higher than the one before with the fourth developpe before falling sideways into Siegfried's arms the highest - without being too high - and the leg beautifully turned out with her unmistakeable foot arched to perfection.

Let's talk about Sascha Radetsky's von Rothbart.  Whoa, has it improved since Haglund last saw it a few of years ago!  Radetsky was fearless tonight.  There was none of that over-careful preparation and wait an extra count before starting the pirouettes (which always made Haglund want to tear out the last few remaining hairs from the side of his head.)  Excellent jumping tonight as well, although, Haglund did not like the artistic choice to hold the legs together in Siegfried's sissonnes instead of splitting them.  Different is not always better.  Gotta say that a fearless Radetsky is a Radetsky you don't want to take your eyes off of for even a moment.  His whole performance was excellent this evening.

The Pas de Trois was danced by Stella Abrera, Maria Riccetto, and Daniil Simkin who substituted for Gennadi Saveliev.  Odd as that trio may sound, Haglund is pleased to report that they all had fine performances.   Simkin partnered both ladies very well.  It was a surprise to see him lifting someone as tall as Abrera so easily and maneuvering her pirouettes so smoothly from behind where he was nearly invisible.  You could see that all three were supremely focused this evening and each was acutely aware of where the other two dancers were at any given time.  It was definitely grace under pressure, but there was a lot of grace to be proud of.

The swan corps was superb again tonight.  The formations in Act IV could not have been more perfectly beautiful.  The Cygnettes rocked.  The Act III princesses at the ball were all wonderful, but special note must be made of Gemma Bond as the Italian princess and one of the Cygnettes.  Why Gemma finds it so easy (and so important) to walk in a high 3/4 releve and ascend and descend through a high 3/4 releve, whereas too many of the other ladies walk and releve like they have clogs on, is a mystery.  This dancer has such quality and such respect for doing things correctly that it makes Haglund weep to see her still in the corps.

The Big Swans, Karen Uphoff and Devon Teuscher, needed much more rehearsal and discipline with regard to the counts on which they launched and landed jumps.  If the jump is supposed to go up on the count of three, you can't have one swan going up on the "t" of the three while the other swan goes up on the "e" of the three.  Much more rehearsal.  Much.

So, it was a pretty fantastic night at the ballet, thanks to Gomes.  This Gold Chains of Love Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Marcelo who is the biggest, most important act on the New York stage this summer.

 

ABT – Swan Force One

Ah, the swans are back, and beautiful they were Monday night as ABT opened its week of Swan Lake performances to a packed-to-the-rafters house. 

Haglund got a double-dose of the swans yesterday by way of the afternoon rehearsal during which it was evident just how perilous the lakeside can be when at the conclusion of Act II a huge piece of scenery about half the width of the stage came crashing down from the ceiling.  Not a feather was ruffled among these swans of steel, however.  They returned in Act IV more magical than ever – dancing with seize the day  commitment – because, well, you never know when it all might end abruptly – and navigated the lakeside with the naval precision of a Force of Swanny Seals. 

"Swan Force One is magnificent!" roared the capacity crowd Monday night.  Yes, indeed, they were.  Pristine lines, a unified single musical pulse that illuminated Tchaikovsky's phrases, quiet feet – the swans are the magic that brings the masses to the ballet.

The evening's principal dancers were an infrequent combination of some of the company's strongest personalities.  When was the last time we saw Jose Manuel Carreno, Irina Dvorovenko, and Marcelo Gomes all driving the drama simultaneously?  There was lots of experience on that stage last night and lots to admire.  Carreno as Prince Siegfried gave us still more wonderful memories with his beautiful pirouettes and even more beautiful finishes with arms outstretched to the audience.  He loves us.  We love him.  Thursday is not going to be easy for anyone.  We'll all get through it and then maybe some day, if we're lucky, we'll get to relive the memories when he strolls out on stage in a beloved character role or two.  And hopefully, he will return to pass on his gifts and great style to the company's dancers who have admired him all these years. 

