Haglund's Heel

NYCB – All Robbins Program 2/21

In the winter season’s all-Jerome Robbins program of Glass Pieces, Moves, and The Concert, the endlessly different postures of humanity are seen marching in and out of light or under umbrellas which shield them from rain — all on undefined journeys. We don’t know the destinations of the women shuffling along in a line at the back of the stage in the dark during Glass Pieces, their forms backlit to obscure their individual faces while highlighting their distinct profiles. We don’t know the destinations of the aggressive groups and individuals in Moves who clearly harbor some disdain for one another but need each other in order to fulfill their killer-competitive instincts. We don’t know the destinations of the funny little people in The Concert who march in the same direction under individual umbrellas and then try to huddle together in mass under one or two umbrellas while continuing to travel.

We never know their destinations, but after more than a half century we are still fascinated by the journeys that Robbins mapped out for dancers over the course of his life. His centennial celebration will be in 2018. We hope that NYCB will include not only those works that he made for the ballet stage but also his vast contribution to Broadway. Never has NYCB had more dancers who could cross over from ballet to Broadway with true sparkle.

Robbins was a keen observer of social and anti-social behavior and the difficult relationships that individuals have with their groups in society. His ballets were not simply divided into soloist and corps work. The soloists frequently acted-out within or against the corps always suggesting a community undergoing some evolution or disruption.

On Tuesday evening the grands assemblés of the principals in the Rubric section of Glass Pieces (Ashley Hod, Meagan Mann, Lydia Wellington, Joseph Gordon, Peter Walker, Cameron Dieck) disrupted the earth-bound population of pedestrians walking hurriedly on their daily treks. In sleek pastel unitards that accentuated the long lines of their gorgeous limbs, the principals demonstrated an energy and purpose in their lives that was unknown to the others locked in daily drudge.

Maria Kowroski and Russell Janzen (debuting) gave the physique-dependent Facades pas de deux the length and limpid quality that makes it so much more than an acrobatic ballet from the ‘80s. How we have loved seeing Maria, Rebecca Krohn, Wendy Whelan, and Maria Calegari put their unique imprints on this role. A miscast of physical type in this PdD simply cracks the glass without achieving meaningful artistry.

The Akhnaten section performed by the corps de ballet sent the audience into a tizzy. Guest Conductor Harrison Hollingsworth (also principal bassoonist in the NYCB orchestra) inspired the dancers with his energy – or maybe it was vice versa – whatever it was, the audience was feeling the electricity run through their nerves.

The current generation at NYCB has given Moves a brand new contemporary energy that seems to have elevated the significance of the women in this ballet in terms of strength, control, directness, and ambition. This is not to suggest that the men are pushovers, but they are definitely facing a competitive tension from the women unlike generations before them. On Tuesday night, Emilie Gerrity and Taylor Stanley became embroiled in a consensual-bordering-on-fierce Pas de Deux where she looked like at any time she wanted, she could reverse roles and begin manipulating her partner. The sharp slicing limbs of Claire Kretzschmar and Ashley Hod also contributed much to this theme.

After the seriousness of Glass Pieces and Moves, The Concert offered comedic relief with Andrew Veyette, Sterling Hyltin, and Lydia Wellington leading the ensemble of very individual characters who attend a piano concert and vie for the attentions of the pianist (Elaine Chelton) and each other.

The HH Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon the ladies in the corps de ballet of Moves for their spirited situation control:

observations 2-22

It appears that the Sunshine Cinema on East Houston Street in NYC will show the Royal Ballet's upcoming (Feb 28th) transmission of Sleeping Beauty with Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov on Tuesday, April 11th at 7pm. You can buy tickets online now.

Here is the trailer:

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John Neumeier's Hamburg Ballet debuts at the Joyce Theater from March 21 through March 25th. The company will perform Neumeier's Old Friends, "a full length collage of ballets exploring the ever-changing nature of human relationships, appropriately set to the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name and featuring the music of Frédéric Chopin as well." (from the Joyce website) Following the second performance there will be a Curtain Chat. We're assuming that it will be with John Neumeier who is one of the most articulate and enlightened speakers in the world of ballet. He is also, arguably, the best living creator of story ballets.

