Haglund's Heel

observations 1969 - 2001 NYT on Cranko's Onegin

 As they are fond of saying elsewhere, here is a condensed and edited version of The New York Times’s critical opinion of Cranko’s Onegin. All quotes are from reviews by Anna Kisselgoff. What the current heterophobic critic has to say about this ballet – once he is discharged from Bellevue to where he was rushed by squeaky-wheeled Radio Cart after suffering a near fatal episode of Caligynephobia during Diana Vishneva’s Farewell performance last night – is easily predictable. But let us just add the following items to the assessment by Clive Barnes that the ballet was part of the Stuttgart Ballet Miracle in 1969.

The New York Times June 18, 1984
Nonetheless it is also a ballet that is perfect as the kind of opera-house spectacle Establishment-oriented companies such as the National Ballet of Canada would need.

This was certainly what Alexander Grant thought and he was right. Before he left as artistic director of the National Ballet last year, Mr. Grant persuaded the Stuttgart to give the National Ballet the first North American production of ''Onegin.''

Mr. Anderson, assisted by Jane Bourne, has done a magnificent job of mounting the ballet here at the O'Keefe Center. 

The New York Times February 26, 1993

For it was with this sumptuously designed opera-house treatment of "Eugene Onegin," the great Russian narrative poem by Alexander Pushkin, that the Stuttgart Ballet and Cranko, its director, took New York by storm in 1969. 

 

The New York Times July 10, 1998

Lincoln Center Festival '98 has brought the Stuttgart Ballet back to New York City with the tried and true. After John Cranko's ''Romeo and Juliet,'' his ''Onegin,'' the company's signature piece, introduced new dancers in familiar roles at the New York State Theater on Wednesday night.

....

Cranko's three-act treatment of ''Eugene Onegin,'' the great Russian narrative poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, took New York by storm in 1969. The opera-house scale of the ballet, its sumptuous decor by Jurgen Rose, pretty in its pastels and clever in its oversize lace curtains, tantalized further with its score. Cranko's 1965 ballet did not turn to music from Tchaikovsky's opera about Onegin but used a persuasive patchwork of other Tchaikovsky music effectively arranged and orchestrated by Kurt-Heinz Stolze.

To a public yearning for full-evening dramatic ballets, ''Onegin'' was so seductive that company after company throughout the world snapped up the work for their own repertory. Oddly, the Joffrey Ballet, which performed Cranko's ''Romeo'' and ''The Taming of the Shrew'' did not. ''Onegin'' was last seen in New York in 1993, when the Bavarian National Ballet from Munich offered Kirill Melnikov's sensational and revealing performance in the title role.

 

The New York Times June 8, 2001

John Cranko's ''Onegin'' received a dazzling and deep performance from Susan Jaffe as a new Tatiana in American Ballet Theater's production on Monday night at the Metropolitan Opera House.

 

The New York Times June 4, 2001
American Ballet Theater's final new production of the season is ''Onegin,'' John Cranko's sumptuously designed and shrewdly theatricalized treatment of one of Romantic literature's most famous well-heeled misfits.

 

The ballet is so familiar that it is almost a shock to realize that Ballet Theater is the first American company to perform the work, with which the Stuttgart Ballet from West Germany, under Cranko's direction, took New York by storm at its United States debut in 1969.

 

After Cranko's death in 1973, the Stuttgart continued to tour with ''Onegin.'' Then as now, it was the embodiment of ballet as a new form of opera-house spectacle, a mix of prettiness and passion clearly and boldly telegraphed. Jürgen Rose's décor, with its oversize lace curtains, Russian pastel countryside or malachite columns at a palace ball, remains as gorgeous as ever.

....

Born in South Africa but associated with Britain's Royal Ballet, Cranko did the seemingly unthinkable in ''Onegin.'' He matched the neat footwork of the reserved British classical style in his ensembles with Soviet-style acrobatic duets, complete with blazing tosses in the air and a ballerina held aloft in a ''fanny lift'' (exactly what you think it means).

....

Choreographed in 1965 and revised in 1967, ''Onegin'' became the Stuttgart signature piece. New Yorkers last saw that company perform it at Lincoln Center Festival '98. In 1993, also at the New York State Theater, the Bavarian State Ballet from Munich presented Kirill Melnikov as Onegin in an unforgettable performance of Stanislavskian profundity.

