Friday June 26, 2009 - In the second round of the New York International Ballet Competition, the eighteen dancers who moved past the first round appeared in the pas de deux from Paul Taylor's AUREOLE and then, after intermission, each dancer had approximately 2.5 minutes to perform a solo of his or her own choosing. Above, Kokyat's photo of the Argentine couple Adrian Lopez and Paula Cassano being coached in the Taylor piece by Rachel Berman. Click photo to enhance the view.
Dancers enter this competition as pairs but are judged individually so that, even if one dancer from a couple advances and the other does not, they continue to perform together in each round. One of the loveliest aspects of the AUREOLE duets was watching the couples in which only one dancer continues to compete: their partners, who now have nothing at stake as individuals, did everything humanly possible to enhance the chances for their respective partner. Allison Garcia Suero, Simona Marsibilio, Andres Felipe Figueroa and Oleksii Potomkin danced their hearts out, while undoubtedly wishing they were still in the running. In the audience, several dancers who had not moved on to the second round came out to cheer on their colleagues.
Korea's Hayeryn Kim and Yeo Reum Lee set a very high barre for the performances of the Taylor duet with their spacious, refined dancing. Each succeeding couple showed the personal qualities that I have come to admire in their individual dance personalities with each pair making the duet a personal statement while maintaining the steps and style in which Rachel Berman had so perfectly prepared them.
Marco Pagetti, dancing with Ms. Marsibilio, and Yevgeniya Korshunova (partnered by Oleksii Potomkin) seemed particularly beautiful to me, while Argentina's Adrian Lopez gave a truly magnetic performance dancing with Paula Cassano. The Americans Amber Neumann and John Mark Giragosian established a perfect mood of almost innocent ardor. Coming last, the Brazilians Juliana Guilherme Leonel and Ricardo Santos made the duet look as fresh as if Taylor had just created it: their performance was brimming with quiet joy and mutual affection.
In the solos, four dancers chose from the standard ballet classics: Columbia's Diana Catalina Gomez Gonzalez gave a breathtaking performance of the DON QUIXOTE variation. This ballerina is so captivating and seems ready to be dancing major roles with a major company. Her especially charming by-play with the fan as well as her polished pirouette combinations and a superb concluding balance were all rightly applauded by the crowd. Yevgeniya Korshunova in a solo from LA FILLE MAL GARDEE was equally accomplished, her strong pointe technique underlying a persona of sweet Romantic-era charm. The Argentine Paula Cassano was a tall, regal Aurora who danced the 'wedding' solo from SLEEPING BEAUTY commandingly; her compatriot Adrian Lopez was authoritative in the DIANA & ACTEON solo.
The rest of the dancers chose solos of a more contemporary style. I suppose one could have happily watched a succession of Odiles and Solors wafting about the stage, but in a way I think it's good to bring something fresh into play. Ballet is changing and I think if we are to develop a younger audience (which we will have to do if the art form is not to die out with the senior citizens who still subscribe to ABT) we will have to see (and hear) works which relate more to our modern times.
Hayeryn Kim of Korea in Virgin Heart showed all the poetic beauty and technical fluency that has made watching her these past couple of weeks such a pleasure. Yeo Reum Lee's solo Lamentation took an operatic turn as the tall, elegant danseur performed to the aria of the heartbroken clown from Leoncavallo's PAGLIACCI. Lee's been a quietly beautiful dance force in the past several days and it was captivating to see the dramatic intensity he summoned, ending as he smeared his face with the actor's white greasepaint. Extra bravos to Lee for choosing the recording of my favorite tenor, Carlo Bergonzi.
The American Douglas Horne, such a technically polished and spirited dancer, surprised us by appearing for his solo Encounter shirtless, wearing a long black tutu and black Oxfords and 'office' socks. In this improbable garb, I expected a comic turn. But there was no trace of camp in the way Douglas moved, his ultra-flexible torso and the swiftness of his footwork keeping us mesmerized. The strikingly beautiful red-head Amber Neumann flashed thru her on-pointe solo Uakti with the sort of intensity and daring that mark Wendy Whelan's finest performances; clad in a mossy green leotard, Amber took the risky moves in stride and turned the dance into a fascinating personal portrait. John Mark Giragosian, one of the few boys to conquer the technical hurdles in RAYMONDA, showed himself to be a great contemporary mover in Retrograde; his sleek torso and compelling commitment to the music gave him a distinct edge.
In Adaptation, the Italian Marco Pagetti's smooth, fluid movement style and technical strength amplified my admiration for him - he's been quite exciting all week. Yong Young Rhee's surprisingly vivid sense of drama in Self-Torture showed her range as a dancer, in contrast to her lovely classicism in RAYMONDA. Her partner, the very slender and somewhat enigmatic Ki Won Kim, likewise moved far from his gorgeous RAYMONDA solo to Epilogue where his pensive dramatic persona suddenly erupted with a dazzling aeriel combination before again drawing into himself. Brilliant!
Olga Malinovskaya, dancing in to the oceanic sounds of Water Music, showed her attractive qualities to advantage in a very different light from the grandeur of her RAYMONDA; here she was more vulnerable and almost Ondine-like. Within seconds of Artjom Maksakov's entrance for his wonderfully elastic tango solo, Nino Bien, Kokyat grabbed my Playbill and scrawled "very sexy!"...yes, for sure. But also quite devastating in his fearless hurtles into the air in a solo that put me in mind of Andrew Veyette's unforgettable performance in OLTREMARE.
China's Jia Zhang danced with supple, sinuous energy and unexpected athleticism (of the graceful kind) in Impressions. In Hunt, her Korean partner Young Jae Jung used his youthful-god physique to powerful effect with his flexible flow of movement frequently erupting in fascinating technical feats which seemed to spring out of nowhere. Really amazing.
The Brazilians then played their final cards beautifully with Ms. Leonel in an eye-tempting sleek magenta body sheath moving with a contemprary edge thru purely classical steps (yes, even fouette turns) in Sob o Som de Cello. The handsomely compact and elegant Ricardo Santos then brought the evening to a close dancing with sublimely sculptural lyricism in Primiera Voz. The Brazilians are simply such a pleasure to watch.
Kokyat, to whom dance is still quite new, truly enjoyed the solos; I enjoyed his enthusiastic reactions. Earlier in the evening while searching the area for roses for Rachel, we got caught under a bridge in Central Park during a violent thunderstorm. Taking advantage, Kokyat began snapping pictures. Then suddenly the storm drains overflowed and we barely escaped the ensuing flood. Click each image to enlarge.
Saturday night brings the finals of the Competition which I am excited about but also dreading in a way because some people will win which implies that others are less good. Which isn't really the case, in my view. I've really enjoyed watching all 48 dancers in this group.
The final competitive piece will be the PAQUITA pas de deux, coached by Winthrop Corey.
TICKETS:
Single Tickets: $27.50
Students and Seniors (65+): $17.50
Gala Performance - Sun @ 7:00pm: $70.00
ON SALE MAY 26, 2009
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