Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon; Music: Franz Schubert "Death of a Maiden"

Dancers: Angel Corella, Johan Kobborg, Ethan Stiefel, Nikolay Tsiskaridze

Using as a template the famous classical "Pas de Quatre" created for four legendary ballerinas, the dancers appear together in complementary segments, and then alone, ending once again together in a classical tableau. The choreography itself is a work of art worthy of a long life and I hope it will enter the classical repertoire. The dancers were clothed simply in tank tops with slightly bloused trousers, muted colors, in front of a plain black and gray backdrop on a bare stage.

At one point each dancer sequentially crossed the stage in grand jetés and it was a study in how beautifully, but at the same time how differently, each dancer shaped the trajectory, the flight, of the jump. The entire piece was a rare chance to see differences between four superb classically trained bodies representing four major stylistic schools of the ballet. I can't think of another opportunity quite as unique as this to see how each body is individually organized and transmits energy. There was the joyous speed of Corella and the smooth easy cantilena of Tsiskaridze. Different emphasis in the port de bras: the softer wrists and Russian sweetness in the arms next to the more emphatic arms of Stiefel. Kobborg's flashing beats below and quiet center above.

Though this ballet deserves to enter the classic repertoire permanently, of course it needs four such stellar protagonists to bring it to fruition.

Act II: "The Lesson"

Choreography, Décor, Costumes: Flemming Flindt; Music: George Delerue

Dancers cast for February 17th: Johan Kobborg, Alina Cojocaru, Zenaida Yanowsky

Dancers cast for February 18th: Angel Corella, Alina Cojocaru, Zenaida Yanowsky

The set is a dingy ballet studio replete with distorted mirrors, old upright piano, barre and several battered chairs. It exudes the musk of age and of being a complete world all its own: insulated and isolated from the outside world, as many ballet studios come to be. From the first, Yanowsky, as the pianist, gives off a perfume of the not quite normal, an edge of cold paranoia; she sets the temperature of the work. Yanowsky was chilling. Whatever will happen, she's seen it before and is in fact an abettor in the drama.

At times the music and choreography seem to announce either a twisted parody or even a comedy on ballet lessons and it is only slowly that one realizes that "The Lesson" is a psychodrama of deviant obsession. Kobborg, as the teacher, takes us on a journey that begins when he enters the studio as a nerdy emotionally stunted man to a compulsive teacher, to a tyrant, and finally, a killer. Kobborg makes an art out of unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and rolling up his sleeves - his "real" work about to begin.

Cojocaru's expressive face is an asset as she acts out her delight in taking a ballet lesson and then her puzzlement as she is teased with the denial of pointe shoes. When she complains that her feet are in pain, she is instructed to continue dancing, pain is something to be sought or at the very most to be ignored. Unfortunately, so far this is sometimes all too true of the real world of ballet. Finally as she is physically abused her surprise prevents adequate resistance, but resistance would be useless in any case. When Kobborg locks the studio door, one's heart thumps a bit faster for the girl who came for a ballet lesson. Her vulnerability seems to excite his rage. There is no rescue from the goose-stepping pianist who helps the teacher remove the strangled body.

The February 18th performance with Corella was a treat. Watching this buoyant dancer change himself into a maniacally charged obsessive compulsive killer was a tutorial in emotional intensity. He clearly brought across the sexual component in the murder.

There was a slight change in choreography between the two performances. On February 17th at the end of the ballet the pianist "cleaned up" the studio by very deliberately up righting and carefully placing the two scattered chairs that the teacher had thrown about as his rage escalated. Sheet music had been flung on the floor, which she also gathered up. But in the performance on the 18th this was abbreviated to only straightening up one chair and the sheet music was left where it had been thrown. Why this change occurred is not obvious but the more thorough "cleaning up" had a profounder effect. It added to the horror as the next student rang the bell seeking admittance.

Part of the drama of this ballet is listening to the audience respond. It goes from laughter at some of the earlier action to silence as people slowly realize as the ballet progresses - this is no comedy.

This piece was a good choice to exhibit the dramatic range of the four male stars as they alternate in performing in this ballet. One regrets not attending all four performances for this reason alone.

Act Three:

Ethan Stiefel: "Wavemaker": Adams/Christe

Nikolay Tsiskaridze: "Solos from Carmen": Bizet/Petit

Johan Kobborg "Afternoon of a Faun"; Debussy/Rushton

Angel Corella: "We Got It Good"; Ellington, Strahorn/Welch

Each dancer chose a solo he wished to present and it was a window on what each enjoys doing. This was an opportunity for the dancer to step outside of a program structured by management and do what he loves to do and how he wishes to be seen.

