Oberon's Grove

DAVID PARSONS/SUMMER INTENSIVE SHOWCASE

Friday May 30, 2008 - Over to the East Side to catch up with David Parsons as his Summer Intensive 2008 programme culminated with a performance at Marymount College. The theatre was packed with both the students who were to perform and a big contingent of Parsons fans and supporters. David was right there greeting us, making everyone feel welcomed.

The programme offered selections from six Parsons classics which had been staged by the members of Parsons Dance especially for the Summer Intensive Program. Since there were a large number of dancers in the program, the works we re-configured with larger contingents so that everyone got a chance to dance. Despite the limited wing space and the dozens of dancers performing, things went smoothly. SLEEP STUDY with its witty score provoked genuine mirth and Parsons dancer Miguel Quinones assumed his usual role as the man who sleeps thru it all. The excerpt from UNION was moving and held the audience in rapt attention.

The Associate Artistic Director of the Company, Elizabeth Koeppen then announced that we were in for a special treat. For the Company's imminent tour to South America, David had created - on very short notice - a new work called MY SWEET LORD and we were given a preview. The opening section is set to George Harrison's "Within You, Without You" as a trio for Julie Blume,  Abby Silva and Zac Hammer.  When Zac appeared, shirtless, all the students began screaming wildly - reminiscent of the reaction of teenaged fans to the Beatles when they first came to these shores. Then as the familiar, repetitive strophes of "My Sweet Lord" commenced, David concocted one of his swirling, flying finales into which his dancers flung themselves with unrestrained energy. (Photo of Parsons Dance on tour in China).

The afternoon ended with a massive, shouting salute for the Parsons Dancers and they in turn applauded the students. Then David appeared and everyone went crazy. There was an awful lot of sheer energy in that room. Now we have a long wait until Parsons Dance return to The Joyce January 6 - 18, 2009. But they are worth waiting for. Walking back across Central Park on a perfect early-summer day, I simply felt happy to be alive. My thanks to David, Elizabeth, Michelle and all the dancers.

WITHIN YOU, WITHOUT YOU

"We were talking
about the space between us all
and people who hide themselves
behind a wall of illusion
never glimpse the truth
then it's far too late
when they pass away

We were talking
about the love we all could share
When we find it
to try our best to hold it there
with our love, with our love
we could save the world
if they only knew

Try to realize it's all within yourself
no one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
and life flows on within you and without you

We were talking
about the love that's gone so cold
and the people who gain the world
and lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see
Are you one of them

When you've seen beyond yourself
then you may find
peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come
when you see we're all one
and life flows on within you and without you"

                                  - George Harrison

HERE & NOW: Premiere & Revival

Thursday May 29, 2008 - New York City Ballet's programme HERE AND NOW opened tonight with the focus on new or recent ballets including a premiere from Alexei Ratmansky and a revival of Peter Martins' RIVER OF LIGHT. Evan has written about the evening here.

Starting off the evening with a classical feeling, Christopher Wheeldon's ROCOCO VARIATIONS looked even more appealing than it did last Winter. The quartet of dancers are more at ease with the demands of the choreography and there is more interplay between the two couples. The ballet calls for strong, pure technique but has unusual partnering aspects and the dancers do quite a bit of kneeling, laying on the floor and rising or being lifted. The boys must be very attentive and articulate in their partnering. Each couple has an adagio. Sterling Hyltin and Giovanni Villalobos moved fluently in sync; Sterling's aristocratic technique and sense of refinement are nicely matched by Giovanni's sincerity and his wonderfully expressive arms and hands. Sara Mearns has a creamy, poetic style and a lavish backbend and Adrian Danchig-Waring is so impressive in his ardent partnering, his smooth classic line and his interesting contemporary look. The cellist was not very impressive. (Paul Kolnik photo: Sterling, Giovanni, Sara & Adrian).

