Royals x 2

Lauren Cuthbertson, Edward Watson and Ryoichi Hirano in Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. Photo by Dave Morgan, courtesy the Royal Opera House.
Lauren Cuthbertson, Edward Watson and Ryoichi Hirano in Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. Photo by Dave Morgan, courtesy the

Here’s my review of the Royal Ballet’s second program, consisting of Wayne McGregor’s “Infra,” Liam Scarlett’s “Age of Anxiety,” and a series of short excerpts. Plus a second view of the first program, with new casts in “The Dream” and “Song of the Earth.”

 

Swans at the Met, Fairies at the Koch

 

Misty Copeland (Odette) and James Whiteside (Prince Siegfried) in Swan Lake.  Photo: Gene Schiavone.
Misty Copeland (Odette) and James Whiteside (Prince Siegfried) in Swan Lake. Photo: Gene Schiavone.

Misty Copeland had her long-awaited New York début in Swan Lake on June 24, with ABT. How did she do? Here’s my review, for DanceTabs.

And here’s my review of the Royal Ballet—visiting New York for the first time in 11 years— in a double-bill at the Koch. The two works were Ashton’s The Dream and Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth.

Marianela Nuñez and Nehemiah Kish in Song of the Earth. Photo by Dave Morgan, courtesy the Royal Opera House
Marianela Nuñez and Nehemiah Kish in Song of the Earth. Photo by Dave Morgan, courtesy the Royal Opera House

 

 

Catching up

This time of year, it’s hard to keep up with the goings-on in the dance world (particularly ballet). Here is a round-up of recent performances and news:

Evgenia Obraztsova in <I>Romeo and Juliet</I>.<br />© Rosalie O'Connor. (Click image for larger version)
Evgenia Obraztsova in Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor.

1. Herman Cornejo and Evgenia Obraztsova performed a touching rendition of Romeo and Juliet at the Met. It was Obraztsova’s début with the company—here’s hoping this new partnership will blossom in coming seasons. Here is a link to my review, for DanceTabs.

https://i0.wp.com/cvj1llwqcyay0evy.zippykid.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/gs-herman-cornejo-happy-jump_1000.jpg
Herman Cornejo at the same performance. Photo by Gene Schiavone.

 

2. New York Theatre Ballet, alias “the little company that could,” held its first season in the sanctuary at St. Mark’s Church, its new home. On the program were works by Frederick Ashton, Richard Alston, David Parker, Antony Tudor, and the young choreographer Gemma Bond. The space fits the company beautifully, and the inclusion of live music (piano and voice) made all the difference. Here’s a link to my review, for DanceTabs.

New York Theatre Ballet in Anthony Tudor's Dark Elegies.© Yi-Chun Wu. (Click image for larger version)
New York Theatre Ballet in Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies. Photo by Yi-Chun Wu.

3. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater closed out the season with a Rennie Harris’s moving Exodus (new this season), Robert Battle’s No Longer Silent (a company première), and, of course Revelations. Here’s my review, for DanceTabs.

4. And finally, Julie Kent gave her final performance with ABT, a finely-etched portrait of Juliet in the well-loved Kenneth MacMillan production. As always with this thinking ballerina, every detail was beautifully distinct. It is difficult to imagine works like A Month in the Country without her.

Julie Kent, the soul of simplicity, as always. Photo by me.
Julie Kent, the soul of simplicity, as always. Photo by yours truly.

 

A Conversation with Doug Fullington

A page of Stepanov notation (left) and Doug Fullington’s translation (right). It’s part of the action/mime from Paquita Act I. © Images courtesy Doug Fullington.
A page of Stepanov notation (left) and Doug Fullington’s translation (right). It’s part of the action/mime from Paquita Act I. © Images courtesy Doug Fullington.

When I was preparing for an article for Dance Magazine, Doug Fullington, who runs the audience education programming at Pacific Northwest ballet, and I talked about the recent renewal of interest in the use of nineteenth and early twentieth-century ballet notations. Some excerpts of that conversation are here, on DanceTabs.

New Beauty

Gillian Murphy in Alexei Ratmansky's "The Sleeping Beauty" for ABT. Photo by Gene Schiavone.
Gillian Murphy in Alexei Ratmansky’s “The Sleeping Beauty” for ABT. Photo by Gene Schiavone.

You can read my thoughts on Alexei’s ravishing new Beauty for ABT here, at DanceTabs. The run continues through this week.

Promotions at NYCB

Lauren Lovette and Anthony Huxley promoted to principal; Ashly Isaacs, to soloist. All eminently well deserved! See the announcement here.

Dreaming the Dream

In Midsummer Night’s Dream, Balanchine does what he does best: tells a story, then gives us its abstract expression. See my review of New York City Ballet’s final performances here, at DanceTabs.

Russell Janzen, Ashley Laracey, and Brittany Pollack in Balanchine's "Midsummer Night's Dream." Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Russell Janzen, Ashley Laracey, and Brittany Pollack in Balanchine’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Something Stale

Alina Cojocaru and Herman Cornejo in La Bayadère. Photo by Gene Schiavone.
Alina Cojocaru and Herman Cornejo in La Bayadère. Photo by Gene Schiavone.

 

After seeing two performances of Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère at American Ballet Theatre I was left feeling that the ballet has gone a bit stale. You can read my review of the two casts, for DanceTabs, here.