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  2. American Ballet Theatre Curtain Calls

Cory Stearns

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Stella Abrera and Cory Stearns, Daphnis and Chloe, October 21, 2016
16 / 21

Stella Abrera and Cory Stearns, Daphnis and Chloe, October 21, 2016

StellaAbreraCoryStearnsDaphnisandChloe16a

From 2016 Fall Season

  • Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns, Swan Lake, June 22, 2013 <br><br> Attending ABT’s Swan Lake is like going to a familiar Columbus Avenue restaurant in Manhattan; not much suspense or surprises as the menu rarely changes. In Saturday evening’s performance there were two menu changes that caught my eye: Cory Stearns as Prince Siegfried and Ivan Vasiliev as the evil von Rothbart. Cory has been dancing leading roles since his promotion to Principal Dancer in 2011. I enjoyed his Don Q and his Conrad in Le Corsaire earlier this season. Ivan was great as Ali the Slave in Le Corsaire and in Shostakovich Trilogy, but his Symphony in C fell flat for me. <br><br> Cory was a gallant and expressive prince Saturday night. His face lit up like a immature boy on Christmas day when the Queen Mother (Karen Uphoff) presented him with a crossbow at his coming of age birthday; soon after he realizes his youth and carefree days are numbered when the Queen reminds him that, as a King, he must choose a bride at the ball. It is time for Prince Siegfried to get serious. <br><br> Cory’s dancing this year generally impresses me. He is very controlled and never pushes too hard. He has deep soft plies ending his double tours. His turns are nicely paced, never pushing for just one last turn to impress the audience. On his turn sequence in the pas de deux, he performed alternating single and double turns in second, finally pulling for four pirouettes finishing on relevé. Paloma’s dancing was smooth as it was clear that she has done this role before. Cory and Paloma connected well as Cory was in awe of this swan. <br><br> Ivan is a polarizing dancer; some people love his dancing and some hate his acrobatic, bravura style, with his gymnast body type. I am generally in the former camp because Ivan can do things that very few dancers in the world can do. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQOdC1YyKpM">Here is one example:</a> a slow motion YouTube video from rehearsal of him doing a triple cabriole derriere (to the back). You never know when Ivan will go off and perform a “what in the world is that?” type trick or turn combination. <br><br> As Rothbart, there is not much opportunity for pyrotechnics as this is a dramatic role that Marcelo Gomes owns. In addition to Marcelo’s great technique, he stands out on the dramatic side, portraying Rothbart as both evil and charming. In one section, Gomes sits on the throne watching the divertissements, tapping his fingers as if to say “I am bored with these people. I can’t wait to cast my evil spell.” Vladimir Malakhov also did a nice Rothbart. <br><br> Gomes and Malakhov are above average in height while Ivan is short. Some object to a shorter man portraying Rothbart. Although Ivan is not tall, he does have a commanding stage presence. He came on stage in an aggressive manner, with an intense almost mad look and demeanor. His solo was generally controlled with a long arabesque in relevé. At the end of his solo, flirting with the Queen, he looked out of breath. Ivan’s was not the most conventional portrayal of Rothbart, but I did enjoy it. <br><br> Sarah Lane, Isabela Boylston, and Sascha Radetshy danced the pas de trios. Boylston’s very nice entrechat six (six beats) were on display. Some women struggle with this step, with scratchy, barely discernable separation on the beats. With her beats, it is clear there are six beats. Sasha’s solo was, like most of his work, very steady. In all, the pas de trios was well performed but not particularly memorable. <br><br> The corps dancing in the first act seemed synchronized without any noticeable missteps. Simone Messmer and Devon Teuscher danced well together as the two swans in Act II. Two up and comers, Joseph Gorak and Luis Ribagorda complemented one another nicely in the Neapolitan dance. <br><br> The current ABT production is staged by ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie from 2000 and is not well received by critics. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/arts/dance/swan-lake-one-classic-ballet-many-interpretations.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">New York Times dance critic Alistair Macaulay</a> opines that the ABT and New York City Ballet versions are “tawdry productions” and “…the leading American productions simply trivialize the ballet.” Another New York Times dance reviewer Gia Kourlas says that the production “…drags along like a bird with an injured wing.” I don’t have any perspective on the quality of the ABT and New York City Ballet versions as I haven’t seen any other versions. I think the primary complaint with ABT is the shortening of last lakeside act; I hear that other companies give this part more emphasis. On my “to do” list is to rent DVDs of other critically acclaimed versions for comparison.
  • Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns, Swan Lake, June 22, 2013 <br><br> Attending ABT’s Swan Lake is like going to a familiar Columbus Avenue restaurant in Manhattan; not much suspense or surprises as the menu rarely changes. In Saturday evening’s performance there were two menu changes that caught my eye: Cory Stearns as Prince Siegfried and Ivan Vasiliev as the evil von Rothbart. Cory has been dancing leading roles since his promotion to Principal Dancer in 2011. I enjoyed his Don Q and his Conrad in Le Corsaire earlier this season. Ivan was great as Ali the Slave in Le Corsaire and in Shostakovich Trilogy, but his Symphony in C fell flat for me. <br><br> Cory was a gallant and expressive prince Saturday night. His face lit up like a immature boy on Christmas day when the Queen Mother (Karen Uphoff) presented him with a crossbow at his coming of age birthday; soon after he realizes his youth and carefree days are numbered when the Queen reminds him that, as a King, he must choose a bride at the ball. It is time for Prince Siegfried to get serious. <br><br> Cory’s dancing this year generally impresses me. He is very controlled and never pushes too hard. He has deep soft plies ending his double tours. His turns are nicely paced, never pushing for just one last turn to impress the audience. On his turn sequence in the pas de deux, he performed alternating single and double turns in second, finally pulling for four pirouettes finishing on relevé. Paloma’s dancing was smooth as it was clear that she has done this role before. Cory and Paloma connected well as Cory was in awe of this swan. <br><br> Ivan is a polarizing dancer; some people love his dancing and some hate his acrobatic, bravura style, with his gymnast body type. I am generally in the former camp because Ivan can do things that very few dancers in the world can do. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQOdC1YyKpM">Here is one example:</a> a slow motion YouTube video from rehearsal of him doing a triple cabriole derriere (to the back). You never know when Ivan will go off and perform a “what in the world is that?” type trick or turn combination. <br><br> As Rothbart, there is not much opportunity for pyrotechnics as this is a dramatic role that Marcelo Gomes owns. In addition to Marcelo’s great technique, he stands out on the dramatic side, portraying Rothbart as both evil and charming. In one section, Gomes sits on the throne watching the divertissements, tapping his fingers as if to say “I am bored with these people. I can’t wait to cast my evil spell.” Vladimir Malakhov also did a nice Rothbart. <br><br> Gomes and Malakhov are above average in height while Ivan is short. Some object to a shorter man portraying Rothbart. Although Ivan is not tall, he does have a commanding stage presence. He came on stage in an aggressive manner, with an intense almost mad look and demeanor. His solo was generally controlled with a long arabesque in relevé. At the end of his solo, flirting with the Queen, he looked out of breath. Ivan’s was not the most conventional portrayal of Rothbart, but I did enjoy it. <br><br> Sarah Lane, Isabela Boylston, and Sascha Radetshy danced the pas de trios. Boylston’s very nice entrechat six (six beats) were on display. Some women struggle with this step, with scratchy, barely discernable separation on the beats. With her beats, it is clear there are six beats. Sasha’s solo was, like most of his work, very steady. In all, the pas de trios was well performed but not particularly memorable. <br><br> The corps dancing in the first act seemed synchronized without any noticeable missteps. Simone Messmer and Devon Teuscher danced well together as the two swans in Act II. Two up and comers, Joseph Gorak and Luis Ribagorda complemented one another nicely in the Neapolitan dance. <br><br> The current ABT production is staged by ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie from 2000 and is not well received by critics. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/arts/dance/swan-lake-one-classic-ballet-many-interpretations.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">New York Times dance critic Alistair Macaulay</a> opines that the ABT and New York City Ballet versions are “tawdry productions” and “…the leading American productions simply trivialize the ballet.” Another New York Times dance reviewer Gia Kourlas says that the production “…drags along like a bird with an injured wing.” I don’t have any perspective on the quality of the ABT and New York City Ballet versions as I haven’t seen any other versions. I think the primary complaint with ABT is the shortening of last lakeside act; I hear that other companies give this part more emphasis. On my “to do” list is to rent DVDs of other critically acclaimed versions for comparison.
  • Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns, Don Quixote, May 25, 2013<br /> <br /> Paloma’s balances in the pas de deux with Cory were incredibility long and controlled; her turn section consisted of nice alternating single and double fouettés that drew applause from the audience. Cory’s dancing was controlled throughout and complemented her well. A nice way to spend a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon over the Memorial Day weekend.
