Wednesday, February 2d

[Michael]

West Side Story Suite and Mozartiana

West Side Story Suite last night was remarkable for a small gem of a performance in “America” by Jennifer Ringer and Genevieve Labean, and indeed by the entire ensemble of the tall dark girls (Melissa Barak, Sarah Ricard, Ellen Bar, and Rebecca Krohn). Particularly Ringer and, even more than her, Labean in the supporting role – whom we have not seen much of but whose ability to hold the stage and isolate dramatic space around herself, and whose attention to the small but essential details of her acting in this was quite startling. (Not to mention the voice). As a dancer she’s perfectly secure technically. But what’s more evident in a piece like this is the marvelous interpretive ability. At the curtain call, even standing there with an upraised left arm she was able to command the space around her. A lot of injuries early in her career have made it a case where one really doesn’t know what she’s capable of. It appears, however, to be a great deal. She can certainly Dance Robbins and one hopes that Jean Pierre Froehlich was watching carefully last night to notice what he has.

Whose Idea was it to cast James Fayette as Nardo, on the other hand? It’s like casting Jackie Gleason as the leader of the Puerto Ricans.

Earlier in the evening, Kyra Nichols danced an absolutely luminous Mozartiana which instantly put this masterpiece back into focus and erased all memory of Nina Ananiashvili and/or Veronika Part in this Ballet across the plaza. From the slightest gesture of raising of her face at the commencement of the Preghiera she was dancing. The economy of movement, grace and refinement in her response to this music were remarkable. At 44 years old, Nichols’ Pas de Bourree is still the purest in the company, perhaps the purest I have ever seen.

The State Theater audience sat on their hands, staring at this amazing phenomenon of a performance like so many dumb oxen, chewing their after dinner cuds and waiting for their dose of “Thou Swell”. I have never seen a more unresponsive audience.

Presumably, if Mozartiana had been danced by Sofiane Sylve … and if La Sylve had interpolated five or six triple fouettes into the third variation; and if she had then stopped the performance (as she likes to do) and walked the footlights fixing the audience with a grand manner, as if to say: “I AM GREAT BALLARINA … I HAVE JUST DONE SOMETHING HARD”, this audience would have known what it was seeing and would have applauded wildly. Nichols went quite over their heads. It’s worrisome. It’s depressing … It hasn’t always been like this, has it? Surely it isn’t always this way?

There it was last night, right in front of us. The lyricism of seeing a Rosebush in bloom the almost dark of a dusk in late Spring; or the Scent of Pines in the air late in the Summer. It’s right there. If we could only learn to see it, it would be something very like Heaven.

[AmandaNYC]

Wow. Thanks, Michael. I look forward to seeing Labean on Sunday in WSS. It's always nice to see a corps member have a chance to shine.

re: Nichols in Mozartiana. Just remember that everyone is different in who they like and don't like, so it might not be that Nichols went over people's heads. While I have always appreciated Nichols's technique, I have never much enjoyed her performances. I know that is sacrilege to some, but there it is. And, I don't believe it's because I missed something. I just see her differently; she's just not my cup o' tea.

But, I do agree that crazy amounts of turns seem to equal "great performance" in many an audience member's mind, rather than more subtle artistic dancing (if that's what you were implying).

-amanda

[Farrell Fan]

Heretofore, I don't remember reading anything on this board but the highest praise for Sofiane Sylve, so Michael's gratuitous characterization of her demeanor surprised me. I haven't seen her often enough to have an opinion, but I do think one should be able to praise a favorite dancer without disparaging another. As for the audience behavior, what else is new?

[Helene]

[in temporary custody of Leigh's ADMIN BEANIE]

It's important to remember that not all posters will agree on every dancer, and that the board remains a place where a contrary opinion, particularly one with detailed explanation, can be expressed, even if it is (or has been until this time) a minority opinion.

