nanushka

As a child, I had quite an overbite, and until it got fully corrected with four years of braces and a later (semi-related) jaw surgery, holding my lips closed was not a particularly comfortable facial expression, as it took a bit of effort. Looking at LaFreniere when her lips are closed, I get the sense that it's not comfortable for her either (as it appears she too has an overbite or something similar). My personal suspicion is that that's a factor in her (IMO) excessive smiling. Not smiling at all might take more effort, and it's probably something she's had to work on. (I think it's gotten better over the past few years; when I saw her in Apollo recently, I didn't notice too much excessive smiling.)

I agree that Pereira did quite well as the Russian Girl this afternoon, with the exception of her jumps. Especially those immediately after she's been lying on the floor — one of my many favorite moments in the piece — were quite underwhelming. Her legs barely seemed to scissor apart. I also wish that she hadn't been matched with a quartet of such comparably tall dancers. The lovely parts during the slow opening of the 3rd movement weren't as visually impactful with Pereira as the shorty in the center. But she was very good in all her solo parts. Not what I've seen (or heard about — both here and in numerous Gia Kourlas reviews) in other roles in the past several years. I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing Phelan in this either, but here too I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't feel the emotional journey with her that I have with some others in the role, but I liked her quite a lot. Danchig-Waring looked great in Serenade both in solo moments and in his partnering. And I too thought Grant did quite a good job — though yes, the turning arabesque was not at all smooth, and the impact was lost. I'm always a bit disappointed to see Andrew Litton take the stand. Things are always just a little off with him, I find. Today, the first movement of Serenade was too slow, as was the triple-meter portion of the T&V pas de deux. I've never seen Orpheus before; I'm glad to have seen it once, as a historical curiosity. I hope to avoid it completely in the future. Unlike so many of the Stravinsky scores, the music (while it has some moments that are interesting to listen to) does not seem at all suitable to Balanchine dancing — and as a result, I think, Balanchine seems to have choreographed one of his least Balanchinesque works to the score. Dull dull dull. At least the sets and costumes were interesting to see. Today's was one of the most satisfying performances of Theme and Variations that I've seen live. Not a perfect performance, and I think Peck has probably performed the solos even better in the past (probably in the 2015 performance with Veyette that was taped, though I'll need to rewatch), but she was really lovely and crisp and musical throughout, with some definite wow moments. She always looks like she's just loving it, and that's infectious. And while last weekend I thought her playing with rubato was a tiny bit overdone at a few moments in Ballet Imperial (which isn't, say, Tchaikovsky PDD, after all), that wasn't the case here. Gordon is such a beautiful dancer. I was noticing his amazingly sculpted calves this afternoon. His jumps simply float. Boo on cutting the double tour/pirouettes from eight to six, though. Not enough impact. Very disappointing that that's how it was done in all performances. I agree about Megan LeCrone, too. She was the weak link in the demi-soloist quartet; Olivia Boisson was the strong link, I thought. I agree with this assessment of the change. Previously, I've never understood the praise I've heard lavished on him. Though tall and with definite stage presence, he always struck me as too bulky and too made-up. (Yes, there was definitely a season or two when the makeup was extreme.) But now I'm finally starting to see a bit of what others see. He's definitely slimmed down, and he’s toned down the camp. I have yet to see him in a really significant role, though. But he looked good in T&V.

NYCB also released a video with Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette during the pandemic. It was a 2015 performance, with a finale from 2016. (I think I recall hearing there'd been an injury during the original recording.) For at least awhile now, other than that release and their performances this season, NYCB has I think only done the piece as part of the complete Suite No. 3. Does anyone know when's the last time they regularly performed it on its own? (Possibly not since the Suite premiered in 1970 — but I haven't been following the company long enough to know.)

My hope is that they had two very context-specific reasons for wanting to do it in 2022 and again now: for the Stravinsky Festival and in order to recreate the original 1948 NYCB program. So hopefully with those two things past, they will indeed give it a rest.

After seeing Mejia and Von Enck in Symphony in C this past weekend, I think they'd absolutely be a dream cast. Some very different challenges. I'm excited to see Peck and Gordon in it, as they were great in Ballet Imperial.

Woodward was announced earlier in the week (or maybe even earlier) as subbing for Pollack. She danced with Schumacher.

I would be ecstatic if Misseldine and Forster were to do SL at the Met next summer. (I’m already pretty excited just for her! I’ve been waiting for this.)

Odd indeed. I'm trying to imagine what last-minute casting change might have required them to separate two of the pieces (to give a dancer a break) instead of placing them in the original order — and trying to think of other possible reasons for the change.

