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Reichlen/T Angle SWAN LAKE @ NYCB

Above: New York City Ballet principal artists Tyler Angle and Teresa Reichlen in SWAN LAKE; photo by Paul Kolnik

Friday September 20, 2013 – I’m an admirer of the New York City Ballet‘s Peter Martins production of SWAN LAKE, even though the first time I saw it (with Kyra Nichols in her only performance of it) I found it a great eyesore. I had vowed never to see it again but of course, this Company is my Company and how could I let anything deter me from seeing such Swan Queens as Miranda Weese, Wendy Whelan, Jenifer Ringer, Maria Kowroski, Jennie Somogyi and Sara Mearns? I soon made peace with the sets and costumes (basically by simply tuning them out), and on second seeing realized that there is no more potent ending for this ballet than that which Peter has crafted.

Non-stop dancing and just enough mime propel the ballet forward. The familiar set-pieces are there, and Peter brings especial vitality to the villager’s dance in the opening scene and (truly lovely) the would-be-brides set piece which just precedes the arrival of Odile.

This evening’s performance had its ups and downs. There was a bit of ragged playing from the pit here and there, and it seemed to me that Daniel Capps’ tempo for the White Swan pas de deux was just a bit too fast for Teresa Reichlen and Tyler Angle to make the maximum poetic effect. But much of the first lakeside scene was nullified for me by audience distractions (whispering mother and child behind me; a woman munching on cashews from a plastic cup; someone texting). I retreated to the 5th Ring for the second half of the evening and was far better able to concentrate there.

The opening scene, where Siegfried’s friends from the village have come to celebrate his birthday with a party of the castle terrace (they’d never be allowed inside the royal residence per se) is one long dance-a-thon and the sixteen corps dancers were a pleasure to observe thru my opera glasses: corps-watching heaven. But apparently many in the audience had never seen chidren onstage so there was a lot of ooohing and aaaahing when the small fry appear (they danced very nicely).

Harrison Ball (above, headshot by Paul Kolnik) scored a hit as the Jester; he was one of several dancers making role-debuts tonight. Lithe and agile, Harrison moved thru the virtuoso demands of the choreography with flair. Later, at the ‘official’ birthday party of his master, I very much liked Harrison’s facial acting throughout the Black Swan pas de deux: he seemed to be the only person at court to sense that something was amiss with this Odile woman and her sinister escort.

Amanda Hankes, a natural aristocrat, made a youthful Queen. Taylor Stanley’s handsome Benno (debut) was another feather in this dancer’s cap; watching the vivacious Lauren Lovette in the pas de trois was a treat, and I liked the touch of rubato Ashly Isaacs brought to this attractive set piece.

As the partiers went romping off, leaving the Prince, Benno and the Jester frozen in a gesture of farewell, the stage was set for the drama to begin. At this moment, NYCB decided it was time for a round of late seating, so we had the patter of feet, the urgent whispers, the bright glare of flashlights. The mood of the ballet was successfully broken.

Teresa Reichlen’s opening jeté seemed to proclaim that the ballet could now move into the realm of poetry, but it was at this point that the distractions all around me commenced. Restive audience members are the bane of ballet-going: if you prefer to chat with your daughter, eat, or text, why did you come to the theatre?

So despite being aware of Tess’s lovely attitude poses and deep back bends, and of Tyler’s pale and urgently tender personification of the Prince, much of this scene went for nought. I couldn’t wait to escape; I even thought of simply going home, but it seemed so unfair – this triumph of indifference – and there were dancers coming up in the second half that I really wanted to see.

