cobweb

42 minutes ago, bellawood said:

. I thought the Giggle looked terrible, mistimed and sloppy.

Hi Bellwood, think you had a typo here but curious about what you meant. I also agree overall DAAG looked sloppy. 

After seeing BSQ again and refreshing my memory of the various sections, I have to say that I simply cannot see Unity Phelan in the 4th movement. It's like when they cast her in MacDonald of Sleat -- to me these roles call for someone with a dynamic presence and a forceful physique, whereas Unity comes across (to me anyway) as flimsy and insubstantial. Great in some roles, but not really dynamic ones like Rondo alla Zingarese or MacDonald of Sleat, which call for all-out energy and impact. But, I'm thrilled that Alexa Maxwell is debuting the first movement! 

16 minutes ago, matilda said:

Last night, Fairchild did that pas de quatre instead

Yes, that confused me. I was sure I remembered Maria Kowroski doing that role, and yet I KNEW she could not be one of the "tossed" women who are all on the smaller side. 

I was also at last night's program of Dances at a Gathering and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. 

I have been a big fan of DAAG, but this performance didn't cast the usual magical spell. There were some fine performances, and it was especially wonderful to see Alston Macgill with so much confidence and presence. On the down side, Andres Zuniga dances with brightness and freshness, but the intricate lifts with Megan Fairchild needed more finesse. I feel Unity Phelan is totally miscast in this role. My partner kept asking me why she looked like the "odd woman out," he felt it had to do with her body type but couldn't really articulate how. For me, she didn't get the relaxed, casual idiom, and at times with a beautiful arabesque and rippling arms, looked like she was in a full-on classical piece like Swan Lake. She also looked more mature and way more reserved than her fellow free spirits.

Then there was the massive blooper at the end of "three men tossing three women." Somewhere between Adrian Danchig-Waring moving Megan Fairchild on over to Tyler Angle, something went very wrong, and Tyler just kind of took a few steps and handed her over to Harrison Coll who somehow contrived to maneuver her semi-upside-down. The audience groaned, and the sublime moment was totally smooshed. (My partner felt they covered it over well, and humorously imagined what could have happened if Megan had stamped her foot in anger or the men confronted each other about who was at fault. He felt the publicity could be good for the company, imagining a headline such as: "Brawl Breaks Out Onstage During Performance of Robbins' Paean to the Peace-Loving Sixties." LOL. ) 

I had the same question as @matilda about the Green Girl. Does she only appear in one section, aside from the finale? The fact that this is the one role Bouder appears to be doing this season, suggests to me that her technique may not be fully back where it should be, but we shall see!

Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet is so rich and lush in every way that it's overwhelming. Costumes, drapery, atmospheric lighting, a multitude of women in tulle and men in ribbons forming and re-forming all over the stage. Wow. Big big thumbs up from me and Mr Cobweb. In the first section, Emilie Gerrity looked as good as I've ever seen her. Beautiful and grand. Taylor Stanley, not so much. Lacking in presence and unable to get around a clean double tour. What is going on with the normally magnetic dancer? Presumably just an off night. The tall soloist, Emily Kikta, was dazzling. She has an intelligence and intrigue that few other dancers have. She dances so large the stage hardly seems big enough for her. In the second movement, Intermezzo, Preston Chamblee looked great. He's a big guy, but never before have I seen him dance as fully large as he can be, fierce and full of gusto. In the third movement, Andante, Emma Von Enck and Anthony Huxley dazzled. Great to see both of them. Finally, Rondo alla Zingarese, and wowza. Sara Mearns blazing forth in all her Sara-ness, and Andrew Veyette keeping up the pace and making me wistful picturing the company without him. He has been a stalwart for so long. On the other hand, I was noticing the corps guys lined up behind him and several (really, all of them!) appear noticeably taller than Veyette. That bodes well for the tall women in the company! All in all,  wonderful BSQ. 

On a minor note, can anyone help me out in my efforts to distinguish the younger corps guys from one another? Is it just me, or do Charlie Klesa and Owen Flacke look a lot alike? Which one is taller? And how about Noah McAuslin? I wish they would get those photos up on the website sooner. 