Sara Mearns heroically powered through her performance in Symphony in C tonight, despite some very painful-looking visible bruising on her inside left ankle. (She'd showed her foot in ice on social media earlier in the day.) She was obviously more comfortable on her right foot throughout the piece (luckily the one she has to stay on for that looooong stretch in the final third of the movement, as she repeatedly plies in arabesque over and over). There were a few dicey moments early on, with the tricky partnering after the big développé, e.g. when he leaves her balancing and moves to the other side, and another moment shortly after that (I think both on her left foot). It was so good to see her in this piece again, after such a long time (for me — I haven't seen it live in way too long). Megan Fairchild was good in the first movement, though I miss Tiler Peck's expansive musicality and verve. Joe Gordon was fantastic in his solo. Roman Mejia's jumps in the third movement were unbelievable, stunning, and super exciting. Emma Von Enck was a good match for him, if not quite as soaring. Indiana Woodward had a startling fall in the fourth movement, slipping as she and her partner were rushing upstage, her feet just slid out from under her and she nearly went down on her face. Lots of gasps, but she got right up and gave a great rest of the performance. I just looked up when the Prodigal Son video with Daniel Ulbricht was from, the one the company released during covid, I think — amazing that it was 10 years ago, and he still looks about as good as he did then. He looked just super energized and delighted to be dancing the role. I found his post-revelry scenes to be the least impactful parts of the performance, though. I think Concerto Barocco is a great role for Unity Phelan, and all three principals were strong. I don't think they should perform that piece along with Symphony in C after this season, though (even if they were both on the company's very first program). While it's interesting to see the similarities — in both style and steps — between the second movements of both, the repetitions ultimately diluted the impact of those moments in the latter piece, which was unfortunate.

Well if he’s not as good as he thinks he is, it seems safe to suspect that’s at least part of the reason he hasn’t had the career he wants. I certainly agree that his race may have been a significant strike against his becoming an ABT prince; his height was likely another. But he also consistently failed to meet the expectations of the roles he was given, as many on this board have observed over the years.

I thought Tiler Peck was phenomenal in Ballet Imperial. I’ve always loved her dancing but didn’t expect to appreciate her so much in this role. (Maybe I wasn’t expecting there to be enough glamour? Even so, there was plenty of excitement.) Her opening cadenza solo was the best I’ve seen. Those turns where she skims her foot so close to the floor and stops on a dime — I don’t think I’ve seen them so cleanly done. Adding a lot to the performance was the very good playing of pianist Hanna Hyunjung Kim; I don’t think I’ve heard of her performing for the company before, but both she and the orchestra sounded better than I recall hearing any piano/orchestra piece at NYCB — no small feat with this particular concerto. Kim’s musicality was of course well matched by Peck’s own. Joe Gordon was, as usual, excellent as well. I can’t wait to see them in T&V next week.

I completely agree about Chan’s and Nadon’s debuts. Apollo has never been one of my top Balanchine favorites but I really enjoyed the performance. While I’ve always found Chan to be good, he’s often underwhelmed me a bit after reading others’ views here. But in this, he was fantastic throughout. Nadon’s every movement seems both luxuriant and crystal clear. Having just seen Sonnambula recently and found it a snooze, I’m skipping that but very much looking forward to Ballet Imperial.

There's a difference between an open class and an open rehearsal, and I think that's a distinction that was potentially important for @On Pointe's (and maybe others') initial comments. Maybe it's a distinction without enough of a difference to matter — but it does seem worth at least considering.

I'm bummed that I'm seeing Phelan/Pereira/Gerrity in Serenade, rather than Mearns/Woodward/Miller.

All the listed roles are debuts tonight, with the exceptions of LeCrone and Hoxha! Look forward to reading any reviews.

That's not how Gia Kourlas saw it:

I'm not on IG generally, but I don't think that sounds disconcerting at all. Life is complex. Feelings are complex. Institutions are complex. I would find it strange if the criticisms they'd expressed in the past completely drained all pride and love from their decades of experience. Maybe I haven't followed closely enough how statements made the past contrast with those made now, but it seems completely, understandably human to me.

A lovely article by Russell Janzen in the Times, reflecting on his retirement. (Share link should work for non-subscribers without subtracting from your monthly limit.) I love his description of the moment near the end of Diamonds that always gives me goosebumps, even just when listening to the music and imagining the dance:

The lead photo in this article includes the following caption:

Yes, that's an exciting all-debut cast! Great lineup for Symphony in C as well. I haven't seen that in far too long.

I think the confusion was that there didn't seem to be a second Walker causing the need for Peter's initial. But it sounds like the new apprentice explains that.

Yes, that's how I read it as well, in light of this point (emphasis added):

I don't know about the history of the name, but as far as reasons inherent in the choreography I'd point to how she uses her long limbs, especially her legs, and the fact that she's partnered by four men (one on each limb) at once.

I hope we're not heading toward another Abi Stafford situation. They already have in common using the New York Times as their megaphone for grievances.

It's definitely possible. She could be waiting until after the fall season, to continue to see how certain dancers do in those circumstances as she continues to get more familiar with the company. But she could also be waiting to announce promotions until the dancers are back for the new season — on Sept. 12, it sounds like — rather then when they're still dispersed. I think we just can't know what she has planned, as she has no obligation to stick to the patterns of the previous administration. Promoting soloists can be particularly risky: while there's something to be said for having a few permanent soloists, one also doesn't want to clog up the rank with dancers who aren't going to continue to advance.