Stiefel's choice was a modern work that was choreographed within the music. I didn't feel much contact with it as an observer but was nonetheless interested to see how a wonderful dancer moves in that context. The choreography spent much of the time facing away from the audience and for me this had an impact on the lack of connection.

Tsiskaridze's "Solos from Carmen" was beautifully danced, classically correct and with the arrogant elegance that befits a Spanish motif. From a bright red fan to simple costume change done on stage, we were taken from humor to pathos with aplomb. This is a dancer it is impossible to watch without admiring both his large sweep as he devours the stage while still giving his attention to the smallest detail. I always find myself smiling as I watch him.

Kobborg's "Faun" was a creature who filtered in from a steamy primordial botanical world to dance between and finally inside cones of errant sunlight. He tests and plays with the cones of light and they tempt and test him. This was a mesmerizing ballet done by a dancer with a depth of both technical and dramatic ability. He brought the faun to fleeting life from an intense dramatic core. His faun is a nether alien creature and yet somehow sympathetic - it was a superb example of the dancer's art. I was entirely captivated.

Angel Corella is built for speed. His turns from chainés to pirouettes were done as blindingly fast as a skater on ice. He brings energy and flair tossing off impossibilities with verve and zest. A fine finish to the toothsome foursome.

Finally, the dancers took their bows lined up across the stage as they had begun. As the audience caused the curtain to be opened again and again and then rose to its collective feet the house lights dimmed and the curtain opened yet again but this time to an empty stage. Music thundered on and each dancer flashed onto and across the stage giving us a final treat of the "tricks of the trade." They were even more appreciated because such "tricks" were not the meat of the evening but a delightful post-dessert dessert. The audience was in an uproar.

The program was extremely well thought out. What easily could have been a hodge-podge of endlessly - and therefore mindlessly - performed bag of "tricks" was instead a cogent entirety - a lesson in how to plan an evening of dance.

At breakfast in the hotel I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Johan Kobborg. To those uninvolved with the ballet one would never guess that this unassuming young man walking about the hotel was an artist at the top of his game - able to command a stage and bring an audience to its feet. What a delight he is.

Having read the critique in the Los Angeles Times, I have to say I can't disagree more with the reviewer. There is no accounting for taste and though I disagree I don't take his taste to task, but I do question his summation that this performance is not of historical importance.

The fact that four male dancers - ballet dancers - can fill a theater night after night is historical all by itself. I don't think this would have been possible a few decades ago - pre-Nureyev/Baryshnikov. Decades are a short time in the life of a centuries old art form. The fact that the audience was not overwhelmingly female (as it too often was in the mid 1900's) and the fact that the audience was equally divided (as far as I could see) amongst all age groups (no longer dominated by the elderly) is historical all by itself.

These performances -and their success - represents the fact that the male ballet dancer (especially outside of Russia nd Denmark) has once again claimed his rightful place on the ballet stage - as he once did before the advent of the pointe shoe. He now stands fully equal to the ballerina. As it should be. I think it is very important for a critic to make note of this.

As to the comments of the LA Times critic that:

"After the solos, the guys did an encore consisting of overlapping virtuoso excerpts from familiar ballets. Out of context, the snippets looked like circus tricks, which is probably what a lot of people were there to see anyway."

This assumes that the public came to see circus tricks. If so, they went to an inordinate amount of cost and trouble for a few minutes of "tricks". The circus is cheaper and easier to attend. It's a put down of the audience that is based on questionable veracity.

The "cicus tricks" segment lasted just a few minutes. There is nothing wrong with art being entertaining. It doesn't have to be artsy - angsty - emotionally driven - every moment.

Bravo to Corella, Kobborg, Stiefel and Tsiskaridze!!

(alphabetical order! )

As a matter of fact, when I spoke to Kobborg I mentioned that the show should be taken to London!

He nodded in agreement!

I saw the performances on the 17th and 18th too.

Did you stay at the Wyndham?

Do you know if Tsiskaridze has made any DVD's of his dancing?

We stayed at the Marriott. Whenever we go we stay at the Marriott - having once stayed at the Wyndam we like the accomodations much better at the Marriott. Kobborg was staying at the Marriott - so I assume - but don't know for sure - that's where the others stayed too.

I do not know if there are any commercially available DVD's of Tsiskaridze dancing. I have seen him on private tapes that are not commercially available. Was immensely impressed both with his technique as well as his artistry.

I saw him when he came to OCPAC with the Bolshoi in 2002 (I believe that was the year) and he danced Solor in "La Bayadere." He was a spectacular Solor.