[Taking ADMIN BEANIE off now]

[oberon]

Michael, I agree thoroughly with you about the lack of audience reaction these days. I have written elsewhere on Ballet Talk about this phenomenon which seems to have overtaken ballet & opera audiences over the past decade. Great artistry is treated with ho-hum indifference; sometimes there is barely enough applause to get the dancers out before the curtain even once. So many times I have seen extraordinary, moving performances in which the dancers have given their all both technically & emotionally only to receive a polite round of applause as audience members rush to the restrooms or whip out their cell-phones to see who called them during the ballet. It is a sad state of affairs.

As Kyra's career reaches towards the twilight, I feel every moment she is onstage is a precious gift to us. The only way we can repay her, or any of the dancers for that matter, is by embracing her with our applause. When the farewell comes, there will be many bows, many flowers, confetti, tears, and people yelling their heads off. In my view, she (and many other dancers) deserve this reaction every night.

It seems only the most extroverted or showy pieces/dancers can evoke waves of applause. Musicality, humility and grace seem no longer to be of interest to the public in general.

In closing, I would not disparage Sylve...she is a totally different animal and exciting in her own way. We need all types of dancers to fill the rep and in my opinion she is most welcome.

[canbelto]

I've seen Nichols a couple of times now, and I think Nichols is the Janet Baker/Peter Pears/Fischer-Dieskau of opera. So "subtle" and "profound" I fall asleep

[oberon]

You cannot be serious??? Dame Janet mentioned in the same breath as Peter Pears....no way!

If you have never heard her BBC performance of Cassandra (yes, Cassandra) in THE TROJANS you have missed one of the most hair-raising operatic incarnations of all time..so contained yet so vivid and harrowing.

[Michael]

Heretofore, I don't remember reading anything on this board but the highest praise for Sofiane Sylve, so Michael's gratuitous characterization of her demeanor surprised me. I haven't seen her often enough to have an opinion,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I appreciate your gallantry, Farrell Fan, and always have, but -- it being true that you haven't seen Sylve much -- Why disagree with my opinion? La Sylve is not above criticism. Let me go into details.

First, I presume you think I'm being rude to this lady. As to this, though, I think she can take it. Being a principal dancer in a major company, it kind of goes with the territory.

Second of all, I imagine that you think that I could have made my point without mentioning Sofiane.

On this, however, I dissent. It is relevant to discussing the reaction to the performance last night. Sylve seems not only to be the one woman who is consistently applauded in this house these days, but also be the one who is most deliriously applauded. I led the charge myself as to her Theme. But I'm suddenly alarmed at what I see. I'm suffering a reaction myself.

What's distressing is that, in Ballet today, it's the athletic dancers, rather than the lyrical ones, who consistently seem to get ahead. I hate to see this trend taking over in the State Theater too and I do see it there. It distresses me to see an ABT-like atmosphere developing and that's what I see. On Sunday, Sylve's fouettes nearly stopped "Who Cares" for applause mid stream. I've never wanted to see something like "Who Cares" become "about the fouettes." And she does hungrily milk it, going to the footlites in Irina Dvorovenko fashion -- watch and see is all I ask.

To repeat then, if she is not above criticism; and if the criticism is relevant to what we are seeing, and to how the company is received and how it casts and schedules -- I therefore stand by what I said.

Amanda, you and I can just agree to disagree. I am interested, though, in provoking a good strong discussion on this Board and I'm pleased to have been able to do that.

[nysusan]

West Side Story Suite and Mozartiana

Earlier in the evening, Kyra Nichols danced an absolutely luminous Mozartiana which instantly put this masterpiece back into focus and erased all memory of Nina Ananiashvili and/or Veronika Part in this Ballet across the plaza.  From the slightest gesture of raising of her face at the commencement of the Preghiera she was dancing.  The economy of movement, grace and refinement in her response to this music were remarkable.  At 44 years old, Nichols’ Pas de Bourree is still the purest in the company, perhaps the purest I have ever seen. 

The State Theater audience sat on their hands, staring at this amazing phenomenon of a performance like so many dumb oxen, chewing their after dinner cuds and waiting for their dose of “Thou Swell”.  I have never seen a more unresponsive audience.

