NYCB Winter '06, Week 1: Jan. 3-5 and 7

[oberon]

The first night of the Winter repertory season found a good-sized and enthusiastic audience in the theatre. I have seen Yvonne Borree dance CONCERTO BARCCO many times and tonight was the most secure and lovely performance she has given; perhaps the clue to her success was the presence of Albert Evans, who was simply a magnificent partner. He calmly took care of everything while exuding an aura of genial seriousness; his line and style are heavenly - a big man with a lyrical presence. Rachel Rutherford was very attractive in the other leading role and the corps girls were a very impressive group.

The non-stop dancing in Peter Martins' FEARFUL SYMMETRIES must be exhausting for the dancers but instead they seemed exhilirated. Groups and couples flash across the stage in complex combinations at breakneck speed. Everyone was dancing full-tilt every moment, with an excellent trio of "fast boys" (Ulbricht, Pfeiffer and Laurent) and an awesome, super-speedy couple (Bouder & de Luz dancing up a storm). It is great having Abi back, she is a no-nonsense dancer with an increasingly dramatic presence...strong yet purely feminine. Amar Ramasar's arresting appearance is backed up by his spacious, beautifully aligned dancing. Stephen Hanna is also a striking dancer, and he and Jennie Somogyi were very impressive. At one point the couples change partners and Amar & Jennie showed the potential for developing a very interesting partnership, contrasted physically yet alike in their attack and dramatic nuance. Among the demi-soliste couples, the staggeringly gorgeous Rebecca Krohn stood out, superbly partnered by Adrian Danchig-Waring. Again the corps girls danced very well.

Jenifer Ringer's beautiful dancing of the first movement of SYMPHONY IN C was like a breath of springtime on a cold, damp evening. She and Nilas Martins danced very well together, Nilas being a master of cool & controlled partnering. Wendy & Philip Neal danced the adagio, making it the focal point of the evening with a sense of the mystery as well as pure musicality; Wendy's clarity of every step & gesture - all so defined yet still flowing lyrically - is breathtaking. Megan Fairchild and Benjamin Millepied were airy and secure in the 3rd movement and Abi was a delight in the opening solo passage of the 4th, later partnered by Jason Fowler. Among the bevy of gorgeous demisolistes, Golbin & Edge are always a major feature of the 2nd movement and Teresa Reichlen in the first movement made me see visions of her eventually dancing the principal ballerina role of the adagio...she's ready for it. Ellen Bar also looks great. Among the men, Andrew Veyette stood out. In the finale, when the 4 women danced together, Wendy's peerless musicality seemed to resonate across the footlights.

Many new faces and many people to watch; Kaitlyn Gilliland was listed for 4th Movement but turned up in 3rd instead. She has an especally nice quality. Glenn Keenan, Sterling Hyltin & Ana Sophia Scheller caught my eye but everyone really looks good. If the season maintains this level, we are in for some treats. And - hopefully - NO INJURIES!!

[drb]

Wonderful review, Oberon! Since Kaitlyn also danced in a few Nutcrackers, did you notice whether she is now listed in the Corps?

After reading your post, I can't wait for Thursday night.

[MJ]

Great dancing, lousy package

Last night, I had an enjoyable evening as well, the company was brilliant.

Compalints:

Ticket booth sold me a Wednesday ticket at the Day of Performance window, and was late for the first performance

Costumes:

Fearful Symmetries costumes were a bit off in color for the men, I could not tell if there was a single color of red or if they were shades of red, very distracting. Sweat was very noticeable.

Symphony in C tutus began to noticably wrinkle towards the end, and the male tunics made the guys look chubby (everyone knows a NYCB dancer is not chubby)

Playbill:

Writer Ken Smith mentioned the Chinese Cultural Revolution "...yielded some positive dividends..." more than 30 million Chinese died in Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution!

I would strongly recommend the removal of this offensive remark from future printings.

Orchestra and company were great, the package of a night at the ballet needs some tuning.

Who was that male dancer in Symphony with the incredible extension?!!!

MJ

[sz]

>Who was that male dancer in Symphony with the incredible extension?!!!

In what movement? Demi or lead role?

