After having our hearts broken three years ago when then-soloist Emma Von Enck was inexplicably passed over for casting as Aurora in New York City Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty, we finally emerged from the Ballet Trauma Unit on Thursday evening with our hearts beating anew. Thump-thump, thump-thump. There was a bit of extra excitement in the ever-excitable Craig Salstein’s Catalabutte as he mimed the arrival of Princess Aurora. He knew she was about to slay the day. And slay she did.
Emma Von Enck’s Aurora rushed into the center of her birthday party and into the center of our hearts with an exuberance of one who had waited three years to dance the role she was placed on this earth to dance. We were under her spell from the first step. Her sequence of piqués attitude devant followed by the most delicate little pas de chat were performed with pointes as sharp as the spindle that would befall her. Aurora’s manège of piqué and chaîné turns were so fast that it almost seemed like the music was chasing her until she stopped instantly to regain a regal pose after an episode of cat zoomies.
Breathless speed was her casual mode; she never rushed or needed to blur steps to meet the tempi. She found height and great length in her jumps. Her Rose Adagio balances were beautifully squared even if they did show the type of nerves that can come up in any speed-dating situation.
In the Vision Scene, Von Enck captured the ethereal nature of the backward spin in arabesque and pulled length from every phrase. The elegance in the elbows and the delicate shapes of her upper torso and port de bras conveyed a beautiful spirituality. We won’t utter that G-word, but anyone who saw this Vision Scene has to be thinking the same thing: Put her in a Romantic tutu tout de suite.
This wasn’t just an astonishing first crack at a role; it was astonishing, period. And it wasn’t the only thrill of the evening. David Gabriel’s debut as Prince Désiré revealed big dramatic chops and high level partnering skills to go with his stellar solo dancing in a surprisingly mature performance. His style included a modesty for which we are grateful; he danced brilliantly without looking like he was trying to impress. Again, as with Aurora, so much about Désiré’s devotion to his ideal love was revealed in the Vision Scene. (We do wonder, however, in this staging by Peter Martins, if the water in the goblets is spiked with something that causes Désiré to so abruptly switch from having a great time at the picnic to severe introspection after just one gulp.)
In the Wedding Scene, Gabriel’s Désiré managed the fish dives expertly and made his Aurora’s positions look beautiful. By now, both dancers knew that they had a smashing success and all they had to do were a couple of grand allegro manèges, a few piqués, and then mazurka their way to the finish line.
The supporting cast included an admirable quartet of Jewels. Preston Chamblee’s Gold was giving potential greatness vibes if he would just always point his feet and stretch both knees. Naomi Corti was the ballerina who finally made beautiful sense of the Diamond variation which has looked spastic over the run. Grace Scheffel’s Ruby revealed a unique sensuality to go with her splendid dancing. And what a pleasure it was to see Rommie Tomasini dancing so joyously in the Emerald variation.
The Lilac Fairy, Dominika Afanasenkov, offered some lovely port de bras but the overall effect of her performance was less than it should have been due to a fitness issue that needs to be addressed. Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara’s Carabosse was sufficiently menacing. The corps de ballet was attentive and superbly coordinated throughout the evening. There are so many quick changes before the intermission that it is a wonder the Nymphs, Cavaliers, Attendants, and Suitors don’t have Garland remnants sticking to them upon returning to the stage.
Daniel Ulbricht and Sara Adams repeated their excellent Bluebird and Princess Florine. During the preceding variation, a piece of fluff dropped to the floor from a costume which was distracting for the dancers who followed. Unfortunately, Sara slipped close to it, and her lovely foot and ankle collapsed under her. Scary as it was, it seemed not to affect the rest of her performance.
Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, Louboutin’s Rosa Z stiletto with floating crystals, is bestowed upon Emma Von Enck for her truly amazing, long overdue debut as Aurora.
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