Unlike others here, I didn't love this program. It really dragged for me, until Symphony in C came along with a thrilling jolt. 

This was my first time seeing Bourree Fantasque. I could see it again and enjoy it, although I suspect it would wear thin quickly. I'm not sure why this was chosen for such a major revival. Highlights were Nadon of course, and Gilbert Bolden who dances with confidence and authority. 

Even with top-notch principals like Megan Fairchild and Daniel Ulbricht, Steadfast Tin Soldier felt painfully precious. (And I speak as someone who absolutely loves Nutcracker.) Errante (or Tzigane -- I agree it should have been given a more distinctive new name) is a spectacular vehicle for Mira Nadon. They must have someone else rehearsing it; the obvious, and only, other dancer I can think of here would be Sara Mearns. It was *great* to see Aaron Sanz back dancing again! It's been way way too long. 

Symphony in C. Good all around. Gerrity didn't bring the kind of expansive grandeur I would have expected from LaFreniere, but she was fine. Olivia MacKinnon looked good as one of the first-movement demisoloists. Phelan and Knight were kind of bland, but I just loved watching the patterns form and re-form around the stage. Beautiful. In the third movement Baily Jones looked good, but KJ Takahashi looked really, really good. He presents himself so well - with grandeur and confidence. Even his hair looks perfectly in place, whereas some of the other men let their hair get sloppy. Takahashi takes care to make a very good impression. Finally, Alston Macgill looked good in the 4th movement and Troy Schumacher is back after what seems like a long absence. (Speaking of which, that made me wonder, is Laracey on the casting sheets so far?)

I would like to see the Kikta/Takahashi Bourree Fantasque, so I may see this program again. Maybe. 

26 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music? 

Yes, it’s a short Lyft ride. I also wanted to mention that there are some very inexpensive bus options (megabus, Peter Pan/greyhound) for travel between NY and Philly. It tends to take a little longer than the train and is prone to getting caught up in traffic. But if you leave yourself ample time to account for that, you can save a bundle over Amtrak. 

17 minutes ago, bingham said:

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

I totally agree, and also agree with the comments above about Philadelphia Ballet. I don't have a subscription (yet), but I definitely plan on seeing a couple of programs next year. It is an easy trip from NY, Philly is a very fun place to be for the arts lover, and when I saw the company last month they looked great. 

I see casting for the first two weeks has been updated yesterday. LaFreniere is out for the first two weeks. That is very disappointing, as I thought the first movement of Symphony in C suited her particularly well. On the positive side, the replacements are Nadon in DAAG and Maxwell in the first movement of Brahms-Schoenberg. No complaints there! 

Week 3 casting is up as well. Lots of debuts. It's great to see so many opportunities for Alston Macgill, and also that David Gabriel is expected back. Unfortunately, the programming is so dull that I may miss this entire week. 

Thanks @nanushka, I should have studied the casting list more closely. I see Woodward is replaced in Symphony in C both weeks, but is still doing Dances at a Gathering. 

58 minutes ago, Fernie M said:

Looks like a big opening week for A. Macgill- not only dancing in “Dances at a Gathering,” but now replacing Woodword in  fourth movement Symphony in C. Super excited for us &  for her!

Agree, I look forward to seeing Alston Macgill blaze ahead. On the down side, it's discouraging to see both Indiana Woodward and David Gabriel replaced for the opening two weeks. Hope both of them recover quickly!

Oh my goodness, thanks @volcanohunter! I look forward to this program. They never seem to do Sylvia pdd, do they? I wonder why not!

I was just taking another look at next year's programming. Someone tell me I'm not going crazy. Wasn't there a "Tallchief Centennial" program on for next Winter? I don't see it there now. 

On 4/17/2024 at 4:58 PM, volcanohunter said:

According to the company's site, it will be the third movement of Glass Pieces, Chiaroscuro and Stars and Stripes.

If Stars & Stripes is involved, Veyette is going out with a bang. I'm trying to picture what he will do in the 3rd movement of Glass Pieces, though. I guess he will be the first guy who runs out leading the rest. 

