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NYCB at the Kennedy Center


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Out-of-this-world opening tonight with the all-Balanchine-Classics triple bill. Could there be a more splendid program than SERENADE, AGON, and SYMPHONY IN C?

SERENADE was picture perfect. Sterling Hyltin, as the Waltz Girl who is carried aloft at the end of the ballet, has become quite the musical artist since we first saw her; she has really grown on me. So many unique and sensitive touches , such as the 3rd mvmt sequence when she and her 1st partner (impressive Zachary Catazaro) perform a series of pique arabesques in a big circle, he dropping to a knee as she gazes coquettishly back at him. I wish that I could rewind and rewatch that sequence over and over, it was so stunning! Also impressive was the airy ballon of Ashley Bouder as the Russian Girl and the gravitas of Teresa Reichlen as the Dark Angel. The corps was spot-on.

AGON was zippily performed, despite mishaps from some of my favorite NYCB ladies. Kudos to Rebecca Krohn for snapping right up after a nasty fall at the start of the 2nd pas de trois...going on to perform a gorgeous solo. The wonderful pdd duo of Maria Kowrosky and Amar Ramasar just saved a potential fall after their hands failed to meet in a see-sawing move immediately following the mini-solos segment. Whew! What impressed me the most was the quicksilver timing of the clusters of dancers moving among and between each other with razor-sharp precision. Balanchine the genius of mass formations!

SYMPHONY IN C brought the evening to a rousing climax. It's hard to choose between the classical brilliance of Tiler Peck (1st mvmt with gracious Veyette) or the big-bold divaness of Sara Mearns (2nd mvmt with strong Jared Angle). The 3rd mvmt was even bubblier than usual with Pereira and Garcia...but -surprise - I loved the 4th mvmt leads the most, as they danced their hearts out, 200%: Brittany Pollack and (my king of the night) Adrian Danchig-Wowee-Waring! Holy crap,why haven't I noticed this elongated bundle of energy before on my trips to NY?

Clotilde Otranto conducted the NYCB's own excellent orchestra with fire and precision. They contributed enormously to make this the perfect night at the ballet, one of the finest in my 31 years attending ballets at this theatre.

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Did you like the costumes for Symphony in C. They are relatively new (approx 2 years old)..

Not as much as I had expected with all of the hype. OK but no big deal. I was sitting up in 2nd tier but a great front-row-center spot. I saw very little glitter in the women's costumes, only grey lines; on the other hand, the men's tunics sparkled a lot.

The bodices did not seem to flatter the more curvy ladies...particularly unflattering on Sara Mearns.

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Yes, I have issues with the male costumes, not the costumes for the ladies. The men's costumes have too much distracting decoration at the neckline, and I also don't like that puffy upper arm sleeve design. Glad you enjoyed the All Mr. B show.

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Did you like the costumes for Symphony in C. They are relatively new (approx 2 years old)..

I detest the new women's costumes. Cut down to "here" in the front, up to "there" in the back. Gaudy and vulgar. I long for Karinska's fussy little bow. Yellow? No--they are the color of cream. The new ones are blazing, glaring arctic white.

So, other than that mrs lincoln, how was the play? The ballet remains a masterpiece.

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I detest the new women's costumes. Cut down to "here" in the front, up to "there" in the back. Gaudy and vulgar. I long for Karinska's fussy little bow. Yellow? No--they are the color of cream. The new ones are blazing, glaring arctic white.

Speaking of bad costumes, the women's outfits for Pictures at an Exhibition were downright awful.

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I enjoyed the 21st-C Choreographers program a lot but, to me, the shortest piece was the true masterpiece among them: Wheeldon's brief adagio for one couple, THIS BITTER EARTH. I was in tears. So touching on many levels - music, steps, lighting and, of course, the brilliant interpretations of Tiler Peck and Craig Hall. I'll think back to this masterpiece for comfort whenever a dear person may pass on.

The rest, in descending order of my preferences:

EVERYWHERE WE GO by Justin Peck was also quite moving, also dealing with death in parts, but not quite as touching as the Wheeldon...and a heck of a lot longer, clocking in at 40 minutes. In this work , I preferred the upbeat segments, particularly an early playful pdd for the effervescent Sterling Hyltin and Andrew Veyette. The costumes by Janie Taylor were cute - 1930s maillots with big horizontal blue/white stripes at the top for the girls and mauve tops with black high-waisted tights for the boys. The score by Sufjan Stevens was pleasant but a bit too "action TV soundtrack" for my taste. Overall, a fine ballet. Inventive, pleasant, energetic...but maybe too long. The audience cheered at the end of the penultimate section, thinking that the curtain was going down.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION falls short of the usually-high standards of Ratmansky's creations for NYCB (such as CONCERTO DSCH or NAMOUNA). It is danced to the original piano version of the Mussorgsky score, magnificently played by Cameron Grant! The costume designs by Adeline Andre are stamped with colorful motifs of painter Wassily Kandinsky, whose oeuvre are projected to form backdrops for the dances. Not only are the costumes poor, especially the ladies' ugly mumus, but the projections don't seem to have any relation to the music, with the exception of the last one depicting the spires of Kiev. Some of the choreography was clever but most had zero relation to the titles of Mussorgsky's segments, e.g., Amar Ramasar courting three ladies is supposed to be Baba Yaga? (Give me Leonid Jakobson's witch with the broom and strobe lights any day!) Five guys jumping up and down to the music of the Unhatched Chicks? At least the ten dancers performed admirably. I was especially impressed by the quicksilver dancing and energy of Indiana Woodward and Joseph Gordon in the 11th section (last "Promenade").

