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There were three works in Twyla Tharp's program at the Joyce this past February: Ocean's Motion, from 1975, and two new pieces—Brel, and The Ballet Master. Every major point expressed in the posts above about this program is valid. Ocean's Motion was interesting since it evoked the atmosphere of a relatively recent period in American history that increasingly appears distant in time. And, as danced by either Herman Cornejo or Daniel Ulbricht, Brel was superb. The Ballet Master, however, had a notable impact and made a sweeping difference for me. Although John Selya, Ulbricht, Cassandra Trenary, and the other dancers in the cast were excellent in their respective roles, strangely enough, it was not on the surface a particularly beautiful work. Nevertheless, it led to essential reflection and greater insight about what makes Don Quixote such a priceless classical ballet. While this show was presented at the Joyce, one of the programs offered by New York City Ballet consisted of Rotunda, Concerto for Two Pianos, and Odesa. Given a choice, I would opt for the latter every time, since I find greater overt beauty in Concerto for Two Pianos and Odesa. Undoubtedly, however, it was consequential to view The Ballet Master at this time. Alexei Ratmansky's Solitude is a ballet that leads to earnest contemplation of the art form and its purpose. Odesa is a splendid work, which I am eager and willing to view many times. Paradoxical as it may seem, nonetheless, Don Quixote—not Odesa—provides the searing contrast for proper consideration of the issues about life and art that Solitude raises.

I don't remember an actual ballet like that, but there was a video campaign featuring Calvin Klein designs that I might classify as athleisure wear.

Thanks for the correction. I would not want to be her, especially juggling two demanding roles. Some of those dancers need to retire altogether.

I think I'll reserve the top honor for Boris Eifman's Musagète . Call Me Ben was bad, but misguided bad, not diseased-at-its-core bad. I happen to like all of the Tanowitz works in NYCB's rep and buy tickets to see them whenever they're programed. I vastly prefer them to any Peter Martins ballet, all of which could be scrubbed from the rep without undue effect, IMO. I agree about liking Tanowitz and wishing NYCB would divest of all Martins’ ballets. Which ballet was it where they wore Calvin Klein underwear and all the women had their hair down? I’m not sure that is my ultimate clinker, but I found it embarrassing to watch. Like I’d wandered into someone’s room while they were getting dressed.

I just listened to the episode and heard Jaffe say those programs will be for the 2025 "Koch Season," not the Met. I think full-length ballets will continue to be prioritized at the Met. Jaffe sounds overall intelligent and empathetic and like she knows what she's doing, even if I'm not necessarily excited about all of her programming choices. Playing the role of AD and ED simultaneously sounds like a nightmare. And the company's financial situation sounds challenging to say the least. I would also love to hear more about those "difficult conversations" with dancers 🤔 Some of the principals and soloists are beyond the point of "stepping it up" at this point and would be better off retiring difficult classical roles altogether.

Just an FYI on Tharp….This is part of Northrop’s 2024-25 season here in Minnesota! (Jan 2025) Twyla Tharp celebrates her 60th anniversary with a groundbreaking evening of stellar dancing and phenomenal musicianship—including the world premiere of a new work that marks her six decades as a choreographer. An innovative dance set to Philip Glass’s Aguas da Amazonia, the new work has music arranged in close collaboration with Tharp and performed live by Third Coast Percussion on a unique collection of custom-designed percussion instruments. In addition, her Diabelli Variations, set to Beethoven’s intensely demanding masterpiece, reveals its elegant humor and commands technical prowess—and energy—as performers change effortlessly from ballet, to jazz, to modern, with bits of social and street dance.

Thank you, Drew!

Welcome JGoldberg999 -- I look forward to reading your thoughts re the performances you attend and other ballet-dance issues. (It has been a long time since I lived in New York, but I try to see ballet there now and then.)

An all-Tharp program would be very welcome in 2025: https://www.abt.org/people/twyla-tharp/?type=archive I vote for In the Upper Room and Bach Partita. Deuce Coupe was a great success a few years ago, too. I suppose we are long past the possibility of a revival of Push Comes to Shove, although I long thought Daniil Simkin would have been great. Kimin Kim did it at the Mariinsky some years ago (presumably with Tharp's approval), but I've never seen notice of any other revivals.

