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NYCB Spring Season 2011


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I attended the May 5 performance. Chase Finlay made an incredible debut in Apollo. In the past I've found him a little disappointing in some lead roles, but my opinion changed when I saw him in Apollo. He clearly had been coached in every detail. Although he needs to iron out a few nuances of the performance, he was very impressive. His lines were gorgeous, and he brought youthful attack and energy to his role. His debut gave me a new appreciation of the role because most of the men I have seen dance the role were older. Finlay also did an excellent job in partnering his muses. I think there were five curtain calls, and the audience would not stop applauding until Chase emerged for a solo bow before the curtain. The audience was ecstatic. I'm sure it was a very special and memorable night for him. Bravo Chase. :clapping:

I enjoyed the performances of Scheller and Peck. However, I think Hyltin is miscast. Her performance didn't have the lyricism or musicality required for the lead muse, in my opinion.

I enjoyed the 4T's, especially Somogyi/Angle and Reichlin. Garcia did Melancholic, but he doesn't have enough upper body flexibility to do the role justice.

I was also present at the Tues May 3 performance. I feel that M. Fairchild is somewhat bland in Square Dance. Huxley gave a very fine performance in the male solo.

The performances that Wendy Whelan used to give in Agon were thrilling, especially with Jock Soto. Unfortunately, Wendy seemed a bit unfocused on Tuesday. Her timing was off in certain points, and she doesn't have the same level of flexibility as she used to.

Kowrowski did fine work in Stravinsky Violin Concerto in Aria I. However, I didn't think Ramasar was a particularly effective partner for her. Hyltin did Aria II with Ask LaCour. I've seen her in this ballet before, and thought she had greater rapport with R. Fairchild.

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The performances that Wendy Whelan used to give in Agon were thrilling, especially with Jock Soto. Unfortunately, Wendy seemed a bit unfocused on Tuesday. Her timing was off in certain points, and she doesn't have the same level of flexibility as she used to.

I too was at the May 3 performance and, sadly, share your view that Wendy Whelan is not as flexible as she once was. I had already noticed this in a few of her performances last year and I fear the twilight of her career now may not be unimaginable.

On a more positive note, I am excited to hear that Chase Finlay's Apollo was a great success and I am champing at the bit for tomorrow's matinee. Perhaps devotees of the unabridged version of Apollo might smile at the thought of a young dancer making this work his breakout role.

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I was underwhelmed by Chase's performance in Apollo on Thursday night. True, his technique was fine, but that was all I really saw. It came off very thin, not much weight to it. There was no connection with his muses, no depth or maturity to the role. In other words, a nice corps member performance. For a role like that, I would rather see more inspiration - not perspiration.

The boy's a charmer with the audience, especially the females, in almost a teen idol way. Justin Bieber in tights we could do without. The role of Apollo deserves better.

Had hoped to see Robbie Fairchild, because there I could expect something magical to happen. Hope Robbie is recovering well, and I see he is slated to return later this month by way of the casting notice.

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I'd love to hear your impressions about the programming concept Balanchine Black and White Week -- and, of course, its execution.

These are the works that made me fall in love with ballet. It's thrilling to see so many great works presented in rep over a week. No other company in the world would (or could) attempt this.

It was a pleasure to read Alistair Macaulay, in Thursday and today's NY Times, especially when he writes --

The company, rising to the challenges of Balanchine Black and White Week, ... is largely in fine form General aspects of the Balanchine style -- dancing off balance, opposing stretched-open positions with tightly closed ones, arriving with the beat rather than following it -- have become steadily clearer in recent years.

[ ... ]

The pleasures of the season's first three nights have already been more considerable than several entire seasons. Six weeks of crowded repertory lie ahead.

I find myself relying on Ballet Alert members to confirm (or not) what NYC reviewers write. So, how is the Company doing so far, overall? How are audiences responding?

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I saw the Sat. matinee. I'd like to give some impressions starting with Square Dance. The reason I wanted to see this performance was to see Bouder in Square Dance, and she did not disappoint. No one moves as fast and clearly, etching each movement & position in space. She phrases things as only she can. I found myself smiling while watching her. Unfortunately Taylor Stanley looked floppy by comparison. He got through the man's solo. It's a difficult and unforgiving solo, so getting through is an accomplishment. His partnering wasn't great. No flubs, but he had her off her leg several times. Of course she didn't have a problem so it never looked terrible, I could just see that he had her off her leg. I have to say the the corp looked great. I was delighted by the clean, sharp and open dancing of the corps from the opening onwards. World Class.