  • Diana Vishneva and Cory Sterns, Shostakovich Trilogy, June 1, 2013<br /> <br /> Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy is an exciting, complex, multifaceted work with never a dull moment. Trilogy premiered on Friday, May 31, 2013. I saw the premier and the Saturday evening performance, which had the same cast. There is a lot going on in the three pieces and it would be difficult to take in all of the action with just one viewing. I look forward to seeing it in future seasons as even two viewings is not enough to absorb all of the nuances in this fast-paced ballet. Ratmansky’s stage is a busy one, with dancers constantly darting in and out of the action, with changing groups and combinations of dancers. <br /> <br /> The work consists of three seemingly unrelated pieces; if they are related, I missed the linkage. The first is Symphony #9, which premiered at City Center in October 2012. The scenery by George Tsypin consists of drawings of World War I-type airplanes, blimps, and people, some carrying red flags. The two performances I saw featured Polina Semionova and Marcelo Gomes, Herman Cornejo, and Simone Messmer and Craig Salstein. Polina and Marcelo are a great pair and perfectly matched-I saw them in Symphony in C earlier in the 2013 season. She is becoming one of my favorites at ABT. There are several lighter moments in their dancing with playful movements, demonstrating a sense of humor from Ratmansky. Herman is incredible; in one notable section he performs multiple entrechat six (six beats), each very clean with clear leg separation on the first two leg crossings (four beats), with an exaggerated separation on the last crossing. Very nice. He continues the beats while jumping to stage right and off the stage. Craig Salstein is very expressive and adds a slightly comedic touch. <br /> <br /> The second piece is Chamber Symphony and features David Hallberg-dressed in a jacket with no shirt-as a lost, tormented soul, desperately searching for something. He moves frenetically around the stage sometimes brushing his hair out of his eyes as he tries to connect with Isabella Boyston, Paloma Herrera, and Julie Kent. The program provides no guidance on the story. I talked to someone after the performance; he said that at a rehearsal, Hallberg’s character was disclosed as Shostakovich and the three women represent his three wives. I checked Wikipedia and Shostakovich was married three times. The first marriage had difficulties and ended in divorce. The third marriage was to a much younger woman, "her only defect is that she is 27 years old. In all other respects she is splendid: clever, cheerful, straightforward and very likeable.” I addition, he survived Stalin’s Great Terror while many of his friends and relatives were imprisoned or killed. There are three male dancers dancing in harsh tones, possibly representing threats to Shostakovich from NKVD Soviet Police.<br /> <br /> I found the piece interesting, but wanted more background-who are these women and why is Hallberg’s character so frantic and lost? What is he searching for? Not knowing much about Shostakovich, I was a bit lost without any context. Background information in the program such as the detail provided in the rehearsal would have been helpful. <br /> <br /> The third piece, Piano Concerto #1, is my favorite and features two couples: Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, and Diana Vishneva and Cory Stearns. The dancers' bodies are clearly on display as the males wore unitards (costumes by Keso Deeker) with the females wearing red leotards. Cory and Ivan had greased, slicked-back hair (I didn’t recognize Cory on Friday with that look). The scenery consisted of red objects hung in suspension. Some of the objects reminded me of the Soviet hammer and sickle. <br /> <br /> Plenty of non-stop action in this one with the four main dancers appearing in various combinations. Diana and Natalia danced well together and complement each other given their similar physiques. I particularly liked a spectacular double assemble diagonal from Ivan and Cory that drew much applause. Natalia had a grande jete diagonal section in which she seemed to fly. <br /> <br /> I loved the Trilogy and want to see it again in future seasons. I generally have a desire to see multiple casts, but was not disappointed to see the same cast in two consecutive nights given the high level of dancing. I couldn’t see many empty seats on either night and the audience seemed to enjoy the performance. I guess that’s why ABT wisely hired Ratmansky in the first place.
  • Veronika Part and Cory Stearns, Le Corsaire, June 6, 2013 <br><br> I agree with The New York Times’ dance critic <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/arts/dance/le-corsaire-american-ballet-theater.html?hpw&_r=0">Alastair Macaulay</a> that ABT’s Le Corsaire is frivolous and superficial, with a ridiculous, nonsensical comedic plot. However, unlike Macaulay, I thoroughly enjoy this ballet that showcases ABT’s bravura dancing, having seen it more than dozen times over the past 15 years (Thursday and Friday performances this season). <br><br> The plot goes something like this: Conrad the pirate (Thursday: Cory Stearns, Friday: Marcelo Gomes) arrives at a bazaar (in Turkey?) where slave girls are being traded. Lankendem (Thursday: Jared Matthews, Friday: Sascha Radetsky) owns the bazaar. Conrad sees Medora (Thursday: Veronika Part, Friday: Paloma Herrera) and immediately falls in love. The buffoon pasha buys Gulnare (Thursday: Yuriko Kajiya, Friday, Stella Abrera) and Medora. Conrad commands his slave Ali (Thursday: James Whiteside, Friday: Ivan Vasiliev) to steal Medora and Conrad’s pirates kidnap Lankendem. <br><br> In Conrad’s hideout, Medora tells Conrad, in the name of