I may have to follow Marga's lead (see her great reports from ABT at Bard) and post in segments, although I can promise that I won't be nearly as detailed or as eloquent. I'm already behind this season and didn't want to let the ABT season get ahead of me.

So let's start with my rant about the audience and get that over with. Patrons of the 92nd St. Y may be familiar with that establishment's big bowls full of cough drops by the auditorium doors. I suggest that City Center place big bowls of Ritalin at its doors. Some people are unable to stay in their seats or confine their commentary to applause breaks and blackouts (with one exception noted later.) Boo to the audience in the rear of the Rear Mezz.

The gala opened with Theme and Variations, danced very cleanly, if primly by the ensemble, and less cleanly but very spiritedly by the leads, Marcelo Gomes and Paloma Herrera. Paloma played with the phrasing in the pdd, and while my friends appreciated her effort, I didn't think she had the musicality to make it work. I was thinking that here was another one who's been watching Bouder and wants to do what she does.

I'd seen Tudor's Romeo & Juliet once before, danced by Makarova and Prinz, and I remember being disappointed then. Last night, Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg brought to life a pair of youngsters in the intensity of their first erotic experience and unable to savor the joy. It was a nasty tease for the audience, leaving us wanting the whole ballet. I'm glad that this pas has been added to programs throughout the season. I also enjoyed Delius' music last night much more than I did thirty or however many years ago.

[Back later with more]
. . .

Did Herman dance last night???

I saw the first night of the regular season (Wednesday the 22nd) which included the premiere of the new Lauri Stallings ballet "Citizen".

The evening started off with Twyla Tharp's "Baker's Dozen" which was in the words of the lady to my left "happy-making". One of the happy-making aspects was the presence of so many corps dancers getting a nice opportunity to show their stuff (including Sean Stewart) . However, the two real standouts were soloists: Craig Salstein in his best Donald O'Connor mode and a wild and funky Misty Copeland who threw herself all over him like a rag doll. These two really got it.

The new Lauri Stallings ballet "Citizen" to a score by Max Richter is a head scratcher. A long-time ballet fanatic friend saw derivative elements of Forsythe - slightly contorted modern choreography with off-center pirouettes etc. mixed in with performance arty effects. Richter's music is restless and moody without really giving enough structure for coherent dance-making - it seemed like a film score, a good one but something essential was missing. The stage is bare with the brick back wall exposed and a shadowy half-lit stage. Stallings choreography becomes repetitive after a while but then random and arbitrary theatrical effects come in and shake things up - glitter coming down on Paloma Herrera from the flies, stagehands and dancers from other ballets walking on as observers briefly and then leaving, etc. The dancers were the best thing here: Paloma looks sensational in modern choreography and should do Forsythe somewhere, sometime. David Hallberg done up in a Madonna bustier like a fugitive from her "Girlie Show" tour was an androgynous powerhouse. Blaine Hoven showed that he is very much a dancer to be watched and Nicola Curry and Isabella Boylston were fine. The word for this one was "interesting" and I will leave it at that. I don't think it will remain in the repertoire.

"The Leaves are Fading" was the first time I saw the complete ballet - it is gorgeous and got a lovely performance. Julie Kent has a role that suits her lyricism and delicacy and where her maturity is a positive element. I always have noted a very "English" quality in Kent - she is kind of ABT's Antoinette Sibley in a way. It is a shame that ABT hasn't done more Ashton - she would have shone in his "Cinderella" a decade ago. Tudor also has a very English, understated quality in this piece and she was in sync with that. I never saw Gelsey Kirkland thirty-three years ago, so I have no point of comparison. Marcelo was her selfless but engrossing partner - the partnering demands are heavy for the male role but he also had nice folk accents in his solos. The other ladies in the pas de deux were Maria Riccetto, Veronika Part and Hee Seo - all lovely in different ways. The Dvorak music is exquisite by itself even without the dancing. There is a mood of age looking upon youth and love from a distanced but mellow and warm perspective. A work I want to see again.

"Theme and Variations" got a fast but not careless performance. The big news was the debut of Corey Stearns in the male lead. He did very well though he was physically mismatched with Michele Wiles who is too big for him - he will have to work out at the gym and bulk up to work with her. Wiles was having a strong turning night with dazzling multiple pirouettes - she went off the music in one solo section but otherwise really carried the star role with strength and panache. Stearns showed excellent form in the jumps with the leg beats and the multiple turns in the air (though I suspect that if he had to do one more set he would have started to tire). Stearns defiinitely showed some fulfillment of promise. The technique is clean and articulate and he is showing nice instincts in using his upper body and arms in a musical elegant way. He just needs a little more strength in his partnering and a touch more stamina which experience in bigger roles can and will give him. He is also a little tentative in his projection which also will be remedied with experience.

All in all a satisfying and varied programme.

Thanks, faux pas, for a great wrap-up of Wednesday. I, too, had trouble making sense of the new Stallings ballet production. My focus was on Paloma, whose legs and middle were exposed. She really has a magnificent physique. Nicola Curry caught my attention for the first time. At one point, the house lights came up. What was that about? It looked expensive, which is a shame, since ABT has better uses of its money. However, I guess if they don't continue to commission new works, they'll never get a good, new ballet. They need a good, new ballet.

Cory Stearns is still young and is bound to fill out. Michele won't be too big for him if he gains breadth across his chest and shoulders. It was great to see him enter from the wings for his notoriously difficult three-step variation with a nice, relaxed smile on his face. He knew before we did that this was going to be good! And at last we saw the Michele who, years ago as a corps dancer, caught our attention. She was hugely expansive, fast (pushing the orchestra beyond its comfort zone) and clean.

During Leaves, I realized what an excellent dance actress Julie Kent is. She showed us delirious young love with clarity and subtlety. A gorgeous performance. Marcelo's physicality was too emphatic -- he almost seemed angry. Hee Seo, in the Tcherassky role (apparently channeling the originator) was exquisite.

Overall, Bakers Dozen looked much more coherent than it did last year.

Back to Tuesday night:
The first half continued with "Time," a solo choreographed by Craig Salstein to Schumann's Tramerei for Michele Wiles. The curtain rose on her dressed in the lavender "Other Dances" dress standing in a wide, parallel second position -- a pose she repeated several times throughout the solo. Her costume was well chosen, since, had Robbins chosen Schumann instead of Chopin, this could have fit easily into Other Dances at a Gathering. Pleasant enough.

Next was Kylian's Overgrown Path to Janacek, danced by Julie Kent, Gennadi Saveliev and Jared Matthews. I've already forgotten it.

The half closed with Xiomara Reyes and Jose Carreno in the Adagio and Coda of the Don Q pdd. Her dancing was clear and strong. By ABT standards, his may have lacked ambition, but my goodness, was he suave! An excellent, smooth performance with gorgeous pirouettes in low attitude.

Company B followed the brief intermission and provided the evening's great hit. When ABT danced Taylor's Thirties ballet, Black Tuesday, they played it for funny and missed the dark undertones. They did not repeat that misreading in this ballet, which may speak to the relative strength of the newer work, but also got extraordinary performances all around. The one very slightly off-note was Craig Salstein leading "Joseph, Joseph," which should have been a perfect fit for his tendency to ham, but he could still tone it down half a notch to maintain the balance of the work. My friend remarked of Misty Copeland ("Rum and Coca-Cola") that we hadn't seen it danced like that since Mary Cochran, the role's originator, to which I replied that we'd never seen "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" danced the way it was danced last night -- by ABT's great dance genius, Herman Cornejo. The man can dance anything. Anything.

I'd also like to mention Arron Scott, who is going to give Craig Salstein a run for his money in the funny department, as well as turning into a really good dancer. His "Tico-Tico" in "Company B" was superior to Craig's "Oh, Johnny".

I attended last night (Wed)

Baker Dozen:
I saw it last year. To me its ok, nothing spectacular. Very well danced though.
Craigs Salstein was very impressive.

I have a question for you guys. Did you hear Misty C laugh out loud, real real loud, in the middle of the show,
from the left side of the stage (behind the curtains) ? I saw it last year and I dont remember that to be there.
I know it was her because I was in the right side of the theater and I could see them very well behind the curtains.
To me it sounded so grotesque, I dont know, I didnt get it.
If any body could explain, I wd really appreciated.