Ballet Theater, as it has done with other full-evening works by British choreographers (including Cranko's ''Taming of the Shrew''), has added the power of a more technically brilliant ensemble to this ''Onegin'' and still given its principals free rein. 

 

ABT Onegin Vishneva FarewellSo this happened tonight

 

6-23-17 from Haglund's Heel on Vimeo.

 

ABT Onegin 6/21 mat & 6/22

They really need to re-open the bars in the opera house at the end of these Onegin performances. Who didn’t need a drink after the Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening performances during which our Tatianas broke us down to the very core of our being. 

Stella Abrera in her debut as Tatiana at the matinee gave the surprise performance of the season. Before seeing her in this role, we never would have used the word “abandon” to describe Stella's dancing. But she has found a new trust in her partners over the past year or so that has given her dancing new bravery and dimension. What a journey she took us on from the fragile schoolgirl whose life revolved around her dreams of passion to the middle-aged woman for whom the protective comfort of a dull but respectful marriage was now more important than the reckless passion she once desired. Her playful pull & tug while dancing with Onegin at the festive party as a young girl became one of struggle and torment in her middle years during their Act III pas de deux. As the newest Tatiana at ABT, Stella’s interpretation revealed even more treasures in this brilliant ballet.

Cory Stearns’ interpretation of Onegin has grown further since the solid start acquired during his debut season opposite Irina Dvorovenko a few years ago. Now, the dark side of Onegin – his satisfaction in teasing and tormenting his best friend and toying with any and all women – has become complex with his emotion simmering hotly beneath a cool surface. His partnering of Stella was strong and the solo work suited his strengths. We could easily envision this duo as Des Grieux and Manon.

Cassandra Trenary was phenomenal as Olga. Where Isabella Boylston had turned in a one-note performance earlier in the week, here was a multi-shaded Olga who was impetuously up for Onegin's game of in-your-face-flirtation until she very visibly realized the consequences. 

Joseph Gorak impressed with the technical demands of the role of Lensky – his solo in Act II was beautifully danced, though on the flowery side. But we weren’t convinced of his rage against Onegin.

Alexandre Hammoudi’s Prince Gremin was appropriately stoic and respectful. His dullness conveyed that his marriage to Tatiana had been collecting dust for quite some time.

Thursday evening brought conflicting feelings about watching Alessandra Ferri both struggle technically with the role of Tatiana and also bring its drama to a mind-blowing climax. When Onegin tried to return the love letter that she had written to him, her disbelief and humiliation were palpable like no other Tatiana we’ve ever seen. She looked up directly into Onegin's face pleading and then backed away mortified by his rejection. When the tables were turned in Act III as Tatiana shredded Onegin's love letter to her, she shot him a look squarely in the face that had such full throttle anger, determination, resentment, and riled resoluteness that the strapping six-footer shrunk like cheap cotton in a hot dryer before trying one last time to beg his way out of heartbreak. But there was the issue of technique that we couldn’t overlook, most notably a reluctance to roll down from pointe and an unsteadiness even when standing on flat. No doubt about it, though, Alessandra is still gorgeous in full flight when lifted by her partner, Roberto Bolle. And she did find some very impressive balances in arabesque.

Bolle was simply magnificent in this role – we’re tempted to say perfection. The man’s instrument is a miracle in itself. Sure, he’s genetically gifted, but at 42 years old, his fitness and technique level put those half his age to shame. His Onegin had just the kind of arrogance that you love to see taken down. But he was so handsome that it hurt when it happened. Bolle’s partnering of the vulnerable Ferri was spot-on throughout the night and their connection strong like lifelong partners even though it had been ten years since they danced together.

Sarah Lane as Olga and Daniil Simkin as Lensky were strikingly beautiful together. Like Stella, Sarah has found a new bravery in the partnering aspects of her dancing and it is working out marvelously with Simkin. Her variation had such joy and flirtation to go with impeccable dancing. Simkin’s solo in Act II was splendid in control, balances and musicality. His character’s anger at Onegin for messing with his girl was convincing – his throw-down-the-glove moment especially dramatic. He and Bolle worked out the slap in the face scene to make it shockingly believable and exciting.

James Whiteside’s Prince Gremin was hard to take seriously. He went through all the motions that conveyed his admiration and respect for Tatiana but his character did not have nearly the dramatic weight of Roman Zhurbin’s during the Gomes/Vishneva performance. His partnering of Ferri was accurate and strong, but there was always the sense that he was about to make a joke of it.

