Boston Ballet, Early Spring 2006

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

First program in the early spring series is La Fille Mal Gardee. Here are some reviews:

From Theodore Bale in the Boston Herald:

Quote:

Dancers evoke greatest of ease
Last night at the Wang Theatre, Boston Ballet gave an honest and inspired interpretation of this masterpiece. Most important, the dancers made every scene look effortless. ... Principal dancers Lorna Feijoo and Nelson Madrigal and Second Soloist Joel Prouty have long since proved to Boston they are accomplished technicians. They don’t always have such an opportunity to demonstrate their acting abilities, however.

More from the Herald...

And from Thea Singer in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

An enjoyable frolic through the countryside
Frederick Ashton’s “La Fille Mal Gardée” ... is a sunny compendium of opposites: It’s at once classical and in-the-moment, bawdy and lyrical, heartwarmingly humanistic and laugh-out-loud funny. Boston Ballet’s production of Ashton’s exquisitely crafted homage to the English countryside hits all those notes -- and sends you home humming, with visions of not only happy peasants but exceedingly rhythmic chickens dancing in your head.

More from the Globe...

and a bonus interview with Viktor Plotnikov by T Bale in the Herald:

Quote:

Shoes a good fit for Plotnikov
No, it’s not a new episode of “He’s A Lady.” When Boston Ballet dancer Viktor Plotnikov makes his entrance as the proud but bawdy Widow Simone in Frederick Ashton’s “La Fille Mal Gardee” (“The Wayward Daughter”), he wants to convince viewers that what he’s doing is much more than a drag act.
“I consider this role to be the best character part I’ve ever played,” Plotnikov said.

[url=http://theedge.bostonherald.com/artsNews/view.bg?articleid=129777]
More of the interview[/url]

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

From Louise Kennedy in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Getting his blessing
By choreographing a new dance for Boston Ballet, Mark Morris wants to send a message -- the company is back.

With the world premiere Thursday of “Up and Down” by Mark Morris, the Boston Ballet celebrates an important milestone in its relationship with the renowned choreographer -- one that it could not have reached a few years ago, before artistic director Mikko Nissinen came to town.

“They had a very bad patch,” Morris says of the company, .... “But Mikko’s really moving it forward beautifully,” he says now. “I went to see ‘La Sylphide,’ and it was so great I couldn’t believe it.”

More on Morris ...

Here's a link to the music article mentioned in the above full article: Choice of music displays an ear for the unique

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

From Iris Fanger, in the Patriot Ledger:

Quote:

PAS DE DEUX: Married Boston Ballet soloists are at home in Braintree
When the curtain goes up at the Boston Ballet’s mid-March performances of Jorma Elo’s high-tension ballet, “Plan to B,” at the Wang Theatre, one of the featured couples thrusting through space will be from Braintree.

They are Boston Ballet soloist Melanie Atkins, partnered by her husband of just two months, the Hungarian-born, second soloist, Sabi (Szabolcs) Varga.

More....

Andre Yew · **Posted:** Tue Mar 14, 2006 1:56 pm

Some quick impressions since I caught 5 of the 6 Fille shows this past weekend, missing the Saturday matinee. Misa Kuranaga is wonderful! She has the Ashton style, and was a really appealing Lise with all the technique one could ask for in this demanding role. It was especially fortuitous for the audience that she danced 3 shows because Lorna Feijoo dropped out. Her partner Reyneris Reyes was also very good, shining in his solos, and partnering her well in a very difficult and somewhat thankless role.

In contrast, opening night's Lise by Feijoo, was completely unidiomatic with hard-edged lines and attacks, and had some amount of partnering trouble, and I think I even saw her partner, Nelson Madrigal, sulking after he fell from his menege sequence: I just wanted to yell "Remember Sasha Cohen's long program" at him. I didn't like Rie Ichikawa's Lise, though not as much as I disliked Feijoo's. She had the idiomatic lines and softness that Ashton asks for, but was not musical. Her solo in the Ellsler pas was often late and behind the music. Whereas Kuranaga's pauses would extend and stretch the music even though it had faded into silence already, Ichikawa's was jolting because of its lateness.

--Andre

Azlan · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:45 pm

Andre, we need to time our visits a little better. I am in Boston, Mass, now, excited about the opening night of the Grand Slam program. I wonder what Mr Morris is whpping up this time...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

Two articles in the Boston Phoenix on La Fille.

From Marcia Siegel:

Quote:

Farm frolic
Boston Ballet’s La Fille Mal Gardée

.... the Fille we recognize now as the real thing is quite modern. Frederick Ashton choreographed it in 1960 for the Royal Ballet, and one of its greatest interpreters, Alexander Grant, supervised the staging that returned to Boston Ballet last week after a three-year absence.

More from Seigel...

and from Jeffrey Gantz:

Quote:

Pensées mal gardées
Plus, fantasy Filles

Boston Ballet’s second production of Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée (the first was in 2003) made it clearer than ever what a fractured fairy tale this is. The pastoral scrim that’s revealed when the curtain goes up sports a surly Demeter bearing a sheaf of grain and bare breasts — no danger of her being badly watched.

More from Gantz.....

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

From Theodore Bale in the Boston Herald:

Quote:

Choreographer makes great leap forward
The ballet world is so dominated by male choreographers that Helen Pickett’s upcoming premiere for Boston Ballet promises to be, literally, a breath of fresh air.