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We've been waiting for this for almost three years. Film maker Frederick Wiseman and choreographer James Sewell have collaborated on a new dance theater piece based on Wiseman's famous 1967 documentary, Titicut Follies, which provided a revealing look at the conditions of the Bridgewater Hospital for the Criminally Insane. This project was one of the first to receive grant support from NYU's Center for Ballet and the Arts. It will be performed on Friday, April 28th through April 30th at Skirball Center. It's going to be different. So, those who are clamoring for something different should not delay purchasing tickets. They are currently available on TDF as well as at the NYU Skirball box office. There will be a post-show discussion with the creative team on each date.

 

observations 2-20

The Australian Ballet has announced that David Hallberg has been appointed as its first International Resident Guest Artist. He will perform in two seasons in the coming year. This is good news that makes us happy. Aside from his obvious gratitude to TAB and its medical team for managing his physical recovery, it seems that Hallberg has formed an attachment to the Tivoli Road Bakery in Melbourne.

In our opinion, Hallberg should be opening the week of Giselles at the Met during ABT's spring season this year. A Saturday night performance on a big holiday weekend when so many people, including wealthy donors, rush out of town for the first nice weather getaway, is going to make many people unhappy. Poor planning by ABT again.

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Maria Riccetto has been nominated for a Prix Benois de la Danse for her portrayal of Tatyana in Cranko's Onegin which was set on the Ballet Nacional Sodre by none other than Marcia Haydée. Best of luck to her. We miss seeing her on stage in New York.

Meanwhile, YAGP will be celebrating BNS Artistic Director Julio Bocca with its Legends of Dance series on April 14th at Lincoln Center. Maria will return to perform along with Marcelo Gomes, Luciana Paris, Joaquin De Luz, Tiler Peck, and others. Also, there will be appearances by Nina Ananiashvili, Manuel Legris, Cynthia Harvey, Susan Jaffe, and Julie Kent, among others.

 

 

Words to remember

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. once addressed the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters on the role of public support for the arts. He adapted his speech as an opinion piece for the New York Times on September 20, 1985. Here is a link to the full article which is worth revisiting at this time when the not-my-president (NMP) seems determined to gut public support of the arts. The NMP knows that such cuts would appeal to the rural redneck racist population that elected him because they, for the most part, could not care less about the arts but would derive some satisfaction out of seeing cuts that especially hurt the liberal-oriented metropolitan areas where the highest appreciation for the arts traditionally resides.

Schlesinger's remarks, especially those below, seem worthy of being etched in stone and preserved. Does anyone do that anymore or is it a lost art?

 

"If history tells us anything, it tells us that the United States, like all other nations, will be measured in the eyes of posterity less by the size of its gross national product and the menace of its military arsenal than by its character and achievement as a civilization."

. . . .

"For painters, composers, writers, film-makers, sculptors, architects, orchestras, museums, libraries, concert halls, opera houses contribute indispensably to the pride and glory of the nation. They are crucial to the forming of national traditions and to the preservation of civic cohesion."

. . . .

"Both Lincoln and Roosevelt, (John F.) Kennedy said, 'understood that the life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a nation's purpose - and is a test of the quality of a nation's civilization.' "

. . . .

''Great nations,'' said John Ruskin, ''write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two others; but of the three the only quite trustworthy one is the last. The acts of a nation may be triumphant by its good fortune; and its words mighty by the genius of a few of its children; but its art only by the general gifts and common sympathies of the race.''

Where is the Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. of this day?

 

Promotions at NYCB!

How fabulous to hear of eight more promotions at NYCB! Russell Janzen to principal. Sara Adams, Harrison Ball, Emilie Gerrity, Joseph Gordon, Unity Phelan, Troy Schumacher and Indiana Woodward to soloist. Peter Martins could have promoted ten more dancers and still have left several deserving artists in the corps. Maybe this spring Aaron Sanz, Harrison Coll and several more ladies will bloom their ways to soloists!

Looking forward to next week's programs, especially Maria Kowroski in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

 

NYCB Sleeping Beauty 2/16

Haglund is rushing off to the Orchid Show today at the New York Botanical Garden, but he needs to pause to gush over the beautiful new rose that debuted last evening in New York City Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty.

