I've seen Serenade many times and I have to say the work done by Sandra Jennings in setting this ballet was terriffic! The dancers demonstrated very clean lines and were in perfect unison making the choreography the star. It is really hard for me to single out any one dancer because they all did an amazing job; Dark Angel, Waltz, Russian, the four Russians, they ware all wonderful.

But even as amazing as Serenade was, I still have to say, the highlight of the evening for me was Carmena Burana. Where do I begin, but to say you have to go see this one for yourself. Matthew Neenan shows his choreographic brilliance in this piece. The choreography, the costumes, the sets, the dancing and or course the mystifying music made this new rendition a must see. Again, the entire company did a phenomenal job and both Jermel Johnson and Phil Colluci were standouts.

With this new rendition Matthew brings to the ballet world an electrifying production which encompasses moves that one would see in Circus de Soleil from on stage aerials, to athletic but poetic lifts and jumps . But Matthew fine tunes these movements and couples them with balletic moves making this Carmena a ballet that I believe will transcend to a new and younger audience. In fact, I took a young man with me last evening that has only gone to a few ballets (some of which he enjoyed and some of which he found to be quite boring) and his comment to me was that this was not only the best ballet, but the best live performance he has even been to. I think this is something that is needed in the ballet world….and hopefully will put an end to the rumor that “Ballet is a dying and pretentious art from”. I have to give Kudos to PABallet for being innovative and brave enough to once again take an age-old classic and update it bringing new life and exuberance to the stage. I am hoping with these efforts we will see a new and younger audience enjoying ballet.

My children have a book called "Zoo Do's and Don'ts" (Do feed a elephant peanuts. Don't feed her peanut butter. etc.) This program should really have been called "Ballet Do's and Dont's."

"Ballet Do" was Serenade is an incredibly beautiful, affecting and moving ballet. It achieves maximum effect with what appears to be minimum effort - striaghtforward music, basic costumes, the most pyrotechnical move is a man invisibly supporting a woman turning on pointe (James Ady did very well with his rather thankless role). There seems to be so much going on - both visually and emotionally.

Carmina Burana on the other hand... Sorry, purelyballet, but I really didn't like this ballet. I don't know why choreographers are drawn to this score. It is virtually impossible to do anything that isn't gratuitously aggressive and macho. The costumes and lighting were so OTT - the aesthetic was this medieval scifi look which peaked in the early '80s in David Lynch's "Dune". I felt especially sorry for the ladies who had been instructed to position their buns close to their foreheads - Heidi Cruz looked like she was on her way to the church choir but had forgotten half her skirt at home. Red-headed Abigail Mentzer looked like a cancan dancer who had stepped on her skirt and torn it. I will also die happy if I never have to see any of the PA Ballet dancers' crotches again. The movement - like some of the men's costumes - reminded one of repressive regimes. Before I lived in Philadelphia, I saw mainly modern dance, and this is the type of movement and type of show I was seeing a decade ago. I would like to see Matthew Neenan do a simpler kind of ballet where dance is the focus rather than one which is taken over by the other elements. The dancers were very committed (Jermel Johnson in particular was outstanding) and the singers were very good too. My husband found the percussion section to be too bland for this full-bodied music. Oh, and I was in a very obvious minority - the audience loved Carmina Burana and gave it a standing ovation.

PA Ballet's next program is titled Modern Masters. I promise to do my best not to say "Well, they should have added a Balanchine ballet to the program".

I'd like to add to GWTW's criticisms.
Carmina was a conceptual mess, with a costumer who had too much money and control over the look of the piece (and I won't even address the gratuitous set piece, which shrank the Academy stage for no apparent reason except to test the dancers' ingenuity). The audience was seduced by a kind of slo-mo strip show, yet there was nothing sexual or sensuous about the choreography, contra the LOUD and insistent marketing hype. Sadly, there was no deep movement investigation, only a lot of shallow rehashing of modernisms appropriated from other choregraphers. With all the costume and hairdo changes, and pseudo-Graham (shadows of John Butler?), it should have just been delivered as a camp sendup of Princess Leia meeting fascists from Pan's Labyrinth (if only this production were that culturally aware!). This is a production with a mixed-up sense of priorities, except for a keen eye on the bottom line. The wonderful dancers worked so hard for so little artistic return (I'm so tired of having to say that!). Another Philly also-ran, alas: flashy and trashy.