Tess was at her grandest as Odile, wonderfully predatory as she manipulates the hapless Tyler. Coached by the ultra-tall and sinister Ask LaCour as Rothbart, Tess used the role’s faux-Odette motifs with canny skill: a mistress of deceit. Her solo was gorgeously danced and she whipped off a blazing set of fouettés, followed by the sustained balances up the diagonal. Tyler’s solo was a beautiful paragraph of polished bravura. The pledge…the shock of betrayal…the desperate rush to the lake…

The final scene, built on the prince’s hopeless notion the damage could be repaired, was movingly played by Tess and Tyler. Odette knows her chance has been lost; when the Prince again raises his hand in pledge, she pulls his arm down and wraps it around her torso. This will be their last moment together. But now Rothbart must be defeated: in the brilliant coup de foudre the couple make a last stand for love and Rothbart is destroyed. But the curse has not been broken. In those last heart-rending moments, Siegfried tries in vain to forestall Odette’s transformation. But she vanishes among the ranks of the swans, leaving him to contemplate his failure. In this final parting, Tess and Tyler personified the despair of shattered hope.

Back-tracking to the ballroom, there was lots of fine dancing – commencing with Harrison Ball’s playful number with three small jesters. The prospective brides arrive: in pastel frocks, the girls weave solo passages into a very charming ensemble: Sara Adams, Likolani Brown, Megan Johnson, Jenelle Manzi, mary Elizabeth Sell and Lara Tong each took the opportunity to shine. But despite this bevy of beautiful choices, the Prince demurs.

The pas de quatre, a virtuosic set-piece, brought forth Savannah Lowery, Rebecca Krohn and Ashley Laracey each looking lovely and with accomplished dancing. But something was amiss: Chase Finlay, after squiring the girls thru the opening segment, did not perform his variation. And in the coda, Chase seemed to be marking. If Chase had sustained an injury, let’s hope it’s quickly remedied. I was left wondering how the conductor knew to skip the male variation music.

In the swirling Hungarian number, Gretchen Smith threw a dash of paprika into her role-debut dancing; Justin Peck was her rather somber and very impressive beau: now that Justin is taking the choreographic world by storm, we sometimes forget what a great presence he has as a dancer. Jennie Somogyi and Adrian Danchig-Waring (another newcomer to his role) were daringly provocative and physically fearless in the steamy Russian dance. New senoritas in Spanish – Meagan Mann and Lydia Wellington – vied for our attention with their footwork and their yellow fans; Daniel Applebaum and Zachary Catazaro (debut) were the dashing toreros, In a particularly appealing match up, Lauren Lovette and Devin Alberda (his debut) were the Neapolitan dancers, displaying Lauren’s piquant charm and a touch of devilry from Devin.

The House was full to the rafters, and Tess, Tyler and Harrison were strongly cheered. Ask’s curtain call, drawing the villain’s booing, recalled Albert Evans in the same role: a glacial staredown, and a swirl of the cape. I ran into Albert during the intermission, handsome as ever.

ODETTE/ODILE: Reichlen; SIEGFRIED: T. Angle; VON ROTBART: la Cour; QUEEN: *Hankes; JESTER: *Ball; BENNO: *Stanley; PAS DE TROIS: *Lovette, Isaacs; PAS DE QUATRE: Laracey, Lowery, Krohn, Finlay; HUNGARIAN: *Smith, J. Peck; RUSSIAN: Somogyi, *Danchig-Waring; SPANISH: *Wellington, Applebaum, *Mann,*Catazaro; NEAPOLITAN: Lovette, *Alberda; PRINCESSES: Manzi, Sell, Johnson, Brown, Adams, Tong

September 20, 2013
John J Zullo/Raw Movement @ St. Mark’s

Above: dancer Mike Hodge in John Zullo’s this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin

Thursday September 19, 2013 – John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement presented three works at St. Mark’s Church In the East Village tonight. An unusual and pleasing dance venue, St. Mark’s sanctuary transforms into a spacious theater-in-the-round. John Zullo’s danceworks function well in this setting, and the evening was enhanced by excellent lighting (Mark Simpson) as well as by the boundless energy of the dancers. The programme featured ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE, and the world premieres of this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin and project Xiii.

ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE was the evening’s longest work. The space has been hung with gauzy panels and wrapped in a broad ribbon of white fabric. As the six dancers enter, pacing along the perimeter, they make blatant eye contact with the seated audience members. The dancers then step into a central pool of light and begin to move in silence.

