Haglund's Heel

UIEX: Olga orbiting in ABT's star system

The Unofficial Information Exchange (UIEX) tickertape was whirling around at Warp 6 this morning after knowledgeable street analysts predicted that Olga Smirnova would dance in La Bayadere at ABT's performance on the evening of May 28th.

This would follow her highly anticipated appearances at YAGP's events at the Koch Theater where she is expected to dance Balanchine's Diamonds Pas de Deux with Semyon Chudin on April 11th - to taped music, unfortunately.

Olga, a top 2011 Vaganova graduate of Professor Ludmila Kovaleva's class – as was Diana Vishneva 16 years before – doesn't have much experience dancing the role of Nikiya. She performed excerpts at her graduation and on Russian TV, but only danced two Bolshoi performances to date. Parts of the demanding assignment have proved problematic for her, such as this most unlovely turned-in position while going around in the developpe promenade from 2011 and again in 2012,

2011                                            2012

but maybe ABT's Irina Kolpakova, one of the few remaining direct descendants of Vaganova and a graduate in her last class, can fix that on Olga – please. This town is already filthy rich with misplaced, ear-whacking extensions. We could use a few more ballerinas who can give us some of the old time religion.

It will be a pleasure to welcome Olga to the Met season but the rest of the riff-raff and unreliable imports (except Matvienko) really need to take a hike and get out of the way of our own soloists.

 

New Ratmansky Sleeping Beauty for ABT

NYT reports that ABT's 2015 Spring Season at the Metropolitan House will feature a new production of Sleeping Beauty with designs by Richard Hudson based on Leon Bakst's original designs for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The premiere will be at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa in March.

Here are a few pictures of Bakst's original designs from the Diaghilev Exhibition at Harvard.

The third picture, a gift to Harvard from a Koch brother, is interesting in that the costume apparently was designed for someone called the "Good Fairy" and Bakst put her in character shoes and a mask. The Harvard folks say on their site that the costume is similar to the Lilac Fairy sketch now owned by someone else, and that the Lilac Fairy wore a mask.

This new production sounds like the relief that we need – if we can get the right Auroras. And that's a big if.

Aurora:

Aurora

Good Fairy - similar to Lilac Fairy design drawing

 

 More pictures from a Google search here.

 

UIEX: new Osipode of the ongoing Osipodrama

The Unofficial Information Exchange tickertape is whirling around again.

Will ABT follow the unprecedented generosity and guidance of the Royal Ballet and offer full or partial refunds when it fails to present Osipova and Vasiliev in the Don Quixote and Le Corsaire PdDs this week in Tokyo? When does ABT plan on telling the Tokyo buying public that they're not getting what they paid for – at curtain time?

It will be interesting to see how ABT frames this latest example of its foolish reliance on ballet's Gold Medalist in Unreliability. (Polunin took the Silver.) Let's look at some possibilities:  (a) Natalia is still recovering from her concussion and she shouldn't fly around in Don Q or Le Corsaire - even though she was back on the stage in full force in London, or (b) Natalia and Ivan aren't getting along and don't care to dance with each other, or (c) Ivan is too tired from his super gala at the Mikhailovsky last week and doesn't want to make the trip, or (d) Sorry, no speaky Japanese.

More material for Flesh and Bone.

Update 2/24:

They chose version (c). Vasiliev is in poor health and can't make the trip. Osipova will bourree around in the solo from Manon Act II instead. lol. She's the victim again. Applause, applause. Report.

 

RIP Ivan Nagy

We've lost another great one.

Max Waldman                                                                            Renate Pentzien

NYCB – 2/21Purple Haze & A Whiter Shade of Pale

If your favorite color palette includes this, this, this, and this, your place to be last night was at NYCB. Well, that just happens to be one of Haglund’s most favorite color schemes; so, he truly enjoyed the hues of the night, as some poet would say, or maybe that’s views of the night - whatever. Acheron, Walpurgisnacht Ballet, La Valse, and Afternoon of a Faun comprised Friday night’s excellent program.