She’s called the dance “Etesian,” which, she said, means “a northeasterly wind of the Aegean Sea. I like the name because it’s an element, ethereal and ephemeral. It carries sound, which I really like about the wind.

More...

Andre Yew · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:03 am

Azlan,

Yes, we do have to coordinate ourselves better. I wish I could see Grand Slam, especially because Helen Pickett's a Forsythe protege, and I've never seen Jorma Elo's work before. Hope you stay warm --- it's supposed to be quite cool (for us Californians) this weekend.

--Andre

Azlan · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:06 pm

"Grand Slam" is well worth the trip from SFO! And if I think it's worth it all the way from California, then it should be more than worth it for contemporary ballet, modern dance, Forsythe, Kylian, and Morris fans in nearby NY...

This must have been the most satisfying program I have seen yet this season. I don't even know where to begin, what with the two world premieres. Even a ten-plus-year old work I know so well looked exceptionally brilliant tonight. Those who know me know that this is not a situation I am in very often, with my incredibly high expectations. But this time I agree with the audience who gave all four works thunderous applause, with cat calls and all. I'm not sure if others agree with me but this program is in my mind more about the choreography than the dancing, so forgive me in advance if I don't list all the exceptional dancers in this quick impression.

Those who have seen Mark Morris' repertory know that he is capable of both sombre spiritual works as well as lighthearted ones. In "Up and Down," he seemingly manages to put both moods in the same ballet. While there is definitely a prettiness about this work, an atmosphere of melancholy is also prevalent. Is "Up and Down" about moods I wonder? It feels like a ballet bigger than just the sum of its parts. Boston Ballet has definitely scored with this world premiere.

And the company also scored with the other world premiere, "Estesian," choreographed by Helen Pickett, a William Forsythe protege. This was a work that injected loudness into short periods of silence as well as introduced steps foreign to ballet and yet was able to please and greatly entertain a very appreciative crowd.

"Plan to B" is supposedly the work that has propelled Jorma Elo into the consciousness of the American ballet scene and now I can see why. It is highly stylish, imaginative and sexy. Other ballet companies might be kicking themselves in the shins for not discovering this talent before Mikko Nissinen did. And like the older works of Jiri Kylian, Elo's mentor, "Plan to B" has enough ballet theatrics on top of the chic contemporary choreography to also please traditional ballet fans.

The closer for the night was Val Caniporali's ubiquitous "Lambarena," a work that may have been performed by more ballet companies outside of the Balanchine repertoire! The ever-popular ballet takes on a higher level of "cuteness" with the adorable Lorna Feijoo in the lead which made this performance surprisingly refreshing for me inspite of almost a decade of viewing.

I suppose I should mention the dancers after all. Feijoo is indeed an exceptional dancer. Besides "Lambarena," she was also a spark in Morris' "Up and Down." And the company grows in talent every year. The men especially are better this year than last March. And in the corps, John Lam and Melissa Hough have aptly married artistry to strength. I could go and on.

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

Differing points of view from the Boston newspaper critics.

From Thea Singer in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

‘Grand Slam’ has a few misses, but Morris delivers a big hit
There’s something revelatory about juxtaposing a Mark Morris work up against those of less “classical” choreographers....
Morris’s contribution to the program, “Up and Down,” is exquisitely proportioned and architecturally sound, while springing straight from the music and hitting you smack in the heart. The pieces by the other artists -- Helen Pickett, Jorma Elbo, and Val Caniparoli -- either fade by comparison or don’t even make it into the ballpark.

More from the Globe....

From Theodore Bale in the Boston Herald:

Quote:

‘Grand’ start falters
The world premiere of Helen Pickett’s “Etesian” opened the show on an elegant and introspective note. ....

Jorma Elo’s extraordinary “Plan to B” followed, a magical dance that dominates the program any time it’s performed. ....

[Morris'] world premiere “Up and Down” is as depressing as a ballet can get ....

There’s nothing the least bit authentic in Val Caniparoli’s “Lambarena,” ....

.

More from the Herald...

Azlan · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:05 pm

LOL. This is a very healthy difference of opinions, the more the better. I actually see valid arguments made by both Ms Singer and Mr Bale -- they're both right!

Andre Yew · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:28 pm

I encouraged my sister, a total ballet newbie, to see Grand Slam this weekend, after she saw and disliked Fille last weekend, since they're basically polar opposites. It will be interesting to hear her take on it.

--Andre

Azlan · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:30 pm

Andre, she's not your sister if she doesn't post her impressions in this forum.

Azlan · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:51 pm

There's no so-called second cast at Boston Ballet -- both opening night and second night casts are equally good -- slightly different but both good.

Also I ran into fellow SF Bay Arean Val Caniparoli who reminded me that at least one ballet outside the Balanchine rep has been performed more by American ballet companies: Paul Taylor's "Company B." Even if so, his "Lambarena" is good company then. It is by several accounts a light "fluffy" piece and perhaps even controversial in its interpretation of African dance but it is a feel good piece and a great program closer -- the two women next to me exclaimed at the end, "That was lovely!" In the lobby later, a couple headed straight to the boutique asking for a CD of the African-infused Bach score. Not bad to get the "civilians" to return.

Now if we can get Tamara, Alissa, David and Southard to post... C'mon, folks! :wink:

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1845

The second part of Jeffrey Gantz' article in the Boston Phoenix discusses the "Grand Slam" program: Visiting and home teams swing for the fences


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Boston Ballet, Early Spring 2006

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