Presumably, if Mozartiana had been danced by Sofiane Sylve … and if La Sylve had interpolated five or six triple fouettes into the third variation; and if she had then stopped the performance (as she likes to do) and walked the footlights fixing the audience with a grand manner, as if to say: “I AM GREAT BALLARINA … I HAVE JUST DONE SOMETHING HARD”, this audience would have known what it was seeing and would have applauded wildly.  Nichols went quite over their heads.  It’s worrisome.  It’s depressing … It hasn’t always been like this, has it?  Surely it isn’t always this way?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah, Michael - I've been debating about whether to go see Whelan or Nichols in Mozartiana for a week now, and finally just got tickets for Whelan tonight. I know she will be wonderful but your glowing description of Nichols is making me question my decision...I've only seen Nichols a couple of times, but really loved her so the decision was a tough one!

Agree with your description of the audience response, it has been very subdued recently. Except at a Sylve T&V there was a whole gaggle of French teenagers in the back of the 3rd ring. They were cheering & squealing & generally voicing their approval in a very demonstrative way. I think you are correct in noting that Sylve has a more presentational attitude than most NYCB dancers. It may seem out of place at the State Theatre, but since I'm kind of visiting from the other side of the plaza I'll note that ABT isn't the only company where the dancers take curtain calls, I think it is pretty customary at most companies to take a bow when the audience response warrants it. Yes, Sylve definitely milks it but she is a ballerina who comes from a different tradition and I think it goes hand in hand with the aggressive attitude that she brings to her performances.

Then again, perhaps it is a troubling indication of NYCB becoming less like the company of old & more like everyone else. At any rate, it's something to think about!

[Farrell Fan]

Yes, Michael, my feeling was that you might have made your point without positing a hypothetical performance by Sylve. The point, after all, was Kyra. I'm not sure that audience favoritism for the flashy is an entirely new phenomenon. In the old days, when Villella didn't jump and turn ("Watermill"), he got booed. And I used to get upset when curtain calls by the pre-Bejart Suzanne were greeted with tepid applause. There was never a golden-age-of-audience-reaction at NYCB, but I do agree that the ABT kind of hoopla is increasing there. I also decry it, and thank you for your comments.

[carbro]

I am also perplexed by Michael's and Oberon's disappointment over lack of big, demonstrative reactions at NYCB . I won't say it's always been the case, but as a rule, NYCB's is a more restrained audience than most. I think this is due to the relatively intimate style of dancing compared with other opera-house size companies.

Sylve's manner is different, reflecting her background and training. She seems to have shed a few degrees of it, but even if she never performs anywhere but at City for the remainder of her career, I doubt she will ever fully assimilate. Michael cites her salesman-like quality (if I may paraphrase) and lack of subtlety. I do not see a particular lack of subtlety in Sylve's dancing. But I found both qualities in Kyra until the last few years. I truly wish I could see in Kyra what everyone else (except Amanda ) sees, and didn't see what I do. They enjoy her performances so much more than I do.

Odd, isn't it?

[AmandaNYC]

Amanda, you and I can just agree to disagree.  I am interested, though, in provoking a good strong discussion on this Board and I'm pleased to have been able to do that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Indeed. That's why I come here-- it would not be very interesting to read perfect agreements with all my opinions (comforting, yes). I just prefer it when opinions are expressed as opinions and not as facts. Of course, the presumption here is that everything we post is an opinion. I'm just much more sensitive than most about how those opinions are presented.

Since you did mention Sylve, I do want to add a few things. I don't want to go on a tirade or anything (that's not in my nature, anyway), but I did want to explain why I am having trouble fully enjoying her performances, some of which Michael has already mentioned. I don't expect her to be a "Balanchine ballerina" (yet), but I do want to see an appreciation for the difference in movement. I still feel like Sylve dances most roles as if it were the BIG ballerina role. In Who Cares? I differ from most others who have posted in that I think she mangles the role. There is no jazziness in her movements, in her hips or elsewhere. There is no Gerswhin in her dancing. She seems to go too far in trying to show off. When I saw her perform last Saturday, she either fell out of or ran into some difficulties with two different turning sequences as she tried to outdo herself. Just as when I saw Dvorovenko dance Symphony in C, when I have seen Sylve dance numerous roles, I wonder "where is the choreography? where is Balanchine". The dancing seems to be much more about the dancer than the dance. I am very much a viewer who prefers the dancers who become instruments of the dance, servants of the dance.