Onegin is a spectacular production of great depth and detail. Its themes are mature and probably not something that children would understand on their own. At Wednesday’s matinee, Haglund sat near a Russian woman who had brought her son and daughter to the ballet. The children appeared to have been about eight or nine years old. She spent part of each intermission explaining the story and its lessons to her children. These kids sat in their seats in their Sunday clothes with no electronic devices or other items to keep them occupied. They simply listened to the lessons being conveyed to them by their mother without reacting with attitude or objection. Their mother was keeping the arts alive.

We certainly are loving this week of Onegins. Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a handsome but complex design from Casadei, is bestowed upon Roberto Bolle whose Onegin we could watch on a loop for eternity.

 

 

ABT 6/19Onegin – passion perfect

In a perfect world, a renowned Russian choreographer would have long ago tackled this extraordinary literary work by Alexander Pushkin that has had such a deep and lasting influence on the development of Russian literature. But one didn’t. Pushkin, sometimes referred to as the Russian equivalent of Shakespeare, first published his verse-novel in the form of a book in 1833. In 1879, Tchaikovsky composed his opera based on the story; in 1911, it was first adapted to (silent) film; in 1936, it was adapted as a play but didn’t get performed due to Stalin’s censorship. 

For some reason, the world of Russian ballet could not bring itself to adapt this magnificent piece of literature that contains characters who have turned out to be archetypes for other great Russian stories. The Frenchman Petipa didn’t set it for the Russian Imperial Theater's ballet stage – it would have looked odd in tulle, anyway. Fokine didn’t. Yacobson didn’t. The Georgian Balanchine didn’t. Massine didn’t. Not even Grigorovich set this story as a ballet – and he should have. 

For more than 130 years after Pushkin penned what some consider his greatest work and his most influential in Russian literature, no one adapted it to the ballet stage even though it had been adapted for opera, film, and as a play – until South African choreographer John Cranko created the production for his Stuttgart Ballet in 1965 to an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s works unrelated to his Onegin opera. Oh my goodness, did that push a few Russian/Georgian noses out of joint. [The first ballet about our own great Pushkin story has been made by a South African choreographer for a German company? Do they even have real ballet in Germany?] They not only had real ballet in Germany, but they brought Onegin to America in 1969 and received rave reviews from Clive Barnes who deemed the company The Stuttgart Ballet Miracle. But the Russian/Georgian sniping about this particular ballet continued with crass analogies which even today, as tired as they are, continue to be advanced by the current tiresome critic at The New York Times.

Flash forward more than a half century. The Cold War is over. Ballet is no longer the exclusive domain of the Russians – it never was, but they thought so. Today, Cranko’s Onegin is universally considered his great masterpiece and is now performed on the Bolshoi stage and on many of the most important ballet stages the world over including the Paris Opera and the Royal Ballet. Ballerinas and danseurs – including plenty of Russians – now die to dance the principal roles. But no Russian ballerina has adopted and adapted the role of Tatiana with as much stirring detail as Diana Vishneva, who has chosen it for her farewell appearances as a rostered principal at ABT.

In her penultimate performance Monday evening opposite Marcelo Gomes’ Onegin and Blaine Hoven’s poet, Lensky, Vishneva masterfully developed the character of Tatiana from the naive lover of illusion to the heroine who would choose her loyal but undemonstrative husband over the intense passions of Onegin. In the end, Tatiana chose the boredom that Onegin, himself, had longed to escape from in his own life prior to ever meeting her. He was left begging for the passion that she had once offered him and over which he had humiliated her with his dismissal.

Vishneva's young Tatiana yearned to experience the romance in the novels she could not put down. Her dream when Onegin suddenly appeared through her bedroom mirror to dance miraculously with her could have been a final chapter in one of her books. Cranko’s pas de deux among the shadows and light which concluded Act I presented impassioned partnering that clearly foreshadowed the final climactic pas de deux of Act III. While Onegin’s lifts of her in her dream seemingly gave her wings with which to soar, those same lifts in Act III projected forceful and uncontrolled abandon like Tatiana could never have imagined in her own dream. Where in Act I Tatiana was held aloft by Onegin in triumph, at the very same point in the music in Act III she was bent to the ground on her back with Onegin bearing over her. Suddenly he yanked her into the air in a spectacular jete where her back leg nearly kicked the back of her head. The abandonment and risk-defying movements in the Act III pas de deux were in stark contrast to Act I when those same steps were loaded with tenderness.

