Balanchine always claimed that New York City Ballet's Coppƒlia, which he and Alexandra Danilova staged in 1974, was based on memories of the Marius Petipa production of their youth. He also claimed that "authenticity" was never in the exact sequence of steps but rather in the spirit and style. We can be certain of the retentive memories possessed by Balanchine and Danilova, both of whom stemmed from the Russian Imperial Ballet School. Our one quibble concerns the papier m‰chƒ appearance of the scenery by the late Rouben Ter-Arutunian.
When you see the glorious dancing by principals Nichol Hlinka as Swanilda/Coppƒlia and Damian Woetzel as Frantz, and the pellucid mime by Robert LaFosse as Dr. Coppƒlius, any objections are obliterated. All three gave performances on May 26 that were simply sensational.
No one has to be apprised at this stage that Hlinka and Woetzel are two of NYC Ballet's sparkling stellars. They seemed to outdo themselves on this occasion. We tend to take for granted that both are technically brilliant. What truly amazed me was their handling of the mime sequences.
We were particularly tickled by Woetzel's miming that he has fallen in love with Coppƒlia, unaware that she is a life-size doll. The deluded lad then points to Swanilda's house and indicates that he also loves her. His mime here tended to remind us of a lyric from the musical Finian's Rainbow: "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love, I Love the Girl I'm Near." That Woetzel is also one of the company's top-rated danseurs is no secret.
There have been many great Swanildas in our era, among them Slavenska, Alonso, Tcherkassky, Pat McBride, and of course, Danilova. Nichol Hlinka's performance could match anyone within memory. She, too, has a great sense of fun in addition to her technical prowess and distinctive mime.
The most amazing performance was that of Robert LaFosse as Dr. Coppƒlius. Appearing as a cantankerous, doddering old man was quite a change for LaFosse, the young hero of Robbins' West Side Story ballet. He carried off the role with utmost facility.
Balanchine had provided entirely new choreography for Act III--the wedding celebration. Among the soloists Stacey Calvert as Dawn, Diana White as Prayer, Kathleen Tracey as Spinner were exceptionally sensitive performers. The pas de deux and solos by Hlinka and Woetzel can only be described as blockbusters.
Never Say Ultimate!
Ever since seeing Alessandra Ferri and Julio Bocca in American Ballet Theatre's production of Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, I have believed they were the greatest interpreters of the roles I had ever seen. But on May 22 when Nina Ananiashvili and Jeremy Collins appeared in the ballet, I was compelled to modify that opinion. They may not have brought to their roles the intense passion displayed by Ferri and Bocca; still, their interpretations were on a high plane of their own, strongly individual and unforgettable.
Whether with pointes planted firmly, or briskly bourrƒeing across the stage, Ananiashvili possessed the ethereal quality that compels you to believe she is about to take off into the air or vanish before your eyes. Combined with her richly detailed attention to every dramatic detail, the results were a quite incomparable Juliet.
Jeremy Collins' Romeo takes in all the qualities that make up the role--impetuous youth, mischief-maker, practical joker--all of which change drastically with his first sighting of Juliet. We may have seen more passionate Romeos in our time, but Collins performed with an endearing tenderness that was altogether winning.
Keith Roberts was the chronically teasing Mercutio, who can't believe that his life is about to come to an end when Tybalt puts his sword through him. Roberts' continuous clowning, combined with his reluctance to die, was set in a firmly individual mold.
Ethan Brown as the mean-spirited Tybalt, who is chronically avid for swordplay, gave one of the most stirring performances. His malevolence, never overdone, was all the more forceful.
Angel Corella, the boy who can spin endlessly in a pirouette on the base of one preparation, scored mightily in the mandolin dance.
Scoring in richly detailed characterizations were Kathleen Moore as the Nurse, Michael Owen as Lord Capulet, Valentina Scala as Lady Capulet, Victor Barbee in dual roles--that of Lord Montague and Friar Laurence--Lucette Katerndahl as Rosaline, and Charles Askegard as Paris.
Pervasive is the sense of wonderment at the late Kenneth MacMillan's ability to handle crowd scenes in which everyone is active while never obliterating the central characters.
MacMillan was assisted in the original staging of the production for ABT by choreologist Monica Parker. The ballet was first performed by The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in 1965 and entered ABT's repertoire in 1985.
High Flying
Looking for something unique? Fly-By-Night Dance Theater offers an evening of trapeze dance and live music at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, June 26-28.
The program includes "What Goes Up," a 20-minute ensemble trapeze dance that explores gravity with dancers suspended, soaring, leaping, and dropping through vertical space. Marija Strokes will accompany the dancers with Bach's "Sixth Partita for Piano."
Fly-By-Night Dance Theater is a performing and teaching group of four dancers who began working together in 1990 under the artistic direction of Julie Ludwick. After creating a wide variety of modern dance pieces, the company now works solely on trapeze dance. The dancers are Janet Aisawa, Kathleen Cruz, Suzanne Jordan, and Julie Ludwick. General admission June 27-28: $10; students/seniors, $8; children free when accompanied by an adult. Admission for the benefit/opening night: $25. Information/reservations: (718) 624-6166.
Anita Feldman:
On Stage and in Print
Anita Feldman Tap brings a New York premiere and repertory favorites to the stage of Dance Theater Workshop's Bessie Schonberg Theater, June 19-22, at 8 pm.
Feldman has just completed a book titled Inside Tap, published by Princeton Book Company and cur-
rently available at bookstores around the country.
Site: 219 W. 19th St., NYC. Tickets: $12 or TDF vouchers (TDF voucher plus $6 on Fri. and Sat.); children under 12 and students, $6; senior citizens, $8. Tickets/information: (212) 924-0077.