Liam Scarlett’s Acheron is becoming more and more likable with each viewing. Set to Poulenc’s Concerto in G for Organ, Strings, and Timpani, it launches NYCB’s corps into huge flowing patterns across the stage and incorporates inventive partnering - even if some of it was invented by someone else. This ballet, like so much of NYCB’s other rep, needs to be seen from a ring level in order to appreciate the choreographic elements. Sitting in the orchestra might get you the thrill of a lift or two and an occasional emoting face, but you will totally miss what this ballet is all about.

So, what is this ballet all about? Simple - it’s about couples who are engaged in challenging discussions about what they want out of their relationships. Then there is this one guy who is destined to remain alone. That’s all you need to know, although, you may want to know that the dancers - in particular, Rebecca Krohn with Tyler Angle in the first cast and Sara Adams with Andrew Veyette in the second cast are revelations. Rebecca is having another breakout season with Acheron and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (more about that at later date) and Sara is just coming into the lights.  

Haglund has read with great interest all of the mostly boring complaints about Scarlett’s Acheron. The complainants need to be reminded that the last time we heard big beautiful organ music from NYCB’s pit, we had Damian Woetzel’s bare ass in our faces. Oh yes, no one should forget Eliot Feld’s Organon. It would be like forgetting your first food poisoning. This Acheron may be a bit busy in places and may rely too much on manipulations within the PdDs, but there is much craft and beauty in what Scarlett has imagined for the stage. Let’s hope that we haven’t seen his whole bag of tricks, and that he doesn’t repeat himself in future works that land on the New York stage. Listen, people, go see this ballet, but watch it from the rings - even the side rings are better than the orchestra level.

Sterling Hyltin and Craig Hall delivered a very enjoyable rendition of Jerome Robbin’s classic Afternoon of a Faun – a ballet first made famous by Vaslav Nijinsky forty-plus years earlier. In a sunny ballet studio, Hall stretched before his reflection in the imaginary mirror on the fourth wall. Hyltin entered walking on her pointes while adjusting her dancewear around the waist and swinging her beautiful hair - a completely self-possessed dancer until she caught the glimpse of Hall in the mirror.

What has been eternally interesting about this ballet is trying to figure out whether the woman is part of the man’s daydream or vice versa. There is a specific point in the ballet when the woman suddenly looks at the man that you feel the switch in perspective from his dream to her dream. Then it reverts back to his dream as he returns to stretching in front of the mirror at the ballet’s end. The genius of Robbins in the hands of great artists is something not to be missed. There are three more chances next week including during Saturday evening’s farewell performance with Janie Taylor and Sebastian Marcovici.

Walpurgisnacht Ballet also had its big hair moments with the corps women swinging it like they were in a volumizing shampoo commercial. Originally created by Balanchine for various opera productions of Faust from 1925 to 1975, Walpurgisnacht was first presented as an independent rep piece in 1980. It is significantly more than the obligatory ballet sequences in most operas – you know, those moments when you sense in the music “Okay, bring on the dancers!” and the opera purists start rustling the pages in their Playbills. Balanchine’s choreographic response to that was “If you bury your nose in the Playbill, you’re going to miss the best part of the show.” Well, maybe.

The ballet is filled with technical wizardry including a series of fast pique turns where the the working leg slides down the back of the supporting leg which Maria Kowroski so killed last night with her customary ease and calm. Her partner, Ask la Cour, who is dancing quite ably this season, matched Maria’s calm and ease in his pirouettes and grand jetes. Erica Pereira as the soloist was technically flawless and delightful but looked a little out of place with the tall cast of principals. She has continued to mature this season – her demi-soloist work in Emeralds showed exquisite elegance and refinement – but she’s not going to really be perceived as a grown-up dancer until she gets more grown-up roles instead of roles that exploit her peppy puppiness. Haglund would like to see her in Afternoon of a Faun or Duo Concertant and eventually in the light pink leotard in The Four Temperaments.

