Oberon's Grove

Stuff & Nonsense

I spent the afternoon with my friend Lisette Oropesa, shown here in some photos from the CAMI Christmas party. We went to Pain Quotidien (of course) and enjoyed a long, chatty lunch during which Lisette told me of some important upcoming engagements which I can't yet reveal.  We saw Tyler Angle and Rebecca Krohn (not together!) and they both looked really TALL. Then Lisette persuaded me to accompany her on a shopping expedition to Banana Republic. This was a true test of our friendship since I hate shopping (which prompted Lisette to say that I could not possibly be gay since I hate shopping, adore women, and my idea of a wonderful meal is pizza and beer.) But Lisette's energy and enthusiasm were infectious and so we spent two hours at Banana while she tried things on and asked my opinions. It was a pretty funny afternoon and I wondered if the sales clerks thought she was my daughter.

Then we trekked over to New York City Ballet so I could buy some tickets; here are some pictures of NYCB's new black & white logo-look: the huge banner of Abi Stafford on the exterior of the building; the photo-murals surrounding the box office area, and Lisette standing in front of the photographs of the principal women. (The men are now on the opposite side of the lobby.) The place was buzzing today as they had an open dress rehearsal of DOUBLE FEATURE.

From there we went to the Performing Arts Library; after living in NYC for a decade I have only just obtained a library card. I needed a score of WALKURE for the upcoming performance on February 9 (no, I am not singing Wotan). We spent some time in the Library's gallery looking at the striking exhibition of photographs from productions of Verdi's operas.

With time to kill before she was called to her final performance as the Dew Fairy in the Met's HANSEL & GRETEL, Lisette suggested a return to PQ  where their carrot soup was as delicious as ever. Walking back to the Met we ran into Karita Mattila all bundled up and looking quite adorable.

Earlier in the day I was surprised and very happy to bump into Noah Stewart who I have known since his days at Juilliard; he's been in San Francisco for the Adler Program and has moved back to NYC. Noah has lots of interesting engagements ahead.    

Paul Kolnik Gives Us the Reichlen Siren

Today I heard from lots of NYC Ballet fans who were hoping for some photos of the Ulbricht/Reichlen PRODIGAL SON. When they did not appear on the website's Front Row Center page (although some GREAT photos did appear there!) I wrote to NYCB to ask if there was any way to obtain one and immediately received this knockout Paul Kolnik photo of Teresa Reichlen as the Siren with Daniel eying her from the table. More photos may be forthcoming - we'll hold our collective breath. It's incredible for me as a blogger to periodically check my stats page and find the numbers soaring as people all over the world want to read about these PRODIGAL performances.

I was trying to think of another ballet in which Daniel and Tess might be jointly cast and I came up with MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM  - Tess would be a dreamy Titania and could you imagine Daniel in Oberon's solo? - or PORTE & SOUPIR.

UPDATE: Damn! The casting is up for the week of February 12 and it is packed with stuff that I cannot miss....and note that Janie Taylor is listed for DAVIDSBUNDLERTANZE. I wonder if they would just rent me a tiny room on the premises where I could keep a sleeping bag and live there during the season?

PASSAGES

These Paul Kolnik photos from the New York City Ballet website of three of ballets which comprise the programme entitled PASSAGES are making me seriously wonder if I can wait until February 23 to see it again. From left: Amar Ramasar and Tiler Peck in  OLTREMARE; dance-poets Jared Angle and Darci Kistler in VALSE TRISTE; and the stupendously gorgeous Georgina Pazcoguin partnered by Amar in RUSSIAN SEASONS. Amar is generating a lot of star power this season.

Return to THE PRODIGAL SON

Tuesday January 29, 2008 - I had planned to take this week off from performances; every once in a while we need to take a break, step back, take time to savor recent events and gather our strengths so that we see things in a refreshed and appreciative state of mind. And so I had planned only to see DOUBLE FEATURE, a ballet that's new to me. However, as we all know: "the best-laid plans..." and after seeing the revelatory performance of PRODIGAL SON on Sunday afternoon I found myself unable to resist the opportunity to see it again. Ariel and I had great seats affording a fine view of the Rouault settings for PRODIGAL which remain strikingly vivid some 75 years after the ballet's premiere. The artist's 'Head of Christ'  is characteristic of his rich colours and dark outlines.