Marcelo portrayed the bored, self-involved Onegin in Act I with perfectly timed yawn and a complete lack of interest in what was going on around him; Onegin had shown up at this party because he had nothing better to do. In the dream sequence, Onegin's sudden appearance through the mirror was magician-like. When he partnered the young Tatiana, his own character reflected the exaggerated charms that one would expect only in a young girl’s dream. In Act II, his boredom turned to annoyance over Tatiana’s nonstop attention toward him. A flash of anger and a poorly made decision to flirt with his best friend’s girl suddenly put Onegin in the position of settling a point of honor in a duel with pistols. He killed his best friend who never got off a shot. We tend to think that the humiliated Lensky never really planned to pull the trigger. 

In Act III, Onegin, still in a life of boredom, suddenly spied Tatiana at a party and in a split second realized that he should never have let her go. There began the total breakdown of Onegin’s composure as he grappled with the realization that he could not have what he desperately wanted. Marcelo’s Onegin pleaded, begged, and groveled for Tatiana’s forgiveness and implored her to run away with him. In a moment of weakness, she admitted she still loved him and then just as quickly made the decision to reject him. He didn’t take it well – as only Marcelo can do. His final pleading moments in which he encircled Tatiana with his arms and dropped helplessly to his knees registered as a defeat too big from which to rise. Only Tatiana’s sudden motion directing him to get out of her life forever propelled him out the door.

Blaine Hoven as Lensky was the star of Act II. What an incredible solo adagio this man danced – soulful, serious, polished to a spotless gleam. A commanding partner with classically handsome lines, Blaine is another incredible artist who has become visible to McKenzie only after becoming visible to and championed by Ratmansky. That Blaine has not been slowly moved into Marcelo’s big Petipa roles over the past few years is going to be a loss to all of us in the long run. Instead of having many years in which to enjoy his Siegfried, Albrecht, Desire, we might get a couple of seasons, if that. Readers know that Haglund has been driving the engine car of the Blaine Train for years; it’s time to toot the whistle with a little more steam and urgency.

The casting against type of Isabella Boylston as Olga on opening night made little sense. Olga is supposed to be the pretty little sister of the nerdy bookworm Tatiana. Our one-note Olga produced all of her steps and a fixed smile but little in the way of charm.

Roman Zhurbin as Prince Gremin gave us many reasons to understand why Tatiana could comfortably choose his comfort over Onegin’s passion. His respectful, calm approach to their relationship conveyed his trust and admiration. Tatiana may not have had the blissful passion that she had read about in her romance novels, but she certainly wasn’t suffering. Remaining faithful would not harm her in the long run.

The Corps de Ballet was definitely paying attention to details in this performance. They looked ravishing in their Santo Loquasto costumes while dancing within Loquasto’s handsome set designs. Their diagonals of supported rapid grand jetes were spectacular moments in a spectacular performance. Unfortunately, here was one more evening where the orchestra was not always paying attention. A french horn player actually started to play his solo notes a bar too early in a highly audible mishap in Act II. 

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a black lace Jimmy Choo stiletto called Faith, is bestowed upon Diana Vishneva.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABT Swan Lake 6/15Truths revealed

It’s been that kind of spring. At long last, truths that many of us have known and chanted about for quite a while have been confirmed in live testimony. We’re not talking about Russian interference in the election, either.

Last night on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, Sarah Lane bourréed into the floor the point that justice delayed is justice denied, and she did it sweetly – like a DeWalt 2000 RPM hammer drill – cordless power tulle in lipstick, if you will.

Five years ago Sarah thrilled Spain as Odette/Odile opposite Angel Corella’s Siegfried. Three years prior to that, she debuted as Giselle at Lake Cities Ballet in Texas where the iconic role was set on her by Julie Kent. In the intervening eight years and five years, she has been repeatedly overlooked for casting in these roles while the artistic director imported non-ABT Eastern European dancers who had nothing to offer the company or the audience that ABT’s own dancers could not already offer. When he found it uncomfortable to import, he switched to casting based on political and financial motives as opposed to talent and skill as criteria.