I go into each Sylve performance hoping to enjoy her fully, as I believe she has a lot to offer. As I have previously posted, I loved her expansive dancing during the solos in T&V. Strangely enough, I liked her a great deal in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, where she did let the choreography be seen.

So, that's where I am coming from regarding one of this seasons most often used dancers. I wish I could see Sylve the way most of you do.

-amanda

[Michael]

You can also look at La Sylve's feet, particularly her motion in relevees and in the way she finishes the in between steps and transitions through (flubs and blurs at times) what is supposed to be closing to Fifth -- Not always the prettiest sight -- On the other hand, in Theme, her little closed beats to the top of the ankle and all the little accents were so lovely and creamy. So go figure. I've thought at times that the sharpness of her attack in her relevees can be considered a cultural difference, since Vaganova trained dancers generally don't roll up and roll down, there's always more of a springing motion -- Yet all the same Sylve's relevees and fondus are unusually sharp and rocky even for that tradition. Which is not after all even her training and tradition. She is French trained, but those roll ups are certainly not of the French Classical School either.

[oberon]

While I agree that NYCB audiences are more sedate than ABT's, I can recall some pretty enthusiastic ovations at NYCB back in the 70s especially...and several evenings when a dancer or couple were called back to the stage more than once after a solo or pas de deux...

There have never been "ABT-type" ovations at NYCB...except at farewells...nor do I want them (but then, even at ABT ovations are declining in both duration & volume). But up until about 5 years ago it was routine for the NYCB dancers to be called before the curtain three times. A dud ballet or uninspired performance might only draw two calls. Nowadays, getting two calls is pretty much the max...three calls is very rare. Four calls, which Wendy & Jock recently took for LITURGY, almost unheard-of.

I am not saying that applause and curtain calls mean the performance was great, nor that the dancers are working to sop up applause...but it is really the only way we can express our admiration, short of throwing roses to the stage.

[lampwick]

The lead in Mozartiana is all about modesty. There's a quiet, sad overtone to the entire piece. I heard many whispers of "lovely" in the 4th ring. It seems like that's an appropriate reaction to this ballet.

I thought Kyra Nichols was lovely of course, but there were many tense technical moments in that performance. I, for one, was nervous for her by the end whever she went into a pirouette. Philip Neal didn't always seem able to help with some of the wobbles either.

Those little wobbles and insecurities seem minor (and they weren't catastropic), but they can affect an audience's overall reaction to a piece. Ms.Nichols wasn't the only one who seemed a bit insecure last night. To be honest, Neither Tom Gold nor Philip Neal were as "on" as I've seen them before.

It was a very nice performance of Mozartiana, but not a great one technically. I can appreciate dancing that's not "hard" or showy, but I don't want to feel nervous for the dancers.

That said, I think the audience HAS been a bit subdued overall the past few weeks (more than usual). Maybe everyone's sick of winter and not getting enough sunlight.

[GeorgeB fan]

re: Nichols in Mozartiana.  Just remember that everyone is different in who they like and don't like, so it might not be that Nichols went over people's heads.  While I have always appreciated Nichols's technique, I have never much enjoyed her performances.  I know that is sacrilege to some, but there it is.  And, I don't believe it's because I missed something.  I just see her differently; she's just not my cup o' tea.

-amanda

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You got that right!!!!! HOW DARE YOU, I mean HOW DARE YOU!!!! You - you mere moral! Like the rest of us, you have no right to criticize a heavenly goddess like Saint Kyra! She's a creature of the Divine. And when the Divine allow one of it's angels to descend upon Earth to dance for the pleasure of us mere morals, it is not for us to judge, but to relish the luminous beauty they give us! Their presence elevate and ennoble us, in away that we will never have on this planet Earth. HERETIC!!!!! This kind of speaking could cause others to think they have the right to speak negatively of these divinities of dance! LOOK AT THE REMARKS MADE BY LAMPWICH! We will forgive Lampwich, they was lead down a path they was fully aware of. But it would be to dangerous for it to continue!!