OLTREMARE was tremendous. I am not sure there is another dance company in the world who could perform this piece since it calls for a thorough depth of technical mastery, keen musicality, total trust in your partner and the sheer nerve to take unbelievable risks. Bruno Moretti's score is both cinematic and intensely intimate; the 'below decks' dance tunes draw on colorful instrumentation, driving rhythms and wistful or skewed harmonies. In the sustained passages, darkish sounds convey the sorrow and fear of a journey into the unknown. The dancers were simply magnificent and threw themselves unsparingly into Mauro Bigonzetti's complicated steps and high-risk partnering.  It seems almost unfair to single people out since everyone danced their hearts out; but I will say that you have to see Andrew Veyette's solo to believe it, and that Maria Kowroski, Tyler Angle, Tiler Peck, Amar Ramasar, Georgina Pazcoguin and Jason Fowler deserved the passionate applause they received at their bows. When you have a 'supporting cast' of the calibre of Jon Stafford, Teresa Reichlen, Ana Sophia Scheller, Maya Collins, Amanda Hankes, Vincent Paradiso and Sean Suozzi the result is bound to be thrilling. And it was.
 
Arnold Roth's fanciful portrait of composer Charles Wuorinen, who conducted RIVER OF LIGHT which Peter revived to honor the composer's 70th birthday. The score is vibrant, often dazzling in its instrumentation and it calls upon an expanded percussion section. The ballet is a series of duets which feature three couples: Savannah Lowery and Jared Angle in black, Sterling Hyltin and Ask LaCour in red and Teresa Reichlen and Robert Fairchild in white. In shifting light patterns, the dancers change partners as the ballet progresses. The duets call for clarity of line and confident, sustained partnering.

Ask LaCour does some amazing lifts of Sterling Hyltin (Jeff Gurwin photo) with a sort of 'hands-off' feeling; Savannah Lowery gave a very strong performance - one of her best to date - as Jared Angle (leaving his noble cavalier persona in the dressing room to tackle this darkish ballet) dropped her into full splits on the floor. In her white body-tights against the black backdrop, Tess Reichlen seemed more hypnotic than ever. Rob Fairchild found this a very congenial role which brings out a more dramatic, edgy side of his dancing. All six looked sleek in the satiny costumes and the demands of the partnering were met with compelling clarity and served up in a series of vivid images. But RIVER OF LIGHT does not end convincingly; if I am not mistaken, the ending has been changed since I last saw this work almost a decade ago and it is the worse for it. Overall though I was very satisfied to see this ballet again...and so strongly cast.

CONCERTO DSCH left me with mixed feelings; it is a playful ballet for the most part and it is technically demanding. Ratmansky chose as his five principals and his 'corps' of fourteen (which included principals and soloists) some of the Company's top technicians and most inspiring personalities. Susan Walters  and Maestro Karoui set the stage with a shining rendition of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2.

Wendy Whelan and Benjamin Millepied have the central adagio which flows smoothly on one of Shostakovich's most melodic themes; Wendy and Ben looked serene together and the duet has a fine, airy feeling. Ashley Bouder with Joaquin de Luz and Gonzalo Garcia have the more pyrotechnical passages which include some role reversals as Ashley appears to 'lift' the boys.

The ballet is somewhat marred by unattractive costumes; the boys seem to be in 1930s bathing costumes (orange/maroon) while Joaquin and Gonzalo are stuck in what look like farmer's 'bib' blue jeans. The dresses for Wendy (mint green) and Ashley (blue) are not flattering. I can understand Ratmansky wanting the starry 'corps' he chose but for the most part what he asked of them is nothing a group of newbies couldn't have done. The work is about 90% pure dance but every so often there is a lapse into RUSSIAN SEASONS mentality and the dancers show concern for (or admonish) one of the community members. As the work progresses there are genuinely funny moments: Wendy's annoyance when she finds Ashley's been flirting with Ben; Jon Stafford simply jumping up and down in place about 2 dozens times (with a straight face) while the rest of the group do more complex combinations. Gonzalo and Joaquin compete brilliantly in showy passages while Bouder toys with her balances. As the finale built I felt less concerned about my misgivings and joined in the long applause. The ballet ends with a final touch of humour: Joaquin climbs onto Gonzalo's shoulders. (Production photo: Paul Kolnik).

