pville

I think I must have missed something ... Carla Korbes is leaving ?!! Where is she going ? What's the story please inform me about this tragic loss to NYCB ]

Sigh, I was hoping Carla Korbes would get SOMETHING as well, even if it couldn't be Titania. I'm worry she will waste away as a soloist. As for MSND I suppose it depends on if Darci is up to dancing ... I think when she danced it before it was when Kistler pulled out. I guess we'll have an idea this week with Morgen, Korbes or Kistler is a pretty good deal. And here's to hoping Somogyi will be well enough to dance Hippolyta.

Can anyone elighten me on what this guy is up to? I was thrilled when he joined NYCB then he seemed to be plagued with injuries before he really established himself. It seemed he was just getting started and then left. Musgate absolutely needs him and I'm glad NYCB can get him back and to see that he is dancing alot. But it is rather strange that he's been in 3 companies over the past few years. What is he doing right now, did he ever explain why he left and is there any chance he'll come back?

The earlier discussion of Sofiane Sylve's debut in Emeralds piqued my interested because I had always thought of Sofiane as a Diamond maybe a Ruby. So which ballerinas in NYCB do you think correspond to each of the Jewels, in my opinion Diamonds: Nichols Whelan Kistler Koworski Sylve Rubies: The McBride Role Ansanelli Weese Bouder Taylor Fairchild The Neary (big girl) role Koworski Reichlen Bouder would be interesting, smaller girl but dances BIG! Sylve Tinsley Emeralds Kistler Somogyi Nichols Ringer Rutherford Korbes !! Stafford Borree so what would be your try as casting director?

and Mozartiana must be on there too

i have recollections of rutherford dancing blue ... and mauve too!

Ditto Evans, Higgins, Van Kipnis, Korbes Of dancers past (or pushed away?) - Meunier, Ash, Ritter, Liang Others that come to mind - carmena, fowler, abergel, and angle (but i think thats because of chronic injury) Overutilized - ... borree, martins Misutilized - kistler, kowroski, abi stafford

... interesting question. But I do believe that Farrell says in "walking on air" balanchine approached her before choregraphing jewels to ask her if she would rather be a diamond or a ruby.

I was extremely worried when I saw that Darci Kistler was replacing Nichols in Chaconne. I didn't see her Chaconne last season but her Symphony in C was shaky enough for me to think she was only a few steps away from eternal retirement. I agree last night she flubbed, simplified, and skipped some stuff through the 2nd pas de deux. But I still left with that "I just saw something wonderful feeling". I would saw she had her old magic back. The type that makes you forget about the actual steps and makes you just relax and think about the performance and presentation on the whole .... and this is how I want to remember Kistler. I think what makes her so great especially in view of many of today's up and comers is she has "ballerina polish" in abundance, charm, refinement, authority, etc. I would rather see a simplified kistler with polish than a perfect kowroski without. In conclusion, if Kistler can pull off one performance a year like this (in an Allergra Kent type arrangement) she still worth keeping on the roster

I]With Whelan and Kowroski in Russia, was there anyone other than Kistler at home who knew Second Movement? If so, who? If not, wouldn't it have been a good opportunity to teach it to a worthy newcomer?[/i] Carla Korbes is the obvious choice for the role, definately an adagio dance with beautiful extension and the artistic ability to carry out such a role .... of course she was injuried on this particular sunday .... Hmmm, has Nichols ever danced the role ? That would be an interesting contrast. Maybe Ansanelli, or Somogyi, they always make the most of the opportunities they get. I wonder if Meunier was still with the company if Martins would have let her try it .... :rolleyes

Manhattanik, Wasn't it Somogyi in Symphony in C?