Another thing apropos Ray's reference of John Butler's version: my impression (based solely on PA Ballet's own press releases and comments and a few photos of the John Butler version) is that PA Ballet felt that the John Butler version was too campy and silly-hippy-sexy (I'm thinking of the Rolling Stones' Rock N'Roll Circus that's been on PBS recently ). However, that's exactly what the new version is like.
As Ray said, this ballet is so 'unaware'. This is so contrary to the zeitgeist today, the zeitgeist this Carmina Burana is so clearly trying to tap into, that it just looks obsolete, DOA.

I agree with Purelyballet. I had the privilege of seeing PA Ballet perform 3 times last week and loved the new Carmina Burana. I have seen other versions and found this one much more powerful and visually interesting to watch. The two casts approached it differently, it seemed to me. Actually I was impressed that there were 2 casts. Jermel Johnson was amazing and set the tone for the ballet. I really appreciated Amy Aldridge's and Martha Chamberlain's attack in the red costumes. Phil Colucchi was perfect for the part that he played. The singers were marvelous and having the choir really added to the atmosphere. I would have liked to have a score card of the players. I do not know the poetry that goes with Carmina and was having trouble trying to determine who/what some of the sections were about. Were the stiped black girls bumblebees, flies, or swans? Etc. I LOVED the costumes, the sets, the lighting, the music, the choreography and the dancing. I am really impressed by Matthew Neenan's vision of this piece. It shows great creativity and the fact that he knows the dancers well made the choreography perfect for them. I brought a group of 11 with me on opening night. Some of them are veteran ballet goes in other cities and some total novices and they all were so impressed and couldn't stop talking about the ballet. I was attending a nurses' conference in Philadelphia and on Friday, the president, in her opening remarks, told the very large audience that she had been hearing about the PA Ballet how amazing the performance had been the night before. Word is spreading! The house was full on Saturday night.
The company was beautiful in Serenade also. The corps , as always, gave a beautiful performance. Very lovely. Julie Diana was gorgeous as the waltz girl and the dark angel part seems like it was designed for Riolama Lorenzo. Serenade is one of my all time favorites and they did it proud.
Bravo PA Ballet!

Rumor has it that since the audience reaction was so wonderful for this new Carmina, PAB may take this to City Center in the Fall. If they do, I know I will go for sure!

Since I had to leave town, I was only able to see this ballet twice, but each time I was able to take in something new and different. I also appreciated the choreography and the dancing even more the second time I saw it.

In one of the reviews that I read, they commented on the strength of PABallet and applauded them for being able to dance two such demanding ballets in one evening. I could not agree more, especially since most of the dancers were cast in both ballets. Serenade requires a lot of stamina and then to follow up with Carmina is something that only a top rated ballet company could pull off. My hat goes off to all the dancers at PAB......you are all amazing and really showed your strength in this production.

I also want to thank the creative team for putting together such a wonderful rep. I thought it was great paring Serenade with this new Carmina. It gives the audience a wonderful variety and defintely showcases the talents of this marvelous company.

Who, pray tell, is the "creative team" at PAB that makes programming decisions?

Moderator here -- let's stay away from speculation, and sarcasm too

Although I haven't seen Neenan's work, I applaud PA Ballet for trying to find a company choreographer in house and supporting Neenan. That said, from the reviews I've read, his work seems to be more modern and less ballet. And, I wish, wish, wish people would stop choreographing to Carmina Burana

I apologize for the tone. And I'd like to add that I also think Neenan is a very, very talented choreographer. This is a "growing pain" for him; too bad it's on such a large scale. My concern is for the artistic possibility of PAB which, in my opinion, is constantly thwarted by company's artistic decisions. They are world-class dancers who are not challenged enough.

As mentioned in one of the reviews that I read....

"The hour-long ballet, choreographed by corps de ballet member and de facto resident choreographer Matthew Neenan, sped along in a revel of eruptive jumps, sexy duets and full, lush ensemble sections. Neenan, who knows Pennsylvania Ballet as no outside choreographer could, cleverly avoided pitfalls that might make his colleagues look less than polished. Instead, he provided them with steps that packed a "wow" factor often missing when this company performs."