[chiapuris]

NYCB 1/3/05

Saying anything useful to others about dance performances has doubtful utility unless the writer is very familiar with the dancers of a company. I don't have that advantage in writing about NYCB. I came to NY specifically to see two works that seem never to be given in June-my usual time of visit: Concerto Barocco and Symphony in C. Having been familiar with these works in times long gone, the question I posed is 'How are they faring?'

After seeing the performance of Jan 3 I can say, 'very well indeed.' Save for some changes in the principals' steps in the 3rd mv't. the Balanchine/Bizet looks like I fondly remember it from decades ago: a masterwork expressing human sociality in classical dance movements.

The leading parts: 1st m'vt. the radiant Jenifer Ringer partnered by a deeply disengaged Nilas Martins, 2nd m'vt. Wendy Whelan with the attentive Philip Neal, 3rd m'vt. Megan Fairchild with Benjamin Millepied and 4th m'vt. Abi Stafford with Jason Fowler. What a joy it was.

Whelan gave a unique and moving interpretation of the 2nd m'vt. adage. Fairchild and Millepied were a buoyant and charismatic couple in the 'jumping' mv't.

Abi Stafford was a particular favorite with her lucid and unmannered style in the 4th m'vt. The finale with some four dozen dancers on stage executing a series of basic ballet 'tendus' is a thrilling spectacle.

I look forward to seeing the work one more time on the 1/5/06.

The program opened with Concerto Barocco. Yvonne Borree, Rachel Rutherford, and Albert Evans were secure and confident in the technical demands of the piece. One jarring glitch was the lead couple's arms which bumped the head of a corps member as they passed around them with arms overhead. (It's the easy stuff that needs attention--every time). Evans is an excellent partner but could do with less facial 'acting'. Borree's dancing shows some stiffness in the shoulders, which detracts from her technical prowess. Nevertheless, a series of pique arabesques were dazzling in their space-conquering amplitude.

The main comment is that the choreography shone as always. The dancers deserve kudos for realising the intrinsic values of these elegant and popular works.

The middle work in the evening was P Martin's Fearful Symmetries. Andrea Quinn conducted thoughtfully and I enjoyed the music very much.

The dancers, a stellar cast, were spectacular in a lot of entry-exit exercises of virtuosity executed at an incredible speed. The purpose of the impressive feats was not evident, at least to this viewer.

Abi Stafford with Amar Ramasar, Jennie Somogui with Stephen Hanna, Ashley Bouder with Joaquin de Luz were altogether superb. I wish I could say something positive about the choreography. OK--here it is: it shows off the dancers' astounding capabilities.

[carbro]

Thanks, chiapuris. Sounds like pristine classics were presented as . . . well, pristine classics. Your response to Fearful Symmetries pretty well sums up my own opinion of most of Martins' ballets.

[oberon]

As an apprentice, Kaitlyn doesn't get listed in Company roster in the Playbill. The apprentices get listed in the casts of the ballets they dance in, but will not be included in the roster until they are hired.

I did notice that Darius Crenshaw is no longer listed in the Corps.

[Helene]

I did notice that Darius Crenshaw is no longer listed in the Corps.

Crenshaw was listed in one of the (print) local newspaper articles as "ex" City Ballet, just like Andrea Long and Aesha Ash, whom he partnered in Olympic Ballet Theatre's version of The Nutcracker last month.

[Balanchinomane]

It was a stellar opening night. Barocco and Symphony in C are indestructible.

Whelan was superb - Ringer was gorgeous - Fairchild sparkled. Everyone

was energetic and smiling - they looked as happy to be there as we were.

During the first intermission I overheard a reference to Martin's Ballet

as a "Fearful Symphony" - a rather loaded malapropism.

[justafan]

I have to respectfully disagree a bit about Barocco. Although I thought the leads performed their parts with precision, the performance seemed a bit lackluster to me. This was confirmed a few minutes later with the electric performance of Fearful Symmetries. Although I will admit I've always counted this ballet as my favorite from Martins (since when does an NYCB ballet have to do anything but help you visualize the music?), it was clear that it was very well rehearsed. I don't think Barocco was given the same treatment.