Thank you for flagging this. I always forget to check that podcast for their latest episode. I think everyone who loves (or loves to hate) ABT should listen to this. One comment I didn't love, or have mixed feelings on, was when Jaffe said that the new contract that was finally agreed upon for the dancers would be very hard on the organization. I feel like that comment could be interpreted a few different ways. Jaffe spoke at length about repertoire and that she was trying to find ways to bring some classics back without the troublesome narratives for today's audience (that's not verbatim, I don't recall her language but that's the gist of it). So, I'm hopeful she's working on La Bayadere and Le Corsaire. She addressed some of the criticism for LWFC and Woolf Works and why she programmed last Fall as she did. Next year is the company's 85th anniversary, so the Met 2025 season will feature one program that will be like "stepping back into the ABT of 1940's". So, I'm hopeful that will include Tudor, DeMille, maybe Dark Elegies, Les Sylphides, Theme and Variations, and some other classics not seen in years. Please not Fancy Free. Another program will be all Tharp. She mentioned having to have some tough conversations with a few dancers who needed to step it up a notch (boy, was my curiosity peaked) and she gave a lengthy shout-out to Sascha Radetsky, AD of the studio company, for his talent sourcing and steadfast leadership. I loved that part.

You're correct that the first Shade variation should travel on the relevé arabesques, although in the notated version we used for the choreography the relevés are broken up by a bourrée upstage. Likewise, few steps are notated as being performed en face, and epaulement is something we worked on at length. The drum dance (Bayadère's Hindu dance or Danse Infernale) is performed as notated for the 1900 revival and as captured on film by Alexander Shiryaev with the exception of a few arm positions and movements for the ensemble as they pose in the diagonal on stage right when the principals make their entrance. I can assure you that my work on the choreography had nothing to do with any so-called "woke ideology." Steps were simplified only for the youngest dancers of the affiliated Jacobs Academy and based on the limitations of their age and training. Working with the students and faculty of IU Ballet Theater was a delightful and rewarding experience. I hope you might read my essay on our approach to the choreography that is included in the playbill, available at the IU streaming site, or on my website at https://www.dougfullington.com/star-on-the-rise.

I think I'll reserve the top honor for Boris Eifman's Musagète . Call Me Ben was bad, but misguided bad, not diseased-at-its-core bad. I happen to like all of the Tanowitz works in NYCB's rep and buy tickets to see them whenever they're programed. I vastly prefer them to any Peter Martins ballet, all of which could be scrubbed from the rep without undue effect, IMO.

A few thoughts on last night’s performance: 1) Interplay: the energy emanating from these 8 dancers was pulsating. The dance begins with the 4 male dancers — all young bucks — bounding across the stage, all seemingly moving for the joy of it — and to see these 4 young men dance with such elan — is to see them coming into their own — especially Victor - who has been maturing before our eyes this past year. Then comes the 4 women led (in a way) by Alston — the fire cracker, the hummingbird — and they dance as if this were for Olympic gold. It was interesting to see these 8 dancers (7 corp and 1 soloist) as it mirrored In Creases, which also had 7 corp and 1 soloist — and how hungry these young dancers are for opportunity, and how each rises to the occasion in this hyper competitive world of ballet — and the audience is the winner. After tonight, I think Interplay should only be cast with corp dancers — it’s in the spirit of the choreography. After the end of the ballet, when all 8 are standing gasping for breath — a sweet moment happens — Victor crosses the stage to shake hands and thank Clotilde — and he has the biggest smile on his face — he just beams. 2) Other Dances: Oddly, the weak link in this was Tiler Peck (gasp! — I know). At first, she’s looking at the top of her game, playing with the music as is her wont — but it didn’t build further — and I wondered if it was the choreography’s doing, that it doesn’t give her enough. Also, a tad annoying — there’s a bit of the Bolshoi in Interplay — the dancers bow after every solo. 3)Year of the Rabbit: I loved this ballet when it premiered in 2012 — and am I huge Peck fan — but it honestly felt like a new different ballet to me — the music seemed new — as well as most of the choreography (of course I remember the sliding women across the stage). And what an interesting ballet it happens to be — and to think Peck was 25 when he did this! Emma and Miriam and Chan and Takahashi shine — but the surprise eye opener was the pas de deux with Alexa and Harrison — an unexpected level of sublime beauty.

I think Rabbit was so successful in terms of the quality of choreography because Peck had a lot of time to work on it and revise it, if I remember correctly. As he became more popular, it seems like he has less time to devote to each work. That may be a big part of the problem.

LOL. Bartok Ballet is also in my top 10 list. We have similar taste, apparently.