"For example, where he might have had the men do a double air turn, he instead put in a single with a motion-stopping split in the middle. A simple series of piqué turns by several women gained pizzazz when danced very fast and with a wide stance."

"The company got into celebratory mode early in the evening, opening the program with a lovely performance of George Balanchine's Serenade. The dancers attacked it with exceptional precision and intention, especially notable considering that - as would not have been the case with a larger company - nearly everyone still had Carmina to dance as well."

-------------------------------------------------
After talking to the a few of the dancers about this rep, they told me that it was extremely challenging, especially in regards to the stamina it takes to perform both of these ballets back to back (and in some cases twice in the same day). And since many of the dancers performed in both pieces, I think it was exceptional how they could go from dancing such an elegant Balanchine piece like Serenade and then attack a more modern piece like this new Carmina. This rep really shows the versatility of PAB.

Again my hat goes off to PAB and to everyone involved with this production. I am looking forward to the next time they do this series again. Yes, I agree that the new Carmina is more modern then ballet, but I think that is why it was great to pair it with Serenade. I also think that is why the audiences loved this series so much...the mix between Serenade and Carmina gave a little of something for everyone.

I don't quite understand this... what are "piqué turns done with a wide stance"? How can you have a wide stance when you're on one leg? Did the reviewer perhaps mean chainé turns?

I wish they would stop PLAYING Carmina Burana!!!!!!!!

I sat through a concert of it last fall. Ugh

I'm sure the steps are challenging on an individual level. I'm more concerned with how the company is challenged artistically--as well as how the *audience* is challenged. I know that PAB is versitile; they've shown that many, many times in the past. I think, though, that they deserve to perform better work.

What Ray said.

Also the PA Ballet is performing at a very high level this season. The strength of the female corps is really strong, especially taking into account the its diversity in terms of height. There are the petite girls like Laura Bowman and Abigail Mentzer, who are often paired, and then there are the tall girls. Just a couple of years ago, when I started watching PAB, Heidi Cruz-Austin stood head and shoulders above the others. Now there are some younger girls, who may not be as tall as Cruz but they dance 'big' like Gabriella Yudenich and Rachel Maher (what a gorgeous back Maher has - I recognized her by her back in Carmina Burana).

I would like to see the company performing works that IMO have more artistic merit. For instance, Serenade is the only Balanchine ballet this season. This isn't enough for a 'baby Balanchine' company. Last season's Theme and Variations wasn't very strong. There is no way that Carmina Burana can improve the dancers' ability to perform Theme and Variations. Only another 'tutu ballet' can do that.

I feel very strongly that the money poured into Carmina Burana could have been used more efficiently. How about promoting some of the dancers? There are so few soloists - Barette Vance is a de facto soloist. So is Heidi Cruz (she seems to be back on form after having a baby in the summer). Among the men, Francis Veyette and Alexei Charov could easily be promoted.

Dale, I agree that PAB's willingness to grow a choreographer is laudable, but the result in this case was not good enough.

Heidi Cruz is STILL not a soloist????!!!!! Figures. (I think she is amazing, even more so now that I know she gave birth!). Neither is Neenan, for that matter. And they'd better promote Jermel Johnson if they want to keep him.

I would also LOVE to see MORE then just one Balanchine Ballet each season but with that said I am happy that they are adding new works like this new Carmina to their rep. I for one think it challenges the company "artistically" to have varied rep with different styles of dance. And as for the audience, from what I could tell from the two performances that I went to, they seemed to LOVE this rep as well. In fact, for the past few years that I have been coming to see PAB dance, I believe this is the best reaction that I have seen the company receive (outside of possibly their new Swan Lake).

As for promoting dancers, I could not agree more. There is a handful of corps dancers that have been with the company for 4 or 5 seasons now that could certainly be promoted to soloist. I am hoping that we will see some of these promotions either later this year or early next year.

Ray, what would you like to see the company perform?