Dvorovenko's technique last night was very secure, particularly her balances, and she carved out her own unique version of her characters.  Her entrance onto the stage in Act II was a soaring leap with a quiet landing of bird-like grace.  Odette displayed anguish and mistrust of Siegfried throughout Act II.  She was not a soft, vulnerable Odette; rather, she was wild like an injured creature trying to evade capture.  Balances in arabesque did not breathe so much as they perched with a nervous stillness.  She was in a high state of crisis, inconsolable by Siegfried until their PdD.  The PdD was a little quick for Haglund's tastes.  It probably was in keeping with the overall character of Odette which Dvorovenko created, but still, the choreography and the music are better served when both are performed more slowly.

Odile was Dvorovenko's better half last night.  Her broad smile, evil laughs, and haughty posture conveyed how delicious the trickery was for her.  Her variations were excellently danced, especially the sequence of double pirouettes that evolved into an attitude turn - all very smooth with evil glances out to the audience.   Her single fouettes were not only fast but seemed to pick up more speed in the middle of the sequence making them all the more thrilling.

Dvorovenko does evil very well on her own.  Imagine throwing Marcelo Gomes' incomparable von Rothbart into the mix.  He only gets to do this role about once per year, and judging from last night, he'd been preparing for it the whole year.  There's no other way to describe the crowd's reaction but "Holy shit!"  The guy wasn't just menacing toward the forty or so people on the stage, he was menacing to the four thousand people in the audience!  How big do you have to be to do that?  Pretty big.  Add some pretty big dancing with acute changes of direction, soaring leaps and slicing legs, pirouettes that ended not just in arabesque but with the head thrown back in evil laughter.  It was dance on the operatic scale of the Met's grandest productions.  It must be noted that von Rothbart's ugly half, portrayed by Vitali Krauchenka, died very well on the rocks. 

Some of the soloists fared better than others.  The PdT danced by Sarah Lane, Yuriko Kajiya, and Daniil Simkin started off very well, but then Simkin had an awkward landing on a jump that sent some things off course.  The partnering, especially the parts involving pirouettes, was a little awkward and killer-brilliance in the variations wasn't there.  That famous Swan Lake PdT by Cornejo, Reyes, and Cornejo is preserved on video.  People should watch it.  The only trio that has come close to achieving the Cornejo/Reyes/Cornejo brilliance has been the Hoven/Abrera/Riccetto trio.  Of course, ABT broke up that team this year just like it has broken up so many other successful pairings over the seasons.

Stella Abrera and Hee Seo were the two Big Swans who dispatched the choreography well and in unison.  However, Abrera shouldn't be dancing this any more.  She should be Odette/Odile.  She has the technical chops and the artistry to accomplish a fully impacting Odette/Odile and, God knows, she deserves the opportunity.  But McKenzie has pegged her in the soloist's hole for eternity - repeating the same tragic mistakes he made by pidgeonholing Christina Fagundes, Veronica Lynn and others in their soloist holes and depriving us of their beautiful artistry while he took things in a new direction.  Baryshnikov achieved so much with Fagundes and Lynn and recognized their potential.  McKenzie came on board and just dropped the ball and let all their talent go to waste.  Now he's wasting Abrera, Riccetto, and Lane the same way - reluctant to give them leading role opportunities in the major classics while he keeps both eyes out for the next sweet candy that appears in some video on YouTube. 

Why isn't ABT's Board of Directors on McKenzie's ass for failing to develop in-house ballerinas - in particularly, not being able to develop a new Odette in six going on seven years?  Why doesn't he have good enough relationships with ABT's greatest living Swan Lake legends, Natalia Makarova and Cynthia Gregory, to be able to persuade them to assist in development of a few new Odettes?  Many of ABT's board members wouldn't hesitate to make a CEO change in their own companies if similar failings occurred.  

The Neapolitan dance by Craig Salstein and Joseph Phillips was excellent.  The Cygnettes (Gemma Bond, Marian Butler, Misty Copeland, and Maria Riccetto) were flawless.  It was the best that Haglund has seen in years. 

