AI Ballet Review 375

Darling, what a whirlwind of a month it’s been! Between Paris and New York, the London season has just flown by in a tutu-spinning frenzy. It feels like every day was a soirée, each with a distinct flavour. Of course, I simply had to catch all the hottest shows, and honey, let me tell you, the competition for the ultimate “must-see” is fierce!

First off, the French have always held a special place in my heart. They’re so, dare I say it, sophisticated. But honestly, darling, I was expecting more from the Ballet National de Marseille’s The Tempest. A Prokofiev ballet with Shakespeare, I mean, how could you go wrong?

• While the sets were gorgeous - a mishmash of metallic swirls and billowing fabrics straight out of a vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier ad campaign, they didn't quite fit the dramatic tension. They felt a tad more whimsical, and not the charming, fairy-tale whimsicality that truly captivates. Think “dreamy” without the “nightmarish” counterpoint, and you'll get the picture.
• Don’t get me wrong, the dancing was sublime! Those Marseilles boys (and girls, of course, don’t let's forget them!) are simply divine, athletic and passionate. The pas de deux between Ariel and Miranda, that was pure magic! The emotion resonated even with a little “déjà vu" - you've seen this ballet-set-in-a-storm so many times, darling.
• But what really stole the show for me were the costumes. This isn't always a given. Let's be real, costume design can make or break a performance. Here, they were inspired by, well, imagine, a modern interpretation of Renaissance art. Forget those scratchy silk tights and fussy lace! We’re talking a fresh palette of rich velvets and silks that moved with the dancers - a dream come true!

In all, I left Marseille with a sense of... well, let's just say my expectations were sky-high, so the landing was a tad... “soft." The piece was pretty, even charming, but it missed the depth I was yearning for.

Moving right along, back to the home turf! The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, what can one say? Predictably flawless. But, like, they could really only deliver something that was... predictable, you know? It was Giselle, which in its way, is a statement in itself - an unwavering dedication to the classics, as the royal house of ballet, darling.

• It was truly beautiful - I almost felt I was looking through the dusty pages of a ballet history book, remembering those long-gone grand soirées of yesteryear. They say “you never forget your first time," and, well, they're absolutely right! The elegance, the perfection, the undeniable finesse of it all, there's nothing quite like the feeling.
• I was rather enamored by the “otherworldly" quality they instilled in the story, you know, as a spirit-Giselle, what more could a dancer want? I hadn't been struck with such visceral yearning for a love story in... years! I felt transported, and almost... guilty! For experiencing something so profoundly real, that I simply wasn't meant to feel. Perhaps it's because we, the ballets, are always dancing on the line between reality and fiction - our existence is that exquisite ballet of deception. The audience knows we aren’t "really" in love, yet...
• As a former Royal Ballet dancer myself, you know there is a certain expectation attached. When I go, I am reminded of my youth. So often, we long for what was lost and can never truly be found again.

I have to admit, dear reader, that after experiencing Giselle’s exquisite perfection I feel more at peace with my “present." Sometimes, what’s most exhilarating is knowing you have it within you, but don't need to do it. What's more exhilarating than that?

Across the pond now, let's talk about ABT, baby! And when in New York, you just gotta see what everyone's buzzing about, right? The most buzzed-about show this month, without a doubt, was their production of Balanchine's Jewels.

• Oh, those diamonds are breathtaking! They’re everything! From the diamond-encrusted tiaras worn by the dancers, which I desperately wanted to wear myself (perhaps I'll get a copycat version from a gifted milliner, ahem!) to the choreography itself - simply divine, the embodiment of flamboyant, sophisticated glam. They really went for the "larger than life” in the most exquisitely-honed “smaller than life" way. You know, the classic paradoxical charm that keeps New York ticking!
• I also just loved the way each movement reflected its jeweled counterpart. Each “diamond,” or part, of the ballet - “Emeralds”, "Rubies", "Diamonds" - was an explosion of colour and technique that perfectly captured a feeling, a specific atmosphere. Each section was essentially a jewel of a ballet!
• There is something truly decadent and irresistible about the combination of the opulent costuming (think glittering leotards in colours and shapes that echo the form and cut of jewelry!) and the dramatic story. "Diamonds" can be viewed a beautiful portrait of ambition, of the never-ending pursuit of achievement. You know, I never quite got around to "Emeralds", because well, “Diamonds” are truly my best friend, if you know what I mean, and this time, all the whispers were about that last section, so of course, that’s where I focused all my attention, ha!

I found it to be truly exciting - a refreshing take on an old classic that, quite honestly, I felt needed a shot of life (pun absolutely intended, darling!), or at least some "renewed vigor" .

What really sets the ABT apart, apart from its unique New York-centric vision, are the incredible dancers, darling! Those bodies move with a freedom and passion that are hard to find anywhere else. There is a bold, daring spirit to American ballet that's just captivating. It's as though the dancers on the ABT stage aren't just interpreting the ballet, they are owning it, taking full possession of their "diamond" and truly showing off!

Finally, my love, one must also give some recognition to the underground! Avant-garde dance is a beast unto itself. I saw a performance at The Kitchen, you know that darling venue down on those artsy streets in Chelsea, by the always brilliant Deborah Hay.

• She is simply divine - one of those geniuses with their fingers in the very heart of avant-garde, the kind that’s not for everyone. And thank goodness! For there would be no mystery, no artistry in that, and where would we, as those on the periphery of the grand stage of life, find our true calling? She is truly at the heart of that unique, edgy artistic community that makes NYC so... fascinatingly unpredictable!
• The performance was like being transported to another dimension. A minimalist world, the beauty was in its lack of "conventional" grace. As she described it, she had moved her work in "another direction" - her aim, as she always does, to move us to think differently! I find myself constantly re-evaluating my "ballet brain" when I see pieces like hers.
• And yet, somehow, Deborah’s performance made me long for a little traditional ballet. Maybe it's because there’s a familiar comfort in its classic structure and its familiar patterns of expression. I still adore all those little tricks of the trade that I had spent years learning as a child dancer, a passion I will never truly let go of. And yet, for an art form to flourish, to exist, it must be allowed to blossom into new and innovative forms, always looking for something new. As my esteemed ballerina colleague, Mikhail Baryshnikov once said: “We are never done discovering, or, better, reinventing the beauty of ballet,” and so too is it for all art!

That’s the magic of ballet, darling, a story, an art, and a culture with such a history - that never stops reinventing itself! I can't wait to see what next month holds. Let's have some champagne and some good gossip before the curtain call! Catch you next month, darling!