As the piece progresses in a series of distinct scenes distinguished by the lighting concept, we see movement motifs repeated or rearranged. An animated opening passage in which the dancers rarely touch one another gives way to a broadly lyrical musical theme; solos for each dancer are woven into the movement tapestry. The gossamer fabric-panels are lowered into the dance-space and audience members are ushered into the performing area to observe the dancers at close range. The space is flooded with golden light, and eventually the dancers withdraw from the setting, leaving audience members standing in their places.

Music for this work includes Monolake, Ludovico Einaudi, David Lynch, and Autechre and the simple costume designs of Hector Perez give the dancers a touch of see-thru allure. The six dancers – Jenna Liberati, Mary Madsen, Olivia Orozco, Tyler Patterson, Jeff Davis and Bong Ian Dizon – are all excellent and thoroughly at ease in the physical demands of John Zullo’s choreography. There were passing moments when the work seemed a bit over-long, but the vibrant personal qualities of the individual dancers kept our focus firmly on the movement.

I’d had a glimpse of the evening’s second work, this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin earlier this year at LaMaMa. Inspired in part by Scott Heim’s novel
“Mysterious Skin,” in which two young boys are sexually exploited and
assaulted, this darkly sensual and provocative dancework is set amidst luminous lucite panels which serve as both mirrors of the dancers involved and windows into their dark doings. The collage-score, arranged by David Englehard, includes Olafur Arnalds, Max Richter, and Deru; and at one point singer Jessie Davis wanders into the space singing “Dream A Little Dream of Me”.

Tyler Patterson (rehearsal photo, above) opens this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin with a restless, floor-oriented solo. Later, stripped down to black briefs, Tyler’s beautiful vulnerability became a poignant element of the work. The shadow effects, off-setting the radiance of the lighted mirrorlike-panesl, create a haunting visual landscape. Jenna Liberati, Olivia Orozco, Jeff Davis, Bong Dizon, and Mike Hodge are the other fine dancers in this unsettling, brink-of-a-nightmare work.

project Xiii begins with a digital clock in the center of the space being set for a 13-minute countdown. The piece commences with John Zullo dancing the first of twelve solos, each to music chosen by the various dancers. Guest artists mingle with Company members, each dancer having 60 seconds to work their self-made phrase. This imaginative piece had the benefit of Mark Simpson’s lighting; Mark’s contributions to the evening were underscored here as Jenna Liberati, in a pool of light just a couple feet away from me, danced with her own shadow. This piece was an excellent way to end the evening.

September 19, 2013
Tom Gold Dance @ Bilbao

On August 21st and 22nd, 2013 Tom Gold Dance performed at the Guggenheim Museum at Bilbao, Spain. The programme consisted of Tom’s ballet LA PLAGE, Balanchine’s APOLLO, Jerome Robbins’ CONCERTINO, and the pas de deux from FLOWER FESTIVAL AT GENZANO. In the top photo, Sara Mearns, Likolani Brown, Adrian Danchig-Waring and Abi Stafford in APOLLO.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Above: Devin Alberda and Abi Stafford in the FLOWER FESTIVAL pas de deux.

Above: Stephen Hanna, Sara Mearns and Andrew Scordato in CONCERTINO.

These images from the performance are courtesy of The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.

September 17, 2013
Rehearsal: Intermezzo Dance Company

Above: Shoshana Rosenfield and Kurt Froman rehearsing for Intermezzo Dance Company; click on the image to enlarge.

Thursday August 29th, 2013 – Craig Salstein, founder of Intermezzo Dance Company, invited me to a Company rehearsal today at the ABT Studios. Choreographers Lisa de Ribere and Gemma Bond were working on the 2nd and 4th movements – respectively – of the Verdi string quartet which will be shown at Intermezzo‘s premiere performances in October.