The Queen Mother (Nancy Raffa) and Wolfgang (Clinton Luckett) were both pretty much invisible, and played their roles like they were some of the untrained supers in the background.  If these roles are really unimportant, why not just omit them and save some money?  Come on, folks.

The Faith Laqueena Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Marcelo Gomes for his magnificent performance as von Rothbart:

 

ABT – Cinderella – 6/24

Friday evening's performance of James Kudelka's charming Cinderella was tidier than the ones Haglund observed on Wednesday but still a work in progress.  The various performances provided the opportunity to see a lot of dancers challenged in new ways.  Throughout the week, Gemme Bond, Maria Riccetto, Nicola Curry, and Luciana Paris high-stepped, side-stepped, and high-jinxed their ways through the various stepsister roles for the first time.  Kristi Boone reprised and fully "refined" her role.  All were successful and funny, but there was always something special about the original pairing of Erica Cornejo and Carmen Corella in those roles.  Their comedy was bold but it was also sly and detailed.

The soloists' variations in the Garden in Act I were some of Haglund's favorite moments in this production along with the dream sequences when the miniature creatures appear from the smoke in the fireplace.  Blossom, Petal, Moss, and Twig had such diverse music and unique motifs that at times it seemed like the idea for them could have sprung from Ashton's spirit.  Friday night, Maria Riccetto was the lovely Petal who bourreed about and placed her forearm to the top of her forehead while slightly leaning back.  Misty Copeland, Simone Messmer, and Hee Seo repeated as Blossom, Moss, and Twig.  All very pretty and pleasing to watch. 

The Four Officers seemed to be having a better night, although it was not without its challenges.  Luis Ribagorda, Blaine Hoven, Grant DeLong, and Jared Matthews didn't achieve perfection, but they were a lot more synchronized than anything Haglund observed earlier in the week.  Alexandre Hammoudi made the characters of the Dancing Instructor in Act I and Shoe Salesman in Act III worth paying attention to - this guy is growing at a rapid rate similar to Jared Matthews.  Earlier in the week, Eric Tamm was an especially dashing officer.

The Ladies and the Bachelors were improved in the Ball scene but still looked a little ragged.  Directions and formations weren't always clear and the Bachelors couldn't seem to execute the little turn that ends with the palm of the hand raised all the same way - although it was impossible to tell who was doing it correctly and who wasn't.  In short, the scene continued to look under rehearsed.  Kudelka choreography is not something that reads well without sufficient rehearsal.

Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg were captivating as Cinderella and Her Prince Charming.  She carried the 1920's style naturally; he wore the cuffs and sash handsomely.  Their dancing was superb.  However, Gillian was not always comfortable and convincing during the kitchen scenes when she either had to act with the props or stand within the scene while other dancers drew out their characters.  Their PdDs, on the other hand, looked very smooth - including the lifts - and there were no uncertain technical moments between them. 

Cinderella can be challenging for the viewer whose imagination doesn't flow as freely as it once did or for the viewer who demands a conventional explanation for every creative aspect of the ballet.  For those of us who are willingly transported by the power of mere suggestion, Cinderella works like a charm. 

This vintage golden moss covered Claudia Ciutti Pump Bump Award with twiggish heel and jeweled blossom petal is bestowed upon Misty Copeland, Maria Riccetto, Simone Messmer, and Hee Seo for their performances as Blossom, Petal, Moss, and Twig:

Good ballet at fair prices

If you're contemplating where to spend your limited dance dollars this fall, remember that Houston Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and Morphoses will be at the Joyce Theater in October. 

Tickets start at $10.  Enough said.