their love, to free all of the slave girls. He agrees, but his friend Birbanto (Thursday: Luis Ribagorda, Friday: Joseph Phillips) rebels against the idea and persuades the pirates to riot against Conrad. Conrad fights the pirates and convinces them to give up their mutinous plan. Birbanto’s next scheme is to spray a rose with sleeping potion. Conrad is drugged to sleep. Birbanto attempts to capture Medora. She stabs him with a knife. In the confusion, Lankendem steals Medora back and escapes. <br><br> The pasha is happy that Medora has been recaptured and declares that she will be his number one wife. Medora is repulsed. Conrad, Birbanto, and the pirates storm the pasha’s palace and chase away the pasha and his men. Medora then exposes Birbanto as a traitor; Conrad shoots him and then escapes to the ship. On ship, there is a terrible storm. The ship sinks. In the Epilogue, Conrad and Medora cling to a rock and offer “…thanks for their miraculous survival, a testimony to the strength of their love.” <br><br> The plot is silly with, as Macaulay notes, no link to the original Byron poem. However, there is a lot of dancing, and depending on the cast, a very high level of dancing with plenty of opportunity to see something exciting. With all this great dancing, why worry about a silly plot? <br><br> Regarding the dancing, Cory was a confident and outgoing Conrad Thursday evening, paired with Veronika Part. Cory has had a good season so far. I enjoyed him in the Shostakovich Trilogy in which he held his own with the Russian all-star team of Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev, and Diana Vishneva. I particularly like his double saute de basques, which have nice air time and horizontal distance from takeoff to landing, and his double assembles, fully on display on a nice diagonal with Vasiliev in Shostakovich (see the <a href="http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html">ABT ballet dictionary</a> for a description and video of the steps). Marcelo Gomes’ performance Friday night brought a new level of enthusiasm to the role, as his excitement during his bows after his solos in anticipation of Medora clearly showed. <br><br> Veronika Part radiated beauty during her barzaar entrance in which Conrad immediately fell in love. She has a long, beautiful, elegant line; a bit off on some of her turns in the first act but she pulled off the demanding fouette series in the second act. Paloma Herrera was in good form as Medora on Friday. <br><br> Ali the Slave doesn’t do much in this ballet except for the dance with Medora and Conrad at the opening of the second act. Ivan Vasiliev was amazing on Friday night; if there is a better dancer in this role today, let me know. His dancing style is all-out, full throttle all the way, but with very controlled turns on Friday. His solo was similar to this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXh3Wl08mW4 ">YouTube clip.</a> Notable are his forever hanging double pas de chat sequence (4:30), a funky step that I can’t begin to describe (4:41), nice controlled turns in attitude (4:54), very unique innovation on his double saute de basques (5:07) in which he shoots out his lead leg in a sweeping motion, 540 trick at 7:53, double assemble sequence at 8:00, and a nice turn sequence with pirouettes a le second followed by four turns in second, finished by multiple controlled turns at 9:07. <br><br> I also liked Ivan’s dancing in Shostakovich Trilogy but don’t think his style, gymnast body type, and line mesh well in more classical pieces such as Symphony in C. <br><br> James Whiteside was the slave on Thursday night. He is a former Boston Ballet Principal Dancer in his first season at ABT. His solo was a standard version, with very high diagonal split jumps. His pirouettes are very fast with arms tightly wrapped, the opposite of Jose Manuel Carreno. This was the first time I’ve seen him dance. It must be a nerve wracking experience doing the slave for the first time at the Met, but thought he pulled it off. <br><br> Corps members Luis Ribagorda (Thursday) and Joseph Phillips (Friday) played the role of Birbanto. Phillips impressed me in the role of the gypsy in Don Quixote and look forward to seeing him again. Nice to see that corps members are getting starring roles at ABT. Blogger <a href="http://haglundsheel.typepad.com/haglunds_heel/2013/04/abt-big-debuts-413.html ">Haglund</a> reviews ABT’s Washington Le Corsaire and was particularly impressed with Ribagorda and Phillips. <br><br> This year’s production features new costumes by Anaibal Lapiz. I am happy that Lankendem’s old costume that looked like pajamas that my 9-year old would wear has been retired. Macaulay calls the bikini tutus that the slave girls wear his least favorite form of dance apparel. I actually like the look, particularly on Simone Messmer, Luciana Paris, Isabella Boylston (Thursday night), Melanie Hamrick, Kristi Boone, Leann Underwood (Friday night). Any more comments on bikini tutus and I might get into trouble. <br><br> Although the orchestra area was full Thursday, audience response was muted during the curtain calls. The Friday cast received a more enthusiastic response.
