American Ballet Theater II At The Mondavi

Left: April Giangeruso, and "Pebbles"


ABT II, the youth company associated with American Ballet Theater, performed at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA on Friday evening, Nov. 7, 2008.

Five dances were presented: George Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante", Jerome Robbins' "Interplay", Marius Petipa's Swan Lake Act II and Don Quixote pas de deuxs, and Petipa's "Carnival of Venice".

Among the featured dancers were Sae Eun Park, Jose Sebastian, Meaghan Hinkis and Joseph Gorak.

Everyone was very impressed by the girls' fabulous extensions. I was also impressed by Interplay's interesting and rapid chaine turns. Sae Eun Park is one fine dancer and Meaghan Hinkis takes command of the stage!

Left: Question and answer panel after the show. Left to right, dancer April Giangeruso, ABT II Artistic Director Wes Chapman, Sacramento's favorite Ruth Rosenberg, ABT's Executive Director Rachel S. Moore, and dancer Brian Waldrep.

An audience member asked April Giangeruso, with a mixture of envy and awe, "Have you always been that flexible?" Not wanting to boast, but also not wanting to lie, Giangeruso replied with a nervous giggle, "Yes!" "Brian?" Wes Chapman said, directing the same question to April's partner, Brian Waldrep. He hesitated, and then said "Not at all!", to general laughter.

Left: April Giangeruso's mom flew in from Maryland, bearing a bouquet with a swan puppet, celebrating her daughter's first performance of the Swan (Act II), from "Swan Lake". April's partner, Brian Waldrep, was also dancing Prince Siegfried for the first time.

I was very impressed by April's calm, deliberate, self-assured manner on toe: certainly a lot more calm than I can manage on flat!

Left: The Mondavi Center. Surprisingly, this was my first visit ever to the Mondavi.

ABT II is next heading to Mesa, AZ.