 

 

ABT – Cinderella – 6/22 mat & eve

Back in 2006 when ABT first presented James Kudelka's Cinderella, The New York Times deemed the production  

"a choreographically enticing, visually stunning success"

and applauded the company for choosing Kudelka's  

"fresher version"

over Frederick Ashton's 1948 production which is mostly known for being danced by The Royal Ballet.  The New York Times dance critic raved that Kudelka's PdD were  

"among the most romantic"

he'd seen and that Kudelka achieved his success

"by listening closely to the music" 

The New York Times dance critic described the choreography as  

"superb," "cleverly done," and "captivating"

 

The New York Times dance critic made a point of singling out many individual performances for praise including those of Isaac Stappas, Craig Salstein, Misty Copeland, Jared Matthews, Stella Abrera, and Sascha Radetsky - all of whom performed again yesterday.   Five years have passed since that review and Abrera and Radetsky are now among those who dance the lead roles in the production - although not together.

Three cheers for The New York Times for recognizing a good ballet when it floats into The Big Apple in a big orange pumpkin carriage.

Boston loves this Kudelka production, too: "sumptuous," "eye-popping," with "inventive choreography."  Canadians love this Kudelka production, too:  "delightful," "a masterpiece," "the finest Cinderella in the world."

Kudelka probably didn't intend his Cinderella to take place in the 1920s on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio, but the worn checkerboard floor, black and white checkerboard tiles in the fireplace, and the massive floor-to-ceiling glass-doored kitchen cabinetry could have come out of a typical village farmhouse in Haglund's old German-Italian hometown.  David Boechler's magnificent scenery and backdrops allowed for seamless, musical transitions from Cinderella's house to the ballroom, around the world, and back to her house.  His stylish costume designs and props conveyed the glamour of the era. 

Stella Abrera and Guillaume  Côté  (emergency guest artist from The National Ballet of Canada) led the afternoon cast.  Côté was Kudelka's first cast Prince Charming when he created this work at NBC in 2004 and he danced the role when Abrera debuted as Cinderella a few years ago.  Suave, sophisticated, Canadian classical courtesy from head to toe, Côté's technique was buttery smooth and enabled him to slip in extra revolutions and musical phrasing without offending the stream of the music or the choreographer's intent.  His artistry complimented Abrera's rich musicality and her large, sweeping phrases of dance.

They both had very good, very "on" performances yesterday.  Multiple pirouettes into arabesque?  No problem for Côté.  Traveling fouettes waving a dish rag over the head?  No problem for Abrera.  Grigorovich-inspired lifts where Cinderella jumped at Prince Charming who pressed her into the air in an attitude position while he held her aloft by her supporting leg?  No problem.  There was good classical chemistry between the two which stayed on the correct side of that fine line of Canadian politeness.  It was all rather refreshing, thank you.

The evening performance marked the triumphant debut of Sascha Radetsky as Prince Charming to Xiomara Reyes' impish, high-spirited Cinderella.  Radetsky was so successful that you have to think that he is going to rocket his way to more classical prince roles immediately.  He showed none of the signs of stress that worry those of us who have been following his performances over the years.  Instead, he displayed great form and confidence.  His technique held up fabulously under the pressure.  Most importantly, when a turn or a balance was a little off, he just saved what he could of it and moved on without fighting with it.  His jumps were quiet and he didn't slam the landings (and the achilles) into the floor the way he has been prone to do.  He looked dashing, and clearly was that great potential being realized before our very eyes.

Reyes had a fantastic performance this evening and Radetsky owes much of his success to her generous theatricality, unflappable calm, and her confidence in him.  Her Cinderella had energy to burn and it was apparent why this Cindy annoyed her stepsisters.  Rolling eyes and sighs of exasperation were signs of Cinderella's frustration with her living situation.  Where Abrera's character always had the underlying glamour of a princess just waiting for the right dress, Reyes' character required a total transformation from rascal.  She accomplished it with her first few catwalk steps out of the pumpkin carriage while wrapped in a full length fur trimmed coat.  When dancing at the ball or in the garden in Act III, Reyes always conveyed the joy of her good fortune while wondering if it was a dream or real.