  • Veronika Part and Cory Stearns, Le Corsaire, June 6, 2013 <br><br> I agree with The New York Times’ dance critic <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/arts/dance/le-corsaire-american-ballet-theater.html?hpw&_r=0">Alastair Macaulay</a> that ABT’s Le Corsaire is frivolous and superficial, with a ridiculous, nonsensical comedic plot. However, unlike Macaulay, I thoroughly enjoy this ballet that showcases ABT’s bravura dancing, having seen it more than dozen times over the past 15 years (Thursday and Friday performances this season). <br><br> The plot goes something like this: Conrad the pirate (Thursday: Cory Stearns, Friday: Marcelo Gomes) arrives at a bazaar (in Turkey?) where slave girls are being traded. Lankendem (Thursday: Jared Matthews, Friday: Sascha Radetsky) owns the bazaar. Conrad sees Medora (Thursday: Veronika Part, Friday: Paloma Herrera) and immediately falls in love. The buffoon pasha buys Gulnare (Thursday: Yuriko Kajiya, Friday, Stella Abrera) and Medora. Conrad commands his slave Ali (Thursday: James Whiteside, Friday: Ivan Vasiliev) to steal Medora and Conrad’s pirates kidnap Lankendem. <br><br> In Conrad’s hideout, Medora tells Conrad, in the name of their love, to free all of the slave girls. He agrees, but his friend Birbanto (Thursday: Luis Ribagorda, Friday: Joseph Phillips) rebels against the idea and persuades the pirates to riot against Conrad. Conrad fights the pirates and convinces them to give up their mutinous plan. Birbanto’s next scheme is to spray a rose with sleeping potion. Conrad is drugged to sleep. Birbanto attempts to capture Medora. She stabs him with a knife. In the confusion, Lankendem steals Medora back and escapes. <br><br> The pasha is happy that Medora has been recaptured and declares that she will be his number one wife. Medora is repulsed. Conrad, Birbanto, and the pirates storm the pasha’s palace and chase away the pasha and his men. Medora then exposes Birbanto as a traitor; Conrad shoots him and then escapes to the ship. On ship, there is a terrible storm. The ship sinks. In the Epilogue, Conrad and Medora cling to a rock and offer “…thanks for their miraculous survival, a testimony to the strength of their love.” <br><br> The plot is silly with, as Macaulay notes, no link to the original Byron poem. However, there is a lot of dancing, and depending on the cast, a very high level of dancing with plenty of opportunity to see something exciting. With all this great dancing, why worry about a silly plot? <br><br> Regarding the dancing, Cory was a confident and outgoing Conrad Thursday evening, paired with Veronika Part. Cory has had a good season so far. I enjoyed him in the Shostakovich Trilogy in which he held his own with the Russian all-star team of Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev, and Diana Vishneva. I particularly like his double saute de basques, which have nice air time and horizontal distance from takeoff to landing, and his double assembles, fully on display on a nice diagonal with Vasiliev in Shostakovich (see the <a href="http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html">ABT ballet dictionary</a> for a description and video of the steps). Marcelo Gomes’ performance Friday night brought a new level of enthusiasm to the role, as his excitement during his bows after his solos in anticipation of Medora clearly showed. <br><br> Veronika Part radiated beauty during her barzaar entrance in which Conrad immediately fell in love. She has a long, beautiful, elegant line; a bit off on some of her turns in the first act but she pulled off the demanding fouette series in the second act. Paloma Herrera was in good form as Medora on Friday. <br><br> Ali the Slave doesn’t do much in this ballet except for the dance with Medora and Conrad at the opening of the second act. Ivan Vasiliev was amazing on Friday night; if there is a better dancer in this role today, let me know. His dancing style is all-out, full throttle all the way, but with very controlled turns on Friday. His solo was similar to this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXh3Wl08mW4 ">YouTube clip.</a> Notable are his forever hanging double pas de chat sequence (4:30), a funky step that I can’t begin to describe (4:41), nice controlled turns in attitude (4:54), very unique innovation on his double saute de basques (5:07) in which he shoots out his lead leg in a sweeping motion, 540 trick at 7:53, double assemble sequence at 8:00, and a nice turn sequence with pirouettes a le second followed by four turns in second, finished by multiple controlled turns at 9:07. <br><br> I also liked Ivan’s dancing in Shostakovich Trilogy but don’t think his style, gymnast body type, and line mesh well in more classical pieces such as Symphony in C. <br><br> James Whiteside was the slave on Thursday night. He is a former Boston Ballet Principal Dancer in his first season at ABT. His solo was a standard version, with very high diagonal split jumps. His pirouettes are very fast with arms tightly wrapped, the opposite of Jose Manuel Carreno. This was the first time I’ve seen him dance. It must be a nerve wracking experience doing the slave for the first time at the Met, but thought he pulled it off. <br><br> Corps members Luis Ribagorda (Thursday) and Joseph Phillips (Friday) played the role of Birbanto. Phillips impressed me in the role of the gypsy in Don Quixote and look forward to seeing him again. Nice to see that corps members are getting starring roles at ABT. Blogger <a href="http://haglundsheel.typepad.com/haglunds_heel/2013/04/abt-big-debuts-413.html ">Haglund</a> reviews ABT’s Washington Le Corsaire and was particularly impressed with Ribagorda and Phillips. <br><br> This year’s production features new costumes by Anaibal Lapiz. I am happy that Lankendem’s old costume that looked like pajamas that my 9-year old would wear has been retired. Macaulay calls the bikini tutus that the slave girls wear his least favorite form of dance apparel. I actually like the look, particularly on Simone Messmer, Luciana Paris, Isabella Boylston (Thursday night), Melanie Hamrick, Kristi Boone, Leann Underwood (Friday night). Any more comments on bikini tutus and I might get into trouble. <br><br> Although the orchestra area was full Thursday, audience response was muted during the curtain calls. The Friday cast received a more enthusiastic response.
