Further Ballet Quibbles and Bits . . .

Violette Verdy:

In May, Violette Verdy, came to the School of American Ballet for one of her periodic gigs as 'Principal Guest Teacher' at the School.  Her classes are always wonderful and the students adore her.

Violette Verdy teaching at The School of American Ballet.  Photo by Rosalie O'Connor

While I was rummaging around the internet looking for background information about her, I discovered this lovely 2010 video of  Violette Verdy discussing  with Damian Woetzel three ballets created by George Balanchine in 1960 that she danced in (almost) from the beginning -- 'Donizetti Variations', 'Liebeslieder Waltzer', and 'Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux':

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fFK6-LsQEU

The video runs one hour and 23 minutes during which Violette and Damian discuss the three works and the historical context in which they were created.  Excerpts from the three works are danced by Tiler Peck, Joaquin De Luz, Daniel Ulbricht, Jenifer Ringer and Jared Angle with Cameron Grant providing musical support on the piano.  Both Violette and Damian offer suggestions to the dancers.  Violette's comments are especially interesting and her language is brilliantly evocative, capturing the essence of each work.

ABT's 'Cinderella' -- 6/29 Dress Rehearsal:

My friend Jean invited me to join her for the June 29th dress rehearsal of American Ballet Theater's production of Frederick Ashton's 'Cinderella' at the Metropolitan Opera House.  We sat in a parterre box to watch as two different casts rehearsed in the three-act ballet.  For logistical reasons Act I was followed by Act III and then Act II was performed.  There were 20 minute intermissions between the acts.

The cast for Acts I and III were Stella Abrera as Cinderella, Isabella Boylston as the Fairy Godmother, and Joseph Gorak as the Prince.  The cast for Act II was Gillian Murphy as Cinderella and Alexandre Hammoudi as the Prince.  The dancing was generally excellent, but the acting was less assured.  The comic drag roles of the two step-sisters, played by Sean Stewart and Duncan Lyle, needed to be scaled up to fill the opera house.

Gillian Murphy acknowledging ovation for her performance of Ashton's 'Cinderella'.  Photo by Kent Becker

Gillian Murphy danced brilliantly in the ballroom scene and Stella Abrera caught the pathos of the kitchen scenes.  Both Mr. Hammoudi and Mr. Gorak were struggling with aspects of the Prince's choreography.  Ms. Boylston was gracious and expansive as the Fairy Godmother.   But all of the featured dancers had to compete with the surrounding clutter of Ashton's fussy choreography and David Walker's decor and costumes.

Prokofiev's score has never struck me as particularly hospitable to ballet.  It doesn't fit the contours of ABT's bravura dancing style -- lacking enough grand crescendos and striking climaxes.  ABT has never had distinguished musical support and the orchestral playing that afternoon seemed wan and muffled -- bland even beyond the inadequacies of the score.

Conclusion of Act II Ballroom scene of Ashton's 'Cinderella' at the Met.  Photo by Rosalie O'Connor

The sets are sumptuous but poorly lit.  The drops for the four seasonal fairies in Act I are probably lovely, but the lighting turned them grey and destroyed any sense of depth.  The candlelit ballroom set for Act II and the conclusion of Act III with its receding colonnade is grand, but the lighting often casts the dancers into the shadows.  The kitchen in Act I and the start of Act III is also overly gloomy.

SAB Announces National Visiting Fellows Program:

The School of American Ballet has just announced it's new National Visiting Fellows Program which will commence with the 2015-16 Winter Term.  Up to five ballet teachers from around the U.S. will be selected as national fellows.  Each will come to the School twice during the Winter Term with all expenses paid to meet with faculty and administrative staff, observe classes and demonstrations, attend New York City Ballet performances, and discuss diversity initiatives that SAB and the schools they represent can undertake to expand the opportunities for minority students in ballet.  Their dance schools will each receive a $5,000 grant to be used for expansion of programs to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds.

You can find out more about the program here: 

https://sab.org/school/diversity__inclusion/visiting_fellows_program.php

If you have connections to a ballet school outside of New York City, please make them aware of this opportunity to partner with SAB in learning more about the school that founder, Lincoln Kirstein called 'the West Point of ballet' while improving opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.