Kudelka's choreography is not of the type for which a company can skimp on rehearsal.  It seemed in the performances yesterday and in the dress rehearsal on Tuesday that the corps was not as ready as it should have been.  At times in the afternoon performance, it looked like some of the men truly didn't know what step came next and were playing catch-up with the rest.  There was troubling timing of double saut de basque which is a difficult step and not common corps work – maybe it's not suitable for ensemble work.  When men learn the step and practice it, they always utilize their individual timings and generally teachers don't harp on what count the dancer is in the air and on what count he lands.  Well, these things count in ensemble work, and they weren't especially pretty in the performances thus far.  Haglund is bringing out of town guests to Friday night's performance (spending over $400) and hopes to be able to report that things have smoothed out.  Not kidding.

Wednesday included outstanding soloist performances from Sarah Lane (mat.) and Misty Copeland (eve.) (Blossom), Marian Butler and Renata Pavam (Petal), Simone Messmer and Isabella Boylston (Moss) and Hee Seo and Zhong-Jing Fang (Twig).  Their variations are all so individual – the bourree-ing choreography and bending torso of Petal's dance especially beautiful and responsive to the music.

The Stepsister danced by Kristi Boone (mat.) and Nicola Curry (eve.), and the Other Stepsister danced by Luciana Paris  and Gemma Bond were uniformly brilliant in both performances.  But what happened to the Other Stepsister's big front teeth that were so funny a few years ago?  And what happened to her dive under the front curtain at bows?

Haglund must complain that the lighting of the ball scene is way too dark and the spotlights on the principals and especially on players like the escorts and the stepsisters are not bright enough.  The women's dresses are stunning, but you can barely see them. 

Unless you're a nose-up-in-the-air Brit (or under one's editing control) for whom it's the Ashton way or the highway, you will enjoy this production of Cinderella.  The magic is there.  The charm is there.  The invention is there.  The beauty is there.

With so many fine performances yesterday, this is a tough call, but this jeweled Rene Caovilla Pump Bump Award must be bestowed upon Sascha Radetsky for the sensationally danced debut that we've all been waiting for:

Dance Channel TV – Meet the artist, Sarah Lane

Meet the artist, Sarah Lane.

This is so wonderful, so very wonderful.  Thank you to the Haglund'eeler who provided the link to this special piece of video that includes clips of Sarah's extraordinary debut as Giselle with the LakeCities Ballet.  The final minute is a heartbreaker.  It is criminal for ABT to deny us this performance at The Met.  If we don't get to see this on the Met stage soon, Haglund may have to round up a gang of BedStuy Wilis to administer ballet justice. 

 

ABT – One final (acceptable) guest artist

ABT has substituted Guillaume Côté  in place of Cory Stearns for Stella Abrera's Cinderella at the Wednesday matinee.  Totally acceptable.  Haglund saw him perform the role with Stella's Cindy three times a few years ago.  He was Kudelka's original Prince Charming at the National Ballet of Canada.  Handsome lines.  Handsome dancer.   Looking forward to seeing him again.

ABT – Coppelia – 6/18 Mat & Eve

Two performances of Coppelia in one day is a lot of mime to endure but it was worth it to see the debuts of Maria Riccetto and Jared Matthews in the afternoon and then return in the evening to see the first cast to have ever danced in this particular production 14 years ago, Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella.

The matinee was packed with kids, and the ballet seemed to be a hit with a lot of them for a lot of different reasons:  the clanging and banging noises and smoke coming out of Dr. Coppelius' toy workshop, the opportunity to sit atop a big velvet covered cushion on the seat, Maria acting like a doll, repeated drinks out of the water fountain at intermission, and the requisite run to the edge of the orchestra pit.  Indoctrination of the young to theater-going has many facets.

The debuts of Maria and Jared were an unquestionable technical and artistic success.  Maria portrayed Swanilda's mischievous and impetuous sides very naturally and her huge eyes and broad smile conveyed daring and fun simultaneously – especially when she raced around Dr. Coppelius' workshop instigating chaos by setting off all the toys in motion.  The large, sweeping strokes of mime from her Swanilda and Jared's Franz registered well with the kids in the audience.  Jared, who looked fabulous in both the rose colored and white tights, gave Franz a wholesome reading - not quite straw-in-the-teeth country boy charm, but very genuine and slightly unsophisticated.  Their PdDs were superb - especially considering that these were debuts. 