Intermezzo Dance Company will debut at the 92nd Street Y with a programme celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian opera composer Giueseppe Verdi. Craig Salstein, a serious opera-lover, will honor the Maestro with a setting of the composer’s string quartet as well as a fantasia of melodies from the dramatic opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (A Masked Ball), specially arranged for these performances. Four choreographers – Marcelo Gomes, Lisa de Ribere, Adam Hendrickson and Gemma Bond – will each set a movement of the quartet, while BALLO will be choreographed by Raymond Lukens. Tickets for the performances are on sale now: click here to order.

Craig has put together a handsome roster of dancers, including established favorites and some exciting newcomers. It was great to see everyone today, and if they were for the most part moving too fast for my camera to capture, I do have a few images to share:

Kurt Froman

Aran Bell warming up

Shoshana Rosenfield and Nancy Richer

Nadezhda Vostrikov, Carlos Lopez and Kaitlyn Gilliland

Nancy Richer, Rina Barrantes

Kaitlyn Gilliland, Stephen Hanna and Nadia Vostrikov getting notes from Gemma Bond

Kaitlyn!

Carlos and Nadia

Striking a melodramatic pose: Carlos Lopez

Rina, Kaitlyn and Stephen

Aran Bell

Carlos and Nadia, one of my few actual dance shots that turned out

Kaitlyn Gilliland and Sarah James

Nancy Richer, Gemma Bond

Carlos Lopez. I met Carlos this past Spring when he danced with Lydia Johnson Dance.

Another of the Intermezzo choreographers, Adam Hendickson, is creating the 3rd movement of the string quartet as a pas de deux for Kaitlyn Gilliland and Stephen Hanna. I’m hoping to watch a rehearsal of this part of the programme soon.

Meanwhile, a short film featuring all the Intermezzo dancers moving to music from Verdi’s NABUCCO is in the works.

August 30, 2013
In the Studio with Miro Magloire

Above: Holly Curran and Traci Finch rehearsing for New Chamber Ballet

Wednesday August 28th, 2013 – Miro Magloire, always one of the busiest people on the New York City dance scene, is busier than ever these days. Not only is he preparing for the upcoming performances of his New Chamber Ballet (September 6th & 7th at City Center Studios) but he is also creating five new works for the Austrian Cultural Forum’s Moving Sounds Festival for a performance on September 20th, as well as looking ahead to New Chamber Ballet‘s tour to Germany.

For the Moving Sounds Festival, New Chamber Ballet will team up with
the Argento Chamber Ensemble for a program of five new ballets – and a
revival – to music by contemporary Austrian and American composers. A world premiere collaboration with
composer Michel Galante, a new work to a new score by composer Nina C.
Young, and new creations to scores by Beat Furrer, Georg Friedrich Haas,
and Arthur Kampela will be featured. The program – which will also include a revival of Miro’s ECHOES to music by Anton Webern – takes place at the Bohemian National Hall, Czech Center, 321 East 73rd Street, NYC on September 20th. Visit the Festival’s page here.

I stopped in at Ballet Hispanico today where Miro and his dancers – Elizabeth Brown, Sarah Atkins, Holly Curran, Amber Neff and Traci Finch – were working on some of the new rep. Composer Nina C Young dropped by to see the piece Miro is creating to her score.

Here are some photos I took of the new works in rehearsal:

Ellizabeth Brown and Amber Neff

Traci Finch and Holly Curran

Amber Neff

Elizabeth Brown

Holly Curran, Amber Neff

The final half-hour of the rehearsal time was devoted to Amber Neff working on the solo IN A SIMPLE BLACK DRESS, one of my favorites among Miro’s ever-expanding repertoire of intimate ballets. Here are some images of Amber rehearsing this solo:

August 29, 2013
In the Studio with Kensaku Shinohara

Click on the image to enlarge.

Wednesday August 28, 2013 – I stopped by at Far Space today where dancer/choreographer Kensaku Shinohara was rehearsing a work for four dancers that he’ll be presenting on September 29th, 2013 at the Dumbo Arts Festival. Performance detail here.

Currently titled MATH TIME, the evolving work will most ilkely have a new name – possibly 1000 DESIGNS – by the time of the Festival performances. The piece was shown at Bryant Park in early August, so it is structurally completed; today Kensaku and his dancers were working on fine-tuning and nuances.