La Valse, with still more hair swinging in ponytails, included the charismatic evilness of Amar Ramasar who helped the lovely vision in white, Janie Taylor, into the long black gloves, jeweled choker, and black wrap. Sebastian Marcovici was the man who loved and lost her. The high-spirited soloist pairs (Lauren King & Antonio Carmena, Georgina Pazcoguin & Sean Suozzi, and Ashley Laracey & Tyler Angle) waltzed gracefully. In her natural style, Ashley accented the music with her head and arms in much the way Suzanne Farrell did as a young ballerina. Marika Anderson, Gwyneth Muller, and Gretchen Smith embodied the poses and mannerisms of the haute couture models from early Vogue and looked beautiful doing it.

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Prada pump that reveals its beauty with sleek lines and mystery, is bestowed upon Rebecca Krohn, who is truly coming into her own this season as a compelling artist of broad-ranging talent.

observations 2/17

Chase Finlay returns to the team lineup during the last week of NYCB's Winter Season. He'll lace up a pair of comfy, supportive dress shoes to twirl the ladies around in Bal De Couture on Thursday, February 27, and Friday, February 28. Even though it seems like it's been an eternity since we've seen him on stage, it's only been four months or so since he broke his foot during the Fall Season. It looks like he'll be good-to-go for the Spring Season and maybe even for the Kennedy Center run in April.

There are a few others who we're hoping to see back by springtime: Wendy Whelan, Jennie Somogyi, and Ana Sophia Scheller.

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On March 7th and 8th at Symphony Space, the Gelsey Kirkland Ballet will present Raymonda Suite, The Leaves are Fading Pas de Deux, Ballebille from Napoli, Flames of Paris Pas de Deux, Pas De Quatre, and Cavalry Halt.

Kirkland, of course, danced the lead in the 1975 premiere of The Leaves Are Fading with Jonas Kage. It had been 25 years since Antony Tudor had made a ballet for ABT for whom he had been the founding choreographer, and Leaves became an instant classic. The Antony Tudor Trust owns the ballet and dispatched répétiteurs Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, also renowned interpreters of the ballet, to set the PdD on Kirkland's dancers. But the Kirkland Company PR video makes it clear that Gelsey is passing down the ballet with her own coaching.

Take a look at this video which includes a lovely excerpt of Gelsey dancing the Leaves PdD with – be still, my beating heart – Ivan Nagy. Also, here is a video of the Mikhailovsky company's production of Petipa's The Cavalry Halt from 1978.

Tickets are $40 ($45 day of show; $35 for seniors and students) which may seem a bit much considering this is a relatively new studio company that sprang from Kirkland's academy, but here is one of those instances where the content could prove so rich that, in the end, $40 will seem to have been a bargain.

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On April 10th, Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild will premiere Twyla Tharp's new creation, Cornbread Duet, to music performed by the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the BAM Opera House. Tickets start at $20.

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Lastly, those ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White – wow, just wow.

 

 

Royal New Zealand Ballet @ the Joyce 2/12

When the Royal New Zealand Ballet opened its New York debut season at the Joyce Theater on Wednesday night, it felt a little bit like we were catching up with old friends. When last we saw these dancers, they were in the midst of celebrations after having enjoyed a major success with their magnificent new production of Sleeping Beauty. Dancer Lucy Green, whose prior first year with the company had seen its ups and downs, was blissfully beaming after winning the audience’s and artistic team’s respect for her outstanding performances as one of the soloist fairies. Abigail Boyle had conquered her nerves to pull off good performances of Aurora. Tonia Looker, another Aurora, was the unflappable pro who possessed limitless calm and concentration and didn’t mess up a step. We won’t talk about Sergio – now with the Royal Ballet of Flanders – who the cameras of The Secret Lives of Dancers adored from the front and especially from the back, except to say that he was a handsome partner to the gorgeous guest artist, Stella Abrera, in her dozen or so performances as Aurora throughout New Zealand.

