cobweb

KikiRVA -- I have the same reaction!

Okay, I guess that should have been obvious. Still, they had snacks (no sandwiches) during the Fall season. I'd rather have no intermission, with refreshments available before the show, rather than intermissions but no refreshments. But, that's just me. I like getting there early, and I'd rather get out earlier too.

Oh, and I find it annoying that there are absolutely no snacks or sandwiches available. Why??

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's performance, all three pieces. Just a few comments to add to what others have said. I thought Harrison Ball danced beautifully, is incredibly handsome, and has a most touching vulnerable quality. I would love to see him in this again. Agree with the comments about Mira Nadon, who let loose and must be the most sensuous Rubies Tall Girl I have seen. Roman Mejia and Sterling Hyltin were great together, it is amazing how he blew into the company with brio at such a young age, and he's just grown from there. No one has mentioned Chun Wai Chan's debut as Death in La Valse. He has a dominating, commanding presence that just screams "Principal Dancer!" All in all, a great night for the company's male soloists. Ball, Mejia, and Chan are all future principals, perhaps very soon! (Furlan didn't dance at this performance, but he's a future principal too.) I feel really glad to be back to live performances. Having video is great, and NYCB put out some great pieces during the "digital seasons," some of which I watched endlessly, but there is nothing like the thrill and evanesence of live performance. Oh, and I agree with @vipa about intermissions. I liked getting out earlier.

@BalanchineFan, thank you so much for your detailed comments on the "Visionary Voices" program. I had not intended to see this (and even swapped a subscription ticket for another program), but knowing that you are, well, a Balanchine fan, and still loved this, you have convinced me. I'll have to see it during the final week, and hope to get the same casting that you reported on.

Considering that ballet involves control over virtually every aspect of the body, it seems surprising that facial expression and how to achieve it isn't a part of training. Anthony Huxley is a dancer who is perfect in so many ways, but his dancing would be enhanced if in roles like Rubies his face would look joyful. Megan LeCrone's facial expression rarely varies, and I don't think I've ever seen her with a full-on smile. Some dancers carry anxiety in their face, which distracts the audience with worry. Considering the amount of training and discipline that dancers have, I would think that a little more deliberate attention to this could have big results. A distinction can be made between artistic choice of a facial expression, and the dancer's ability to achieve that. For the Rubies Tall Girl, Emily Kikta and Claire Kretszchmar (who did it a few years back) seem to have made different choices. Kikta is going for the menacing powerful sexy type, of which smiling is not a part, and she carries it through to delicious perfection. Kretszchmar went for the sunny, smiling cheerleader type. I didn't like this choice at all, but the point is that it seemed to be a deliberate choice on her part, since she carried it throughout the performance. My issue with Isabella LaFreniere's Tall Girl was the inconsistency in her facial expression. Sometimes it was a big smile, other times she seemed to be going for something more restrained. It seemed like she didn't know what kind of Tall Girl she wanted to be, and defaulted to an uneasy version of her natural megawatt smile. Either that, or she did have an idea, but found it difficult (perhaps under the excitement of her debut) to be consistent.

Sal and abatt, what did you think of Russell Janzen? I agree about Sara Mearns, who gave it her all.

I was there last night and found the evening overall kind of blah without knowing exactly why. Were the performances lacking in energy, or was my mood just off? Still not sure. The comments about LaFreniere's smile made me wonder - how much is facial expression specifically addressed in training, if at all? Different ballets call for a whole variety of facial expressions, from poised regal grandeur to cheerleader-type grins to seductive slyness, and everything in between. Whether a dancer has a facial expression suitable to the role, or not, makes a tremendous difference in the performance. Is this directly taught or coached, or are dancers on their own with figuring out what their facial expression should be and how to achieve it?

Generally in agreement with the comments above. The dancers I would want to see are Shevchenko, Trenary, Brandt, Hurlin, Cornejo, and Bell.

More thoughts on casting, as I study the casting updates. Veyette is out for at least the next few weeks. I also notice no Adrian Danchig-Waring casting, I assume he must be injured too, and much missed by me. No one answered up-thread about vipa's question about Ashley Bouder, she seems to be completely out for the season as well.

I could see Indiana Woodward or Emma von Enck here as well. I hope they have someone new working on the female lead.