Personally, I would like to see more Jerome Robbins. I thought the addition of three Robbins ballets to the rep in the past few years was one of the company's more exciting recent developments. I'd also like to see some company premieres of various Balanchine works. However, I recognize that the acquisition of these works isn't really up to the company - rather, they're at the mercy of the Robbins and Balanchine Trusts for the rights. I'm excited about Weiss's Messiah next year because of the link to the company's history and the fact that it will likely draw some big crowds (allowing the company to perform some more edgy and interesting material that might not draw such big crowds). I also think that Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals is a fun and interesting choice.

This question isn't really limited to Ray, I suppose - I guess I'm asking the board in general.

I agree about Robbins, and they need to beef up their Balanchine rep. I believe the company can take more control of rep than it does. PAB is woefully short on works by internationally known choreographers, such as Kilian, Duato, and Forsythe. (No, I'm not saying that that performing works by these guys will confer some magical status. But the omissions are notable for a "world-class" company; the company lacks a global world view) I'd love to see them do more comissions; I thought Swan Lake, for all its faults, was a great step; another Wheeldon is great ("Carnival").

Some Roland Petit?

Are we talking known works or commissions?

I was talking about both. Ray has complained in a couple of threads that the company's artistic vision lacks focus and isn't challenging the dancers (I'm paraphrasing, so hopefully that's what he meant) and I was wondering what he would like to see the company perform.

I agree that Forsythe and Kylian would help to round out the rep, though I'm not sure whether other U.S. companies of a similar size are performing works by these choreographers (and if they aren't performing these works, I'm not clear about whether that's due to difficulty obtaining the rights or a lack of interest or something else entirely).

I would prefer them not to perform those works. Other than some Forsythe pieces, that stuff is not really use the ballet vocabulary. And for a ballet company that was lacking the strong technique required to perform Balanchine's Theme and Variations, I'd hate to see things get worse by feeding them a steady diet of Duato etc...

I'm going to hell for saying this, because I like the company (I wouldn't go from NYC to see them if I didn't) but Pennsylvania Ballet just isn't world-class. It's a good company that I enjoy watching, but it's only got one or two ballerinas at the top that can be measured up against competing companies. The situation is tougher with the men. As GWTW and Dale mentioned, the company has trouble with Theme & Variations. I'm happy with Kaiser's relatively cautious tastes when it means that he programs Fille Mal Gardee (which also tested the resources of the company. They need to hire temporary dancers to do it.). I'm less happy when he programs Dracula.

I'll see Carmina on Friday night, so I guess I'll have more to say about it then. I'm not saying any of this to insult Pennsylvania Ballet, just to put things in perspective. They're not the Mariinsky, or Paris Opera, or NYCB. Also, remember the disaster at Boston when Boston Ballet announced it intended to be among the world's top ten companies, and the company nearly folded from the managerial turmoil? Hubris is bad.

That said, Ray is right in asking them to challenge themselves. The better the repertory, the better the company. The interesting question from an outsider's perspective is, produce or import? If you're an audience member in Philadelphia and you hear about (hypothetically) Polyphonia or The Second Detail, you want your home town company to do it. As a New Yorker, contemplating seeing the company I think "Oh Goody. Another Polyphonia. Skip that." I'd like a company to develop its own voice. But that takes money - and an audience.

I live here, so I cling on to hope--the men have looked better than ever in the past few seasons, esp. w/the san fran imports. ...yet, sad to say, I don't really disagree with Leigh. I would, though, add to his list of what's needed: artistic leadership, which I believe the current AD and artistic staff does not provide. The company is not alone in "hiding" behind its audience ("If we do X then they won't come"); I think a company as well established as PAB needs to do some leading, and I'm not sure they're up to the task. Interestingly, this doesn't mean doing "outrageous" new work; it means, as Leigh points out, sometimes making conservative choices. But it also means following up on those choices ("OK, we've done Fille; where do we take the company from there? More Ashton? ...?"). I never get a sense that anyone is following up on the company's strenghts and weaknesses that the programs reveal.

I just looked at the PAB website, which claims that the company has a "Balanchine Backbone." With a few vertabrae missing, to judge from recent programming...

World Class? I have to disagree. I feel they ARE world class and in fact (shoot me now) but the last time I saw NYCB I have to say I was very under impressed by the corps. I felt the PABallet corps work was much tigther and cleaner over all. Of course since PABallet is a much smaller company they do not have the large number of principals and soloists unfortunately.

