Saturday January 13, 2007 matinee - The Aurora of the afternoon, Ashley Bouder, is one of the most astonishing dancers on the planet at the moment. She can turn, jump and balance faster, higher & longer than just about anyone. She phrases the steps persuasively into long balletic statements and her innate musicality allows her to vary the pacing and keep the dancing constantly alive. All afternoon she delivered the goods with complete assurance and endless resources of energy. As a display of dancing, you probably won't see anything better in New York City or - just possibly - in the world.
[EDIT: Here I had written some uncharacteristically negative remarks on Bouder's facial expressions which were not really an enhancement to her performance. But since then I have been thinking I was too harsh. And she has since shown a remarkable development in terms of conveying emotion with her facial features. So I have omitted the original complaints in view of her developing artistry.]
Benjamin Millepied is such a handsome guy, slender and youthfully noble of bearing. He danced quite well if without the pure bravado of a few years ago (pre-injury). Partnering has never been Millepied's forte though he managed nicely enough today. The fish-dives, however, were really bad this afternoon and I can't say it was all Ben's fault. Bouder, after her pirouettes, seemed to move to her left, away from Ben, making it all the harder for him to grip her and tilt her into the dive. Very sloppy. I thought for a moment they were going to just leave out the third one. At any rate, no one's been able to pull the dives off this year and I think they should be eliminated. As someone pointed out over at Ballet Talk, they were inserted decades ago into the Diaghilev production in London by Bronislava Nijinska. On the surface, if well-executed, they are exciting. But apparently the original version had the ballerina 'swooning' into the Prince's arms instead of 'diving'. That sounds nice. And of course, no one swoons like Jenifer Ringer.
When the casting first came out, we actually thought of skipping this performance but there were some people in the cast we just couldn't miss. First and foremost, Amanda Hankes; she made a striking Lilac Fairy the last time they gave this ballet; she stepped out of the corps and held her own opposite the splendid Aurora of Miranda Weese. Later, she went missing for a while and it was a delight to see her earlier in NUTCRACKER regaining her place. And here she was, back as Lilac and pretty sublime. A distinctive beauty with long legs and arms, Hankes has remarkable bearing and a slightly mysterious quality that I find really appealing. She gave a wonderful performance this afternoon.
Another top favorite of mine is Adam Hendrickson - one of those dancers you could watch for hours. Adam danced Bluebird today, and he left off some of the heavy make-up the other boys have used and so the expressive Hendrickson face shown thru under the bejeweled exotica. He danced with lightness and clarity, his swift steps and silent landings giving a weightless feeling. Abi Stafford was the agile and appealing Princess Florine, bewitched by the Bluebird's song. Their joyous 'fly thru' in the finale capped their success.
Another treat today was the Cat duet danced by Lauren King and Amar Ramasar. They played up the humor and sexiness of the piece (joyously rubbing rumps, and then Amar sprawling languorously on the floor and letting his tail wag in lusty anticipation). The audience loved them.
The crowd also enjoyed Masahiro Suehara's virtuosity as the Jester, along with Vincent Paradiso and Troy Schumacher. It will be a shame if Masahiro doesn't become a permanent jewel in the NYCB crown.
Stephen Hanna was again very impressive as Gold, while Savannah Lowery, Tiler Peck and Ana Sophia Scheller all seemed to have arrived onstage fresh from breakfast at Tiffany's. They were delightful.
In the Prologue, the Fairies were all repeating their roles and all at their best. Maya Collins notched up from her already successful debut as Tenderness, refining and polishing her presentation with a nice lustre. Scheller's Vivacity couldn't be any more brilliant - or lovable. Rebecca Krohn was having a grand time; she is so striking. Alina Dronova was extra-precise and charming, and Ellen Bar capped the variations with a dramatic and vividly musical Courage. The cavaliers were a handsome lot, Sean Suozzi as ever nailing his combinations with flair. As Wei says, Sean always gives 110%. Faye Arthurs was dancing away in Lilac Attendants and Maids of Honor, probably not realizing that Wei & I were mentally showering her with roses and pearls.
Melissa Barak's Carabosse is grandly nasty and she looks fantastic. William Lin-Yee & Gwyneth Muller ruled over the proceedings and Abergel's Countess is a little masterpiece of feminine insecurity and over-reaching.
The Garland Waltz becomes more and more magical with each viewing, and the music of the Vision Scene is pure heaven.
My big surfeit of Tchaikovsky is over: seven NUTCRACKER and six BEAUTY. Someone suggested I give out 'Oscars' for the best performances in the various roles in BEAUTY. OK. Let's start with the Countess. A non-dancing role. You have to look gorgeous and act the 'desperate fiancee' bit while maintaining aristocratic poise. The the nominees are: Saskia Beskow, Gwyneth Muller and Dena Abergel. And the winner is:.......do you honestly expect me to choose? I can't.
UPDATE: A loss for NYCB is a gain for Los Angeles Ballet; Masahiro Suehara is now listed on LAB's roster. Colleen Neary knows a good thing when she sees it. Lucky Angelenos!!! Best wishes to an exciting young dancer!
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