I thought Apollo had a freshness that I hadn't seen in years. Finlay, Hyltin, Peck & Scheller were the cast. They brought meaning to the piece in the way they related to each other, phrased the music and covered space. The Muses, feet parallel, doing traveling releves, covered so much space that it added the excitement that the music warranted. Finlay has the making of a great Apollo. I hope to see him have more weight in some of his movements in terms or being into the floor if you know what I mean. Also some added focus and sharpness would be nice. I look forward to future performances. I loved the section with just Peck & Scheller. They looked great together. Their variations were very well done. Peck's Polyhymnia variation has that pique turn into arabesque that often has a dancer hopping and fudging - Peck really did it - nailed it twice and a minor fix the third time. I've never seen it better. I liked Hyltin. I think she brought a sly humor to her characterization that worked for me in the pas de deux.

Agon was last on the program Teresa Reichlen in the 2nd pas & Bransle Gay was just terrific - very in control and witty. I love the expansiveness of her arabesque line. Ashleyy Laracy stood out for me in Gailliard. She never holds back, so her movements look big and joyous. Wendy Whelan looked OK in the pas. I've been watching her do it for years - it's been better, but she gets the job done. Does anyone else in the company do it? I've only seen her for quite a while. I was not familiar with Daniel Applebaum, but he made an excellent showing in Agon. Ramasar is a dancer I always enjoy. He has a fluid movement quality and ease on stage that I find very attractive.

All three pieces looked very well coached and rehearsed. It was a great afternoon at the ballet. I wish I could see it all again - same cast, same ballets!

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Good to hear Peck got those turns into arabesque worked out. She - shockingly - missed all 3 on Thursday. I agree about the freshness of the performance of this cast and this is just the beginning. All the dancers can clearly grow into their roles. For me, the most beautiful moment of the ballet on Thursday was Hyltin's developee at the beginning of the ppd. Glorious.

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Chase Finlay was even better today than on Thursday. He looked more relaxed and confident. Also, Whelan's performance today was much improved compared to opening night. I had never seen Bouder dance Square Dance. She was terrific. To answer Vipa's question, the only other ballerina that currently does the main pas in Agon is Kowrowski. I would love to see Reichlin do it some day.

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Chase Finlay was even better today than on Thursday. He looked more relaxed and confident. Also, Whelan's performance today was much improved compared to opening night. I had never seen Bouder dance Square Dance. She was terrific. To answer Vipa's question, the only other ballerina that currently does the main pas in Agon is Kowrowski. I would love to see Reichlin do it some day.

Thank you for the answer abatt. I too would love to see Reichlin in it.

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I'd love to hear your impressions about the programming concept Balanchine Black and White Week -- and, of course, its execution.

These are the works that made me fall in love with ballet. It's thrilling to see so many great works presented in rep over a week. No other company in the world would (or could) attempt this.

[ ... ]

This week has offered the kind of programming fans on this site regularly have clamored for (especially in years past) -- often complaining about Martins' (at least claimed) lack of attention to the Balanchine heritage; nor has the casting been lacking with regard to the company's most talented dancers. I, too, would very much enjoy hearing more about the performances and, insofar as one can tell, if the programming is indeed attracting audiences.

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I saw the Thursday night performance - Chase Finlay's first as Apollo. He was handsome and perfectly coached, every movement just so. Apollo starts as an unformed boy and develops into a man, leader of the muses. Chase was believable as the boy, but unfortunately, I felt he was too young to be credible as the man. He did not have the gravitas yet to convince me he is Apollo. I hope I can see him in future performances, as subsequent performances always improve over the debut. I loved Sterling Hyltin, she is a favorite of mine, but I understand Alastair Macauley's comment that she has chosen to be dainty and pretty when she could be beautiful. She also needs to grow into her role as Terpsichore.

As the orchestra played the opening four notes of the music, the announcement as I call it, I put my hand to my heart. To hear that music again, that signature Balanchine theme! The opening of another season at NYC Ballet, and reason to rejoice and be thankful.