Here are some images from the rehearsal:

Ellyn Sjoquist and Lynda Senisi

Lynda Senisi, Damani Pompey and Ellyn Sjoquist

Ellyn

Jake and Damani

Kensaku, Jake and Damani discuss the fine points

Jake Bone, Damani Pompey

Lynda, Ellyn, Jake

August 28, 2013
Halcyon @ The Di Menna Center

Above: pianist Ta-Wei Yu of the ensemble Halcyon

Monday August 26th, 2013 – Halcyon gave an evening of piano trios at the Di Menna Center, a high-ceilinged yet intimate space on the lower level of the Baryshnikov Arts Center building. The hall proved very felicitous for musical clarity, and an attentive and appreciative audience maintained a deep silence between the movements of each trio, rewarding the musicians with enthusiastic applause at the end of the evening.

Opening with the Arensky piano trio No.1 in D minor, the players immediately established themselves as technically accomplished and vividly communicative musicians. The opening movement glows with Tchaikovksian beauty of melody, suffused with shades of quiet longing. Violinist Hilary Castle, in a gorgeous ruby-red gown, brought a feeling of poignant lyricism to the opening theme, with pianist Ta-Wei Yu matching her in a sense of rhythmic flow. Cellist Luke Krafka’s velvety sound – a consistent pleasure all evening – seemed very much at home in this music which veers from feelings of melancholy to hope. The playful second movement materailizes as an ‘Arensky waltz’; this gives way to the poetic Elegia-Adagio where the playing of the three musicians was passionate and inspired. In the concluding movement, earlier themes re-appear as the piece builds to a dramatic conclusion.

The second work, Haydn’s piano trio No.39 (“Gypsy”) in G major dates from 1795, during the composer’s time in London, and contains some of his most innovative
keyboard writing. The work also features solo passages
for the violin; if the cello is less prominent here, it does provide beautiful textures. Ta-Wei Yu’s nimble playing was very much to the fore here, with felicitous nuances of dynamic and colour. The three musicians attained a high level of expressiveness in the finely-moulded second movement: really impressive music-making. It’s the trio’s final ‘Hungarian’ rondo movement that has led to dubbing this piece the ‘Gypsy’ trio: here Ms. Castle went to town with her flourishes à la zingarese whilst the two gentlemen kept pace in a breath-taking rush to the finish. The musicians played with infectious joy.

I have a special place in my heart for the two Mendelssohn piano trios: they are my favorite chamber works and in fact it was a chance hearing of the first trio on the radio lo! these many decades ago that made me realize there’s other music beyond opera that is rewarding to hear. This evening, Halcyon played the Mendelssohn piano trio No.2 in C minor as their final offering and it was a wonderfully personal experience for me to hear it played live. The three players showed a lovely affinity for the work’s almost painfully beautiful melodies. The performance left me deeply satisfied and feeling at peace with the world.

August 26, 2013
The Current Sessions: Volume III Issue II

Above: singer/composer Julie Hill (background) and dancers Chloe Felesina and Ian Hussey in Colby Damon’s Let me Live. Photo by Corey Melton.

Saturday August 24th, 2013 – Down to The Wild Project, an intimate venue in the East Village, for the latest installment of the Current Sessions, a series of performances featuring the work of contemporary choreographers of the Now and Next generations. With mix-it-up programming, each evening in the run produces a unique experience. Allison Jones and Alexis Convento are the co-founders of this ongoing project, and they’ve put their stamp on the series which started in 2011 and continues to hold a unique place on the New York City dance map.

Colby Damon ’s Let me Live (above photo) opened the evening impressively, with a string quintet playing Julie Hill‘s evocative score live onstage. Ms. Hill’s plaintive, unamplified singing wove thru the shiningly lyrical textures of the strings; her natural voice lent an air of vulnerability to the piece. Dancers Chloe Felesina and Ian Hussey performed Colby’s pas de deux with perfect expressiveness; their complex relationship veers from tenderness to traces of violence. In its unity of music, movement and mood this piece made a strong impact.