Evan very kindly invited me to join her in the orchestra after the first intermission. The stars were out, en masse: Albert Evans, Christopher Wheeldon, Irina Dvorovenko, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Jose Manuel Carreno, Peter & Darci, Damian & Heather, Karin von Aroldingen, Allegra Kent, and Sebastien Marcovici. I'm looking forward to seeing this programme again.

New Ratmansky...and Miki Orihara @ LaMama

New York City Ballet's new work by Alexei Ratmansky opens tonight, Thursday May 29; the NY TIMES has a story about the choreographer. The ballet, entitled CONCERTO DSCH, will be set to the Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2 and boasts an announced cast of Ashley Bouder, Wendy Whelan, Joaquin de Luz, Gonzalo Garcia and Benjamin Millepied.  It's apparently a 'big' ballet (lots of dancers) and it shares a programme called HERE AND NOW with Wheeldon's ROCOCO VARIATIONS, Bigonzetti's OLTREMARE and the revival of RIVER OF LIGHT, a dramatic Peter Martins ballet set to a powerful score by Charles Wuorinen. I'm hoping to book for all performances of this programme.

An interesting aside: Tom Gold, who seemed to have made a farewell already, is listed in THE CONCERT on June 6th.

UPDATE: Miki Orihara writes about Muna Tseng's WATER WATER at The Winger.  A Martha Graham principal dancer, Miki will be appearing with the Muna Tseng Dance Project at LaMama May 29 - June 1st in a revival of this piece. Also on the bill are works by Ping Chong and Christopher Caines. I fell in love with Miki when I saw her dancing with the Graham Company at Jacob's Pillow and I'm really looking forward to another opportunity to see her onstage. WATER WATER will also be performed at Jacob's Pillow this summer on July 17th.

Rehearsal at New York City Ballet

Wednesday May 28, 2008 - Back in the 1970s my friend Andrew and I attended one of the first performances  of UNION JACK. The performance ended and there were several curtain calls, UNION JACK at that time being hugely popular and always sold-out. We stayed in our orchestra seats waiting for the crowd to thin out; we were talking about the performance and we sort of forgot where we were. The auditorium had cleared entirely...except for us. Suddenly the house lights dimmed slightly and the curtain rose. The sets were being struck but a number of dancers, still in costume, were milling about. After a moment, George Balanchine came onstage and began talking to the dancers. We couldn't hear what he was saying but soon a group of them started running thru part of UNION JACK. Mr. B was sort of half-singing the music, clapping in time and calling out to the dancers. Andrew and I were really enjoying this little eaves-dropping session when an usher appeared in our row and said: "The theatre is closed. You have to leave."  Reluctantly, we got up and left. 

Today, my friend Sarah invited me to join her for a rehearsal at New York City Ballet to be followed by a backstage tour. This time we were there 'legally' and it was an awful lot of fun, especially since Monica and Denis were also there. We had hoped to see the new Ratmansky but it looked like a run-thru of that had just ended when we were admitted to the auditorium.

They began working on IN G MAJOR in which Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle are slated for a joint debut tonight. One of the corps girls was missing and it was interesting to see the dancers working around the empty space; at one point Kyle Froman was dancing with his shadow. (That's one of Kyle's photos at left). Some of the dancers danced full-out and others were marking. Faye Arthurs, who looked striking all in black, treated us to some of her high-sailing extensions. Just as Sara and Tyler began to rehearse the adagio, we were summoned to the backstage tour and moments later we were watching them from the wings. The most interesting thing about being there was that the stage seems so much smaller than it does from the auditorium. Christopher Wheeldon, Damian Woetzel and Joaquin de Luz came by; since Sarah and Joaquin are friends, he stopped to chat. What a great guy! We saw lots of costumes, including the pretty cocoa-coloured dresses for ROCOCO VARIATIONS.

