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NYCB MOVES in Iowa City, Oct. 24-25, 2017


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As an Iowan who has loved NYCB from afar for many years but never seen them perform live, I was thrilled to see that they'd be coming to Hancher in Iowa City this fall. Hancher has had a longtime relationship with the Joffrey, but I don't know that NYCB has come here before (I think it helps that Miriam Miller is from Iowa City, and that the theater was recently rebuilt after a flood -- it's looking incredible). 

 

So my question to you NYCB experts is, what exactly is the MOVES distinction? Should I expect to just see some of the up-and-comers, or does it include principals and soloists? Also, about how close to the performance do they announce casting? I'd love to choose which night I attend based on that, but I can't imagine they'd announce it as soon as July 7, which is when tickets go on sale. I'm sure they'll go quickly, so I'll be ordering that day regardless of whether casting has been posted.

 

Any input you have would be greatly appreciated! 

 

Edited to include the program:

In the Night
Music by Frederic Chopin
Choreography by Jerome Robbins

 

La Stravaganza
Music by Antonio Vivaldi, Evelyn Ficarra, Robert Normandeau, Serge Morand, Åke Parmerud
Choreography by Angelin Preljoçaj

 

Sonatine
Music by Maurice Ravel
Choreography by George Balanchine

 

After the Rain pas de deux
Music by Arvo Pärt
Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon

 

In Creases
Music by Philip Glass
Choreography by Justin Peck

Edited by 83firefly
Included more info, edited title
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My guess it's a small group of NYCB dancers and maybe not the principals. But wow that's a great program and I'd definitely snatch up a ticket to see it. Summer is traditionally the time when many NYCB principals do summer festivals and guesting. 

Edited by canbelto
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34 minutes ago, sandik said:

What a nice line-up -- I wish it were coming here as well.

 

Good to know! I've only seen Sonatine, when it was on the PBS broadcast of NYCB in Paris. 

 

30 minutes ago, canbelto said:

My guess it's a small group of NYCB dancers and maybe not the principals. But wow that's a great program and I'd definitely snatch up a ticket to see it. Summer is traditionally the time when many NYCB principals do summer festivals and guesting. 

 

Ok, thanks for the scoop. I will definitely go! It'll be a week and a half after their Fall 2017 season ends, if that means anything. 

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8 minutes ago, 83firefly said:

 

Good to know! I've only seen Sonatine, when it was on the PBS broadcast of NYCB in Paris. 

 

 

Ok, thanks for the scoop. I will definitely go! It'll be a week and a half after their Fall 2017 season ends, if that means anything. 

 

If you have a little free time, try listening to the music for these works before you see them.  It can really help you see the choreography if you've got some familiarity with the scores.

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Principals and soloists do perform with NYCB Moves - see the casting for Moves' upcoming run at Bard College's Fischer Center for an example.

 

The very best thing about Moves is the commitment to performing to live music. This is likely one of the constraints on programing: it pretty much guarantees that most if not all of the works selected will have been choreographed to music for piano or a small chamber ensemble.

 

PS: It looks as if the company is presenting two performances back-to-back. I'm going to hazard a guess that the casting will be the same for both performances — that certainly looks to be the case at Bard, and Bard is within easy reach of NYC.

Edited by Kathleen O'Connell
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7 hours ago, sandik said:

 

If you have a little free time, try listening to the music for these works before you see them.  It can really help you see the choreography if you've got some familiarity with the scores.

 

That's a great idea! Does the NYCB website have the exact music listed for each piece in their repertoire?

 

6 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Principals and soloists do perform with NYCB Moves - see the casting for Moves' upcoming run at Bard College's Fischer Center for an example.

 

The very best thing about Moves is the commitment to performing to live music. This is likely one of the constraints on programing: it pretty much guarantees that most if not all of the works selected will have been choreographed to music for piano or a small chamber ensemble.

 

PS: It looks as if the company is presenting two performances back-to-back. I'm going to hazard a guess that the casting will be the same for both performances — that certainly looks to be the case at Bard, and Bard is within easy reach of NYC.

 

Thanks for the info!

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There seems to be something awry with the NYCB website right now -- I can't get it to come up.  But here's what I know about the scores for these works:

 

Sonatine

Ravel – Sonatine for Piano

 

In the Night

Chopin -- Nocturne, Op. 27, no. 1, 1835; Nocturne, Op. 55, nos. 1 & 2, 1843; Nocturne, Op. 9, no. 2, 1830–31

 

After the Rain

Arvo Pärt -- (Spiegel im Spiegel, 1978)

 

In Creases

Phillip Glass – Four Movements for Two Pianos

 

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11 hours ago, 83firefly said:

 

That's a great idea! Does the NYCB website have the exact music listed for each piece in their repertoire?

 

 

They do! First, go to the Repertory page on the company's website: http://www.nycballet.com/Discover/The-Repertory.aspx

 

Then click on the ballet you're interested in. For example, here is the listing for In Creases: http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/i/new-j-peck-glass.aspx

 

The repertory page for a given ballet normally provides details regarding the music used, the date it was premiered, the date of its NYCB premiere, the original cast, its length, and the design team. Often as not, you'll also get a short video clip and / or a slideshow.

