It’s one of those things that we’ve been living with for a while – like a bad tooth that can still give a good chew. This streamlined Swan Lake conceived almost 20 years ago by Peter Martins after Petipa, Ivanov and Balanchine, is shaved to maximum efficiency for a time-sensitive city audience where two snaps of the fingers equals a New York minute. It relies on the viewer already having seen a full version of Swan Lake so that he can fill in the blanks with his imagination. Sometimes the action moves so quickly that one is left with a sense of jerkiness like that of an over-cranked old film from the 1930s.
The designs by Per Kirkeby include a striking curtain and backdrop that would be greatly appreciated if they were part of any number of abstract ballets in NYCB’s repertory. The stormy colored scrambled lattice design kind of reminded Haglund of the lattice that runs around the balcony tiers in the theater.
But Swan Lake is not supposed to be an abstract ballet. Its story should be clear from start to finish – in the designs and choreography. If a choreographer wants an abstract Swan Lake or an “inspired by” Swan Lake production, then he should give it another name. Don’t offend the artistic genius of Petipa and Ivanov.
All complaining aside, if one were to attend the performance with the simple expectation of seeing colorful, loosely connected divertissement danced brilliantly, then disappointment was impossible. Last night from curtain-up to curtain-down, all of the artists danced their hearts out.
This Swan Lake opened with some jaw-dropping allegro by Daniel Ulbricht’s Jester who reappeared throughout the evening to build on his happy feats with his sparkling feet and cannon-sized energy. While the Jester character can often seem an annoyance in a traditional Swan Lake, here the character was a key figure in helping to move the action along.
Erica Pereira, Brittany Pollack, and Antonio Carmena (Benno) impressed in the Pas de Trois with their vitality and bright dancing.
The strengths of our Prince Siegfried, Tyler Angle, were in his grand partnering and solo dancing. The mime and acting were less convincing than the clarity and power with which he dispensed his variations.
Sara Mearns as Odette/Odile had many fine moments in this hacked up choreography. It would have been nice to see her conclude the White Swan PdD with the traditional series of battement serré with slow finger pirouettes that finally succumb to a statement of profound sadness in a glorious penché arabesque – instead of simply walking off to the side of the stage with Siegfried. But no, that would have taken too long and there would have been 45 seconds of vocal gratitude from the audience that might have required an extra bow. Sometimes, great art just takes too long and it has to be hacked down to a manageable size – like hacking off the toes so the feet will fit into the shoes. Stiletto surgery for the ballet.
Emotion-filled from her first step, Sara revealed Odette's sorrow and tragedy with operatic desperation. Every step was as large as it could be, clearly performed, and intensely dramatic. Due to the speed with which this ballet whizzes by, there was little opportunity for modulation or any kind of gradual building of tension. It was all poured out on the stage where it pulled in the viewer with the force of ocean currents. While most Odettes tend to lower their eyes much of the time, the power of occasionally opening one’s eyes and soul to the fans in the cheap seats cannot be overestimated. Last night’s Odette was almost fully introspective.
Odile made a glorious entrance in her drop-dead gorgeous black tutu and stunning blond hair. Seductive, yes. Evil, nuh-uh. The evilness in Odile comes from the bold trickery in the choreography. Surprisingly, Odile had problems controlling some of the more traditional elements in this simplistic version of the Black Swan PdD. She lost her fouettes but then bravely restarted them only to lose them again. Surely others in the audience shared Haglund’s gratitude that Odile didn’t try to fool us with a bunch of single pirouettes as happened recently at ABT.
The Divertissement: Pas de Quatre was the highlight of the evening. How great it was to see the return of Megan Fairchild from On The Town and Ana Sophia Scheller from a long bout of injury who were joined by the sensational Tiler Peck and the only-gets-younger-and-better Joaquin De Luz. Talk about top flight principals coming together as a peerless corps! They were thrilling. “Exact" exemplified. Megan danced especially beautifully in her variation – so fresh, so effortlessly perfect. Ana appeared visibly grateful and relieved to be back and danced magnificently. Tiler gorgeously pulled the music in her variation. Joaquin’s internal gyroscope was working perfectly. Seeing such star power devour the stage at one time almost made Haglund want to end the night right there.
Rebecca Krohn and Amar Ramasar brought sizzle and sensuality to the Russian Dance. Rather than a divertissement, it seemed like a big central PdD in their own ballet.
Faye Arthurs, Gretchen Smith, Aaron Sanz, and Peter Walker smoldered in the character Spanish Dance.
And wow, Sara Adams and Allen Peiffer were the surprise of the evening in the Neapolitan Dance. We’ve been noticing Sara a lot in the past couple of seasons, but never saw her light up like she did in this choreography. Allen is a charming and engaging partner with handsome lines and youthful energy.
The Four Small Swans: Jacqueline Bologna, Baily Jones, Alexa Maxwell, and Claire Von Enck were perfect. Just perfect. Nothing left to say. Perfect.
So, in summary, Haglund still terribly dislikes the production but loved everything that the dancers did. He saw great dancing but little in the way of compelling theater.
The first HH Pump Bump of the fall season is bestowed upon Megan Fairchild and Ana Sophia Scheller on the happy occasion of their triumphant returns to the lineup. Bring it, ladies….
10 responses to “New York City Ballet 9/22
Swan Lake Express”
I guess I’m in the minority that like the Martins’ Swan Lake scenery and costumes. There’s enough traditional Swan Lakes out there. Sometimes a little variation is nice, especially in light of the fact that it is a fictional story. Who’s to say what time period or where this story takes place?