Back in our seats, and Albert Evans was running a rehearsal of OLTREMARE. This is a ballet I'm dying to see again and the rehearsal reminded me of all the things I love about it. Amanda Hankes is stepping into Megan LeCrone's role but the rest of the cast is the same as the premiere performance in January. There was a lot of camaraderie during this run thru; it is a terribly demanding ballet and the dancers coached and applauded one another. There was a lot of stop-and-start as they reviewed sequences and gestures, referring to a performance video. Things were relaxed but the dancing was serious. The pacing and complexity of both the steps and the partnering reminded me what a dangerous occupation this is. It was good seeing Maria Kowroski onstage again and her effortless extension is mind-boggling. Jason Fowler, Georgina Pazcoguin, Amar Ramasar and Tiler Peck have very tricky, split-second-timing duets. In his fiendishly difficult solo, Andrew Veyette won the applause of his colleagues and of the invited audience - even though we'd been asked not to applaud.

Event Horizon: Cedar Lake's Spring Season

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet will be presenting three works for their Spring programme which opens on June 2. In the past year I have become a big admirer of Cedar Lake with their wonderful performance space, the compelling immediacy of their work and their roster of charismatic and highly individual dancers. Cedar Lake's been in the vanguard of getting the NYC dance-bloggers involved in their productions.

The programme features Nicolo Fonte's LASTING IMPRINT as well as SUNDAY, AGAIN by Jo Stromgren. Casting details and advance videos here.

The work I am most curious to see is Angelin Preljocaj's ANNONCIATION since I have vivid memories of this choreographer's unusual ballet LA STRAVAGANZA (photo) which he created for New York City Ballet in 1997. Read about my previous visits  to Cedar Lake here and here.

JEWELS: Sunday Matinee

Sunday May 25, 2008 matinee - My friend Deborah was down from Connecticut today for New York City Ballet's JEWELS. EMERALDS (Gwyneth Muller photo, pre-curtain) cast its spell yet again. Rachel Rutherford has danced this ballet many times but I thought today she had an extra quality of expansiveness and refinement of gesture that were especially appealing, notably in the opening duet with Stephen Hanna. Their dancing had a nice sustained feel to it. Sara Mearns brings lush elegance to her dancing here and Jonathan Stafford continues to impress in cavalier roles. Alina Dronova and Ana Sophia Scheller were well-contrasted in the pas de trois and Sean Suozzi added more laurel wreaths to his collection with his technical brilliance and his knack for always putting the right finishing touch on everything.

Teresa Reichlen's performance in the 'soloist' role in RUBIES has been developing steadily since she first started dancing it. She's got the gams and the glamour and this year - notably as the Siren and in WESTERN SYMPHONY - she has really found her 'presence' onstage. When the curtain rose with Tess towering over the semi-circle of dancers like a goddess, a rush of excitement swept thru the house. She went on to give a remarkable performance on all counts and truly deserved the loud acclaim that greeted her as she stepped out for a solo bow. Ashley Bouder and Benjamin Millepied blazed thru the steps with total assurance and their sexy, jaunty by-play had the audience eating out of their hands. Ben likes to pull new aerial tricks out of his dance bag in the section where the boys chase him around the stage, and it was fun to see Benjamin sailing into the air ahead of his pursuers. Bouder loves to play with this music: when Ben puts her into a balance and steps back, she just stays there with a little smile on her face. Her multiple pirouettes multiply exponentially. Tess, Ashley & Ben dazzled the audience completely.

What could possibly follow this kind of RUBIES? A Wendy Whelan/Philip Neal DIAMONDS...that's what! They brought the afternoon to a thrilling finish with their imperial dancing and if the corps wasn't always in perfect unison at every moment it hardly mattered in the scheme of things. If I could change one thing in the current NYCB DIAMONDS, I would take away the feathery accessories to the girls' headpieces and shoulders. They are distracting.