Overall, the technical performances were strong from both but for Maria's leg buckling under her during hops on pointe and a mishap with the fouettes.  Her lines were lovely and secure, and her pirouettes included musical revolutions and reliable finishes.  These days, Maria radiates warmth and confidence in most all of her dancing.  Jared's pirouettes didn't fail him and he didn't power his jumps to the point of losing form.  He approached some things conservatively while beaming confidence in his turns and tours.  It was a terrific, very consistently danced debut.  On to Albrecht, soon, we hope.

After seeing three different Franzes in their Act III variations display submarginal arabesques in the downstage corner, Haglund wonders what the difficulty is with getting up and over the supporting leg and getting the back leg to 90 degrees even when it's a preparatory move.  All three of the Franzes performed this like they had Dr. Coppelius' back problems.

Alexei Agoudine was a fantastic Dr. Coppelius at the matinee.  Haglund has seen him in bit character parts, but yesterday afternoon he really held the stage together for every moment he was on it.  He was creaky old and nimble at the same time, and was hilarious when he fell over on top of the large book and proceeded to consult its pages searching for a fix to bring his doll to life.  An absolute Class A job from Agoudine yesterday.

Isabella Boylston and Zhong-Jing Fang danced Dawn and Prayer in Act III - not optimal casting in Haglund's view.  Isabella did not emphasize the right lyrical quality and over-employed athletic force whereas Zhong-Jing over-used her eyebrows to compensate for very unsteady supporting legs.  The Mazurka folks managed well.  Sarah Smith seemed a little unnecessarily nervous about her opportunity; she's a nice dancer who's entitled to more confidence.  Luciana Paris and Joseph Phillips danced the lead Mazurka couple.  Haglund continues to fight the idea that Phillips looks like the small version of Chuck Askegard, but he does in many ways.  It would be a hoot to see them on stage together.

The evening performance with Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella was marked by high energy and total commitment to telling the story through dance.  The audience was so very happy to see Angel back on stage and especially happy to see him dancing with Paloma.  It must have irked McKenzie to see how much the audience loved Corella who seems to be at the top of McKenzie's ever growing black list of remarkable performers who he wishes we would forget about. 

The choreography of Coppelia didn't represent any kind of a technical challenge to Paloma.  Instead of trying to rev it up with circusy tricks or Olympics-sized elevation, Paloma simply used the freedom to employ her uniquely beautiful musicality.  Her slow, shapely developpes a la second to just barely above 90 degrees punctuated by the stretched curve of her metatarsus were stunning without being showy.  Her ability to make musical phrases last just a little bit longer or, when she felt like it, snatch them to a stop with the salute of her passe retire are why we love her. The wedding PdD in Act III with some of the most difficult partnering involving rotation of the ballerina, balancing her, and then securing her penche arabesque, was masterfully executed by Paloma and Angel.  Haglund loved the way these two handled the final pose.  Angel lifted and balanced the front of Paloma's torso on his shoulder rather rapidly and then utilized the last few counts of music to slowly raise his arm to match the line of Paloma's leg – all of it so beautiful.  Yes, yes, yes - that's what we want to see.

Angel's own variations were wonderful the whole evening, although it did seem like some jet lag set in during his final variations.  He's always fantastic but more so when we can keep him in town for a major part of the season.  It would be heaven to see him in Ratmansky's Nutcracker choreography with Sarah Lane (also on the black list).  Imagine how joyful and playful they would be, and that troublesome Grigorovich lift might even look like it's supposed to look.  By the way, the Corella Ballet calendar is clear from November 14th through February 8th.  It would be fabulous to see Angel at City Center, in The Nutcraker, and for a full season next Spring at the Met.  If McKenzie is going to continue to institute his black listing, Sarah Lane should leave and join the Corella Ballet along with her husband.  Luis Ribagorda had a fantastic little variation as the Harlequin Doll last evening.  While he may not be tall, he has a very nice pair of legs and strong, fast turns in a la seconde.