In general, I tend to disagree with the Martins-bashers. But I think last night's performance did make the point to me that some ballets get more careful treatment than others. Maybe it's unavoidable that Martins will give his own ballets -- particularly one that is as demanding as Fearful Symmetries -- preferential treatment. In any case, this performance was one of the best I've seen -- and I've seen this ballet many times. Standouts included Somogyi (how great it is to see her in such fantastic shape), Bouder of course, de Luz, and Ubricht.

Symphony in C, however, was a different story from the first Balanchine of the evening. It was definitely rehearsed. As mentioned, Whelan's performance was gorgeous and reached out and touched the heart. Fairchild brought a great big smile to my face and seems to be growing into her role as a principal quite well. And as mentioned, it was great to see Abi Stafford who turned in a lovely performance. The corps also deserves accolades. Not only did they demonstrate obvious joy in dancing to a great classic -- and not the Nutcracker -- but they were really on their game. Overall, a very nice night.

[nysusan]

I really enjoyed most of the Jan 3 performance. I also didn't think Concerto Barocco was all it could be - I remember it taking my breath away the first time I saw it but it hasn't had the same impact the last couple of times. I found myself thinking that Borree seemed technically secure but not very musical or sculptural in her approach. Balanchine is such a musical choreographer and Bach's composition has such heavenly counterpart that I find the lack of musicality and balance in the lead dancers detracts from the whole. I'll also admit to being skeptical when I saw Rutherford cast in this (even though I praised her in another forum!) but I thought she acquitted herself very well. I especially like her upper body phrasing. I am fantasizing about a Whelan/Reichlin/Evans cast later in the season - do you think there is any hope of that?

Sometimes a gut reaction can be very enlightening - 5 minutes into Fearful Symmetries I realized that it was much more riveting for me than Concerto Barocco had been. Certainly not because of the choreography but because despite the breakneck speed every one of the dancers was 100% engaged and brought their own unique interpretations to their roles - no bland homogeneity here, no marking, they all danced full out.

Symphony in C was gorgeous - everyone was great but esp Ringer & Whalen. Is there anything more exhilarating than that last movement?

[Michael]

Maybe I'm crazy but I thought opening night was pretty flat and ragged throughout. Barocco was well rehearsed but I didn't know who the principals were -- they were framed as such but not principal dancers. Diana Adams and Tanaquil Leclerq? What are our expectations today. Though I thought the adagio well done. Rachel Rutherford got through it on "soul." She does not have strong feet and there is a lot of relevee, as a musical step in Barocco. She disguised it and made it upper body.

Re the Bizet -- Jenny Ringer is out of shape, major, even by the rather liberal allowances one makes for Jenny Ringer and has been making for several years.

Third movement was also miscast and messy -- I'm not complaining about the messiness in the corps de ballet. 3d movement was the one place Bizet looked underrehearsed but it was a first performance and this is just my for the record view which I note is at odds with everyone else. But I do complain about the casting -- I think Megan Fairchild is quite wrong for 3d movement, would have been better in 4th. If it's a "jumping movement" (which I actually dispute, I think "chassee" is equally applicable) -- Megan doesn't jump. More to the point, you want a ballerina who sticks the arabesques with extension on the music with a bang (again not Megan) and who escapes into the air on the glissades to the side with an explosion (again not Megan). And Ben Millepied self consciously upstaged her.

In 4th movement the corps de ballet is coming together with apprentices being thrown into the mix and it's going to be good. Genevieve Labean and Aaron Severini were lovely in the demi, it was good to see that. But ... though I thought Abi Stafford looked superb in the Martins, she's a solid soloist -- as in Barocco I again just didn't know who the principal dancer was.

So I saw it as a B minus opening night, not to be complained about in itself, but not to be overestimated either. The corps de ballet looked pretty good. Things were well rehearsed. It was at the principal level that things were really lacking. We'll see about the season. Somogyi is going to need to come back slowly. Ringer I repeat is out of shape. Miranda, Sofiane and Ashley Bouder have a lot of work in front of them if this is going to come off. Tess Reichlen will also need to be pushed up front more quickly than she otherwise would have, which on balance will be a good thing.