Citizen:
Weird piece, the coreography a little repetitive but in general I enjoyed it because its something unusual.
I have to say here that I was in shock with P Herrera. I have been one of those who has really criticized her
a lot in the classics, but boy, didnt she look amazing in those costumes ?
Is she in better shape now or is it that this modern dance really suits her dancing style wery well ?
She danced beautifully and as I said, I was just really impressed with her stage presence.

Leaves are fading:
Very nice, quiet, sweet, relaxing. Kent and Gomes were as good as I always expect them to be, wonderful artists.
Marcelo, as usual, a magnificent partner. Julie is ideal for this ballet, so refined, fragile, beautiful.
The other girls were great too.
Seo looked fantastic ! Ricetto danced very well and Veronika, well, I just suffer watching her doing only this small roles, as beautiful as a ballerina can be, there she was.......I couldnt take my eyes out of her
i wish I could see her doing Julie's role someday, but I guess it wont happen...... why ? why ?

Themes and Variation:
Michele's technique was very very strong and secure, as always. Fantastic turns, clean footwork.
Again, I have 2 big problems with her.
1.- Lack of musicality, huge, i would say. To me seems like she doesnt listen to the music, just execute, execute. If she were musical and if she enjoyed her dance more..... she def has the potential to be a great artist.
2.- Her face while she is turning or moving is horrible. This is something that def can be corrected.
She pretend to be smilling, but the result is just a funny face, very unnatural.
I dont really know who is coaching her, but is doesnt look to me like is doing a good job.
I always see her with that great potential, making mistakes and doing things that can be so easily corrected...

I didnt really like her partnership with Stearns at all. He could not lift her, it was terrible. They dont look good together either. He seemed so weak next to her.
Stearns looks like a noble dancer but technically he always falls short for me, especially compared to so many others abt dancers. when he was turning and jumping, at the end, he totally run out of gas. In my opinion, this is another miss-cast from abt. I wouldnt like to see him again doing this.

Hi. I was at last night's performance. I was in the Rear Mez and I could hear the laughter coming from off stage left. The laughter was incredibly loud. I enjoyed Baker's Dozen more this year than when I initially saw it last year. I thought Citizen was terrible. As FauxPas noted above, it was a bad imitation of Forsythe. The choreography was repetitive and tedious. Was there some big point we were supposed to derive when all the people dressed in street clothes came on stage? If so, I guess I missed it. Glitter falling to the stage floor is not an adequate substitute for interesting choreography. Yes, I agree Paloma looked great. Poor David Hallberg. His costume looked like an early Halloween costume. Men in bustiers and silver pants is a VERY BAD IDEA!!! One post above noted that Citizen will probably not remain in the future repertory. My question is how and why it got to the City Center stage at all in the first place. In Leaves, I thought the whole cast was terrific, and that Julie Kent was sublime. Her performance, in particular, was gorgeous. As for Theme, Wiles was pretty good. I also thought Stearns was mis-cast. There were times that Stearns could barely lift Wiles off the ground. Also, in his big solo, he ran out of gas in his jumps and started fudging the steps. Since many of ABT's heavy hitters are not around for this engagement (Steifel, Corella), I guess they worked with the team they had available.

Regarding Stearns, the heavy hitters aren't getting any younger (Carreno, Stiefel - even Angel is into his thirties - gasp! I remember him as a teenager who couldn't speak English!) and they all need an understudy. I remember having feelings similar to that eight years ago when Marcelo Gomes starting getting bigger roles (they have Julio, Vladimir, Angel, José Manuel, Ethan - why do they need to put him on?). Well, I have been eating my words for the last seven years.

Now Marcelo was more mature then and stronger as a partner than Corey is now but still the development of Stearns, Matthews and Hoven is a very good thing - for company morale now and for audiences further down the line.

well, I totally agree with the idea of giving young people opportunities to develop. Its just that I think that there may be other young dancers at abt, better suited for a piece like Theme...and for partnering Michelle. I think Stearns has great talent but the two times I have seen him in big roles (Corsaire with Irina and last night) he hasnt performed at the level at which Marcelo or Angel were dancing when they were his age. I personally like Hoven better than the other 2 that you mentioned.
How about, for example, Alex Hammoudi partnering Michelle in Theme....

Alexandre Hammoudi looked great in "Leaves are Fading" - so yes, I second Classic_Ballet's endorsement. Vitali Krauchenka looks like he could partner Michele as well and is a fine classical dancer but seems wasted in the Ethan Brown/Brian Reeder "he is big and can play the father" character/mime track. Also Kevin needs to throw some goodies towards Maria Bystrova - not just character/mime assignments but classical soloist roles. Another reason for grooming these men is that David Hallberg (who has been getting shoulder and upper back trauma injuries of late) and the seemingly tireless Marcelo Gomes have been carrying more than their fair share of the burden of partnering everyone including the ABT basketball team of Michele and Veronika. Now Roberto Bolle is on his way to lift their burden during the Spring/Summer Met season and he is a fully finished dancer and experienced partner.

The real glory of the City Center is seeing corps dancers step forward while the stars are away.

Agreed Classic_Ballet about a Hammoudi/Wiles pairing!

I wonder if Kevin ever gets a chance to read these posts
Was hammoudi partnering Veronika last night ?
loved the basketball team analogy, ha, very funny and true..

I am still "in-shock" with Misty Cop. "laughter" last night.
I have never seen such a thing in a ballet performance.
To complete the night, after the performance ended, a poor guy fall off the stairs
in the mid-mezzanine level and landed against the wall, pretty wild.

Do you guys think that bringing Bolle may help to finally see our dear Veronika as a Principal,
since now she is going to have another partner

The big draw October 23, Thursday night, was the program's finale, Balanchine's Theme and Variations. Despite injury concerns voiced in these pages, Herman Cornejo did partner ABT's Mariinskette, Sarah Lane. In size and presentation, they are a special match. While he is now arguably the company's primo virtuoso, his younger partner is herself quickly developing into principal material. This night she wore her crown as if born to it. Ms. Lane was truly regal, not some acted hauteur, but at ease in it. She did not sell the role to us, no grinning or pushing, rather just the natural grace of being in Mr. B's steps. Her dance, beginning flanked by ballerinas on either side, built its steady spell to prepare us for the following duet. Much of the partnering went well, just one tiny foul up, until the very end. Then Mr. Cornejo could not quite get her up on his shoulder for the final pose, so that she had to kind of slide down, propped at his side on an angle. This may have well been the "injury part", for otherwise so much of his partnering seemed secure tonight.

The program started with Antony Tudor's The Leaves are Fading, and while no lead can match the role's muse Gelsey Kirkland, Xiomara Reyes, partnered by Gennadi Saveliev, could have had more breadth and breath in her dancing, just, say, a wistful sigh... Still, there is much to love in the corps work in this ballet, and it was a mostly young group, principal Michele Wiles beaming in their midst. From my seat upstairs I could not ID the young woman partnered by Roman Zhurbin, but she was wonderful and I hope someone will tell me her name.

In the middle was Jiri Kylian's Overgrown Path. I remember not liking this brooding ballet of a father's loss of his daughter (the composer Janacek's Olga, age 21, of a long and lingering disease) nearly three decades ago, performed by the choreographer's company. It seemed to offer no new movement ideas from the then young and richly creative Kylian. But when Kevin McKenzie took over ABT it was on his short list of works to put on. 15 years later he finally got his wish. And he did everything he could to make it succeed. A cast of stars (no need to relist as there's a massive review of it's pre-NYC perfomance by Marga on another BT thread). It seems that Hee Seo (always a joy in Tudor and, it now seems, in Tudor-like dances) danced in place of announced Misty Copeland. Olga, Gillian Murphy dressed in black, haunted the dance right from the beginning. Marcelo Gomes seemed the father-figure, roaming through memories of his girl's life. Julie Kent was especially moving, and nowhere more than in In Tears with Gennadi Saveliev and Jared Matthews, dancing the trio that leads to the work's finale. Here the grieving father finally faces the hardest memory, his daughter dies in his arms and vanishes into a black void in rear center stage. Janacek's music (the score is for solo piano) for this scene, titled the barn owl has not flown away, reaches Schumann-like depth. But as the father's daughter dies so doe his art. The ballet ends with grieving cast on stage, in silence.
Kylian's assistant Roslyn Anderson has done a wonderful job preparing these dancers. They capture deep human feelings, and have given Kevin McKenzie a much deserved deeply moving performance of this work that he loves.