I was also there last night. I like Interplay for its jazzy music and technical tricks, and it has a very 1950s feel that reminds me of old movies. Alston MacGill as the pink girl was a standout and looks ready for so much more. Victor Abreu (blue) has improved his partnering since opening-night Bourrée Fantasque -- lovely dancer but I have yet to see him land a clean double tour. Other Dances.... nearly cried! Tiler Peck looked as amazing as ever. Yesterday she posted this Instagram post saying: "I truly cannot put into words the joy I feel getting to perform this incredible piece, Other Dances. Not many dancers get the chance to dance this role and I do not take that lightly. When I had the opportunity to work with the one and only @mishabaryshnikov123 on it, he told me it was all about coloring and letting the music take you away. It was an incredible experience working with such a luminary and one of the ballet’s original dancers. I will be channeling all of the wisdom he passed on to me in my performance tonight!" Well, she definitely conveyed all of that! And Mejia wasn't so bad either This performance alone was worth the ticket. I hated Gustav and will avoid it in the future should it ever come back (hopefully never). I get what Pam Tanowitz is doing -- "deconstructing " -- but now I've seen two of her ballets and that's enough. Maybe in a more avant-garde setting or in the context of a college thesis performance this would work for me, but not at Lincoln Center. Felt like the ballet equivalent of a short contemporary piece tacked onto the beginning of a classical-music concert by a composition PhD who "knows" music but can't seem to create anything listenable. Year of the Rabbit, from 2012, remains one of Justin Peck's best works. Very creative corps formations and exciting choreography for the leads. It was a little disappointing watching this knowing that he never evolved much beyond this early style though. The only thing this work suffers from is mediocre music, but the score is listenable and pleasant enough. Von Enck was amazingly energetic and precise in the Ashley Bouder role, but Maxwell and Chan were also standouts. The house was very undersold -- more so than usual.

Haha! Call Me Ben was truly terrible. My top City Ballet stinker is definitely Bartok Ballet. I'm curious to see if my opinion of Red Angels will have improved since the accursed Here/Now festival. I remember sneaking a peek at the phone of the girl sitting next to me after seeing it one evening. Her text message read: "It's a bad night at the ballet..."

Thanks for my only laugh out loud moment of the day California. Saw tonight's program. Gustav le Gray by Tanowitz is making my list of 10 worst ballets I've ever seen at NYCB. Call Me Ben still occupies the first place, though. All that talent on stage performing dull choreography in hideous costumes. Peck and Mejia were sublime in Other Dances. The all new cast of Rabbit was great. Maxwell and Coll were riveting in their quiet pas. Emma VE was daring and fearless in her technically dazzling performance. Miller and Chan were impressive as well. I have no patience for Interplay and its cute adolescents, but it was well performed.

Do not discuss the discussion or each other.

Ashley Bouder just posted on Instagram Stories. As those can't be linked and are only available for 24 hours, I'll just post the text of one slide: "Normalize ending friendships with people who still support people who have hurt you." Make of it what you will. I don't have a clue who/what she's talking about and really don't care.

The podcast Conversations on Dance recently had Susan Jaffe on where she talks a little about programming and future performances including the Fall. You can listen directly on their website or go to Spotify or Apple Podcast and search Conversations on Dance episode 395. Based on this episode, it seems like she hasnt been able to really put herself 100% into her role. Hopefully with the new Executive Director thing can start moving. https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/395-susan-jaffe-american-ballet-theatre I really appreciate ABT for what it was and what it could be again. I’m rooting for them to get it together. I think there is a combination of factors going on here including terrible fundraising and marketing. I get harassed (and I actually mean to use that word) multiple times a year from ABT to donate. However it seems like it is just a volunteer who doesn’t know how to professionally navigate someone saying no or how to navigate different options for the potential donor. It really has turned me off to donating and I have ended up giving to NYCB instead in the past. Get in some boots on the ground who actually know how to appropriately handle givings and donations. Additionally there are some principals who have got to go. And I don’t mean because they can’t do 10 pirouettes. Yeah doing a billion fouette turns is impressive, but that doesn’t carry the whole ballet. I feel like artistry is being lost more and more for tricks. Additionally there are some promotions that I found unnecessary such as Roman Zhurbin. I am eager for the next generation to start leaving more of their mark. As much as I enjoy NYCB, and go to their shows weekly, my true love is for the classics and what ABT used to bring. I’ll be here for it as soon as it is back!

I'm a longtime reader/lurker and decided to finally register in case I have something I want to say or share. I'm a NYC based avid dance-goer - typically ballet but I mix it up with all other dance forms as well. I frequent NYCB & ABT seasons as well as various performances at the Joyce, New York City Center and BAM. I'm always happy to learn of new/different venues to support and exciting visiting companies. I'm looking forward to joining in on some of the interesting conversations here!

