Friday January 5, 2007 - To go or not to go, that was the question. In the end, the desire to see Sara Mearns in her first Lilac Fairy won out over certain reservations about Yvonne Borree's Aurora. In the event, this was a wonderful performance and Borree was a pleasing Aurora in so many respects.
But let's start at the beginning because the evening had an urgency and intensity that the Wednesday night performance did not achieve. Part of the success lay with the vital conducting of David Briskin and the orchestra being on much better - though not perfect - form. Right from the first phrase one sensed a more dramatic atmosphere. This continued throughout the evening as the many moods of the score were clearly conveyed.
Having a gorgeous Queen and a majestic king sets the tone; Saskia Beskow and William Lin-Yee were wonderfully cast. As the fairies entered in their sorbet tutus with their gallant cavaliers, the ballet was underway in high style. What a pretty group: Ashley Laracey, Ana Sophia Scheller, Faye Arthurs, Rachel Piskin and Gwyneth Muller. Laracey's gracious lyricism, Scheller's spirited charm, Piskin putting us in mind of Amanda Edge - no small compliment - and Muller's magisterial and leggy Courage: each was delightful in her way. Faye Arthurs continues to amaze us; her solo and her phrases in the ensemble were marked by floating balances, elegant hops on pointe, and the easiest extension in the world.
The Garland Waltz was again magical; this alone is worth the price of admission.
I've seen dozens of incredibly beautiful dancers onstage over the years but I have to say that Sara Mearns would be an eleven on a scale of one to ten. She bedazzles from the moment she appears, and then she starts dancing and one is swept away. She has a generous, luscious style and a sense of suspending time in her phrasing. Her benevolent Lilac Fairy made a fascinating impression, especially in the many attitude poses woven into the role.
Melissa Barak, a powerful dancing-actress, was a striking presence with vivid gestures and reveling in her schemes. This was her debut as Carabosse and she was an emphatic success.
The 'jewel' set piece was excellent tonight, led by the genial Jon Stafford who delivered his specialty: multiple air turns in alternating directions, added to the long-legged Stafford elegance. Rebecca Krohn was a richly-danced Diamond and Alina Dronova airy and sparkling as Ruby. I very much enjoyed seeing Lauren King step out in Emerald - I've had my eye in her for a couple years now...a uniquely pretty face which reminds me a bit of Michelle Pfeiffer. Her polished dancing and lovely appearance make me think we'll be seeing more of her.
Sean Suozzi's Puss-in-Boots is a miniature masterpiece - Sean has enormous talent and star power, so let's not keep him in the corps any longer. Onward & upward! His White Cat was the frisky Stephanie Zungre. Christian Tworzyanski's wolf was adorably tamed by Hideka Hanafusa's Red Riding Hood. As the jesters, the flashing buoyancy of Troy Schumacher and Vincent Paradiso shared the spotlight with Masahiro Suehara who continues to be listed as a guest. He must not be allowed to go elsewhere: contract NOW! The boys were super in this bravura number.
Tiler Peck found yet another wonderfully congenial role in Princess Florine. Such a lively, mercurial dancer. Antonio Carmena's Bluebird was another feather in this astonishing dancer's cap; brilliant beats and jumps are his to deliver with ease; his back beautifully arching as he soared thru the air. And his balance at the end of the 'adagio' was uncanny. He could be the successor to Damian Woetzel. Or to Peter Boal. But no, he's the one and only Carmena. Bravo, bravissimo....
Yvonne Borree was the first Princess Florine I saw in this production over a decade ago (her Bluebird was Ethan Steifel!) Since then, Borree has had her ups and downs; she has been much maligned for her unsteadiness and her fluctuating technical level. There have always been roles I've liked her in (Juliet, DUO CONCERTANT, SERENADE) but Aurora seemed beyond the realm of possibility. However, her name appeared on the casting; as the week progressed her Prince changed from Sebastien Marcovici to Jared Angle. We went into the theatre not knowing what to expect; then we found a slip in the programme that Angle was to be replaced by Nikolaj Hubbe. Hubbe has often been Borree's partner in the past.
Borree intrigued me right after her first entrance with her adorable mixture of timidity and eagerness as the four suitors greeted her. Nestling in the embrace of her parents, she looked on these handsome men with a sort of confused delight which was so endearing. The Rose Adagio can be a trial for the most stable ballerina; Borree did have her shaky moments but they did not detract from her demure, lyrical quality. She actually seemed to cherish the roses as they were presented to her. Her four cavaliers (Henry Seth, Tyler Angle, Edwaard Liang and Adrian Danchig-Waring) were wonderfully supportive of Borree, as were Beskow and Lin-Yee. The minor flaws were for me eclipsed by the overall romance and drama of the situation. Thereafter Borree relaxed and proceeded to expand on her qualities of delicacy and gentleness to create an appealing Aurora. Her dancing was far more poised and polished than I might have anticipated, and even Wei, who is quite anti-Borree, agreed at the intermission that she was doing something with the role that rated admiration. By the end of the evening, we were won over; in a way it seemed the whole Company were quietly pulling for Borree which was a nice feeling. We very much liked her phrasing and feeling for the 'gathering in' gestures in the bridal solo.
Hubbe was at a higher level here than on Wednesday; he had more energy, more bounce to his jump, and an eager tenderness which dove-tailed nicely with Borree's modest charm. Borree, Hubbe and Mearns made the Vision Scene especially poetic tonight and the contrasting beauty of the two women made a lovely impression.
Again the fish dives were not perfect, and there were other imperfections along the way which some people will doubtless dwell on. For me it was an enjoyable night.
The audience seemed more tuned-in tonight and participating in the performance to a greater degree. Of the many corps dancers to catch my eye tonight, I'm sure no one will begrudge the mention of Elizabeth Walker who is so totally at ease onstage.
Have there been 'better' BEAUTIES? Yes. But there was an atmosphere tonight that was unusually pleasing. I'm glad we went.
As seen from a great distance, here are some calls rom this performance: Melissa Barak; Sara Mearns; and the full cast.
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