Looking forward to seeing a few more performances of Sleeping Beauty and even snagged a ticket to the hour-long Family Saturday program in order to get a glimpse of Emma Von Enck's preparations for an eventual Aurora which we cruelly got gypped out of this season.
Can't wait to watch Isabella LaFreniere tackle the role for the first time. In the past, tall dancers truly excelled in the role of Aurora – Gregory, Bussell, van Hamel. Aurora will dance opposite Peter Walker's Désiré, also a debut, and her debuting Lilac Fairy will be Emily Kikta!
This is what the Rose Adagio looked like 44 years ago. Cynthia Gregory's composure, refinement, adolescent excitement and technical fortitude that could not be knocked over by a Sherman tank are on display in this clip from PBS's Live from Lincoln Center in 1979. The whole performance which includes Fernando Bujones is in the Paley Center's archives. How Eric ever grabbed this fine clip, we don't know, but we're grateful; it was a historic performance.
There is a much lesser quality grab of the Wedding PdD with Fernando Bujones here. Patience is required but once you get to the meat of meal at 1.30, it is quite glorious. Just the ultra-slow developpe with bowed head at the beginning is worth watching over and over again.
We don't expect to see the experience of Gregory and Bujones when LaFreniere and Walker land on stage this Thursday, but we're pretty sure that they aren't going to waste time getting to the spectacular. And Emily Kikta's Lilac Fairy will have no trouble clearing evil from the court.
12 responses to “observations 2/20”
Thank you for mentioning Ms. Gregory’s Rose Adagio, Haglund. I watch it every so often. Among other things, it is a master class in how a dancer supposedly so wrong for this role gives one of the greatest performances of it ever. That’s artistry.
Thank you for mentioning Ms. Gregory’s Rose Adagio, Haglund. I watch it every so often. Among other things, it is a master class in how a dancer supposedly so wrong for this role gives one of the greatest performances of it ever. That’s artistry.
Thank you for this clip, Hagland. What a treat! I was fortunate to see Gregory dance throughout almost all of her career, and I agree that her Sleeping Beauty and Van Hamel’s were just incredibly beautiful and right on target technically. An aside, I also saw Cynthia Gregory in Don Quixote partnered with Bujones at a Chicago performance that brought the house into a genuine and spontaneous standing ovation, in the days that those were rare and well-deserved. In early 2016 she visited the Kansas City Ballet to coach the dancers for Swan Lake. I was fortunate to meet her and have a nice conversation about ballet. What a gift!
Thank you for this clip, Hagland. What a treat! I was fortunate to see Gregory dance throughout almost all of her career, and I agree that her Sleeping Beauty and Van Hamel’s were just incredibly beautiful and right on target technically. An aside, I also saw Cynthia Gregory in Don Quixote partnered with Bujones at a Chicago performance that brought the house into a genuine and spontaneous standing ovation, in the days that those were rare and well-deserved. In early 2016 she visited the Kansas City Ballet to coach the dancers for Swan Lake. I was fortunate to meet her and have a nice conversation about ballet. What a gift!
There will never be another dancer like Cynthia Gregory. Note to the Russian ballerinas: the balances in SB’s Rose Adagio matter. You all should take a peek at this clip to see how it’s done.
There will never be another dancer like Cynthia Gregory. Note to the Russian ballerinas: the balances in SB’s Rose Adagio matter. You all should take a peek at this clip to see how it’s done.
I love that she had the presence of mind to kick the flower out of the way before going up in the lift.
I love that she had the presence of mind to kick the flower out of the way before going up in the lift.
I remember her farewell performance at ABT where she did the Rose Adagio and with a flick of her hand motioned the last price to let her continue to balance on point for another few seconds. (Not quite as good as the legendary Grand Pas Cigarette, of course.)
I remember her farewell performance at ABT where she did the Rose Adagio and with a flick of her hand motioned the last price to let her continue to balance on point for another few seconds. (Not quite as good as the legendary Grand Pas Cigarette, of course.)
Is anyone on the East Coast planning to see the Philadelphia Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty starting next week?
Is anyone on the East Coast planning to see the Philadelphia Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty starting next week?