Passion for Part – skirmishes in the aisle during ABT’s Sleeping Beauty

ByGramilano Reading Time: 2 minutes

sleeping beauty veronika part marcello gomez‘s James Wolcott’s blog as late has become a tribute page for the ‘s . And why not? She’s wonderful. Others think the same way, as Wolcott reports in his latest blog entry:

Unscripted drama at the ballet last night as a man strode a little too purposely down the aisle after Veronika Part’s first solo in act one only to be intercepted by an usher. The man had intended to hurl a bouquet over the orchestra pit onto the stage, a gesture of tribute that would might been disruptive in mid-performance and not a practice Met management would want others to emulate, and when the middle-aged bouquet-bearer was blocked and told no, he didn’t exactly comport himself with gentlemanly aplomb.

He flung the flowers to the floor and spat out a few words of exasperated fury, one of which was “–SWINE!,” and steamed back up the aisle, his face a frozen psychodrama. At intermission I spotted a single red petal lying underfoot in the aisle.

I mention this only because I wouldn’t want anyone present last night to think that was me going coco, taking my enthusiasm for Ms. Part a bit too far.

No, I remained in my seat, a model of Apollonian composure despite the riotous emotion wilding within whenever Veronika honored the gods with her imperial arabesque.

read all at James Wolcott’s Blog | Vanity Fair

Photo: Veronika Part and Marcello Gomes in ABT’s Sleeping Beauty © Gene Shiavone

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Graham Spicer, aka 'Gramilano', is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.

Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.

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