In regards to additional rep, since PABallet is a Balanchine company, I would love to see more Balanchine works. In fact, I think it would be a good idea if in each of their mixed rep programs one piece was always a Balanchine piece.

I agree with you on rehearsal - I just saw Giselle and the nicest thing about Act II was how well the corps was drilled. But the dancers in the corps just aren't at the same level as the big guns, including NYCB. In Theme, the corps men were falling out of their tours and not all the women (including some of the demi-soloists) can wear a tutu. The company doesn't have the unity or consistency of a company with a major league corps de ballet like the Kirov or Paris.

I'm not saying this to slap Penna Ballet around. I guess "world class" is just my Inigo Montoya moment.



Tessa asked a similar question of Ray, but why don't we all go out on a limb and answer here. Where would you like to see the company go in five years and how do you think they could get there?

I like it when the company acquires works that are theirs alone, so I'm glad that Neenan is working there. I also think the company needs to pull itself up a level technically - they could use more repertory that forces them to mind their p's and q's without exposing them as Theme did. Giselle seemed to help a lot. Maybe doing some Petipa instead of Balanchine Jardin Anime? Paquita? Or creating some buzz by doing a historical reconstruction? Cincinnati Ballet has managed to gain critical attention by doing some innovative revivals. It wouldn't hurt Pennsylvania to look into its own history as well as American ballet history to bring back a few nearly lost works - and I think they have an audience that would go for it. That could give the profile (at a low cost) to use as a springboard for new choreography to round out their repertory.

This sounds like a criticism that could be applied to many companies in the US and Europe too. A little bit of this; a little bit of that; a little bit for everyone.

It's a topic very worth discussing --and one with implications for other companies in Pennsylvania Ballet's league. Also very worth discussing are suggestions, like Leigh's, of what else they could do to create more of an aesthetic trademark -- and possibly, as a consequence, to do even better work.

The Joffrey long ago made its mark by focusing on two ends of the spectrum: reconstructions and innovative, trendy new work. Not by including a bit of everything in the middle, too. Of course the Joffrey was in New York City and the Pennsylvania Ballet isn't. But it's location at the center of the NYC-DC corridor could make it a serious ballet destination for quite a large sophisticated audience.

For the record, the Pa Ballet lineup for 2006-07 (excluding the 17 obligatory Nutcrackers) is as follows:
Robbins program -- 5 performances
Carmina Burana -- 9
Sleeping Beauty -- 8
Audience Favorite -- 1
Giselle -- 8
Modern Masters -- 5 (chosen from a shortlist of the usual suspects: Tharp, Wheeldon, Caniparoli)

Bart said

This is one reason I was so disappointed with Neenan's Carmina Burana. PAB advertized the new Carmina Burana as replacing the old outdated Carmina Burana (John Butler). By denigrating the old version, they really set the bar high for the new version.

I think that a very distinct part of the PAB's 'mission' should be educational - not just outreach, student matinees, blah blah - but also teaching its audience about ballet. We are caught between NY and DC, therefore NO BALLET EVER COMES HERE and how many of PAB's audience travels to NY and DC. Obviously it is the tiny minority. (Overheard in the ladies' room at last week's performance: "Nice to see you here. Do you go to the ballet often?" "Oh, six times a year [to all the subscription performances]"
That's why I actually appreciate an eclectic appraoch. I don't mind a 'usual suspects' program - I don't have any other opportunity to see Tharp and Wheeldon.

Nuturing a young choreographer like Matthew Neenan is leadership. If that means some of his pieces don't end up as good as his best work... well that could have been said of Balanchine too. Bringing in some world class rep is also leadership, even if ideally it's better to see that world class rep on the companies it originated on... it's still doing a service to the dancers [who grow by dancing it], the audience [who learn to see by watching it] and also the choreographer [whose ouevre becomes more familiar and ensconced] to mount the works in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is not NYC, London, Paris, St. Petersburg and shouldn't be measured on the same scale. It is, however, Philadelphia, a major US city with merit of it's own, not to be totally disregarded for not being NYC.

I haven't seen a Dracula ballet yet... it seems the biggest opportunity for camp imaginable, and yet it's plot doesn't seem so outside the form of 19th century ballet.... perhaps it's the dancing dead idea... but of course we have that in Giselle, don't we?... maybe it's the Hollywood echo. I don't know. Does it really fill houses? I think if Edward Gorey had designed it, I'd go.

