Program B played on July 15, 17, and 18th. I attended the 18th which was the final performance of the run. I have a tendency to like to attend the first and the last performances of anything. It’s interesting that the energy of a performance is usually different depending on the night. Everyone, both audience and performers, are excited and a little nervous on opening night. On closing night there is often a more relaxed feeling tinged with just a touch of sadness that the whole thing will soon be over. Before it began, I was already wishing that the afternoon would last a long long time.

Program B:

Before Nightfall: Ch: Nils Christe, Music: Bohuslav Marinu, Dancers: Nina Polakova, Mihail Sosnovschni, Junko Takamura, Yuki Miyamoto, Chika Saeki, Yuji Matsushita, Rui Yoshinkawa, Naoyoshi Nagase

What a wonderful way to start an evening of dance. This piece was so very luscious, Nina has a very limb-y way of dancing so her arms & legs unfurl really beautifully and Mihail is very masculine in his dancing so together they really dominated this piece. I also have to say that I loved the gray costumes. Gray is such an underestimated color but the dresses and tights were so very lovely and softly romantic, gorgeous.

Don Quixote: Ch: Nureyev, Music: Minkus, Dancers: Liudmila Konovalova, Denys Chereyvchko

This was a pdd from the Nureyev version, which I really like actually, but perhaps the one that many people are less accustomed to(?). The Nureyev version (like all Nureyev versions) is faster and has killer footwork. If not done well, it can look like a mess as a result. In this case, it was done wonderfully and, of course, with Manuel Legris, last of the Nureyev babies, to coach them through this piece, I would have expected nothing less. The start was a bit bland, DQ has to be sassy! But Liudmila and Denys quickly got into the groove and upped their levels of ‘tude. Not my all time favorite narrative ballet but done well and non-the-less very enjoyable.

Mopey: Ch: Marco Goecke, Music: Bach, Dancers: Masayu Kimoto

Manuel clearly likes Goecke. I’m not sure that I’m all that crazy about him. This piece was basically Masayu flapping around frantically. There were some interesting bits and the overhead lighting was very cool. But there was this one part that was basically Masayu bouncing on his butt with his back to the audience and all I could think of was that Wii game Raving Rabbids! If you’re not familiar with the game it’s basically played by sitting on the Wii balance board and leaning or bouncing on your butt to play the game. The real fun of the game is watching other people play it! Pass, thank you.

Die Kameliendame, pdd from Act 2: Ch: John Neumeier, Music: Chopin, Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Friedemann Vogel

Translation: Lady of the Camellias. I’ve already gone on record that Neumeier is not my favorite choreographer and Camellias is not my favorite narrative ballet by far… but I’ve also gone on record that I have a feeling that as much as I love ABT, it can be done better. So here goes… one of my complaints has been that Camellias is too fast, frantic, and the lifts so complicated as to look painful vs. romantic. To me, Camellias should be luscious, rich, and thick with heartbreak and impending tragedy; also, one should see it and know that it is among the best of classic French literature, emphasis on French. Maria and Friedemann were well suited to the characters and it did slower. There were elements that were really lovely. I’m still not convinced that all the rolling around on the floor is romantic; it just looks and sounds clumsy. As I was watching, I was wondering if the lifts aren’t complicated as a choreo/literary device to foreshadow the complication and ultimately the pain of Armand and Marguerite’s relationship since the lift look so complicated and sometimes painful… but honestly, I think I’m projecting, hey, I’m a hopeful person! I didn’t hate it. I still want to see Stuttgart perform the whole thing.

Creatures: Ch: Patrick de Bana, Music: Dem Trio, Madijd Khaladj, Dhafer Youssef, Dancers: Mizuka Ueno, Patrick de Bana

I LOVE this piece. I’ve seen it twice before and it just burned a place in my memory. This time Patrick had a female partner which made it a little different. I loved that Patrick would create the piece for two dancers – not necessarily two male dancers or a male/female partnership! I had hoped that he would do it with Manuel because in my mind’s eye THAT pairing in this dance would just melt my brain in a completely perfect way. But this was really wonderful and memorable.

