Round One Session Seven, June 19

This round provided us with three representatives from the People’s Republic of China and some strong U.S. competitors, primarily in the juniors. Three seniors appeared in pas de deux and one junior couple.

Priscilla Marrero, 16, U.S.A., gave us not only a very attractive presentation, but also a bounding energetic approach to some of her movement sequences in her Coppelia variation. Her energy was augmented by good costuming and a stylish approach. As she matures, she will probably exude some of the allure so well remembered in Mary Ellen Moylan. In her Paquita variation, danced in a somewhat fussy black lace costume, she fell off balance once.

Sitting next to Daniel Thomas, I have been given quite the run down on the competitors from the Kirov Academy in Washington. Ashley Canterna, 17, and Danny Tidwell, 17, are among them, choosing to present The Flames of Paris pas de deux. The Kirov schools its students with elegant placement of the head and shoulders, and this young couple was no exception. Tidwell, who earned a silver medal in the Shanghai Competition in 2001, is the more diffident of the two, with Canterna a veteran of various American competitions and a silver medallist at Varna. Tidwell is attentive and gentle, off center in his final variation turn, but presenting simply and directly. Canterna is small and appears chunky, almost the picture of the Italian ballerinas who challenged the Russians in the nineteenth century. She turns like a top, executing some of the final fouettes almost sur la place. While beautifully placed, I found her port de bras quite undistinguished.

From the American power, we next enjoyed a cool Asian aesthetic in Jiao Yang, 17, from China, who gave us the male variation from Coppelia, Act III, with understated ease and a gentle air to his clear, long-limbed form. His variation from Vaganova’s Diana and Acteon found me writing as notes, “elevation, correctness, Clarity, elegant, beautiful.”

Vitaly Kravenchenko, 24, Belarus, reinforced the slender elegance in male images. In the Act III Swan Lake Siegfried variation he was dressed in a heavily embellished silver tunic to display the correctness of his schooling and nice gestures in head and hands. His variation from Act II, Giselle, was marred by two small flaws, but reinforced the impression of fleetness and ease.

Phillip Velinov, 25, representing Bulgaria, is a small, fleet little dancer, who competed at Varna, and has danced with Ballet Alabama and Ballet Internationale. His impression of correctness was marred by a noticeable fall in the Don Q variation and his Flower Festival variation could not compare with Takeuchi’s.

Tiffany Headman, 21, U.S.A., danced a very correct Lilac Fairy variation if it lacked that largesse of spirit, which the music leads one to expect. Her Giselle, Act I was proceeding in appropriately correct form when She faltered in her diagonal hops, leading me to suspect her toe shoe had given way. A similar problem had plagued the performance presentation of Adrienne Canterna, who went through a half dozen split Grishko toe shoes, to be supplied a working pair by Rasta Thomas’ mother who drove to New Orleans to procure them.

Megumi Oki, 19, Japan, and currently with Ballet Dresden, danced a very exciting, exact Esmeralda variation. She made her initial impression in the Don Q variation, starting out with a sober expression before several smiles showed the pleasure she felt. She also shared with us a gleeful like transitional jump, making us wonder whether her humor is impish.

Like the competitor from Mongolia, Zhanat Atymtayev, 26, Kazakhtan, was a source of curiosity because of the region where he trained, an area long fabled as one of the stretches of The Silk Road and the source of superb carpets. Instead, we saw a slender, sober young danseur noble who appeared in the variations from Don Q and Giselle, Act II. His form showed us he had been nicely schooled, possesses a clean elevation, his height accenting the verticality of his dancing. He gave us the ghost of a smile in Don Q, but flopped slightly in his finish. Something similar happened in his second variation at the beginning, but he continued on, admirably.

Chidozie Nzerem, 25, U.S.A. danced the full Ben Stevenson version of the Esmeralda pas de deux with Sherri LeBlanc, a San Francisco Ballet soloist. The only full performance of this pas de deux, Nzerem chose it deliberately to demonstrate his partnering skills, and to demonstrate the full spirit he brings to performing. Both are impressive. Of course, I am partial. A tall dancer, born not far from Jackson itself, he has dramatic skills others might emulate.

It’s safe to say that the revelation of the afternoon was given the audience by the two contestants from China, Wu Haiyan, 23, and Li Jun, 23, the former as Giselle and the latter as Albrecht in the Act II Pas de deux. Both dance with the National Ballet of China. Li’s partnering was more exceptional than his dancing, for he made Wu Haiyan appear like a wraith of the imagination at several points. At certain points I thought Wu Haiyan made a bit much of the forward bend of the head or torso, but the distinct artistry of their interpretation over rode these minor quibbles. It was the second such breath-taking Giselle portrayals in the competition and extremely gratifying.

Session Seven constituted the last matinee of this competition. For reporters this makes for a sigh of relief, enabling a catch up and some extra stories.