With Saskia Beskow still out, Faye Arthurs moved up to one of the 'leading-demi' roles (is that a contradiction of terms?) so that it was she and Gwyneth Mulller who had the most to do and of course I was loving every minute of it. Later they were joined by Glenn Keenan and Kaitlyn Gilliland and the four of them were so pleasing to watch. But whenever Wendy was onstage, nothing could pry my eyes off her. I'm guessing I've maybe seen a score of Wendy DIAMONDS - maybe more - and I love how she always keeps it so fresh and vivid, how she manages to make everything seem so profound while in the meantime she herself is so light and pure, and how the music is gently distilled thru her arms and hands and her daring sweeps into backbend. After yesterday's IN G MAJOR I wondered if she and Philip could keep that level up, and they did. They surpassed it, actually. Philip's partnering was so smooth and his solo passages are always so musical and never done just for show. More of those spins en attitude, too...he should have them patented. At the end of the performance, as the applause forced Wendy & Philip out for a third bow, I felt once again the addictive power of New York City Ballet. Sometimes I look at my calendar and think I am going too often but on days like this you realize you can't really afford to miss ANYTHING.

Quite a few of the NYCB regulars were there (Happy birthday, Susan!) and I think everyone agreed that the performance was pretty magical. It was really lovely when Teresa Reichlen's mom came over to say hello; she and her husband were up from Virginia for the holiday weekend and they sure picked a fine time for a visit because aside from the beautiful weather, they got to see Tess giving some of her finest performances. Later Tess herself came out and I realized where she gets her height from: her dad looks like he's a foot taller than his dancing daughter.   

All-Robbins Matinee

Saturday May 24, 2008 matinee - This is probably the most inviting of the all-Robbins programmes being offered by New York City Ballet in their season celebrating the late choreographer's 90th birthday. The great appeal of MOTHER GOOSE is the attractive Ravel score and an opportunity to see several soloists and corps dancers in featured roles. Tiler Peck as Princess Florine danced with lightness and clarity - and she can skip rope, too. Kathryn Morgan was perfectly cast as Beauty and she aroused the beast in Adrian Danchig-Waring. Gwyneth Muller was a poised Good Fairy, Tyler Angle a noble Prince and Jason Fowler and Savannah Lowery vividly cast as the Serpent and Laideronnette who start out ugly and are transformed by bathing in magical waters - we need to find these waters and bottle them. Faycal Karoui and the orchestra luxuriated all afternoon in the sensuous, colorful sounds of the two French masters: Ravel and Debussy.

The central part of the programme is devoted to the two Robbins-Debussy ballets, the hothouse atmosphere of  AFTERNOON OF A FAUN and the unique appeal of ANTIQUE EPIGRAPHS with its sisterhood of Grecian beauties dancing in their own private world.

I have always smiled to myself at Robbins' not-so-subtle reference to Nijinsky's scandalous final gesture at the premiere of L'APRES MIDI D'UN FAUN which rocked the Parisian arts world and created the kind of publicity Diaghilev adored. Today, in the very different Robbins setting, Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici seemed to make the audience hold its collective breath; there was a feeling of time suspended. Janie, who is slowly working her way back into the repertoire after a long injury hiatus, showed the lithe look, hypnotic style and spectacular hair that make watching her so thrilling. Sebastien hasn't danced for a year and he looked great, partnered Janie to perfection and captured the narcissism and moments of stillness ideally. Rising into a peerless attitude pose at one moment reminded me of why Janie Taylor is so high on my list.

ANTIQUE EPIGRAPHS usually features four principals or soloists and four girls from the corps. Today's soloists, all of whom should be principals, were Sara Mearns, Teresa Reichlen, Rebecca Krohn and Rachel Rutherford.  Rebecca led off with the first solo and she impressed me so much today with her technical poise and the increasing assurance of her stage presence. With her long legs and 'prima ballerina' face, Rebecca makes me look forward to each role she undertakes. Rachel continued her impressive season with another elegant performance and Teresa Reichlen danced serenely on the music, radiating a sense of calm. Sara Mearns had a lovely floating quality in her solo which drew strong applause. NYC Ballet does not announce cast changes among corps dancers but in a ballet that only has eight women in it, it would have been nice to have been told that Faye Arthurs was dancing in place of Saskia Beskow - especially since she gave such a fine performance. Speaking of long legs, Ellen Ostrom was very impressive and Gwyneth Muller and Savannah Lowery enhanced the lyrical quality of this ballet in which you almost expect the girls to start singing. There's nothing else to be found that's quite like EPIGRAPHS  - always a pleasure to see and hear. 

