selene

For those who attended the show with Lukas Braendsrod's debut as the Sugar Plum Prince, how was he? He strikes me as a wonderfully charismatic dancer on the rise, and curious how the performance went.

I've only seen Ryoichi and Sarah dance Diamonds together in the special performance during Covid lockdown, and I thought they were beautifully matched in elegance and technique. But that's the beauty of appreciating the performing arts, everyone has a different interpretation and all are equally valid. For what it's worth, Sarah did an interview with the Ballet Association back in 2018 where she spoke highly of Steve McRae and Ryoichi's partnering skills.

Thanks for sharing, Rob. Having trained as an actor and not a dancer, I very much enjoyed seeing their process working with a choreographer and director. I'm intrigued by what we've seen so far. This seems to play to Francesca's and Alexander's strengths as naturalistic performers. If I lived in London, I would book to see in a heartbeat! Maybe they'll tour this in New York if it's a success.

Hello everyone! Longtime lurker but first time poster here. I started my ballet appreciation journey with the RB when I lived in London, and despite having lived in New York for a long time now still very much admire the Royal and wish they would tour here more. Which is why I was thrilled when I heard that ABT would be bringing this work state side! I saw Mon night's cast with Skylar Brand and Carlos Gonzalez in their debuts, and they absolutely blew it out of the park. Their dancing was beautiful, but I don't think this piece could work without good chemistry between the leads or solid acting chops, which they both had in spades. What I loved Skylar was a tremendous, feisty and sympathetic Tita. I did not care for some aspects of Wheeldon's choreography like the ugly flexed feet, but Skylar made it seem smooth and seamless. Fantastic debut from Carlos! Beautiful lyrical dancing, soft landings and a lot of charisma. The character of Pedro can be frustrating and unsympathetic but Carlos infused his interpretation with romantic longing and warmth. Some of the early pas de deux partnering was a little hesitant, but a solid debut from Carlos who kept getting better as the night went on, I hope he gets a promotion and continues to get bigger roles at the Met. Jarod Curley (John Brown) was another corp dancer that had a great debut. He brought tenderness and character to what can be a two dimensional role, and stood out for me. Very solid partnering work. Elegant and lyrical dancing. Another one I hope will get bigger roles with ABT. Zhong Jing Fang (Mama Elena) brought pathos and heartbreak to her role, never reducing her to caricature. She was the best dancer actor on stage, in my opinion. Sets/lighting/projection design was very well done. The set changes and lighting helped to move the story along and I thought it brought out the magical realism tone of the book. Pacing was brisk, nothing felt like it was dwelt on for too long. Mixed feelings The choreography worked for me at points...I thought they used mime very effectively for story telling. Some of the pas de deux were beautiful. But the main Tita/Pedro pas de deux looked...clunky, and it did seemed to my non-expert eye that all the awkward lifts and throws were just clunky. Absolutely hate the flexed feet. Story telling was clear to me, but I am also familiar with the book and story. I liked certain motifs that Wheeldon used to communicate, like the ribbons for engagement/marriage. I'm afraid the people sitting around me got quite lost at points with the story, resulting in chatter and questions during the performance. Didn't work for me Betsy McBride and Zimmi Coker (Rosaura and Gertrudis) were capable dancers, but their acting was quite flat. I never got a sense of pathos from Rosaura, or saw her connection with Mama Elena. Zimmi was decent but her Gertrudis lacked charisma and a firecracker energy. I found myself wishing that ABT had the same depth of dancer/actor talent that the RB has. Dramaturgically I wish we saw more of a love story between Pedro and Tita. We see a brief glimpse of them growing up together, and then it's all separation and sensual pas de deux. It was more lust denied than star crossed love, although Skylar and Carlos infused their dancing with tenderness. Mon night saw a rapturous audience. People were on their feet applauding as soon as the curtains fell, and there was a long standing ovation. I heard snippets that said the production was thrilling, that they wanted to see it again, and an appreciation for something new and fresh. I certainly hope to see this programming at the Met again!