Lauren Lovette gave a thoroughly thought-out, thoroughly prepared, gorgeous, heart warming, simply stunning portrayal of Aurora. This performance was just as astonishingly unexpected as her Sylph in La Sylphide a few years ago. Lauren has done her homework for each of these roles, and it has paid off beautifully.

Was she nervous on her entrance? As nervous and excited as Aurora would be on making an entrance to her grand 16th birthday party. But oh what a party. When her father told her that it was time to pick a husband, she reacted with surprise and a blush of modesty. Upon meeting each of the suitors, Aurora was as gracious as could be, but it was clear – crystal clear – that she was most enthralled with the one from Africa. (He was the tallest.)

All of the suitors – Aaron Sanz, Cameron Dieck, Andrew Scordato, and Preston Chamblee – magnificently escorted Aurora through the Rose Adagio. At every juncture with each suitor, Aurora made conversation through dance and eye contact. She was truly trying to get to know them all before making her choice. And oh my, were these gentlemen beaming with pride when Aurora completed her promenades en attitude — as they should have been. Lauren had to pause momentarily during the third rotation to re-calibrate her position that went awry but there was never any question that she was going to complete the task. In her variation with the backward moving little emboites a terre, her pirouettes were so solidly on balance that she nearly got stuck there. How lovely it was to see such a beautifully controlled, musical triple pirouette down stage to finish the sequence.

Lauren’s choices throughout the Rose Adagio and Aurora’s variation in Act I were those of a mature artist who had confidence in her own decision making. She was unlike the other Auroras who we have seen at NYCB. There was more squareness, more overall harmony in positions, and more delicacy in the shaping of phrases than we ever expected to see.

The transformation of Aurora from the Act I Birthday Party to the Vision Scene to the Awakening and Wedding Pas de Deux was distinct and complete. There were a few lapses in the Vision Scene when Lauren broke the fourth wall and engaged the audience with her smile, but overall she fully conveyed the Prince’s dreamy vision and danced it superbly.

The Wedding Pas de Deux was going so well until we got to the fish dives. Two out of three were muffed. While it is always hard to tell exactly what went wrong, it appeared that Lauren held back upon entering into them. There didn't seem to be a battement of the first leg, and her head didn't dive forward. The third one, however, was moderately successful. Haglund wants to help out here by offering a glimpse of the Royal Ballet’s academic perfection:

Fish Dives from Haglund's Heel on Vimeo.

Gonzalo Garcia gave a fine performance as Prince Désiré. He’s not as good as some, but if one holds everyone to the standard achieved by only the very best, then one is going to walk away disappointed 99% of the time. There has to be a range of acceptance, and Gonzalo clearly falls within that range. His double tours were much better than usually and his grand allegro didn’t let him down either. His theatrical delivery was very on the mark and believable. His search for Aurora was genuine in tone, and his joy in finding her was as well.

Also debuting in this performance were Miriam Miller as Lilac Fairy, Gretchen Smith as Carabosse, Emily Kikta as Diamond, Unity Phelan as Emerald, and Spartak Hoxha as Bluebird. All enjoyed successful debuts, but Emily Kikta’s luxuriance and breadth of musicality were beautiful. It’s going to be tough to find partners for her due to her height, but there are plenty of roles in NYCB’s rep that could use her musical detailing as a soloist. Spartak has to work on his partnering skills. (Megan Fairchild was a very good sport as Princess Florine last night and clearly knows that part of her job as an established principal is to help break in these new guys in their first big roles.) Spartak’s solo variations were spectacular. His pas de poisson, beats and turns were all on the mark. Unity Phelan was lovely in the Emerald section, but it was a challenge for her not to look too abrupt while trying to look sharp. Gretchen Smith’s Carabosse was bold and sufficiently angry, but this is a role in which it takes time for the dancer to think up his/her own details to really bring it to life. Gretchen and Sara Mearns will eventually be as good as Maria Kowroski, but it will take time.