So, here we are in 2017 having missed eight years of Sarah’s Giselle and five years of her Odette/Odile. And, of course, Sarah has missed eight years and five years of opportunity to develop her Giselle and Odette/Odile on the stage. Those years are gone – pfft – gone. The time will never be recovered. But thank goodness the times and climate seem to be changing at ABT. Our own best dancers are being allowed to dance. We wonder to whom we should give thanks for the company’s artistic rescue that has become apparent this past year – perhaps, in part, to the new board chair whose sister toiled in the ABT corps back in the ‘70s? Maybe these days there is more of a realization of the damage that reliance on non-ABT dancers and failure to develop the in-house talent have done to the company.

Last night Sarah Lane’s portrayal of Odette/Odile was half-unexpected; literally, half of us never expected to see the day when she would dance the lead. What was half-unexpected in her performance was the riveting, polished characterization of Odile. We had seen the tenderness, vulnerability, and fragile soul of Odette before in Sarah; that’s why we always thought that she would be a natural for the role. But we had never seen her deliver an alluring, bitchy character on stage, and it was down right fascinating. There was hiss & spit, tease & taunt, connive & provoke all fluffing up her layers of delicate tulle and making her irresistible to Daniil Simkin’s Siegfried. 

Beautiful arabesque balances held strongly for multiple counts of music were among the lasting images of Sarah’s Odile. Her variation began with stable double pirouette and single attitude en dehor turn ending on one leg in plie. Chaines, stepovers, and basic pirouettes were all fine. When the music for the fouettes began, it was slow and unassertive — probably of no help to Sarah at all. It didn’t sound like anything thrilling or important was about to happen on the stage. But she began solidly enough and felt comfortable enough to throw in an extra revolution from time to time. The sequence started to travel sideways, and she lost her releve about three or four counts of music from the end – which basically meant she lost two fouettes and a finishing multiple pirouette. She was visibly disappointed but perked up quickly. While the standard supported pirouettes with Daniil were generally fine in both the Odette and Odile PdDs, those finger turns were a problem to keep on the axis, as has been the case before last night.

Sarah’s Odette showed beautiful fluidity in the port de bras — here was a vulnerable creature of delicately boned wings – almost hummingbird-fragile. In her variation, the battements a la second with the ronde de jambe were thrown higher and with more authority than Sarah is generally noted for. It appeared that she might be trying to hold them at their apex which would have been quite spectacular had she gotten a firm grip on them. The sorrow and hopelessness of her character was palpable.

Throughout the evening, Sarah and Daniil maintained a good chemistry. Daniil always seems so much more mature on stage when he has to be responsible for someone else rather than just himself. Although the pinched expression with the face turned into the light was not always convincing, Daniil’s tenderness toward Odette and his burning desire for Odile were always believable. His variations without the overload of pointless tricks were very pleasant to watch. His famous balancing arabesque was held in check at 90 degrees rather than higher. Overall, his dancing was more weighty which suited him well.

Haglund will give a ✅ to Alban Lendorf for his purple von Rothbart characterization. Still, those tour jetes had Haglund wondering where Lendorf's legs were. Gray Davis as the swamp creature got the job done, but we’re guessing that he’s not 100% recovered from his back injury. The Pas de Trois (Cassandra Trenary, Skylar Brandt, and Joseph Gorak) was 2/3 brilliant and 1/3 rather hesitant about dancing beyond 75% of capacity. Is Gorak injured, too, or was he just trying to be exceedingly careful?  Blaine Hoven with these two fem-firecrackers would have slayed the audience.

The four Cygnettes (Rachel Richardson, Betsy McBride, Nicole Graniero, and Breanne Grandlund) were nearly flawless with Nicole expertly handling that difficult backend position in the diagonal of pas de chats. 

The women’s Corps de Ballet looked fabulous in Act II. We noticed earlier in the week that the apex to the triangle of swans has been, as it was last night, Kaho Ogawa whose graceful limbs and textbook perfect lines are the cat's pajamas. We wish there was more of a traditional Act IV for the swans to be highlighted in. That is the only real weakness to this overall production which has top tier designs by Zack Brown. His tutus for the swans are among the most beautiful ever. We hope they will never be replaced. 

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, an angel-winged stiletto by Sophia Webster, is bestowed upon Sarah Lane for her beautiful Odette last evening.

ABT Swan Lake 6-14 matinee

The great news is that we have an extraordinary new Odette/Odile in Devon Teuscher. The bad news is that she has proven herself to be so good on her first three outings in the iconic role that she will invariably and terminally be saddled with ABT’s weakest Siegfrieds. That’s the McKenzie strategy. Put the great with the weak and it will all balance out and make money. Balletomanes need to stomp out this practice. Going forward, keep the wallets closed.

