Young Love

"Giselle"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 10, 2008

by Mary Cargill
copyright 2008 by Mary Cargill

Herman Cornejo made his official debut as Count Albrecht on Thursday night, though David Hallberg's injury meant that it was actually his second performance.  Cornejo is one of ABT's best technicians, but his comparatively slight physique has so far put him in the peasant pas de duex type roles, and he hasn't had much chance to develop a commanding stage presence.  In addition, several of ABT's reworkings of 19th century ballets have substituted the poetic nobility of the ballet prince for acrobatic skills, and so the ability to dominate a stage and create a mood in a few concise gestures has been given short shrift.  "Giselle", though, has been generally spared these "improvements", and Albrecht does have to dominate the stage with his personality and not his jumps, especially in the first act.  

So far, Cornejo has not completely developed an ability to command.  His Albrecht was lightly sketched, a nice boy with little depth.  The emotions were shown, but not conveyed.  Of course, this is much better than overacting, and this more abstract, stylized approach has its own beauty, since the choreography and the structure of the ballet are so strong. Cornejo's dancing, of course, was superb, but seemed divorced from emotional context.  His big solo in the second act had the audience gasping and almost laughing at his extravagant cabrioles, but it was clearly Cornejo they were applauding, and Albrecht barely got an edge in. 

Xiomara Reyes was his Giselle.  She is a fine and nuanced actress, and her performance was full of wonderful little touches.  I loved the say she so deliberately chose the daisy, looking them over carefully.  Her mad scene was so well done, ranging from a shocked stillness to frenzied desperation.  Her second act also, was very well danced.  She didn't overdo the stylistic mannerisms that a romantic with a capital R role can call forth; there was no fake moss dripping from her wafting arms.  But she had a floating, ethereal quality that makes Giselle's "is she there or is she not" appearances so mysterious.

The various supporting roles varied in quality.  Isaac Stappas was a sympathetic Hilarion, who made it clear that he thought the truth would win him his Giselle.  Michelle Wiles was a somewhat hearty Myrta, who alternated beautifully phrased dancing with jerky jumps.  But she, like Cornejo, wasn't really able to inhabit the role, and the mysterious danger of the original myth couldn't make it past the fourth wall.  Maria Riccetto, as Moyna, was light and flowing, and Zhong-Jing Fang as Zulma was that and more; she made a sad little drama out of her intriguingly phrased solo.  Fang is a dancer who was born to wear tulle and to have wings instead of arms.

Copyright 2008 by Mary Cargill