Over the course of five performances of Balanchine’s Jewels during a 72 hour period, two ballerinas at Pennsylvania Ballet will have performed principal roles in each of the sections Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Lillian DiPiazza and Oksana Maslova, clearly master bench jewelers in the world of ballet, will accomplish something remarkable, if not unheard of. Others in the company will dance principal roles in two of the three sections which normally would be astonishing for such a brief performance run, but in this case, is so over-shadowed by the accomplishments of DiPiazza and Maslova that it’s almost ho-hum. Really, think about what it takes for any ballerina to perform one of the principal roles in either Emeralds, Rubies, or Diamonds, and then consider what it takes for any ballerina to perform principal roles in all three — in 72 hours.
We caught the opening night performance on Thursday at the beautiful Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Mayara Pineiro with Arian Molina Soca and Oksana Maslova with Ian Hussey led the opening Emeralds section, arguably the most beautiful section unless, of course, one happens to be watching Diamonds. The highlight of the first 31 minutes of Jewels was watching Maslova caress the phrases of Fauré as though they were the first and last loves of her life. Our sense was that she had no choice but to be this music, to embed herself within its melodies, and to treat each note as a cherished gift. Here she moderated her extensions – avoiding the ear-whacking that is her preference – and the end result was an artist who looked much bigger on stage, drew more stage lighting to herself, appeared more dramatically weighted, and held our deep interest in wanting to know who she was. The walking pas de deux with Ian Hussey progressed with such delicacy that Maslova appeared almost to be walking on water.
Mayara Pineiro, the company’s show-stopping allegro specialist but here cast contrary to type, made a good start with Emeralds. The steps were crystalline clear, but her torso lacked the bend and sweep that makes the ballerina in this ballet so mesmerizing and gives her such perfume. Her pas de deux with the ever attentive, ever romantic Molina Soca was quite lovely.
Lillian DiPiazza, Jermel Johnson and Alexandra Hughes got off to a careful start with Rubies but accelerated steadily. Lillian, also cast against type, faced the challenge of employing the kind of bold salesmanship that doesn’t lie within her comfort zone. But it didn’t take too long for her to trot out her sass & glam and bring this work to a convincing conclusion. Alexandra’s Tall Girl showed considerable promise. She’s got the legs; she’s got the courage; she’s got the right idea. But nerves were in play on this debut. The exiting slow penche arabesques were a little unsteady and a little shy on penche. We wish we could have seen her second performance of this role on Saturday afternoon which was surely more confident, because the next time Jewels comes around at Pennsylvania Ballet, we suspect that Alexandra will be dancing Diamonds.
But the Diamonds on Thursday night had spent considerable time on the jeweler’s polishing wheel. Sterling Baca rose to a startling new level of nobility and graciousness in his dancing. On stage he looked as tall as – as tall as – hmmm – as tall as Charles Askegard, a premiere Diamond principal of his generation and now the company’s Ballet Master. Baca's variations were beautifully controlled with double tours to the right and left equally impressive for their clean landings to fifth position. A polished performance, indeed. But his smooth, unaffected, confident, blue-blooded partnering of his glorious ballerina pleased us even more.
Haglund’s newest addition to his collection of favorite ballerinas, Dayesi Torriente, was the 69 carat Burton-Taylor white diamond of the evening. Were it not for Amtrak’s dynamic pricing increase, we would have been on the train back to Philly for her second performance this afternoon. What a beauty!
The notion that occasionally is circulated by less than knowledgeable folks that Balanchine must be danced in a certain specific way in accordance with their personal faultless memories of some NYCB performance decades ago is such a crock… Here Dayesi Torriente gave us a big, bold, and beautifully Cuban interpretation that was loaded with regal grandeur, Imperial attitude, and formal romance beneath which passion simmered patiently. Oh, this was good, good, good. If anyone saw her Tall Girl in Rubies on Friday or Saturday, please send in a report.
Throughout the first performance, the Corps de Ballet danced with exuberance and jubilation. For most, it was their first time dancing Balanchine’s masterpiece. During Diamonds, some of their young faces suggested they were on the verge euphoria and experiencing a moment of “How could it get any better than this?” Well, it’s Jewels. It probably won’t get any better than this.
Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a bespoke creation with more than 2,000 diamonds from House of Borgezie, is bestowed upon Dayesi Torriente and Sterling Baca for the beauty and brilliance of their Diamonds.
Dear Hadlund, I too was lucky enough to see the Thursday performances which included the afternoon dress. The last time I saw Jewels at NYCB I was so ho-hummed that I almost did not go to Philly. Thank Heavens I did. The energy and dedication starts at the top and flows over the company. I can't wait until fall when they do Romeo and Juliet. So much talent. When I look at ABT's calendar (and casting), I cry. Mercifully, Pa Ballet is there to mop up my tears.
Posted by: SherryD | May 14, 2018 at 09:13 AM
Hi, Sherry D.
The energy was definitely high on Thursday night, especially with those four guys in Rubies. All of them, just fantastic.
Posted by: Haglund | May 14, 2018 at 11:01 AM
Hello Haglund, I'm really glad you got a chance to see opening night. I had the opportunity to see all three casts over the weekend. Dayesi really was quite stunning in Rubies - all the tall girl attitude you could ask for.
Sunday's matinee also saw the final performance of James Ihde, retiring from the stage after 25 years with the company. He picked a great ballet to go out on - he and Lillian DiPiazza performed Diamonds with aplomb. After the performance, he received a 10 minute ovation, with lots of confetti. He will be missed.
Posted by: Bryan P | May 15, 2018 at 05:52 PM
A very belated comment about Rubies: on Saturday evening, the performances by Mayara Pineiro and Zecheng Liang, and Dayesi Torriente, were among the best I've every seen. If they do it again in a future season, it is the cast you must see.
Posted by: Johanna | June 01, 2018 at 11:53 PM
Thanks, Johanna. I had the feeling that I missed something great. Can't wait for next season to start!
Posted by: Haglund | June 02, 2018 at 07:54 AM