On that same trip to OCPAC I had the opportunity to interview him over a two and a half hour lunch. He is as charming in person as he is a marvelous dancer. The interview was published in an international dance magazine.

edited to make grammatical corrections

I think "The Queen of Spades" is (or will be) commercially available. I have seen a recording of this ballet and he is spectacular. Similarly his Golden Slave and Solor are incredible.

I can't tell you how many times we've watched these tapes. There's always something more to see.

When the Bolshoi was here we saw a second night of La Bayadere and whilst the dancer who portrayed Solor the second night was very good (very good indeed) the characterization lacked detail.

For instance....when Solor is asleep after smoking his pipe....when Tsiskaridze dances this role, he doesn't just lay there "asleep." He moves about a bit.

When I spoke to him I asked him about that and he said: "People move in their sleep."

When Solor first appears on stage in the first act, Tsiskaridze comes on with a series of breaktaking split grand jetés. It's done not as a "trick" - but as an "announcement" - "I am Solor!"

As for the Golden Slave - well, it's a bit early in the morning to think about that. However, were I Zobeide I wouldn't hesitate.

Can you please direct me to where I may view the private tapes that you saw?

Can you also please tell me which magazine published your interview? I would be interested in getting a copy.

The previous times we came to Orange County, we stayed at the Wyndham because we did not have a car, and could just walk over to the performing arts center. One time ABT dancers happened to stay there and we got to talking to the dancers.

The tapes are not available - sorry to say.

The interview was published in Dance Europe Magazine - you would have to order a back copy. I believe it was published in April or May of 2003.

The Marriott is within walking distance - just a bit past the Wyndham.

Parenthetically, it would be even more sublime if Paris Opera and Cuban
Ballet schooling were included, the latter example being Carlos Acosta.

Do you know whether the programs were taped? What a sensational DVD it
would be.

Thanks for your thoughtful perspective.

You can read Stiefel's bio here:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/borntobewild/multimedia/bio_ethan.html

I don't believe the program was taped on either night we attended. I didn't see any evidence of cameras. It would certainly be a marvelous DVD.

I would love to know if it is going to be taped.

Thank you for your delightful review Anjuli. I am particularly jealous that you got to see Tsiskaridze dancing Petit, live. The numb-skulled promoters of this country seem unable to believe that audiences here would like to see him in the roles which Petit has created especially for him.

Well, given that the average person (or even a more-than-average one) would be asking "who's he?" about both dancer and choreographer, I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is that the Bolshoi are actually doing "Bright Stream" over here!

During the pre-performance discussion we were told that the reason for the change from "Jeunne Homme et la Mort" to "The Lesson" was that the set for Jeunne wouldn't fit into the theater where the dancers are appearing in New York.

We were also told that the reason this show came to OCPAC first is that the Orange County Performing Arts Center is a major producer of the entire enterprise. OCPAC is not simply a presenter (a venue) but a producer.

OCPAC is a complex of theaters and is expanding with a huge HUGE new concert hall that is abuilding as we type. So OCPAC has been and is going to be an even greater force in the world of performing arts.

Kobborg impressed me the most, though admittedly, he did get the most interesting choreography on the program. He was able to create a character in both, and take the character on a journey in each piece: in "The Lesson," the teacher started awkwardly and progressed into a scary psycopath, and in his 'vanity solo' set to "Afternoon of a Faun," it was a character that discovered light and then reveled in it.

The other men were good, but I never felt the same artistry or depth - perhaps because they did not have choreography on Friday night that showed these qualities. Ethan Stiefel had a demanding solo that looked like he put a lot of effort into, but it didn't go anywhere: it just looked like a lot of work. Angel Corella had a bright solo that showed off his immense technical skill and charm - but again, it did little else than show off. And Tsiskardize - I wasn't personally mesmerized by him. The solo was nice and entertaining, but it was too much of a vanity piece. I wasn't captivated by Tsiskaridze going in, so I didn't come out captivated by him afterwards. I was much more interested in the characters Kobborg was creating in his pieces; he seemed more interested in losing himself in the role, whereas with the others, you were always very aware that they were there.

I would have been interested to see how the others did in "The Lesson" on other nights. But on Friday, Kobborg came out on top.

Re: The Orange County Performing Arts Center
The Center has for a long time been mainly a presenting house, albeit a presenting house with pockets deep enough to present major companies such as the Kirov and the Royal Ballet. For awhile, though, they were the only place regularly presenting major ballet in Southern California. It's exciting to see them nowplaying a major producing role: this Kings of the Dance program, and then coming in October, a Mariinsky Festival with a complete Ring Cycle and a week of the Kirov Ballet. And there were hints in the press about Ethan Stiefel's Ballet Pacifica that they might be able to do some work with the Center as well. So hopes are high for the expansion of the Center with its concert hall. It'll certainly open up a few more dance weeks in the main hall.