[Drew]

I guess reactions to opening night are going to be all over the place. I will say first that I get to see very little ballet these days (though I used to see quite a bit), and --for the most part-- that does make me less critical than I might be otherwise, both because I'm so pleased to be seeing any world class dancing and because my eye has to readjust to taking it all in...But with that disclaimer...

I brought modest expectations to Barocco, and was very pleased, even pleasantly suprized, by the performance. I more or less agree with what has been said in this thread about Borree's weaknesses in the lead (though they were more apparent to me Wednesday evening) but she, Rutherford, Evans and the ensemble did succeed in showing you the ballet--and it is a very great ballet.

I've seen Borree cast in roles where she literally obscured the ballet, so I consider this performance to be one of her best. In much of the adagio she was quite lovely, etching images in the air. I also agree with Michael's remarks about Rutherford whose pointe work did seem occasionally weak to me--as if she did not get entirely ON point until after a little extra effort--but whose upper body had a rich, expansive quality that also made a nice contrast with Borree. I also enjoyed the dancing of the ensemble dancers who all appeared engaged; they certainly included experienced corps members. I don't doubt many ballet talk posters have seen better performances of the ballet, but I found this a fine, genuinly satisfying performance.

Fearful Symetries was pretty sensational. I have only seen a handful of Martins ballets (and had mixed reactions to them) but this has always been my favorite and one that I genuinely like. Seeing it opening night and a second time Wednesday confirmed that opinion. Certainly, dancers with personality and a little "edge" to them (e.g. Bouder or Somogyi) definitely add a dimension that the choreography does not otherwise compensate for. (A poor dancer can wreck any performance, but--for immediate example--Barocco danced well makes Borree look better; Fearful Symmetries doesn't particularly help Abi Stafford, though she, too, danced well--very well in fact.) Anyway, the ballet has drive and complexity, but , for my taste, also enough in the way of contrasts and development to work very well as a "work." I was delighted to see Somogyi back on stage and dancing so effectively. (I am editing this post to add: Bouder was fabulous--exciting, sensual, and precise: there were lifts where she changed position so quickly in the air you couldn't see the transition--the effect was amazing. I think I must have left this out the first time I wrote this post because...well...one simply says "Bouder" and that seems to be all there is to say.)

Wednesday evening with Bouder out and replaced by the much less compelling Megan Fairchild, the ballet maintained my interest but I found myself focusing more on the men. I thought Ramassar (new to me) and De Luz were fabulous. I used to enjoy De Luz at ABT but still could not get over how quick, sharp and vivid his dancing was here. I found Hanna (also new to me) less supple and less effective than the others though still able to hold his end up as it were. The trio of men in red, and most especially Ullbricht, were also great. Tuesday night was the first time I understood why people are so excited by Ullbricht. As others have commented, a lot of care seems to have been brought to this revival. All the dancers on stage (even those I was not as impressed by as others) appeared in top form and deeply connected to what they were doing.

I thought Tuesday's Symphony in C was good though not great. I found Ringer lovely though. She may not have been in the very best shape I've seen her and not giving the kind of wonderful performance that made her Sugar Plum Fairy so extraordinary--but I'm puzzled by Michael's reaction, since I thought she was far from being in bad shape and dancing quite nicely. (I've seen her much heavier.) Whelan and Neal gave a very fine account of the adagio, though short of transcendent--lacking perhaps a final bit of supplenesss in the transitions (?)--but still quite elegant and moving in a restrained way. I found Whelan's footwork less than razor sharp in the finale, but she is too fine a dancer not to be worth watching in anything.

Fairchild I enjoyed as long as she was dancing solo, but found ineffective when she was being partnered. I had a similar reaction to her Sugar Plum Fairy, but in that case the problem was clearly that she has not yet developed as an adagio dancer; in the third movement of Symphony in C, the problem seems more to be a lack of explosiveness. (Though she does somehow look "freer" when she dances solo.) Abi Stafford, who did a good job in Fearful Symmetries genuinely seemed a weak link to me. In the fourth movement, she has to do a series of traveling fouettees along a diagonal (at least I think that's what they are) and she seemed to fall out of every one. She also doesn't have the stage personality that the opening of the fourth movement would seem to call for, though I too like her "unaffected" quality--it runs the risk of looking affect-less. At the end of the ballet when all four ballerinas are performing fouettees, she was travelling forward seemingly unable to get centered. I will say she seems much more "grown up" as a dancer than when I saw her several years ago. (I also found myself wondering whether Martins had cast her in Symphony in C so she would be forced to learn how to fouette...)