The company had just finished its first season under new artistic director Ethan Stiefel, whose entire inaugural year was captured on video by The Secret Lives of Dancers.  We were looking forward to future installments when the plug was pulled on our pirated internet access to the program which was only intended to be shown on New Zealand television. Such is the cruel world.

So when Stiefel brought the RNZB to New York, we were already curious about this company but had not  formed many expectations. Never did we expect to see the likes of an early Joffrey Ballet  that encompassed such variety in its dancers, many with impeccable technique, no distracting mannerisms, and loads of charm. At the first intermission when Haglund was discussing the Joffrey-like qualities with a friend who contributes over on CriticalDance, it turned out that we each thought we had seen someone who danced like the much-loved Joffrey star Tina LeBlanc. But he thought Lucy Green was the LeBlanc ghost while Haglund thought it was Tonia Looker. We’re still arguing over this. The point here is that the RNZB has a wealth of talent of the kind that we in the U.S. have appreciated for many years.

The first ballet on the bill, Benjamin Millepied’s 28 Variations on a Theme of Paganini, was last seen at the Joyce Theater five years ago when Millepied presented it as part of his Danses Concertante program. Haglund seems to recall that Millepied enlisted the help of Amanda McKerrow to coach the dancers in the overall program which turned out to be one of his brightest decisions. McKerrow has also been working with the RNZB - most recently coaching dancers in the company’s acclaimed production of Giselle.

Using a recording of the Brahms piano work by Jian Liu, Head of Piano Studies at the New Zealand School of Music, which revealed the potent virtuosity of the music without being needlessly showy, the RNZB dancers turned Millepied’s steppy, academic choreography into a real ballet of joyous and romantic interludes.

Ms. Green tossed off some exceptionally lovely attitude turns complete with twinkling eyes and a smile. Ms. Looker appeared to have emerged from Robert Joffrey's dream: so perfectly tidy, no excesses in movement that might mar lines, and a dreamy quality in her upper body – such an absolute joy to watch throughout the evening. Antonia Hewitt was eye-catching for her mature elegance and long limbs. Bronte Kelly’s every step was filled with fresh exuberance. These dancers, along with their fine partners, brought new respect to Millepied’s choreography.

Gillian Murphy, who has been with the RNZB as a guest principal since Stiefel became its artistic director, danced the lead PdD opposite Qi Huan, her most frequent partner at RNZB. It seems that going to the other side of the planet to get quality coaching was a good strategy on her part. Over the past three years, she has beautifully blended the sharp articulation of her feet and legs with a romantic softness in the upper body – all of which was displayed stunningly in Millepied’s ballet. Qi Huan, a product of the Beijing Dance Academy and a nine year veteran of RNZB, has the chiseled good looks of a GQ cover model. Wednesday night he was a powerfully coordinated partner to Gillian and an exceptional soloist.

The other two pieces on the program, Of Days, choreographed by Andrew Simmons, and Banderillero by Javier De Frutos underutilized this talented group of dancers. It is understandable how the company would want to differentiate itself by presenting original works made for it by Simmons, a New Zealander, and De Frutos, a Venezuelan. But in bringing these particular works, the company may have achieved just the opposite. Of Days relied much on lighting effects that accentuated the musculature of the dancers while revealing little of what they were capable of doing – a characteristic we see all too often here. There was the suggestion of importance without anything having been said.

Banderillero, set to or set against a riveting collection of Chinese gong and drum music, relied heavily on the motif of women bending over and violently sweeping their hair across the ground. There was an abundance of hostile posturing and glowering to help convey the fierce moments of contest (and horror) associated with the banderillero’s job while drawing parallels to the relationships between men and women. But the choreography per se was repetitious and not very interesting.

Both Of Days and Banderillero would be great pieces for use in attracting a crossover audience that leans toward less balletic, more modern work – which describes a good part of the general Joyce Theater audience – but they’re probably not the best choices as calling cards for New Zealand’s national ballet company. Thank goodness we got to see the company's exquisite film of Giselle at the Dance on Camera Festival a couple of weeks ago. They really used their classical chops in that production. Qi Huan's entrechats six and his overhead lifts of Gillian Murphy were mindblowing.

