The two years of the canceled season should have been enough time to make a comeback plan. So why did the American Ballet Theater return to the Metropolitan Opera on Monday with little imagination? To commemorate the first opening night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2019, the company has wiped a spider web from a war horse. Three-act ballet “Don Quixote”. However, dust still remained.
Even more intriguing than presenting this unfriendly comic ballet, which is loved primarily by its brave power, was the way the ballet theater sprinkled spider webs from something else, gimmick casting.
Production’s young lovers Kitri and Basilio, as well as street dancer Mercedes and bullfighter Espada, were danced by different couples in their respective performances. (There are also three conductors, one for each act.) The Ballet Theater has previously tried multiple casts at Don Quixote. It’s never been so unstable, accidental, and barely visible.
For dancers, jumping into and out of a role can be a daunting task. There is no time to develop the nuances and mood of the character. It’s the difference between acting and playing, which makes me believe. In story ballet, even a little like “Don Quixote”, this confused casting depletes dance drama and drama dance. The tone, temperament, and technical expression were constantly changing. During the night, the ballet itself felt more and more fixed like an accessory.
Gala’s performance was delayed by 20 minutes in a speech paying homage to councilor Susan Farres Hill and artistic director Kevin McKenzie as the company ran through dancers (Erica Lal and Skylar Brandt). There was no. , Those who retire after the season).
“You see the world as it is, not as it is,” Fareshill said of Mackenzie. “Some of us call this madness, and many of us call it vision.”
Vision is not the word I use to describe the direction of the ballet theater in recent years. The company often appeared to be out of touch, except for the contributions of the company’s artist Alexei Ratmansky during his stay. The vision behind this “Don Quixote” may be related to solving math problems. Can the company squeeze the number of dancers promoted during the September 2020 pandemic on stage?
All but one. On Monday we saw Calvin Royal III (Espada, Act 2). Joo Won Ahn (Basilio, Act 2); Alan Bell (Basilio, Act 1); Thomas Forster (Espada, Act 1); Cassandra Trenary (Mercedes, Act 3). Her Espada was Gabe Stone Shayer, who was promoted to soloist in the same promotional block. The last promoted dancer, Brandt, did not play until Tuesday. Kitri spent the night alone, opposite veteran Herman Cornejo.
Her cheerful and cheerful presence throughout the ballet was a relief. With staging by Mackenzie and her company legisator Susan Jones, the production focuses on the energetic Kitri.
On Monday, as the first act of Kitri, soloist Catherine Harlin stood out for her powerful jumps and speed, as well as her disarmament personality. A sultry and sweet expression. Harlin, who will dance all three acts with Anne on Wednesday night, uses every part of the stage as her canvas. She is a sacred and fun game.
Seo Hee brought the loveliness of her delicate brand in the vision scene of Act 2, but that’s a dream, isn’t it?Was there always lighting for that? this dark? Other vibrant performances came from unexpected places. Like Amur, Rhea Fly Toe fluttered across the stage with his fluttering feet, like a broken pearl thread. Her balance was light and weak. And the quiet and smooth Chloe Micheldin, who stood out in Lauren Lovette’s “La Folia Variations” last fall, continued to attract attention as one of the flower girls on Monday.
In the wedding scene, Christine Shevchenko easily overcame Kitri’s technical demands with a cheerful feeling. At least when she was forced to do so alone.She wasn’t very safe when she became her partner Daniel Camargo, Brazilian guest artist of the season. His appearance as Basilio was a recent change in the cast. Perhaps they needed more rehearsal time. But on a supported turn, he slowed Shevchenko. Because of his all-welcomed boldness and enthusiasm, his takeoff and landing created some graceful moments: sometimes he threw himself into the air without really knowing how he would get off. It looked like it was.
But where do men land? Met engagement is a transitional season, especially for new principal men in the company. Monday’s stage presence was foggy, heightened by the flashiness of the story ballet “Don Quixote”, who needed to be a character. Bell is the most natural (and merciful, he is tall), especially for Harlin. Currently, there is a shortage of more established men. James Whiteside is injured and out. It leaves Cory Stearns with an impressive partner and strength. Daniil Simkin returns to work as a guest artist. And, as Basilio testified on the other side of Brandt, veteran Cornejo, who still has a moment of glare and stylish vibrancy, has been with the company for over 20 years.
Brandt’s Kitri on Tuesday showed something that fellow Kitris couldn’t achieve on Monday. It’s a perfect arc where she can show off comic timing. It helps her to make her saucer eyes stand still like a doll and then suddenly roll them boringly like a teenager on the subway. She’s small, but her dance is so fleshy that she’s not exactly petite. Brant not only keeps the shape vibrant, but also has the fluidity to expand the shape and show tricks without comment, sliding from one step to the next.
Her kitri has the potential to grow, but there is no doubt that she already lives in the character. Imagine that the moment she jumps off the stage and jumps into her wings, she continues to dive into the unknown, whether or not someone is watching.
The ballet theater has also jumped into the unknown and is demonstrating new leadership. The company’s next artistic director is Susan Jaffy, the company’s former principal. She has a lot of work in front of her, but it changes, Any It’s changed and I’ve been feeling a long delay. In a speech on Monday, honored Mackenzie talked about the cyclical period of ballet theater history. Now he says the company is “on the brink of a new era and knows what will happen when ABT enters the new era. It will skyrocket.”
It starts with wiping off the dust.
“Don Quixote”
Until Saturday at the Metropolitan Opera House abt.org.