I've been going back on forth of my highlight of this winter season ... was it Kyra Nichols glorious and triumphant return or was it the sensational debut of Sofiane Sylve, an outsider who energized the whole company. Nichols, the most steadfast of the last era of Balanchine ballerinas, she was promoted before Caligeri, Fugate, Saland, Lopez, and Hlinka and yet outlasts them. Truly a study in longevity, amongst other things. One hopes that the new generation of dancers, Korbes, Bouder, Fairchild, Stafford (not to mention Kowrowski, Ansanelli, Taylor and Somogyi) have the chance to learn from her tempered, balanced and tasteful but still fufilling performances. Its not about superlatives, lifting the leg higher or whatnot completely matching and living in the music. Her performances of In G Major, Davidsbundlertanze, Vienna Waltzes, Pavane and Mozartiana will long live on in my mind. Sylve, on the other hand represents (hopefully) the future of the NYCB. Sharp, witty, all-out performances of Kammermusik 2, and Western Symphony and Slaughter on 10th Avenue were opposite in flavor of Nichols performances but both completely fufilling. Please, please, please bring her back!!! To round out the ballerinas. IMHO Whelan is the NYCB ballerina now, she holds the lion's share of the reperatory and does it well, and her range is simply unparalleled, particular highlights include In the Night, Chaconne, Agon, Symphony in 3 movements, Barocco, and Ballade. Somogyi came into her own with Piano Pieces and Concerto Barocco as well as setting a new standard in Sernade and 1st movement Symphony in C. Kowrowski ... hmm unquestionably a talented dancer, but unless she's in a completely abstact role (Kammermusik 2, Sonatas and Interludes, or acting Western Symphony) she doesn't do it for me, I feel she's still trying to find herself and hides behind her talent instead of using it to express herself. Ringer contiues to shine, never having seen McBride perform its hard to compare but I've never found her performances lacking in Coppelia and Who Cares? I would prefer her in Tales from Vienna Woods though. Borree is a hard dancer for me to comment on ... I have a tendancy to avoid her performances, that being said her Raymonda was nerve racking, let I saw a nice recovery from falling off point in Square dance. Weese has made a nice comeback ... hopefully she will be strong enough to return to full use. Kistler: I wish Nichols could share her secret with her. She still has and always will the soul of a great ballerina, but her body is unquestionably deteriorating and its hard to watch. Finally I'm including Ansanelli with the principal women, its the role she plays in the company now, she dances with joyousness and vulnerability unmatched by anyone in the company, just lovely in Piano Pieces and Carousel, looking forward to new Ansanelli/Wheeldon colaborations. Amongst the soloist, Rutherford continues to be lovely and is slowly developing her rep. Stafford is still finding her stage presence, she does best when she can just dance as in Square Dance, she still has to work on presenting herself in Who Cares? and Symphony in C. Taylor contiues to shine in Martins works. Van Kipnis is perhaps the most misused dancer in NYCB, Martins seems to throw her around wherever he needs a dancer, hopefully he can work on developing her into the principal she deserves to be. Corp standouts include Korbes, used very cautiously, Mandradjieff, Fairchild had quite a season. Edge, Abergel, Ash, Walker and Ash are amongst those who give the corps some stability. Most missed : Ashley Bouder. Among the men, ditto MVP Millepied, always a great jumper but now has refined his dancing and partnering. Neal and Askegard held the company together. Soto remains the partner of choice. Boal doesn't seem to be danceing as much as I'd like. Martins ... another dancer I try to avoid. This season we also saw the long-awaited return of Angle, and then he disappered again, hopefully he will have the chance to make a full recovery, as he seems to have the most potential amongst the current soloists. Corp: Orza, Ulbricht, Carmena are the ones that seem to standout, all have great (and different qualities, but I've rambled on long enough) still works in progress.

In general I have been satisfied with the female casting at NYCB this winter season. But I do feel that sometimes Peter Martins lacks insight into individual dancers abilities and temperments and reverts to casting into sterotypes of dancers he has worked with in the past. You can just see him saying to himself "well, abi stafford has Merrill Ashley like technique, so lets put her into Merrill's old roles." Sometimes it works, square dance and Ballo, and sometimes it just doesn't .... first movement Symphony in C. Or, Yvonne really looks like Kay Mazzo ... thus we have her in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Square Dance and Duo Concerant. I could go on for a while in this line, Maria is his Suzanne Farrell. Jeny Ringer and Miranda Weese are his Patty McBrides. Jennie Somogyi is half Whelan and half Nichols. Its for his personal favorities (Taylor and Ansanelli) that he is bothers thinking about how the would really fit into each role. Its only the rare dancer such as Whelan who dances with such conviction and passion that she is able to break is sterotypes. I feel it may be a reason why so many men just seem to lag in the Soloist role. He just doesn't seem to take the time to see what would fit them and they don't get roles

Korbes and Bouder unquestionably, Aesha Ash and I've started to grow quite fond of Eva Natanya and Saskia Beskow

My dream cast would be Nichols paired with Somogyi for Borocco