Pure eye-candy: a dream of a Dream in Seattle

By Philippa Kiraly, 13 April 2019

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“Always eye-catching, Porretta showed no reduction in his abilities as an exuberant Puck”

Reviewed at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle on 12 April 2019

A Midsummer Night's Dream (George Balanchine)

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Emil de Cou, Conductor

Martin Pakledinaz, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Randall G Chiarelli, Lighting Designer

Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra

Angelica Generosa, Dancer

Kyle Davis, Dancer

Laura Tisserand, Dancer

Ezra Thomson, Dancer

Jonathan Porretta, Dancer

Lindsi Dec, Dancer

William Lin-Yee, Dancer

Rachel Foster, Dancer

Benjamin Griffiths, Dancer

Lesley Rausch, Dancer

Jerome Tisserand, Dancer

Ballet for cowboys and soldiers at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 20th March

Kansas City Ballet celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary with three American ballets. Balanchine's Stars and Stripes, de Mille's Rodeo and a new work by Caili Quan, A Home Away.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

A spectacular triple bill lifts ABT’s spring season in New York

Leigh Donlan, 13th March

A finely curated triple bill from American Ballet Theatre included works from Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky.

****1

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

Study in Scarlet: Rubies crown Balanchine’s Jewels in Vienna

Mark Pullinger, 8th February

With a trio of excellent performances, Balanchine's sassy Rubies proves the hit as Jewels – a relatively recent acquisition – returns to the Wiener Staatsballett.

****1

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Philippa Kiraly

Philippa Kiraly has writing classical music criticism since 1980, for several newspapers in northern Ohio and Seattle, magazines, both local and national, and blogs. She has covered dance in Seattle for a decade. Pippa has been steeped in classical music since early childhood and is passionate about the importance of independent criticism for the fine arts, an art in itself. Pippa is a keen gardener, a keen grandparent, and can get lost in a good book.