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Some quick thoughts re NYCB's 5/8/11 Sunday Matinee

Program & casting:

CONCERTO BAROCCO: Kowroski, Mearns, Askegard [Conductor: Sill]

intermission

MONUMENTUM PRO GESUALDO: Reichlen, la Cour [Conductor: Sill]

pause

MOVEMENTS FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA: *Reichlen, Marcovici [Conductor: Sill, Solo piano: Moverman]

pause

DUO CONCERTANT: M. Fairchild, Finlay [solo violin: Hong, Solo piano: Grant]

intermission

SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS: A. Stafford, Hyltin, LeCrone, Ramasar, Hendrickson, Scordato [Conductor: Otranto]

Concerto Barocco:

1. The company seems to be having a hard time finding an apt ballerina pairing for this work. Back to the drawing board, folks -- Kowroski + Mearns just doesn't work. They're radically different in style in a way that isn't complementary. Mearns' volcanic 2nd violin made Kowroski's polite1st violin look puny. ( And I'm absolutely shocked to find myself writing "Kowroski" and "puny" in the same sentence!) Asking anyone to dance 1st violin opposite Mearns – a 1st violin if there ever was one – is probably unfair.

2. Two gentlemen from the orchestra's second violin section -- Cyrus Beroukhim and Kyu Young Kim -- were the featured soloists. They sounded lovely together.

3. Three latecomers decided to seat themselves in the row of armchairs at the back of the first ring and proceeded to scrape them noisily across the bare cement floor to get them pulled into position for what seemed like an eternity. If I'd had a weapon I would have been sorely tempted to use it.

Monumentum / Movements:

1. Reichlen's my favorite in "Monumentum" – to my eye nobody looks more gloriously serene in the role – especially in those climactic lifts and tosses. Well, she looked great in her "Movements" debut, too. She was cool without being remote and her attack had just the right amount of bite to show us the angles without hitting us over the head with them. (The audience actually chuckled with surprise at a couple of points—something I don't recall hearing before.) "Monumentum" and "Movements" are good roles for la Cour and Marcovici, respectively.

Duo Concertant:

1. First off, can I just say "thank-you" to the NYCB powers-that-be for casting Megan Fairchild with a partner who's genuinely taller than she is? She always looks scrunched down when she's paired with De Luz; she looked six inches taller dancing with Finlay. (As she does when she dances with Veyette.)

2. Secondly, seeing this ballet performed by dancers who are many years away from the twilights of their careers is a revelation. Honest to god, I thought Fairchild was throwing in some extra steps just for the hell of it, and she still had time to kill.

3. I don't think I've ever seen Fairchild dance with such razor-sharp attack. Her allegro is never less than quick and clean – but yesterday it was like she was throwing ninja stars at us.

4. The age difference between Fairchild and Finlay isn't vast, but there's just enough of one to put one in mind of "Der Rosenkavelier's" Marschallin and Octavian – I liked it and thought it made the sentimental gimmickry of the ending almost work. (I loathe that lighting effect almost as much as I loathe those mimed angel's wings in "Serenade.")

5. Finlay. Hmmm. The company sure is giving him the hard sell. (Oh, Slant, I wish you hadn't mentioned Justin Bieber!) I know I'm the odd one out here, but think his dancing is interesting more for its promise than for what it is in the here-and-now. Don't get me wrong – he's definitely principal material, and is already remarkably self-possessed on stage, but he doesn't yet dance with a fully-fledged principal's imagination and authority. If Martins wanted to cast this role from the corps for the sake of youth and freshness, I can think of several young men I'd equally have liked to have seen in it.

Symphony in Three Movements.

1. This work seems to be in heavy rotation with "I'm Old Fashioned" as the company's go-to closer. It may be time to rest it for a couple of seasons. (Do they ever put "I'm Old Fashioned" away?)

2. Good cast, overall. It was nice to see Ramasar back in the central pas de deux. (The last time I saw him do it he partnered Somogyi. I loved their delightful flower-power, summer-of-love reading of the duet.) Nice to see Adam Hendrickson again, too. Megan LeCrone and Andrew Scordato looked terrific together; more of them both, please.

3. The corps nailed that unfurling chain of rippling movement down their long diagonal at the close of the first movement. Bravi!

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Hearty thanks to everyone who's reported on this thread. It's wonderful to read the reactions of NYCB regulars.

1. The company seems to be having a hard time finding an apt ballerina pairing for this work. Back to the drawing board, folks -- Kowroski + Mearns just doesn't work. They're radically different in style in a way that isn't complementary. Mearns' volcanic 2nd violin made Kowroski's polite1st violin look puny. ( And I'm absolutely shocked to find myself writing "Kowroski" and "puny" in the same sentence!) Asking anyone to dance 1st violin opposite Mearns – a 1st violin if there ever was one – is probably unfair.

