ABT 2014 - Cinderella

 

I can't believe ballet season is more than half over already!  Time just goes too quickly, gosh darn it.  But I'm determined to savor each evening as completely as I can.  Last night's delight, Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, was certainly worth savoring. 

I've not seen a ballet of Cinderella before (at least I don't think I have) and ABT hasn't done Ashton's version before.  So this is a premiere of sorts, although the ballet has been around since 1948.  I don't know why I had it in my head that it had music by Tchaikovsky, but as soon as I heard the overture I thought, wait, that sounds like Prokofiev!  I guess I've been going to ballet long enough to tell the difference.  :)

My favorite ballerina, Julie Kent, danced Cinderella, and she was partnered by Mr. Perfection, Marcelo Gomes.  I'm telling you, in the dictionary, next to Prince Charming, is a photo of Marcelo Gomes.  He is just the epitome of class, grace and wonderful partnering rapport.  These two dancers did not disappoint. 

Julie begins as the sad girl by the fire, completely overshadowed by her stepsisters (this version of the story does not have a wicked stepmother).  As is tradition, the stepsisters are played by men - I had never seen either of these two gents before, Kenneth Easter and Thomas Forster, but I thought they were terrific.  They caught the humor beautifully, yet they also persuaded as women, instead of men pretending to be women.  Each of them brought a unique personality to their character and they danced with a lot of brio.

Stella Abrera was a gorgeous Fairy Godmother, very crystalline in her footwork.  The four fairies - Sarah Lane, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland and especially April Giangeruso - were also lovely, gliding across the floor with their variations.  Tangientally, I never noticed how deep the stage at the Met is before!  Each fairy was behind a scrim, which rose to present them.  Each scrim was behind the other, so four scrims seemed like a lot of territory to cover!  Anyway, moving on... 

On the whole, the ballet is quite lovely and gentle, with some beautiful pas de deux for Cinderella and her handsome prince, plus some idiosyncratic choreography for the dancers in the corps de ballet.  The ladies dancing in the Stars variations were especially terrific and really tackled that movement that produces such odd and compelling shapes.  Julie was amazing in her entrance into the ballroom - I've read this entrance is very famous because she goes down two staircases en pointe while gazing straight ahead.  It was quite beautifully stiking, not only in that beautiful footwork, but also her glow at being at the ball, and the gorgeous cape she was costumed in.  It was a marvelous effect.  As always, Julie was just elegance personified, so smooth and non-showy.  And she and Marcelo have a beautiful rapport; I think Julie had a bit of a bobble in the final pas de deux (I was using my binoculars for a moment) and she just looked into Marcelo's eyes and he ever so gently moved his hands to get her back on the right track.  Even if the steps were a bobble, the moment was lovely.  At least in my opinion.  I'm tearing up a little thinking of it now.  Such trust and beauty is to be commended.  And then at the end, their walking into the stars and falling glitter--it was magical.  I actually got a relatively good photo for once, since the curtain went back up on that final pose for us.  You know, sometimes, Julie and Marcelo's acting was so good, I forgot to watch the other dancing going on.  That just makes a repeat visit more likely.

I would love to see Cinderella again; I just found it sweet and charming and a nice respite from the anguishy, goopy, wonderfully sadly romantic other ballets coming up - I mean, I have Giselle and Swan Lake coming up.  Sob city.  I will be a watery mess, so it was nice to just mist a little.  Your mileage, of course, may vary.  The three ladies next to me left before the end (their loss) and I couldn't get any good second curtain call shots because the people in front of me just stood up to leave but wouldn't move.  Ugh.  But I wouldn't let them yuck my yum, dagnabbit.  I'll just hold on to my happy ballet feelings throughout the rest of the season, but oh if it would only go on for a longer time...