cobweb

Just a few comments on MSND. I saw the Mearns-Huxley-Stanley-Kikta cast twice, and Miller-Ulbricht-Takahashi-Corti once. Miriam Miller and Sara Mearns were both lovely Titanias. Miller could not have been more beautiful, unfurling those limbs to spectacular effect. I found Sara Mearns also beautiful in what I can only call her Sara-ness, but she sometimes seemed not entirely present or moving with the same force and dynamism I'm used to from her. Watching her, I found myself thinking about how unique and one-of-a-kind she is, and I fervently hope that she continues to be her own incredible ballerina self for as long as humanly possible. For Hippolyta, Emily Kikta was like a force of nature. But I also thought she needs fresh roles to keep from stagnating. Naomi Corti's debut as Hippolyta was unfortunately muted and tentative. Hoping she regains her mojo for her Rubies debut, and I look forward to reports from DC. In the divertissement, I enjoyed the guests from Miami City Ballet, especially Taylor Naturkas who I found exquisite. Last night's performance featured Indiana Woodward and Andrew Veyette, who were sublime. Veyette's showing his age in his face, but still dancing, and partnering, extremely well. I feel like he's an old friend, and I will miss him when he's gone! Finally, adding to all the praise for Taylor Stanley's Puck. Truly otherworldly. Takahashi looked great, but has a lot of work to reach this level of detail and characterization. I wonder if David Gabriel would be Puck next time? I see him potentially following in the mold of Harrison Ball. 

41 minutes ago, abatt said:

I hope these promotions (well deserved) are an indication that some of the current soloists are going to be retiring.  Referencing Troy, Daniel Applebaum just to name a few.

Agree about Troy Schumacher. I would be glad to see Daniel Applebaum awhile longer. I don't think he's danced all year, but when he's at his best, I enjoy him a lot. However, on the women's side it's time for Erica Pereira and Sara Adams to retire. Eager to see how Brittany Pollack comes back from her second maternity leave. Fairchild, Hyltin, Reichlen, Kowroski, and Laracey have led the way on the post-maternity fitness.

Great news about the promotions. Alec Knight is a known quantity, and while I'm not sure I see him as having the transcendent qualities that make a principal, I'm happy to see him as a soloist. David Gabriel and Jules Mabie only took on big roles during the Winter season, I believe. So these promotions seem to be based on potential, more than (as with Knight) a proven track record. Granted, they both looked wonderful in the major opportunities I saw in the Winter season, especially David Gabriel in Ballo della Regina. There are lots of up and coming men besides these. I was noticing tonight how many of them are tall. Samuel Melnikov leads the way, I think he's about Ask LaCour's height. Nearly as tall is Mckenzie Bernardino Soares, and Owen Flacke and Oscar Estep are close behind. I can't identify all the new ones, but I know there are more tall young men. Back to the promotions, it's interesting that no women were promoted. There is heavy competition there, of course, but they seem to be waiting for more developments before making a decision. I could see some turnover in the women's soloist ranks in the near future, so maybe they will move some up then. 

Thanks to @grandallegrofor the insight into late seating and the tribulations of being an usher. As I said up-thread, I've always found Koch Theater ushers responsive when I've had an issue. If you were the one who dealt decisively with the person next to me who was eating out of a takeout container, thank you for that!

3 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

Ushers waiting to sit latecomers until AFTER the overture ends and the curtain is going up (and the performance is starting) is a very poor choice on management's part. I'd much rather have my view blocked by latecomers during the overture, when there's nothing to see, than have people slowly shuffling their way in dim light past me as the performance is beginning.

I think there is just no good choice here, short of making latecomers wait until intermission... and maybe having to watch the first part on a "crummy little TV" like happened to you, MarzipanShepherdess. To be fair, based on my experience at theaters in NYC and elsewhere, and given modern audience expectations (read: entitlements), the State Theatre is doing a pretty good job with this. I've been in theaters where late seating was a lot more plentiful and intrusive. For me, in many years of theatregoing, the one and only time I missed curtain was about a year ago, when I was going to see the matinee of Oliver! at City Center Encores. My partner and I took an express bus from our outer borough. Unbeknownst to us, that day was the Five Borough Bike Tour, and our bus was first detoured and then got stuck in gridlock on the Triborough Bridge. We were about 15 minutes late. I was crushed. I expected to have to wait until intermission to get in, but to my delight they readily seated us between two songs. Not great for those sitting around us, to be sure, but I was so relieved to get in!