I liked Sarah a lot when she was in the corps, but what worked for her as a corps dancer has completely turned me off to her as a soloist - her absolute refusal to acknowledge her partner in any way whatsoever. She didn't look at Herman once, and kept that fixed look on her face. I know her fans describe that look as "beatific" or "regal", but to me, as a former supporter of hers, it just looks like she's just thinking about how good she is, and why doesn't this man get off her stage?

I don't remember who Roman was partnering, but it was probably Anne Milewski or Sarah Smith.

I was there last night. I had never before seen Overgrown Path. It was very moving. I'm looking forward to seeing it again. This was absolutely LUXURY casting. As for Leaves, Xiomara just didn't do a thing for me. Kent's rhapsodic, lyrical performance the night before was dramatic and touching. I didn't feel that way at all about Xiomara. However, the big revelation for me last night in Leaves was Melissa Thomas. I'm now looking forward to seeing her next week in the lead of Jardin. Herman looked very good in Theme, and effortlessly tossed off all of his jumps and turns. His only major mistake was in the lift at the very end. Sarah Lane did a wonderful job too. All in all, a wonderful night of dance. Did anyone else in the rear mez notice that someone was fumbling with a noisy plastic bag throughout Leaves. Some audience members are CLUELESS.

I could hear it, and I was in the orchestra. There's one woman who comes almost every night, and she's always packing and unpacking these plastic bags she brings with her, almost like an OCD. I wonder if it it's the same woman.

On opening night, I was surrounded by misbehaving people, and, as you know, the ushers stay outside - almost as though Andrey or Carol doesn't want them to get involved. It was so extreme that it would have been comic. On my left was a guy who spent the whole evening playing with his extremely brightly lit iPhone. On my right was a couple who talked through the entire evening - except when the husband was singing. Not even singing along - he had his own songs that he "bum-bum-bummed" to amuse himself. The were two people getting phone calls (one of whom didn't turn the ringer off after the first call, because he/she got another one later on). There was the guy in the side mezzanine who complained loudly about the size of the head of the man in front of him, and then stomped around looking for another seat. And the two rows of Ukrainian women who didn't know each other before they arrived, but got to know each other very well, in spite of all those people on stage who kept trying to dance in the middle of all their talking.

October 23, Thursday night:

Lovely name, "ABT's Mariinskette, Sarah Lane." Fits her perfectly too!

In size and presentation, Sarah and Herman were, have been, a special match except that now Herman is facing injuries (I will not go into details) from years of hard work and age. He was not in the best shape last night to partner his ballerina well. He looked terribly under rehearsed in the pas de deux and finale, though his two solo sections were danced well enough.

Sarah started off with regal confidence, and beautiful technique -- I thought her two solo sections had matured and were quite brilliantly done, with strong, clean, musical precision. And the solos' tempi was faster than in past performances, so her solo sections were quite exciting. Petite Sarah had no problem keeping up with the quick tempi, and actually looked as if she loved the challenge.

But Sarah cannot dance the pas de deux by herself. Herman just wasn't there, or he was in the way at the wrong times. He zapped, bit by bit, Sarah's confidence every time any partnering moves became insecure, and there were many. The shoulder lift at the end of the finale, that didn't stick, was the least dangerous, but stood out as obviously wrong to the audience.

Herman has been one of my very favorites in Theme, but he should have let his understudy take his turn last night.

I was pretty unenthusiastic about the announced line up for this short City Center season but got more excited as casting details started coming out. I went to opening night and then again last night and really enjoyed both performances.

My favorite parts of the gala were the Tudor R&J pdd and Company B. I loved the way that Tudor was able to convey such deeply felt emotions so clearly with such restraint & economy of movement. I love the McMillan version but this was a welcome alternative and very well realized by Murphy & Hallberg. I look forward to seeing it again and hope for a revival of the full ballet.

Having seen the Taylor dancers perform Company B many times in the past few years I have to admit that I felt ABT's dancers didn't fully capture the weight or earthbound energy of his style, and this production didn't bring out the contrast between the reality of the war and the cheery denial in the popular music of the times as strongly as his production does, but I still thought they did a great job with it and while the message may have been a bit diluted it wasn't completely lost. It goes without saying that all of the dancers were incredible.

Last night I sat in the back of the rear mezz, which is much farther back than I usually sit. While I thought it might be a problem for a ballet as subtle and evocative as Leaves I found that it had the opposite effect on me. I saw it more as a whole cohesive piece rather than focusing on the individual sections and the beauty of the structure, the mingling of entrances, exits and main focus made the ballet come together for me more than it did last year when I watched it from up close. I thought all the dancers last night were very good. While neither the Reyes/Saveliev pairing or Kent/Gomes (who I saw last season) matched up to my memories of Kirkland and Kage, I thought Reyes/Saveliev were much improved over their performance last year, and even over last month when they did the pdd at FFD.




I don't recall 100% who Zhurbin's partner was but it wouldn't surprise me if it was Melissa Thomas. She was a real stand out – she presented the dance simply without embellishment but with lyricism and ravishingly beautiful line.

I was intrigued by Overgrown Path, I loved the music and was fascinated by how fully the dancers inhabited Kylian's modern style but I think it suffered a bit (no pun intended) from its placement right after the Tudor.

ABT's T&V also benefited from a little more distance, those pink & lavender costumes that I find so overpowering from 10 feet away looked quite lovely from the rear mezz. I peeked though my opera glasses a few times and when I did I will agree that I found the look on Ms Lane's face a bit frozen and plastered on – it's something for her to work on however I thought her dancing was beyond wonderful. Technically assured, there was also an absolute graciousness and elegance to her dancing. This was no "small" reading of the role, she looked like a ballerina in all her glory. Cornejo was also amazing, as we have come to expect, but I thought his partnering went south very early in the coda – it started to look like he was hauling a sack of potatoes around the stage and considering how small Lane is that was disturbing. She isn't the only one with some work to do…

Lastly – it was indeed very noisy in the rear mezz – both at the top and on the sides where latecomers chattered and ushers used their flashlights to seat them WELL into the evening. Very distracting

Lane must have really developed in the past six months, as I've never thought of her as the "regal" type. A fine soloist with a strong technique but more a Canary Fairy than Aurora or more Amour than Dryad Queen. Glad to read about these recent improvements. Good for her!

I was at last night's performance and I am completely dismayed by the performance of Theme & Variations. Sara Lane ?? No--this was a minor league peformance by a supposedly world class Company. I felt the same way about Cornejo in T&V as I did with his recent performance last spring of Don Q...he has a long way to go to convince me he is a Premier Danseur. He is lovely to watch technically--but.....I really liked Reyes and Saveliev in "Leaves"---their PDD was a joyful testament to love. Much of the ballet was reminiscent of the final lyrical PDD of Pillar of Fire. The cast of 'overgrown path' was breathtaking to watch---imagine! Herrera, Part, Kent, Murphy, Gomes---all on the stage at the same time---it's enough to make any ballet a success. Time will tell with different casting; although I thought it an appropriate tribute to Tudor.

I, too, was less than wowed by the Lane-Cornejo Theme & Variations, especially after the buzz I still felt from Wiles-Stearns the previous night. First, the Wednesday couple clearly enjoyed dancing together and sharing the fun of their experience (which was evident when they were paired again Thursday in Leaves), and there were two dancers each doing their job. Also, Thursday's tempi may have been fast, but not as fast as the previous night (when some musicians simply couldn't keep up. Thursday they kept up, but some just got lost. ) Both Herman and Sara have given sparklier performances. I don't know what the cause of Herman's injuries, but the only concession I noticed was that he took the first phrase of his variation in the opposite direction, landing the sissonnes on his left rather than right leg.