I know I'm not the only one on this sacred message board who feels AmandaNYC have created blasphemy with her evil comments and that she must be barred henceforth to never be allowed to participate ever again!!!!!

I look to you, our righteous moderators, to rectify this insult to our sweet and glorious angel Saint Krya and remove this evil from our board!!!! My God what a marvelous founder Alexandra must think!!!

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DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN I'M BEING SARCASTIC!!!!!! I

[bobbi]

Michael's lament about lack of audience reaction after having been so moved by a performance brings back a memory of a Saturday night back in the 70's. The program was Square Dance with Merrill and Bart, followed by Baiser de la Fee with Patty and Helgi, and then capped by Chaconne with Suzanne and Peter. So it was a night of one masterpiece after another danced exquisitely by the "stars" of NYCB.

The audience reaction was polite, subdued and more along the lines of Farrell Fan's and Carbro's recollection of the more-often-than-not tepid NYCB audience reaction. I remember it so clearly because many of "regulars" -- including me -- were in ballet heaven. The following Monday I asked someone I spotted in the audience (a lawyer at the law firm where I work) what he thought of the performance, assuming he too would be raving about the evening. His response: "All the ballets looked the same." Well, I was astounded that an intelligent person could have such a reaction after seeing some of the best that the performing arts world in the 20th Century had to offer.

So I learned years ago not to get too upset one way or the other about audience reaction. And I have learned also that sometimes it's the quiet audiences that come back and back, and the loud demonstrative audiences (i.e, for Bocca this season at NYCB) who we will never see again!!

[Kathleen O'Connell]

I enjoy Sylve's dancing and am always happy to see her on the program, but I find that she takes a bit getting used to in the NYCB rep. She strikes me as being much more "vertical" in her placement than just about any other NYCB principal or soloist (with the possible exception of Abi Stafford) and, while she's not unmusical, she seems to hit "moments of repose" in a phrase sooner and hang on to them longer than is the NYCB norm. (Sorry -- I haven't got a clue as to what the correct technical terminology is for what I'm trying to describe!) I wouldn't necessarily characterize what she does in this regard as milking her effects, but I can see how her dancing might degenerate into something like that if she starts fussing over what she does well and forgets to integrate it into the whole. She's also got confidence and temperament to burn, and I can understand how that might seem to border on aggressive self presentation in a company where a more reserved, less extroverted expression of authority is often on offer. I wouldn't want everyone in the company to dance like her, but I do enjoy seeing how things look when she dances them -- and I look forward to watching her for many years to come. For a non-dancer like me who's ballet-going is largely limited to NYCB, comparing Sylve and, say Symogyi, in the same roles (e.g., Agon and Sanguinic) is a real eye-opener. I prefer Symogyi (please, please come back soon!), but I like Sylve too.

[Helene]

Francia Russell has spoken often about the Friday night audiences who sit on their hands -- probably too exhausted from using a keyboard all week -- and Seattle Opera has just canceled one of the Friday night subscription series and has moved it to Sunday afternoon, one of the most popular times. (Both Friday and Sunday matinees feature the "second" casts, so there's no "star" difference between the performances.)

My friend Joe told me a story originally told by Pete Seeger: when Seeger and Guthrie were organizing in logging camps in the Pacific Northwest, they did three songs to absolutely no reaction. They timidly left the stage, only to have someone come up to them asking why they stopped, because the loggers were enjoying their performance so much!

How far back does NYCB audience lack of reaction go? I wonder if it's a reaction to the devaluation of standing ovations in general. Seattle audiences tend to stand for just about everything and everyone, but so did the NYC audience to what I thought was the rather mediocre Movin' Out. (But I did think the singer, the "second" cast man, deserved a huge round of applause.)

[Helene]

I know I'm not the only one on this sacred message board who feels AmandaNYC have created blasphemy with her evil comments and that she must be barred henceforth to never be allowed to participate ever again!!!!!

