Letter from New York
5
January 2004.
Copyright © 2004 by
Mindy Aloff
The Nutcracker
at the New York City Ballet (30 December 2003): A child wailing through
part of the overture and a lost theatergoer temporarily blocking my view
of the Act II Angels couldn’t make an impact on my delight at seeing
this wonderful spectacle once more. There was a great deal in it that
gave immense pleasure, beginning with the moments in the Sugarplum Fairy
pas de deux when Cavalier Seth Orza twice lowered Megan Fairchild from
lifts as if she were sacred—increasingly slowing down her descent
as her points approached the stage floor. It was an enchanting pas de
deux, as well as an unexpected one. Fairchild, a newish member of the
corps de ballet who looks barely just too old to play Marie, was a last-minute
substitute for an indisposed Janie Taylor; however, in her solo as well
as in the pas de deux, she gave an authoritative performance: delicate,
exact, pristine in the changes of épaulement, securely centered
in pirouettes, altogether a delight. The Waltz of the Flowers, presided
over by the regal Sofiane Sylve, was also a joy. The dancing of the School
of American Ballet Polichinelles was exemplary, too—big performances
in miniature. The tempi of Maurice Kaplow’s conducting seemed a
little uneven; yet when he and the Christmas tree got together for the
transformation, it was a love match all the way.
read
letter
Ah! The Kirov Is Here
Swan
Lake (Konstantin Sergeyev production)
The Kirov Ballet
Opera House
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
December 30, 2003
by
Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright © 2003 by Alexandra Tomalonis
There’s
still a freshness about Konstantin Sergeyev’s production of Swan
Lake even though it’s more than 50 years old. The first act
is especially lovely, the dances flowing gently from one side of the stage
to the other like leaves blown by a spring breeze. Seeing this Swan
Lake directly after the company’s new design-heavy Nutcracker
brings home how revolutionary it must have been back in 1950 when
it swept dramballet aside and turned the focus on the dancing. It’s
as much part of the post-World War II swing to neoclassicism as Balanchine’s
Palais du crystal and Ashton’s Symphonic Variations.
The production is of its time, and perhaps ahead of its time. The Neoclassicism
of the 1950s gave way to the psychodrama of the late 1960s, and now designo-drama
is rearing its head. But last night in Washington, neoclassicism was queen,
and the company, led by Daria Pavlenko and Igor Zelensky, looked gorgeous.
read review
Review of the Kirov Ballet's Nutcracker by George Jackson
The Season's Last Nutcracker
The
Nutcracker
The Washington Ballet
Warner Theater
Washington, DC
Sunday, December 28, 2003
by George Jackson
copyright © 2004 by George Jackson
On
the last day of its run this year, Mary Day's The Nutcracker
attracted family. Not only did persons from the dance world attended but,
by and large, the general audience, too, knew what to expect. Even the
children regarded it as something of a holiday habit. It seemed they had
been to Miss Day's show before or had heard of it as cherished lore. By
the time they left the theater, the not-so-young and the not-that-old
alike had feasted their eyes and ears a little. The juniors may also have
learned to pay attention and had the chance to practice their manners
by not talking during the dancing and not applauding out of turn.
The production is a traditional Nutcracker with original touches.
It is modest in an American way and has roots in a Washington that was
still innocent of Kennedy Center. In the memories of old timers the images
of certain dancers in certain roles flicker persistently, no matter how
vital the current cast.
read review
|
|
|
|