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Slant

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About Slant

  • Birthday 09/17/1956

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
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    New York
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    NY

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  1. I will also add my two cents. Loved Justin's ballet, and on top of his "In Creases" this summer at Saratoga Springs, he is off to a great start! Can't wait for his next work! A very talented young man!
  2. Nice to see Russell Janzen get another featured role, building on Les Carillons from this past spring. This time to open the season the first week in Orpheus.
  3. A well deserved and well overdue recognition for Justin. i expect great things from him.
  4. I saw the gala performance, and without new choreography or changes to the current, it probably doesn't have legs.
  5. I went the Gala performance too. Ocean's Kingdom - one word. Dud! The music was unsuited for a ballet. I echo the comments that it sounded most like a music score, like something scored by Jerry Goldsmith. This music was not suited well for ballet choreography, and there was nothing in the music that sounded original in structure or tone. It was bland. This music was over-hyped and under-delivered, much like another Sir Paul's foray into classical music, Liverpool Oratorio. He should stick to pop music and stop the pretense of making significant contributions to the classical idiom. As for the choreography, I am not a Martin's fan, but the music made Peter's task difficult. That said, the ballet was also bland, the several pas de deux were wasted opportunities for flashes of invention. The movements lacked dramatic crescendo in the right places. It was just always at one level of emotional intensity, save for the finale when Scala reemerges. Overall, you developed no connection with the characters or their plight. The ballet was also visually unappealing, such a mess, and quite visually intrusive. The costumes prints and colors clashed when the corps and principals were on stage in numbers - which was often. The visual stimuli overwhelmed the senses to the point that one could get induced into vertigo. It was almost nauseating. I was not impressed by Stella McCartney's work. She made Robbie Fairchild look so unappealing with his make-up and hair - this from a dancer with a natural sympathetic looking persona. How she could screw that up.... So Sir Paul got his way on this, in every element of the production, for the control freak he is. Banishing "Union Jack" from the original program lineup because he "doesn't open up for any one." This comment was confirmed by numerous members of the company. He dictated everything, all the way down to the all-vegan menu for the supper ball. True egoism. For the McCartney and Beatle groupies, they will see no wrong in this. For the A lusters who attended, they will not speak I'll of this work. But if you are true lover of City Ballet like me, you just shake your head at how bad it was. There is a silver lining. The gala raised $4 million, compared to last Year's fall gala which raised 2.2 million. That's a nice hefty cut into the $6 million deficit.
  6. I think from this clip that the score sounds better than a lot of "serious contemporary classical" that's being commissioned these days. It also sounds to me like Sir Paul's been listening to a lot of neo-classical Stravinsky. Sounds more like film music to me. Something like Jerry Goldsmith. Also, I am disappointed they have now dropped the performance of Union Jack from the Gala.
  7. Yes, she is focusing on Ocean's. Will be nice to see Tess doing Odette/Odile.
  8. Casting is up for the first week of the fall season! I see David LaMarche of the ABT is doing some conducting. NEW YORK CITY BALLET CASTING SEPTEMBER 13 - 18, 2011 TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 13, 7:30 PM (Conductor: Karoui) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Bouder; SIEGFRIED: Veyette; , VON ROTBART: Evans+; QUEEN: Muller; JESTER: Ulbricht; BENNO: Huxley; PAS DE TROIS: Pereira, Scheller; PAS DE QUATRE: M. Fairchild, A. Stafford, T. Peck, De Luz; HUNGARIAN: Lowery, la Cour; RUSSIAN: Somogyi, Askegard; SPANISH: LeCrone, Hall, Krohn, Suozzi; NEAPOLITAN: Dronova, Carmena; PRINCESSES: King, Sell, Hankes, Brown, Pazcoguin, Bachman WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 14, 7:30 PM (Conductor: LaMarche+) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Reichlen; SIEGFRIED: T. Angle; VON ROTBART: la Cour; QUEEN: *Anderson; JESTER: Hendrickson; BENNO: Carmena; PAS DE TROIS: *Pollack, Isaacs; PAS DE QUATRE: Laracey, Scheller, Pereira, Garcia; HUNGARIAN: Pazcoguin, Hall; RUSSIAN: Krohn, Ramasar; SPANISH: Lowery, Stanley, Hankes, Tworzyanski; NEAPOLITAN: Lovette, Peiffer; PRINCESSES: King, Muller, Mann, Collins, Adams, Bachman THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 15, 7:30 PM (Conductor: LaMarche+) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Hyltin; SIEGFRIED: *J. Stafford; VON ROTBART: Evans+; QUEEN: Anderson; JESTER: Schumacher; BENNO: Tworzyanski; PAS DE TROIS: Laracey, King; PAS DE QUATRE: LeCrone, Lowery, Krohn, Finlay; HUNGARIAN: Gilliland, J. Peck; RUSSIAN: Taylor, la Cour; SPANISH: Smith, Applebaum, Muller, Scordato; NEAPOLITAN: Pereira, Villalobos; PRINCESSES: Pollack, Sell, Hankes, Brown, Pazcoguin, Bachman FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 16, 8 PM BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE EPISODES: A. Stafford, T. Angle, Reichlen, la Cour, Whelan, Marcovici, Mearns, J. Stafford [Karoui] (intermission) APOLLO: R. Fairchild**, Hyltin, T. Peck, Scheller [Karoui] (intermission) THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS: Wellington, Tworzyanski, King, Peiffer, Laracey, Danchig-Waring, Garcia, Lowery, J. Angle, Ramasar, Bouder** [LaMarche+] SATURDAY MATINEE, SEPTEMBER 17, 2 PM (Conductor: Karoui) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Bouder; SIEGFRIED: Veyette; VON ROTBART: Evans+; QUEEN: Muller; JESTER: Ulbricht; BENNO: Huxley; PAS DE TROIS: Pereira, Scheller; PAS DE QUATRE: M. Fairchild, A. Stafford, T. Peck, De Luz; HUNGARIAN: Lowery, la Cour; RUSSIAN: Somogyi, Askegard; SPANISH: LeCrone, Hall, Krohn, Suozzi; NEAPOLITAN: Dronova, Carmena; PRINCESSES: Pollack, Sell, Mann, Collins, Pazcoguin, Bachman SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 17, 8 PM (Conductor: Otranto) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Reichlen; SIEGFRIED: T. Angle; VON ROTBART: la Cour; QUEEN: Anderson; JESTER: Hendrickson; BENNO: Carmena; PAS DE TROIS: Pollack, Isaacs; PAS DE QUATRE: Laracey, Scheller, Pereira, Garcia; HUNGARIAN: Pazcoguin, Hall; RUSSIAN: Krohn, Ramasar; SPANISH: Lowery, Stanley, Hankes, Tworzyanski; NEAPOLITAN: Lovette, Peiffer; PRINCESSES: King, Muller, Mann, Brown, Adams, Bachman SUNDAY MATINEE, SEPTEMBER 18, 3 PM (Conductor: Karoui) SWAN LAKE ODETTE/ODILE: Hyltin; SIEGFRIED: J. Stafford; VON ROTBART: Evans+; QUEEN: Anderson; JESTER: Schumacher; BENNO: Tworzyanski; PAS DE TROIS: Laracey, King; PAS DE QUATRE: LeCrone, Lowery, Krohn, Finlay; HUNGARIAN: Gilliland, J. Peck; RUSSIAN: Taylor, la Cour; SPANISH: Smith, Applebaum, Muller, Scordato; NEAPOLITAN: Pereira, Villalobos; PRINCESSES: Pollack, Sell, Hankes, Collins, Adams, Bachman * First Time in Role ** NY Debut +Guest Artist PROGRAM AND CASTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE (8/31/11)
  9. Puppytreats,in answer to your request to share my thoughts on the development expenses, let me first share some guidelines from an expert. James Greenfield is one of the leading gurus on fundraising for nonprofits and he has established “Reasonable Cost Guidelines” for fundraising and development. I provide a summary of those below: Direct Mail Acquisition/Constituency Building: $1.25 to $1.50 to raise $1.00 (Plus a 1% rate of return on all lists used in the mailing) Direct Mail Renewal/Constituency Retention: 20 – 25 cents per $1 raised (Plus a 50% rate of renewal among donors of the previous year) Benefits and Special Events: 50 cents of gross proceeds per $1 raised Corporate and Foundation Solicitation: 20 cents per $1 raised Wills and Estate Planning: 25 cents per $1 raised Capital Campaign and Major Gifts: 5-10 cents per $1 raised I think, based on those parameters, that NYCB is in a reasonable ratio of approx 20 percent of public support expenses to revenue raised. I say that assuming that the NYCB Development Department's staff (about 17 people) salaries and benefits are included in that expense line item in the financials. If it is not, then we have a completely different story.
  10. Production costs include the items you cited: fees paid to composers and choreographers, scenic design expenses, lighting, stage management and costume design expenses. I think they also include the actual salaries of the dancers, ballet masters, orchestra, etc. These costs account for over 2/3 of the operating expenses. The public support expense is typically expenses to promote, recruit and retain donors and governmental aid. This includes development and printing of promotional materials, professional expenses for the arrangement of complex donations (endowments, charitable remainder trusts, etc.), expenses for the recruitment of major donors, expenses related to special events and benefits that major donors receive (think patron lounge, socials after workshops, etc.). I am not sure if the Development Department staff salaries and benefits are part of this figure. To put public support expense in perspective, NYCB spent $4.6 million in public support expense to generate $19.3 million in public support revenue. Contrast this to FY 2007, when the company had a deficit of just $900,000, public support expense was $5.6 million to generate $22 million in public support expense. I will let everyone judge on their own if they consider this ratio appropriate. I would also note that total public support is down 12 percent from 2007.