I had a similar reaction when I saw this pair at the Kennedy Center last month. I've seen Kowroski in the role before and I love her in it, but the two of them seemed to be dancing on two different dynamic levels. I missed Hyltin's Terpsichore, but I'm not surprised by Macaulay's criticism. The role is not without playfulness at times, but it needs gravitas too, and that doesn't seem to be within her natural personality onstage, at least from what little I've seen of her. Perhaps I'm wrong.

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3. Three latecomers decided to seat themselves in the row of armchairs at the back of the first ring and proceeded to scrape them noisily across the bare cement floor to get them pulled into position for what seemed like an eternity. If I'd had a weapon I would have been sorely tempted to use it.

I could not agree with you more. The same problem exists throughout the auditorium, including upstairs in the Fourth Ring, where scraping chairs on the un-carpeted floor REGULARLY disturb the performance. If anyone at NYCB is reading this, there are MANY people who are complaining about this problem. There is an easy, cheap fix to be found across the street at Bed Bath & Beyond. It's a magical invention called Furniture Slides, which are attached easily to chair legs. No more scraping! Use our new $2 per ticket facility fee to pay for it. When that's done, all of the doors need to have springs installed so that they do not slam when someone leaves the auditorium during the show.

About the performance, I thought Megan and Chase were very good in Duo C. yesterday. Hyltin's reading is more satisfying though, in my opinion. I'm not complaining, though. Duo C. languished for more than a decade because of poor performances. I never knew there were so many steps until last year. Reichlin was brilliant in M&M. I liked the pairing of Maria and Mearns in Concerto B.

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There is an easy, cheap fix to be found across the street at Bed Bath & Beyond. It's a magical invention called Furniture Slides, which are attached easily to chair legs. No more scraping! Use our new $2 per ticket facility fee to pay for it.

:D

I thought Megan and Chase were very good in Duo C. yesterday. Hyltin's reading is more satisfying though, in my opinion.

I'm seeing Hyltin and R. Fairchild in "Duo Concertant" this weekend, and I'm looking forward to it. Duo seems like the kind of ballet that would showcase what's best about her dancing, and I've heard so many good reports about her recent performances in it. I really liked what she did with Mazzo's role in "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" and have been eager to see her in new roles ever since.

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CONCERTO BAROCCO: Kowroski, Mearns, Askegard [Conductor: Sill]

Concerto Barocco:

1. The company seems to be having a hard time finding an apt ballerina pairing for this work. Back to the drawing board, folks -- Kowroski + Mearns just doesn't work. They're radically different in style in a way that isn't complementary. Mearns' volcanic 2nd violin made Kowroski's polite1st violin look puny. ( And I'm absolutely shocked to find myself writing "Kowroski" and "puny" in the same sentence!) Asking anyone to dance 1st violin opposite Mearns – a 1st violin if there ever was one – is probably unfair.

Perhaps I've missed it. They may have already danced it together. But if they haven't, I'm still waiting for the casting of Kowroski and Reichlen in this ballet. I think the ladies are similar enough - yet different enough - to make for an intriguing pairing of this classic work of Balanchine.

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Use our new $2 per ticket facility fee to pay for it.

A little off topic.

Just a comment about the $2 facility fee - I sometimes get discounted tickets at the lincoln center atrium. There is a $4 per ticket facility fee there. This really puts a dent in the discount if you are getting the cheaper tickets. I saw tickets regularly priced at $20 being offered for $15 - add the $4 fee in and the ticket is really $19. Of course now you have to factor in that at the box office the $20 ticket is really $22. Still not much of a savings.

BTW I did get $55 tickets at half price at the atrium for Sat. matinee, so it was a total of $63 for 2 seats in the center of row B 4th ring. It made my day, particularly because it was such a good performance.

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Here are very scattered impressions:

I got to see the Friday night performance in addition to the two matinees. Obviously, "Violin Concerto" is my favorite ballet, and "Symphony in 3 Movements" is my #2, so I was in heaven. I agree with many of the previous commenters, including gratitude for the lovely, well-danced and elegant "Tombeau." On the whole, I was very happy to see not only all these ballets combined, but danced well, with strong energy.