  • Polina Semionova and Cory Stearns, Theme and Variations, November 7, 2013<br /> <br /> The ABT mixed rep bill Thursday was nicely diversified with a Balanchine classic (Theme and Variations), an Ashton story ballet (A Month in the Country), and a new Ratmansky work (Piano Concerto #1).<br /> <br /> Ashton’s “A Month in the Country,” had its ABT debut in May 2013 at the Met. According to John Gruen’s “The World’s Great Ballets,” Ashton retired as director and chief choreographer of The Royal Ballet in 1970 and withdrew from public view. However, in 1975, he announced that he would choreograph a ballet inspired by Ivan Turgenev’s play by the same name with music by Chopin. The work debuted in 1976 with Lynn Seymour and Anthony Dowell as leads. The work "...is another example of Ashton's ability to convey a complex dramatic narrative through seamless choreography, without sacrificing any of the original's insightful characterizations, wit, and passion," according to Gruen.<br /> <br /> The curtain opens revealing the spectacular interior of the Yslaev’s summer home in the 1850s. The scene reveals a carefree day of leisure in the wealthy Yslaev household as the family is engaged in mundane household activities. Yslaev’s wife Natalia Petrovna (Julie Kent) reclines on a sofa with her admirer Rakitin (Grant DeLong) seated on a nearby bench; Kolia (Daniil Simkin), a young son of Yslaev and Natalia, works on his homework while Yslaev (Victor Barbee) sits on a chair reading a newspaper. Vera (Gemma Bond), the Yslaevs’ adolescent ward, plays the piano. Yslaev doesn’t seem bothered by the presence of a fawning admirer of his wife.<br /> <br /> Tiring of her piano practice, Gemma dances an impetuous, spunky solo filled with youthful energy. Gemma is from England and danced at The Royal Ballet until moving to ABT in 2008. Daniil follows with a spectacular solo while playing with a ball, filled with energetic pirouettes with very wide arms followed by a massive double tour that fills a lot of space with his wide arm carriage. Daniil was very good in playing this immature youth.<br /> <br /> Beliaev (Guillaume Côté, guest artist from the National Ballet of Canada), Kolia’s tutor, enters during his solo. Vera quickly takes notice of this handsome man as Natalia affectionately greets him. Beliaev is a debonair cad and all of the women fall for him: Katia a maid (Stella Abrera), Natalia, and Vera. First up is Vera, who dances a tender pas de deux with him as Natalia walks in and discovers them. Upset, Natalia slaps Vera, and then regrets her aggressive action. As Natalia and Vera leave, Katia discovers Beliaev and the two dance together. Katia has clearly fallen for him. However, Beliaev loves Natalia.<br /> <br /> Later in the work, Natalia and Beliaev are alone and embrace. Vera enters and catches them in their romantic pose (apparently the Yslaev’s don’t have locks on their doors) and attempts to extract revenge by calling everyone into the room. Rakitin tells the two lovers that they have caused enough trouble and should leave. Beliaev departs and then comes back to say goodbye. Natalia is sad; recognizing her agony, he decides not to create more anguish and quietly walks away, unnoticed by her. The work ends with Natalia kissing a rose that was pinned to Beliaev’s jacket as the curtain falls.<br /> <br /> Gemma Bond demonstrated her dramatic versatility, ranging from a sweet young girl to a star-crossed lover, to a bitter, spurned women seeking revenge. As Beliaev, Côté has the looks and gravitas to pull of this role of super cad. He had several slow pensive introspective solos filed with plush assembles, arabesques, and pique turns that were well done. Julie Kent excels at these dramatic roles and demonstrated her attraction for Beliaev, rage at Vera, and ultimate loss through her dancing.<br /> <br /> Piano Concerto #1 is my favorite of the three pieces in Shostakovich Trilogy by Alexi Ratmansky that premiered in May 2013. The leads Thursday were Gillian Murphy/Calvin Royal III and Skylar Brandt/Gabe Stone Shayer. Another example of young dancers getting a chance to perform lead roles as all are members of the Corps except for Gillian.<br /> <br /> The dancers' bodies are clearly on display as the males wear unitards (costumes by Keso Deeker) with the women wearing red leotards. The scenery consists of red objects hung in suspension against a blue backdrop, reminiscent of the hammer and sickle and other Soviet imagery.<br /> <br /> There is plenty of non-stop action in this athletic, high-energy piece with the four main dancers appearing in various combinations. Gillian and Skylar danced well together; I was very impressed with Skylar and her rapid, powerful turns. She is small in stature, similar to Principal Dancer Xiomara Reyes. Skylar had a grande jete diagonal section in which she seemed to fly, similar to Natalia Osipova, who performed the role in the spring season. I look forward to seeing more of Skyler, the recipient of a 2013 Princess Grace Award. Gillian was, as usual, very solid.<br /> <br /> Ratmansky gives the men a workout and Royal and Shayer were up to the task. Royal is tall and lean, and covers a lot of ground with ease while Shayer’s more compact build facilitates his rapid, aggressive turns. I particularly liked their nice double assemble diagonal. However, both need to work on landings, as several were sloppy with large hops after landing.<br /> <br /> Polina Semionova and Cory Stearns opened the show with Theme and Variations. I saw them in this role last week and thought that Cory was more energetic in this performance. Polina’s solos were outstanding, demonstrating great control in this difficult up-tempo piece, similar to last week. However, I thought their partnering section was better last week as they were not as in synch Thursday.
