Once a fail-safe mainstay at American Ballet Theatre, now even Giselle can disappoint.
On Wednesday evening, Julie Kent, who is forging her way toward completing a third decade of performing when two were her limit for acceptable classical work, danced a Giselle of watered-down content that was mostly disappointing in front of a house that was nearly half empty. During the past decade, we’ve seen other of Julie’s late-career performances in Petipa ballets that should never have made it to the stage. Her insistence on dancing a last Le Corsaire and La Bayadere some years ago when she had failed to maintain physical conditioning yielded embarrassing results. Wednesday night, as in the past several seasons of Giselle, Julie offered compromises and impressionistic sketchings of steps by a dancer who clearly was lacking in requisite balletic physical conditioning.
In Act I, Julie omitted the penches that conclude the pique arabesques in profile as has been her practice for the past several seasons. In their stead, she stepped to a pique arabesque with her arms in high fifth position and looked out over her shoulder with a pretty smile and raised eyebrows — like something one might see in an Ashton ballet. Surely much of the casual audience must have thought that it was very sweet and girl-like. The problem with the substitution (other than it had less technical value) is that the connection between Giselle’s happy penches in profile in Act I and her deep, sadly spiritual arabesque penche in profile in Act II was lost. Actually, Wednesday night, we didn’t even get the deep, spiritual penche arabesque from Julie in Act II. Rather, we got a slight tilting forward position with major wobbling in the supporting foot. The wobbling in the supporting foot continued through much of Act II. When Alessandra Ferri and Nina Ananiashvili performed Giselle while in their 40s, each still had sufficient strength and stability to pull off the penches and other technical challenges in the ballet. Not so with Julie.
One doesn’t go to Julie’s performances expecting to see great jumps, but her grand jetes in both acts were mere markings of what they should have been and were accompanied by terrific strain in the upper body. The saute ronde de jambe in Act II looked like Julie was flicking some crap off the end of her shoe. In Act I, she fumbled her second attitude turn badly. A simple left footed releve with the other leg in attitude en avant proved problematic for this principal dancer. There were enough bizarre accommodations for her in the tempi that the orchestra sounded like a wind-up Victrola being cranked by a sore arm.
Julie’s lovely arabesque line of past years no longer has the stretch, length, or height that it once had. Even when she was gallantly carried around by Robert Bolle, her arabesque did not sing the pure note that it did in years past. How much more of this do we have to put up with while ABT's talent defects to other companies for chances to dance the iconic roles or dancers stay while hopelessly locked out of opportunities? We, the audience, are being gypped and gypped out of seeing brilliant performances in iconic roles so that a prima who passed her prime long ago can chase after her last hurrahs.
In contrast, the 39-year-old Roberto Bolle has kept his instrument in tip-top dancing shape while he has continued to build his dramatic abilities. His daily investment in training to maintain his flexibility, strength, and balletic technique still yields very admirable results on the stage. It is much less common to see a 39-year-old man dancing at the top of his game in classical works than it is to see a woman. The stress from lifting hundred-pound ballerinas and grand allegro take their tolls on the male dancer’s back and knees early in the career. Over at NYCB, 38+ year old Joaquin De Luz is still shaming the young ones into trying harder. But Bolle and De Luz are exceptions, and we are the lucky beneficiaries of their commitment to the physical prep work that goes into maintaining their instruments.
Roberto’s Albrecht was neither cad nor innocent – perhaps something in between. He was a good sport to carry Julie for the performance, but there was no chemistry between the two of them. His dancing was remarkable in the attractiveness and tastefulness of every phrase, every turn, every jump, every extended leg and pointed foot. Truly a pleasure to watch in all respects. The Act II overhead lifts of Giselle were spectacular. His series of entrechat sixes seemed to go on forever – of course, until he slumped to the ground. While his face conveyed that he was exhausted, his legs could have done 24 more sixes easily.
On Monday night, Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes transported us into a dream from which none wanted to wake. All expectations met. Period.
The ethereal grace of Diana’s Giselle, light and airy and yet so potent with love and forgiveness, spun a simple solution to Albrecht’s complex crisis: redemption. In Act II, so beautiful was the arc of the skirt when Giselle bent forward into a deep penche that you wished for that iconic image to last through another musical phrase or two. The spaciousness of her port de bra as a picture frame around her face or when leaning forward in a supported arabesque was gloriously Romantic.
To conclude the first part of the Act II PdD, Giselle bourreed up behind Albrecht who was on one knee. As she slowly lifted her back leg to arabesque, she lowered her head pressing it against Albrecht’s cheek. It was a little indulgent, perhaps, and a departure from one of the iconic poses to which we are accustomed, but this was Diana & Marcelo who, as we well know, do not shy away from indulgence. There were times in Act II, however, when Haglund wished that Diana’s Giselle had not crossed over into conveying passionate ecstasy with her mouth and eyes while being caressed by Marcelo’s Albrecht. At this point in the ballet, Giselle knows only pure love and pure forgiveness. She wants nothing from Albrecht, and only wants to save him. Diana’s Giselle, on the other hand, seemed passionately to want what Manon and Juliet got. We don’t have to talk about technique but to say that it was impressive and formidable and was used strictly to convey the character.