I look to you, our righteous moderators, to rectify this insult to our sweet and glorious angel Saint Krya and remove this evil from our board!!!! My God what a marvelous founder Alexandra must think!!!

Well, I'll just have to put garlic on the beanie next time. Where's the "whipping" icon when you need it

[kfw]

Seattle audiences tend to stand for just about everything and everyone, but so did the NYC audience to what I thought was the rather mediocre Movin' Out.  (But I did think the singer, the "second" cast man, deserved a huge round of applause.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it was the NY Times that ran a piece recently about today's ramped up audience reactions on Broadway, with standing ovations being de rigeur, sometimes precipitated by people . . . I forget if they're specifically paid to cheer or are just associated with the productions. Funny that things should be so quiet at the State Theater. I've noticed that too on my infrequent trips to NYC. For me it can spoil the afterglow just a bit, to have people rushing out their seats during curtain calls, as if what they've witnessed was only mundane.

[Nyala]

I found Sylve's performance in "After the Rain" on Tuesday night to have been the least objectionable one that I have seen so far this season. She looked more comfortable in the choreography and brought a mechanistic quality to the part that somehow worked. Actually, it was instructive to see her performing the same steps side by side with Maria Kowroski (a former audience fave, who seems, to me, to have become almost a forgotten woman at this point, in spite of showing real signs of development this season). While Kowroski cannot get her leg up as high, straight, or quickly as Sylve, she injected a sense of humanity into her performance that made an intriguing counterpoint. I've not seen Sylve in Balanchine's "Kammermusik #2" (has she done that piece?), but I have a feeling that she probably would be effective. That ballet remains a touchstone for Martins and I think that Sylve represents one "type" of ballerina to which he can strongly relate, hence the enthusiasm. Did anyone read the interview with Sylve in Time Out NY a couple of weeks ago? She did not come across as being particularly gracious or generous, which are qualities that are absent from her dancing as well (but essential, to my mind, to the NYCB style). Perhaps something gets lost in the translation.

[cargill]

Yes, Sylve did Kammermusik a couple of years ago, and I thought she was absolutely wonderful! Power combined with feminity. I can still see her cutting through the air.

[charlieloki]

re: Nichols in Mozartiana.  Just remember that everyone is different in who they like and don't like, so it might not be that Nichols went over people's heads.  While I have always appreciated Nichols's technique, I have never much enjoyed her performances.  I know that is sacrilege to some, but there it is.  And, I don't believe it's because I missed something.  I just see her differently; she's just not my cup o' tea.

-amanda

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You got that right!!!!! HOW DARE YOU, I mean HOW DARE YOU!!!! You - you mere moral! Like the rest of us, you have no right to criticize a heavenly goddess like Saint Kyra! She's a creature of the Divine. And when the Divine allow one of it's angels to descend upon Earth to dance for the pleasure of us mere morals, it is not for us to judge, but to relish the luminous beauty they give us! Their presence elevate and ennoble us, in away that we will never have on this planet Earth. HERETIC!!!!! This kind of speaking could cause others to think they have the right to speak negatively of these divinities of dance! LOOK AT THE REMARKS MADE BY LAMPWICH! We will forgive Lampwich, they was lead down a path they was fully aware of. But it would be to dangerous for it to continue!!

I know I'm not the only one on this sacred message board who feels AmandaNYC have created blasphemy with her evil comments and that she must be barred henceforth to never be allowed to participate ever again!!!!!

I look to you, our righteous moderators, to rectify this insult to our sweet and glorious angel Saint Krya and remove this evil from our board!!!! My God what a marvelous founder Alexandra must think!!!

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DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN I'M BEING SARCASTIC!!!!!! I

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if you want to see all the steps in a piece, beautifully executed, see kyra

if not, go see almost anyone else

kyra is a dancer's dancer, cuts no corners, and you'd better see her whenever you can -- unfortunately, she will not last forever

[lampwick]

Nyala,

I'm happy you mentioned Maria Kowroski. I thought she absolutely took over the entire stage in Thou Swell. She looks so confident and beautiful this winter in everything I've seen her in.