I have no desire to see Overgrown Path again, since seeing it the first time gave me such an overwhelming sense of deja vu. The last moments of this ballet about grief looked (except for the costumes) uncannily like the last moments of Sinfonietta, with the entire cast grand jete-ing around the stage.

What I missed most in Xiomara and Gennadi's Leaves was that long, long Kirklandesque line which is so intrinsic to the choreography. I think they understood their roles (Gennadi more than Marcelo the previous night).

My distraction came from two little girls -- actually only one. Her mom said the box office assured her that the program was suitable for children. While there's no reason not to give it a G rating, the program was somewhat slow-paced for children as young as these (the younger was about 5-6). The younger one could not stay still, although she was relatively quiet. Still, when someone within your peripheral vision is rocking from side to side, you can't fully enjoy the action on stage. By the time the really fun ballet came up, they were gone.

Age? He's only 27!

Inaugural posting here; I don't get out very often in recent years. I saw Thursday's slate and thought I'd share a few comments - I'm someone who hasn't had the luxury of seeing these dancers often enough to be really familiar with their abilities, so please take my notes with that caveat in mind.

"Leaves" was lovely, very subtle as Tudor often is, beautifully danced. As a complete work I think it has a certain lack of pacing. But it's the prettiest dancing floral wallpaper you'll ever see. I do happen to be a big fan of Xiomara's dancing but as has often happened, I was a bit distracted by seeing too much of her broad smile. She still tends toward mugging a bit which is fine sometimes and other times is inappropriate for the role. But she had a nice lightness and fluid upper back.

I'm guessing it was Yuriko Kajiya who was the standout to me in an early pas de deux in Leaves - I'm deducing her name from her being the only Asian dancer name listed. She had particularly lovely port de bras. I didn't realize until later that the blonde was Michele Wiles; I'd seen her this summer as Myrtha in Giselle, where she'd had a commanding stage presence, and here she blended into the ensemble.

If Roman Zhurbin is the one who somewhat resembled Gennady and partnered in an early pas de deux, he was exceptionally strong - can anyone confirm that was him?

"Overgrown Path" was an embarrassment of riches. Part, Murphy, Kent and Herrera all dancing together? Usually when you see any one of them, they'll stand out as a cut above the featured soloistes of the evening. Each of them has the ability to draw your eye away from the others. Put them all together and I had trouble knowing where to look. That said, to me Murphy was the star. She is a true dance-actress and I envy those who will get to see her Pillar of Fire. Followed by Kent, who's still got it in spades; then by Part. Veronika's feet were so incredible I had to make a conscious effort to watch the rest of her as well. Herrera was technically gorgeous, but to my eyes had less stage presence than the others. The others were also superb and the ensemble work was cohesive.

I also really enjoyed the choreography. I felt it was intensely connected to the music in a way that not all the Kylian pieces I have seen are. I liked the vocabulary, the patterns and the motifs. I also liked the tailored dress costumes, though the men's costuming of of dark pants and white shirts was undistinguished.

Agreed with the previous poster who complimented David LaMarche's piano playing. Exquisite, and the piano itself sounded incredible. My husband and I agreed this was our favorite piece of the evening.

I hadn't seen Theme and Variations in many years and when last seen it was NYCB. When the curtain rose I heard a mix of applause and chuckles - the effect of that much pink, purple, bows, crowns and sparkle was pretty over-the-top. With the fake chandeliers it looked a bit like a little girl's Barbie fantasy toy theater. City Center's stage was a bit small for so many dancers with such wide tutus. Sarah Lane displayed extremely secure technique, especially on those entwined balances, and she does look the right size for Herman, but coming right after the bevy of internationally renowned ballerinas in Overgrown Path I felt she suffered by comparison - a bit careful. Considering that Sarah Lane is new to the big leagues, I'm more than happy to see how she develops.

Herman Cornejo is always a dancer I look forward to, yet I didn't feel he seemed to have his usual brio this time. If someone were to tell me he was dancing with an illness last night, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear it. Someone upthread hinted he has had recent injuries; yet what I saw seemed to me to be more an off night for energy, less than for injury. Either way, hope he is back in finest form soon. After his astounding Albrecht in Giselle this summer, he became in my eyes the finest danseur of his generation (- to each their own)!

From reading these posts it seems that Lane seems to be becoming a love her or not dancer, much like Part. Interesting, I think her Theme was splendid, marred only by poor partnering. Cornejo has never been know for his partnering skills (short male dancer problem) and perhaps rehearsal time was lacking.

I have tickets for Sun. mat. I just checked casting & Kajiya is doing Theme instead of Murphy. Oh No! I saw Kajiya in Ballo last year and thought her terribly miscast. Does anyone know what's up?

Yes, Herman is only 27, but that's about the age when other great, ballet males (and some females) started having such probs. It's not a numerical issue, dancers are all so young, it's Herman's heavy-duty dance career, since he was 16, taking some toll. I hope Herman will be all better soon.

And Sarah is just beginning to develop who she wants to be, who she will be, as a soloist at ABT. She's trying different things out....having been a soloist at ABT only since August 2007. Veronika has been a soloist for quite some time, in two major companies.

Yes, I too thought Arron Scott gave us a wonderful "Tico Tico". He got the Taylor movement without the mugging that is starting to already creep into some of the others performances in this piece. Also saw the new soloist addition, Daniil Simkin in the role on Friday night and was dismayed at his take on it. Ok, he is obviously a good technician (even in trousers, not tights!), but the underpinings of this dance were way beyond him. First of all, he looks about twelve years old, and is not a great match up on stage with any of the other dancers. Someone ought to tell him not to wear so much lipstick on his already wide grin, and the men certainly don't bow along with the women right away, although there he was running downstage with the girls, and then having to be pulled back by, I think, Roman Zhurbin. Maybe this addition to the company is to provide Sarah Lane with a petite partner to match her somewhat overstated talent. I agree she was nice in the corps, but has yet to find any comfort in the soloist catagory. At least the two mini dynamos could match each other grin for grin!
For me, the less said about Michelle Wiles in "Theme" the better. Oy! What a mess! Doesn't she hear music? And just because you can do three or four piroettes doesn't mean you should. Less is always more, but with Michelle it always seems like she's out to prove to the dance world she's a contender. Alas, not for this viewer. And poor Cory Stearns! He just looked relieved it was over. Give us Blaine Hoven or Alexandre Hammoudi any day.
More later, but will someone please tell Jared Mathews to get a haircut?
mimsyb

One question after attending Sat. Matinee. How did Stallings get a piece presented at ABT's very limited rep season at City Center?

I have the same question as vipa re "Citizen." I gather from the postings re the first cast that the highlight was Herrera's physique in that "bikini." I had the same reaction to Lane. Other than that... as someone else said, a head-scratcher.
I'm a little sorry there aren't more postings over the past couple of days. I enjoy the reviews.
Alexandre Hammoudi is looking very good. Saw him in "Leaves" today and a few other things over the past few days (it's all starting to blur together). He looked wonderful partnering Veronika Part in "Leaves" this afternoon. I saw her with Hallberg the other day (I think it was "Overgrown Path") and as when I saw them together at the Met over the summer, he looks ill at ease with her. Hammoudi had that Gomes air about him -- protective of his partner and charismatic when taking the stage on his own.
Also had misgivings about the Lane-Cornejo Theme on Thursday, as others have commented. They look fantastic together, but she has that forced, stiff expression, and the partnering was awkward.

Yes, more please! And welcome to griffie and mimsyb. It's great to read some new voices! (NOT that I don't love reading Longtimer and Fairly Recent voices too )

Today's matinée (Sunday, Oct. 26th) was a present to myself on the occasion of one of children's birthdays (the 4th to turn 28, egad!) and what a wonderful gift it was. I don't think I've been inside the City Center theater since NYCB called it home prior to moving to Lincoln Center. My mother, and at Nutcracker time my father too, took me there back then and I remember it being BIG. Well, either it shrunk or I grew up. I think we know which. Entering the orchestra section flabbergasted me -- it was such a little place! I was led to my front row seat (a perfect one, no.105) and seated, had the stage almost in my lap. I don't think I ever sat in the front row with my folks when I was little. The orchestra pit is quite small and deep, so the lip of the stage puts you intimately in touch with the action on it.

I was so eager to see "The Leaves are Fading" for it was to be the second time I'd seen a company dance it this year. In February I watched all performances of Festival Ballet Providence's production of it because my daughter was a member of the company. It is one of the loveliest ballets in existence and could be watched repeatedly without ever becoming tiring.

Melissa Thomas was the lady in green. She floated through the mini-role, both pre-ballet and at closing, with a beatific and understanding smile on her lovely face, with just a trace of wistfulness at the very end as she let the last memory/dancer fade away. First to appear Hee Seo had me fixated on her at various times throughout the ballet because of the exquisite carved shape of her legs and feet (reminds me of Irina's legs). A precise dancer with a high passé position, her form was compelling to follow as she drew arcs with her legs and positioned her long high-arched feet from movement to movement. I also loved watching Jacquelyn Reyes who has such a sunny look and beautiful body. Her lilting front brisés showed off her long legs and delightfully high jump. One of my favorite dancers today.

Jared Matthews also had a loose, joyful jump as he partnered Maria Ricetto in one of the duets. Both danced with enchantment and pleasure and conveyed it to us in the audience very easily. A lovely pas de deux. After being so charmed by Tobin Eason last Friday at Bard, I noticed him as soon as he danced onstage today. He had a similar jovial face, a little toned down to befit "Leaves", and my glance gravitated toward him again and again.

The partnership of Veronika Part and Alexandre Hammoudi worked very well in this ballet. Their pas de deux was golden. I especially loved the weighted way Veronika lifted her leg in grand battement, achieving a solid position at the top of the movement and holding it. She was secure throughout and, yes, I will add, perfect. An absolute standout in "Leaves". Hammoudi was a skilled partner with an accomplished performance himself, and they suited each other fully.

As at Bard, my eyes were also on Nicola Curry, and she didn't disappoint. Her stage presence continues to fascinate. She is one divine dancer. Marian Butler keeps growing on me, too. She has such a beautiful face, is a meticulous technician, knows how to enthrall the viewer and engross us in her stagework.

As five couples, early on in the ballet, formed a circle and whirled by us, I was so involved in identifying the individual dancers that it was with a pleasant jolt that I saw Marcelo Gomes and Julie Kent fly by as part of the group. When did they blend in? I was looking forward to their pas de deux -- the famous John Gardner/Amanda McKerrow pas -- and soon it began. Kent is such a delicate china doll, it's always so satisfying to see her pull off difficult choreography with the aplomb of the ballerina she is. "Leaves" is not in the league of difficulty that the classics are, but to make the central pas de deux look flowingly effortless is at all times a challenge. Marcelo, king of sensual dancing, yearned for his ladylove, playfully drew her into his circle of allure -- even his eyes alone flirted with her -- and then he rejected her, as is meant to happen. Julie was sheer perfection but for a botched turn sequence which forced her down to flat, but this was probably only noticed by the ballet-savvy.

In Providence (where McKerrow and Gardner spent weeks teaching the ballet), Mark Harootian danced Marcelo's role extraordinarily well. I liked parts of Mark's interpretation even better than I liked Marcelo's. To be able to compare is interesting. I loved the way Marcelo danced it and I loved the way Mark danced it. Who's next?

The success of the ballet lies in Tudor's choreography. The close-fisted men's steps danced to a staccato beat, for instance, lend a certain clever power to the gender which may be reminiscent of a time period (as this ballet deals with the passage of time) where "men were men and girls were girls". It's an appealing and eye-catching movement. The overhead lifts, with the women held on straight arms just above the back of the waist, draping languidly backwards over the men's heads, have such a pleasing appearance that Tudor must have used them as often as he did just for the aesthetic effect. Same goes for the lifts where the female's front and back legs are simultaneously bent at the knee from a 180° split position while being held aloft over the man's shoulder while both gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Looks so pretty. When the stage fills with all 15 dancers, it's a splendid flurry of strikingly simple, flowing pastel costumes, expansive, elated movement and longing glances which draw the ballet to a close with the reappearance of the one having the memories. We who watch are filled with longing, too, for we crave more of such loveliness.

A word about the conductor, Charles Baker. Never since Bernstein have I seen an orchestra leader so involved with the music he's conducting. My seat was to the left of him by three seats and during the overture he was as wonderful to watch as the dancers who followed. During the ballet, he sometimes vocalized quietly along with the musical strains as he gave himself a workout, especially upper-body, in his effort to elicit the beauty of Dvoràk's score. Tudor and Dvoràk together anointed his face with a magical, angelic expression.

Next installment(s): Baker's Dozen and Citizen (I liked it!) and Theme and Variations

Sunday evening's performance allowed me to see some 2nd casts and dancers I don't often see in lead roles. For me, the revelation of the evening was Simone Messmer. She was excellent as the primary Lover-in-Experience in Pillar of Fire- very technical, with a fluid upper body and beautiful extensions and balance. But when I realized the spitfire with the blond short hair in Company B was also Simone (she looks very different in the Tudor work) I was truly amazed. Of all the dancers in this work (and that includes the astounding Cornejo and a lively Gillian) she really embodied the Taylor style. She danced with her whole body, moving her head along with her shoulders and back (many ballet dancers seem to hold their heads too stiffly in modern dance pieces), jutting out her hips, without sacrificing an iota of technique. More important, she danced with a super energy and really looked like she was having fun (and that sense that dancers are having fun with the work is so critical to Taylor pieces). She really embodied the joy of dance that is not only key to Company B but to dancing in general. Kudos to her.

As for the other pieces on the program, Riccetto and Blaine Hoven danced Baker's Dozen very well, but I missed seeing Gillian Murphy, who always dances Tharp works so well. It seems to be tough for ABT dancers to incorporate Tharp's shimmying, swaying legs, and hips and shoulders into their technique. Other than Riccetto and Hoven,most of the dancers seemed a bit too stiff and I thought this made the piece seem a bit bland. As for Stallings' Citizen, Sarah Lane gave a strong performance in the lead role. As for Pillar of Fire, I have never been a fan of Michelle Wiles, and while I enjoyed all the other dancers, her wooden and slightly sloppy interpretation of Hagar marred my pleasure in viewing the piece.

Belated happy birthday!

I (sort of) liked Citizen too! It was certainly different.... While I don't think it's any kind of masterpiece I'd want to see very often, it was not too long, and it was fun to see Sarah Lane do something totally different: dark, creepy, sexy in an odd way. Would have liked seeing more choreographed for her and Stearns (the guy wearing the blue-green corset). I heard Paloma and Hallberg in a previous performance of the same parts/piece were also very intense.

Baker's Dozen looked the most rehearsed next to Citizen, but I didn't like it. Too dated, cute with predictable jokes.

Leaves was pleasant enough. The music is gorgeous, and I very much enjoyed Veronika in her part, though I think she would have been better cast in the lead. This sort of choreography suits her body and womanly style so well. Hee Seo was also a standout with gorgeous lines and lovely ease to her strong dancing.

And then came Theme... I'm not going into details. I'll let somebody else take the first shot at that, but I thought this Theme's principals were a mess. Hallberg looked freaked by the sudden female casting change, though he did everything he could to be a good partner to Yuriko. His solos suffered as a consequence, and hers were very weak as was her contribution to the pas de deux and finale. It was a joy however to see Misty Copeland and Simone Messmer dancing as strongly and radiantly as ever in the demi soloists (2 of 4 girls).

First, welcome to griffie and mimsyb.

While we're mentioning people we've never noticed before (or never particularly appreciated), I have to say that Simone really got to me with the "There Will Never Be Another You" part of "Company B". For all the heavy-handed artsy antiwar stuff, like "The Green Table", nothing got to me the way she did. And I can tell you several people around me let out with "ooohhhhhs" when they realized what was happening.

I also want to mention Nicola Curry, who I really enjoyed in both "Company B" and "Bakers Dozen".

Friday Night:
Overgrown Path
Pillar of Fire
Company B.

A quick review of Friday Night performances.

Overgrowth....well danced, Carreno looked fantastic. Reyes and Cornejo daced pretty good as well.
The music is beautiful but the coreography didt do much for me.

Pillar of Fire made the night and the seasson so far for me.
I have not enough words to describe the ashtonishing performance that
Murphy delivered. Marcelo and David supported her at their best as well. Loved it !!!
Gillian was simply an oscar winning actress !!

Company B was a wonderful ending. To me Simkin was a fenomenal Tico-Tico, although its true that he looks pretty petite and childish. Luciana Paris was so graceful in her solo !! The rest of the cast danced well although I would say that they were behind the music a few times and it didnt seem that they were feeling very confortable in Taylor's hand. Probably more reahearsal will solve that.

I attended the Octer 25th (Saturday) matinee. I agree with Leigh Witchel (his Dance View article) about "Baker's Dozen". I really hated everything about "Citizen" - the choreography, the music, the costumes - the whole works! All I kept thinking throughout the ballet was "What a waste of great dancers!" I thoroughly enjoyed "Theme and Variations" even though I've seen it many many times. I thought Michele Wiles was just dazzling in the ballerina role - regal, radiant, musical. I don't think she put a foot wrong. Cory Stearns was pretty good. I thought he was a bit off in his first solo. He wasn't as good as other ABT dancers I've seen in the part - Corella, Carreno, Gomes - but he's very young. Cory really did show great promise in "Themes". And yes, he seemed a bit small for Michele, but his partnering was fine. When I saw him last Spring in both "Le Corsaire" and "Etudes" I thought he was better when he was partnering than when he was doing his solos.

But the highlight of the afternoon for me was "Pillar of Fire". What a beautiful ballet it is. And Julie Kent was so moving as Hagar. I saw Michele Wiles in the part a few years back, and she was wonderful, but for me Kent was even better. Her Hagar just broke my heart. Gennadi Saeliev was very good as the man Hagar loves. Sarah Lane was so perfect as the younger sister that I wanted to smack her. I was a little disappointed by Jose Manuel Carreno's performance. I saw Marcelo Gomes dance the part a few years ago, and he was so seductively evil. I understood why Hagar slept with him. (Heck, I would have run off with Gomes' young man from the house opposite if he had asked me.) Carreno is a wonderful dancer, but he's no where near the actor Gomes is. I hope ABT keeps "Pillar of Fire" in its repertory. I've only seen it three times, and I would love to see it many more times. "Pillar of Fire" is such a rich ballet that I feel like I get more out of it every time I see it.

I was at Sunday matinee. The only positive of "Citizen" was that it reminded me that first class, professional artists will do their best and make as much as they can of a substandard work. The commitment and skill of the dancers on Sun. afternoon reminded me of this. It is true of all quality performing artists be they dancers, musicians, singers or actors.

"Leaves" was a joy in many ways.

"Theme" is a ballet that I love. I also know it is full of difficulties for the principals (also for the 4 main corps women, a difficult part). In my opinion Kajiya should not have thrown into it. Surely ABT had other alternatives. Hallberg was also not at his best. Perhaps the change in partner threw him.

I saw 'Pillar' last season but I have purposely avoided it this season for some of the reasons Coleen mentioned. Many of the subtleties of the younger sister and the seducer are missing. I do have a long memory of other performances. particularly Janet Reed as the younger sister. With Reed you weren't quite sure if she was genuine or not in her affection for Hagar--she wasn't quite so overt. Gomes, on the other hand pushed the role too hard and came out looking like a common street thug--unlike his seductively elegant Rothbart. (which is how Hugh Laing played it---seductively elegant)

I saw the Sunday evening performance. It started out with a repeat of "Baker's Dozen" with good work by Blaine Hoven, Maria Riccetto and a chipper Arron Scott in the role Craig Salstein performed on opening night. Scott was more Bobby Van perky vs. Salstein's Donald O'Connor. The "Citizen" was only distinguished by an interesting second cast. Everyone was either a soloist or a corps dancer and seemed to work as a collection of equals. Neither Sarah Lane or Corey Stearns reached the star turn level of Paloma Herrera or David Hallberg but they seemed more part of the ensemble. Sean Stewart in the role previously danced by Blaine Hoven was more forceful and dominating with his typical sure command of style. Nice to see him in a major assignment. Devon Teuscher and especially Melissa Thomas shone in the two other female roles. The piece still has problems but it is short.

"Pillar of Fire" got a surprisingly authoritative performance from Michele Wiles as Hager from whom I expected little. I usually see Wiles as being wholesome and sunny and outgoing - the polar opposite of this character. She beautifully brought out the sense of isolation the character has - belonging and fitting in nowhere with no one. The only small things missing were a stronger feeling of repressed sexual frustration and a touch of neuroticism. Otherwise she really brought a lot of emotional depth and detail to the role. Marcelo Gomes and David Hallberg lived up to the high expections I always have for them with almost definitive portrayals. Particularly Hallberg really shone in a low-key, unflashy but essential role. Marian Butler was good but could have been more teasing and girlish as the Younger Sister but Maria Bystrova ruled as the Elder Sister.

"Company B" had a very "A" team cast with Gillian Murphy and Herman Cornejo ("Bugle Boy of Company B") in key roles. I was particularly taken with Misty Copeland ("Rum and Coca-Cola") and Arron Scott ("Tico, Tico") as well as Craig Salstein again in full Donald O'Connor mode ("Oh Johnny!"). I agree with whoever mentioned that ABT has failed to sufficiently point up the darker contrast of the silhouetted men in combat or marching poses in the background suggesting the warfare and loss underlying these cheerful pop tunes. Everything seemed on one happy level but this is a much darker piece than "Baker's Dozen". The Paul Taylor Dancers are much more grounded and have a different sense of weight on stage than the ballet dancers of ABT who are more aerial and jumpy. That does make a difference.

Sunday matinée (Oct. 26th) -- Baker's Dozen

Same cast as Sunday evening.

Barbara Bilach at the piano. I had a good seat for watching Bilach as she played the overture. We were facing each other, she in the orchestra pit, me in the front row. Her face was calm throughout as she tackled yet again the contrapunctal jazzy rhythms of Willie "The Lion" Smith. She is used to playing this. The ritardandos and diminuendos, accelerandos and and crescendos linking the different pieces are usually also in counterpoint, making it a bit of a difficult piece to get under your belt. Perhaps that is why I felt she was a little insecure at Bard. I take it back. She is skilled enough to be able to play this wildly speedy, galloping music with nonchalance. For viewing purposes (knowing that the pianist is to be heard, not seen, when she accompanies ballet), Bilach was boring. Were she in concert I'd love to see some animation as she tickled the ivories.

Curtain opens. Female dancers in white tops with criss-crossed straps in the back. An embroidered-looking beige sash-width belt cinches the waist of beige skirts, split to the top both front and back to allow for acrobatic movement. Legs are covered in lacy, legging-like tights which end inside white jazz shoes. The males are in beige trousers and shirts.

One thing about ABT's rendition, as has been mentioned in previous reports, is the lightness of the company's dancers. I agree that this must be, if not the finest, then one of the finest ballet casts to dance this modern work. So much of this piece is performed in the air as dancers grand jeté on and off the stage, throw themselves into each other's arms or onto their backs, jump off each other's bodies, and propel themselves straight up like rockets, with legs tucked in beneath them. There's groundwork, too, with lots of sliding movements, being pulled into the wings while in splits, rolling around from one side to the other via a fellow dancer's back, plenty of rond de jambes in plié, falling to the floor, turning upside down with butts sticking up, and signature Tharp traveling modes. Sassy shoulder rotating, arms loosely hanging, leading with pumping arms to traverse the floor, funny bits like not being let onto the stage by an unseen dancer in the wings, first pulled back by an arm, then a leg, and being left alone on stage to display antic moves as if in front of one's bedroom mirror, make for a lively, infectious gambol that leaves the onlookers in such good spirits.

I could see "Baker's Dozen" again and again. There's too much going on for me to follow everyone in only two showings. I'd like to follow each dancer throughout the piece -- that's how I enjoy ballet. The whole cast had great facial expressions as they acted their way through the dance. Sitting where I was I got to really see everything. Standouts in Sunday's matinée were Arron Scott, who got the plum role of the dancer alone on stage sitting on his knees who starts to sway his hips as he realizes the others have taken a powder, and continues into an endearing solo dance charming himself as well as the audience, the very blond Blaine Hoven who was high-spirited throughout, Eric Tamm, looking so Tommy Tune and Broadway, and Isabella Boylston, to whom I will devote the next few paragraphs.

I have to preface my remarks by stating that I knew Isabella when she was Hildur Boylston and a 12 year old student at the Kirov Academy of Ballet's SI in 1999. My daughter and she became soulmates that July. The following summer, Isabella went to SAB and the year after, also, after winning the Gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix finals at Pace University, which I attended because my daughter was in the competition too. A few months later, after the SAB SI, my daughter and I saw her taking class at STEPS where a crowd of students had gathered around the doorway to watch her in Willie Burman's class, informing those who didn't know, that she was this "amazing" dancer from the SAB SI. She was 14 years old. And, yes, she was indeed amazing. Isabella went on to complete 2 1/2 years at the prestigious Harid Conservatory, graduating from high school there to move right into ABT's Studio Company (having already been approached at ABT's SI the previous summer). She participated in several ballet competitions, including the NYIBC, and won some top prizes and gained notice, becoming one to watch. (Sidebar: A veteran competitor, she was a Grand Award winner at the Colorado State Science Fair in 2000, winning first place, Junior Division All Fair, for her project on Beetle Juice.)

My daughter has not seen her since the last two classes they took together that day at STEPS 7 years ago, but I made a point of going to ABT's Met season this past summer in order to see Hildur dance. She was featured as a D'Jampe soloist in La Bayadère and otherwise performed corps roles, and as I was sitting on the hard right side the day she was lined up with the corps on the same side (thereby not visible), I felt really gypped out of getting my full dose of Isabella Boylston.

Well, it seems I was to be deprived of her again, since the cast I got for City Center was the second cast for Citizen, in which Isabella is first-cast, and just as I was resigning myself to my fate, I noticed her name in the program for Baker's Dozen! Happy days (as Jamie Oliver would say)! With nearly in-studio proximity, I sat upright in my seat ready for bliss. And I got it! Isabella Boylston is a blissful dancer, no question. And anyone who saw her nine-page photo spread and sublimely tutu'ed cover shot in Dance Spirit in September 2006 knows she has the ballet body of perfection: long, shapely legs, high insteps and arches, long arms, fingers, and toes, a beautiful countenance, narrow hips, taut yet free torso, linear sculpted muscles, gorgeous flexibility. Her solo in "Baker's Dozen" (thank goodness she had a solo!) showed off her ease of technique, speed, musicality, lyricism, and charm. Isabella even threw in a "glinch" reminiscent of the great Suzanne. I enjoyed her performance so thoroughly and wondered why other reviewers hardly refer to her (lumping her in with others, or not even mentioning her dancing at all when she was indeed one fifth of a small ensemble). Her duet with Patrick Ogle in BD was full of split positions, both on the ground and en l'air, high-swinging grand battements, energy, energy, energy, and fun. She'd be a major standout even if I didn't know her. But I'm so glad I do.

My reports on "Citizen" and "Theme and Variations" won't be as long, I promise. Others have already said so much.

I attended the Oct. 26 Sunday matinée, unexpectedly, as a former coworker had her date bail out at the last minute, thus she offered me the extra ticket. I had only budgeted for one performance this season (I chose the all-Tudor evening), so you can imagine my delight!

I was swept away by the subtle drama and subtly gorgeous dancing in Leaves are Fading. I feel as though I've seen so many still images from this piece (McKerrow and Kirkland), it was special to see it performed for the first time. I agree with many of Marqa's insightful comments. Hee Seo really excelled in this choreography. She is thin and delicate, yet strong and regal . . . and those feet. Hee's facial expression, so full of longing and intensity, fully expressive (not static), really suited her dancing this afternoon.

Julie and Marcelo were all that I hoped for. Her ethereal delicacy contrasted with his earthy strength. They moved me and wowed me with their gorgeous pas de deux.

One thing that struck me during Leaves (and I sat in orchestra row D, much closer than usual) was the quietness of the footwork from all the dancers. They all seemed to be working through their feet so beautifully, I heard literally nothing. We always notice when distracted by pointe-shoe sound effects, so I'd like to note that during this piece I heard not a leaf fall. Brava!

Citizen. Oh boy. Not much to say here that hasn't been said. It didn't please me, but it was short. I have, in the past, thought of liberating Cory Stearns from his costume, but never before out of sympathy. He did manage to look gorgeous, despite the green corset and metallic silver capri tights. The other male dancer (Sean Stewart?) wore equally ridiculous garb but seemed more adept at the modern, Forsythe-esque choreography, whereas Cory appeared to occasionally revert back to a ballet comfort zone. My favorite/least favorite (depending on how you look at it) wacky, po-mo moment in this piece was when the random, non-performer "citizens?" strolled onstage. (Of course my eyes were immediately drawn to Marcelo who received another mental ovation for Leaves).

I thought Baker's Dozen was well danced and great fun. Maria Ricetto and Blaine Hoven were riveting. Maria is phenomenal to watch (crisp jumps, great extensions, wonderfully musical), and I can't wait to see what the future holds for her career. Jacquelyn Reyes (I think--wavy brown hair?) was another standout who showed a great deal of personality. I thought the dancers captured Tharp's off-kilter choreography well (my friend disagreed), although I admittedly have never seen the piece danced elsewhere. I didn't feel that this work was dated, in fact I think vintage Tharp really stands the test of time, blending ballet, jazz, circus clown goofiness, and pedestrian movements into something bigger than the sum of its parts. I was also glad to see that Elaine Kudo, a great lady and former teacher of mine, coached the piece, as she certainly understands Tharpian musicality and technique.

The afternoon finished up with Theme and Variations, a whirlwind, non-stop, in-your-face Balanchine extravaganza. I wonder how this looked on ABT in the 40s? Kajiya Yuriko appeared nervous--her facial expression more of a grimace than a smile--and truly lacked the gusto to get the job done. I was rooting for her (I loved her in Corsaire last Spring), but I agree with other ballettalkers that Kajiya may have not been up to the task for this one. David Hallberg was a bit off and even fell out of his pirouette, but his exuberance and palpable love of performing so effect me that I forgive everything. Objectivity be damned; I could watch this man dance anything. The corps was impressive, and I have to agree with the earlier poster who commented on the brilliant technique of Simone and Misty as part of the lead group of four girls. Misty Copeland is so solid; I love watching her precise legs and feet as she executes jumps, turns, anything! One corps memeber (I believe Zhong-Jing Fang) got completely off in the final coda, and struggled to rejoin the corps. Otherwise an exciting and impressive showing.

All in all Sunday was a pleasant and unexpected afternoon--I felt like a lucky girl indeed. On a side note, did anyone else notice the story on Wheeldon in the program was written by Matthew Murphy? Good to see him doing some writing work since his dance career was derailed by illness.

I can't wait for Friday and the all-Tudor evening, especially Pillar of Fire and Jardin aux Lilas. Yay!

Jacquelyn Reyes does have a lot of personality, but her hair is blonde and straight.

Paloma in Forsythe's workwithinwork.

I went tonight and found thrills and disappointments. I just want to say a little about Ballo at this point. I was very disappointed in Wiles and Hallberg. I had expected Wiles to ace this piece. I found her being overly cute in presentation (very un-Meryl Ashley) and lacking in the speed and sharpness that the ballet requires, as a result she looked sloppy and a bit sluggish. Hallberg seemed way out of his comfort zone. The four soloist women were terrific - Copeland, Riccetto, Seo & Underwood, and I thought Zhong-Jing Fang a stand out in the corps.

I am curious to read other impressions of this ballet & the others. I'll post my thougts about other pieces later, I'm more curious to read other impressions - just one silly thought that came to me at the end of the night Lane/Simkin might grow up to be Reyes/Cornejo - not exactly but maybe you know what I'm getting at.

Also, thank you all for your opinions and insights. I love reading these posts.

First we had the grown-ups in Ballo & then the kiddies in Flames. I honestly don't see a comparison between the Lane/Simkin pairing and the Reyes/Cornejo pair. Reyes is a small woman who dances big; she is extremely musical and communicates at all times with her partner. Lane is a small girl who dances small. Everything is pretty and restrained and small. She never looks at her partner. I am yet to be convinced of her musicality. She also has a tendency to fall off pointe at crucial moments. Reyes takes chances; Lane does not.

If you look at the Youtube clips of Cornejo at 17 doing James in La Sylphide, you can see that he was already an artist. No forcing or playing to the footlights here; just pure beautiful dancing. Simkin is still young and one can only hope he gets the proper coaching to develop beyond being a crowd pleaser. Cornejo's jump is high and beautiful; Simkin has ballon but his jump is not pretty and his feet tend to sickle. Cornejo has elongated his line so that he looks longer than he is. Simkin needs to learn to do this.

As for Ballo - different eyes, different take. No, Wiles was not perfect but I found her delightful - bold, witty, musical and seeming to enjoy herself enormously. Hallberg can do no wrong in my book. Keep in mind this role was choreographed on a much slighter dancer, Ricky Weiss, and later done to perfection by Ib Andersen. Hallberg must have at least six inches on those two. Also the stage is far too small for him, as are the wings. After one exit, I was expecting to see a bloody nose on his next entrance. He dances with such a beautifully controlled brio and is there a more beautiful jump around?

Yes indeed the four soloists were tip-top, especially Copeland and Seo.

I sat through another Interminable Path due to a different cast than last week's. Again, Copleand and Sep were mesmerizing.

It's been a while since I saw Brief Fling and it's such a fun piece. Really well danced by all. Copeland seemingly can dance anything. And tonight she danced almost everything. I'd like to see her do the lead in Ballo soon. She's musical and articulated and communicative. She'd be wonderful in it .. or anything else.

>Lane/Simkin might grow up to be Reyes/Cornejo - not exactly but...

I'm at a loss to see any comparison....

Reyes is mature, strong as an ox, but lacks finesse. In the right parts she has strong tricks/technique, some excellent acting skills (eg, Kitri), and a huge, warm-hearted smile, but her dancing doesn’t have a natural beauty in lines or in overall presentation for me. I don't think I'll ever watch Reyes in a Balanchine ballet that requires a totally different technique/style. Herman has a sensual purity to his dancing, even when he's trying to ham things up as in Fling last night. I've always loved his dancing, but I don't particularly like Reyes and Herman together. One does not really compliment the other but they're both about the same height and seem to enjoy dancing together.

One day soon, I hope you will see Sarah and Daniil in a ballet that really suits them, such as R&J, Giselle, SBeauty, Ballo, Tchai pas, in time even Theme. They have a freshness to their dancing that goes far beyond cranking out tricks. But Daniil certainly was the winner in the tricks department with Flames last night. Wow! He was beyond belief presenting all those male tricks we've seen on others over the years. But Daniil brings a new, easy approach and a handsomely, playful (yet serious) style. His body is beautifully long and his face is that of a cherub. I loved him! Can't wait to see Daniil in a better ballet.

Sarah's solo and coda in Flames were all pretty much done on the same foot, her left one. The hops on pointe flying across the stage, turns, jumps to the left (pushes off of the left foot/leg) then the double saute basques(!) - three in a row (pushing off and landing on the left foot), then whatever fouette combination for 32 counts. My left foot was hurting just watching it and realizing how lopsided the female role is for today's world with dancers of different training. It's not a fine pas de deux I'd want to see again and again. ABT's debut female for Flames was Eleanor D'Antuono ('72 per the program notes). Enough said..... Flames was designed for a female who's as strong as an ox. Sarah is not that, though she did a lovely job getting through it without crashing through the tricks. I suspect Flames will be even better, less nervous, over the weekend when Sarah and Daniil haven't done a full-out dress rehearsal the same day as the evening's debut performance. That's a ton of pressure for very difficult tricks.

I wish Sarah and Daniil had danced a pas de deux such as Tchai pas instead. It would have suited their styles much better. And Daniil can certainly handle lifts/partnering too as he showed us last night holding Sarah in the air a bit longer than needed during a high, over his head, tour jete.

I was very happy to be there last night and see the first evening of what I'm sure will be a wonderful partnership. They look genuine and comfortable together in their youthful joy/energy and unforced styles.

As for Ballo, Michelle Wiles was far from unforced. Strong as heck, yes! Lots of punch, yes! At times, heavy-weighted in execution, yes! At least this year, she didn't punch holes into the stage during her a la seconde position, on-pointe bounces. Michelle was lots of fun, but not in a Balanchine-ballet way. Hallberg was his usual, smooth, gorgeous, princely self. It was great to see him dancing so well again.

The demis were mostly all very good, but not all were cast for the best result. I'd have switched a couple of them to dance different solos. Seo has beautiful lines but isn't/wasn't right for the huge jumping solo. Misty was excellent in the first solo, but I think she would have been even better in Seo's jumping part. (Yuriko was my favorite at ABT for that jumping solo.) Riccetto looks less uncomfortable with her solo's choreography than last year, but she doesn't dance boldly or pretty enough for me. Leann Underwood was a surprise in the fourth solo. A beautiful girl with a beautiful, feminine movement quality.

I skipped "Interminable" Path.

Brief Fling was certainly fun and silly, with very silly Scottish-inspired Mizrahi costumes. The dancing and acting was done especially well by the mostly very young cast. I'd like to see Messmer take on the female lead or Lane. I think both of these ladies, from what I've seen in various parts, are ready for more acting/character roles.

I agree about Wiles, but don't think she should be criticized if the conductor failed to give her tempi that would let her zip through the choreography. I also agree that her attempt to flirt with the audience came through as coy, forced and saccharine. Hallberg, on the other hand, used the slower tempi to dance absolutely huge, bringing razor-sharpness to what we often see as blur. When he stopped a pirouette on his very high 3/4 pointe, extending his working leg and pausing, I had to catch my breath. It may not have been exactly the right phrasing for Ballo, but under the circumstances, I savored it.

Also praises for an outstanding quartet of soloists -- especially Copeland (who ended up owning the evening, IMO) and Seo (How long can a dancer stay in the air? Until the music says "down"). Seo seems to gain authority with every opportunity, as was also seen in Overgrown Path, where she took on the "black dress" woman danced by Gillian Murphy earlier. More on that and Brief Fling later.

Points well taken. I am going to see Sat. Mat. & have high hopes for T Pas with Wiles & Hallberg. I have my fingers crossed for Kijya in ballo but I still think she is miscast (I saw her in it last year), I hope she proves me wrong.

In respect to Brief Fling - I haven't seen it in years and found Reyes quite delightful. I find that I say this often after seeing her perform, she flies somewhat under the radar so I am constantly surprised & delighted anew. A flaw in me not in her.

SO guys, tell us -- how do you like Simkin?

He's so well-represented on Youtube, and hte way he dances somes across so well on video, I do wonder how he'd look in 3-D. he seeems wonderfully wacked to me - -I think i might like him a LOT. The video with him and his dad competing is hilarious, really adorable -- wonderful layers of sweetness and silliness under the surface of that, the kind of comic lead who delights you continually without actually making you laugh out loud.

I still have high hopes for Lane's potential. I don't think that it is really a matter of falling off pointe. I think it is part of a planning & execution problem that also appeared in places in Lane's SB. She goes for a lot and will, for example, do a series of beautifully shaped multiple turns, repeat the sequence nicely and then the 3rd time (which should be the big pay off) she falls short and doesn't quite make it. Those moments leave one feeling somewhat unsatisfied. It's almost as if she feels that she has to do the most difficult thing she can all of the time in order, to prove herself - a problem that often afflicts young dancers.

I agree that Copeland looked great all night. I am glad to see her being used so well.

I also agree that Reyes is a delight - confident, mature, lots of technique and that Cornejo showed maturity in many ways when he was young. I just meant that for me Lane & Simkin are dancing like young, somewhat unformed dancers who, in my opinion have a lot of beauty and potential. I am touched by that, and at the end of the evening I found myself happy to witness complete artists. Personally, I feel Lane & Simkin can get there. Even if they don't I am still glad to see the start of the journey.