It was billed as a debut, but it was really so much more. Friday evening, Isabella LaFreniere danced the lead ballerina role in Balanchine's Chaconne for the first time opposite veteran Adrian Danchig-Waring. Chaconne is one of those Balanchine "big ballerina roles" -- a role that requires big technical chops, big expansive style, big glamorous stage presence, and big lungs. This week one of our cherished caretakers of the Balanchine big ballerina roles retires which means we're going to need one or more new shepherds to tend to our flock of these treasured ballets.
A corps member for seven or eight years, LaFreniere was recognized early on by balletomanes as a potential trustee of these ballets. The flashing eyes of the new tall dancer in the corps first caught our attention. They had the intensity of a young cat cautiously assessing whether the humans on the other side of the footlights were friendly and safe. Then it was the length of line from the tips of the fingers to the tips of the toes, a form so beautifully statuesque that it could be the center of a grand marble fountain. But it was the dancer's impeccable technique and luxurious authority that have delighted us through these years above all else. We remember how that first Dewdrop on Christmas Eve in 2016 nearly stunned us into believing in Santa again. Look at what we got, Mom! We've had to endure a few letdowns over the years when injuries prevented LaFreniere from launching big debuts. A missed debut in Firebird had balletomanes moping around in melodramatic sorrow for quite a while. As of right this moment, we're totally over it. Let's go let's go let's go!
Friday night's debut and a repeat performance on Saturday night each thrilled for their own reasons. Friday night brought us everything in LaFreniere's dancing that we knew she had but we wondered if her lungs were going to give out right on stage. Her excited stress was palpable. Danchig-Waring, whose own dancing was brilliant in its force and clarity, had one of the broadest smiles on stage that we've ever seen from him. He knew LaFreniere was killing it and that he was helping to launch an important artist to the forefront. Saturday night's repeat brought a more relaxed ballerina who revealed more of her individuality. The typical pirouette of a NYCB ballerina is quite an up & down affair: they go up, flip-flip, and quickly come down. In contrast, LaFreniere went up, rotated rhythmically with the music, finished atop a solid balance, and came down when she was good & ready to come down. As a famous old teacher would have described it, she put love into the pirouette rather than trying to beat it out with force.
Emma Von Enk and Kennard Henson debuted in the secondary PdD. They were okay and we could see flashes of what might come in the future. The Pas de Trois was danced by Emily Kikta, Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara and Aaron Sanz. Yes, there is some artificiality built into the port de bras, particularly for the man who must hold his left arm up in an archaic fencing-type position throughout the dance, but Sanz incorporated too much flirtatious mugging at the audience. We wish he would dial it back.
Sandwiched between these two performances of Chaconne was a Saturday afternoon performance of La Valse in which we bid adieu to soloist Lauren King. Oh my goodness, how we have enjoyed and admired this artist's performances over the years. Look up ebullience in Merriam Webster and you will see Lauren listed as a synonym. In recent years, her debut in Emeralds with Daniel Applebaum was a season highlight for its eloquence, grace, and musical honesty. These artists danced together frequently throughout their careers as corps members and soloists. They complemented and flattered each other with a loving thoughtfulness and a joy that always added beauty to their dancing. We're going to miss that.
At the end of this season's most spirited performance of La Valse, Lauren King was Queen for a Day. Andrew Scordato marched out from the wing carrying a silver tray that had a huge outlandishly sparkling tiara. Dancers descended upon Lauren with many hands fussing over the tiara on her head, making sure that it was just so and royally fitting. As she took her final bow and disappeared behind the theater's curtain, the joyous whooping of her colleagues could still be heard as the stage was being prepared for the next ballet.
We bestow this most pink, bubbling H.H. Pump Bump Award upon Lauren King with thanks for providing us with many wonderful times in the theater.
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