Roya Carreras’ A Table is an intimate domestic drama performed by Ms. Carreras, Leslie Curtis and Alexandria Yajl. “I remember but not every time, never is order” describes the state of a woman, perhaps in the stages of Alzeheimer’s, struggling with daily tasks while an attendant couple – perhaps real, perhaps imagined – inhabit her world to mysterious effect. Stylized movement and a layered score construct the situation, giving way to a melodious rhythmic solo (danced with one shoe off) a l’Espagnole. A lemon and some potted marigolds come into the scenario. An air of hopelessness seems to seep in, and a feeling of long days and unresolved, thwarted emotions. The individual performances of the three dancers were strong and moving.

Above: from dyad

Allison Jones and Hayley Jones took the stage for dyad, a fantastic duet in which the two girls – in ‘nude’ tops – danced in stylized and often synchronized moves to a Sam Silver soundscape. Sam Hart’s projections of both kozmic abstractions and glowing solid colours gave the dance its electric setting, while the intense shadows cast by the two dancers added a striking visual dimension. The piece is vivid, the dancing hi-energy and exciting to watch.

Two of Gotham’s smoothest movers – Christopher Ralph and Daisuke Omiya (photo above) – performed Gregory Dolbashian’s witty duet Go H.A.M. The boys have just started getting their groove on when the music halts, freezing them in ballet poses. They start again, but it keeps happening. After several thwarted attempts to do their own thing, Dai and Chris surrender to Mozart (the opening duet from NOZZE DI FIGARO) and carry on their competition in a fusion style. The crowd loved the piece and the two boys who danced it.

Charli Brissey made a fine impression with her engaging mixture of naturalness and quirkiness in a solo work-in-progress Human Friend, described as “….an experimental embodiment of queer animalism and social awkwardness.” The dancer effortlessly held the stage with her gamine physique and quiet intensity; eye contact with her viewers kept us in firm focus as the work unfolded.

Hayley Jones returned for the final piece, LoudHound Movement’s A Sentinel Without Lips. Hayley was joined by Kacie Bobitt and Sarah Stanley in this darkish, unsettling work which is planned as part of an upcoming installation. Synchronized duets and intense solos mirror the mind-states of the three women; their humming casts an eerie quality into the soundscape, and again shadows on the wall play a part in the works overall mystique. Allusions to eating disorders and a sense of despair are present, and so is an offbeat lyricism that keeps us engaged. Again – as all evening – the dancers excelled.

All performance photography by Corey Melton.

The Wild Project is a great space, and I loved running into some danceworld friends: aside from Allison and Alexis, Giorgio Bovo, Elise Ritzel, Colby Damon, Gregory Dolbashian and Bennyroyce Royon were all out on this refreshingly cool summer’s eve.

August 24, 2013
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #3

Above: Victoria Duval of the USA

Friday August 23, 2013 – A beautiful day at the US Open qualifiers, marred only by an on-court temper tantrum from Canadian Frank Dancevic. The sky grew overcast as the day went on, but no rain fell and there was a nice afternoon breeze…ideal conditions both for playing and watching.

I started off at Court 17 watching – for a change – a women’s match. America’s Victoria Duval (above) gave an impressive display of her talents in a fast-moving match against Croatia’s Tereza Mrdeza. Victoria pretty much dominated throughout; Tereza managed to get her foot in the door, and she pulled off some nice shots; but she just didn’t have the weaponry to respond to Victoria’s steady onslaught. I love Court 17 by the way: the new and oddly cozy stadium-style court.

Above: Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina threw a monkey-wrench into Amir Weintraub’s hopes for a win today; the crowd was very much behind the Israeli but the crafty Argentine seemed to have a sharp overall game plus the passion needed to overcome his taller and – perhaps – more polished opponent.

Above: Somdev Devvarman of India had to overcome a very strong showing by Britain’s James Ward. Ward pulled off some impressive shots; after Somdev won the first set the Englishman took control and evened things up. It looked like it could go either way, but Somdev’s steady style prevailed. I really like watching him play.