Most importantly, I thought the corps and demi-soloists were giving engaged, lively performances -- performances worthy of the ballet. I also noticed, without recognizing, a tall, gorgeous fair-haired dancer in the first movement -- who (as I realized after reading Oberon's post) must have been Teresa Reichlin. More please!

Anyway, for me, this was a pretty fulfilling evening of dance. Two great ballets--a third that I enjoy and consider very good--and some good, some very good, and even a bit of great dancing.

[dirac]

No disclaimers necessary, Drew. I'm always happy to read your board comments on ballet or anything else that piques your interest.

This has been a great thread -- as a west coaster I don't see the performances under discussion and I'm grateful for these reports.

[oberon]

The various comments about the opening performance simply show how different viewers see the same thing differently. Chiapuris writes about familiarity with the dancers in relationship to writing about a performance; I have often found most interesting the comments of people I have taken or sent to the ballet who have not seen the Company before, or see them rarely. Both in terms of repertory and dancing, they have no prejudices and the pieces and dancers they find appealing or moving are sometimes very at odds with the "accepted wisdom" of those of us who've been going a long time.

I love to think, whenever I am there, that there are "virgins" in the audience on whom the evening - hopefully - will make as much of an impression as McBride & Tomasson in BAISER DE LA FEE made on me over 30 years ago. The image of those two beautiful dancers backing away from one another as the curtain fell has been one sustained in my mind with resonant clarity. Over the years, the mental scrapbook has become filled to overflowing with such memories. And more were added on Tuesday: Albert's calm nobility in BAROCCO, Wendy's forehead brushing her knee in that electrifying plunge in SYMPHONY IN C ("Like this"? Suzanne said to Mr. B the first time she did it) or a moment of antagonistic lyricism from Amar Ramasar & Jennie Somogyi in SYMMETRIES.

And what is in store for us tonight? I'm going now to find out.

[oberon]

January 5 evening

A very "up and down" evening, starting off with a very pretty rendition of ALLEGRO BRILLANTE featuring the delectable Miranda Weese and the astute partnering of Philip Neal. Excellent back-up group: Craig Hall (face, body, natural grace = star material), Krohn, Sloan, Keenan, Ricard (4 beauties), Adrian D-W, Tworzyanski and the ascending Andrew Veyette. A short ballet, a long intermission.

And then we had a mesmerizing LITURGY in which Wendy & Albert inhabited their own world which we were privileged to view. Incredible partnering. Wendy's elasticity and control seem beyond human possibility. Albert was magnificent. This elicited a roaring ovation from the crowd.

MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS are difficult ballets to bring off. The corps was ideal: emotionally detached & well-coordinated in movement. But the ballerina role requires a coldness that is not in Darci's personality. She is too lovely and gracious; she went through all the steps well enough but I just felt that neither the music nor the style suited her. Askegard was not quite on his top partnering game and there were a couple disconnected moments.

SYMPHONY IN C opened with a glittering performance from Jennie Somogyi; quite the opposite of Ringer's interpretation: Jennie was more extroverted and dazzling while Jeni was more lyrical and warm. Both approaches work. Nilas Martins took care of her and tossed off some pretty nice turns. Sylve's entrance had "prima ballerina" written all over it: gorgeous, aloof, regal. But as the adagio progressed something was missing, I am not quite sure what it was. She certainly knew what she was doing and she looked good doing it, but it just didn't quite have the mystery and musicality that makes Wendy so memorable here. Sylve & Askegard didn't have everything quite ironed out yet, but I'm sure they'll develop it in future performances. Bouder (replacing Fairchild) & Millepied literally soared onto the stage and kept soaring all through the 3rd Movement, revelling in their technical security and casting broad smiles at one another. They drew a shouts of "bravo" from the house and they were re-called. Abi Stafford was again charming & secure; someone mentioned that she seemed to fall out of a series of turns...actually she steps out of each turn and into the next. In fouettes it is quite common for the woman to travel forward; Abi and Sylve did so to an extent tonight. I once saw Yoko Morishita travel all the way from Amsterdam Avenue to the footlights of the Met during a SWAN LAKE. And wasn't one famous ballerina described as making a "cook's tour of the stage" during her Black Swan (was it Fonteyn?) Reichlen again a striking demi, and Craig Hall likewise.

