Oh, Jeezle Pete, eyebrows are raising everywhere in Haglundville. Sorry, Mr. LL Cool J, your ballet-suggestive song is too tempting.
Pardon our absence these past few days, but we’ve been giddy as a giddykipper while running up and down 10th Avenue to see Lincoln Center Festival’s tri-company 50th anniversary production of George Balanchine’s Jewels. Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet have been sharing the stage each evening in what is turning out to be the most remarkable dance event of the season.
When choreographing Jewels, Balanchine chose a French theme for Emeralds, an American theme for Rubies, and a Russian theme for Diamonds. The three countries were important to him in terms of his birth and training as a dancer (Russia), his early development as a choreographer (France), and his groundbreaking work in America. Emeralds reflected the romanticism of the French; Rubies revealed the startling athleticism and easy sexuality found in New York City; and Diamonds harked back to Petipa’s classical ballets made in Russia.
So, the idea of having a French company perform Emeralds, an American company perform Rubies, and a Russian company perform Diamonds to celebrate the ballet’s 50th anniversary seemed like a good one. But as with all good ideas relative to ballet in New York City, expectations among balletomanes were high and complicated. We thought/hoped/expected/hoped again that we would see a French school style of dancing in Emeralds, an American school style of dancing in Rubies, and a Russian school style of dancing in Diamonds.
The problem is that Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet are not as different as they were back in the days when Balanchine made Jewels. Ballet style and repertories, unfortunately, are going through cultural homogenization that is reducing world interest in individual companies. When New York City Ballet dances Balanchine, Ratmansky, Wheeldon, or Millepied, what’s the point in seeing Paris Opera Ballet or Bolshoi or anyone else dance the same stuff, especially when so much of the choreographers’ stuff is similar, too? There are still a few reasons, though.
On opening night, the Paris Opera Ballet demonstrated that collectively its dancers still stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world in terms of uniform articulation and beauty in feet and legs. The commitment to the exacting demands of ballet positions and the shaping of feet on display when they danced Emeralds was a marvel. Every pointe shoe was shaped the same and broke at the same place in the shank to reveal identical glorious arches. Every fifth position in releve was identically shaped with the heel of the back foot articulated perfectly. There were no overly muscled calves that disrupted the uniform classical lines. The dancers’ neck lines were gorgeous and marked by lots of length from the earlobe to the shoulder. And of course, as Parisians, their cheek bones were to die for. So much to admire in their discipline and devotion to balletic form even if much of the original French style has been abandoned.
That said, our lead dancers Laetitia Pujol and Myriam Ould-Braham were quite the snoozes. Whatever perfume they were wearing was essentially scentless. Ms. Pujol was noticeably stiff in the neck and shoulders, sometimes seemingly arthritic. Ms. Ould-Braham conveyed a strange authority like she was dancing Myrta. Absent was the rapture that Violette Verdy and later interpreters conveyed when dancing Emeralds. In its place, a sort of introspective, intellectual interpretation of the choreography was dispensed by the leading women. The leading men, however, Mathieu Ganio and Mathias Heymann, delivered a more impressionistic coloring of the romance and mourning in Faure’s music. The three soloists Hannah O’Neill, Sae Eun Park, and Marc Moreau (replacing Francois Alu) imbued their dancing with vibrance and sweep – O’Neill, in particular, is a principal dancer who radiates the glamorous quality that characterizes most of the POB women who eventually rise to etoile.
It was a long 24 hours until we got to the next Emeralds led by Dorothée Gilbert and Hugo Marchand with Leonore Baulac and Germain Louvet. Oh, lord, did Dorothee Gilbert wear the perfume — intoxicating as Chanel Coco. Every time she exited the stage, her scent lingered and the viewer was left anxiously awaiting her return. Rapturous in the sweep and bend expected in this ballet but still slightly introspective, Gilbert gave a unique and spellbinding interpretation. Hugo Marchand, who must be one of the most handsome men on any ballet stage today, was, himself, swept away in the romance on stage. Wherever he was in the world or beyond while dancing on the stage last night, he transported the viewer with him. Such a powerful presentation he made along with superb dancing and beautiful classical lines.
The simple truth is that you’re not going to get a better Rubies than with Teresa Reichlen in the Tall Girl role and Joaquin De Luz and Megan Fairchild in the PdD. Tess's octane level was off the charts the first night — and twice Saturday, we may as well add. She may have even had a demoralizing effect on Friday night’s Tall Girl, Yulia Grebenshchikova, who was clearly out of her element. Ekaterina Krysanova and Artem Ovcharenko could have used some 8th Avenue experiences to help them convey the idea behind the Rubies PdD – and we’re not talking about experiences with the Disney characters at 8th and 42nd Street either. The corps was clueless as to what they were supposed to be conveying. The stagers, Sandra Jennings and Patricia Neary, must have given them the wrong American movies to watch as sass-prep.
