Watching someone else’s dreams come true can make your own heart go all puddly-messy. And so it was last evening when Zachary Catazaro finally got to dance the role of Prince Siegfried in Peter Martins’ Swan Lake. A few years ago when he was poised to chase his first Odette/Odile, Sterling Hyltin, around the lake, he suffered a serious injury that kept him off stage for many months. When he finally returned to the stage after a long rehabilitation, it seemed as though he could not get Siegfried off his mind; the prince’s sense of loss and longing bubbled up in other of Catazaro’s dancing, such as in the Elegy section of Balanchine's Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3.
In his debut last night, the third-year soloist demonstrated a much-improved ability to focus on his technique while delivering a convincing, at times rich reading of Siegfried. In Act I, his sense of wonderment and disbelief at the beauty of the creature just outside his reach was palpable. The careful tenderness with which he finally held Odette helped to convey her fragile predicament. The prince’s variations in all acts, while not spectacular or daring, were consistently danced with authority and a sense of grandeur. But the basics need to be better: the closings of assembles, stronger; the pirouette finishes should be tied up with a bow; the arabesque lines need to be closer to 90 degrees and more defined. This will all come with work.
Sterling Hyltin as Odette/Odile had some very nice moments. Odette’s diagonal of sissonnes were brilliantly executed. A manege of pique turns at an unbelievably blistering speed would have been even more impressive if the port de bras had been calmly balletic. Sterling’s sparrow-like legs and feet were beautiful and always tidy, but the upper body, arms, and face did not convey Odette’s deep sadness, only her torment and anxiety. Odile was less technically assured than she should have been and honestly didn't have enough clean virtuosity and cunning to seduce Popeye, let alone Siegfried.
Debuting as Benno, Harrison Coll was clearly livin’ the dream. His dancing in the Pas de Trois with Unity Phelan and Sarah Villwock showed new attention to clarity and form. Legs and feet were more stretched and turned out. Pirouettes were consistent. We loved how he punctuated his phrases of music.
If we left the theater without feeling much for either of the main characters, it is more likely due to the production than the dancers’ efforts. This Swan Lake – loosely based on Petipa, Ivanov, and Balanchine – is short on magic. (Well, so is Balanchine’s, for that matter.) It’s loaded with fast steps, frantic racing around, and a barely-negligible amount of mime that is carried out in a perfunctory manner. The way in which the dancers raise their arms and flip their wrists and hands to summon someone is more like an Italian obscene hand gesture than mime. The music races, and last night even the violin soloist had trouble precisely locating notes.
Basically, in order to make peace with this Swan Lake, we have to forget about the real Swan Lake and simply view this as an evening of divertissements which end with Odelle bourreeing back to her grave while Sigbrecht acts remorseful. It all requires more imagination than most of us have.
In the divertissement department, there were many bright moments. Spartak Hoxha’s Jester was the glue that held the first act together. His fast pirouettes, speeding maneges, high jumps, and funny charm all made his character very likable. Emilie Gerrity and Adrian Danchig-Waring sizzled in the Russian Dance which seemed more Arabian, but what the heck. We’re so relieved to see Adrian back on stage after way too long an injury absence. Among the six princesses, Lydia Wellington, gorgeous in a yellow costume, stood out for the elegance and refinement in her dancing. The Four Small Swans (Jacqueline Bologna, Baily Jones, Kristen Segin, and Claire Von Enck) were precise as could be.
We’re happy that Zachary Catazaro finally got his long-awaited opportunity to dance Siegfried and that he turned in a strong performance with some depth. We’ll toss him an H.H. Pump Bump Award and wish him luck on his second effort next Friday.
12 responses to “NYCB Swan Lake 9/22
Off the Siegfried Schneid”
I have never seen such hideous sets and costumes, or heard such torturous violin playing. Nonetheless Tess was a revelation when I saw her on Wednesday!
I have never seen such hideous sets and costumes, or heard such torturous violin playing. Nonetheless Tess was a revelation when I saw her on Wednesday!