Manon, pdd from Act 1: Ch: MacMillan, Music: Massenet, Dancers: Nina Polakova, Manuel Legris

Oh happiness!!! I put my nerd-girl glasses on in public, I did not want to miss a thing. Seriously, Manu is ageless! His ability to dance and act with such youthfulness is nothing short of amazing! Gorgeousness, pure perfection!  The music, the movement, Manuel Legris, I was in heaven, complete rapturous heaven! Thank god for an intermission afterward because I was absolute toast after that one pdd!!!

Silent Cry: Ch: Patrick de Bana, Music: Bach, Dancer: Patrick de Bana

I’m so glad that Manuel obviously really loves de Bana because I do too! I really never tire of his work, especially when he’s dancing it! Patrick de Bana+Bach=joy.

Grand pas Classique: Ch: Victor Gzovsky, Music: Daniel Auber, Dancers: Liudmila Konovalova, Dmitry Gudanov

So nice, very classic, very satisfying… yummy yummy ballet.

Canon: Ch: Jiri Bubenicek, Music: Otto Bubenicek, Johann Pachelbel, Dancers: Denys Cherevychko, Mihail Sosnovschi, Masayu Kimoto

I love the Bubenicek brothers, if you aren’t familiar with them, do yourself a favor and check them out. They dance, they choreograph, they make music, they are hysterical and their mom makes super cool apre-ballet booties! This piece is fantastic and these boys danced the heck out of it! More Bubenicek  more!

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux: Ch: Balanchine, Music: Tchaikovsky, Dancers: Babora Kohoutkova, Friedemann Vogel

Who doesn’t love Tchai Pas and with Friedemann! Nice, nice, nice! Some ballets just fill you with happiness and this is one of them.

Onegin pdd from act 3: Ch: Cranko, Music: Tchaikovsky, Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Manuel Legris

This piece closed every performance and I would have loved to have attended every night just for this alone! Manuel and Maria rip your heart out, I cannot begin to explain how very perfect they are and how emotional this ballet is. I know Onegin was a jerk but as Tatiana rips up the letter, I just want to stand up on the chair and yell “NOOOOOOO, look at him, he’s sorry!!! and he’s adorable, he has eyes of the palest blue, please don’t break his heart!!!!” I do like to watch Manuel run though, he runs really beautifully, and stands really beautifully and sits really beautifully and walks really beautifully and…

He also signs his name really beautifully so I headed out to the stage door again.  After condemning the wearing of capri pants by men all week, guess what my Manu was wearing? hahaha! oh my, that’ll teach me.

After some excellent ramen for dinner, we headed to the hotel to pack and then off to Haneda airport and I glowed all the way home. I can hardly wait for Manuel’s next Gala!

Manuel+Japan=glowy happy me

Here was the line-up… Program A played on July 13th & July 16th. I saw the July 13th performance & it was FANTASTIC!

White Shadows: Ch: Patrick de Bana, Music: Armand Amar, Dancers: Manuel Legris, Patrick de Bana, Mika Yoshioka, Mizuka Ueno, Mayumi Nishimura, Yuji Matsushita, Yu Himuro, Ryo Ogasawara, Yuki Miyamoto, Junya Okazaki, Aya Takagi, Haruka Nara, and Mamiko Kawashima

This piece is amazing – riveting, dramatic, moving… I could go on just using adjectives for days! It’s a piece that draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s great planning to have an intermission right after because you need a bit of a break, it’s that emotional. Whenever I see a de Bana piece, I just want to be able to dance one myself someday. He knows exactly how to toy with your brain and with your heart at the same time; he’s brilliant both as a dancer and a choreographer. I also love to see Manu dance de Bana pieces because on DVD I get to see him to very traditional ballet but de Bana work brings out another wonderful dimension of the brilliance of Manu’s style. Manu is gorgeous in contemporary work; his style is beautifully suited to edgy contemporary work. Seeing this work alone was worth the 12-hour flight!