Just a few thoughts on last night’s performance: 1) Rubies — Another quality (yes, another one!) of Mira’s that I noticed was the languid ease with which she can dance — you feel her dance power/energy emanating from her but tonight there appeared to be such an effortless, artless quality to her dancing — as if she just woke up at 4 pm, had a bubble bath, some tea, went to the studio, put on her toe shoes and — voila — comes on stage and is — well, like no other dancer. Also, I do enjoy the sensual quality she brings to the tall girl — she’s a young Garbo with a dash of Merle Oberon AND Ava Gardner — I think the sensual quality she can bring to her dancing is natural to her, easily accessible. Also, I usually sit on the far left side of the theater, but tonight was sitting on the far right — so got a full view of her bows at curtain call — even her bows are stunningly beautiful. 2) In Creases — Again was pulled in by this dance and the 8 dancers — again all 8 were outstanding and moving with such energy and expansiveness. Watching them I was thinking about what it is about NYCB that I love so much and why I prefer to be close to the stage versus farther back — and how certain dancers can enter one’s head, and then from there, a select few can enter one’s heart. Watching Preston and Dominika dance last night — I can sense that they are entering my head — they are dancing with such individuality, grace, and calm authority — and I sense that they have such potential as artists that we have yet to see. Perhaps, this is one of the many, many reasons why I love NYCB.

Olivia Boisson last night was quite lovely to watch. So much so that my husband asked me who she was when watching the Garner piece. The piece overall fell short for me. It started out well, I appreciated the lighting, the set, and I really enjoyed the music. The last section where the costume change occurs just didn’t do it. It seemed like the piece was doing a nice build and then she ran out of time to finish it. It was a shame because I appreciated her not being a modern choreographer who knows nothing about ballet. You could tell she has ballet training and it didn’t give to me (at the beginning) the desperate-trying-too-hard feel I often get with new works lately. I agree though what was said that this piece wasn’t necessarily a “Woodward exclusive” piece and her not dancing wasn’t drastically noticed. I do wonder why she pulled out of a lot this season. Olivia Boisson and Olivia Bell both stood out to me as having really lovely solid and consistent technique. I would love to see more of them!! Underutilized in my book. There was an apprentice in the new piece named Mia. To me honest I didn’t notice her, but good for her to be cast in a new piece! In Creases I had originally seen Houston Ballet dancers do it, and I have to admit I preferred it with NYCB dancers. There was just a sharper quality to the dancing. It will never be my favorite piece, but I can appreciate that it is a marathon to dance and can also say that it really shows impressive abilities for up and coming corps dancers. Preston as others said was looking great! A new assurance in his dancing. Maybe it was always there and he was being miscast before? Regardless I very much enjoyed seeing him! I find that the pianos onstage don’t have as loud of a sound as I would like. I feel like the dancing would be magnified if the sound quality was too Dig the Say to me had no depth. Only showing off what Mejia and Peck can do, which don’t get me wrong was amazing! But I wish you could have put all those bells and whistles into a piece with more meat to it. I did enjoy the guest quartet though! Mejia is superhuman to me. I desperately wish for him to have a lead in one of the classics that isn’t Nutcracker. Maybe Franz in Coppelia this fall? He is more than ready to carry a full length ballet. I wish he could almost guest at ABT for a show In Rubies, Megan looked great and Mira did as well. I was surprised by Anthony. I don’t particularly love him in Rubies, but it was really nice to see him actually smiling on stage and looking like he was having fun! I still prefer any section of Jewels to be done as a whole rather than an individual piece. I feel like it loses some of its wow factor because part of the fun is the contrast between it and Emeralds/Diamonds. I continue to be less than impressed with India Bradley. And boy do I try to really watch her to see if I’m missing what everybody else sees. Even as a corps in Rubies, she has no depth to her dancing, she is little more than long limbs. Yes she has a beautiful line because of the length that she has. But she is unable to control it and to me it just looks like awkward flailing. I’m not at all pleased that she has been cast in Red Angels. I did enjoy the See the Music beforehand, anything to help explain even a little insight into Stravinsky. (I’m sure it’s a very unpopular opinion but, with the exception of Firebird, I find Stravinsky to just be a cacophony of sounds that is really hard to get into.)

Also Murphy/Bell as guests doing Other Dances! I used to covet Aran Bell for NYCB before the arrival of Chun Wei Chan.