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NYCB winter 2017 promotions


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Re: Ashley Laracey, I've mentioned this once before, I'm not sure if it's considered gossiping (apologies if it is).  Anyway, during Fall 2015 I followed the Ballerina's Life Viber chat (a public group-chat between dancers from NYCB, ABT, Miami City Ballet and Penn Ballet).  As I followed the conversation I noticed Ashley Laracey had a lot of self-doubt and really was her own worst critics.  A few months later when I saw her perform live all I could think was "she needs to cut herself some slack!"  I imagine behavior in the studio that the audience doesn't see really does affect the decision to promote.  I don't mean to say Ashley has a 'bad attitude' but her own self-doubt may be holding her back. 

 

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We distinguish between "Official News" (allowed) and "Unofficial News" (not allowed).  More details are in this thread:

http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/34250-rules-rules-and-our-mission/

 

If dancers are in a dance-specific chat forum, IE, in their professional, not civilian guise, exercising their rights as citizens, that's the equivalent of posting on public-facing (no special permissions needed) social media, which is allowed.

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I have a few wonkish questions that I hope someone won't mind answering!  

 

1)  Do the recently promoted soloists still dance their corps roles for the final week of this season or will they be replaced?  

 

2) I sometimes notice a soloist dance a role that I thought was for senior corps.  For example, the demis in T&V.  Are these actually soloist roles that senior corps typically dance?

 

Thanks!

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16 minutes ago, Emma said:

I have a few wonkish questions that I hope someone won't mind answering!  

 

1)  Do the recently promoted soloists still dance their corps roles for the final week of this season or will they be replaced?  

 

2) I sometimes notice a soloist dance a role that I thought was for senior corps.  For example, the demis in T&V.  Are these actually soloist roles that senior corps typically dance?

 

Thanks!

 

It really depends on the ballet. During the times of SB, when "all hands on deck" are necessary EVERY night I often saw Principals in small roles. For example I saw principals Taylor Stanley and Jared Angle as one of the four princes in the Rose Adagio.

 

Other times it varies. They always say being a soloist is a hard adjustment because you go from dancing nearly every night to dancing more rarely while still not getting all the Principal roles.

 

This video gives some insight into being a Soloist at NYCB:

 

 

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1 hour ago, Emma said:

I have a few wonkish questions that I hope someone won't mind answering!  

 

1)  Do the recently promoted soloists still dance their corps roles for the final week of this season or will they be replaced?  

 

2) I sometimes notice a soloist dance a role that I thought was for senior corps.  For example, the demis in T&V.  Are these actually soloist roles that senior corps typically dance?

 

Thanks!

Not at all wonkish, Emma, but very good questions, and not easily answered.

Soloists keep *some*--not most--corps roles when they are promoted; the most salient example is 'Concerto Barocco,' which is considered a plum part even for corps members and in which the corps never leaves the stage, doing some of the steps the soloists do such as the hops on pointe. 'Square Dance' is another small-corps ballet which soloists are sometimes still in because it's very difficult. Small-corps ballets like 'Le Tombeau de Couperin' are very desired; in fact the original cast of 'Tombeau' was at least half soloists. Balanchine corps roles are nothing like other corps parts--they are far more demanding, often more exposed, and frequently in smaller numbers (four women and the principal man in 'Four Temperaments,' three women and the principal couple in the Intermezzo from 'Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet,' and so forth.) 'Agon' is a ballet so difficult to count, and so complex, that when Unity Phelan (one of the newly promoted soloists) was called to rehearsal for it as a second-year corps member she was dumbfounded, saying in an interview that she hadn't expected to get to dance in that ballet for at least ten years.

 

Soloists are never, except in emergencies (which happen constantly in ballet) left in corps parts in big ballets like 'Swan Lake' or 'Sleeping Beauty,' and usually give up most corps roles fairly soon; they probably will finish out this week or even the winter season, however. Some corps parts are quite difficult---those mentioned above, the parts in 'Fearful Symmetries,' "Year of the Rabbit,' etc--and not something you'd want to throw an inexperienced dancer into. On the other hand, nothing is a worse sign for career aspirations than still being 'in' 'Swan Lake' after one's contemporaries have been 'promoted' out of it, either in rank or in seniority.

 

'Theme' is also a ballet in which the demis are often soloists rather than corps members, as the parts are hard. In earlier times, particularly under Balanchine, principals jumped into the corps without a second thought if someone was missing or injured; Tallchief and Hayden in particular knew everything and did this whenever it was needed. At that time of course the company was much smaller and more close-knit... but even in the early Seventies, when the company made the sadly disastrous (because of horrendous camera shenanigans, kinky editing, etc) video recordings in Berlin, many corps members like Merrill Ashley who did mostly solo parts were in the corps of 'Valse-Fantaisie,' 'Barocco,' etc. Balanchine was sometimes said to think roles and/or a salary raise were more a reward than promotion to a higher rank, and there have always been glaring examples of corps and soloist dancers who in every way deserve principal ranking--including their dancing of principal roles. Lindy Mandrajieff, Renee Estopinal, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, DEBRA AUSTIN (!)  etc, etc., come to mind, and among soloists the brilliant Samantha Allen, Carol Sumner, Susan Hendl, Susan Pilarre...as Toni Bentley says, were everyone in NYCB to have her/his due, every dancer would be a soloist. :)

Edited by jsmu
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18 hours ago, canbelto said:

 

This video gives some insight into being a Soloist at NYCB:

 

 

The City Ballet series was one of the ways I got interested in ballet (and specifically NYCB) again. Now that I've been watching the company regularly for the past few seasons, I really appreciate the view into life as a member of the company. I especially enjoy rewatching the video as a reminder of some excellent then-and-now soloists. Megan LeCrone in particular. I found her Dark Angel to be the most captivating I've ever seen. I don't necessarily think she is quite Principal status (snaps to fellow Ashley Laracey fans) but I do wish she were given more roles.

