Happy Birthday x Three
"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
June 3, 2010
American Ballet Theatre celebrated Alicia Alonso's ninetieth birthday with a production of "Don Quixote" with different casts in each act. There was a strong Latin tinge, with the guest Natalia Osipova for spice. The evening opened with a short film of Alonso, including a wonderful bit of her in the old TV series "This is Your Life", looking radiant. The packed audience applauded wildly as Igor Youskevich appeared in grainy black and white--they knew their history. The audience also appreciated the clip of her second act "Giselle", with its delicate and astounding footwork. Then a gracious Kevin McKenzie introduced her, and the audience got to applaud her in person. Applause, in fact, was the leit-motif of the evening, as the audience settled in for some high-class entertainment. The first act featured Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes. Herrera was completely captivating as the spunky heroine; she combined a natural and unforced charm with brilliant dancing that stayed just this side of the top, with long, but not to long balances, and whiplash turns. Gomes, too, was simply wonderful as Basilio, with a cheeky wit. He had great fun with the little formal dance that the Don (Vitali Krauchenka, moving with a creaky grace) danced with Kitri, making gentle fun of the old-fashioned moves.
The supporting roles, which give the old warhorse of a ballet such variety, were equally well-played. Julio Bragado-Young approached Gamache as a nouveau-riche would-be gallant, trying very hard to be irresistable, but always failing. He was a harmless ninny with perfect timing. Lorenzo, Kitri's father, was Isaac Stappas, exasperated, but not cruel, proving the gentle little moral of this story that love is stronger than riches.
There were riches, though, in Veronika Part's Queen of the Dryads, which dominated the second act. Though this vision scene doesn't have the metaphorical significance of some of Petipa's others, its delicate variety is hypnotic. Sarah Lane was a limpid Cupid, skimming through the choreography, which, with its elegant and ever-changing shapes, avoids coyness. Xiomara Reyes was the Kitri in this act and danced with gentle power and genuine warmth. Herman Cornejo, whose jumps have more hang time that seems humanly possible, was her Basilio. They seemed right at home with the gypsies, though the choreography makes it look as if they had actually stumbled into a group of dancers at Spartacus camp. Daniil Simkin, as their leader, made the most of his "my chest is bare, my nostrils flare" scene. Cornejo and Reyes had great fun in the mock suicide scene, with Reyes going from real fear to triumph--she is a clear and intelligent actress and has a true gift for making the audience feel with her.
Osipova and Jose Manuel Carreño got the show-stopping pas de deux in the last act. Osipova is a technical marvel, with fast, furious, and thrilling fouettes, and Carreño, always a gracious and sympathetic partner, still has incredible control, and his trademark "I turn fast and then I slow down" moves were spot on. It may be because Osipova is a guest, but she seemed to have little relation to anyone else on the stage, with barely a smile for Carreno; their pas de deux was no love story. But the audience did have one with Alonso, and it was an unforgettable evening.
copyright © 2010 by Mary Cargill
