nanushka

I think this is a perfect description of what I saw in her performance this afternoon. Was it technically perfect? No, certainly not. (Among other things, she had trouble again with the hops, as described in the article; but she quickly transitioned to a different approach that served her well for the remainder.) But I have rarely seen a dancer perform this role with more life instilled into every moment, especially throughout the first act. Trenary is a stage actress of a very high calibre. She was living the role. She and Whiteside made an excellent pair, too. The Act II lifts were breathtaking, as he held her high and she reached out out into space, not with strain but with expansion. (I also thought she came out of them quite a bit more gracefully than Brandt, using just one hand on Whiteside's shoulder rather than two.) That said, I often thought she could have danced bigger. (E.g., the side-by-side assemblés in Act 2, quite underwhelming.) As I said, it was not a perfect performance — but so dramatically satisfying.

Lovely article, indeed. I’m cautiously optimistic that Trenary will get more her due in terms of casting under Jaffe.

Yes, this has long been their house style and I have always found it really annoying. I agree that proper names should be respected and given accurately.

Yes, I got that as well, and I don't think the idea is really at odds with the facts about Russia that others have raised here. Those two ways of describing the role race plays (or doesn't) in contemporary Russia both seem understandable to me. (I have no first-hand experience of Russia, but both fit what I've heard and read elsewhere.)

I wonder if the piece is appearing in print. There's usually a note at the bottom of the page, if so, giving the date and section/page info.

Nor does he mention the numerous featured roles that do not fit his argument — e.g. Mercutio, Bluebird, the boy in Whipped Cream, Espada, peasant PDD, etc.. And the "why did I get promoted to soloist if they didn't think I was ready?" logic is just flawed. He was getting lots of soloist roles. What he wasn't getting were many principal roles. He implicitly criticizes ABT for promoting him "suddenly" in 2020, apparently due to his race, but he publicly pushed them on exactly that point in the lead-up to his promotion. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBxy5iJgh8H/?igshid=OGIzYTJhMTRmYQ== I have zero doubt that perceptions of race have been and continue to be an obstacle for many talented dancers at ABT and elsewhere, but I also don't think Gabe's essay is the best articulation of the problem. And in my opinion his dancing really was not up to the higher standard he suggests it was.

Ischuk and Curley were both very good on Wednesday as well. It seems the company has a lot of strong younger men now.

There's a thread on this in the Writings on Ballet forum:

Gabe writes in the Times: His full ABT repertory list is here. (For those without access to the full NYT text, try this link.)

Oh I disagree. I thought the lifts were very effective. He lifted her overhead, and then very slowly raised her higher and higher. As @fondoffouettes described it above, it looked like she would float away. I imagine it would have been rather easier for him to simply raise her up and keep her suspended.

Yes, that's the Boston Ballet recording I referred to above; a bit of info is very dimly visible at the opening.

I haven't watched it in quite awhile so don't have fresh recollections, but there is a video on YouTube of Boston Ballet performing Bourée Fantasque. The video is titled, simply, "Bourée Fantasque." There is also a detailed write-up in Reynolds' Repertory in Review (pp. 100-102).

OED definition A.1.b (with examples given from 1447 to 1664 and from 1952 onward): Failure to adhere to the preferences of certain conservative usage opiners does not constitute misuse.

Traditionally in the final week of the Met season — but the company is now under new artistic management, and the Met season now extends into late July (with new contracts, I believe, starting August 1). So the pattern may change or remain as it was.

Sounds like a great selling point for a ballet!

I assumed if it was a new role(s) she was stepping into, it might have been named, and I thought the NYT wording left open the possibility that these were board roles she’d already had. The timing is noteworthy, but it certainly may just be happenstance.

True. But the timing seems unnecessarily disruptive. I'd have expected her to depart either sooner or later if that's all it was.

Hunh. Very curious. Is it true for any, at this point?

I do not find, in general, that the current team is particularly skilled at putting programs together. For awhile, this was perhaps excusable due to COVID/post-COVID difficulties; but now it's quite clear they (IMO) just don't have a great sense for it.

I don't disagree about Kourlas's restraint, nor about the explicit focus of her criticism. I'm curious what others think (and what Kourlas thinks), though: are there many roles in which Pereira wouldn't have been miscast? Many roles in which her "body...comes to life through them" (in Kourlas's words)? I can't think of many.

Now that they're only performing in NYC ~6 weeks a year, I wish they'd lay off on the repeat productions, year after year. Swan Lake every summer is one thing, and pretty understandable. But both The Dream and Romeo and Juliet two years in a row? Even for Giselle, three years in a row seems really unnecessary. The repeat programming makes the loss of a full 8-week Met season seem especially tough to take.

Probably too much to hope that they're doing the full trilogy (though that'd be great), but glad to hear they're doing at least that part of it again. I'd like to see Symphony #9 again sometime, too.

Ouch, yeah — I happen to agree with the assessment in general (I didn't see her this season), but that's gotta hurt.

Yes, that’s what I was referring to as well: I imagine (or hope to see) her fitting into Hyltin’s rep, a bit more than Fairchild’s.

I was there too and completely agree with your assessments of the first two performances (if not both pieces). Walker just didn't seem to have the style for Fancy Free. The other two men were great. I don't need to see the piece again soon, it just doesn't do it for me overall. Agon does, and I was so happy to see it again. I've never liked LaFreniere as much as I liked her today. This piece really suits her. Mabie and Ricardo didn't seem quite up to the same standard, but were pretty good. A number of final moments were sloppy in both PDTs. I saw Miller do the PDD a number of years ago and wasn't too excited to see her again, but this afternoon's performance was very satisfying. Janzen looked great throughout the piece. I had to leave before Brandenburg, wish they'd kept that piece first on the program. Next time, perhaps. I saw Emma Von Enck in La Source and, while others have compared her to Fairchild, I actually thought of Hyltin more. I'm curious to see where she goes, but bet it'll be worth watching.