PNB Coming to NY City Center in Feb 2016

[Helene]

In the past they posted casting for tours, but I don't see one for this tour. In 2013 it was Margaret Mullin and Rachel Foster. Last season (Fall 2015) Mullin and Biasucci were cast.

[Olga]

Thanks, Helene. They were both cast, but It's impossible to tell which one she was though, because the program doesn't give anything other than one large group credit. I was very impressed with the company. They have received a great reception here in New York.

[Royal Blue]

This is one of the nation's top ballet companies and you bring it to New York City Center for a meager four performances at a time during which the winter season of NYCB is still on and the Vienna Philharmonic is performing right next door at Carnegie Hall? Is it really that complicated to bring PNB to New York for at least a week's worth of performances at a moment when NYCB and ABT are inactive in the city?

New York City this time around in late February apparently offers a genuine embarrassment of riches! I see that the Mariinsky is at BAM right now too!

[tutu]

I'm 80% sure Emergence started with Rachel Foster. The dancer had darker hair than Mullin, Biasucci was in a different section, and Foster was specified in the program for Feb. 26 only.

[vipa]

I attended Friday evening and had a wonderful time. In, A Million Kisses..., if I heard right Laura Tisserand was replaced by Sarah Pasch. Correct me if I got that wrong. The dancers looked great - clean, secure and brimming with a kind of straightforward energy. I didn't like the piece, however. I didn't see a solid structure, a flaw that is pronounced IMO when the choreography is to Bach. Also, the movements were repetitive in the worst way. By that I mean that the repetition seemed to have no purpose (structure), there was a sameness to the whole thing. I used the opportunity to use may binoculars to watch the dancers closely!

The Vertiginous Thrill... is a ballet I've only seen on youtube so I was excited to see it live. I really like the wit and musicality of the piece and it was well danced. Angelica Generous is a stand out for me, as she was the last time the company was in NY. My only quibble is that Margaret Mullin was not as crisp and secure as I would have liked. She didn't take control of the stage the way the others did. That's just my impression from seeing her in one ballet.

I enjoyed Emergence very much and from what I can tell, it's a great piece for the company. Bravo everyone on stage.

One more note - Judging from this one performance I'd say that in general the men in the company are outstanding. Great to see. What a fine company, I wish I could see them more often.

[Helene]

That is great news if Rachel Foster danced: she's been recovering from surgery for quite a while. While by no means an easy role, it not a pointe role and might be a transition to a full roster of roles.

[sandik]

I know Foster was scheduled to dance the Pite during the tour, but not sure what performance. Doug F will know for sure.

As Helene says, she's been having a very tough time coming back from surgery -- hoping to see her in this upcoming rep.

And I'm jealous about you all seeing Porretta in Prodigal. He wasn't back in the autumn when the company did it here. It's a wonderful role for him.

[seattle_dancer]

Correction on myself: in my previous post "Saturday" should have been "Friday".

To answer/respond to posts since (great to see so much chatter BTW), Emergence prologue was danced by Rachel Friday night and Maggie Saturday night. There was only a pause, not an intermission, so not much time for Maggie to change mindset from Vertiginous not to mention the costume change and being sprayed with water. Couple guys had to put on tattoos also.

vipa - Sarah replaced Laura in Kisses in the first and last sections. Kylee Kitchens replaced her in the slow middle section. re: your quibble I'm wondering if you meant Elizabeth Murphy, who was the tall gal in the middle with lighter blonde hair. I had a similar observation but at least the two girls on the side were sharp and crisp, so the visual was symmetrical.

[seattle_dancer]

(continuation...)

The same Friday casting announcements were made for Saturday, additionally in Vertiginous Leta Biasucci for Angelica Generosa.

So another superhero effort by Leta the final night. She danced all three pieces, including the Emergence grand pas and trio, looking spectacular with a huge smile and never once seemed tired. Unbelievably amazing!

[vipa]

Correction on myself: in my previous post "Saturday" should have been "Friday".

To answer/respond to posts since (great to see so much chatter BTW), Emergence prologue was danced by Rachel Friday night and Maggie Saturday night. There was only a pause, not an intermission, so not much time for Maggie to change mindset from Vertiginous not to mention the costume change and being sprayed with water. Couple guys had to put on tattoos also.

vipa - Sarah replaced Laura in Kisses in the first and last sections. Kylee Kitchens replaced her in the slow middle section. re: your quibble I'm wondering if you meant Elizabeth Murphy, who was the tall gal in the middle with lighter blonde hair. I had a similar observation but at least the two girls on the side were sharp and crisp, so the visual was symmetrical.

Thank you for the casting clarification seattle_dancer. Also, I'm sure you're right that I meant Elizabeth Murphy. It was the tall girl in the middle I was thinking of. Not being familiar with the company, I got mixed up. Thank you setting me straight! I do wish I could see this company more often. It is a real treat.

[doug]

Hi all, Foster opened Emergence on 2/26 and Mullin on 2/27.

[canbelto]

I caught one performance (Thursday).

Highlights:

James Moore's wonderful Prodigal Son. Very vividly acted, and the lust/rebelliousness was much more direct and explicit than I've seen in NYCB dancers

Noelani Pantascino and Seth Orza in the second pdd of Violin Concerto. Really captured a playful mood

Lowlights:

Lesley Rausch as the Siren - just didn't have the physique for the role

Leta Biasucci smiling nonstop during Square Dance at the audience. I've always considered Square Dance a ballet where its important to establish a sense of community, so mugging towards the audience is a no-no. Smile at your partner, not the footlights.

[Helene]

I love Leta Biasucci's dancing, but I've noticed since last season that she has crossed the line on occasion to mugging.

It's great to read recognition for James Moore's work, especially Prodigal Son, one of his best roles. I thought he was stellar in it when I saw him.

[canbelto]

The last few times I saw Prodigal Son at NYCB, it seemed to be staged as a quaint museum piece. The audience laughed throughout. It was a revelation to see how seriously the PNB performs this -- there was no laughing from the audience. It was a very serious, stern morality tale.

[choriamb]

I attended the dress rehearsal in Seattle: Moore is good in Prodigal Son...the most convincing I've seen since Angel Corella.

[ Begin unconstructive "different strokes for different folks" tangent ] For what it's worth, in the dress rehearsal of Square Dance that I saw, Biasucci actually seemed to be the dancer who was most conscientious about looking at her stage companions. I also--subjectively, of course--don't think Biasucci mugs. I suspect that she has simply been taught, seemingly like other CPYB dancers, that it's preferable to project too much than to project too little, particularly when one is nervous or playing an unfamiliar house. If that's a fault, she can console herself that it's one ascribed to Mearns, Bouder, and Peck too. [ End unconstructive tangent ]

It was interesting to read how differently Cargill, Witchel, and Macaulay interpreted Rausch's performance. When I was watching the dress rehearsal, I too was surprised and pleased by the common thread that she brought to the Siren and the Aroldingen role in Stravinsky Violin Concerto. (In the latter, her interpretation was actually closer to the video of Aroldingen than any that I've seen live: most of the ballerinas at NYCB play it as an emotionless game of line/form...and in that vein she managed some lovely suspension near the beginning of the pas.) However, in both pieces her projection became less pronounced and head less subtly articulated the further away she was from her partner: it made one lose hold of the idea in both pieces that the movements of her body directly control the movements of her partner...which made the pieces go slack at times. (As she participated in both works for the rehearsal, I wasn't sure whether she was marking a bit when away from her partner in order to preserve herself for direct interactions.) I rather wonder if that accounted for the differences in critical opinion and perception of heat.