Closing the matinee was Ravel's glorious day-at-the-beach ballet, IN G MAJOR. I realized that I'd never seen the Erte backdrop for this ballet because I've always seen it from upstairs. The drop with its stylized sunburst, clouds and waves serves this airy ballet perfectly. Pianist Cameron Grant along with Maestro Karoui brought out all the rippling motifs as well as some jazzy effects.  At the center of IN G MAJOR is a very long adagio which Wendy Whelan and Philip Neal danced with lustrous poise; they are so perfectly in-sync. Wendy radiates her steps and gestures thru the music; I love the way she is able to use a slight rubato to give a sustained, dreamy quality. Philip is on peak form, so effortless in his partnering and expansive in his combinations. I doubt if spinning en attitude is considered difficult, but does any male dancer do it so beautifully as Philip Neal? He and Wendy won a sustained applause after the adagio and were called out twice - quite rare mid-ballet at NYCB. The boys looked sleek in their bathing costumes; it was good to see Craig Hall onstage again. Faye and the other girls breezed thru the steps and seemed to be having a good time. (all NYCB production photos by Paul Kolnik).

The afternoon opened with a film clip of Jerome Robbins coaching Suzanne Farrell and Peter Martins in AFTERNOON OF A FAUN. Rob, who has only recently started going to NYCB, couldn't get over how beautiful Peter looked. In the audience: Allegra Kent.

WORLD TOUR III

Friday May 23, 2008 - Back for the last BUGAKU/RUSSIAN SEASONS combination at New York City Ballet. {RUSSIAN SEASONS photos by John Ross.} This is a very long programme and what started out as a very sizeable audience dwindled slowly as the evening progressed. The opening BUGAKU seemed - if possible - even more erotic than the two earlier performances with Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans that I had seen. Of course it is very stylized eroticism but it is far from subtle. Albert seemed more...I almost want to say "sinister"...while Wendy was finding more delicate nuances in the role. She has, in three performances, made this role a memorable portrait in the Whelan gallery. The BUGAKU score becomes more appealing (and more suggestive) with each hearing. Maurice Kaplow was on the podium (replacing Ms. Otranto) and he gave it a lush quality in the central section. Ashley Laracey replaced Saskia Beskow as one of the handmaidens; the four couples were excellent and I would say it is not an easy 'corps' ballet - they all dance like soloists anyway.  BUGAKU again seemed to hold the audience in a trance and Wendy & Albert were showered with applause.

But the big ovation of the evening went to Damian Woetzel after AMERICAN IN PARIS. With his retirement date drawing near, this was Damian's last appearance in this ballet which Christopher Wheeldon seems to have created just for him. Both here and in CAROUSEL Damian found a nice late-career partnership with Tiler Peck; they really have chemistry and he seems to have brought out a lot of stage magic in Tiler's developing career. She danced beautifully tonight, and Sara Mearns was jazzy in her role (which she doubles by playing a nun earlier in the ballet). Among the large cast Max van der Steere as the cyclist  and Gina Pazcoguin as the streetwalker stood out. Kaitlyn Gilliland replaced Saskia as one of the 'hat sisters' and cut a Vogue-worthy figure. Speaking of Vogue, Faye Arthurs and Katie Bergstrom seem to have stepped from the pages of its Paris edition. Damian was perfect as the all-American guy with a big heart, taking a solo bow to a chorus of cheers. It will be interesting to see how Damian's roles get distributed after this season. They can surely be danced by others, but if ever there was a "one-of-a-kind" dancer, it's Damian Woetzel.

Darci Kistler and Jared Angle gave the wistful sadness of VALSE TRISTE a windswept feeling; Darci danced with increasing abandon as the ballet progressed and Jared - who is having a wonderful season - knows just what to do to show Darci off to best advantage. Darci's hands always give things a beautiful 'finish'. In CHAIRMAN DANCES the pulsating, percolating score showcases the gorgeous costumes and the tongue-in-cheek glamour and wit of Teresa Reichlen who looks smashing in her red toe shoes.    