Hi, Iris.
Agree about the costumes and scenery, although, some of the Act I corps costumes would be fantastic in a Petipa Don Q — but not Swan Lake. That begs the question — why doesn’t this company of amazing virtuosos have a Petipa-based Don Q? Hopefully, that is NOT on Justin Peck’s to-do list.
I saw Tess’s performance, too, and agree with you. In my view, she is the only NYCB Swan – so far – who can make the racing tempi work for her. It is quite amazing how she moves her legs so quickly and so effortlessly while maximizing arabesques and attitudes. Her fast bourrees are exquisite. However, she does have the same problem that most of the NYCB ballerinas do in that having long arms doesn’t necessarily automatically equate with lengthening them. Long arms need to learn how to lengthen just like short arms do. I suspect that they are simply being taught incorrectly as, for example, with the mime movement that utilizes the flick of the wrist which I described above.
Hi, Iris.
Agree about the costumes and scenery, although, some of the Act I corps costumes would be fantastic in a Petipa Don Q — but not Swan Lake. That begs the question — why doesn’t this company of amazing virtuosos have a Petipa-based Don Q? Hopefully, that is NOT on Justin Peck’s to-do list.
I saw Tess’s performance, too, and agree with you. In my view, she is the only NYCB Swan – so far – who can make the racing tempi work for her. It is quite amazing how she moves her legs so quickly and so effortlessly while maximizing arabesques and attitudes. Her fast bourrees are exquisite. However, she does have the same problem that most of the NYCB ballerinas do in that having long arms doesn’t necessarily automatically equate with lengthening them. Long arms need to learn how to lengthen just like short arms do. I suspect that they are simply being taught incorrectly as, for example, with the mime movement that utilizes the flick of the wrist which I described above.
I saw Tess on Wednesday. She was very nice in many moments, but for me the show was stolen by Lauren Lovette and Indiana Woodward in their divertissements. They sparkled! Made me wonder how Lauren would be as a Swan Queen…
I saw Tess on Wednesday. She was very nice in many moments, but for me the show was stolen by Lauren Lovette and Indiana Woodward in their divertissements. They sparkled! Made me wonder how Lauren would be as a Swan Queen…
Agree that Lauren was lovely and sparkled. Not sure if she possesses the requisite level of virtuosity at this point but surely down the pike she’ll have the chance to dance Odette/Odile. Indiana, too. NYCB’s future just seems to look brighter and brighter.
Agree that Lauren was lovely and sparkled. Not sure if she possesses the requisite level of virtuosity at this point but surely down the pike she’ll have the chance to dance Odette/Odile. Indiana, too. NYCB’s future just seems to look brighter and brighter.
I wish I could have seen the NYCB SW this year.
I didn’t mind the tempo, the quickness highlighted themes in the score that are lost when played very slowly. It gives the score a pulse that is often missing in standard productions. Although, yes, they could slow down the pas de deux a bit.
I agree the costumes are Halloween Happy. Maybe that is why they save this production for fall! LOL
I wish I could have seen the NYCB SW this year.
I didn’t mind the tempo, the quickness highlighted themes in the score that are lost when played very slowly. It gives the score a pulse that is often missing in standard productions. Although, yes, they could slow down the pas de deux a bit.
I agree the costumes are Halloween Happy. Maybe that is why they save this production for fall! LOL
I was in NY to see Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” at BAM (is this on Haglund’s schedule?) and would have loved to have seen Tess as O/O, but this production’s costumes are so beyond atrocious I skipped it. I only attempted this production once several years ago, walked out at intermission after Sterling botched the sequence of passes lakeside… I remember someone begged my ticket off of me and I almost felt guilty giving it to him.
I was in NY to see Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” at BAM (is this on Haglund’s schedule?) and would have loved to have seen Tess as O/O, but this production’s costumes are so beyond atrocious I skipped it. I only attempted this production once several years ago, walked out at intermission after Sterling botched the sequence of passes lakeside… I remember someone begged my ticket off of me and I almost felt guilty giving it to him.