  • Polina Semionova and Cory Stearns, Theme and Variations, November 7, 2013<br /> <br /> The ABT mixed rep bill Thursday was nicely diversified with a Balanchine classic (Theme and Variations), an Ashton story ballet (A Month in the Country), and a new Ratmansky work (Piano Concerto #1).<br /> <br /> Ashton’s “A Month in the Country,” had its ABT debut in May 2013 at the Met. According to John Gruen’s “The World’s Great Ballets,” Ashton retired as director and chief choreographer of The Royal Ballet in 1970 and withdrew from public view. However, in 1975, he announced that he would choreograph a ballet inspired by Ivan Turgenev’s play by the same name with music by Chopin. The work debuted in 1976 with Lynn Seymour and Anthony Dowell as leads. The work "...is another example of Ashton's ability to convey a complex dramatic narrative through seamless choreography, without sacrificing any of the original's insightful characterizations, wit, and passion," according to Gruen.<br /> <br /> The curtain opens revealing the spectacular interior of the Yslaev’s summer home in the 1850s. The scene reveals a carefree day of leisure in the wealthy Yslaev household as the family is engaged in mundane household activities. Yslaev’s wife Natalia Petrovna (Julie Kent) reclines on a sofa with her admirer Rakitin (Grant DeLong) seated on a nearby bench; Kolia (Daniil Simkin), a young son of Yslaev and Natalia, works on his homework while Yslaev (Victor Barbee) sits on a chair reading a newspaper. Vera (Gemma Bond), the Yslaevs’ adolescent ward, plays the piano. Yslaev doesn’t seem bothered by the presence of a fawning admirer of his wife.<br /> <br /> Tiring of her piano practice, Gemma dances an impetuous, spunky solo filled with youthful energy. Gemma is from England and danced at The Royal Ballet until moving to ABT in 2008. Daniil follows with a spectacular solo while playing with a ball, filled with energetic pirouettes with very wide arms followed by a massive double tour that fills a lot of space with his wide arm carriage. Daniil was very good in playing this immature youth.<br /> <br /> Beliaev (Guillaume Côté, guest artist from the National Ballet of Canada), Kolia’s tutor, enters during his solo. Vera quickly takes notice of this handsome man as Natalia affectionately greets him. Beliaev is a debonair cad and all of the women fall for him: Katia a maid (Stella Abrera), Natalia, and Vera. First up is Vera, who dances a tender pas de deux with him as Natalia walks in and discovers them. Upset, Natalia slaps Vera, and then regrets her aggressive action. As Natalia and Vera leave, Katia discovers Beliaev and the two dance together. Katia has clearly fallen for him. However, Beliaev loves Natalia.<br /> <br /> Later in the work, Natalia and Beliaev are alone and embrace. Vera enters and catches them in their romantic pose (apparently the Yslaev’s don’t have locks on their doors) and attempts to extract revenge by calling everyone into the room. Rakitin tells the two lovers that they have caused enough trouble and should leave. Beliaev departs and then comes back to say goodbye. Natalia is sad; recognizing her agony, he decides not to create more anguish and quietly walks away, unnoticed by her. The work ends with Natalia kissing a rose that was pinned to Beliaev’s jacket as the curtain falls.<br /> <br /> Gemma Bond demonstrated her dramatic versatility, ranging from a sweet young girl to a star-crossed lover, to a bitter, spurned women seeking revenge. As Beliaev, Côté has the looks and gravitas to pull of this role of super cad. He had several slow pensive introspective solos filed with plush assembles, arabesques, and pique turns that were well done. Julie Kent excels at these dramatic roles and demonstrated her attraction for Beliaev, rage at Vera, and ultimate loss through her dancing.<br /> <br /> Piano Concerto #1 is my favorite of the three pieces in Shostakovich Trilogy by Alexi Ratmansky that premiered in May 2013. The leads Thursday were Gillian Murphy/Calvin Royal III and Skylar Brandt/Gabe Stone Shayer. Another example of young dancers getting a chance to perform lead roles as all are members of the Corps except for Gillian.<br /> <br /> The dancers' bodies are clearly on display as the males wear unitards (costumes by Keso Deeker) with the women wearing red leotards. The scenery consists of red objects hung in suspension against a blue backdrop, reminiscent of the hammer and sickle and other Soviet imagery.<br /> <br /> There is plenty of non-stop action in this athletic, high-energy piece with the four main dancers appearing in various combinations. Gillian and Skylar danced well together; I was very impressed with Skylar and her rapid, powerful turns. She is small in stature, similar to Principal Dancer Xiomara Reyes. Skylar had a grande jete diagonal section in which she seemed to fly, similar to Natalia Osipova, who performed the role in the spring season. I look forward to seeing more of Skyler, the recipient of a 2013 Princess Grace Award. Gillian was, as usual, very solid.<br /> <br /> Ratmansky gives the men a workout and Royal and Shayer were up to the task. Royal is tall and lean, and covers a lot of ground with ease while Shayer’s more compact build facilitates his rapid, aggressive turns. I particularly liked their nice double assemble diagonal. However, both need to work on landings, as several were sloppy with large hops after landing.<br /> <br /> Polina Semionova and Cory Stearns opened the show with Theme and Variations. I saw them in this role last week and thought that Cory was more energetic in this performance. Polina’s solos were outstanding, demonstrating great control in this difficult up-tempo piece, similar to last week. However, I thought their partnering section was better last week as they were not as in synch Thursday.