A few comments about tonight's MSND. Taylor Stanley brings an uncanny, otherworldly quality to Puck. It puts me in mind of the late (balletically speaking) Harrison Ball. I may never get over Ball's premature retirement, but seeing Taylor Stanley's Puck helps. KJ Takahashi has a long, long way to go to reach this level of detail and characterization. 

Taylor Naturkas and Brooks Landegger are the first of the 75th Anniversary Season guests that I have seen, and they did not disappoint. I especially enjoyed Naturkas. She did appear a little tense, understandably, but her dancing positively glistened and she had an inner radiance and warmth that I found beautiful. I would love to see more of her! 

34 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Interesting, the reminder email I got on Wednesday for my performance this weekend included the following statement:

LATE SEATING POLICY

New York City Ballet has a No Late Seating policy. Latecomers will be seated at pauses only.

I'm glad that's the policy!! I just wish they would adhere to it more. I think it's worst in the 4th ring, but tonight I know I saw seating happening at the beginning of the overture in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rings. Then I guess they held latecomers back for the rest of the overture, because as the overture ended and the curtain rose, several people came into my row. Honestly that wasn't any better than during the overture, but I guess it's reasonable to let latecomers in at some point! 

3 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

When ushers consistently seat people after the start time it encourages others to show up late and demand to be seated anyway.

Totally agree, that when people are seated after the start time they, the audience concludes (reasonably enough) that late seating is acceptable. However, I wonder if this is really the ushers' doing. In my experience, the ushers are a pretty authoritative bunch. Whenever I've taken an issue to an usher -- someone texting or filming the performance; that time the person next to me was eating out of a takeout container -- it was dealt with swiftly and firmly. I wonder if instead, this is actually a directive from the top. It looks like they've decided that seating is acceptable during the overture at least, and maybe it then bleeds over into the first few minutes of dancing. Obviously I strenuously disagree with such a policy, but there is so much of it that I wonder if that's the policy. 

Also, am I going crazy or did Lysander and Demetrius used to wear all-red and all-blue? I was totally confused. One was wearing red tunic and blue tights, and the other a blue tunic and red tights. I'm sure they used to be all one or another color. I found myself wondering if there had been some last-minute confusion getting the men into their costumes...

Just a few very quick comments about last night's MSND. I thought Miriam Miller looked absolutely lovely, using those long limbs and her overall beauty to spectacular effect. I don't think I've ever enjoyed her as much. KJ Takahashi has the technical ability and stage presence for Puck, and got raucous applause, but I would like to see him develop the characterization more. Daniel Ulbricht -- his proportions don't lend themselves to long lines, and I wished for more elegance here. Still, he's always great. Naomi Corti dances large and has potential as Hippolyta, but didn't look totally at ease and was visibly effortful and careful and struggling at times. Just needs more experience in big roles, I imagine. This was a huge jump up for her. I enjoyed Maxwell and Knight, also Lars Nelson brings wonderful comic silliness to his role. Sara Adams didn't make much of an impact. 

The place was packed. That's great! I wish they wouldn't do late seating. People were coming in and making their way to their seats not only during the overture, but during the first few minutes of the performance as well, both at the beginning and after intermission. 

Any reports on last night's performance of Midsummer Night's Dream? Did Sara Mearns dance? 

Thanks very much @lunaysol for your reports and comments. I hope to get there for several performances next season!

That is amazing. How does she do it all? As @abatt said, she must be extremely motivated and disciplined. It certainly shows up in her dancing! ... not to mention everything else she's doing. Congrats to her. 

11 minutes ago, vagansmom said:

deanoddance, Can you please specify which Ashley you're referring to? I don't have a cast list so I don't know whom you're referring to. Thanks!

It must be Ashley Laracey. She was scheduled to dance in Symphony in 3 Movements yesterday, and also she is one of the few who could (MHO) inspire such praise. 

