Ethan Stiefel in Chicago in ABT's Swan Lake

photos courtesy of a) rosalie o'connor and b) steve davis
Ethan Stiefel, Ethan Stiefel, Ethan Stiefel! Hallelujah! I finally saw him perform live in Chicago on Thursday, April 15, 2010. It's hard to believe that I had never even heard of ABT or Mr Stiefel until I saw the movie "Center Stage" on DVD in April 2004. At that point, I became a balletomane and thought Mr Stiefel was the greatest thing in dance. It's been six years since that movie, and I try to see as much dance as humanly possible in Chicago and anywhere else that I happen to be.

Sometimes when you finally get what you wish for, you are disappointed so I purposely didn't set any hopes or expectations for what the night would bring. I mean, he might have been replaced d/t injury for all I knew since that had happened 2 years ago. So what did I think of him as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake? I thought he was BEAUTIFUL! He was so calm, confident and at ease. I thought that every leg extension, every arched foot, every port de bras, every gesture, and indeed, every body part moved seamlessly. For me, he's got the best legs, perfectly straight and lean (obviously from genetics), that I've ever seen on a guy in dance; it's why his pirouettes, esp. in 2nd position, tendus and leg extensions look so incredible and unlike other ballerinos. Watching him was like looking at a beautiful painting in a museum; I was entranced with looking at the artist's finer details much like the brush strokes on a canvass. The quest for me is always on how does the artist present their work. It was like, I am seeing the painting that is Ethan Stiefel dancing, and it was a priceless piece of living art.

I loved seeing his hands and his fingers upon Odette-Odile's waist. I loved the way those hands slid across his ballerinas arms and body, I loved the distance that he stood from her. I loved how he leaned first his head and then body in towards his ballerina. How he lifted and held Ms Herrera at such an extreme arch over his head was beyond me. In general, I love the intimacy and sensuality that is inherent in partnering; and Mr Stiefel was brilliant at it. There must be trust and security in something so intimate occurring between two dancers.

I loved how Mr Stiefel transitioned from one movement to the next. I liked all of his facial expressions not because they induced any emotional component for me but rather that they were in keeping with the character he played. I even loved how his hair bounced when he ran across the stage or balloned. This is how Mr Stiefel told the story of Swan Lake with all of its nuances and subtleties. There were no pyrotechnics in his dancing and no over dramatizations. His beauty and mastery came from another source, the quality and refinement in his technique. The New York Post described Mr Stiefel as America's most elegant male classicist, and for me in that moment in time, he was.

I will discuss all three ABT ballet's that I saw from April 14th- April 16th in another post. This one was dedicated to Mr Stiefel, who has brought me full circle in the world of ballet.