ABT missed a perfect opportunity to honor its past while honoring its present by dedicating the opening night Giselle to the memory of Ivan Nagy, the company’s great danseur and perhaps its greatest partner - that is, until Marcelo Gomes came along. (The Wednesday evening performance was, instead, chosen as the commemorative for Nagy who expired earlier this year.)
Partnering is for Marcelo, as it was for Nagy, a high calling and a path to heroism on stage. In his career, he has had two partners with whom the chemistry and emotional wattage have overwhelmed anyone who sat in a theater seat to watch them: Veronika Part and Diana Vishneva. Diana was the lucky object of his ardent expression on Monday night.
Marcelo’s Albrecht was cad to the bone. But when his Giselle went insane and died after learning that Albrecht was a Count engaged to a gorgeous lady in an expensive red dress, Marcelo had a terrific little mad scene of his own to bring the curtain down on the first act. His solo dancing was as strong and finely tuned as it has ever been. It seems that with each performance, he reaches for a little more stretch, a little more speed, a little more power. What a joy and privilege it has been to watch Marcelo’s entire career.
On Thursday evening, Xiomara Reyes and Jared Matthews danced the roles of Giselle and Albrecht together for the first and last time. Jared, who also danced a superb Hilarion on Monday night, is fed up with ABT’s lack of confidence in his abilities, and will decamp to Houston Ballet with Yuriko Kajiya at the end of the season. It will be a huge loss to ABT where much talent has defected because of Kevin McKenzie’s practice of substituting mediocre, incompatible, obnoxious guest artists for ABT’s own dancers.
Thursday's outstanding performance gave us Xiomara’s Cuban version of the variations and Jared’s Baryshnikov-based interpretations which merged for a most satisfying evening of clear dancing and intense drama. Giselle's happy, generous penche arabesques in Act I foreshadowed the slow and controlled penche expressions of the spirit in her Act II. The happy racing allegro in Act I foreshadowed the desperate allegro racing against the clock to save Albrecht in Act II. In Xiomara’s interpretation, one could still see a few signs of the wildness of the peasant girl in Act II, and we knew that she was somehow different from the rest of the cold-hearted wilis.
While Marcelo’s Albrecht was pure cad and Roberto’s was not quite cad but not quite innocent, Jared made it clear from the outset that he truly loved his Giselle and that his deception was his only choice if he wanted to keep her. In Act I when Giselle saw clearly that the daisy which she was plucking foretold that Albrecht did not love her, Jared quickly plucked a petal to change the natural outcome, not with fraudulent intent but with determination to show that all signs pointed to his true love of Giselle.
Throughout the evening, his dancing was beyond wonderful - that of a true artist of principal stature who has sadly been wasted by the incompetent artistic management at ABT. Jared’s choice to reprise many of Baryshnikov’s elements from Giselle were good choices that fit him like a glove, but likely chaffed against the raw egos of ABT’s impotent artistic management that still toils and roils in Baryshnikov’s shadow – and always will.
Jared's sequence of blazing brises followed by wild temps de fleche traveling upstage perfectly conveyed the character’s desperate, out of control dancing that was forced upon him by Myrtha. His ultimate exhaustion was conveyed not by a sprawling to the floor after a double tour but by a swift and sudden fall to one knee that struck such stillness in expression one thought surely he had died.
Jared’s partnering of Xiomara was faultless. His overhead lifts in Act II were heroic and the slowness with which he lowered Giselle made her appear light as air. Even though this remarkable overhead lift didn’t work its way into the choreography until the 1950s or so with a Bolshoi production, it is clearly the universal standard of today. Danseurs who don’t want to invest what it takes to gain the strength to do it should pass up Albrecht. In other words, if one doesn’t have the correct change in one's pocket, one should not climb on the bus, and sure as hell should not expect to be given a window seat.
Haglund wishes that Jared would dial back the use of his halting walk that works exceptionally well when used sparingly. It is an effective theatrical tool but was overused in the performance.
Highlights of the week included Myrtha as performed by Gillian Murphy on Monday and Stella Abrera on Wednesday night. Here’s hoping that their performances, both spectacular, were final kiss-offs of this secondary role that has stood between them and the title role of Giselle far too long.
Gillian’s Myrtha was a stinging cold, uncompromising executioner whose smack of the myrtle branches left welts on all men everywhere. Stella’s Myrtha, icy and authoritative, still showed signs of hurting from being jilted in her mortal life. She was slightly misunderstood, but still dangerous. Gillian’s grand jetes vaulted powerfully into the air while Stella’s streamed up and fast foward with the back of her skirt looking like wispy contrails behind a jet. To prepare for the hunting and dispatching of their victims, each Myrtha unloaded a manege – no, make that unloaded a magazine of saute de basque with the fiery force of The Terminator and concluded it by exiting with a sustained arabesque balance and a cold look in her eyes that said, “I’ll be back.”
