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A common man's point of view.

Richard Rawls | Dublin Ga USA | 06/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since I am such a common man, I can be forgiven, I think, for giving this performance a five star rating, while the experts give it quite poor ratings. Maybe it is good to be common (same as average) because I can get a lot of enjoyment from common performances.

I enjoyed this performance. It is the best performance by Letestu I've seen. Better than the POB version of Swan Lake, for instance, which was marred by poor camera "work", as well as a bad libretto. True, Letestu may not have as good stage presence as some ballerinas, I think she is a good ballerina, and her characterization as an Etoile certainly does not rankle me as it does others. If I had any complaint on Letestu it might be her air of smugness which to me seems to say, "Oh, I am so good."

So what, if this version of Paquita is slightly different from what Petipa staged in eighteen hundred and who knows when? There should be a little variation in style, since dance itself has changed in the past hundred and fifty years. No one seems to complain when Nureyev makes changes in choreography and libretto (Swan Lake and La Baradere for instance). The changes he made in the National Ballet of Canada version of Sleeping Beauty w/himself and Veronica Tennant, for instance, were atrocious.

This ballet is presented in the 16-9 video format, has several good sound formats, has beautiful sets, lighting, and colorful costuming. It is 109 minutes in duration with 12 minutes bonus material. Letestu even makes one costume change on set. Well done, but don't get excited, you won't see any of her "bod".

I liked this ballet, and if you're common like me you probably will too.....Richard."