Julie Kent has spent decades as one of America’s most gracious and exquisite home-grown ballerinas. Her work inspired a generation of young dancers and, unlike the most talented American dancers of today, she opted to train and then remain in the US as principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre for her entire performing career. It is therefore appropriate that she has been artistic director at The Washington Ballet for the past seven seasons and is responsible for this new production of The Sleeping Beauty, supported by her husband Victor Barbee, who has contributed to the choreography and direction.
While the US has no national company, the resident ballet company of the Kennedy Center is a fittingly glamorous role for Kent. Sadly, for DC audiences, she is departing from this post next season to join the Houston Ballet as co-artistic director. The Washington Ballet has been very lucky to have her leading them as long as they have and one hopes the dancers retain the beautiful gifts she has given them, both in technical terms and artistically. When she introduced the first performance of The Sleeping Beauty, dressed in a gorgeous frock, she looked and sounded as though she had not aged a day since her teenage film debut in the 1980s cult classic Dancers. Kent is as light and gracious a speaker as she was a dancer, and when she joined her company onstage for the curtain calls, the deep affection between herself and the artists was evident.
The artistic and technical work she has done with the company was equally in evidence. It is important that when watching American companies today to remember the reality: in 2023, dancers are wisely demanding to be treated as the proper professionals they are. America is well behind the times in the area of workers’ rights, so the best dancers are departing for jobs in Europe. This means that despite the beautiful work that is done amongst those who remain in the US, there is a noticeable difference between them and their European counterparts. However, Washington Ballet’s dancers were artistic and full of joy, if they were technically uneven at times. Regrettably, the first fairy was cut, but the Fairy of Fervor (Nicole Graniero) and the Fairy of Charity (Alexa Torres) were both gentle, delicate and delightful in their variations. Ayano Kimura was a particularly effervescent Aurora and an ideal choice for the part. A little butterfly of a dancer, she flew through the role with an ease that was joyful to watch and she had a truly special quality in her port de bras. Unfortunately, there were moments in her performance that were marred by technical weaknesses.
This is not England circa 1932 and “Madam” de Valois is no longer with us. Professional dancers should able to reach nearly 180º when lifting the leg to the side (the actual side, not the death-strip between the front and a proper second position; a dead giveaway for lack of developed turnout) and to the back without the slightest difficulty, and sadly, I don’t think I saw any dancer manage that. This inability to attain a proper second position did somewhat spoil the beginning of Kimura’s Rose Adagio, but then she made up for it with the sheer joy that emanated from every cell in her body towards the end of this famous passage of the ballet.
Perhaps the popularity of strength based cross-training could include the traditional long stretching sessions that used to be popular and still are, in other parts of the world? Aside from the final act, partnering was generally weak, lifts were very short and a simple shoulder sit in the Rose Adagio became an upper chest sit, as the Prince couldn’t get the tiny Kimura onto his shoulder. Partnering problems are not uniquely American; I have noticed them frequently all over the world. In the Vision Scene, Masanori Takiguchi as Prince Désiré did not manage the traditional split lift, though this may have been the choreographic choice. His adagio variation was, however, danced with gentle sensitivity.
Adjusting my expectations as I went on, I was able to set some of these things aside and to enjoy the heartening and ebullient performance. The final scene showcased the best technical dancing, with Brittany Stone (noticeably underused here) as a humorous White Cat. Alexa Torres and Rench Soriano did a fantastic Blue Bird pas de deux. Soriano received well deserved applause for his series of brisé volé, completed with perfectly balanced multiple pirouettes. Nicole Ganiero danced a lovely, fleeting Silver Fairy. She would make a beautiful Aurora, as would Brittany Stone. The curtain call was full of joy, the dancers applauding Kent as she joined them onstage, proudly encouraging them into the spotlight, a place that will always really belong to her.