I liked Fairchild and Finlay in "Duo Concertant" for both performances - they really brought it back to life. In "Violin Concerto" I feel that Korowski is perfect, La Cour is really growing stronger and deeper, and I also feel (not backed by any documentation) that Ramasar is not deeply committed in his work. Maybe I'm taking the message from the Strohman a little too far, but that's the impression I'm getting. To me, Hyltin is a little lightweight for the seriousness of that "Aria," and for "Apollo," as well. She's lovely, with a beautiful line, but I feel as if she's about to float off the ground. Her phrasing in the beginning of her solo in "Apollo" (where she paws the ground) in the performance and at the discussion later seemed a little off to me. I agree with other posters that Finlay is beautiful, but needs to be more mature. And he will be soon!

I liked Janie Taylor and Tiler Peck in "Symphony in 3" (on Friday) but Lowery is just out of place in this Company to my mind. The long chain at the start and finish of the first movement was beautiful, especially on Sunday. Stafford, Hyltin and LeCrone on Sunday were outstanding. I was glad to see Andrew Scordato in a prominent role -- and was very pleased that Daniel Applebaum was featured in Agon. Those two men, and several others (including Henry Seth, Vincent Paradiso, Devin Alberda, andTroy Schumacher, who I adore) were in just about everything this weekend, and looked superb. I had been missing the lovely Maya Collins last season, and was delighted to see her again. Lauren King, Amanda Hankes and Lara Tong were also standouts.

Reichlin was excellent in M/M -- first time I've really liked her (I'm way behind you guys). I also agree that Mearns and Korowski were a mis-match in "Barocco." Mearns looked like she was flailing her arms around. Korowski is really turning into an artist: she was phrasing things in a way similar to Kyra Nichols, with that slight rubato.

Bouder and Stanley in "Square Dance" were just as good as they were last season, and I was very happy to see them partnering again. He is capable of the extremes that this role demands.

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1. The company seems to be having a hard time finding an apt ballerina pairing for this work. Back to the drawing board, folks -- Kowroski + Mearns just doesn't work. They're radically different in style in a way that isn't complementary. Mearns' volcanic 2nd violin made Kowroski's polite1st violin look puny. ( And I'm absolutely shocked to find myself writing "Kowroski" and "puny" in the same sentence!) Asking anyone to dance 1st violin opposite Mearns – a 1st violin if there ever was one – is probably unfair.

I had a similar reaction when I saw this pair at the Kennedy Center last month. I've seen Kowroski in the role before and I love her in it, but the two of them seemed to be dancing on two different dynamic levels. I missed Hyltin's Terpsichore, but I'm not surprised by Macaulay's criticism. The role is not without playfulness at times, but it needs gravitas too, and that doesn't seem to be within her natural personality onstage, at least from what little I've seen of her. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Well, here's a dissenting opinion - I absolutely loved Kowroski, Mearns and Askagard in Concerto Barocco.

Yes, Mearns danced the 2nd Violin with a vitality that we don't often see and with very strong attack but she also showed a wonderful response to the music.

Most importantly, she and Kowroski seemed to be on the same wavelength in the way they heard and responded to the music, something that has been missing in most NYCB pairings in this piece for the past several seasons.

I felt that Kowroski and Mearns also shared enough phsical & stylistic attributes - the expansive phrasing, the endless arabesque - that their appearance was complimentary, and the fact that Kowroski's interpretation was more lyrical and Mearns was more dynamic simply served to differentiate the two violin strains.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

I also really loved Fairchild & Huxley in Square Dance on opening night (Fairchild's stage presence has deepened and her feet were so beautiful here) and Fairchild & Finlay in Duo Concertant. She brought a lyricism and vulnerability that I just don't see in Hyltin, though she has other gifts.

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1. The company seems to be having a hard time finding an apt ballerina pairing for this work. Back to the drawing board, folks -- Kowroski + Mearns just doesn't work. They're radically different in style in a way that isn't complementary. Mearns' volcanic 2nd violin made Kowroski's polite1st violin look puny. ( And I'm absolutely shocked to find myself writing "Kowroski" and "puny" in the same sentence!) Asking anyone to dance 1st violin opposite Mearns – a 1st violin if there ever was one – is probably unfair.

I had a similar reaction when I saw this pair at the Kennedy Center last month. I've seen Kowroski in the role before and I love her in it, but the two of them seemed to be dancing on two different dynamic levels. I missed Hyltin's Terpsichore, but I'm not surprised by Macaulay's criticism. The role is not without playfulness at times, but it needs gravitas too, and that doesn't seem to be within her natural personality onstage, at least from what little I've seen of her. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Well, here's a dissenting opinion - I absolutely loved Kowroski, Mearns and Askagard in Concerto Barocco.

