George Balanchine’s Jewels holds a very special place in my heart. As a child, someone gave my family tickets to attend a performance by Miami City Ballet at Zellerbach Hall, followed by the post-performance dinner. Although they performed the full work, it’s “Rubies” that I remember. Edward Villella was director at the time, and at the dinner I asked for his autograph. He kindly obliged.
That was 1999. I’m sure I encountered Jewels other times over the years, in excerpted sections if not the entire ballet, but nothing stands out in memory until 2006. I had just arrived in New York for my junior year of college, which I was spending as a visiting student at Barnard. The Paris Opéra Ballet had a new production of Jewels, with costumes by Christian Lacroix, and it was going to be broadcast on PBS. I commandeered the TV in one of the common rooms and tuned in—and fell in love. Something from each section spoke to me. In “Diamonds,” it was the surprise ending of the pas de deux. Actually, the whole pas de deux is pretty fabulous. The opening is so full of dramatic tension. It’s restrained, cordial, cold, like a diamond. In “Rubies,” I discovered the dancer Aurélie Dupont, Etoile and current Director of Dance at the company. I had never seen a dancer who I found so utterly perfect. I spent the next several months tracking down the many Paris Opéra Ballet recordings of her in performance. Watching her was truly inspirational for me. Finally, in “Emeralds,” I found myself.
I could never visualize myself as Giselle or Juliet. I wasn’t able to imagine myself in a role. With “Emeralds,” for the first time I thought, “I can see myself doing that.” “Emeralds” is the least technically virtuosic of the three. It’s all swooning lyricism and gracious port de bras. It’s not show-y, it doesn’t demand multiple pirouettes or over-split jetés. It also has an interesting construction. The piece seems to end with a big finish and a symmetrical tableau. The audience bursts into applause—but then the music resumes, and the ballet ultimately ends on a melancholic note as the men send the women offstage, still reaching for them as the curtain falls.
Upon seeing “Emeralds” again at the Lincoln Center Festival with Paul Vasterling, I remarked that the ending is actually quite sad. “It’s the unattainable woman,” he said. “Balanchine always choreographs women who can’t be possessed or tamed.” All four soloists in “Emeralds” leave. In “Rubies,” the tall girl proves she doesn’t need any of the men. And in “Diamonds,” with the cavalier ending on his knee, it’s clear where the power lies.
It was a real treat to see Paul Vasterling, Artistic Director & CEO of Nashville Ballet and also my former boss. I worked for Paul as both dancer and Executive Assistant, so we have a unique relationship. Paul was in New York as a Choreographic Fellow at the Center for Ballet and the Arts and we managed to rendezvous. My parents attended as well.
The energy and excitement in the theater before the curtain went up was palpable. The great thing about once-in-a-lifetime events is that most of the people in attendance are aware of the fact that they are attending a once-in-a-lifetime event, which bestows a certain meta-ness on the entire experience. At the intermissions, the theater was abuzz. Everyone was talking about the performance.
Collectively, the four of us loved it. At the end of the performance, all the dancers bowed onstage together: green, red, and white. It was a beautiful sight. The three sections are never united onstage, so it was all the more poignant to see them here, sparkling together, no doubt thrilled to be part of such a historic performance. And then the three directors came out: Peter Martins, Makhar Vaziev, and, in the center, looking fabulously chic, Aurélie Dupont.
We went for dessert afterwards, which was good because I needed to wind down. I was on such a high! It’s hard for me to pick a jewel; I could argue for each of them to be my favorite at any given moment. But what I will say is that I think the ballet is arranged perfectly. While the music and choreography varies widely, the structure of the ballet builds consistently over the course of the evening, reaching a fitting conclusion in the grand ensemble of “Diamonds.”
My parents and I also had tickets to attend on Friday night. After the thrill of opening night, Friday night’s performance did not leave us as exhilarated. “Emeralds” had a different cast, all of whom I liked very much in the roles. But New York City Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet switched gems, and my parents and I disagreed as to which company we preferred in which section. It was, almost, a disappointment. So Saturday morning I woke up, went to the box office at the Koch Theater, and bought myself a standing room ticket for that night, which was all that was available.
Standing room at the Koch is at the very back of the very top of the theater, behind the Fourth Ring. It is far away, and yet a surprisingly good view. There were dozens of young dancers in the Fourth Ring, who I guessed were students at School of American Ballet’s summer intensive. Those students made the performance so fun that night. When each company bowed at the end of their sections, the dancers burst into loud applause. But nothing beat the curtain rising on New York City Ballet in “Rubies”—it was the home team on the home stage, and these students let the professionals know that they were cheering them on. It brought a smile to my face.
This third time around did not fully recapture the exhilaration I felt after opening night; how could it? Opening nights have a frisson that can’t be replicated, especially when it’s a—wait for it—once-in-a-lifetime event. And only opening night featured the entire cast onstage for bows. Nevertheless, I was glad I went one last time. This trip to see Jewels was meant to be a celebration, and I certainly celebrated. Life is too short not to pursue what you love, if you can.
Jewels
Lincoln Center Festival
July 20, 2017, 7:30 pm at the David H. Koch Theater
with the Paris Opera Ballet (“Emeralds”); New York City Ballet (“Rubies”); Bolshoi Ballet (“Diamonds”)
Going to the Ballet 