Pointe Magazine articulates the difficulty of capturing the essence of Esmeralda by acknowledging that, "...most young dancers aren't as familiar with the role as they are with Aurora [Sleeping Beauty] or Kitri [Don Quixote]." However, the articles notes that, "...the female variation from La Esmeralda's Act II pas de deux is a competition staple -- despite the ballet's virtual disappearance from today's repertoires." The variation is packed with complicated steps, which explains its utility in a competition setting: with only a few moments on stage to impress the judges, a dancer can show her flexibility, characterization skills, turning capability, and leaps all in one number. A pretty smart choice, except for the fact that, because of this, the variation is overused. To stand out among all the Esmeraldas at the competition, the dancer must bring something special to the performance. What is that something special? Well, that's up to the dancer. It can be five turns instead of four, a perfectly-articulated facial expression, the integration of a new emotion into the well-worn steps. Whatever it is, though, it needs to be spot on.
I've collected two performances of this variation that show different elements of the dance; each dancer adds something different.
Following from last night's post, the first video is of Miko Fogarty (age 16) this year at Moscow's International Ballet Competition (IBC), where she won a gold medal. What I love about Miko's performance is how sustained her movements are. Dance teachers often talk about resistance in motion, encouraging their students to pretend the air is a thick substance such as molasses to teach how not to drop one's leg as if it were a sack of potatoes. The movement needs to be upward, sustained, almost resistant to coming back down to the ground. Basically, the dancer needs to create her own resistance to give an illusion. Miko does this excellently in the first section, lowering her leg into passe in a way that convinces the audience that the action is effortless (it's not, trust me). My main criticism of this performance is her little bounce before taking off into the pirouettes. If you watch carefully, she settles her feet into fifth, straightens up a bit, then bobs back down before turning. Not a big deal, but distracting. Also, someone commented that her music must have started early. Watch the other variations, and you'll see that it's so, which makes her performance even more remarkable: she didn't visibly freak out, even though she had to modify her steps with absolutely no notice.
The second video is from Juliet Doherty (age 13) at the 2011 YAGP; she won the Grand Prix award that year. For me, Juliet brings the fire and intensity that is somewhat muted in Miko's performance; her eyes just pulled me in immediately, and she actually made it impossible for me to look away. Now that's exceptional audience engagement. Her tambourine work is also impressive: she's spot on with the music and gives it just the right amount of sound to enhance (but not detract from) her performance. Pointe Magazine highlights the importance of the tambourine to Esmeralda's character, writing that, "As a gypsy, Emeralda's tambourine is a vital aspect of her performance and, therefore, her livelihood...[when performing] 'You must be completely comfortable with the instrument -- it should look like a natural part of your dancing.'" Juliet dances in character the entire time, in perfect harmony with the tambourine. What truly blows me away, though, is the consistent number of turns she does: four, en pointe, without a single wobble. WOW.
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