And I still wish someone would explain the wide stance pique turns....

Yes, but not if it's done b/c he comes cheaper (thus leaving budget for costumes, sets, and orchestra) and with less hassle than other choreographers. That's just expediency. (From his point of view, of course, he'd be foolish not to grab at all of these wonderful opportunities he's been given.) Again, it's all about the framing--if they nurture him, why not others as part of a larger vision of developing American talent or expanding the creative possibilities for PAB artists (i.e., set up a program for other emerging choreographers)? Then, the less successful productions can be contextualized as part of a process--one that can also be exciting for an audience to experience.

Or, if he's simply to be PAB's resident choreographer, why not create that position for him and compensate him/credit him accordingly?

I believe the reviewer was referring to the part in which the red girls do pique turns through the arabesque position very quickly, otherwise I have no idea what it refers to. As for Carmina Burana ,I enjoy it immensely, and haven't spoken to anyone who feels otherwise. It is great for the younger generation, which the company is trying to attract. They are launching a young friends group with this program. As for doing more Balanchine ballets, I'm sure everyone would like to see that happen, but there is a lot of expense involved which seems to be a hang up. the company probably needs more funding to do so.

Just for the record, that was Leigh.

This planning of a relatively small company's rep isn't so easy, it seems. There are so many different routes a company can take. Amy's post points how that there are arguments in favor of any number of possible routes.

About developing new choreography from within the company: I agree with all the advantages mentioned. However, when you have just 5 programs a year (excluding Nutcracker) you don't -- alas -- have lots of time and room for experimentation and failure. There's also the danger of developint a company style that does not reinforce or support the other works in the repertory. Or attempting too many styles with too little time and preparation.

The example of Miami might be appropriate here. In the early days of the company, Villella relied quite a bit on a company choreographer -- Jimmy Gamonet de los Heroes -- whose work was quite popular, apparently, with local audiences. (Those "standing ovations," everyone talks about.) However, as the company expanded its goals, and increased its touring, Villella claims he found that Gamonet's choreography did not travel well. Nor did it stretch and strengthen the company's technical skills when it came to its basic Balanchine rep, or to new works by Taylor, Tharp, etc.. In the end, the Gamonet ballets disappeared from MCB's rep.

It would seem that an AD might need the wisdom of Solomon to balance all the possibilities, each of which comes with its own set of dangers.

Exactly--and still, they put Neenan on as just another choreographer. And yes, an AD has a tough job; that's why he gets the big bucks. But I do think there are models out there an AD can learn from, and I question how hard this AD looks for solutions--or that he even sees the kinds of issues we're talking about as problems to be solved.

I think something to consider is PA Ballet's shaky financial history. It's almost gone under several times. So considering the way Kaiser could have gone to keep the company going (pop ballets or ballet lite, like Pittsburgh Ballet recently), I think the AD has done a good job so far.

Just wondering, does this "ballet lite" approach -- NOT the route Pa Ballet is taking -- actually work when it comes to box office, at least? Are there any examples of it actually "saving" an American company's finances in the long term? Or is this just another anti-"elitism" fantasy?

Another review of Neenan's Carmina, by Lisa Kraus, the Inquirer's part-time dance critic (although this review was written for danceinsider.com):

http://www.danceinsider.com/f2007/f0329_3.html

Thanks Ray.

Not exactly a rave was it?

No, but I thought she was critical in a careful way--she bases her criticism both in details of Neenan's (young) career and in the context of his current interests, as can be seen here:

"Past works have shown Neenan to be intensely tuned to musical phrasings; here the dancers dash in or out and gesture with little connection to the music's rhythms or structural arcs. The dance's relationship to Orff's bulwark seems distracted and removed, as if the music's thickly cascading sonics are too loaded or daunting for Neenan to play off in a significant or consistent way. He seems to be fascinated instead with a gestural language that functions in its own time -- all sharp shifts and arm hinges, perhaps an influence from recent work with Jorma Elo. Certain Neenan-isms -- the bum stuck out and arms gesticulating, the legs spread wide and torso lurched forward at a right angle -- grow tiresome here with their air of skittish insubstantiality."