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Nina Ananiashvili Final Performance June 27, 2009<br /> <br /> A well deserved ovation from the Corps
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Nina Ananiashvili Final Performance June 27, 2009

A well deserved ovation from the Corps

ABTAmericanBalletTheatrephotosKent Beckernot my day job photographyNina AnaniashviliSwan LakefinalperformanceAmerican Ballet Theatre

From Nina Ananiashvili

  • Alessandra Ferri and José Manuel Carreño, Romeo and Juliet, July 15, 2006
  • Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, Don Quixote, June 12, 2008 <br><br> Irina was born in Kiev, Ukraine and began her ballet training at age 10 at the Kiev Ballet School. She joined the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kiev in 1990 as a soloist, rising to the rank of principal dancer in 1992. She won a Gold Medal and the "Anna Pavlova" Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow (1992), the Grand Prix at the International Ballet Competition Serge Lifar in the Ukraine (1994), a Diploma and the Grand Prix in the Junior Division of the Ukraine Ballet Competition (1987), a Diploma in the Junior Division of the Moscow Ballet Competition (1988), a Silver Medal at the Jackson International Ballet Competition (1990), and a Bronze Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Osaka, Japan (1991). <br><br> She joined American Ballet Theatre in August 1996 and was promoted to Soloist in 1997 and Principal Dancer in August 2000. Irina is married to former ABT Principal Dancer Maxim Beloserkovsky. They have one daughter. <br><br> Max received his dance training at the Kiev Ballet Institute. In 1990 he danced as a soloist with the National Opera of Bulgaria. In 1993, Beloserkovsky was honored by the President of the Ukraine for outstanding artistic achievement. <br><br> He joined ABT in 1994, was made a soloist in 1995 and appointed principal dancer in 2000. <br><br> See <a href="http://irinamaxballet.com/">their website</a> for more information.
  • Michele Wiles, Giselle, July 10, 2008
  • Nina Ananiashvili Final Performance June 27, 2009<br /> <br /> A well deserved ovation from the Corps
  • Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, with Angel Corella, Copellia, June 18, 2011 <br><br> These are photos from a celebration of Paloma Hererra’s 20th year at ABT. She joined ABT in 1991. Before joining ABT, she was considered a prodigy, winning numerous ballet competitions. She came to New York at the age of 15 to study at the School of American Ballet and, after six months, joined ABT. Paloma was promoted to Soloist in 1993. In 1995 at the age of 19, she became the youngest female Principal Dancer at ABT. According to Paloma’s website, she appeared as guest artist at New York City Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet Teatro Alla Scala of Milan, Tokyo Ballet, and National Ballet of Cuba, among others. Here is my favorite performance of Paloma’s, a version of Don Quixote with a young Angel Corella, around 1998 at City Center. I took off work to see the performance, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LK2hlWjSz8">which was taped for PBS.</a> <br><br> The performance celebrated Paloma’s 20th anniversary with ABT. Angel Corella came in to dance with her in Coppelia for his only ABT performance in 2011. Like final performances, there was a celebration on stage after the performance and extended curtain calls. It was a festive occasion celebrating her anniversary, knowing that she has many performances remaining in her great career.
  • Angel Corella Final Performance, June 28, 2012 <br><br> I have had the honor of seeing the final performances of three great American Ballet Theatre dancers: Nina Ananiashvilli, Angel Corella, and Ethan Stiefel. Here are photos from Angel Corella’s finale in June 2012. Angel joined ABT in 1995 as a Soloist after Russian ballerina Natalia Makorova saw the young Corella perform in a competition and recommended that ABT take a look. At the time, he was a corps member for a small ballet company in his native Spain. At ABT, he quickly became a crowd favorite with daring bravado and boundless energy. He was known for his ability to pull off countless pirouettes with a violent whipping action. <br><br> <a href="http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html">Here is an example</a> where he does nine pirouettes that go on forever (see “Pirouette” for the nine turns and “Tour de force” for a more elaborate turning section punctuated by a double tour to the knee). He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1996. <br><br> I have seen Angel dance on many occasions and several stand out. I first saw him at a Don Quixote rehearsal at ABT studios shortly after he joined the company. During a break in a crowded village scene rehearsal, he wowed the dancers with numerous great tricks, pirouettes, tours, etc. Another highlight was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73AGYwofMdA&feature=related">Angel's version of Ali the Slave from Le Corsair.</a> In the turning section at the end of the second solo (7:55), he pulls in from second and plies during his pirouettes-truly spectacular. Also, double sauté de basques with both legs bent (7:16). <br><br> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LK2hlWjSz8&feature=related">Another notable performance</a> was at New York City Center taped for PBS, probably around 1998. I was in attendance and saw him and Paloma Herrera in a very athletic version of the Don Quixote pas de deux that had an all out, on the edge quality that brought the house down. However, it wasn’t just his bravura dancing that made him special; he excelled in the dramatic area, ranging from a cocky and confident suitor in Don Quixote to a noble aristocrat overcome by grief in Giselle. <br><br> He started his own company, Corella Ballet in 2008 in his native Spain, now Barcelona Ballet. Over time he dedicated more of his time to the company as Artistic Director with fewer appearances in the ABT Spring seasons. His retirement from classical roles was motivated by a desire to focus on his ballet company and to go out while he was at his peak, at age 36, according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/arts/dance/angel-corella-and-ethan-stiefel-move-on-from-ballet-theater.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1347117782-dtoefMAnZcY0/8/57ffbwg">The New York Times.</a> <br><br> Here are photos from Angel’s emotional post-performance goodbye. Plenty of hugs and tears as Angel is congratulated on a great career by current and former dancers in addition to a well-deserved goodbye from his many adoring fans, myself included.
