I grew more independent than ever before there was inimitable satisfaction in every supermarket receipt, every "Table for one, please," every successfully executed solo journey.
As Odile she had to contend with the breakneck tempos of Andrea Quinn's conducting but triumphed in her sustained balances, impeccably executed solo and the astounding fouettés of the Act III coda.
The highlight came when Norman, executing Solo 15 of "Song Books," sat at a typewriter and repeatedly banged out a phrase from the writings of Erik Satie ("The artist has no right to waste the audience's time," in French), while Tilson Thomas fed a cucumber, celery, carrots, an apple, and a banana into a Cuisinart and made himself a smoothie.
The intent is to create an environment in which Ms. Bernsen can execute a solo turn, which, at the May performance — a partial preview of this month's show — was greeted with enthusiasm by the audience.
There are several fights (including swordplay), coordinated entrances and exits and at one point Mr. Ashiotis, executing a solo soft shoe in an idle moment, executes a deft turn and comes eye to eye with another character rushing into the room.
Tan's admirable lieutenants, the coquettish Mathilde Froustey, diamantine Wanting Zhao, and patrician Dores André executed their solo Shade variations with great flair (minus a couple of tiny tremors) but it was Zhao - in arguably the most challenging Shade solo - who took our breath away.
David Garrett, Jin-Shin Dai, and Jory Herman deserve particular praise for executing string solos in parking lots under a hot sun.
Another student, Qu Dawei, sat down at the piano to execute a half-Romantic, half-jazzy solo somewhat in the manner of Gershwin.
When I asked him what music he likes, he said he listened "mostly to pop, sometimes classical". Another student, Qu Dawei, sat down at the piano to execute a half-Romantic, half-jazzy solo somewhat in the manner of Gershwin.
At one point five dancers executed five different solos at the same time: a choreographic feat I'd like to admire.
On the other hand, Mr. Acosta did not execute all the steps in Colas's solo in the same scene.