>Apparently, Cojocaru and Yanowsky will not travel with the
>show to New York as they must return to London for their
>scheduled performances with the Royal Ballet.

Funny, but until I read that I hadn't registered the almost total lack of Kobborg in Period 3 ...

>Angel Corella had a bright solo that showed off
>his immense technical skill and charm - but again, it did
>little else than show off.

I suspect there must be a temptation for any choreographer creating work on him to go no further than that.

>And Tsiskardize - I wasn't
>personally mesmerized by him.

I'm still another one of the "unconverted" .

>I was much more
>interested in the characters Kobborg was creating in his
>pieces; he seemed more interested in losing himself in the
>role, whereas with the others, you were always very aware
>that they were there.

He usually is - of course, I can't be sure whether that's always been the case with him, or whether it's something that he's picked up since he joined the RB. I suspect the former.

About two or three years ago, the San Francisco International Film
Festival screened a documentary on Babilee and it seems that the artist
was disappointed that Petit has permitted the role to be danced by others. He somehow associated it with himself alone. Bejart created
something for Babiliee which has never been mounted on any one else. I know a similar exclusivity exists for Gregor Seyffert in Clowns Gottes ballet created by his father, a part which the London critics abhored when it was seen there in the Benois Gala.

My overall response to the program was very positive, I loved seeing these 4 wonderful dancers perform in works of their own choosing, pieces that in most cases were very different from what I’d guess they usually dance with their home companies.

Living in NY I’m very lucky to be able to see Stiefel & Corella on a regular basis, and I confess to taking them a bit for granted. Wonderful as they both were, they are known quantities to me and although they gave great performances Kobborg & Tsiskaridze were the revelations for me. I’d seen them both before, but only once or twice each and I always felt that the material I saw them in didn’t show the full range of their talents (Tsiskaridze with the Bolshoi last year in Pharaoh’s Daughter & Bright Stream, Kobborg with Cojocaru in the Royal’s Cinderella as well as in a couple of gala performances with her). Of course, the fact that they both had much stronger solos may have been a factor, too. Both Faun & Carmen were unforgettable, and really showed both dancer’s unique attributes to great advantage. I can see why Tsiskaridze is so controversial, but he won me over completely. His line, his high, easy extensions, the expressive arms and back and above all his artistry really floored me.

I did have a couple of issues with the material, I think The Lesson was an unfortunate choice. I understand that it was a last minute substitution and it may be fine on your average mixed bill, but when it’s the only narrative dance of the evening and the only piece to include female dancers the misogyny on view is pretty shocking. Tsiskaridze danced it at the last performance and in his bows, he really bent over backwards as if to say, hey, I’m really a nice guy. A fan threw him a small bouquet, which he split into 2 and gave to his 2 ballerinas. They kept trying to step to the back of the stage and let him take his bows but he kept grabbing them, hugging them and bowing to them. It seemed to be a very sincere and touching exhibition on his part.

As an avid dance fan, I was intrigued by the different interpretations Kobborg, Corella and Tsiskaridze each brought to the role of the maniacal teacher, and also really enjoyed watching Bojeson & Chapmen. Still, I had to focus on the dancers rather than the dance and would have MUCH preferred to watch them all in Jeune Homme or just about anything else. The audience gave them an enthusiastic round of applause each night, but when the lights came up there were lots of shudders and negative comments.

Stiefel was quoted as saying that he hoped this program would bring in a new audience. I’m not sure what impression a new audience would have gotten from this program that included something as dark as The Lesson and completely ignored the classical variations that most of the world thinks of as bravura male dancing (the NY program started with the film of the 4 dancers but did not include pre-performance archival footage or an encore, and that was a shame). Despite Corella’s charm and phenomenal technique it kind of fizzled at the end. The evening would have benefitted from some kind of ending that featured all 4 of them dancing, even a brief one. Perhaps they'll make some changes for future incarnations...

It is a shame indeed that there was not the encore that we enjoyed both nights at Orange County Performing Arts Center. It put the icing on the cake - the dollop of dessert that one craves after dining.

I wonder why that encore was not given. Perhaps because at least three of the dancers have had knee problems and these 8 performances plus rehearsal has surely tested them.

Tsiskaridze is always very generous to the dancers with whom he shares the stage. True artists generally are generous. One of the things I enjoy about him is his ease on stage - he is so at home there. But the bottom line - as you say - is his artistry. His attention to detail.

Kobborg's "Faun" has really stayed with me. I hope he gets to perform it for the audience of the Royal Ballet.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/01071b00-a736-11da-b12c-0000779e2340.html