POB’s Dorothée Gilbert, or the Art of Dancing with the Eyes (The Faster Times)

From The Faster Times.

Here is an excerpt:

“It takes a while for a visiting company to make more than a superficial impression—especially after an absence of sixteen years—so it was astute of Brigitte Lefèvre (the company’s artistic director) and the Lincoln Center Festival to arrange a longer stay, two weeks rather than just a few days. Repeated viewings allow us to settle into the Parisians’ slightly unfamiliar style—so pristine, so erect— and to feel we are beginning to know the dancers…. Until last night (July 18), when I saw Dorothée Gilbert in Giselle, I had admired the company as a whole, but was not particularly drawn to any of the ballerinas; they have a certain cool reserve that keeps one at arm’s length. But Gilbert (an Étoile since 2007) is a dancer I would like to see again and again: she seems to have all the attributes of the French school but also to transcend them with her own personal qualities as a dancer and actress.  She has that special quality particular to great dancers: she fills the stage with her presence and makes you feel you are experiencing the ballet anew.”