Find the music for RUSSIAN SEASONS here. It has seemed to me that the more often I hear this music the more I find in it: for rhythmic and harmonic variety it ranks high and the interweaving of voice and solo violin (Irina Rindzuner and Arturo Delmoni today) adds a further layer of fascination. Today's performance gave a chance to re-connect with Georgina Pazcoguin's (photo) portrayal of the Woman in Red in which she made quite a splash when she stepped in during the Winter season. She danced with abandon and power and she looks so striking. Amar Ramasar partnered her ideally and their duet was a high point, ending as they slump to the floor back-to-back. Abi Stafford's role is technically demanding with a lot of intricacy of steps; she and Adam Hendrickson should dance together frequently as they enhance each other's playfulness and spirit. Jon Stafford brings droll touches to his Boy in Green and this ballet has given Rachel Rutherford one of her best roles ever, full of detail and mixing folk and classical elements. Alina Dronova and Glenn Keenan looked well in the ensembles and both took advantage of their featured moments. Sean Suozzi and Antonio Carmena are accomplished virtuosos with strong personalities who I hope to see getting more and more opportunities to shine. Albert Evans opens the ballet backed by four boys who flip into multiple air turns and then hit the deck. Albert's solo near the end of the ballet reminds us that for all his sex-appeal and super-partnering Albert also has a silky technique to show off. Wendy's role is multi-faceted; in fact this woman might be bi-polar. She is by turns happy, agitated, lyrical and dejected; the other dancers try to comfort her. In the end, she and Albert have turned into spirits who send the community into dreamland as the curtain quietly falls.

RUSSIAN SEASONS (Abi and Rachel in John Ross photos, left) seems to be one of those Diamond Project ballets that has found something of a permanent spot in the NYC Ballet repertoire. All too often  the Diamond Project works simply vanish after a season or two; I hope we can count on seeing this unusual and popular work frequently in the future. Below is a RUSSIAN SEASONS gallery of John Ross photos from the London tour which NYCB made earlier this year. Curtain-rise: Jon, Antonio, Sean & Adam with Albert Evans; Adam & Wendy; Georgina, Alina, Abi, Rachel & Rebecca Krohn; Albert & Wendy in the ballet's final moments.

AIDS WALK NY 2008 PHOTOS

I just received the photos from the 2008 AIDS WALK NY with New York City Ballet luminaries Ashley Bouder, Sara Mearns & Philip Neal and Alice (with Harper), Amanda and Peggy just before we set off. See? You should definitely join up and walk with us next year. It's great exercise for a great cause and you get to meet people you would otherwise be too shy to speak to.

CORSAIRE at ABT

Wednesday May 21, 2008 matinee - Starting off my ABT season with something I'd never seen before, I watched a procession of favorite dancers in the Company's colorful  production of LE CORSAIRE. David Hallberg as Conrad (photo) was one of the main attractions of the afternoon. David is a dancer I had the pleasure of meeting when he first came to New York City and it has been so wonderful to follow his development from a very promising youngster into a real prince of the dance. I wonder if, when he started out on this path, he ever thought about stardom and having a legion of vociferous fans?

It's due in large part to Julie Kent that I have embarked on my enhanced ABT season this year. Watching her on DVD in the pas de deux from CRUEL WORLD with Robert Hill I thought that I really wanted to see her onstage again after her superb Nikiya and Odette/Odile in recent seasons. CORSAIRE being a ballet I'd never seen made it a logical choice. Looking thru the ABT brochure  I found myself saying, "I really should see Marcelo, too...and David...and Herman..." and soon enough I had constructed a little 'season'. There are other things I'd love to see but financial considerations have me in check at the moment. One of the nice things about this CORSAIRE was that I could see both Julie Kent and David Hallberg along with Ethan Stiefel, Misty Copeland, Craig Salstein and Sascha Radetsky all at one fell swoop. Waiting for the performance to start I was thinking of the main reason why I don't go to ABT very often: the distancing effect of the Metropolitan Opera House which for some reason seems twice as big for the ballet as it does for opera. I don't know why this illusion prevails; possibly because I am used to the cozy warmth of the New York State Theatre. Basically I feel very 'far' from the dancers at the Met, despite my trusty opera glasses. Nevertheless, when the lights went down I felt a little shiver of anticipation.

