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2017 Spring Season


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1 hour ago, Natalia said:

 

:clapping:

Just like other Ratmansky dinners, such as the recent one in Miami, FAIRY's HISS.

 

Well you can cross this one off your meal too because the fabrics certainly aren't Imperial Russian ballet tutu fabrics.

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On 4/24/2017 at 11:49 AM, balletforme said:

I saw LeCrone in Thou Swell and she seemed out of place then.  Looked down a great deal. (I was in the orchestra.)

 

I have only seen LeCrone once-(Dewdrop), and I thought her to be completely miss casted. Not enough energy/atack.

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11 hours ago, canbelto said:

 

Well you can cross this one off your meal too because the fabrics certainly aren't Imperial Russian ballet tutu fabrics.

 

El Cheapo struck again at THE FAIRY's HISS. It's the weak production values, not just the fabrics, although the fabrics are certainly important. Balanchine & Karinska knew the power of fabrics' textures and colors, e.g., the blue SERENADE dresses can vary greatly from company to company, even though at first glance they appear to be alike. Nylon doesn't "swish" or move like tulle.

 

Thanks for the NYTimes review link, abatt. Sounds like a poignant work.

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A quick word before I start the long trek home....

 

I wasn't that excited for today, but outside of Jeu de Cartes, I enjoyed all of these pieces.  

 

But Odessa!!!  I absolutely loved it.  I think it's Ratmansky's best work.  For me, it's the best new work I've seen in my young ballet watching life (and may be my favorite non-Balanchine non-story ballet). A big bravo to Alexei Ratmansky!  And thanks to California for convincing me to go!  

 

Will write more more when I get back to Philly!

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Back in Philly.  So just to add regarding Odessa...Sara Mearns did not dance today, Unity Phelan danced in her place.  She was fine, but I do wish I could have seen Mearns dance this role.  I hope Odessa comes back next year, I'd really like to see it again.  I loved everything about it, the music, the costumes, the lighting, and the amazing choreography.  Pretty sure this is going to be a highlight of the 2017 dance season for me.

 

As mentioned above, I enjoyed most of the works today, except for the dreadful Jeu de Cartes.  Ugh, it was horrid.  Not the fault of the dancers, but I just found the choreography repetitive and boring.  And I love Megan Fairchild, she is one of my favorite NYCB dancers, but honestly I had a hard time staying awake for this.  I actually had to guzzle some coffee after watching it.  

 

Other thoughts:  After the Rain PDD was gorgeous.  My first time seeing it, and my first time seeing Maria Kowroski dance in person.  She was absolutely stunning,.  I was completely mesmerized.  I was thrilled that I enjoyed For Clara.  With all of the talk about female choreographers, I went in wanting to like it and I did.  Honestly, I think the choreography was better than any of Justin Peck's works I've seen.  I hope they continue to give Lovette opportunities, because I thought it was enjoyable for her first NYCB work.  Welker's Ten in seven was also pretty enjoyable and quite different.  I thought Ashley Isaacs and Taylor Stanley, in particular, stood out, though all of the dancers seemed really into it.

 

Overall, I expected not to like the majority of what I saw today, and I really enjoyed the day.  So glad I went!!!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Kaysta
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I am so happy to read these reports. I won't be seeing Odessa this go round so I hope they do it again. I'll be seeing another program. I just wanted to say that I seem to enjoy the works that Ratmansky choreographed on NYCB more than the ones done on ABT. For me, Seven Sonatas is a snore, Tempest is pretty awful, I wasn't thrilled by Serenade after Plato's Symposium and, I know I am in the minority here, but I found the Shostakovich trilogy ponderous. 

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I thought Odessa was a very interesting and sophisticated piece of work.   I will certainly see it again when it returns in the fall.  I was disappointed that Mearns was replaced this afternoon, and I hope she is not injured.  The rest of the program ranged from bad to worse.  I used to like After the Rain, but it now seems to lack the spiritual approach that it always had when Wendy & Jock danced it.  To me, Peter Walker's work looks amateurish.  Lovette's work is attractive, but I don't feel compelled to see it again any time soon.  And I'll join in the chorus of people who detest Martin's Game of Cards. Not even Ball and Gordon could save this turkey.

 

PS- There is flash footage on the NYCB twitter page of the Mearns - Ramasar pdd of Odessa.  I can see from this short excerpt that Phelan did not perform it at the same level as Mearns.  Oh well.   Maybe next season....

 

PPS:  Just looked at Sara's Instagram account.  She is experiencing back pain.  Get well soon!

