ABT 2014 - Deux Fois Giselle

Yes, I've been playing with Google Translate again.  I just wanted to have a different way of saying I saw Giselle twice this week.  :)  I know I sound like a broken record, but I did enjoy both performances very much...

I know I've also said a number of times that Giselle is one of my favorites - it's just old school beautiful ballet, with gorgeous positions, iconic choreography and lush music.  And, you know, when there's a scene with men-hating women forcing a guy to dance himself to death, hello.  My wheelhouse.  Kidding.  Sort of.

My regular subscription ticket was for two of my favorites, Polina Semionova and David Hallberg.  But when the possibility of winning tickets to see my favorite favorite, Julie Kent, dance it, I pounced.  I'm so lucky I won!  So I got to see two completely different, yet thoroughly lovely, versions of Giselle!  If I preferred one over the other, ok...

Tuesday night was Polina Semionova's ABT debut as Giselle and she did not disappoint.  That glorious back, and those superlong legs, were utilized to their fullest, especially in the lovely second act.  Her Act One Giselle is one of the sunniest, open-hearted people I've ever seen onstage.  It was as if she was lit from within and just had to dance her joy of life.  It was so pure and so lovely.  Her awakening love for Albrecht was very touching, and of course her dancing with David Hallberg as Albrecht was so stunning to look at.  They both have such long limbs and classic lines, it's almost like watching a textbook come to life.

Having said all that, I did find their acting a little dramatically inert.  Their dancing was glorious, truly, but it was a bit surface-y and didn't provide me the catharsis and angst I'm generally enjoying about Giselle.  Don't get me wrong, they were stunning in their dancing, but they didn't break my heart with their characters.  




photo credit: Gene Schiavone

The corps de ballet ladies dancing as the Wilis in the second act were superb, as was Veronika Part as their leader - she was forceful and magnetic, and her subtext was crystal clear throughout her dancing.  Melanie Hamrick and Stephanie Williams were lovely as her assistants.  Thomas Forster, who is a real find for me this season, was fantastic as Hilarion, the rival for Giselle's affections.  He acted the role beautifully - I saw the moment where he realized Albrecht was more than he appeared to be, and his dance to the death was thrilling.  Strong and powerful, yet still scared and looking for a reprieve.  I'm really looking forward to what he brings us next.  

Last night, with Julie Kent and Roberto Bolle, I had the emotionally satisfying experience I was looking for.  There was crying, which is always a good thing, in my opinion.  Julie's acting, which has always been good, is even deeper now, probably to compensate for her losses in technique.  Every move has a purpose and serves the character and the ballet, which is just beautiful to see.  If her dancing, from a technical standpoint, was not as superior as Semionova's, that was ok to me because her connection to her character and to her partner was sublime.

She began miming feeling her heart a little earlier than other Giselles, which was interesting.  You could've put it to the fact that this Albrecht is so stunningly gorgeous, he just makes a girl's heart race.  But then when she began to feel faint during dances, it got progressively bigger, which made her death at the end of the act that much more believeable.  And her mad scene was just heartbreaking.  I got my binoculars out, and when she turned around after learning of Albrecht's betrayal, the look of devastation on her face was so deeply tragic, it was my first cry of the night.  Just really really gorgeous.

And then, in the second act, I swear, it's like she's air.  She so embodies this spirit character, who has some of the quiet joy of the live girl in the first act, yet is still moving towards the eternity of spiritdom.  The way Bolle partners her, it's as if she's weightless, and their rapport is so palpable.  You can see him feel her and her love all around him.  Again, just lovely.  I know I won't be seeing Julie dance forever, so I'm savoring every exquisite moment as they happen.

Roberto Bolle, who IS stunningly gorgeous, there's just no way around it, danced superbly as well.  He's an attentive partner, but he also moves so smoothly and lightly in his solo work.  His extension, though perhaps less 'classic' than Hallberg's, is still spectacular and he was beyond brilliant in his dancing-to-the-almost-death solo.  Very chilling.  And, again, his chemistry with Julie is just so electric.

The ladies dancing the Wilis were again superb, and Stella Abrera as their leader, Myrta, was stellar.  I'd seen her dance Myrta before and found her characterization a little underwhelming, but she was commanding and fierce last night.  Loved her.  Another of my new favorites, Joseph Gorak, was paired with Sarah Lane for the peasant pas de deux and it was terrific.  He had a tiny bobble in one variation, but it didn't lessen his impact.  He just was so charming and light as air.  I'm such a fan of his already, plus he connected to all the other characters on stage - he really just lights up the stage.  Sarah Lane was simply inspired - one of her holds en pointe was so long, it was magic.  They just really dance well together.  I'd love to see them dance Giselle and Albrecht together one day.

So, as the ballet season hurtles towards the end (I have two tickets left), I'm feeling  grateful for all the wonderful dancing I've been able to see this summer.  Let's keep it going, ABT!

(oh, sorry that my photos are rather terrible, my seat neighbors were uncooperative, plus I can never get good photos with all those white costumes and bright light.  And some of the photos I got from the internet had no photo credit, so my standard disclaimer applies...)