SQUARE DANCE was to have been a bittersweet opportunity to watch long-time partners Yvonne Borree and Nikolaj Hubbe together in this ballet for the last time, but in the event Yvonne canceled and was replaced by Megan Fairchild. (Nikolaj's headshot by Slava Schoot; Megan's by Paul Kolnik). Megan was sensational tonight, one of the best performances I have seen from her. Her light and precise  footwork and neatly sustained balances added to her increasing authority onstage made a great impression. Nikolaj was beautiful and the audience sensed the significance of his final performance in one of his classic roles. The curtain calls were charming as Nikolaj bowed first to Megan and then to the crowd. Too bad their careers didn't have a greater overlap. The corps girls kept me occupied: Dronova, Piskin, Laracey, King, Likolani B and Meagan Mann. Among the boys, Devin Alberda looked great and he seems to be getting taller.

In PRODIGAL SON, Daniel Ulbricht and Teresa Reichlen repeated the roles in which they made highly successful debuts on Sunday. Tonight seeing it from the orchestra was really rewarding; the production remains effective and well-lit. The audience seemed to have a real feeling that they were witnessing something special.  Daniel was thrilling in his powerful leaps and spiraling turns; his youth and vulnerability became very moving as fortune turns against him. Reichlen was fascinating; from our vantage point she seemed sensationally tall and when she is later borne in on the shoulders of two of the boys the effect is spectacular. The seduction scene was again utterly convincing and Reichlen's final stealing of the boy's neck-chain and her furtive exit were added fine points in her characterization. Fortunate the ballet company which can offer two magnificent Sirens - Kowroski and Reichlen - in the course of a single month. Fortunate audiences as well.

As the Prodigal's two sisters, Pauline Golbin and Dena Abergel again turned small moments in the ballet into beautiful images. Pauline and Dena are good friends and recent moms: sisters under the skin. (Pauline interviewed Dena for 'Dancer on Dancer'); as their Father, Jonathan Stafford was equally memorable for his tall presence and quiet dignity. Antonio Carmena and Adam Hendrickson as the servants are able, in their fiery duet, to pry our eyes off Daniel and Tess. The score was again superbly rendered by the orchestra under Maestro Karoui. Daniel and Tess received a genuine ovation.

THE FOUR SEASONS was danced by a cast virtually identical to Sunday's. Sterling Hyltin, Sara Mearns, Rebecca Krohn and Ashley Bouder each provided - in her own way - assurances for the future; these girls are going to be looming large in the casting for the next several years. Krohn seemed especially radiant today. Sean Suozzi, Christian Tworzyanski, Jared Angle and Amar Ramasar were all looking good, and Benjamin Millepied was on top of his game.

Sitting in the orchestra reveals things that aren't so distinct from upstairs: like the fact that Austin Laurent comes leaping in for Spring about a mile off the ground. Sitting close is also conducive to some serious Faye-watching  - she was one of the Sumner girls all of whom were very provocative (Keenan, Beskow, Laracey, Pazcoguin & Likolani Brown). Bouder's "Plisetskaya kick" in Autumn seemed to find an echo when Antonio Carmena made the same move - twice. Tonio was brilliant tonight.

Ariel and I were glad to have each other's shoulder to cry on after PRODIGAL SON.

Signs of Spring

First news of the New York City Ballet's Spring 2008 season. Plenty of Robbins on offer though I don't see my hoped-for EVENING'S WALTZES on the list. I'll be glad to see Peter's dramatic RIVER OF LIGHT again. (Kolnik photo of Sebastien Marcovici and Alexandra Ansanelli in that ballet).

Tonight Ariel & I are heading for a reprise of PRODIGAL SON at NYCB.

I have joined Facebook; even though it's sort of for the younger generations, it's kind of a fun way to stay in touch with people.

Doug Fox at GREAT DANCE has asked dance-related bloggers to comment on the why-and-wherefore of  blogging and I have placed a very long-winded entry there. If you feel like wading thru it, it will explain where I'm coming from. But not necessarily where I am going.

Maestro Karoui

Monday January 28, 2008 - My friend Sarah invited me to join her at a New York City Ballet patrons event: an interview with the Company's Music Director Faycal Karoui. To date, among other things, M. Karoui has brought us particularly spell-binding renditions of FIREBIRD, PRODIGAL SON and ROMEO & JULIET. Most recently he conducted Bruno Moretti's score for Mauro Bigonzetti's OLTREMARE in which the orchestra played an integral part in the great success of that ballet. I've heard M. Karoui speak in passing, that naturally seductive quality that the voices of all Frenchmen and women seem to possess; and so I was looking forward to hearing him talk just for the sake of hearing him talk. The interview was held in the orchestra's rehearsal room at the New York State Theatre. Sarah has written about the evening here.

The conductor came around and greeted everyone individually; when I called him 'Maestro' he replied 'Faycal!' and so Faycal is will be from here on. As I expected, just listening to him talk was its own reward. He could have read the telephone directory and everyone would have been equally enthralled.