  • Ethan Stiefel Final Performance, July 7, 2012<br /> <br /> Here are photos of Ethan Stiefel’s final performance on July 7, 2012. Ethan danced the role of Ali in Le Corsaire that night, dazzling the crowd with reckless abandon and bravura dancing including turns in second with a leap in the middle, a spectacular manège of coupé jetés, and endless pirouettes. <br /> <br /> Ethan started his career in 1989 at New York City Ballet. Having a desire to dance the big story ballets that ABT specializes in, he joined ABT in 1997, adding to a great roster of male dancers consisting of Angel Corella, Jose Manuel Correno, and Marcelo Gomes. At ABT, Ethan expanded his repertoire to include full-length classics to contemporary works by Twyla Tharp, Jiri Kylian, and Paul Taylor. He quickly became a crowd favorite at ABT and established himself as one of the greatest American male dancers. In addition to the classical roles that he excelled in such as Giselle and Sleeping Beauty, I enjoyed his performances in Billy the Kid, Tharp’s Rabbit and Rogue, and Known by Heart. <br /> <br /> Both Stiefel and Angel Corella became artistic directors with Ethan heading the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Both retired from ABT in 2012 to devote more time to their management responsibilities and both left on top of their game. Like Angel’s going away party eight days earlier, Ethan was congratulated onstage by current and former dancers including Susan Jaffe, John Gardner, Amanda McKerrow, and Damian Woetzel. Then during a confetti blizzard, he was given a big hug by his fiancé and Principal Dancer Gillian Murphy. Then followed numerous curtain calls for his appreciative fans before his final exit from the stage.
  • Irina Dvorovenko, Irina's Final ABT Performance, May 18, 2013
  • Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg, Romeo and Juliet, June 14, 2013 <br><br> I thoroughly enjoyed ABT’s Romeo and Juliet on Friday, June 14 with Natalia Osipova as Juliet, David Hallberg as Romeo, Jared Matthews as Mercutio, Joseph Gorak as Benvolio, and Patrick Ogle as Tybalt. I haven’t seen Osipova in a dramatic role before and was impressed by her portrayal of the evolution of Juliet; in Act 1 Scene 2 she is a young, playful, immature little girl who gasps in amazement when the nurse points out her developing physique. Fast forward to Act III Scene 1. This is a particularly heavy scene as she refuses to marry Paris (Sascha Radetsky). She does a bourrée quickly away from him, much to the displeasure of her parents that threaten to disown her. In Osipova, there are traces of Giselle’s mad scene as the tension mounts as she rejects Paris and faces the severe consequences. <br><br> Hallberg portrays a playful, rebellious young man thoroughly transformed by his love of Juliet. He was in tune with MacMillan’s vision of Romeo as a young man swept off his feet by love, dancing in dizzy exultation. As usual, his dancing was solid and always in character, showcasing his long line and perfectly arched feet. Although a dramatic ballet, it has a number of technical elements that maintain my interest such as Hallberg’s nice double sauté de basque diagonal repeated effortlessly four times. The balcony scene pas de deux was intense and dramatic as the young lovers celebrate their union with reckless abandon. Osipova is criticized for her excessive expressiveness (mugging it up); I did not detect this trait and thought her portrayal of Juliet was always in character. <br><br> I was particularly impressed with Jared Matthews as Mercutio and Joseph Gorak as Benvolio. After seeing Gorak in Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes earlier this season, I asked the woman next to me “Who is that guy?” He has nice extension and turns and I ended up watching him more than the others in the Pas de trois. I liked Matthews as Mercutio more than his Conrad in Le Corsaire. His assemble combination, split jump over Hallberg’s head in the party scene, and turns with an indifferent wobble of the head were particularly notable Friday night. His dying Mercutio was performed well; it must be difficult to dance proficiently while portraying a dying person running out of breath and energy. <br><br> It was a packed Met Opera house Friday night without any empty seats in the orchestra. The dancers received multiple enthusiastic curtain calls. <br><br> Kenneth MacMillan’s version of Romeo and Juliet was first performed by The Royal Ballet in 1965 and entered ABT's repertory in 1985. According to a website by <a href="http://www.kennethmacmillan.com/ballets/all-works/1960-1966/romeo-and-juliet.html">MacMillian’s estate,</a> MacMillan had wanted to create his own Romeo and Juliet after seeing John Cranko’s version for the Stuttgart Ballet. Lynn Seymour performed the role of Juliet in 1964 and MacMillan choreographed the balcony scene for her and Christopher Gable to perform on Canadian television. The Royal Ballet wanted a new three-act ballet to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare; The Royal Ballet artistic director Frederick Ashton contracted MacMillan to complete the ballet in less than five months to include on its 1965 American tour. This was MacMillan’s first three-act ballet. <br><br> MacMillan first choreographed the key pas de deux in each act, which was the starting point which