But oh my goodness, were the NYCB dancers on fire. Seeing as Jewels is not on the schedule for next year, we may have just seen 41-year-old Joaquin De Luz’s final salute to this role — no one but he and the boss know how much longer we will get to enjoy his incredible performances or how much longer his body can take the punishment. If tonight was that final salute, it was probably the most exciting that we’ve ever seen Joaquin in Rubies. He gave the choreography everything it demanded and deserved, and more. And what a rapport he had going on with Megan Fairchild. She simply uncorked right before our eyes. The energy on the stage has never been higher.
On to Diamonds.
The Balanchine Trust should make a rule that it can veto Gaynor Minden shoes in Diamonds and anything else that is licensed. Opening night, Olga Smirnova, despite her glorious Vaganova port de bras and scintillating drama, managed to make step after step look brick-like with shoes that were large, stiff, and so heavily shanked that even when her foot was pointed, the shoe wasn’t. Time and time again, she stood in fifth position on pointe and the back foot looked like this / instead of this ( . Sometimes it even looked like this | . It was shocking to see a dancer at this professional level require such re-enforcement in the shoes that they interfered with a respectable classical line. There are dancers who can wear Gaynor Mindens and make them look relatively nice. Olga cannot, and it’s clear that she relies on the heavy shoes because of weaknesses in her feet. During this first performance, some of her pirouettes and the measly three fouettes were as unstable as Putin with plutonium. Her second performance last night, however, found the turns and everything else much more secure.
Olga’s abilities to convey fantasy and move beautifully were wondrous. Frequently we were transported by her delivery of a phrase that was nearly spellbinding in its musicality and glistening authority, but then came the slap in the face and splash of cold water that were the Gaynor Minden shoes. We were very happy to see that the maturation of Olga Smirnova is clearly under way.
Her partner, Semyon Chudin, could do no wrong. Paws as big as Baryshnikov’s ensured his landings were silent. He was an exceptional soloist and partner academically although less convincing dramatically.
Saturday afternoon brought the highlight of the festival so far in the debut of Alena Kovaleva and Jacopo Tissi in Diamonds. The partnering was so smooth and familiar that we thought for a moment that we saw Jon Stafford’s fingerprints all over it. Jacopo Tissi, a Bolshoi corpsman imported from La Scala where AD Vaziev discovered him, was like a Golden Retriever puppy happily cavorting around on the playground. The beauty of his dancing was undeniable. His physicality was as handsome as Roberto Bolle’s. He landed his jumps with loud thuds, just like a big pup, but his coordination was incredible. We immediately loved this dancer and cannot wait to follow his career.
Alena Kovaleva, a 2016 Vaganova graduate, represents another big loss to the Mariinsky. She is already a major ballerina, beyond what Olga was when she went straight from Vaganova to the Bolshoi. It is odd how the Bolshoi isn’t producing dancers the caliber of Olga and Alena in its own school. So tall and long-limbed with substantial control over her length, Alena had a Diamonds debut that may turn out to be historical. Freshness and youth enhanced her every step along with a willingness to take risks and a strong confidence in her partner, Jacopo Tissi. Her elegance of line and breathy port de bras gave Haglund heart palpitations. Nothing was overdone, over-dramatized, or over-accented. What stunning talent Vaziev has found in this pair of dancers!
The Friday evening Diamonds was a speedy, melodramatic affair with Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle. Time and time again, Sara went for the excessive positions and dramatic effect which in itself is not a fault; but when the positions are held so long that getting out of them and onto the next one looks like a football player pushing his way down the gridiron, it’s time to re-think. Nothing about her performance was measured. It was all gung-ho, here-we-go, let’s-beat-the-crap-out-of-the-other-team. While sitting in the orchestra, Bolshoi’s AD Vaziev probably observed more than a few similarities to Anastasia Volochkova during her prime years.
Tyler certainly got himself in shape for these performances. His manèges of coupé jeté were the best we’ve seen from him in a decade. Same with the turns a la seconde. His bright enthusiasm was a welcome contrast to Sara’s dour expression.
There were such differences between the Bolshoi and NYCB in the Diamonds corps de ballet. The Bolshoi ladies were gleaming in their uniform approach to the choreography, but danced it in a very small way. Their third performance last night was a bit more energetic, but still the movement was small. It seemed that the NYCB tempi for Diamonds on Friday night was even fast for NYCB, but it generated a tremendous effort by the corps de ballet dancers who were determined not to scale down their movement just because the music was fast. Bravo to these ladies for their exceptional performances.
We’re off to seeing the closing performance of the Jewels Festival and are as giddy as can be. What a tremendous success and treat this week has been. Even after seeing four straight performances of Jewels in 72 hours with a fifth one soon to come, we could do this all again next week.
Our Jewels Festival HH Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Alena Kovaleva, whose bedazzling Diamonds re-ignited our burning interest in the Bolshoi Ballet.