He told how he came to City Ballet and that taking a job as music director of a ballet company is somehow considered in 'the business' to be inferior to a symphonic or operatic post. But as a guest at NYCB he fell in love with the repertoire, the dancers and with Peter Martins and so when the offer came in to take the musical director's position he accepted gladly. His musician-friends gave his decision their blessing when he told them the offer was from NYC Ballet which enjoys a high reputation for the range of its repertoire which includes ballets set to major orchestral works as well as a constant influx of new music.

Faycal talked about his tempo choices, notably his SYMPHONY IN C second movement which I had thought seemed too fast; he said Balanchine had slowed it way down and he tried to adapt but found his instincts as a musician demanded a faster tempo. He and Peter worked it out together.

One thing Faycal really wants to do is bring the orchestra out of the pit for staged concerts. He wants to play scores like AGON and SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS on their own. Further, he talked about some 'buried treasures' in NYCB's vaults: scores which were commissioned or considered for ballets but were never set choreographically.

Speaking of Bruno Moretti's fabulous score for OLTREMARE, Faycal said he would like to offer orchestral previews of the music for up-coming new ballets with commentary by the composers as a way for audiences to be primed musically for the premieres.

He also talked about a desire to encourage more interaction between the dancers and individual members of the orchestra; he has befriended several of the dancers - something conductors don't often do - and likes to keep open communication flowing across the footlights. 

Faycal's relaxed style thoroughly engaged the audience and everyone was sorry when the interview came to an end. He received a long and sincere round of applause.

Sarah and I then strolled out to the street and had a nice long gossip. I thank her for inviting me to such a delightful evening.

As an aside, I am thrilled to report that my blog entry about the Ulbricht/Reichlen PRODIGAL has already been read by over 1,000 people from all over the world. I feel amazed, gratified and energized for the upcoming repeat. 

THE NEW PRODIGAL...AND SIREN!

Sunday January 27, 2008 - A big day at New York City Ballet on two fronts: important new casting of the leading roles of Balanchine's PRODIGAL SON and an intermission meet-up of NYC dance-oriented bloggers and their friends. Everyone was in a celebratory mood.

This afternoon's SQUARE DANCE went thru various changes of announced casting before settling on the pairing of Megan Fairchild and Nikolaj Hubbe. This therefore will be one of the last times I'll see Nikolaj dance. In the past decade since I moved to NYC his appearances at NYC Ballet have been scattered and rather rare; sometimes he would be announced for things and then drop out. Obviously injuries were plaguing him. He looked incredibly fine today and he has that natural nobility of carriage that sets him apart from the other men on the NYCB roster. His solo was so wonderfully polished. Megan Fairchild's footwork is a delight in this ballet; she & Nikolaj looked super together and made me regret that he can't turn back his clock ten years and keep dancing with her. Lauren King was my focus in the corps today and that was rewarding.

It's been a while since we've seen a young man dancing a young Prodigal; youth alone of course doesn't make the characterization complete but Daniel Ulbricht combined his boyish energy and spirit of rebelliousness with consummate technical ease to bring the character to life and as such gave the (many) young people in the audience a clear connection to the story. As Susan observed regarding NYCB's ROMEO & JULIET, there's something to be said for young people portraying young people. Having seen Villella, Boal and Woetzel in PRODIGAL, their portrayals remain ideal each in its own way. Of course there was a point 'way back when' that they each danced it for the first time and began to build from there. Today I felt privileged to have been present at Daniel's first assumption. This was the most moving rendition of the ballet I have seen, and Wei (who is not much of a PRODIGAL admirer) found he really understood and appreciated the ballet for the first time.

Daniel's spectacular leaps in the opening scene sent murmurs of delight thru the crowd; but after that the Prodigal becomes less about technique and more about acting or - in Daniel's case - more about BEING. 

Possibly the Siren posed a bigger challenge for Teresa Reichlen than the one Daniel faced creating the Prodigal. Tess (Andrea Mohin photo) is a beautiful dancer with a sweeping melodious style; could she become a calculating, heartless seductress? Yes! And what I have to say quite frankly is, there was a very real sexual tension between her and Daniel of the sort that doesn't happen when men in their 30s and 40s play the Prodigal. The scene where the Siren and the boy sit on the table as the servants dance was played by Tess and Daniel in such a natural way as she began to touch him and he experienced the wonderment of physical desire. You realized just how young and vulnerable the Prodigal truly is so that his betrayal by the more experienced and manipulative Siren is all the more painful.

