nanushka

I wondered that same thing. My guess was that there's just a traditional protocol for each piece, the protocols aren't always mutually consistent, and a particular inconsistency was highlighted by the juxtaposition of these two pieces. That said, the Valse-Fantaisie protocol seemed much more in keeping with what I've seen of typical NYCB practice. But once I saw the Kammermusik guys come out, I wished the Valse-Fantaisie dancers had gotten to as well. Nancy Goldner writes this in her More Balanchine Variations piece on Union Jack:

Nor was it Irina’s (since she was also listed above), I believe.

Yes, that's the post I was thinking of. Thanks. I thought it might have been Adrian, but when I scrolled back through I couldn't find it. I guess it's no surprise that Joe doesn't get a haircut. Still, Peter Martins is gone now, so maybe the NYCB guys will feel they can go their own ways. I don't think big hair is necessary for a dancer to seem larger than life onstage.

I remember reading, not too long ago, on Instagram I believe (a post by a dancer — I'm being very vague, I know, but I can't recall whose) that word among NYCB men was that, in order to get noticed and promoted, one had to have striking hair. Perhaps this was something Martins really liked (since he himself had it as a dancer); perhaps it was just an assumption about what he liked. In any case, I've often felt that many NYCB men have hairstyles that are too sculpted, styled, etc. I'd like to see more of the male dancers have a more "natural" look. This very likely may just be personal preference on my part. But I feel like there's a definite NYCB male hair "look" — and that Alec Knight has basically taken that and (through color and height) dialed it up to 11. I often think Joe Gordon might look nice with shorter hair. His isn't overly sculpted or styled like some, though. On the topic of hair, I would also be interested to see how Tyler Angle would look onstage if he didn't supplement his balding/thinning hair with such an obviously artificial (is it spray-on?) supplement. I get the impulse, but haven't we perhaps reached a point when we can accept a male dancer with a more natural look? I think it'd be worth at least giving it a shot and seeing how it plays. As for the Ballet Imperial costumes: I'll need to take another look next week, but my initial impression when they debuted was that the women's were totally off balance: light fluid skirts below valkyrie-weight bejeweled breastplates. The tops would have looked better with tutus, I think — and I'd love to see the piece in those again. And yeah, the men's vests looked silly.

I’m not sure it’s among Balanchine’s greatest works, but it’s long been one of my very favorites. I’m excited to be seeing Mearns and Janzen now that the casting has switched.

That fits with the other switches next week. I’m guessing Pereira ended up rehearsing with that cast.

Is Aaron Sanz currently injured? I’ve missed seeing him this season. Interesting, there have been some switches between Mearns and Bouder in Ballet Imperial, with Bouder and Pereira switching some Serenade performances as a result too. I'm too tired at the moment to figure out if there's a clear logic to the swaps.

I haven't read the article in careful detail, but has there been a suggestion that she's shifting her focus away from classical ballet? My sense is that she's always been interested in doing both.

There's some good footage of Sarah Lane rehearsing Theme and Variations — second variation, PDD and coda (with Gorak) — up now on her IG stories. I love how her hair starts coming undone as the rehearsal goes on.

I think Ahn could be great in the role as well — but I'm particularly eager to see Forster cast, since he's older. I don't know if promotion is still in the cards as a possibility for him, but at the very least I'd like to see him continue to get more opportunities.

Forster! Forster! Forster! Perhaps if his Albrecht goes well?

GK’s review of the new Lovette made me interested to see it, but then reviews by members here on BA have made me doubtful.

I had never seen Union Jack before this afternoon — and now don't particularly feel the need to see it all again. I really liked the opening tattoo, as well as the dances for MacDonald of Sleat and RCAF. (Sara Mearns was fierce.) That was it, until the Royal Navy section, which I also really liked (and had seen before on video). I hope I never have to see the Costermonger PDD again. (Those jokes were old on first viewing.) How dismayed I was when I realized it was not a single-movement PDD! I enjoyed Valse Fantaisie well enough, and thought both Pereira and Ulbricht danced well. (I haven't liked her quite as much in anything else before, I don't think.) Still, I felt it was rather slower than the Leland/Clifford video, and so it didn't seem as exciting. (Granted, the wacky — and ultimately rather annoying — camera work considerably impacts the experience of the video.) Jovani Furlan and Joseph Gordon (in for Peter Walker) were excellent in Kammermusik No. 2 — another one I hadn't seen before, and one I wouldn't necessarily rush to see again ASAP but would definitely like to get to know better. I can't wait to see more of Furlan, and I'll take Gordon in just about anything these days.

No time like the last minute. This followed pretty closely an NPR report on Met employees' anger and frustration at the company and Domingo's continuing presence.

Joe Gordon announces that he will replace Huxley tonight, dancing with Fairchild in Raymonda Variations:

Janzen was scheduled with Reichlen and Mearns both, I believe.

Depending on the ringtone, it really could have been. But the tune that played was unfortunately not a good fit!

Could be. No one seems anywhere near as squeaky as she does though. Or maybe it’s particularly noticeable in solos and PdDs

Bouder’s squeaking is ridiculous. Surely there’s something she could do about that, no? I loved her performance but it was seriously detracting and just a turnoff.

Joseph Gordon was amazing in his Raymonda Variations debut. It wasn't the cleanest performance, but it was so full of energy, style, speed, grace, personality. I was floored. And at times giddy with excitement.

Kowroski may have been a bit careful, but I thought it was a gorgeous performance, from both her and Angle. I didn't catch any missteps. Abi Stafford's performance, on the other hand, had a lot of very small ones. She repeatedly had to adjust her hands on Ramasar's arms, etc. during their two duets, and she even had to re-place one of her feet on the walking opening of the PDD. Nothing major, but not ideal. Ramasar was by far the lovelier dancer. He should have had her solo, with his superior port de bras. Someone earlier mentioned he seemed cold, but I didn't get that — and especially not in his solos in the penultimate movement. Unity Phelan was excellent. If I remember correctly, last year Ashley Laracey (whom I otherwise loved in the role) was too direct in registering the audience, whereas Phelan was much more in her own world — and could have been even more so, in my opinion. That solo comes off best when it's performed that way, I think. (I always think of the little curtsies as being to imagined or remembered gentlemen.)

Sorry to hear this — that was such a great role for Lane — but yes, perhaps for the best.

That's not how it appears to me. On March 29? It's listed as Murphy/Forster/Teuscher as of now.

Interesting — Bouder and Huxley both. I wonder why.

I think self-promotion, especially based on genuine merit, is one thing. Advocating publicly for a particular open calendar slot (if that’s what she’s doing) is another, and seems a little more problematic.