Ballet To The People

Leigh Donlan reviewed the performance at the Metropolitan Opera House on July 15th, 2026

It has been an exciting summer season for American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, punctuated by a trio of onstage principal promotions. Dazzling storybook productions made for reliable and safe programming, and the dancing was world-class. Following Wednesday night’s performance in which SunMi Park demonstrated technical mastery and gorgeous style, with a deep emotional understanding of the role, artistic director Susan Jaffe came on stage to announce her well-deserved promotion to principal. Park rose quickly at the company, promoted from apprentice to soloist within a year. Debuting Odette-Odile recently with Daniel Camargo then partnering with Thomas Forster further displayed a rare adaptability in this canonical role. 

In Act I, Forster paced himself beautifully, delivering clean and consistent movements. While he partnered his suitors with noble grace, he truly shone during his solos. His Siegfried expressed a deep yearning for true love through lingering, upward reaches and exquisite, prolonged extensions in his arabesques. Free from melodrama, Forster remained compellingly self-contained, pensive, and emotionally subtle.

Another highlight of Act I was the fabulous pas de trois featuring Elizabeth Beyer, Fangqi Li, and Carlos Gonzalez. Beyer displayed gorgeous épaulement, crisp lines, and an effortless airiness. Li demonstrated a remarkably smooth musicality, filling each choreographic phrase with lingering detail, down to her fingertips and gaze. As Benno, Carlos Gonzalez brought vibrant bravado to the stage, flawlessly executing triple turns, sharp entrechats, and soaring tours jetés.

The mime-rich narrative of Act II introduced us to Park’s exquisite Odette. Exhibiting a profound sensitivity, she demanded tenderness from the Prince and recoiled instantly at any hint of aggression. In their first pas de deux, she melted into his arms, her hyperextended back striking a supple, avian silhouette. Falling backward from pointe, she appeared to float weightlessly into his trusted catches, like a feather. 

As the Cygnets, Lauren Bonfiglio, Camila Ferrera, Betsy McBride, and Yoon Jung Seo delivered a tight and precise pas de quatre. They maintained perfectly uniform passé heights throughout – a deceptively difficult feat. Meanwhile, the corps de ballet held their formations well, though they were not always in sync when moving between them. 

In Act III, Jake Roxander and Takumi Miyake delivered a spectacular, crowd-pleasing Neapolitan dance. With infectious energy, they challenged each other playfully to higher leaps, more complex turns, and crisper beats.

As Odile, Park was ruthless: ladylike one moment, a sharp vixen the next. Gone was Odette’s soft, vulnerable meekness; Park’s Odile was crisp, precise, and immediately commanded the Prince’s undivided attention. Her keen musicality shone through every variation, playfully teasing the audience by holding back on her tours à la seconde with two doubles that could have easily been triples. To set the trap, Sung Woo Han’s seductive von Rothbart quickly ingratiated himself with the Queen, allowing Odile to bewitch the Prince. Kevin McKenzie’s Swan Lake splits the villain into two personas: the charming, deceptive nobleman of Act III, and his true self – the predatory monster of Acts II and IV.

Forster proved to be an indefatigable partner, smoothly accommodating Park’s high-intensity executions, even if his Siegfried seemed driven more by fear of the mysterious Odile than by lust. Park nailed the grueling 32 fouettés, confidently throwing in a triple at the end to underscore an electric, self-assured performance. 

Returning to the lakeside for Act IV, Park’s Odette was profoundly evocative, her sorrow radiating through a pained countenance and a weeping, expressive upper body. Park and Forster seemed to bring out the best in each other. They projected their love clearly as he desperately tried to reassure her of his. Meanwhile, Roman Zhurbin electrified the scene, bringing massive stage presence to von Rothbart’s monstrous true self.

The ever-popular Swan Lake, with the added excitement of end-of-season on-stage promotions, served as a grand and fitting cap to the summer season. Though not without its challenges, for mounting Swan Lake to both open and close a season must be tricky. As the repertoire’s most grueling endurance test for the corps de ballet, maintaining a full roster of meticulously rehearsed swans by season’s end requires careful planning and sheer luck.