Returning home, exhausted and degraded, Daniel turns the humility of his crawling act of contrition into a gut-wrenching expression of shame only to find forgiveness in the arms of his father. Poignant and unforgettable.

How beautifully Dena Abergel and Pauline Golbin portray the sisters: they were wonderfully  expressive in the first scene with their younger brother and so dismayed by his sudden flight. In the final moments of the ballet, their attentive stillness was something to treasure. Jonathan Stafford's height and nobility as the father turned him into an icon of parental authority. Adam Hendrickson and Antonio Carmena danced their duet with explosive vitality.

The score was gorgeously played under Faycal Karoui's baton. PRODIGAL SON has never moved me so completely and I felt a little ashamed to be sobbing until I realized that the man in front of me was crying also. And so was Wei. Daniel and Tess were basking in waves of audience approval (and gratitude) and after solo bows they had to come out yet again. They deserved every bravo.

THE FOUR SEASONS today was wonderful, colorful and excitingly danced but the spell of PRODIGAL was upon me and I watched SEASONS in a somewhat detached state. Still, Sterling Hyltin was again pure magic in Winter, so sweet as the clusters of girls gave her the cold shoulder. Christian Tworzyanski and Sean Suozzi were her breezy cavaliers. Sara Mearns was a very fetching Springtime ballerina and Jared Angle was splendid both as partner and virtuoso. For Summer, a resplendent Rebecca Krohn mixed sex appeal and glamour in perfect measure and danced sublimely with Amar Ramasar (speaking of sex appeal...) And then Autumn was launched with devilish buoyancy by Antonio Carmena. Ashley Bouder and Benjamin Millepied were so flashy, sexy and fun that one could easily forgive a couple of over-the-top moments. In Summer we noticed that the stage had become unaccountably brighter and quickly realized the reason: Faye Arthurs had stepped into the cast unannounced.

Our blogger meet-up was fun and of course everyone was buzzing about Daniel & Tess. It was so nice to meet some of our readers and even though it was too short of a time to really get into conversations, I very much appreciated having Ariel, Evan, Allison, Taylor and Tonya there. They are all so young and attractive and full of life...they make ME feel young!

Winners Circle

Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova have won the titles at the Australian Open. Djokovic beat surprise finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the unseeded Frenchman; Sharapova defeated Ana Ivanovic in a 'battle of the beauties'. Djokovic has been seen doing brilliant imitations of Sharapova's pre-serve mannerisms; but they seem on friendly terms. And of course: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This was the first Grand Slam title for Djokovic.

Below: Israel's Andy Ram & Jonathan Erlich celebrate their men's doubles victory; Tiantian Sun and Nemad Zimonjic clutching their koala bears after taking the mixed doubles prize. Next generation: Bernard Tomic of Australia won the boy's tournament; and in the family box, Novak Djokovic has two younger brothers who are known to bat a tennis ball around from time to time.

TREASURE CHEST

Saturday January 29, 2008 - The first time I saw THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS, I described it as a 'treasure chest of dance'. The long Jerome Robbins ballet has a large cast and gives the dancers endless opportunities to shine. The work opens with a courtly 'theme' stated by two dancers in 18th century clothing: Kaitlyn Gilliland and Jason Fowler. (Every time I see this ballet, I think of Renee Estopinal. Anyone remember her?)  Then the stage begins to fill with dancers in simple tights and leotards and the building process begins. As the musical variations become more complex and engaging, the dancers add bits of costuming. By the end, the dancers all look like courtiers. Kaitlyn and Jason then reappear in simple practice clothes and bring the ballet to its conclusion. They danced with elegance on a grand scale.

Photo: Jason Fowler and Teresa Reichlen in an earlier revival. Lots of debuts in the cast tonight: Abi Stafford, the Angle brothers, Rachel Rutherford, Wendy Whelan & Ben Millepied were all new in their respective roles though some of them have appeared in the ballet previously in other assignments. Abi danced with great spirit and polish, her technique as always beautifully aligned to the music, and Megan Fairchild also gave a very impressive performance, her balances tonight having that light, sustained quality she likes to show. The four boys in the first half of the ballet were Stephen Hanna, Tyler Angle, Andrew Veyette and Adam Hendrickson; they all danced very well and drew the admiration of the audience. Adam as always finds another dimension in an abstract role; his dancing is so alive.  The attractive trio of Faye Arthurs, Likolani Brown and Ashley Laracey gave  Wei and I a special treat since all three girls are dear to our hearts; Glenn Keenan, Lauren King and the aristocratic Amanda Hankes provided further delights and Adrian Danchig-Waring, Kyle Froman and Allen Peiffer were fine cavaliers. Christian Tworzyanski, Justin Peck and Giovanni Villalobos contributed strongly. Overall, the excellent dancing in the first half held the audience's admiring attention.