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18 hours ago, jsmu said:

Not at all wonkish, Emma, but very good questions, and not easily answered.

Soloists keep *some*--not most--corps roles when they are promoted; the most salient example is 'Concerto Barocco,' which is considered a plum part even for corps members and in which the corps never leaves the stage, doing some of the steps the soloists do such as the hops on pointe. 'Square Dance' is another small-corps ballet which soloists are sometimes still in because it's very difficult. Small-corps ballets like 'Le Tombeau de Couperin' are very desired; in fact the original cast of 'Tombeau' was at least half soloists. Balanchine corps roles are nothing like other corps parts--they are far more demanding, often more exposed, and frequently in smaller numbers (four women and the principal man in 'Four Temperaments,' three women and the principal couple in the Intermezzo from 'Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet,' and so forth.) 'Agon' is a ballet so difficult to count, and so complex, that when Unity Phelan (one of the newly promoted soloists) was called to rehearsal for it as a second-year corps member she was dumbfounded, saying in an interview that she hadn't expected to get to dance in that ballet for at least ten years.

 

Soloists are never, except in emergencies (which happen constantly in ballet) left in corps parts in big ballets like 'Swan Lake' or 'Sleeping Beauty,' and usually give up most corps roles fairly soon; they probably will finish out this week or even the winter season, however. Some corps parts are quite difficult---those mentioned above, the parts in 'Fearful Symmetries,' "Year of the Rabbit,' etc--and not something you'd want to throw an inexperienced dancer into. On the other hand, nothing is a worse sign for career aspirations than still being 'in' 'Swan Lake' after one's contemporaries have been 'promoted' out of it, either in rank or in seniority.

 

'Theme' is also a ballet in which the demis are often soloists rather than corps members, as the parts are hard. In earlier times, particularly under Balanchine, principals jumped into the corps without a second thought if someone was missing or injured; Tallchief and Hayden in particular knew everything and did this whenever it was needed. At that time of course the company was much smaller and more close-knit... but even in the early Seventies, when the company made the sadly disastrous (because of horrendous camera shenanigans, kinky editing, etc) video recordings in Berlin, many corps members like Merrill Ashley who did mostly solo parts were in the corps of 'Valse-Fantaisie,' 'Barocco,' etc. Balanchine was sometimes said to think roles and/or a salary raise were more a reward than promotion to a higher rank, and there have always been glaring examples of corps and soloist dancers who in every way deserve principal ranking--including their dancing of principal roles. Lindy Mandrajieff, Renee Estopinal, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, DEBRA AUSTIN (!)  etc, etc., come to mind, and among soloists the brilliant Samantha Allen, Carol Sumner, Susan Hendl, Susan Pilarre...as Toni Bentley says, were everyone in NYCB to have her/his due, every dancer would be a soloist. :)

 

Thank you for this illuminating answer.  And thank you Canbelto too -- I should watch that series again.

Edited by Emma
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On 2/21/2017 at 2:06 PM, Emma said:

I think Laracey does have the wow factor in certain roles.  I saw her at the Kennedy Center dance both Ash and the Infernal Machine the same night.  She was stunning in the Infernal Machine -- so much that I was shocked it was the same dancer in both roles.  She was a last minute sub for Isaacs in Ash but was scheduled for it later that week.

 

 

I saw the same show. Could not believe that she did those ballets back-to-back. All eyes were on her in Infernal, and she was truly a force.

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On 2/21/2017 at 1:06 PM, Emma said:

I think Laracey does have the wow factor in certain roles.  I saw her at the Kennedy Center dance both Ash and the Infernal Machine the same night.  She was stunning in the Infernal Machine -- so much that I was shocked it was the same dancer in both roles.  She was a last minute sub for Isaacs in Ash but was scheduled for it later that week.

 

In other news, Megan Fairchild was a perfect Aurora and just thought I should share =).  She really projected her dancing.

Emma, I'm afraid that 'the wow factor' frequently--usually, in fact--is most accurately translated as scenery-chewing vulgarity, cheesiness, and overt pandering to the audience--all of which are the polar opposites of Laracey's artistry. She lets the role and the steps speak, and conveys the emotions which the work of art contains, not her own aggressive subtext 'message.' This quiet subtlety and beauty isn't enough for people who want something dreadful like Heather Watts.

Edited by jsmu
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hmmm...responding to elsewhere in this thread...I think the test of a well-trained eye is not so much to predict promotions as to critique the decisions that are made by the board/admin...but, I didnt' see anything particularly amiss in this group (edit, ). pretty much all as expected. As others have said, there's a bottleneck at the soloist level now.

Edited by jkr3855
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41 minutes ago, jkr3855 said:

hmmm...responding to elsewhere in this thread...I think the test of a well-trained eye is not so much to predict promotions as to critique the decisions that are made by the board/admin...but, I didnt' see anything particularly amiss in this group (edit, ). 

Both prediction AND critique can be well done or less well done. 

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