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  2. American Ballet Theatre Curtain Calls

Paloma Hererra

This gallery consists of curtain call bows of American Ballet Theatre (ABT) dancers from 2008 to the current season. I also include commentary on dancers with my favorite YouTube clips.
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Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, 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.
12 / 17

Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, Copellia, June 18, 2011

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, which was taped for PBS.

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.

ABTAmericanBalletTheatrephotosKent Beckernot my day job photographyAmerican Ballet TheatrePaloma Hererra20 Anniversaryanniversary

  • 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, Marcelo Gomes, 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, 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, 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.
  • Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, 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.
  • Paloma Hererra, 20th Anniversary with ABT, 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 /> Angel and Paloma Hererra
  • Angel Corella Final Performance, June 28, 2012<br /> <br /> Angel and Paloma Hererra
  • Angel Corella Final Performance, June 28, 2012<br /> <br /> Angel and Paloma Hererra
  • Paloma Herrera, Sascha Radetsky, Clear, 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
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