Miriam Miller – okay, we’re going to have to relax and be patient. It’s obvious to anyone who lays eyes on her what is down the road in terms of beautiful dancing and that the quickest way to get there is for her to be on the stage in these kinds of roles. She is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful in terms of lines, but she is not as technically strong as the majority of her tall fellow corps women. She’ll get there. It took several years for Maria Kowroski to mature; so we have to be patient. Hopefully, it will all work out; sometimes it doesn’t. Some of you oldsters may remember the 1980s ABT when a tall specimen of physical perfection by the name of Antonia continually messed up the back lines of La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Don Q, etc. because she was so gangly weak. But Baryshnikov couldn’t bear not to put her on stage because of her extraordinary ballet-suited physical features and naturally weepy eyes — all of which pointed to great things to come. She finally moved on, but, oy, it was difficult to watch sometimes.

Last night Miriam did more than an acceptable job. She was lovely. She was immediately likable on stage. Her own variations were not bad at all. She slipped and fell towards the back during a simple transition that involved many dancers, but her quick restoration of her composure was impressive. She’s lucky that she had Peter Walker standing behind her as her cavalier. His mission was clearly to make her look as perfect as possible. It was a night of genuinely selfless partnering on his part.

A word about the Fairies in Act I: Haglund loves all of these dancers, but he wanted to put their arms in hard plaster casts last night. Such breakage and generally bad form – except for Sara Adams as Vivacity. We would swear that Alexa Maxwell’s interpretation of the Fairy of Courage had Ratmansky written all over it. We’re not saying that’s either good or bad – it’s just an observation. Nevertheless, Alexa was marvelously accomplished every step of the way. Erica Periera’s Ruby solo in the Wedding section was another highlight of the evening. Russell Janzen’s Gold Fairy was not. He danced well, but the choreography looked thrown together like classroom stuff. Where are the fast turns a la second and the pirouettes? Where is the bravery? These are not the tasks of just the short dancers. Height is not an excuse. Let’s look at a very tall danseur who is physically similar to Janzen doing turns from the 1980s:

It’s not Good-e-nufv to substitute easy stuff for the hard stuff. It’s cheating.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a rose gold stiletto from Dolce & Gabbana, is bestowed upon Lauren Lovette for her terrific debut in what is arguably classical ballet's most challenging role.

 

observations 2-15

New York City Ballet wants to remind everyone about the 2-part PBS special that airs this Friday, February 17 at 9PM and next Friday, February 24th. A performance will be presented from last summer's tour to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris – half this Friday and half next Friday.

 
Photo: Michel Lidvac

A brochure arrived in Haglund's mail today which shows that on the weekend that precedes Fourth of July, New York City Ballet MOVES will present four performances at Bard College's Sosnoff Theater as part of the Summerscape 2017 program. This touring group with its rotating selection of dancers from all ranks of the company will perform Dances at a Gathering, Duo Concertant, and In Creases on:

Friday, June 30th @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 1 @ 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 2 @ 2:00 PM

Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 21st here.

This might be a nice way to spend the slow Fourth of July weekend. Take Amtrak's scenic route an hour and a half north of the city, enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner, and see casting that you may not have yet seen at Lincoln Center. Then if you haven't had enough, continue north to Saratoga where the company opens on Wednesday.

The dancers have to stay close to home this summer because of the incredible, joyous Jewels golden jubilee celebration from July 20-23 at Lincoln Center. Word on the street is that tickets go on sale to LC Members on March 13 and to the general public a week later. Ticketing for these LCF big ballet events can often be a pain in the arse. LCF holds seats back to try to push people into buying more expensive tickets. Instead of getting forced sales, they get a lot of ill will toward Lincoln Center. For a few years, they divvied up the tickets between the Koch and Avery Fisher box offices in separate batches. You had to run back and forth across the plaza just to see what was available. Hopefully, ticketing will be more transparent this year, and Lincoln Center Festival will try to make friends with the balletomanes who rush to buy tickets early instead of antagonizing us. Scorn from annoyed balletomanes never does anyone any good.

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Gelsey Kirkland Ballet has another enticing program on the schedule for March 24, 25 & 26 with a preview performance on the 23rd. Located in the GKArts Center at 29 Jay Street in Dumbo, the company's intimate theater is an easy subway ride via the F-train (York Street) or the A/C-train (High Street).

The spring bill includes Leonid Yakobson's Eternal Spring, Village Don Juan, and The Jewish Wedding; Leonid Lavrosky’s Walpurgis Night; Petipa's Talisman; and Goleizovsky's Melodia.  Tickets are available here.

