American Ballet Theater. May 30th at the Met Opera House.
Tonight’s La Bayadère featured a stunning cast: Gorgeous dancing by Skylar Brandt as Gamzatti, Sarah Lane as Nikiya, and wonderful air time by Herman Cornejo.
La Bayadère
ABT Fall Gala
The American Ballet Theatre fall season opened tonight with the Fall Gala performance.
My favorite goes to Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Diversions. Love the pairing of Skylar Brandt (full of energy, happiness, and power) and Sarah Lane (gentle and graceful). Other memorable moments include Stella Abrera and Thomas Forster‘s duet (beautiful with a dramatic opening when they, dressed in white, stood against a sea of dancers in black) and Misty Copeland and Gray Davis’ second duet.
The world premiere of “The Gift” is stunning too. Happy. Dynamic. Uplifting. Choreographed by Jessica Lang and performed by 40+ dancers dressed in all white from the ABT Apprentices, ABT Studio Company, and the Upper 2 and 1 students at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. I love Jessica’s use of (so many) dancers on stage. There’s both structure and spontaneity. Everything just flows, with beautiful transitions, dramatic build-ups, and the gorgeous lines. Love the wonderful energy and the passion from these young dancers. Bravos to a lovely performance!
Swan Lake: Misty Copeland
Second night of Swan Lake with American Ballet Theatre. We all fell in love and died with Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo.
Absolutely love Misty especially her as the black swan. The sharp dramatic releases as she pushes away from Prince Siegfried. The gaze of her eyes, constantly scanning the room and hunting for her prey. Odile is pure evilness. Wow!
Tonight was ballet theatre at its finest. I could feel the entire theater falling in love with Misty and Herman by the Lakeside, and crying audibly as they drown themselves. I had tears in my eyes as the lovers re-unite in life after death.
And then, we were treated to more delicious dancing: Herman’s gorgeous leaps where he floats in the air forever, ever, and ever. Misty and Herman’s incredible coda in Act III. Lovely pas de trois by Skylar Brandt, Cassie Trenary, and Jeffrey Cirio. And James Whiteside, as the flamboyant von Rothbart, commanding the Great Hall.
Swan Lake: Isabella Boylston
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.
The Golden Cockerel
Vibrant colors and dazzling costumes in The Golden Cockerel by American Ballet Theatre.
A rather distinctive experience at the ballet tonight. Everything about the Golden Cockerel is different. The bold vibrant colors. The dazzling and elaborate costumes. A backdrop that makes the theater feel more like a painting than a stage. Altogether, the dancers look as if they were well-crafted puppets and lovely dolls moving through a painting.
The ballet, a comedy, showcases more dramatic moments, comical interactions, and playful seduction than technically-demanding moves. Misty Copeland is the perfect femme fatale as Queen of Shemakhan. Skylar Brandt is amazing as the Golden Cockerel, who has the most challenging and exhausting choreography. Also, love Craig Salstein as the hilarious melodramatic General Polkan.