the rest of the ballet would be built. MacMillan, Seymour, and Gable worked on the characters in the ballet. MacMillan and Seymour created a headstrong, passionate Juliet who makes many of the key decisions such as the secret marriage, taking Friar Lawrence’s potion, and joining Romeo in death. Gable’s Romeo was a young man swept off his feet by love, dancing in dizzy exultation according to the website. <br><br> The website says that MacMillan avoided virtuoso steps because he thought they were too conventionally balletic. Only Juliet and her girlfriends are on point and their choreography is contrasted with character dances and crowd scenes. “MacMillan broke the ballet conventions of the time by having the dancing evolve from naturalistic action. Unlike Cranko’s production, there are no picturesque poses for applause at the end of set pieces. Unlike the Bolshoi production, there are no spotlit entrances for the leading characters: Romeo is discovered in semi-darkness at the start of the ballet as Rosaline’s anonymous suitor; Juliet’s arrival at the ball in her honour goes unnoticed at first.” I note this last point because I can’t remember Osipova’s entrance Friday evening. <br><br> At the end of the ballet, there is no reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets in the manner that Shakespeare ended his tragedy. <br><br> Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev starred in the premier, which had 43 curtain calls. The safety curtain was brought down to persuade the audience to leave. Fonteyn and Nureyev performed in the premier because they were a bigger draw than Seymour and Gable. The ballet received rave reviews. The pair went on to perform in the U.S. tour and film of the ballet. It is interesting to note that the late former ABT ballet mistress Georgina Parkinson was in the original cast. <br><br> Romeo and Juliet is the signature work of The Royal Ballet’s repertoire. During his lifetime, MacMillan staged the ballet for The Royal Swedish Ballet in 1971, ABT in 1985, and Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1992.
  • Veronika Part, Sleeping Beauty, July 6, 2013 <br><br> Veronika Part was spectacular as Aurora in ABT’s final Met performance of 2013 of Sleeping Beauty. From the moment she appeared on the balcony and descended the stairs to join her 16th birthday party, Veronika took command of the stage with energy, confidence, and style with precise technique and grace, taking full advantage of her long, pure, elegant line and nice turnout and extension. I have not seen Aurora performed this well in a long time. <br><br> Veronika performed the difficult Rosa Adagio nicely with great control and confidence. Some dancers perform this adagio well but with a nervous look of an impending root canal; from my vantage point she did not display any anxiety before or during the adagio. During her balances, she raised her arms to fifth en haut (arms above her head) with a pause before placing her hand down to her next prince. Some dancers do not raise their arms to fifth position, but quickly and anxiously grab the hand of the next partner in desperation. Not Veronika as there were no rough edges Saturday evening. After the adagio in the forest scene, she performed a nice solo with ronde de jambe to a jete diagonal that was uniquely done. Also notable during the pas de deux solo was the way she moved her hands in sync to the beautiful music. <br><br> Marcelo Gomes perfectly complemented Veronika as Prince Desire. He also has a nice long line and great extension. He is a perfect prince as he showered attention to his new love, beaming in admiration. He partnered her effortlessly throughout and his solos were also graceful with nice deep plies ending in a tight fifth position on his tours and jumps. He makes dancing look very easy, a sign of a great dancer. <br><br> Stella Abrera was also very good as the Lilac Fairy. She was particularly convincing in Act II when she convinces Prince Desire to stay in the mysterious forest by granting him a vision of Aurora’s beauty. With the Lilac Fairy’s help, the prince defeats the evil Carabosse (Martine Van Hamel) and awakens Aurora with a kiss and the spell is broken. The three dancers do a remarkable job describing the story with expressive gestures and mime. <br><br> I was happy to see Misty Copeland as Princess Florine in the Bluebird pas de deux with Blaine Hoven, I haven’t seen Misty dance much this year; she was light, energetic, and airy as a bird. Blaine did a fine brise vole beat diagonal that epitomizes the Bluebird solo, capped off by double tours with arms in fifth en haut (arms raised above his head). <br><br> Sad to see the ABT season end. I hope you enjoyed my curtain call photographs and commentary. I make the photos available through a Creative Commons copyright. You may use the photos for non-commercial purposes such as blog posts, Facebook posts, tweets, etc as long as you provide attribution to my website. Wouldn’t a photo of Roberto, Marcelo, or Veronika make a nice desktop background photo on your computer? You can’t beat the price (free). I will now focus on houses of worship and landscapes in the short term; longer term, maybe a dance/photography blog. I will keep you posted on Twitter. Thanks for tuning in. Kent
  • 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.