Le Corsaire: Ch: Petipa, Music: Drigo, Dancers: Liudmila Konovalova & Denys Cherevychko

I have to admit that I was not familiar with either of these dancers but I do love this bit of fun ballet. They were both really wonderful and it was a perfectly enjoyable rendition.

Manon, pdd from Act 1: Ch: MacMillan, Music: Massnet, Dancers: Barbora Kohoutkova & Friedemann Vogel 

This is the pdd from the bedroom scene, which of course, I LOVE!!! I was not familiar with Barbora Kohoutkova but I have seen clips of Friedemann Vogel on YouTube. He’s very very young looking and dances very cleanly. He’s clearly much loved here in Japan and for good reason. Happy, happy, happy.

Arepo: Ch: Maurice Béjart, Music: Hugues Le Bars, Dancer: Mihail Sosnovschi

Another dancer that I was not familiar with, Mihail is an incredible dancer! This is not my favorite piece and with Béjart its always a iffy for me, I love some of his work and find other things just strange and difficult to enjoy. I gave Mihai extra points for wearing a one-shouldered bright red bodysuit. He was also very sweet at the stage door, when a fan asked for a photo, he helped the young man hold the camera and even waited to check that that photo came out and when it didn’t he happily took it again.

La Sylphide, from act 2: Ch: Lacotte, Music: Schneitzhoeffer, Dancers: Nina Polakova, Masayu Kimoto and members of the Tokyo Ballet

The Tokyo Ballet was really the star here. I get kind of particular about timing and musicality with the corps, it’s just very distracting when you’ve got a line of dancers and they aren’t in synch. The Tokyo Ballet dancers were perfection – PER-FEC-TION. It was a nice long segment and wonderfully performed. Gorgeous traditional delicate ballets, what more could you want… oh, more ballet more…

Black Swan, pas de trios: Ch: Nureyev, Music: Tchaikovsky, Dancers: Liudmila Konovalova, Dmitry Gudanov, Mihail Sosnovschi

I used to like this bit a lot more, perhaps that movie sort of soured it somewhat for me, not sure. It was well done; although not to be a difficult critic but the Black Swan is supposed to be the naughty one and Liudmila could have been a bit more of a bad swan girl. Mihail was a very good V. Rothbart and Dmitry a noble yet clueless prince Sieg.

Fancy Goods: Ch. Marco Geocke, Music: Sarah Vaughan, Dancer: Friedmann Vogel

I really like Sarah Vaughan music so I was hopeful for something jazz bluesy and quirky. It was quirky for sure. Some of it was yummy and some of it seemed a bit, um, how do I put this… contrived. The choreography tried a bit too hard at moments, like a section where dancers in black carrying hot pink feather fans come out and do this little hopping bit so that all you see are the feather fans behind Friedmann, it wasn’t bad per se but… maybe its because this was the piece that was standing between me and more Manuel Legris…

Onegin, pdd from act 3: Ch: Cranko, Music: Tchaikovsky, Dancers: Maria Eichwald & Manuel Legris 

It’s been my dream to see Manuel Legris perform Onegin and Manon. So even though I didn’t get to see the whole thing, this was still a dream come true! And it was everything that I hoped it would be… Manu is so perfect; his Onegin is so repentant, desperate, and sorrowful. He and Maria were so lovely; the lifts were luscious and airy. I’ve never seen a ballerina put down with such delicacy. I was mesmerized and wished that it would never end.

When the applause finally died down, Carboy looked at me and said, “Sort of makes you want to cry.” Yes, it did and very little makes me want to cry. The evening began with a riveting emotional rollercoaster and ended with heartbreak, it was very French and I mean that in the most complimentary way. I could hardly wait to see more!

Program B to come.