[drb]

I know it isn't fully in the spirit of Ballet Talk, but I also attended tonight's performance and have to say that I agree with everything Oberon reported.

What mystery there is in the divine Liturgy's calligraphy. And how profoundly traced by Albert and Wendy Muse. It was perhaps unfortunate that M & M followed this after just a pause.

There was indeed something very special in Teresa Reichlen's demi role. Another level of nuance, the little graces from Mr. B that are not in the steps, a musicality so unforced: Mr. B's dancer/fish swimming in the music. Somehow I feel confident that I will really see what Mr. B wanted when she is dancing.

A preview of the forthcoming Swan Lake pairing, Ashley and Ben. Bouder the Devourer. An explosion! I have never seen anything like this.

She swallows space and audience whole. Total Speed, Power, Glee. Maybe it was just having my conciousness heightened by her, but I felt that Millepied caught her fire and danced with a special abandon.

[oberon]

Yup, Bouder was just astonishing! You think she can't possibly go any faster or take any greater risks...and then she does. And she just has such a damned good time doing it!

[Drew]

Just a side note about fouettes -- all of us who have been going to the ballet a long time have seen quite a bit of travelling which does not, all the same, make it a good thing.

However, in the fourth movement of Symphony in C there are a series of fouettes that are choreographed deliberately to move (or travel) forward along a diagonal line set up by the corps--which is a different matter. Done strongly it's quite wonderful--a razzle dazzle moment that looks instead like pure, free dancing. I thought Stafford looked insecure doing the turns, and I have never elsewhere thought she looked insecure: effortful and as if she were not fully centered and, therefore, actually falling--not stepping--from one turn to the other; others who have posted thought she looked fine and since this isn't entirely a matter of opinion, it's possible that I may simply have "misread" her technique.

That said, in the finale the four ballerinas are supposed to be turning in place in a row--I don't doubt some ballerinas travel in this sequence from time to time, but when the finale is done right they are turning in place, in a line, and together. Opening night Stafford was noticeably getting out of sync with the others as she travelled forward in a way that was not particularly controlled but, when I looked at her, starting to skid very slightly forwards and sideways...So, while admiring many of her technical capabilities, I remain skeptical about her fouettes opening night., and indeed, don't think she was nearly as strong in this role overall as she was in Fearful Symmetries (or, indeed, as other dancers in this role). Maybe she will be in the future.

I'm responding in such detail to Oberon's comments not to jump on Stafford, who is a very accomplished dancer, but because I disagree with the implied view that "travelling' is somehow a non-issue in fouettes.

As for the "cook's tour" etc. -- the person who coined that phrase was hardly offering praise. Some ballerinas do deliberately, in a controlled and even manner, travel forward as they do fouettes. At least I have seen that in nineteenth-century ballets calling for 32 (far more than called for in Symphony in C) -- and, when well done, that can even look quite sensational. But when ballerinas doing fouettes are wondering off to the side, stiffening their body, travelling forward in an uneven, uncontrolled manner or any of another dozen things or more that can go wrong -- well, that's a problem whether the dancer is Margot Fonteyn or a completely unknown corps de ballet dancer. Depending on the context -- the ballet, the interpretation, the quality of the ballerina's other dancing, even her personality--it may not be a very big problem of course. To say the least, the compensations in a dancer of Fonteyn's calibre dancing Odette/Odile, or of any great ballerina in a major role, usually minimize the importance of that kind of flaw, but it is a flaw.

[oberon]

I never said that to travel in fouettes is a good thing, simply that it happens quite often and it doesn't ruin a performance, at least not for me. The Morishita incident in fact, for all that she literally traversed the entire stage from back to front during the 32, drew an enormous ovation, stopped the show, and she took 2 or 3 bows.

