Now for the fun stuff!!! I'll start off with a video which I have already posted before, but I love it so much I'll post it again! It's 17 year old Natalia Osipova performing the variation from La Esmeralda.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV0jT1Do6NQ
Also, those of you who went to Don Quixote with me last week know that my friend was there writing a review for the teen tix blog. I'll post the link to it here.
http://teentix.blogspot.com/2012/02/only-word-is-wow.html
Now, for my own review of Alexei Ratmansky's Don Quixote, performed by the dancers of PNB.
I will confess, Don Quixote was one of the only ballets I hadn't seen start to finish. Needless to say, I was very excited when we drove up to the theater. I started off sitting in the balcony with my friend (who I mentioned earlier, the reviewer for teen tix). We were both disappointed, seeing we were reviewers and we thought we were going to get better seats. Then, right before the curtain was going to go up, someone came up to us and gave us new tickets which were in the Orchestra level. While we were excited, he said that we could not go down into our new seats until after intermission, seeing that the show was about ready to start. I was slightly disappointed, but still happy to be seeing the show.
Act I
When the curtain rose, I knew I was in for a real treat...I could already see the sets and costumes were fabulous. Tom Skerritt was fabulous in the role of Don Quixote, and his squire Sancho Panza, played by Allen Galli, was also quite funny.
Carla Korbes and Karel Cruz (my two favorite PNB principals) were dancing the roles of Kitri and Basilio. Another thing I noticed is that Ms. Korbes seems to have dyed her hair brown instead of her usual blonde. Whether it was just for the role or if its permanent will be determined at a later date. Either way, blonde or burnette, her dancing was still phenomenal. My highlight of Act I, Kitri's variation, was definitely done justice. Karel Cruz was also fabulous and fit the part of Basilio perfectly. While watching him dance, one cannot help but notice he has legs that go on forever!!!
Maria Chapman, also one of my favorite PNB principal dancers, danced the role of Mercedes. Not only do I want her feet, but her dancing was fantastic. Finally, to top it all off, the Toreo's cape work was quite good as well.
Act II
For Act II we got to move down to the Orchestra level! Yay! In the opening scene, Basilio and Kitri, having run away from Kitri's father, run into a group of traveling performers. When Kitri's father and her suitor Gamache come trying to find her, Kitri and Basilio hide in this little box together. Having met both Karel Cruz and Carla Korbes, I can say that both stand around the six foot mark. Needless to say, I have no idea how they fit those tall lanky people into that little box. Another highlight was the moon, which smiled and made faces. That sounds really weird and creepy, but it was actually awesome!
I mentioned earlier how I loved the set for this particular ballet, but my favorite was from the "dream scene" in Act II. The audience literally gasped when the curtain went up. It was the most beautiful set I have ever seen. The dancing was just as good as the set. I found myself liking Cupid's variation, performed by Rachel Foster, quite a bit. The acting done by Don Quixote in this act was very nice as well.
Act III
While I loved each act for its own individual traits, I will say Act III is the one I rave the most about. Act III contains the Grand Pas de Deux...and...a faked death scene. The "death scene" was quite funny, and I laughed through the whole thing. The acting done by Karel Cruz (the "dead" one) was very good and it just reminded me why I love to watch him perform so much. The Grand Pas de Deux was, of course, fabulous. The dancing and passion in it were unmatched. Carla Korbes' 32 fouette turns were amazing, and I loved the fan work she incorporated in it. The whole performance got a standing ovation. I left the performance feeling satisfied, as well as wanting to become a dancer that much more.
Speaking on Don Quixote, I have a few videos I would like to post in regards to this particular ballet. First, we have the Act I excerpts from PNB's performance. Followed by Svetlana Zakharova doing the Act I Kitri variation. And finally a discussion with Paloma Herrea about Don Quixote and being a dancer.
Act I Excerpts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPwyLay0duo&list=UUU5vi19eKPwC1DG6NgqGHEA&index=1&feature=plcp
Svetlana Zakharova: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59bVZvjt1NU
Paloma Herrea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9vc1xlAkPM&feature=related
I also have some more videos of principal dancer for ABT, Veronika Part. One is of her on the David Letterman show when she was first promoted to Principal, and the other is of her as a young girl dancing in St. Petersberg.
David Letterman show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mxoml6lOLc&feature=related
I also just found yet another video of someone performing La Esmeralda. This time it's ABT corps de ballet dancer Elina Miettinen as a young girl performing it.
Finally, I will conclude my 100th post with another Natalia Osipova video. It's her as a teenager again, this time doing the Le Corsaire Variation and Coda.
So that's pretty much it! I will try to post more and I cant wait to see you all at dance!!!
<3
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