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Jewels of the World, Unite!

Lincoln Center Festival put together a big show this week: a multinational staging of George Balanchine’s 1967 ballet Jewels, with performances by the Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, and the Bolshoi. The contrasts were fascinating, and paradoxically, had the effect of focusing attention on the ballet itself, revealing more clearly than ever why Arlene Croce described it as an “unsurpassedbBalanchine primer, incorporating in a single evening every important article of faith to which the choreographer subscribed”. My review is at DanceTabs.

Teresa Reichlen in Rubies, from Jewels. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
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Paloma in BA

A few weeks ago, Paloma Herrera and I sat down to talk about her training and career, about moving back to Buenos Aires, and about what she thinks has changed in the world of ballet and in the wider culture. Our chat is now up on the DanceTabs website.

Paloma Herrera outside of the Museo de Arte Decorativo. (photo by me)
Paloma Herrera outside of the Museo de Arte Decorativo. (photo by me)

 

 

 

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Forward to Petipa

“Honestly, I just can’t stand seeing productions of the classics any more, because I know how far it is from Petipa’s intentions,” Alexei Ratmansky told me a few months back, when we began discussing preparations for his new Sleeping Beauty, based largely on his interpretation of historical sources. He said many other things too. You’ll find them here, in this extensive q&a.

 

Alexei Ratmansky in Sleeping Beauty rehearsal.Photo by Rosalie O'Connor.
Alexei Ratmansky in Sleeping Beauty rehearsal.Photo by Rosalie O’Connor.
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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.

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ABT Marks 75 years

Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes in Pillar of Fire. Photo by Marty Sohl.
Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes in Pillar of Fire. Photo by Marty Sohl.

In its first week, the company performs works from its first decade. See my review of two programs here.

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La Grande Bellezza

Vladimir Shishov and Jurgita Dronina as Prince Florimund and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Francesco Squeglia.
Vladimir Shishov and Jurgita Dronina as Prince Florimund and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Francesco Squeglia.

I’m in Rome for a few weeks with my husband, who is singing at the opera here. (This explains why I haven’t been reviewing the ballet season in NYC!) I was lucky enough to have the chance to see Sleeping Beauty at the Rome Opera Ballet, with Jurgita Dronina of the Het National in the role of Aurora. It was a solid performance; not mind-blowing, but well-danced throughout. I had some doubts about Paul Chalmer’s production. It’s a bit vague, short on mime, and rather lacking in characterization. You can read my review, for DanceTabs, here.

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Ashton in Sarasota

Sarasota Ballet in Frederick Ashton’s Illuminations. © Frank Atura.
Sarasota Ballet in Frederick Ashton’s Illuminations.
© Frank Atura.

I’m just back from the Ashton festival at Sarasota Ballet, a four-day tribute to the choreographer. Under the directorship of Iain Webb, the company has been undergoing a major expansion over the past few years. By any measure, the festival was a big success, with strong performances, expressive dancing, and a powerful sense of style and common purpose.

You can read my review for DanceTabs here.

And a short excerpt: “The advantage of putting all these ballets on the stage in quick succession is that the audience begins to see all sorts of interconnections and motifs running through the works. Thus, in Monotones II (1965), there is an echo of the slow trio near the beginning of Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, in which a woman is slowly revolved by two men and shown from all angles, the center of a slow-moving planetary system.”