Above: Somdev Devvarman

Above: Go Soeda of Japan; Go’s been a favorite player of mine for several seasons now and today I got to watch him having a practice session and then – later – his match against Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.

I like Hernych, he plays a good game and it didn’t surprise me that he took the first set, following an extended tie-breaker.

Then Go dug in and persevered thru two more hard-fought sets. The crowd was pro-Go all the way and there was an air of celebration when the Japanese secured the win.

Go Soeda after the match

Japan’s Tatsuma Ito (above) took the first set of his match against Frank Dancevic. Ito plays beautfully, strong and steady. Dancevic took the second set. Throughout the first two sets, Dancevic threw minor hissy-fits whenever he felt he’d gotten a bad call. But in the third set he staged a full mad scene, halting play completely while he debated with the chair umpire at length as Ito stood waiting patiently at his end of the court. The crowd finally gave Dancevic a much-deserved round of booing; in my view he should have been fined a point for delaying play.

Dancevic finally resumed playing and eventually he won the match, but his behavior was inexcusable. Everyone gets bad calls…and I hate to tell you this, Frank, but I watched a couple of your shots go long today and they weren’t called out. Poor sportsmanship leaves such a sour taste; I’ll never want to see another Dancevic match. He may have won today, but Ito is the classier player.

August 22, 2013
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #2

Above: Japan’s Go Soeda

Wednesday August 21, 2013 – Back to the US Open for the second day of the 2013 qualifying tournament; it was much hotter than yesterday and there were considerably larger crowds at most of the matches. I had a good time though I may not go back for the two remaining days: I no longer enjoy being in the sun for such long stretches of time.

At 11:00 AM two Chinese players had their matches on nearly-adjacent courts: Ze Zhang (above) faced the Austrian Martin Fischer on Court 15…

…while Di Wu (above) played France’s Josselin Ouanna on Court 12.

Ze Zhang has a lot of natural talent; he began rather casually and lost the first set but then he really perked up and played some brilliant points. He won the second set and the tide had clearly turned. An exciting third set produced a tie-breaker and althought Zhang lost, he really played impressively.

Di Wu (above) is a dynamic, compactly built player. Facing the taller and stronger Mssr. Ouanna, Di Wu had his work cut out for him. Ouanna hits big, but Di Wu never flinched; he simply played his own game and outclassed the Frenchman time and again. Ouanna may have been off his best form (he’s a very fine player) as he called for the trainer at one point. For a moment I thought he might withdraw, but he gamely continued and Di Wu moved on to secure the victory.

Di Wu after the match.

I shuttled back and forth between the two matches and they each wrapped up just in time for me to grab a seat at Court 11 where Go Soeda (above), a great favorite of mine, played an exceptionally clean and brilliant match against Austin Krajicek. Krajicek is a powerful player; he serves big and employs plenty of driving force. Go stuck with his steady, sure-handed style of play, winning a high percentage of his first-serve points and keeping unforced errors to a minimum.

The heat index reached its apex during this match; the air was still and heavy and we were all baking under the intense sun. I don’t know how the players kept up the pace. After Go took the first set I went off to get hydrated and saw that my other Japanese guy, Tatsuma Ito, was about to start his match. Since they were showing the Soeda match on the big screen, I could keep tabs on that while watching Tatsuma play against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Japan’s Tatsuma Ito

Each player had his contingent of supporters in the crowd and there was a good atmosphere; the sun was beginning to drop into the West and a lovely breeze kicked up. I really enjoyed this match and watching Tatsuma calmly and methodically dismantle his opponent. Damir had some exciting moments but Tatsuma simply soldiered thru and wrapped up the win in just 70 minutes of playing time.

Tatsuma Ito after the match.

I’d planned to go back for more tennis on Thursday but I’m sunburnt, and rain is predicted. I think I just need a day to chill. We’ll see who moves on to the Friday matches and then decide whether to go back for the final day.

August 21, 2013