Anyhoo, I always love your thinly veiled jabs at Misty. I truly lol. Because you are right!
Any idea where Lauren Lovette’s been on the casting sheets? Is she injured? If so it’s a shame because she was JUST promoted.
I guess I’m in the minority that like the Martins’ Swan Lake scenery and costumes. There’s enough traditional Swan Lakes out there. Sometimes a little variation is nice, especially in light of the fact that it is a fictional story. Who’s to say what time period or where this story takes place?
Anyhoo, I always love your thinly veiled jabs at Misty. I truly lol. Because you are right!
Any idea where Lauren Lovette’s been on the casting sheets? Is she injured? If so it’s a shame because she was JUST promoted.
I thought the Corps did great in the swan section. Mearns looked beautiful. Yes it seemed too rushed in sections that should have allowed the dancers to connect, but I liked how the quicker tempo emphasized the non-human aspects of Odette.
The fall out of the fouettes? Mearns took it in stride and I’m glad she wasn’t spooked for the rest of the ballet.
Mentioning ABT, did you know that Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak danced together at the Chicago Dance Festival at the end of last August? Apparently they performed the Blue Bird Pas de Deux together. There was nothing about it on the ABT social media channels. It would be nice for the company to give a schedule of guest appearances for ALL their dancers.
I thought the Corps did great in the swan section. Mearns looked beautiful. Yes it seemed too rushed in sections that should have allowed the dancers to connect, but I liked how the quicker tempo emphasized the non-human aspects of Odette.
The fall out of the fouettes? Mearns took it in stride and I’m glad she wasn’t spooked for the rest of the ballet.
Mentioning ABT, did you know that Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak danced together at the Chicago Dance Festival at the end of last August? Apparently they performed the Blue Bird Pas de Deux together. There was nothing about it on the ABT social media channels. It would be nice for the company to give a schedule of guest appearances for ALL their dancers.
Haglund, thanks for another great review. You certainly have an artist’s eye to see the similarity of the ballet’s lattice design and the balcony lattice. One is almost like a negative image of the other. I agree the design would work better in an abstract ballet. Thanks for posting photos.
Melponeme_k, I too wish ABT would let us know their dancer’s guest appearance schedules. I would have gone to Chicago to see Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak. The Chicago Dance Festival is enjoyable annual summer event held in beautiful Millenium Park, and is free to boot. I often work family visits to Chicago around the ballet performance schedule.
Haglund seems to do more for promoting ballet-going than ABT.
Haglund, thanks for another great review. You certainly have an artist’s eye to see the similarity of the ballet’s lattice design and the balcony lattice. One is almost like a negative image of the other. I agree the design would work better in an abstract ballet. Thanks for posting photos.
Melponeme_k, I too wish ABT would let us know their dancer’s guest appearance schedules. I would have gone to Chicago to see Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak. The Chicago Dance Festival is enjoyable annual summer event held in beautiful Millenium Park, and is free to boot. I often work family visits to Chicago around the ballet performance schedule.
Haglund seems to do more for promoting ballet-going than ABT.
I went to see Swan Lake last Wednesday night, and I was appalled at how awful it was. Although most of the dancing was good, the production itself just isn’t up to the NYCB’s usual standards. The costumes are so bad (even worse than the NYCB’s Romeo and Juliet costumes) that I could hardly focus on the dancing. People complain about the Von Rothbart swamp creature in ABT’s Swan Lake, but NYCB’s Von Rothbart, dressed in orange and black, looked like he was ready to go out trick-or-treating! The corps didn’t seem too in sync that evening. And I really didn’t understand the role of the jester. What does the jester have to do with the rest of the story? A cute idea, I suppose, but I thought he distracted from the plot. As for the scenery, the first act doesn’t resemble a village scene at all. And I really don’t know why paneled wood was chosen for the ballroom scene—it didn’t look anything like a castle. A very, very disappointing production, IMHO–although the audience seemed very pleased.
Yes, the dancing was fast. But in terms of the running time—approx. two and a half hours, which includes the intermission—isn’t this version about as long as ABT’s and other productions?
I went to see Swan Lake last Wednesday night, and I was appalled at how awful it was. Although most of the dancing was good, the production itself just isn’t up to the NYCB’s usual standards. The costumes are so bad (even worse than the NYCB’s Romeo and Juliet costumes) that I could hardly focus on the dancing. People complain about the Von Rothbart swamp creature in ABT’s Swan Lake, but NYCB’s Von Rothbart, dressed in orange and black, looked like he was ready to go out trick-or-treating! The corps didn’t seem too in sync that evening. And I really didn’t understand the role of the jester. What does the jester have to do with the rest of the story? A cute idea, I suppose, but I thought he distracted from the plot. As for the scenery, the first act doesn’t resemble a village scene at all. And I really don’t know why paneled wood was chosen for the ballroom scene—it didn’t look anything like a castle. A very, very disappointing production, IMHO–although the audience seemed very pleased.
Yes, the dancing was fast. But in terms of the running time—approx. two and a half hours, which includes the intermission—isn’t this version about as long as ABT’s and other productions?
Beth, you’re right about the length approximating ABT’s production, but ABT leaves out much of Act IV and has a longer intermission.
Beth, you’re right about the length approximating ABT’s production, but ABT leaves out much of Act IV and has a longer intermission.