  • Hee Seo and Roberto Bolle, June 28, 2014
  • Tiler Peck, Symphony in Three Movements, October 4, 2013<br /> <br /> When going through my tickets for the New York City Ballet fall season a few weeks ago, I was at first disappointed to see that two of the performances were of the same program, Balanchine in Black & White. However, after seeing the performance last Saturday (see my review from September 29) filled with Balanchine’s complexity and nuance, I valued the opportunity to see the program-consisting of The Four Temperaments, Episodes, Duo Concertant, and Symphony in Three Movements, again Friday night with a different cast.<br /> <br /> In The Four Temperaments, I particularly enjoyed Gonzalo Garcia in the Melancholic variation. His dancing flowed with the beautiful Paul Hindemith music as he displayed a substantial dramatic flair portraying a lost and anguished soul. His exit with an exaggerated arched back walking backwards was a dramatic conclusion.<br /> <br /> I also liked Ana Sophia Scheller in the Sanguinic variation with Jared Angle. She had a nice split jete section followed by turns that were well executed. Teresa Reichlen performed the Choleric variation, which was a bit more subdued relative to the frenetic energy provided by Ashley Bouder last Saturday. In one section that I enjoyed, Reichlen danced with four men. After the men had had enough of dancing with the choleric representation, they left the stage to be replaced by four women. The four women formed a square surrounding Reichlen. The four danced a short variation as Reichlen was frozen. The four dancers then paused as Reichlen danced a short variation in the middle of the square. They then danced in unison.<br /> <br /> In Episodes, Savannah Lowery and Amar Ramasar danced the “spotlight” variation, Five Pieces, Opus 10 by Anton von Webern. They entered on opposite sides of a diagonal lit in spotlights as he was in all black while she was in an all white leotard. The pas de deux was dramatic and tense throughout, with a sense of conflict between the two. I also liked Rebecca Krohn in the more melodic section set to Bach’s Musical Offering.<br /> <br /> Sterling Hyltin and Robert Fairchild were on the mark in Duo Concertant, a happy, upbeat pas de deux in which the dancers interact with violist Arturo Delmoni and pianist Cameron Grant on stage. The piece has a sense of humor; in one section when he offered his hand to her, she shaked her head “No” and laughed at him. The footwork here was very fast and they were able to keep up with the rapid tempo. Fairchild had a rapid single tour section in which he threw singles in rapid-fire succession; she had a quick piqué turn section. As I noted in my previous review, the piece ends in near darkness as she walks away, then returns and their hands embrace, lit dramatically by a single spotlight.<br /> <br /> Tiler Peck, deviating from the theme of the evening in a pink leotard, was particularly noteworthy in Symphony in Three Movements with rapid piqué turns and energetic leaps; she tired me out watching her. She was partnered well by soloist Taylor Stanley.
  • Oxana Skorik and Xander Parish, Mariinsky Ballet, Swan Lake, January 22, 2015
  • Uliana Lopatkina, The Dying Swan, Mariinsky Ballet, February 25, 2016
  • Stella Abrera and Vladimir Shklyarov, Giselle, May 23, 2015
  • Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin, The Bolshoi Ballet, Swan Lake, July 18, 2014
  • Alina Cojocaru and Herman Cornejo, La Bayadere, June 5, 2015
  • Diana VIshneva, Giselle, May 26, 2015
  • Marcelo Gomes, Swan Lake, June 15, 2016
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