SYMPHONIC DANCES, a Central European pastiche by Peter Martins to Rachmaninoff, opened the evening. It was long but well performed, with a lovely Teresa Reichlen and light-footed Zachary Catazaro as the leads, particularly admirable in the languid pdd within the 3rd movement. Otherwise, it was a tedious piece replete with trite steps, some coming from Balanchine's TZIGANE. Luckily, the evening went uphill from there.

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I went on Wednesday night. I agree with Natalia. For me the highlight of the evening was Justin Peck's "Everywhere We Go." It was such a treat, especially following lackluster "Symphonic Dances" and "Pictures at an Exhibition."

In "Symphonic Dancers" I enjoyed Teresa Reichlen -- such a tall ballerina with great lines and a dignity in her performance. However, Rachmaninoff's score to me seemed to detract from the lovely movement. I would have enjoyed something lighter, and more enchanting, that actually expressed the feeling of the dancers' moves for me. The score felt laborious. It was not an inspiring beginning.

"Pictures At An Exhibition" just did not make sense to me. First off, the costumes were quite off-putting. They certainly did not flatter the ladies, and somehow felt completely inappropriate. And they detracted from the movement. And then I never got the connection of Mussorgsky's piano score to Kandinsky's projections on the screen and the movements in the dance. It did not go anywhere for me. Alas.

By then, some of the people around me had left. The fellow behind commented that he fell asleep. It felt late in the evening after the second intermission and my partner and I talked to see if we wanted to stay. Fortunately, we did. "Everywhere We Go" was so refreshing. First off, the costumes were strikingly delightful, the set was fun, and the movement was creative and upbeat. Sufjan Steven's score was delicious and captured every movement. And the dancers grabbed out attention and never let go. It was an exhilarating experience. We did not want it to end. Now my partner is going back on Sunday, just to see it this performance again.

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I seem to be alone in really enjoying Pictures at an Exhibition, despite the horrid costumes and despite the fact that Ratmansky treated the music as abstract music and didn't attempt choreography that expressed the themes of the various movements (4 very petite women dancing during "Bydlo"???). Maybe it's because I LOVE the music. I thought the choreography was the most original of any of the works in the program.

I also seem to be alone in preferring Symphonic Dances to Everywhere We Go. Perhaps because it was so late by the time that Everywhere We Go began. I thought that Everywhere We Go was a little long, especially since it at one point seemed to come to a natural conclusion (the point that Natalia mentioned where many people started applauding) but then re-started. I share Natalia's opinion of Sufjan Steven's music.

I'll see if tonight's second viewing changes my opinion at all, since tomorrow isn't a work day and I won't be thinking about how late I'm getting home.

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I seem to be alone in really enjoying Pictures at an Exhibition, despite the horrid costumes and despite the fact that Ratmansky treated the music as abstract music and didn't attempt choreography that expressed the themes of the various movements (4 very petite women dancing during "Bydlo"???). Maybe it's because I LOVE the music. I thought the choreography was the most original of any of the works in the program.

I also seem to be alone in preferring Symphonic Dances to Everywhere We Go. Perhaps because it was so late by the time that Everywhere We Go began. I thought that Everywhere We Go was a little long, especially since it at one point seemed to come to a natural conclusion (the point that Natalia mentioned where many people started applauding) but then re-started. I share Natalia's opinion of Sufjan Steven's music.

I'll see if tonight's second viewing changes my opinion at all, since tomorrow isn't a work day and I won't be thinking about how late I'm getting home.

You're not alone in liking Pictures at an Exhibition. I didn't love it the first time I saw it this past fall in NYC but 6 viewings later (I think 3 in the fall, 4 in the winter) I've really come to like it. Every time I see it some extra nuance springs out at me. I was very worried, in the winter, how it would survive without Wendy Whelan (who danced the woman in yellow, which I believe is the 3rd PDD section, The Old Castle). Interestingly, I liked it even better with Sterling Hyltin, who took Wendy's role (and much credit needs to go to partner Tyler Angle). It definitely is more interesting than any Justin Peck piece (at least all the ones he's done for NYCB).

For me Martins' Symphonic Dances is a snooze and I think they placed it in the middle of the rep bill this winter season (makes it hard to duck out). I did very much like Everywhere We Go, although it wasn't performed in the fall or winter, here in NYC. The Steven's music is very upbeat and accessible which really helps the dance. I hope to see it again soon.

ETA: I just found a program and didn't remember correctly. Symphonic Dances was first in a program that also had The Cage, Andantino and Cortège Hongrois.

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The second time around, I liked Symphonic Dances even better. It seems like a good opening piece, with a brisk pace and Rachmaninoff's great music. But being both higher and farther back (in the rear of the 1st tier as opposed to 4/5 of the way back in the orchestra) made the ugly costumes for Pictures at an Exhibition have more of a negative impact. And I found Ratmansky's often light-hearted take on music that has always seemed somber to me a little perplexing. I didn't change my opinion of Everywhere We Go - I still think that it is a good but not great piece. The music seemed disjointed, as if different sections were taken from different compositions.

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I have a probably-dumb question for anyone who knows Pictures at an Exhibition. Did Ratmansky choreograph a couple of loud falls? I ask because, while I didn't see it, it sounded like someone dropped his partner during one of the idiosyncratic partnering poses early in the ballet Saturday night. (I wish I could describe it better than that, but I was sitting upstairs and didn't see it clearly, and I liked the work so little I was already beginning to lose focus). At first I assumed someone goofed, but then we heard another thud not long thereafter.

While I didn't care for it one whit, Pictures received the loudest applause of any of 7 ballets this Saturday.

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