Also, ABT’s current strategy of completely closing off online ticket sales in the family circle, balcony, balcony boxes, and dress circle boxes so as to try to force people to purchase more expensive tickets must be stopped. ABT is reinforcing the unfortunate stereotype that ballet is elitist - just for those with the money to squander foolishly on the poor views from the Met’s orchestra seating. Going forward, balletomanes should keep their wallets closed if ABT refuses to sell seats within the customer’s budget.

Just a few words about Siegfried before we move on to what was a truly wonderful performance. First thing that came to mind was where in the heck was Blaine Hoven? Alex Hammoudi gave perhaps his worst technical and artistic performance in a principal role that we have ever seen from him. Is he injured again? Did he perhaps dance because if he hadn’t, there was no one to step in to dance with Devon who would have then lost her opportunity? We don’t know. If that’s the case, we thank him. If it’s not the case, he needs to get away from McKenzie to clear his mind of its performance anxiety. Please - do not let the world lose another potentially great dancer because he chokes when it comes time to deliver difficult technique. When a dancer excels under Ratmansky but crumbles under McKenzie as does Hammoudi, the source of the problem becomes clear.

While we may well have to amend our assessment after tonight’s performance, as of yesterday Devon Teuscher is the most exceptional Odette/Odile that ABT has put on the stage since Veronika Part. And oh how lucky we are to have two such different interpretations of the role - with perhaps still another one coming tonight. 

Devon's bold, high-octane interpretation of Odette was exhilarating from her first entrance onto the stage with a beautiful grand jete. This was a highly distressed but beautiful bird. While Veronika emphasizes Odette’s vulnerability, Devon brought out the character’s anguish and torment. Her feathers were ruffled, no doubt about it. The desperation was so great that we feared she might be ready to jump off the cliff as soon as she landed her first jete. She wasn’t just initially afraid of Siegfried; she was terrified. Lord only knows how she had been victimized by von Rothbart for all those years, but we can imagine. Her soul was scarred but her will to survive was strong.

Through gorgeous, gorgeous detailing of Odette – flashing eyes, the tilt of the head, the slight flip of a wrist, the sudden stillness while perched on pointe, giant wings fluttering against fate — this creature’s adrenaline was palpable. We’ve all witnessed an injured bird valiantly struggling for life – it pulls at the heartstrings every time. Such was our Odette yesterday afternoon. 

Devon’s Odile was as predatory as we have ever seen this character. Alluring, ruthless, joyous in being reckless with Siegfried’s heart. Time and time again, Odile thrilled with her haughty, brazen, shameless seduction of the clueless prince. When it was time to put him away, she did so with a blistering series of 16 double revolution fouettes followed by 16 singles. As they travelled downstage, Haglund thought, “OMG, she’s coming after us!” There was no where to hide. We just had to hope that she was bluffing. Thank goodness Conductor David LaMarche stopped her in the nick of time.

Haglund may be in the minority, but he loved the tempi in yesterday’s performance. LaMarche had a close eye on Devon all afternoon long and really gave her everything she needed to push her performance to its limit. In Act III, LaMarche’s violinist went awry dreadfully and at times part of the orchestra wasn’t paying attention to his conducting. But he was paying attention to what was going on on the stage and making lightning fast adjustments when needed. The energy in the ABT orchestra at the matinee was unusually high. We just wish all of the musicians had been on their toes as well as Devon was on hers.

There were other big successes in this performance. Calvin Royal III’s handsome von Rothbart was vastly stronger than at his debut in Washington, DC during the winter. The character was conniving and malevolent with fabulous dynamics. The lingering balance on demi-pointe eluded him once again, however. Even when one leg is rising up, the balance is still done with both legs. Yesterday afternoon it wasn’t. He’s got to work on this, because when he finally gets it, those impossibly long legs of his will literally stop. the. show. Period.

Tom Forster’s opposite-of-handsome von Rothbart sort of had our sympathies. Everyone deserves to have a love in life, even the ugly monsters. That he picked our Odette shows that he had very good taste. It is way past time for us to see Forster in big prince roles. He should have been brought up to Siegfried this year with Blaine Hoven. 

