- main
- forum
- criticaldance
- features
- reviews
- interviews
- links
- gallery
- whoweare
- search
Subscribe to the monthly for free!
|
![]() |
 The
Royal Ballet
'Cinderella'
by Jerry Hochman
July 16, 2004 --
Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, New York
I feel cheated.
Not because of anything wrong with The Royal Ballet’s performance of Ashton’s
"Cinderella" on July 16 at the Met, and certainly not because
of anything wrong with Alina Cojocaru, who danced the lead. On the contrary,
in every respect it was a memorable performance of a memorable ballet.
I feel cheated because, to my knowledge, Cojocaru has danced at the Met
only four times: once last year guesting with ABT in La Bayadere, and
in three performances with the Royal during this summer’s Ashton Celebration
as part of the Lincoln Center Festival – once in the "Voices of Spring"
pas de deux (which, unfortunately, I missed), once in "Scenes de
Ballet," and once in "Cinderella." I want more.
There are certainly other great ballerinas, both those who are no longer
dancing, and those dancing today. Dancers with impeccable technique, exciting
and magnetic stage presence, acting on par with their dancing, physical
attractiveness, or great rapport with the audience. We all can recite
their names; we go to their performances to see them dance, not just to
see the ballets in which they are dancing. Very few, however, can put
it all together, and fewer still can seem to take the whole package to
another level. Cojocaru is one of those rare dancers who does everything
well, but more. She has strength combined with gentleness, speed, the
cleanest of possible lines, an extension that is perfectly sculpted but
never overstated,.... I could go on. She's an ethereal diamond. But what
makes Cojocaru different is that the entire package is wrapped in a fresh
and natural grace that makes you at once wonder how anyone so talented
can appear to be so nice. Forgive my comparisons; I know they are invalid,
unwise, and ultimately unfair. But when I see Cojocaru, I see the thoroughbred
aura, speed, tenacity, and electricity of a Gelsey Kirkland, combined
with the rock-solid strength of a Svetlana Zakharova and the spriteliness
and genuine warmth of a Lis Jeppesen. And I mean all that as the highest
of praise.
Ashton’s "Cinderella," while not, as I recall, as interesting
choreographically as other versions I’ve seen, is a wonder of stagecraft
and invention that, put in its historical context, must have been a glorious
tonic for post-war Britain. It is at once emotionally rewarding and constantly
hilarious; a warm-hearted fairy tale/folk tale/comedy routine. Cojocaru
was Cinderella in every conceivable way. She danced the part (in hindsight
most of what I can recall is a spinning top with an arabesque to die for,
but her technical prowess seemed never less than perfect), but she also
looked the part. She was sweet and vulnerable and could take your breath
away, all seemingly at the same time. Maybe Audrey Hepburn if Audrey Hepburn
had been a ballerina. But although the story is “about” Cinderella, the
ballet is as much a celebration of the best of ballet slapstick in the
persons of the two stepsisters as it is about Cinderella. Indeed, the
ballet might just as easily have been titled ‘The Stepsisters.” Anthony
Dowell and Wayne Sleep as the two stepsisters were absolutely fabulous;
their performances, to my eye, were complete portrayals of characters
that could have been simply comic cardboard. The fact that Anthony Dowell,
one of the best of danseur nobles, and Wayne Sleep, one of the best of
character dancers, pulled it off with such exquisite hilarity is a tribute
not just to Ashton’s vision but to the enduring value of both of them
to ballet theater. Johan Kobborg, though not as exciting to watch as Cojocaru,
danced well enough on his own, and was a skillful and attentive partner.
The fairy godmother and lead fairies all handled Ashton’s difficult choreography,
with Lauren Cuthbertson, as the summer fairy, executing particularly well.
And the lesser fairies in blue [if Juliet can have “friends”, and Swanilda
can have “friends”, these were Cinderella’s “friends”] seemed an unusually
promising group of attractive and able dancers – I noticed one or two
in particular, but can’t identify them because none were listed in the
program. The puckish jester, danced ably and energetically by Jose Martin,
nearly stole the ballet. And the production itself, credited to Wendy
Ellis Somes, is enchanting. Toer van Schayk’s sets are marvelous, and
Mark Jonathan’s lighting brings it all to life.
This performance was the first truly sold-out house I’ve seen at the Met
in a long time. Moreover, unlike performances by “foreign” companies where
the audience is populated to a significant degree by tourists, this was
a house filled with people knowledgeable about ballet who knew what –
or, more accurately, who they came to see. And when the performance ended,
the house – the entire house – spontaneously stood, cheered, and refused
to let them go.
Which, again, is why I feel cheated. Ultimately, Cojocaru’s performance
was a tease (as was the Royal’s appearance, and as were the appearances
of the Birmingham Royal, the Joffrey, and the K Ballet Company before
them – there was little opportunity to see these companies’ dancers, let
alone a representative sample of their repertoires). Couldn’t The Royal
have stayed another week, to take it out of the Ashton umbrella, so we
could see Cojocaru dance Giselle in New York, as she did earlier this
summer in California, or Juliet, or Aurora, or Kitri, or "La Sylphide,"
or "The Dream" (why wasn’t that included in the Ashton Celebration?),
or anything at all? I guess if we were able to see her dance more frequently,
Cojocaru might be less appreciated. But I’d take that risk. Can she be
cloned?
Edited by Holly Messitt
Read related
stories in the press and see what others are saying. Click here.
|
