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  2. American Ballet Theatre Curtain Calls

Ivan Vasiliev

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Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 22, 2014
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Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 22, 2014

OksanaBondarevaIvanVasilievDonQuixote14a

From Mikhailovsky Ballet 2014

  • Ivan Vasiliev as Rothbart, 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.
  • Ivan Vasiliev as Rothbart, 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.
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Ali the Slave, Le Corsaire, June 7, 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.
  • Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes, Ivan Vasiliev, Le Corsaire, June 7, 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.
  • Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, 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.
  • Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev, 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.
  • Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 22, 2014
  • Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 22, 2014
  • Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 22, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Mikhail Messerer, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, Don Quixote, November 20, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris, November 14, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris, November 14, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris, November 14, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris, November, 14, 2014
  • Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris, November, 14, 2014
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