Just in from the Pictures at an Exhibition-Red Angels-Play Time-Glass Pieces program. This was a long program to sit through, when what I really wanted to see was Glass Pieces (and tbh, the final section at that!).  Just a few comments.

I saw Red Angels like 10(?) years ago, in one of the few times I saw Jennie Somogyi (this was near the beginning of my NYCB tutelage). I recall that I liked it a lot, and can still picture Somogyi in some very specific poses. It made an impression! Tonight did not disappoint, this is a piece that I can definitely revisit. Did Ulysses Dove do any more worthy choreography that is extant? For the cast, Emilie Gerrity is really proving her worth this season, super versatile and highly reliable. Davide Riccardo sizzled with star quality and gusto. Taylor Stanley was magnetic, and this is a role that showcases India Bradley's flexibility and shape. 

This is the first time I've seen Play Time. When it began, I was thinking, wow, this isn't as bad as I was expecting, it's kind of charming. By the end (is it really only 15 minutes?), it was positively enervating. 

Glass Pieces. What a masterpiece! I enjoyed every minute of it.

Pictures at an Exhibition is fine, with some lovely moments, but just too much running around, running off and on, and this and that, for me.  If I can come up with anything more coherent about my reaction to this piece, will post.

One final note, about Samuel Melnikov. He led the men in the third movement of Glass Pieces, and was the guy in the red suit in Play Time. He is always noticeable because he's so tall, but never before has he made such an impression on me. Elegant and just gloriously tall!

21 minutes ago, pirouette said:

Mira Nadon posted on Instagram stories that she will be dancing Diamonds with Peter Walker on June 5 and 7. So excited; I already have tickets for the 7th!! 

We look forward to your report, pirouette!!

48 minutes ago, abatt said:

It's going to be much harder now for a tall woman to reach principal.  They already have LaFreniere, Nadon, Phelan.

For tall women, of course there's also Mearns. Of the current women principals, the tallest is LaFreniere. Not sure how the others stack up, I don't think of either Phelan or Nadon as particularly tall, more like medium-tall. In any case, surely both Kowroski and Reichlen were at least as tall as LaFreniere, and they found plenty of roles for both of them plus Mearns at the same time. It would be such a shame not to see Kikta get to blossom as a principal. I agree Miriam Miller is dancing extremely well, but she is even taller than Kikta if that's a consideration, and she can be bland whereas Kikta never is. 

Hard to believe Tiler Peck could be 35! I see she joined the company in 2005, and I heard she was 15 or 16 at the time (although maybe she was that young when actually an apprentice?) It seems that makes her 34-35. And Sara Mearns joined in 2004, so she must be about 37. 

Also, agree with @deanofdance above about Dominika Afanasenkov's potential versatility, versus taller (Corti) or shorter (Macgill) dancers. I believe Ava Sautter is on the taller side. 

Great for EVE. Well deserved. 

I assume Gilbert Bolden will be promoted at some point, probably soon, and Alexa Maxwell seems in line for principal promotion as well. Hoping for Emily Kikta as well, of course.

For corps-to-soloist, I think there are quite a number of contenders but no one obvious, slam-dunk, must-promote-now. Judging from casting, contenders appear to be Macgill, Afanasenkov, Corti, Abreu, Bradley, David Gabriel, Jules Mabie, Ava Sautter, maybe MT MacKinnon, maybe Cainan Weber (appears to be out this season?) ... but all could use more testing in big roles. 

On 5/15/2024 at 7:37 PM, Mary Mellowdew said:

I was not particularly looking forward to Ball as Puck a year or two ago, but was amazed when I saw him.

Same, Mary Mellowdew! Harrison Ball was so off-and-on, here-and-gone-and-back for so long, that I kind of lost track of him. Then when he finally blossomed into an insanely beautiful dancer, it was all too brief...  

1 hour ago, pirouette said:

've been seeing the Jewels ads on Instagram as well, and I just saw a video ad of Rubies — it was Mejia and Erica Pereira. I'm not sure if this is the same ad you are talking about, but I recall they danced it together sometime in 2022. 

Thanks pirouette I think you’re right it’s Pereira. I guess I was hoping for some exciting debut from an unknown corps member!