Yes, Mearns danced the 2nd Violin with a vitality that we don't often see and with very strong attack but she also showed a wonderful response to the music.

Most importantly, she and Kowroski seemed to be on the same wavelength in the way they heard and responded to the music, something that has been missing in most NYCB pairings in this piece for the past several seasons.

I felt that Kowroski and Mearns also shared enough phsical & stylistic attributes - the expansive phrasing, the endless arabesque - that their appearance was complimentary, and the fact that Kowroski's interpretation was more lyrical and Mearns was more dynamic simply served to differentiate the two violin strains.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

I also really loved Fairchild & Huxley in Square Dance on opening night (Fairchild's stage presence has deepened and her feet were so beautiful here) and Fairchild & Finlay in Duo Concertant. She brought a lyricism and vulnerability that I just don't see in Hyltin, though she has other gifts.

What kfw said about dissent! In truth, nysusan, I liked both Kowroski and Mearns, too! But I would have preferred to see one or the other as 1st violin paired with someone else as 2nd violin. I always think of the 1st violin as the Queen Bee and the 2nd violin as the Warrior Princess who just happens to be the Queen Bee's best friend. To my eye, both Kowroski and Mearns are Queen Bees -- I want to see both of them in the pas de deux-- and thus putting the two of them together as 1st and 2nd violin somehow throws my ballet universe out of whack. Of course, your mileage may vary, and that's the beauty of multiple casts.

I have lots of fantasy pairings for CB -- Teresa Reichlen and Kaitlyn Gilliand, Ana Sophia Scheller and Brittany Pollack -- though they might not actually work in the theater.

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I've attended a few performances this week. The less said about 7DS the better. The only thing deadly about it is that the choreography is deadly boring. Whelan is miscast, in my opinion. On a more positive note, I thought Kowrowski was excellent in the final section of Vienna Waltzes. She was much better at the second performance than the first. I also saw Mearns do the role this afternoon. She was utterly brilliant. She uses her supple spine to thrilling effect, and she can create a world of drama simply by standing still. A sensational debut. Bouder and Garcia debuted this afternoon in the Voices of Spring section. Garcia was in excellent form. It's good to see him back. Bouder's phrasing was a little disjointed, but I'm sure she will improve. Stafford was an excellent partner for Ringer in Gold and Silver Waltz. I'm not a big Marcovici fan. He was an able partner for Mearns in VW. I also saw Reichlin and Mearns in Concerto B. on Friday evening. Reichlin has improved a lot in Concerto B. since I first saw her in the role 2 years ago. Not as lyrical as Maria, though. Mearns was wonderful in the second violin role. These are exciting times at NYCB, as fresh faces take on important new roles.

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I saw the Sat Mat performance....7DS is a mildly entertaining work with an uninteresting Weill score. The best part for me was Whelan's 'Anna'. It was a sensitive performance. I haven't seen a live performance of 'Vienna Waltzes' for quite a while, but the day before I made the mistake of watching an old tape from 1983.....the 'gold and silver waltz' with Jonathan Stafford was a disappointment----I cannot imagine a sophisticated woman giving him a glance, let alone being smitten with him. He was like a schoolboy and I am sure it affected Ringer's interpretation. Sara Mearns was most impressive in the final waltz, but I would caution her to guard against being too emotive in the latter parts of the waltz.

After seeing the 4T's I knew why I see NYCB infrequently----where or where is the sharpness of attack? The pointe work was so mushy.

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I attended on Tuesday evening and Wed. evening. Bouder was incredible in Divertimento 15. She can make the rapid fire footwork look like child's play. Amazing. So when is Lauren King going to be promoted? She was lovely in Divertimento. I was impressed by Ashley Isaacs, a dancer in the corps, in Fearful Symmetries. I had never noticed her before, but I will now be on the lookoout for her on the casting sheet. She has incredible technique. All of the other leads in Fearful- Reichlin, Ramasar, Mearns, Stafford and Huxley -were excellent. Fearful is one of my favorite Martins ballets. At tonight's performance, the three tall girl muses - Kowrowski, Mearns, Reichlin -were fantastic. Kowrowski's dancing as the lead muse was lyrical and expansive. Chase is looking better and better as Apollo in each performance. He had a minor slip (he did not fall), but he recovered quickly. His partnering of Maria was not quite as smooth as with Hyltin. Taylor and Hall were riveting in Afternoon of a Faun. Antique Epigraphs is a minor ballet, but I enjoy seeing it. Mearns, in particular, was outstanding.

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