Swan Lake at American Ballet Theatre tonight. What a wonderful show!!
I finally saw Isabella Boylston in a lead role for the first time, and got to meet her during the backstage tour! Though still nursing an injury, Isabella captured her roles perfectly: magnificent as Odette and playful if not mischievous as Odile. No fouette sequence tonight, but her lines and extensions are just gorgeous. Wishing you a speedy full recovery, Isabella.
Not to be outdone, Alban Lendorf was impeccable as Prince Siegfried. I love their duets but also Alban’s solos at the Great Hall: so powerful yet so musical. As if two-and-half hours of ballet wasn’t exhausting enough, Alban made a grand exit at the very end. Jetting across the stage and taking one of the highest and biggest leap, following Odette, to his death. Wow. Talk about partnering and chemistry. 😉
Bravos to Skylar Brandt for going all out in the pas de trois at the Birthday Party. Having heard wonderful things about her debut as Medora in Le Corsaire, I was excited to see her tonight. And what gorgeous leaps and turns! I will definitely be looking out for Skylar in the future.
p.s. Read more about Isabella and Alban’s partnering in New York Times this week.