Gemma Bond was bright and beautiful as the Lead Mazurka Lady, and looked fantastic with Angel in their character PdD.  Blaine Hoven and Christine Shevchenko were handsome in the Mazurka and Czardas. 

Stella Abrera and Maria Riccetto as Dawn and Prayer were once again exactly what you wanted to see.  The long elegance of their port de bras and arabesque lines were perfectly matched.  It looked like the Sources and Triumph of Music from Chagall's murals just happened on to the stage to demonstrate what being a ballerina is all about.  Geeze Louise, why is ABT stupidly spending money on guest stars when it has these two artists?! 

The evening included a celebration of Paloma Herrera's twentieth anniversary with ABT.  Haglund remembers when she was a brand new, spindly-legged corps dancer with a lot of rough edges who would come to David Howard's class and positively kill any combination he set by using her internal gyroscope and balancing abilities but then frustrate his patience with her messy arms and hands.  How nicely things have turned out over twenty years.  And how good it was to see her dancing with Angel Corella once again.  Haglund bestows this Golden Perfect Fifth Position Pump Bump Award to Paloma and Angel – the perfect pair.

The Royal Danish Ballet – La Sylphide – 6/17

Drunk on ballet – it's the only possible explanation for Haglund getting downright weepy over watching the ladies of The Royal Danish Ballet as they continually rose all the way up through 3/4 releve before arriving en pointe and descended the same way.  A 3/4 releve in pointe shoes is worth a few tears of joy.  We don't see it around here much.

Friday night, the Danes opened the first of four performances of Bournonville's La Sylphide.  What a superb, charming, technically dazzling, romantic, tasteful, lovingly danced performance it was!  Everyone must see this either today or tomorrow.  Watching the Danes' soft, articulate feet quietly speed through the most complex steps was like listening to Renee Fleming sing Armida or Rodelinda.  No one sings quietly more beautifully than Renee Fleming and no one dances petit allegro like the Danes.  No dash, no flash - just brilliance delivered modestly and lovingly.

The cast included Gudrun Bojesen as La Sylphide, Ulrik Birkkjaer as James, Nicolai Hansen as Gurn, and the magnificent Sorella Englund as Madge, the witch.  Oh, what a witch and what a brew of mayhem she concocted!  The pristine, airy elegance of Ms. Bojesen's Sylphide and the honest, rapid fire feet of Mr. Birkkjaer made for some of the most refreshing ballet seen in New York this spring.  Mr. Hansen offered no less in the way of stunning technique as Gurn, and his variation with the coupe jetes entournant was flawless.

Haglund came away from last night's performance with such respect and admiration for The Royal Danish Ballet for maintaining the standards of the Bournonville technique by which the rest of the dancing world must measure itself.  They are simply superb.  Their feet sing like no others do.

That said, and hopefully none of the ballerinas or danseurs will feel slighted, but the Alexander McQueen witchy Pump Bump Award must be bestowed upon Sorella Englund for her stirring performance as Madge.  This witch rocks!

Mariinsky prices are outrageous

All but two of the Mariinsky Ballet performances at the Metropolitan Opera House are selling dismally because of the outrageous prices.  According to the folks at the David Rubenstein Atrium, at this time, there will be no discounted tickets on the day of the performance because the Metropolitan Opera, which is co-producing the Mariinsky's visit with the Lincoln Center Festival, refuses to participate in the Rubenstein program. 

The Met Opera, which has fixed the pricing for the performances, is clearly conveying that ballet is an elitist art form intended only for rich audiences.

The ticket prices, as Haglund reported here in his comparative analysis, are ridiculous - especially those prices for seats in marginal viewing sections such as the family circle, balcony, and side boxes. 

Haglund has decided to boycott the Mariinsky performances because of the Metropolitan Opera's outrageous pricing policy.  He will save his money toward a trip or three to Washington DC in a few short months when the Mariinsky brings a beautiful classical repertory program to the stage and the Kennedy Center offers tickets at reasonable prices. 

Enough is enough.