Edited by abatt
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Saw Cast #2 tonight. It had a very different effect. The cast was so different from the first cast. Tyler Angle/Unity Phelan, Megan Fairchild/Daniel Ulbricht, Ashley Bouder/Taylor Stanley are much less intense dramatically than Sara/Amar, Sterling/Joaquin, and Tiler/Taylor. Some of the menace was gone. However there was more tenderness between the couples. Not better, not worse, just different.

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I saw the matinee of Here/Now 5 on Saturday.  Here are some quick impressions.  (Note: Unity Phelan danced instead of Sara Mearns in Odessa.  When this was announced there were very audible expressions of disappointment from the audience.)

Jeu de Cartes
    This was my least favorite.  It was cutesy.

After the Rain, Part Two
    I really liked this.  It kicked my appreciation of Maria Kowroski up several notches.  I had seen her as O/O in SL in 2010 and at that time was underwhelmed, mostly because I thought she and her prince, Shephen Hanna, had no chemistry.  This time, though, she and Ask la Cour had chemistry in spades, I thought.

For Clara
    This was my favorite piece.  I loved the choreography.  It was one of the best ballets I've ever seen in terms of using the dance to illustrate and enhance the music.  Not only in how the specific steps corresponded to the music, but in how the style of dancing changed with the style of the musical passage being performed.

ten in seven
    When I saw this was going to be jazzy dancing to a jazz band I expected to be unimpressed, but it was good.  It wasn't great, but it was energetic, and had a lovely pdd in the middle of it.

Odessa
    This was a bit disturbing.  Perhaps that was the intent.  It was basically about unhappy women in bad relationships.  It was well choreographed, though, and very well danced.  Also, seeing Odessa confirmed my status as a huge fan of Sterling Hyltin.  I think she might be my favorite dancer.

 

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Thanks.  I see that Mearns and Ramasar are replaced in Rodeo by Pollack and Justin Peck on Sat evening. 

 

Just noticed that retiree Craig Hall is debuting in Infernal Machine this week.  Yikes. They must be very short staffed to recruit a retiree to learn and dance a new role that he never danced during his career. 

Edited by abatt
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Updated casting:

 

TUESDAY, MAY 9 (Change of program order - Spectral Evidence will be
performed first)
SPECTRAL EVIDENCE: Isaacs replaces Pazcoguin, LeCrone replaces Smith, R.
Fairchild replaces Ramasar
MOTHERSHIP: Jones replaces Macgill, E. Von Enck+ replaces C. Von Enck
THE TIMES ARE RACING: Woodward replaces Smith, *Applebaum replaces Ramasar

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10
CAROUSEL (A DANCE): Segin replaces Smith
THE INFERNAL MACHINE: *Craig Hall++ replaces Ramasar
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: Kretzschmar replaces Smith

THURDAY, MAY 11
COMMON GROUND: *Schumacher replaces Chamblee
OLTREMARE: *Wellington replaces Pazcoguin, *Walker replaces Ramasar
RODEO: FOUR DANCE EPISODES: Pollack replaces Mearns, *J. Peck replaces
Ramasar

FRIDAY, MAY 12
CHIAROSCURO: *Veyette replaces Ramasar
STABAT MATER: J. Angle replaces Ramasar
THE DECALOGUE (STEVENS/PECK WORLD PREMIERE): *Segin replaces Smith

SATURDAY, MAY 13 at 2PM
CAROUSEL (A DANCE): Segin replaces Smith
THE INFERNAL MACHINE: Craig Hall++ replaces Ramasar
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: Kretzschmar replaces Smith

SATURDAY, MAY 13 at 8PM
COMMON GROUND: Schumacher replaces Chamblee
OLTREMARE: Wellington replaces Pazcoguin, Walker replaces Ramasar
RODEO: FOUR DANCE EPISODES: Pollack replaces Mearns, J. Peck replaces
Ramasar

SUNDAY, MAY 14 at 3PM
CHIAROSCURO: Veyette replaces Ramasar
STABAT MATER: J. Angle replaces Ramasar
THE DECALOGUE (NEW STEVENS/PECK): Segin replaces Smith

*Debut                 +Apprentice          ++Guest Artist

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Justin Peck's Instagram mentions "17+ casualties and counting". I know injuries happen, but it seems higher than average. Not sure that the whole Here/Now festival was fully thought through if this is the outcome.

 

And selfishly I don't get up to NYC until the 19th, so I hope there will still be dancers standing then!

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