American Ballet Theatre
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Photo by Marty Sohl
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By Don Kolman
American Ballet Theatre opened its current run at Segerstrom Hall with a rather bland evening of rep, which included Apollo, choreographed by George Balanchine, music by Igor Stravinsky; Gong choreographed by Mark Morris, music by Colin McPhee; and John Cranko’s Jeu de Cartes staged by Jane Bourne with music again by Igor Stravinsky.
The evening was far more successful as a dance fest than as celebration of ballet. Of the three ballets presented, only Apollo utilizes the full range of ballet movements. Balanchine, early in his career at New York City Ballet, created a new type of dance that placed traditional ballet steps at the absolute mercy of the music. Virtually every musical note is accompanied by a dance step. Apollo epitomizes this type of dance. Maria Riccetto as Calliope is lovely in the smallest of the three ballerina roles. Julie Kent as Terpsichore dances with her usual polish and technical skill. Gillian Murphy, dancing the role of Polyhymnia, shows herself to be not only the highly accomplished dancer we all know but also a very fine comedian. Southern Californians saw, for the first in a leading role, David Hallberg as Apollo. He is a welcome addition to ABT’s already stellar cast of outstanding principal danseurs. He is very tall, very blonde, and very talented. He clearly demonstrates a gift for making awkward moves seem almost fluid. He executes cleanly and has an outstanding line which is nicely accented by his height.
Mark Morris’ Gong is an intricate interweaving of fifteen dancers divided into three groups of five. Two of the groups are women and one is men. Gong was given its world premiere by American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, on May 1, 2001. The costumes by Isaac Mizrahi consist of tutus with leggings for the women and body socks for the men, many in vivid primary colors. Interestingly, the two pas deus are danced without music. Marcelo Gomes is a standout who tends to overpower the other dancers.
This version of Jeu de Cartes by John Cranko was premiered by the Stuttgart Ballet on January 22, 1965. This ballet, also with music by Igor Stravinsky, is just too, too cute. It provides a wonderful opportunity for numerous dancers to run around mugging it up to their hearts' content. It even features some very flashy choreography for Herman Cornejo, who dances the role of the Joker with great aplomb. Cornejo is a firebrand who, at times, appears to have the ability to fly. He is the highlight of the evening. It was also fun witnessing the comedic talent of Irina Dvorovenko. She appears to be having a great time.
Charles Barker, as always, does an admirable job in the pit conducting the Pacific Symphony.
Following the first evening comes the second bill, Sylvia.The first time one views this new (at least to the Los Angeles area) production, the reaction proceeds rapidly from mild amusement to total bemusement. Sir Frederick Ashton is credited, or would it be better to say blamed, for the choreography. Yet, as this is a revival and Ashton died in 1988, someone else must bear the responsibility for this less than stellar production. The program lists Christopher Newton as responsible for “production realization and staging” and Peter Farmer is credited with “additional designs (revival),” so it would appear that these two gentlemen are the culprits.
The ballet resembles nothing less than a composite of bits and pieces from most of the great 19th century warhorse ballets, all run together in rapid succession, one after another. There is Swan Lake’s von Rothbart, Giselle’s happy peasants, Sleeping Beauty’s Puss and Boots (goats here) and La Sylphide’s nymphs. What more could one ask for? Well, to start with, a lot less ballet plagiarism and a lot more originality. Furthermore, this ballet has to be an absolute nightmare for the Property Master Paul Wells and his Assistant Steven Dumbar. There are a multitude of bows, flower-festooned wands, garlands, huge rakes, hoes, scythes, lyres, scrolls, fifes, spears, and jewels, naming just a few. At times the costuming is equally absurd. At the end of the ballet, the leading danseur wears a sudo-Grecian costume, while the ballerina sports a full tutu. Saying that his ballet is cluttered and busy is certainly a gross understatement. In the final analysis one has to wonder what Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and Executive Director Rachel S. Moore were thinking when they decided to purchase and produce this monstrosity of a ballet.
Many of the story lines of ballet are, to say the least, implausible, and Sylvia is certainly no exception. The story revolves around the initially unrequited love of the shepherd Aminta for the nymph Sylvia. After being shot by Eros’ arrow, Sylvia realizes that she does indeed love Aminta but only just in time to be kidnapped by the evil hunter Orion. Sylvia manages to escape from Orion, who is killed by the Goddess Diana, and Sylvia is then triumphantly reunited with her beloved Aminta.
The real tragedy of this ridiculous ballet is that ABT’s outstanding principal dancers are subjected to it. On Friday evening Angel Corella was in his same rare form dancing the role of Aminta. He dances with such precision and strength that it is often hard to believe that a dancer can exhibit such style. His turns are swift, his jumps are high, and his partnering is always rock steady. Additionally, he dances with a very special élan that is always a joy to behold. Adding to the mix, Gillian Murphy is one of those ballerinas who can do it all. She is incredibly precise and unbelievably strong. She is indeed so strong that she appears not to need a partner to assist her with turns and balances. Her towering strength reminds one of former ballerinas like Cynthia Gregory and Cynthia Harvey.
Marcelo Gomes is, as always, a tower of strength. Because of his great strength, he is able to make extremely difficult lifts appear easy. He makes a sinister and very powerful Orion. Many tall danseurs have difficulty with clean execution; that is, however, not the case with Gomes who is always precise and clean. Carlos Lopez does the best he can with the role of Eros. His main problem has to do with ridiculous costumes. In the first act, he is forced to wear what appears to be a clam shell jockstrap. In the second act, he has to dance with material draped around his neck and over his shoulders which is in constant motion. The male corps de ballet is frequently anything but together. More rehearsal time is definitely in order.
All in all, this second night is even more disappointing than the first. It is only partially salvaged by outstanding dancing. With the shortage of money available for ballet productions, it is extremely difficult to understand why ABT would choose to waste its limited resources on this absurd ballet.
American Ballet Theatre will continue at the Orange County Performing Arts Center Thursday evening with the same mixed bill program and Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday afternoon with the full length “Sylvia”. Seat prices are $25 to $85 and can be purchased at either 714-556-2787 or www.ocpac.org.
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