 

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Spotify has access to a ton of the music that NYCB programs are choreographed to. Happy to share the playlists I've compiled over the years. (Though I don't have playlists for In the Night or In Creases.) My user name is MayRea if anyone would like to use them!

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Just found out the casting for this performance: http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/Casting/NYCB-MOVES_Iowa-City_October-24-25,-2017.pdf

 

Lots of debuts! I'll be seeing it on Wednesday, so they'll have one under their belt by then. :) 

 

Regular NYCB-goers, any dancers I should keep an eye out for? There are a few I'm quite familiar with thanks to social media and video clips (and I'm particularly eager to see Unity Phelan), but let me know if any of the up-and-comers are ones to watch closely. Of course, there are dancers in the company whom I'd love to see that won't be performing, but such is off-season touring to flyover states. ;) Excited to finally see the company live!

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3 hours ago, DC Export said:

 

Miriam Miller in After the Rain sounds divine. I'll also add Kristin Segin, Alec Knight, and Peter Walker to your watch list.

 

Great, thanks! I enjoyed seeing Segin in Walpurgisnacht Ballet on the NYCB in Paris broadcast. I remember seeing this photo of her a few years ago and thinking she looked uncannily like a young Amanda McKerrow! 

 

 

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I was able to attend MOVES in Minneapolis while visiting family. Parking was difficult, so I arrived late and missed most of In the Night. I had wanted to see Unity Phelan especially in this ballet. Maybe she'll dance it in New York. 

 

Jacqueline Bologna was featured in La Stravaganza. She is a good dramatist and danced well. Christopher Grant and Harrison Coll also caught my attention.

 

Chase Finlay and Abi Stafford danced Sonatine. I liked Chase in this piece. Abi Stafford has technique, but her artistry is not as interesting to me.

 

After the Rain received the most applause. It was my mother's favorite of the night, and the couple sitting next to us began leaving through their programs because they wanted to know more about the female dancer in this ballet. Miriam MIller was lovely in this.

 

In Creases was fun.

 

Peter Martins was in the audience. He was standing at his seat chatting to staff during an intermission.

 

 

 

 

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Whew, finally getting around to my write-up of this lovely performance! It was a great program overall, presenting a wide range of styles and moods. I was expecting to be impressed by Unity Phelan and Kristen Segin at the very least, and those two did not disappoint. Let's break it down! :) 

 

In the Night

1st couple: Olivia MacKinnon & Alec Knight; 2nd couple: Unity Phelan & Chase Finlay; 3rd couple: Abi Stafford & Adrien Danchig-Waring

 

At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I have to admit I was shocked I was seeing a representative of one of the country's leading ballet companies when this piece began. I'm not sure if MacKinnon was just having an off night or what, but the first movement felt burdensome, and I was very distracted by her lack of finesse. When Phelan entered with those regal walks, not eight counts in I turned to my boyfriend to whisper, "You can see the difference already." What a lovely creature, with a beautiful stage presence and long limbs that ate up the space around her. The partnering was effortless and refined. And then the third movement -- full of abandon! You could really feel the emotion in all those comings and goings and swinging lifts. I remember mentally noting what a good partner Danchig-Waring was. 

 

I also appreciated how the three couples came together at the end, as I was wondering how they would make contact or relate to each other. The way Robbins did it was just enough to establish the dancers' acknowledgment of one another, yet not so much interaction as to become saccharine or prolonged. 

 

La Stravaganza

Okay... this was weird. :lol: I mean, there were things about it I liked, such as Jackie Bologna and Harrison Coll's pas de deux near the end, as well as the initial movements of the Vermeer people, but overall, not my favorite ballet ever. MacKinnon was consistently later than Bologna and Rachel Hutsell in the opening nude/modern people section, which, again, was a distraction. (The corps not moving together is a pet peeve of mine!) I thought this style of dance particularly suited Hutsell, though -- she moved comfortably and naturally in this choreography, and her legs and feet looked beautiful.

 

Sonatine

I was pleasantly surprised by Abi Stafford in this. She was relaxed yet poised, with a light, jubilant spirit. Partway through, I again whispered to my boyfriend, "That's about as perfect as you could ask pointe shoes to look, like a natural extension of her leg." Her feet were supple and pliant, with no distracting clunkiness as, ahem, I had witnessed in previous pieces. (D'oh! There I go again.) Chase Finlay was... there? I mean, he danced very well. He just didn't leave any strong impression on me personality-wise.

 

After the Rain

Ah, Miriam Miller. She is lovely. I am eager to see how she develops into this role. She has all the right moves and the perfect body for this, but I think more maturity will enhance her performance. Danchig-Waring was a strong partner, though I didn't feel much of a connection between them. I've never seen this piece before -- is it meant to be a little distant, or should we feel like we're peeking into an intimate moment?

 

In Creases

YASS, Kristen Segin at last! I love her. But first, this piece as a whole was my favorite of the night. Great music, great energy, and I loved the angular/geometric/symmetrical choreography, especially those mini canons here and there. Bologna and Peter Walker had the featured roles, and Walker in particular did well with his. Now back to Segin -- I was drawn to her the whole time, as energy was just buzzing off of her. She committed to each movement and extended each line in a way that far surpassed the other dancers. Bravo to her! I hope to see her become a soloist soon. What a delightful, bright face. And gorgeous, expansive epaulement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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