Word: pas
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...Casse Noisette (the revised Nutcracker Suite) the dancers' spirit combines with magnificent costuming to create a delightful fairyland. As originally choreographed by Ivanov, this ballet was rather pointless and uninspiring. Frederick Ashton's revision retains the more colorful scenes, includes a pas de deux, and makes the myth more enjoyable. The finale of Tchaikowsky's Suite, however, assigns too much force to the Kingdom of Ice scene, causing Pauline Harrop and Robert Lunnon to put excessive power into their gestures. A necessary and remarkable scenery change to the Kingdom of Sweets also demands awkward pushing motions...
Hide Out. In The Pas, Man., Noreen Gareau missed out on competing for the honor of being queen of a trappers' festival because she was laid up with an allergy...
Fortunately, the frequent intermissions set apart Swan Lake's classical pas de deux from the modern dances, so that the transition from new to old was not too jarring. This pas de deux is strictly an exhibition piece and the celebrated Igor Youskevitch performed it with amazing skill, as did his partner, Alicia Alonso. It is too bad that this duo appeared for such a short time...
Swan Lake, The Nutcracker Suite, Scheherazade, and the Grand Pas de Deux from Don Quixote all combined to prove one thing: that the Ballet Russe no longer has the outstanding prima ballerinas which once made it the greatest company in the world. They have instead a group of young and graceful principals, many of whom are technically excellent, but none of whom have the faculty of complete abandonment which makes for inspiring classical ballet...
Outstanding among the principals were Gertrude Tyven and Oleg Tupine in The Nutcracker Suite. The fact that the Suite was the first work that the Company performed in its entirety may have added to the audience's enjoyment, but in any event, the Pas de Deux and the dancers' individual variations were the high points of the evening. Yvette Chauvire and Leon Danielian also did a fine job as the Swan Queen and the Prince in Swan Lake, but for anyone who has seen the Sadler's Wells full-length production, the Ballet Russe's version is always a frustrating...