Wednesday 8 July 2015

Joffrey week 2

Why must time pass so quickly?! My second week at the Joffrey was incredible- it's such an honour to be taught by ex Bolshoi dancers, and teachers who have graduated from the Vaganova! I love the Russian style, it's so elegant (okay, I'll admit, I did spend most of the classes with the Russian teachers contentedly imagining I was a student at the Vaganova Academy!!!!) I also particularly enjoyed the dance history classes, it is fascinating to consider the evolution of dance. I made so many wonderful friends, it is lovely to be able to talk and never run out of things to say, because our worlds both revolve around dance! On my last weekend in New York, I went shopping on Broadway and visited Times Square, with my lovely roommate Alessandra, who was from Mexico.
I was very sad to leave New York, and hope to be able to go back at some point in the future! <3

Saturday 4 July 2015

ABT Cinderella

When I found out that Marianela Nuñez was performing in American Ballet Theater's Cinderella, I couldn't help but buy a ticket to see her perform!
Her artistry and sense of emotion in Cinderella's first solo seemed to make time stand still, as the entire theatre became absorbed in her beauty.

Isabella Boylston danced gracefully as the fairy godmother, with light, swift bourrees and delicate epaulement.

Despite cleverly crafted scenery, involving a flickering fire in the hearth, the technical aspects of the production were somewhat underwhelming. When the time came for her to transform Cinderella's pumpkin into a carriage for the ball, the Fairy Godmother playfully lobbed the pumpkin offstage; it was replaced from the wings by a silver carriage. Perhaps an onstage transformation would've been more exciting- something akin to Birmingham Royal Ballet's gargantuan growing tree in the Nutcracker would've given the ballet that elusive "wow factor".

The highlight for me, in the ball scene, was Gabe Stone-Shayer's spectacularly springy Jester; he displayed fabulous charisma and stage presence, as well as excellent elevation, with particularly impressive straddle jumps. 
At the ball, the corps de ballet danced in white tutus; my instinctive thought was of the snow in Nutcracker; I couldn't quite fathom the relevance of snow in a ballroom, until I looked at my programme, to see that they were not snow, but stars. Nonetheless, I didn't really see why stars would be in a ballroom either! 
A highlight of the final act was Nunez' double ménage of pique turns in her solo; she demonstrated incredibly impressive speed and control.
In the curtain calls, the entire theatre seemed to give a standing ovation- which beautiful Marianela certainly deserved. 


Wednesday 1 July 2015

Swan Lake

On Saturday, I was incredibly lucky to see American Ballet Theatre's Swan Lake, with Isabella Boylston as Odette/Odile, and Danil Simkin as Prince Seigfried. 
It was so inspiring, knowing that the last time I saw Swan Lake, it was the middle of audition season, and I was desperately vying for a ballet school place. This time, I was in New York City, a summer intensive student of the Joffrey Ballet School- with a Ballet West place for September. I am so grateful to have such supportive friends and family- and the most amazing ballet teacher I could ever wish for- who help me to achieve my dreams.

Anyway! I particularly enjoyed the act 1 pas de trois in Swan Lake, and the entrance of the corps de ballet swans, as I knew the choreography for both scenes. The dancer who performed the first solo in the pas de trois had an interesting sense of musicality; she seemed to dance through the music on the opening section- echappe releve, attitude devant, derrière, entrechat six-  as opposed to using the counts and holding each releve.

I was delighted to see Misty Copeland- who yesterday became the first woman of African-American descent to ever become Principal of American Ballet Theater- dance in the Cygnets pas de quatre. Her stage presence was phenomenal; she danced with effortless strength and grace. It is so inspirational to know how Misty defied the odds; she doesn't fit the "ideal ballerina" stereotype, but she was determined to succeed- so she did.

Isabella Boylston's Odette had a beautiful sense of sensitivity and vulnerability, her first pas de deux with Seigfried was enchantingly delicate and emotive. Personally, I preferred her as Odette rather than Odile; in the act 3 pas de deux, her turns lacked the vitriolic dynamic of the black swan, and although she neatly executed the iconic fouetté turns in the coda, she travelled significantly, lacking the spectacular virtuosity of dancers such as Tamara Rojo or Miko Fogarty. 

In contrast, Danil Simkin dazzled in Seigfried's act 3 solo: his leaps had spectacular ballon, and he attacked the pirouettes with a vivacious sense of determination.

The ballet's ending was considerably more tragic than that of the Russian version; both Seigfried and Odette died in the lake, followed by Von Rothbart's demise, as unconditional love vanquished his evil powers. 
As the spine-tingling chords of the final theme played, an image of a slowly rising sun illuminated the backdrop, as the corps de ballet swans grieved for Odette and Seigfried, immaculately precise in their positioning. With no image of Seigfried and Odette reunited in heaven, the sunrise seemed despondent, bearing the truth that even love cannot overpower deceit and evil; life goes on, bearing no regard to human sorrow.

Nonetheless, although the ballet was deeply emotional rather than uplifting, it was phenomenally inspiring, to see one of the best companies in the world perform in such an incredibly beautiful theatre.