Thursday evening’s Myrtha was “exchange artist” Amy Watson from the Royal Danish Ballet. This “exchange,” like the “exchange” that brought Australian Ballet’s Kevin Jackson here for Manon, is unreciprocated. No one from ABT has been designated to go anywhere in “exchange” for the de facto imported guest artists. It was just ABT’s way of trying to disguise the fact that it was importing inferior dancers from foreign companies instead of giving its own dancers opportunities to perform. What a disappointment to see such mediocrity in a principal role on ABT’s stage. It was worse than the fiasco with Tamás Solymosi who McKenzie tried to force on us ten or so years ago. Ms. Watson, who sports lovely shaped feet, was graceless above the ankles. She nearly collapsed on the first set of arabesque promenades. Her arms looked like something out of rural regional ballet school. There are many ABT dancers in the corps de ballet who would have delivered a much better Myrtha.
The Peasant Pas de Deux was danced by Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak on Monday and Wednesday nights to spectacular effect. They now look like a true partnership, and Gorak has easily surpassed Daniil Simkin in partnering skills. So, hopefully, this all points to more Sarah & Joe instead of Sarah & Daniil. Sarah’s triple pirouettes from the knee into supported arabesque promenade were easy, breezy beautiful by a dancer who should be an ABT Cover Girl, not one who bears the false flattery of “flagship soloist.” Her balances were like little surprise gifts as opposed to calculated bribes for applause. Every phrase, every segue, every step, every partner connection exceeded what either Isabella Boylston or Misty Copeland, who the company is unwisely pushing to the forefront long before they are ready, have been able to deliver. Misty and Blaine Hoven, who performed the Peasant PdD on Thursday night, were an odd match except for the bulk of their muscles. They did not dance badly, but they did not compare favorably to the highly polished product that Sarah and Joe delivered.
There are some things to talk about with regard to Moyna and Zulma. Yuriko Kajiya’s Zulma on Monday has become the Gold Standard as far as Haglund is concerned. The weightlessness, length of line, and musicality in this dancer are something to behold. Her renverses spoke with a sweep and airiness that Haglund cannot remember seeing before. She is, of course, one of ABT’s best interpreters of Giselle. Sadly, New York has never been given the opportunity to see how she and Jared triumph when dancing together in this ballet. The Zulmas on Wednesday and Thursday were Zhong-Jing Fang and Stephanie Williams, both of whom performed very well. Fang has been dancing this role for a while and has made great progress in smoothing out her musicality and modulating her energy and power which was very nice to see.
The Moynas for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday were Misty Copeland, Christine Shevchenko, and Melanie Hamrick. While Misty is a stunner in nearly all of the contemporary work that ABT puts on the stage, the classical works of Petipa simply are not a good fit for her. The contemporary works happily exploit and can make beautiful the substantial bulk in her upper body, but the physique is a misfire in romantic tulle. And it was especially unfortunate when the dancer was paired with the lithe Yuriko as Zulma. Misty has indicated a disdain for being told that she needs to lengthen her lines; but it is the truth that she needs to do it. If she can’t or won't, ABT should not just give up and say, “Oh, you can dance anyway.” Also, the heavy force which she applies to Petipa is akin to a jackhammer going through rock.
Christine Shevchenko also needs to lengthen the lines in her upper body which looked a little mushy. Her Moyna Wednesday was a work in progress. We’ll keep checking back regularly, however, because her Fairy of Joy in Sleeping Beauty was very pleasing and suggested that she has much to give an audience.
Melanie Hamrick – okay, okay, she needs a scolding for calling in sick to work and then tripping off to Zurich to meet with "His Majesty," "that bitch Brenda” as Keith calls him – but her Moyna on Thursday night was beautiful. Just exquisite. This dancer has more quality and classical bearing than Isabella Boylston could ever hope to have. And she has a beautiful, expressive face, scrupulously classical leg lines and feet, lovely arms and hands, and untapped technical potential. Why isn’t this dancer getting more soloist roles? ABT needs to keep her occupied so that she doesn’t skip down a wayward trail and out of her career.
We mentioned above that Jared Matthews was Hilarion on Monday night. Patrick Ogle danced the role on Wednesday night and Thursday and was very good, too – much better than the last time we saw him do it. Shortly after he was chased by the wilis into the scene in Act II, he delivered a desperate tour jete/legs in attitude leap into the air in which it looked like his back foot nearly met his head - a la Malakhov.
Back in the 1980s when Baryshnikov ran ABT, Manolo Blahnik was the go-to shoe designer for the biggest names in fashion. He was respected and admired for his superior aesthetic, a quality that has never gone out of style. One could not go wrong in wearing Manolo Blahnik. The Pump Bump Award of the week, from a more recent Blahnik collection, goes to Jared Matthews for his extraordinary performance of Albrecht and to Xiomara Reyes, who this season is turning into something of a Heroine to some very talented men at ABT.