  11. As I noted earlier, revenue from performance tickets and fees are flat - not down - so I do not see how this is significantly contributing to the deficit. And from this past season, as an example, although I did not like the new Stroman work, it sold very well - based on my discussions with the company - above their average gate for performances. So is new choreography contributing to the deficit? Let's look at the facts. Looking at FY '10 financials, you can see areas that have contributed to the deficit: Other revenue (besides tickets and performance fees): down $0.8 million Corporate donations: down $1.4 million (although individual donations went up) Investment income: down $0.4 million Ballet production costs: up $1.2 million Public support expense: up $0.6 million These items chiefly contributed to the $3.7 million operating deficit in FY 2010, and probably will contribute to the expected $5 million deficit for FY '11. Those financials are not out yet, as the company is still being audited.
  12. I still have not seen proven in this discussion the linkage between new choreography and the deficit. I think we are grasping at straws. Performance ticket revenue and tour fees remained about the same from 2009 to 2010, but the deficit increased to $3 million. I also should point out that the majority of performances in a year feature no new or recent choreography, so a subscriber or patron can easily find programs that feature the old chestnuts. Maybe there have been some bad new ballets, but I don't think many of us end up "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." I saw ABT's rep program this spring, and although it was a mess, I am glad I saw it because it stretched and challenged my perspective on dance. It made you think and reflect. It broadened my vocabulary and dance experience. We should be open to new experiences, not closed to them. Our society is becoming too risk averse in general, looking for safe bets. Go out and live a little, which means accepting some disappointment along the way. And that applies in ballet too.
  13. Should also mention that Peter Martins recently named Justin as the resident choreographer of the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of NYC Ballet.
  14. Justin Peck, an emerging 23-year-old talent from New York City Ballet, will have the world premiere of his new ballet work "7 (For Seven)" at the 2011 Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival on next Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. If you are in the area, you should come and check out an evening featuring dancers from the NYC Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. As the newly named Resident Chorographer of the New York Choreographic Institute (an affiliate of the NYC Ballet), Justin has choreographed 5 ballets in his nascent career. His latest, a world premiere for the Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival, came at the request of Benjamin Millepied, the festival's artistic director. The inspiration for the piece comes from the last three movements of Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G Minor, opus 57, which provides a roller coaster of contrasts in style and mood. “It opens with a scherzo that is analogous to dumping a bucket of ice water onto the audience,” says Peck. The poignant, reflective intermezzo is then followed by the rousing allegretto finale. In choreographing his ballet for seven dancers, Peck stated that he wanted the ballet’s design to match the challenges of balance and texture inherent in the music. Below is the link for more information: http://www.nantucketatheneum.org/2011-dance-festival/program/program-notes/ Fourteen dancers from New York City Ballet will perform on the program: Tyler Angle, Chase Finlay, Amar Ramassar, Sterling Hyltin, Maria Kowroski, Ashley Laracey, Georgina Pazcoguin, Amar Ramasar, Teresa Reichlen, Ana Sophia Scheller, Troy Schumacher, Sean Suozzi and Daniel Ulbricht. Joining them will be Dorothee Gilbert and Allesio Carbone from the Paris Opera Ballet. The Festival performances include: Red Angels Music: Maxwell’s Demon by Richard Einhorn Choreography: Ulysses Dove Premiere: May 19, 1994, The Diamond Project II, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Dancers: Tess Reichlen Maria Kowroski Tyler Angle Amar Ramasar Electric Violin Cenovia Cummins Interplay Music: Interplay (Original title, American Concertette) (1945) by Morton Gould Choreography: Jerome Robbins Premiere: June 1, 1945, Billy Rose’s Concert Varieties, Ziegfield Theatre, New York NYCB Premiere: December 23, 1952, City Center of Music and Drama. Dancers: Ashley Laracey Troy Schumacher Chase Finlay Sterling Hyltin Sean Suozzi Daniel Ulbricht Ana Sophia Scheller Gina Pazcoguin 7 (For Seven): Nantucket Dance Festival World Premiere Music: Piano in G Minor, opus 57 by Dimitri Shostakovich is performed by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. Choreography: Justin Peck Dancers: Chase Finlay Sterling Hyltin Ashley Laracey Amar Ramasar Tess Reichlen Ana Sophia Scheller Troy Schumacher Quintet Naho Parrini Brooke Saulnier Gillian Gallagher Maria Jeffers Katy Luo Scarlatti-Pas de Deux Music: Domenico Scarlatti Choreography: Jose Martinez Dancers: Dorothée Gilbert Alessio Carbone Rubies Music: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky Choreography: George Balanchine Premiere: April 13, 1967, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Dancers: Dorothée Gilbert Alessio Carbone
  15. I agree. The performance of the corps was very poor tonight, and on most occasions undependable. This to me is a defining difference between City Ballet and ABT - the quality of the corps. I hear Joaquin de Luz will be performing in Thursday's SL for Jose's retirement. Very neat!
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