American Ballet Theatre's Spring Season
ABT has presented such a dazzling array of dancers and programs over the years, and especially this season, it's no wonder that the United States Congress honored the company as "America's National Ballet Company." Resolutions passed by both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives expressed appreciation for the "cultural and educational contributions of American Ballet Theatre." The company, founded in 1940, had its ups and downs, but presenting the classics and new works has earned ABT, through their 30 international tours to 43 countries, a unique place. They have performed before more than 600,000, and are the longest, consistent presence in dance in America. Most important, is their new school and their apprentice Studio Company. Recently ABT received a grant to extend residencies in other cities to students aspiring to the apprentice company and beyond. Makes you wish they had a theater of their own.
It seems as if everyone has to have a Stravinsky program at some point in honor of his great collaborations, especially with Balanchine. Stravinsky was a dour man and sat during rehearsals of his new works in the old New York City Ballet studios looking entirely bored. But he didn't miss a thing, although his music sounded miserable heard as a rehearsal piano score. Balanchine and he were not only collaborators from their early days in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes; they were life-time friends.
ABT presented no less than 8 all-Stravinsky programs this season with different casts in "Apollo": Carreño, Hallberg, Beloserkovsky, and Acosta. "Apollo," was created in 1928 and had its premiere in Paris. The American Ballet (an early Balanchine company that floundered), performed "Apollo" in 1937. It was first performed by ABT in 1943 with André Eglevsky, Vera Zorina, Nora Kaye and Rosella Hightower.
The work is so daringly simple, modern for its time, and so full of Balanchine's then new approach to movement in ballet. It is a masterpiece for all time. Cuban Carlos Acosta, like all the other male dancers, were able to master the role, but it was Acosta in the role of Apollo, who grew from his birth at the beginning of the work, to manhood and godhood. It was an unforgettable performance. There are three muses with whom Apollo dances that represent music, drama and dance and with them Balanchine created sculptural effects of great beauty and simplicity. Several dancers assumed the role of the muses in various performances including: Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Irina Dvorovenko, Michele Wiles, Maria Riccetto, Veronika Part, Stella Abrera and others. The ballet, opening with Leto, Apollo's mother giving birth to Apollo (a section that Balanchine frequently omitted) was staged by Richard Tanner.
"Jeu de Cartes: A Poker Game in Three Deals," was presented on the same all-Stravinsky program. It was originally choreographed by Balanchine as "Card Game" for its American Ballet premiere in 1937. The John Cranko version of the work, was created for the Stuttgart Ballet, premiered in 1965, and in the United States in 1969. ABT's premiere of the Cranko version was in 2006 with Herman Cornejo, Dvorovenko and Erica Cornejo. It is full of fun and poker jokes as is the music full of parodies of classical and foreign styles. ABT's stellar cast, with Julio Bocca as the Joker (a delicious role in which to clown), included a Queen of Hearts, tens , sevens, diamonds, spades, all shuffled with other "cards" into three deals. It was staged by choreologist, Jane Bourne, who studied dance notation at England's Benesh Institute of Choreology.
"Petrouchka" another early Ballets Russes work (1911) to the music of Stravinsky, was choreographed by Michel Fokine, and has become a favorite around the world. It tells the story of three unfortunate puppets under the spell of the Charlatan, who have a human life of their own in their cells. Puppets Petrouchka and The Moor are enamored of The Ballerina puppet. They dance in stiff, mechanical movements, which caused an innovative sensation as danced by stars of the Diaghilev company, Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina, Alexandre Orlov, as the moor, and the great pedagogue, Enrico Cecchetti, as the charlatan. The Moor and Petrouchka clash and the Moor strikes and kills the luckless Petrouchka, who runs into the square where the crowd is celebrating a Russian Mardi-Gras-like Lenten holiday. They are horrified until the Charlatan shows the group that the "corpse" is only a doll of sawdust and rags as he drags it onto his outdoor stage. The crowd becomes indifferent to the plight of the puppet and starts to leave. Petrouchka's ghost defiantly appears above the rooftop as the Charlatan drops the doll and flees in horror.
This work received its United States premiere by the Diaghilev company in 1916 at the old Met. It was danced throughout the country by the Ballets Russes companies with Leonide Massine as Petrouchka. ABT first performed it in Mexico, then at the Met in 1942 and again in 1970 and in 2005 at the Kennedy Center. It is the liveliness of the mid-winter street scene, and the sets and costumes of 1830 Russia by Alexandre Benois, that capture the imagination. Practically everyone in the company appears as a celebrant. Some are coachmen, nursemaids, gypsies, drunkards or street dancers.