14 minutes ago, nysusan said:

Is MT MacKinnon tall enough? Last time I saw Jewels with a dancer who wasn't quite as tall as most Tall Girls it was Claire Kretschmer. While I liked her very much in general, I felt her Tall Girl didn't have enough impact. My choice for a new Tall Girl would be Ava Sautter.

You may be right that MT MacKinnon is not super tall. I think of her as fierce and impactful, and that probably adds a few inches to her height, in my mind. I agree I like a tall Tall Girl. On the other hand, Christina Clark is super tall, and I found her very dull as the Tall Girl. And when San Francisco Ballet did Jewels during the pandemic, the Tall Girl -- I am not familiar with the company and forget the name of the soloist -- was not tall at all, and I thought she was terrific. So while I agree the Tall Girl should be tall, a compelling stage presence also goes a long, long way. 

It's great to see Naomi Corti getting such a big opportunity! Maxwell and Takahashi obviously should be GREAT in their new roles. I would have liked to see Mary Thomas MacKinnon as Helena or Hermia, she has a wonderful dramatic presence. Also just have to say -- I will really, REALLY miss Harrison Ball's Puck. 😔

I'm wondering about the run of Jewels at Kennedy Center. If Christina Clark continues to be out, that means they have only two "Tall Girls" -- Kikta and Nadon. That would likely mean no Nadon debut in Diamonds. Either way, I wonder if they will debut a new Tall Girl. Corti and MT MacKinnon are great candidates for this. 

I am seeing ads on Facebook for the Jewels run. They are advertising it with a beautiful photo of Unity Phelan and Adrian Danchig-Waring in Emeralds, and also a segment of Rubies -- with Mejia and a woman I can't identify. Doesn't look like Tiler Peck, doesn't look like Megan Fairchild. Has anyone else seen this, and can you tell who she is?

1 hour ago, abatt said:

I love DAAG.  It is a work of great depth and meaning.  As I have watched it over the years, its meaning has changed in certain ways based on events that have occurred in my own life.  The first time I saw it I felt it was too long, and I thought the final tableau of all the dancers at the end was tacked on and unnecessary.  As I have aged, and lost people in my life, each time I see it I think of all of the relatives and friends who have passed on and how much I miss them. It evokes all of the places we used to go to and memories of the past.  Very few ballets have that effect on me.   The miracle of this ballet is in its small gestures. 

 

Thank you for this beautiful comment, abatt. You are restoring my confidence in my enjoyment of Dances at a Gathering.

I was also at yesterday's DAAG-BSQ matinee. Like @MarzipanShepherdess, I wonder why they don't do Brahms-Schoenberg more often. I'm glad it's coming back for next year. Miriam Miller looks spectacular as the tall soloist in the first movement; this is a role that shows her at her very best. Also agree about Alexa Maxwell looking like a lovely classical ballerina, Mira Nadon and Gilbert Bolden looking truly glamorous and wild with abandon, and Unity Phelan and Andrew Veyette having a blast in the Rondo alla Zingarese. I agree -- this is the Unity I want to see more of!

I know that not everyone is a fan of DAAG, and I feel like I'm hearing more criticisms of it than I have in years past. I still enjoyed it very much, with various moments of it drifting through my mind last night and this morning. The piano playing was rich and beautiful. This cast was stellar. Chun Wai Chan, Anthony Huxley, Aaron Sanz, Davide Riccardo -- what's not to love? Victor Abreu is delightful, with a smile and enthusiasm that's infectious. Indiana Woodward, Olivia MacKinnon, Emilie Gerrity, and young Dominika Afanasenkov all looked great.  

54 minutes ago, deanofdance said:

.  Joseph and Indiana seemed to have stepped out of Chopin’s Paris — Joseph can be so princely, so inherently elegant, and Indiana can be like a Brontë sister in toe shoes — and the music seemed to spark an inner life — especially in Indiana — whose epaulement can perfume a stage.  Lovely.

Thank you for this description! This is how I felt about them in In the Night during the Winter season. Woodward and Gordon are wonderful together, romantic, refined, and windswept. 

Please let us know your thoughts after the performance, @lunaysol!