McKenzie is alone in his thinking that dancers have to stew for a decade in low levels of the company before they are ready for principal roles. It simply elevates the probability of injury when dancers are forced to pull full loads as corps or soloists for years and then finally given a principal role that they were equipped to dance five years before. By the time they arrive at the principal roles, yeah, they have years of drudging experience along with a proneness for injury and scars from earlier injuries. People like Forster, Hoven, Gorak, Klein, Brandt, Lane, Trenary, Shevchenko, Teuscher, Ogawa, Frenette should all be on a principal tract that preserves their well-being in addition to giving them growing opportunities. And why the helk aren’t we seeing more of Marshall Whiteley. When he sauntered out on stage, he looked like the Siegfried we should have had. His arms looked much less like hockey sticks, his basic corps work (double saute de basques, pirouettes, leaps) was all done as cleanly if not more so that the rest of the corpsmen, and his jumps have such plush to them. His theatrical weight suggests a potential heavyweight stage champ. We have no real idea what his technical level is, but we do know that he’s got what it takes to dance Albrecht - because there is evidence online.

Our Pas de Trois crew was Zhong-Jing Fang, April Giangeruso, and Zhiyao Zhang, and they did a fine job. When Fang can control her proclivity for staccato-izing everything, she is quite lovely. But, jeezel pete, this has been going on for well over a decade. Move her up, make her change or move her out. Giangeruso was much better in the PdT than in her Odalisque work in Le Corsaire where her arms behind her shoulders undermined her stability and pirouettes. Zhang is likeable, has good elevation and consistent turns, but his theatrical weight is pretty light. To say that he outshined Hammoudi yesterday isn’t necessarily saying a lot.

Gabe Stone Shayer and Jonathan Klein danced an excellent Neapolitan - but for Klein’s shoe heel coming loose. 

Katherine Williams and Melanie Hamrick danced well as the two big swans. Melanie’s jump soared. Her work all season has been better than we’ve ever seen it. Katherine was lovely but her arms and shoulders still have a student-ish look to them instead of elegance and maturity.

ABT’s strategy that when a mediocre corps dancer finally quits to go into administration, it is the prime time to put that person back on stage as a principal character artist, has always been troubling. It stems from the days when Lucia Chase insisted on playing the Queen Mother. By the way, when Haglund first saw Swan Lake (Cynthia Gregory’s debut year), Ms. Chase descended the staircase in Act I like (LOL) she owned the place. When she looked the princesses up and down, they were authentically nervous about the impression they were making. It was a very rich scene, indeed. But Clinton Luckett and Kate Lydon as Wolfgang and Mother just do not make things tick. 

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, Manolo Blahnik Odile First Position Trophy, is bestowed upon Devon Teuscher for her outstanding performance.

 

 

observations 6-14

A couple of other ballerinas are debuting as Odette/Odile this week, too.

The daughter of former New York City Ballet's Lindsay Fischer and Mandy-Jane Richardson, 23-year-old Hannah Fischer, will debut in the role at the National Ballet of Canada on Friday. She was a 2015 Erik Bruhn Prize winner. On Saturday, Emma Hawes (like Hannah, a second soloist), who hails from Dayton, Ohio, will dance the role for the first time. When Emma danced the White Swan PdD at the Erik Bruhn Competition in 2012, she reportedly left the audience breathless and took home the Audience Choice Award.

Here's a little video of AD Karen Kain dancing the White Swan PdD with Frank Augustyn for a TV documentary about the violinist.  What a tall, glamorous bird – and what an example for her fledglings!

Swan Lake lives.

 

Justice unobstructed, finally

This.    

Will.    

Happen.

 

Angel Corella & Sarah Lane photo by A. Bofill 2012

June 15th.

Sarah Lane.

Daniil Simkin.

Swan Lake.

Be there or be sorry.

 

observations 6-13

Mariinsky Ballet tickets go on sale at the Kennedy Center in one month (July 12th to the public, July 5th to members) for the October 17-22 run of La Bayadere. At least that company still feels some sense of responsibility for doing the steps. October is starting to fill up. There may not be room for ABT if they don't get their schedule out soon.

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Casting is up for New York City Ballet's first week at Saratoga Springs. Taylor Stanley will debut in Stravinsky Violin Concerto along side Sterling Hylin, Chase Finlay, Rebecca Krohn. Taylor will bring a 1000 volt jolt to an already electric cast of this brilliant ballet.

 

UIEX

Sources now claim that in today's patron-attended dress rehearsal at the Met, Sarah Lane will dance the role of Odette.

Update: 1:45pm

We just received eyewitness confirmation that Sarah is dancing Odette at the Met this afternoon. Hallelujah!