Aglow with bright predawn pastels, American Ballet Theatre's (ABT) full-length performance of The Sleeping Beauty shines with a sumptuousness rarely equaled in U.S. productions. On February 11, in Chicago's magnificent Auditorium Theatre, Sir Kenneth MacMillan's newly choreographed version of the eighteenth-century fairy tale unfolded like a dream from a forgotten world.
Shimmering silk costumes in persimmon and salmon overhung with billows of white satin, a rich baroque décor by Nicholas Georgiadis and the stage is set for the sparkling dancing of the gifted young principal ballerina, Susan Jaffe. Like the illustrious Margot Fonteyn, to whom she bears a striking resemblance, Susan Jaffe gave proof that Princess Aurora can be one of the great roles in ballet. An emerging ballerina of high promise, she danced with technical skill, giving the role a sense of an ever-evolving characterization.
Fresh and expectant, she burst on the scene in act 1 as a charming adolescent, executing flirtatious turns and jumps with sureness and poise. In "Rose Adagio," she maintained a near-perfect attitude, balancing precariously on pointe as she took the hands of four suitors one after another. Her uncomprehending dismay, after being tricked into accepting the poisoned spindle, was poignantly portrayed, and her vertiginous whirl before collapsing into a death-like sleep seemed desperately real.
In act 2, when Aurora appears as a vision to Prince Desire, Jaffe evoked an ethereal, almost fleshless presence. Cool and remote, she exhibited strong, straight lines and sure footwork. Then, as the mature princess at her wedding in act 3, she was radiant and compelling, luxuriating in polished arabesques. Repeatedly she poised on the prince's shoulder in the lovely fish lift, her head perilously near the floor.
Women's Evening
The evening indeed belonged to the women. In contrast to Jaffe's ebullience, Leslie Brown as the Lilac Fairy personified elegance and graciousness. A bit cold in the first scenes, she soon warmed to her role as saviour of the young lovers. The fine line of her legs, memorable in the film The Turning Point, was enhanced by the fine form of her technique.
A principal dance with ABT for eleven years, Marianna Tcherkassky gave a polished performance in the famous "Blue Bird" pas de deux with her exquisitely fluttering legs and finely sculptured extensions. Burnished performances were also given by corps member Christina Fagundes, as a stylish Fairy of Temperament, and Amy Rose, whose crisp bourrees on toe sparkled in the "Diamond" Variation.
ABT seems to be suffering from a shortage of top male dancers; in Chicago the men did not measure up to the brilliance of the women. However, Robert Hill as Prince Desire provided a pleasant surprise. A soloist, replacing injured principal dance Ross Stretton, Hill circled the stage with an impressive series of grands jetes, generally proving himself an adequate prince despite a somewhat uninspired dramatic interpretation.
To anyone who has witnessed the exacting pas de deux performed by top-ranking dancers, John Renvall's "Blue Bird" would be disappointing. Often presented as a separate ballet, this
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