Three divas then appear to reign over the second half. Rachel Rutherford gave  what I thought was one of her finest performances tonight: assured and expressive, she was beautifully partnered by Jared Angle who is on capital form again after an injury deprived us of his dancing for what seemed like a very long time. Rachel & Jared look great together and this ballet brings out Rachel's lyricism; Jared met the technical demands of his solo passages with striking clarity. Mistress of adagio, Maria Kowroski lavished her velvety style on this role and was  impeccably partnered by Philip Neal. Philip had a big success with his solo which  goes from puppet-like to full-blown classicism and back again. I can't recall having seen a Wendy Whelan/Benjamin Millepied partnership in the past but they were very humourous and engaging in their first duet, and later beautifully aligned in the more restrained passages. They seemed genuinely to enjoy dancing together and exchanged little secret smiles and glances as the finale built. I have been watching Andrew Scordato in the NY Choreographic Institute videos on the NYCB website and had time to watch him in the corps tonight. He is a slender, intense dancer. It was good seeing Sophie Flack again.

The Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux was something of a lopsided affair tonight. Ashley Bouder was spectacular, everything so easy and clear; her technical mastery allows her to play with the phrasing to delicious effect. Gonzalo Garcia is a handsome man with a princely style but I am not entirely convinced that he's a virtuoso dancer. His landings seemed a little heavy and his turns tend to sometimes veer off-course. The fish-dives tonight were not smooth. However, his partnering is really impressive and I hope he will be cast in roles that show him to advantage. Possibly he is taking on more assignments than expected because of the continued absence of Joaquin de Luz.

WESTERN SYMPHONY started off with Nilas Martins as the first Cowboy. Nilas made the headlines last summer for all the wrong reasons; hopefully that incident is now safely behind him. Nilas has a subtle flair for comedy and his steadfast partnering skills assured a smooth performance, giving Abi Stafford ideal support for her role debut. She looked perky and had all the technical stuff down pat. She and Nilas made for a fun partnership (Kolnik performance photo). Albert Evans is the big-hearted Rhinestone Cowboy dancing with a delicate-looking but very strong-dancing Sterling Hyltin. Their timing was spot on. Albert effortlessly tossed off his solo passages. Teresa Reichlen and Damian Woetzel brought off the fireworks of the concluding section with reckless bravado; Teresa was more flamboyant and flirtatious than previously in the role, with a big barrage of fouettes. Damian's easy-going virtuosity carried the day. To fill up the finale the fourth couple (representing the missing movement - will we ever see THAT again?) were Gwyneth Muller and Justin Peck. Among the corps, Georgina Pazcoguin looked fresh after her unexpectedly busy week and  Puanani Brown, younger sister of Likolani, is a lovely dancer. The boys were a little less spirited than  usual; I particularly missed the expansive dancing and comic by-play William Lin-Yee and Allen Peiffer brought to the previous revival.

Edwaard!

Since interviewing him during the MORPHOSES/NYC season last Fall, I have exchanged e-mails with Edwaard Liang from time-to-time and he just sent me a quick note as he leaps from San Francisco to Santa Fe to Washington DC creating and staging works for those Companies. Lucky San Franciscans got to see one of Edwaard's most luminous creations, DISTANT CRIES, at their recent 75th Anniversary Gala. The John Ross photo at left shows Edwaard with NYC Ballet soloist Teresa Reichlen in Wheeldon's AFTER THE RAIN.

In 2006, Edwaard was one of Dance Magazine's "25 To Watch":

DANCER TURNING CHOREOGRAPHER EDWARD LIANG

"When Peter Boal asked New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan who she'd like to choreograph a duet for them to dance in Boal's chamber company, Whelan chose Edward Liang, the Taiwan-born City Ballet soloist. Liang's poetic pas de deux, Distant Cries, was so successful that it was picked up by City Ballet for their spring gala. Elegant, long-limbed, and precise, Liang has a keen feeling for contemporary work as both dancer and choreographer. He was terrific in Fosse, whipping off strings of pirouettes that wowed the Broadway audience. His multimedia group dance, This Mortal Coil, made for the launch of the Cedar Lake Ensemble last fall (see "New York Notebook," October), was fast-moving and dramatic with the added dimension of an anguished solo figure. He has premiered a ballet for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, set to music by Philip Glass." --Amanda Smith

Of course an awful lot has happened since then. My main hope is that all the choreographic work won't prevent him from dancing because he is one of the most beautiful dancers around.