The Valentines Day Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Tonia Looker who was a most happy discovery on Wednesday night.

Dear Lincoln Center,

Would it be possible for you to publish a calendar with the dates on which Damrosch Park will be the groomed public space that it was intended to be? Those dates have become less frequent and are now few and far between as the public space – and the public access street and sidewalk by it – are highjacked for one commercial event after another.

Permanently gone are the magnificent lush beds of red azaleas that created the signature picturesque artscape during the spring and summer months. They’ve been replaced with more concrete and portable plants that don’t see enough days of sun to survive.

It would be nice to know the dates on which people might be able to relax and enjoy Damrosch Park, especially during the spring and summer, not to mention walk on the sidewalk around it or use the street during the other seasons without stepping in elephant dung or tripping on all those water bottles left over from the models' meal of the day. If you don’t anticipate enough dates for which to make a special calendar, maybe you could list two or three of them on your website. And bring back the azalea beds, please.

Your friend and mine,
Haglund

All the evidence you need

Over on Vanity Fair, James Wolcott has nothing but praises for Angelin Preljocaj's Spectral Evidence at New York City Ballet:

"Spectral Evidence," choreographed Angelin Preljocaj to music from John Cage--I can recommend not only as a phenomenal piece of theater but as a vitamin b shot for the winter doldrums, its eroticism ice-melting and insurrectionary.

and this:

Fairchild's solo was the best thing I've ever seen him do at NYCB--dark masculine mastery done with scything arms and a Michael Fassbender severity of iron brow.

and this:

Almost needless to say, the professional dance critics were complete dopes about the Preljocaj, with Alastair Macaulay in the Times calling it "creepy, grim, and tedious"--words more applicable to Macaulay's critical tenure--and his colleague Brian Seibert leaning on snideness, the default mode of the idle critical bystander unable to engage with what's in front of him.

Tonight is the year's final performance of this work unless it gets substituted for that Dalbavie/Martins creation that has been postponed twice already but is scheduled again for the spring. Let us pray.

Spectral Evidence, which premiered at NYCB's Fall Gala last September, should appeal to the widest ranging audience that one sees at Lincoln Center's various music, dance, and theater venues. Haglund hopes that Mr. Taylor has had a chance to see it, because it would be right up his alley. His company opens its 60th Anniversary Season on March 11th at Lincoln Center. Lots of great works are in store for us: Piazzolla Caldera, Black Tuesday, Cloven Kingdom, Gossamer Gallants, and new works as well. Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild will dance an excerpt from Airs at the PTDC Gala on March 13th.

 

A new Osipodrama

Natalia Osipova collided with another dancer during a performance of Wayne MacGregor's new dance, Tetractys - The Art of Fugue, and suffered a "mild concussion" for which she must rest for 48 hours. Consequently, the Royal Ballet had to cancel MacGregor's piece on Saturday night while proceeding with the other two-thirds of the program. Ticketholders were given the option of either a full refund if they declined to attend or a one-third refund if they sat through the partial program. Apparently there was no understudy or second cast dancer available. Nor was there a replacement dance that could be substituted.

There have been no reports on the condition of the other dancer – you know, the one who Natalia bashed into or vice versa. But does it matter? Apparently not.

Natalia has never been keen on bunch formations and trap plays. When given the option, she's always chosen to tuck the ball under and run the sweep with the hope that she can break open and sprint to the goal line and then launch into an unsportsmanlike song & dance "This field isn't big enough to hold me." 

We'll probably never see the footage of this collision just like we've never seen the footage of when Natalia went sailing over the shoulder of her partner during a Nutcracker performance at the Paris Opera Ballet some years back.

Concussions aren't funny and can have serious consequences if not managed wisely. A second impact experienced before complete recovery of a first concussion can be fatal. While Natalia and the choreographer MacGregor may be well-known for creating excitement by pushing limits, it's time for ballet to throw a penalty flag when concussions and violent impact injuries begin to occur.