This studio ballet company, which uses many students from the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, punches way above its weight season after season. Not only are there very good dancers to appreciate, but there are exceptional and unique artists as well.

Here is the video trailer for the upcoming series of performances:

 

March Madness

March is not going to be the "pause and catch our breath" month that it typically is between the end of NYCB's winter season and the busy spring season at Lincoln Center.

Pennsylvania Ballet will premiere its new Le Corsaire in Philly, Giselle will open at Washington Ballet, the Joffrey will stop by Lincoln Center, Paul Taylor Dance Company will be in season for three weeks at L.C., and ABT's Whipped Cream will premiere in Costa Mesa. Thanks to CMM for alerting us that the Met casting of the gala performance of the new ballet has been posted. It will be Simkin, Abrera, Hallberg, and Lane, who will also dance the premiere in Costa Mesa. We'll make it to most of these, but possibly not all.

Of course Haglund will be reporting on and reviewing the Segerstrom performances, and is fairly excited about seeing Hallberg back in the lineup. As we must continue to point out, Whipped is not going to be the Giselle that we need and deserve to see Hallberg and Abrera dance. Hopefully some sense will be knocked into McKenzie that will enable him to muster up enough respect for the ballet to avoid casting the fakerina twice in every ballet she isn't capable of dancing even once. It seems absurd to hand her three Giselle performances on a golden platter (Oman and two at the Met) all of which she is incapable of dancing at other than an amateurish level, while at the same time only allowing the company's ultimate Giselle, Abrera, one performance.

Haglund was thinking about this while at tonight's Westminster Kennel Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Lots of the folks in the stands didn't know whether a pooch's frame was too bulky or whether its hind quarters were too big or its legs too short or whether its gait wasn't proper. They just looked at the cute hairy face on the MSG jumbotron and squealed. Those in the audience who spent a lifetime following the competition, love dogs more than most, and care deeply about the quality of each breed couldn't have cared less about what was on the jumbotron. For this dog show, the winner got the blue ribbon based on technical merit, not based on what the dog looked like on an oversized screen or how many people squealed for it. It seems that ABT's criteria for awarding Giselle performances (the blue ribbon ballet of all time) should at least have the integrity of a dog show. Wouldn't you think?

Rumor, the German Shepherd, won the big prize tonight. Haglund's fave, Adrian the Irish Setter, was runner up. They should get married and have little German-Irish Shetters, but we know it won't happen.

 

NYCB – Sleeping Beauty 2/8 & 2/9

High level wind shears ain’t got nothin’ on those women in the New York City Ballet corps de ballet. Whoooooosh! When they went flying downstage in their lines of ballonés in the Vision Scene of Sleeping Beauty, their cross winds blew right under the seats of the folks in the front row and lifted up their fannies, oh, musta been a good six inches into the air. Folks were surprised, that’s for sure. Couldn’t tell from their squeals whether they liked it or not, though. Not some kind of alternative fact, this sure ain’t. It all happened two nights in a row this week during the first two performances of a two-week run of Peter Martins’ adaptation of Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty.

Truth be told, this production is a sort of fancy drive-thru Sleeping Beauty. You hand over your money and out the drive-up window comes your bag of dance food. You get just about everything in the bag: big burger, fries, napkins, utensils, little packets of salt, pepper, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. The food is hot. It fills the belly and satisfies the hunger. It momentarily deadens any other cravings, too. But then those cravings gradually re-awaken (after a gentle kiss from the memory), and you’re left with pangs for Petipa squareness, curving limbs, and a general tidiness with baroque-ish details. This may not be Haglund’s best ever usage of literary device, but hopefully you'll get the picture.

Truth be told again, Haglund has enough love in his heart for many different Sleeping Beauty productions. So long as the stagers don’t aim to make fun of the ballet or dishonor it in any way by adjusting the story line to their liking, they can count on ole Hag in a seat. This NYCB run will see him in the theater five, possibly six times. It is a wonderful two hours and six minutes of gorgeous music, gorgeous costumes and scenery, and plenty of brilliant dancing.