As staged by Gary Chryst, the ABT season featured a number of different casts including Angel Corella as Petrouchka, 92-year-old Frederic Franklin as The Charlatan and artistic director of ABT II, Kirk Peterson, as a "Spirited Merchant." ABT's casting of older dancers in suitable and believable roles is a policy seen more often in European companies. They contribute more believable characterizations than younger dancers pretending to be older men.
"Giselle," was scheduled for no less than 8 performances and with little wonder. It is a masterpiece, a love story, and requires technical proficiency and an understanding of 19th century Romantic style. Principal ABT dancers in the June 14th performance were Diana Vishneva, (who studied in St Petersburg), as Giselle and Vladimir Malakhov, (from the Ukraine), as Count Albrecht. They met those standards on the highest level.
First presented in 1841 in Paris, as choreographed by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and eventually by Marius Petipa, the ABT version included the later inserted Peasant Pas de Deux. It was crisply performed by Stella Abrera and Gennadi Saveliev. The libretto is supposedly based on a true story of a Central European Count who fell in love with a peasant girl, who did not know he was betrothed to a royal fiancée. The discovery through a jealous huntsman, Hilarion, danced by Sasha Radetsky, destroys Giselle's weak heart, hence the famous "mad" scene. Act II, is a test of style for principals and corps de ballet. The standard was met with taste and a beautifully rehearsed corps. Alas, nothing is perfect and along came Myrta, performed by Michele Wiles, as the head mistress of The Wilis, those betrayed maiden ghosts whose love was unrequited. Her concentration was not on the role as she seemed to be cued from the orchestra pit. However, Maria Riccetto and Zhong-Jing Fang, as two leading Wilis, performed their variations and roles with lightness and aplomb.
The work is considered the epitome of the 19th century Romantic Age and has been the test of ballerinas since the Paris opening in just about every company and country. Malakhov, uniquely has the most flexible upper back for a male dancer ever seen. His clean beats were text-book clear and this acting as the contrite Count, for having caused Giselle's death by shock over his betrayal, was a dramatic surprise from this tour de force dancer.
Vishneva was also a text-book example of the Romantic period when ballerinas wore unblocked pointe shoes that permitted them to roll down and up to pointe through the metatarsals (rising and lowering, to create the softness typical of the period). Her gossamer softness in Act II established her ghostly transformation from peasant girl to Wili.
Long-time ABT devotees will remember the performances of Alicia Alonso whose gyroscopic turns, held balances and swift small beats can now be called indigenous to her Cubans school. Not enough can be said for the coaching of these two principals by Elena Tchernichova, who prepared them for their earlier Stuttgart opening. All the coaches, behind the scenes, for ABT are exemplary. Coaching is an art in itself, a calling.
Another glorious performance in ABT's golden season was "Manon" with two supreme artists Alessandra Ferri and Julio Bocca. "Manon" is the tale of a young teen-age seductress, who was the subject of writers, composers and readers since she was first described by Abbé Prévost in his novel in 1730. Manon is a mix of innocence and depravity, who wants her cake and eventually chokes on it. Seduced by wealth, jewels and adventure to her destruction, she still manages to attract the loyalty of her lover, Des Grieux, "un home de qualité," weakened by his love for Manon, (Bocca, in this case). There are other juicy roles, Manon's brother, Lescaut, who has a drunken scene that arouses pity as well as humor as performed by Herman Cornejo. He sells his sister, Manon, into being a mistress of wealthy Monsieur G.M., mimed by Victor Barbee. As Lescaut's mistress, there was a major personal stride in the performance by Gillian Murphy (South Carolina), who has made noticeable advance in her characterizations this season.
Kenneth MacMillan's production, first seen in 1974 performed by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, and later at the Metropolitan Opera House, gives ABT a chance to present its exemplary crowd scenes, where everyone remains in character throughout, dressed in colorful, period costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis.
Manon eventually becomes one of the "girls" at the Hôtel Particulier of "Madame," played by Georgina Parkinson, where Des Grieux cheats at cards and Manon is arrested as a prostitute. There is not end to the complications as Manon is deported to France-owned Louisiana, where she meets a jailer who covets her and is killed by D.G. and eventually dies wrenchingly in his arms.
MacMillan, who choreographs in tiny beats (was he trying to replicate the vocabulary of the era?) but reaches his height in pas de deuxs, created for "Manon" the most sweeping, sensuous and gravity-defying lifts of all his works. This ballet required a touch of greatness from ballerinas who were ready for the mark and will continue to do so. But for the pastiche of Massenet's unworthy music, "Manon" will continue to move audience and challenge dancers.