New York City kids waiting to audition for SAB's Childrens' Division.
"Up a steep and very narrow staircase . . . I was happy -- at the ballet" lyric from 'A Chorus Line'.
Photo by Jason DeCrow for AP

All of the hype about Misty Copeland's promotion to principal dancer at ABT wouldn't be necessary if the career pipeline was filled with dancers from all backgrounds from the very start of their dance training.

Teen Vogue's Strictly Ballet Miami City Ballet School Series:

Teen Vogue has put the entire 17-episodes of Season 2 of its series Strictly Ballet on line.  The second season follows six students in the Miami City Ballet School as they brave the struggles of being away from their families and in several cases their countries (Russia, Brazil and Cuba are represented), suffer through their first injuries, prepare for auditions, and perform in the the School's year-end showcase.  It's a little disconcerting to see them doing the choreography of Balanchine's 'Western Symphony' without the lively and evocative Hershey Kay score.  This URL leads you to the first episode (there is a 15 second advertisement at the start of each episode and the 17 episodes vary in length from about five-to-ten minutes):

http://video.teenvogue.com/watch/strictly-ballet-meet-the-dancers-at-miami-city-ballet-school

A Couple of Ballet Quibbles and Bits . . .

SAB Names Three Students as Wien Award Winners:

The School of American Ballet has announced the student winners of its 2015 Mae L. Wien Awards for Outstanding Promise:  Clara Ruf-Maldonado, Joscelyn Dolson, and Dammiel Cruz.  They will all be dancing important roles in the School's workshop performances on Saturday, May 30th, and Tuesday, June 2nd.  The Wien Awards are presented at the Tuesday evening Workshop Gala.

Clara is an 18-year-old New Yorker.  She started at the School in 2004.  She is scheduled to dance the wedding pas de deux from 'Sleeping Beauty' with Dammiel at the Saturday matinee and the Tuesday evening performances of the Workshop.

Joscelyn is 19 years old and comes from Superior Township, Michigan.  Ms. Dolson first came to SAB for the Summer Sessions in 2009 and 2010.  She returned in September 2010 for the Winter Term.  She is scheduled to dance the 'Harp' in Jerome Robbins' 'Fanfare' at the Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening Workshop performances.  Joscelyn is one of three students featured in the SAB Winter Ball video which was featured in my April 6th 'Quibbles and Bits' here:
http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2015/04/even-more-ballet-quibbles-and-bits.html 

Dammiel is 17 years old and comes from Woodhaven, NY.  He joined the School's Boys Program in 2005 and proceeded through the Intermediate and Advanced Men's levels.  In addition to the 'Sleeping Beauty' pas de deux, he is expected to dance the 'Viola' pas de deux in 'Fanfare' at the Saturday matinee and Tuesday evening performances.  He danced a featured role in Balanchine's 'Serenade' at the 2014 Workshop performances which were also shown last December on PBS 'Live from Lincoln Center'.  See my comments here:
http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/06/school-of-american-ballet-workshop.html
and here:
http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/12/sab-on-live-from-lincoln-center.html

Congratulations to all three students on this much deserved recognition.

Teen Vogue Airs Strictly Ballet, Season 2:

The the first four episodes of the second season of Teen Vogue's 'Strictly Ballet' are now available here:

http://video.teenvogue.com/series/strictly-ballet

The second season features students at the Miami City Ballet School and will eventually have 23 episodes. It features six students aged 14 through 21, several from Latin America -- 2 from Brazil and one from Cuba I believe.  Two of the students are already apprentices with Miami City Ballet. 

Five of the six Miami City Ballet School students featured in the second season of 'Strictly Ballet'
Photo by Henry Leutwyler for Teen Vogue

For those who haven't seen the first season, which featured five students from the School of American Ballet, those 19 episodes are available on the same webpage.  As we approach the School's Workshop performances this weekend and next week, it's interesting to go back behind the scenes with students at America's premier dance academy.