On opening night, Ashley Bouder’s Aurora in Act I was more of the bold 16-year-old Bouder we recall than a fine-mannered young royal. In place of modesty, there was daring. In place of debutante-style restraint, there was eagerness to see just what each prince had to offer her and an equal eagerness to show what she had to offer them. The second night’s Aurora, Megan Fairchild, was a little more on the mark with the story’s character. Rather than burning, she glistened. Of course, the steps were a non-issue for both of these superb dancers. Ashley’s movement was valiant and charging while Megan’s was perceptibly more shaded and nuanced. Each completed the Rose Adagio without incident. However, it was very business-like in each case. Aurora never looked at her princes’ faces and never acknowledged them after each balance. Instead she smiled out at the audience as if to say, “Did you see that?”

Where each of these ballerinas scored her greatest achievement of the night was in the Act II Vision Scene. What a surprise it was to see these two allegro warrior-women soften their styles to embrace the dreamy quality of Aurora’s dancing. On both nights, those lingering battement fouettes where Aurora turned away from Désiré and disappeared among the Nymphs were as tender as could be. We must mention how beautifully shaped and musical Megan’s manège of coupés jetés en tournant were. The accents were so “up” that they were heavenly.

The Act III Wedding Pas de Deux was danced securely on both nights but with different demeanor. While Megan’s Aurora at this point in the story seemed maturely refined yet still youthful, Ashley’s Aurora was more of the Act I adolescent who was now gloating over winning her prince. Neither Aurora’s fish dives came close to the smoothness that the experts at the Royal Ballet routinely demonstrate. It seemed to take two long counts to get the first leg up and then the second leg up. Given the dancers’ NYCB pedigree of inherent speed, one would think that this step would have been a highlight.

Our Prince Désirés (Andrew Veyette on Wednesday; Joaquin De Luz on Thursday) were quite simply outstanding. They each assumed the Prince persona with exceptional grace and authority. Both were technically primed for their evenings and were in complete command of all of the challenges. At the conclusion of their variations, they knew exactly how to land on one knee and throw their faces into the spotlight like the explanation point at the end of a sentence. Seeing these two veterans (17 years for Veyette; 20 years on the stage for De Luz) skillfully pull such high quality theatrical performances out of their tights made for two very gratifying evenings of dance.

Both of our Lilac Fairies (Sara Mearns on Wednesday; Teresa Reichlen on Thursday) brought luminous beauty to their roles. For Haglund’s money, Lilac Fairy is the best role in the NYCB repertory for Sara Mearns. Calm, serene, with no contrived angsty in her pants, and respectfully cognizant of of the boundaries of classical port de bras, Sara was the benevolent authority that one wished would show up in several of her other roles. The Lilac Fairy tutu with its generous silhouette, gradient shading in the bodice, and little fluttering caps at the shoulders balanced out Sara’s physique like no other costume that she regularly wears. Haglund looked forward to her every entrance on the stage.

In her debut as Carabosse on Thursday, Sara sketched out the character nicely and will surely fill in the lines more boldly with each performance. But “for the record” as the New York Times is fond of saying, the crowd did not “roar" for her at bows as the NYT reported while making note that Sara “hugged” the NYT reporter before going out for her bow. Honestly, we’re beginning to think that NYT’s new front page ad campaign “Truth is hard to find” is a clear reference to its coverage of dance celebrity (it no longer writes ballet performance criticism). Truth is hard to find in the New York Times these days, very hard to find.

Maria Kowroski’s Carabosse on opening night was a hoot and worth any price to see. Scheming, lovably evil, this Cruella de Vil was artful in every sense.

The evenings included excellent fairy work from the lower ranks of the company, too. Lydia Wellington and Megan Johnson as the Fairies of Generosity bloomed with benevolence. Emilie Gerrity was majestic as the Fairy of Tenderness. Sara Adams and Alston Macgill sparkled as Fairies of Vivacity.