1 minute ago, Quiggin said:

Interesting how the standard curtain time has drifted over the years. Up until the seventies it was 8:30 (Noel Coward has a play titled "Tonight at 8:30"). And a 1926 issue of Drama Calendar lists varying curtain times of 8:15, 8:35, 8:45,& 9:00 for theater events

That is interesting. Audiences have probably changed too. Back in 1926, maybe a lot of the audience didn't have a regular job to get to the next morning, or wasn't trying to get home to New Jersey or an outer borough. 

... while I'm on the topic of complaints, I wish they would be more consistent about no late seating. In recent years they've really loosened up on people entering after the music starts. It almost seems like they made a policy decision that seating is allowable during the overture, up until the curtain goes up. But this past winter it was even worse, I was at several shows where people were coming in, at the beginning and after intermisisons, while dancing had already started. So disruptive.

14 hours ago, vipa said:

Add to that the announcement that all evening shows will start at 7:30, and whenever possible intermissions will be kept to just one, I'm a happy camper!

I didn't have an issue with 8:00 curtain on Friday and Saturday (I definitely prefer the earlier time on weeknights), but I am glad to hear about fewer intermissions. I hope they also cut all speeches. I also wish they would make the running time more readily available. Sure I can ask the usher when I get there, but they could also put on the website. Lots of people have to follow a train or bus schedule to get home, and it would help to be able to plan more in advance. 

Taking a look at the overall upcoming year, while I have some complaints there is also a lot to be happy about. The Fall season is perhaps the least interesting of the three seasons, but at least it starts off with a Balanchine bang with Mozartiana, and Coppelia should be interesting as well. The Winter season has some all-Balanchine and all-Stravinsky programs, and I love the idea of the Tallchief Centennial! It will be an honor to be cast in those roles (Scotch Symphony, Firebird, Sylvia pdd). And Divertimento No. 15, fab, fab fab!!! I will probably be skipping out on Carnival of the Animals again, which is annoying. Then for Spring, another great-looking all-Balanchine program with both Ballo della Regina and Chaconne! Followed by another all-Balanchine program of Divertimento and Vienna Waltzes... wow!! Hope I can hold out till then, that's over a year away. Concluding with another run of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I can never get enough of this. So some blah in there, but also a lot to look forward to. 

Perusing the Fall schedule, I am very glad to see Mozartiana and Tchaikovsky PC#2 returning. They will need at least one new principal for Mozartiana. Please -- not Unity. I could see Woodward doing this, but would also love to see Nadon and/or Kikta. 

19 minutes ago, Fernie M said:

I wonder why no Chaconne?

I’m surprised no other retirements announced. 

Chaconne is listed for spring... so a year from now. That seems really long to wait!

I too am surprised at no more retirements listed. Maybe they will happen as the year progresses. 

Would love to hear any more reports!

1 hour ago, miliosr said:

I can't picture Jarod Curley or Jake Roxander leaving now when the great prize is in sight. Herman Cornejo is over 40 and is winding down in terms of active repertory. Roxander will fill that slot. Thomas Forster, Cory Stearns and James Whiteside are all nearing 40 and the latter two have been plagued by injuries. Curley will fill one of those slots.

I like your way of thinking, miliosr! I would love to see this happen, and sooner rather than later. 

1 hour ago, matilda said:

Seems like by US standards, ABT is still probably the best, or at least one of the best, one can do outside of NYCB and without going to Europe.

Some of the more talented young ones might have options in Europe and find that appealing. And what about National Ballet of Canada? I can see where Aran Bell might not want to leave a company where he's already a principal, but for someone still up and coming like Roxander or Curley, they must at least be looking around at the other options. 

4 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

I just hope he isn’t tempted to leave ABT.  I honestly can’t see how a young dancer with such outstanding technical and artistic ability would want to stay at a company with limited opportunities to dance.

I worry the same about Jake Roxander and many of them!

Thanks again for the help, @wallis. If you, or anyone, sees casting for The Dream posted on PB's social media, please post here!

Can anyone tell me when does PB usually announce casting, and where can I find it on the website? I'm not seeing a link for "casting" on the website, and when I click on info for The Dream, it just takes me to buy a ticket.