The diagonal in SYMPHONY IN C are individual turns, not a sequence. The dancer does not whirl continuously as she does in Black Swan...she is advancing down the diagonal, stepping forward after each turn. Otherwise, if she were doing a continuous series of fouettes, she should stay in one place. If she can.

[Drew]

Ah...I didn't know how to describe technically the fouette/step sequence in the fourth movement...Oberon put it much more clearly. My original perception of Stafford's dancing in that section is what it is--it looked to me as if she was insecure and off balance as she moved through the sequence. But I do appear to be the only person who saw it that way. As for fouettes ruining a performance, poor fouettes alone don't necessarily ruin a performance for me either--as mentioned before, it depends on the overall context.

[Michael]

No you are not the only person who saw it that way Drew. I fully share your perception and then some.

OhmyGod, Miranda Weese was so incredible in Allegro last night -- what a performance.

[Juliet]

I saw it that way too. And then some, as Michael says.

Abi Stafford was definitely out of sync with the other three ballerinas in the final section, and the travel on the diagonal was not up to her usual technical standard. Is this bashing? No. But I saw what I saw.

Another night, another performance.......

[lampwick]

There was a minor glitch in the computers at the ticket window, and I hadn’t given myself any extra time, so I sadly missed most of ALLEGRO BRILLANTE. From what I saw, both Philip Neal and Miranda looked good. Too bad I missed it.

I can’t believe how a dancer known for her geometry and angularilty can be so feathery. Wendy Whelan just flows so beautifully. I love the choreography and music of Liturgy. Albert Evans is gorgeous and I’m happy to see him filling Jock Soto’s roles so well. He has a grace which matches perfectly with Wendy.

MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS was flat. Darci Kistler and Chuck Askegard were fine, as was the corps. It wasn’t anything special though.

Ashley Bouder was thrilling in Bizet. The energy through her legs never wavers. Explosive and exciting.

OK—I’m going to disagree a bit about Tess Reichlin here. Honestly, I thought she looked sloppy last night in the feet. They relax before they hit the floor. And every single last one of her leaps they were almost completely flexed until the height of the jump, when they point. She’s an amazing dancer, and I like her a lot. But this bugged me.

I thought Savannah Lowery looked like she’s improved a lot. Her shoulders look better and the entrechat sixes were great. Those are hard, not everyone can do them, never mind do them so well.

I thought Abi Stafford’s turns were fine. They weren’t 100% “on”, but I kind of don’t expect such a difficult sequence to be “on “ every single night. They were executed acceptably and cleanly enough so that the choreography looked good. But, yes, in the very final line, they were noticeably a bit out of whack with the others. I marvel over just how together these dancers manage to be. That choreography is hellishly difficult and fast.

It was a nice night.

[oberon]

Minor glitch of the box office computers? That's for sure. I went down early to pick up tickets for next week. There was a long line so I joined it. After a while it seemed we weren't moving, but everyone was chatting and looking at the brochures so no one seemed aware of the situation. After several minutes, the line hadn't budged and then we realized the first guy on line wasn't talking to the ticket seller, he was just leaning against the window. So finally a woman marched up, banged on the window someone sheepishly appeared to say that the computers were down and they were not sure how long it would be. Could not some announcement have been made so we all didn't stand there for nothing?

My description of the diagonal turns in SYMPHONY IN C finale was not about how well or poorly Abi executed them but to try to clarify that there is a transitory forward step after each turn. I think everyone will agree that the step is there; otherwise how could she get from one end of the diagonal to the other? That is the way Pascale van Kipnis, Alexandra, and dear Samantha Allen have always danced the segment. Of course, it all happens very fast and you are barely finished with your turn when you have to step up...sneaky little Balanchine combination! Whether Abi was up to snuff would remain in the eye of the beholder. As far as the 4 women being in sync, at most performances they are not. Last night, in addition to Abi drifting forward, Sylve started about 2 steps back from the line-up and edged forward with each turn. Perhaps they were secretly playing a game of Grandmother's Footsteps?

With all the comments about the finale section, hardly anyone has said anything about Sylve in the adagio. Was I the only one to find it a little disappointing? Can anyone point out what was "lacking" in her performance? It's not like she couldn't do the steps.