The Jewels Fairies were less consistent. Lauren King and Sara Adams as the Emeralds, Ashley Laracey as the Ruby and Ashley Hod as the Diamond were bright and elegant. But, good heavens, what is going on with Mr. Gold Fairy, and what exactly is the choreography supposed to be? On opening night, Chase Finlay blew turns a la seconde and pirouettes while on the second night, Anthony Huxley didn’t even attempt them. Anthony also seemed to struggle with the stationary beat requirements (entrechat si_ as opposed to entrechat six) in the Bluebird variation on Thursday night whereas Daniel Ulbricht sliced through his variation with machete sharpness on opening night. Both Princess Florines (Erica Pereira on Wednesday, Brittany Pollack on Thursday) were excellent, but Erica inhabits this role probably better than anyone has ever at NYCB.

A word about the Jesters – it’s a brief sequence, and on both nights was danced superbly. Opening night was led by Ulbricht and Thursday night was led by Troy Schumacher. Of particular joy, however, was the return in meaningful fashion of Joseph Gordon who was a last minute replacement for Sebastian Villarini-Velez on Thursday with Schumacher and a nicely animated Harrison Ball. It was great to see him back and can’t wait to see what is in store for him during the spring season.

All in all, the roses are in pretty good shape at NYCB this season. The orchestra had a little wind-bleat on opening night, but otherwise gave an energetic, emotional reading of Tschaikovsky’s jewel on both nights. Speaking of roses – blue roses, that is – Sally Field is brilllllliant in the brand new production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie that opened Tuesday night in previews at the Belasco Theatre. Thank goodness NYCB gives us balletomanes a night off every once in a while so that we can see other stuff.

The H.H. Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Andrew Veyette and Joaquin De Luz who are still hoofing it and racing at full stride after all these years.

Well worth the seven-year wait

The documentary about Marcelo Gomes, that is.

Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer opened the 45th annual Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center on Friday evening where the crowd that packed the Walter Reade Theater included a few of Haglund’s most favorite ballerinas.

At the conclusion of this film, made by David Barba and James Pellerito over a seven-year span, there wasn’t much we didn’t know about Marcelo and there wasn’t much of him that we hadn’t seen. An exposing, revealing, unveiling, intimate portrait of one of American Ballet Theatre’s most theatrically gifted stars, Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer covered every inch of Marcelo from head to toe, from birth to the screening date, from inside out. How this documentary rose above most dancer documentaries in recent years, however, was in its honesty, authenticity in the dancing clips, and the woven-in family story that now carries impending drama into this spring's Met season.

Few balletomanes are aware that Marcelo’s father, from whom Marcelo became somewhat estranged following the divorce from his mother, has never been to New York to see his son in a leading role on the stages of Lincoln Center. Multiple times his father promised to visit but then cancelled his plans. The documentary broached this topic sensitively but thoroughly through individual interviews with Marcelo and his father, and with the two of them seated together. Their tears and the obvious difficulty of their words gripped the audience’s emotions.

During filming in Tokyo where Marcelo retired the role of Solor while guesting in La Bayadere with Diana Vishneva, he mentioned that it was another role that his father had not and now would never see him perform. While explaining the importance that the role of Albrecht holds for him and how it is the role that he eventually wants to retire in as a dancer (while clarifying not this year), Marcelo revealed that he had again extended an invitation, a plea to his father to come to the Met Opera House in May to see his 20th Anniversary performance in Giselle. As of the date of the film’s premiere screening, Marcelo’s father had not yet accepted the invitation although he had repeatedly verified the actual date of the performance through the filmmakers and had watched the documentary. Our fingers are crossed. Boy, that’s going to be some performance – devastating, regardless of what happens with this story line.

The documentary included breathtaking clips of Marcelo with Veronika Part dancing Swan Lake as guest artists in another part of the world. There was a clip of a Giselle rehearsal in Russia with Semionova in which there were major difficulties with the overhead lift in Act II, clips of Kings of the Dance, clips of Marcelo dancing with Vishneva, and endearing clips of Marcelo’s performances as a child.

Conspicuous by their absence, however, were clips of Marcelo dancing with his home company. Likely not the choice of either the filmmakers or Marcelo, the absence of any historical record of him dancing his greatest roles with ABT was shocking given the unfettered access that the company celebrina’s handlers have had to film her total performances and then use the footage for documentaries that are intended to enrich her and increase her celebrity.

At a Q&A following the screening, the filmmakers assured the audience that there would be a DVD available, but they could not say when, only hopefully sooner than seven years. It will be one to buy, that’s for sure.