  • Polina Semionova, Cory Stearns, Theme and Variations, November 2, 2013 <br><br> Theme and Variations is one of my favorites, having seen this Balanchine classic many times. The work, which Ballet Theatre premiered in 1947, was intended to honor the period when Russian ballet flourished with the aid of Tchaikovsky’s music. <br><br> ABT performed this work Saturday evening with Polina Semionova and Cory Stearns as leads. Polina was outstanding, completely in control and at ease throughout this difficult piece. Tricky segments include a multiple fouetté turn section with alternating arms into a pas de chat jump, a rapid beat section, and double pirouettes from first position into a pas de chat, all requiring rapid fire execution to keep up with the music. Polina pulled off all of these segments with grace and style, one of the best performances that I have seen from her. Her phrasing with her arms was on the mark with the beautiful Tchaikovsky score. <br><br> Cory was fine although not outstanding in his tough solo variations. The challenging section that male dancers dread consists of a diagonal of rond de jamb leaps followed by sissonne jumps and, just when the dancer is running out of gas, a treacherous eight tour/pirouette section. I heard that James Whiteside and Daniil Simkin struggled this season with the tour/pirouette section; Cory safely navigated this section, although traveled some distance during the turns. His rond de jamb section was not exciting or noteworthy, <br><br> The two danced well together in the pas de deux; Polina completed several long balances as she alternated arms with Cory in support before going into a penchée. <br><br> Speaking of Theme, I ran across a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgCareuuxK4">YouTube clip</a> of Baryshnikov and Kirkland from 1978 on PBS. Baryshnikov’s solo at 7:55 is spectacular with his high rond de jamb leaps with alternating arms and perfectly controlled tours. <br><br> Stanton Welch’s Clear (2001) featured Sascha Radetsky, Thomas Forster, Daniel Mantei, and six other male dancers all dressed in tan colored pants and no shirt. Paloma Herrera was the sole female dancer. Although some have have criticized the work as sub-standard, I like the piece, which showcases bravura and adagio male dancing set to a beautiful Bach score. <br><br> Sascha was very good as he showed off his washboard abs and numerous tattoos. The piece features a fouetté section in which the dancer changes his spot from the front, to the side, back, side and front again. He executed this quite well along with turns in other sections. Forster and Mantei are members of the Corps and are featured in several leading roles this fall season. They were paired in a duet to slow music, requiring substantial control. David Hallberg excelled in this role which showed off his substantial extension in a développé section. I enjoyed their adagio section Saturday and I look forward to seeing more of their dancing. Craig Salstein had a nice turn/pirouette section similar to Theme and Variations. Joaquin de Luz, now at New York City Ballet, was my favorite in that role, as he would pull of multiple double tours. <br><br> Paloma Herrera worked well with Sascha and the piece ended with the two in a shrinking spotlight. <br><br> Romeo and Juliet is a successful ballet because the plot is simple, allowing someone unfamiliar with the work to follow the storyline of the ballet. In contrast, I knew The Tempest would be a challenge after I read the synopsis three times and still had problems following the plot and the relationship between the 11 main characters in the ballet. The complexity and short period of time (about 40 minutes) to tell the complex story are the main problems with the ballet. Characters such as Ferdinand (Joseph Gorak) just walk in unannounced, their characters completely undeveloped. In one section, a group of women walk in dressed in blue with strange headdresses. I couldn't figure out their function, nor could my smarter half (my wife). In another part, very tall thin things (trees, ornaments?) were rolled on stage. I had no idea of their purpose. The costumes reminded me of a Greenwich Village Halloween parade. <br><br> Although I didn’t like the work, I did enjoy the dancing. Marcelo Gomes as Prospero, complemented the lovely Sarah Lane (Miranda, his daughter). Gorak showed his great extension and range as Miranda’s future husband. Herman Cornejo was the grotesque Caliban, an inhabitant of the island, impressive in his beast dance. Daniil Simkin showed his technical prowess, featuring his fine double saute de basques. This is a traveling step in which the dancer turns twice in the air with one foot drawn up to the knee of the other leg. He also showed off his trademark pirouettes to a double tour off one leg. <br><br> See Alistair Macaulay of The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/arts/dance/american-ballet-theater-opens-its-fall-season.html?ref=alastairmacaulay&amp;_r=0">Alaistair Macaulay of The New York Times,</a> <a href="http://haglundsheel.typepad.com/haglunds_heel/2013/10/abt-opening-night-1030.html">Haglund's Heel,</a> and <a href="http://dancetabs.com/2013/11/american-ballet-theatre-opening-night-gala-tempest-premiere-and-others-new-york/">Marina Harss of DanceTabs</a> for more commentary on The Tempest.
  • Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns, Raymonda Divertissements
  • Marcelo Gomes, Cory Stearns, Herman Cornejo, Fancy Free, October 24, 2014
  • Marcelo Gomes, Cory Stearns, Herman Cornejo, Fancy Free, October 18, 2014
  • Gillian Murphy and Cory Stearns, Swan Lake, June 17, 2016
  • Gillian Murphy and Cory Stearns, Gillian Murphy 20th Anniversary with ABT Celebration, May 28, 2016
  • Stella Abrera and Cory Stearns, Daphnis and Chloe, October 21, 2016
  • Stella Abrera and Cory Stearns, Daphnis and Chloe, October 21, 2016
  • Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside, Whipped Cream, July 1, 2017
  • Christine Shevchenko and Cory Stearns, Le Corsaire, June 10, 2017
  • Christine Shevchenko and Cory Stearns, Le Corsaire, June 10, 2017
  • Hee Seo and Cory Stearns, Whipped Cream, May 25, 2017
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