Read the illuminating Wikipedia page about CORSAIRE here. This is a really good choice for someone who doesn't like a lot of mime and dislikes seeing dancers standing about. It happens to be a dance-dance-dance ballet with only brief interludes of story-telling between numbers. Adolphe Adam is usually credited as the composer of CORSAIRE but ABT uses the music of five composers, including Drigo and Delibes. Together they provide a succession of melodious, rhythmically varied numbers with plenty of exotica (and piracy) woven in. Against this musical setting, the dance  flows naturally. Of course there is "padding" and probably no one would say that this score is great or even particularly memorable music. But it certainly makes for a panoramic afternoon of enjoyable, even thrilling sounds. The plot  - akin to that of Verdi's opera IL CORSARO - is rather bloated and not very logical; but who cares? We are there for the dancing.

Julie Kent has a lovely role in Medora, one which shows off her elegant technique as well as the many different facets of being a ballerina: Medora is very funny in Act I as she teases the Pasha. Later she is the pure classic ballerina in the pas de trois, romantic in the 'bedroom' pas de deux, a refined vision in the Jardin Animee, and a courageous and steadfast lover in the end. Julie's dancing had the beautiful polish that always marks her performances and in the coda of the pas de trois she swirled thru an exciting set of fouettes; she seemed about to stop when she suddenly spun into another series. In the 'bedroom' pas de deux she and David created a really beautiful atmosphere. David's dancing all afternoon was remarkable; he covers space with a great sense of freedom and full-blown lyricism and his nobility of bearing saves the bravura passages from being mere opportunities to show off.  He and Julie were joined in the pas de trois by Ethan Stiefel as the slave Ali. Ethan looks super and the three of them danced up a storm and enjoyed repeated bursts of applause from the audience. The only slight gaffe was Ethan needing a hand-down when he went to the knee at the end of his solo. In the fourth leading role, Misty Copeland made a very attractive Gulnare. She seemed just a bit tense at first but very quickly smoothed into an impressive level of technical security and exotic appeal.

Sascha Radetsky acted very well as the slave dealer Lankendem and he danced impressively, too. He almost lost control of Misty in one flurry of supported pirouettes. Craig Salstein was made-up so effectively as the traitorous Birbanto that he was onstage for five minutes before I realized it was him. Craig is an excellent actor and presence and his classical technique shines thru in these folk-like dances. Sarawanee  Tanatanit as his pirate lass matched him for spirit and bravado. Roman Zhurbin was a comical Pasha.

In the lovely pas de trois for the Odaliaques in Act I (wearing an especially nice shade of blue) Melanie Hamrick, Maria Bystrova and Melissa Thomas created a beautiful, purely classic interlude.

There were a few blips from the orchestra (conducted by Ormsby Wilkins) and the ABT dancers have a tendency to milk applause sometimes. There were acres of empty seats on every level - ample room to seat the half-dozen NYC dance bloggers and get some free buzz out of it. Were it not for four groups of school children the Family Circle would have been almost empty.

Photo of David & Craig after the show by Robin. I was happy to find Susan at the performance so she could help me figure out who some of the girls were. It's going to take time to become as familiar with these faces as the ones at NYC Ballet. I did find Matt Murphy's friend Jackie Reyes and I thought I had located Sophie Bromberg who was supering as a servant girl - but it turns out that her alternate appeared in the matinee. Reading through the names of the corps girls I thought 'Simone Messmer' sounded interesting - like 'mesmerizing'  -  and by coincidence I was introduced to her after the performance (her headshot on the website doesn't do her justice by far!) so slowly but surely I'll get to know  these dancers. Here, at any rate, are today's Gulnare and Odalisques: Misty Copeland, Melanie Hamrick, Maria Bystrova and Melissa Thomas: