American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center
Opening Triple Bill
by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2007 by Alexandra Tomalonis
One of the few constants in American Ballet Theatre’s performances over the past few decades, and one of the most beautiful things about the company, is the respect with which the dancers perform Antony Tudor’s ballets. This was evident again at the company’s opening performance Tuesday night, when dancers too young to have met Tudor danced his “Dark Elegies” with a depth of emotion that made the work seem new.
Continue reading "ABT's Triple Bill" »
"Swan Lake"
American Ballet Theatre
Opera House
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC, USA
February 12 (matinee) and 13 (matinee), 2005
by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright © 2005 by Alexandra Tomalonis
American Ballet Theatre did pay tribute to the Forties (the stated theme of the Kennedy Center this year) after all. The two ballerinas dancing “Swan Lake” at this week-end’s matinees— Michele Wiles, in her debut Saturday with Maxim Beloserkovsky, and Veronika Part, dancing with Marcelo Gomes on Sunday— both have the kind of glamour girl looks of '40s stage and screen actresses. Wiles is a big blonde with a gorgeous 90-degree arabesque; Part is that rarest of creatures, the vulnerable seductress. It’s easy to imagine her slinking around nightclubs in World War II movies, falling in love with young pilots while cold-bloodedly fingering spies.
Continue reading "Glamour Girls" »
"Giselle"
American Ballet Theatre
Opera House
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC, USA
February 1, 2005
by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright © 2005 by Alexandra Tomalonis
American Ballet Theatre opened its Kennedy Center run (two weeks this year!) with “Giselle,” currently its most solid production of the 19th century classics. This “Giselle” (staging uncredited) is choreographically sound and blessedly bereft of fashionably kinky notions, either of design or dramaturgy. The characters retain their original genders and are complex free, and there’s a serious attempt by the company to capture the spirit of Romanticism.
Continue reading "Glimpses of Romanticism" »
One of the few constants in American Ballet Theatre’s performances over the past few decades, and one of the most beautiful things about the company, is the respect with which the dancers perform Antony Tudor’s ballets. This was evident again at the company’s opening performance Tuesday night, when dancers too young to have met Tudor danced his “Dark Elegies” with a depth of emotion that made the work seem new.