There is so much new casting going on that it's hard to absorb it all, but it sure is exciting. I can't wait to see Mejia in Rubies, and I look forward to all those new couples in the 4T's themes, not to mention LaFreniere, Nadon, Kikta, etc in 4T's. Chan and Nadon in Black Swan pdd? I'm there! Phelan and Furlan in Tchaikovsky pdd? Call the box office now! Speaking of which, I waited on hold for the box office today for 37 minutes. "We are currently minimally staffed," the recording says. Why? Why are they minimally staffed? Finally, I left my office and just walked over to the box office, holding the phone to my ear the whole time in case someone came on the line, and instead was able to purchase at the box office. I was determined to buy tickets, but that kind of wait is going to dissuade a lot of ticket sales.

Week 4 casting is up. Looks fascinating!!

Fascinating to see. Thanks, canbelto!

Wow, is that true? I definitely think of her as a tall dancer. She comes across that way, large and grand.

I wasn't planning on seeing this cast of the all-Balanchine program, but after reading the stellar reports above I had to give it a try. First up, Mozartiana. As many times as I've seen Anthony Huxley, I was so struck by his beauty it was as if for the first time. Even aside from his dancing, his physical beauty is striking. He wears white tights like nobody's business, and the cobalt-and-violet vest really sets off his full, dark hair and fine features. His dancing was a delight. I didn't love Sterling Hyltin. Next to Huxley's freshness, she appeared a bit wan. Maybe it was too much pancake makeup, or maybe that costume needs freshening (the lacey collar especially looks tired and outdated). Most of all, I feel she doesn't bring much depth or interiority to this piece. I would like to see a dancer with more imagination take it on. I'm very curious to see what Tiler Peck does with it, and I hope they have at least one of the new soloists learning it. Laracey would be another great choice. It was fun to see the four statuesque new soloists (LaFreniere, Hod, Miller, Nadon). Do they usually have soloists doing these roles, or will these ladies have to be replaced? Second was Rubies. This was terrific. Emily Kikta wields her legs with menace, and those backward-arabesque-penches were killer. I know there are lots of great legs in the company, but I put Kikta's first. 😀 As noted above, Megan Fairchild is polished and totally in control, and Gonzalo Garcia was an eager, energetic, genial partner. I will miss this pairing. I was thinking about Tiler Peck taking this role on, and it's such an obvious fit for her it almost seems impossible she hasn't done it before. Again, I hope they have somebody besides Tiler working on this. Emma von Enck? Finally, I enjoyed La Valse way more than expected. Jovani Furlan was fantastic in this dramatic role (which doesn't surprise me after seeing his Swan Lake... two years ago now!) Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar (subbing for Veyette) were electric together. Overall just enjoyed the sweep and beauty of it. I was thinking about the state of the company and the turnover of talent. I guess because we missed a year and a half, a lot of transition that might have happened more gradually, seems to be happening all at once. With seven dancers moving from corps to soloist and a few corps retiring (many of these being long-time stalwarts of the corps de ballet) it strikes me that they need to keep a close eye on the cohesion of the corps and further talent development. I am also struck to realize how many of the female principal contingent are, shall I say, closer to retirement than they were 2 years ago. It's great that they have Phelan and Woodward as principals now, but from my perspective they also need Emilie Gerrity in there pronto. She has a tallness and grandeur that none of the current principals have (with Reichlen heading out), and while the new batch of soloists no doubt will get there, Gerrity is ready now.

Thank you for your detailed report, AnneMC! Please report back on the matinee, and I look forward to more of your reports on your next trip from Boston. Good luck getting home!!

Any reports on tonight's all-Balanchine program?

Thanks for this report. I am blah on the program except I might go for DGV. I am surprised by the laFreniere-Furlan pairing. I am sure that he, like all the men, is extremely strong, but as I try to picture that lift, she seems too big for him. The proportions are off.

The box office is impossible to reach via phone, which is needed for Society NYCB tickets as well as a few swaps that I have. Last week they told me to call back this week, but yesterday and today I have called several times, only to wait on hold 15-30 (!) minutes before I had to sign off. I do have a job after all. I have been completely unable to purchase tickets. This is ridiculous and beyond frustrating!!

I am a fan of Gerrity and I still think she has a chance. At least, I hope so! Among the newly promoted women, I'd say the two most likely future principals are LaFreniere and Nadon. Both have a ton of talent and a presence that fills the theatre. Nadon may need a little more time to consolidate her skills, but I could see LaFreniere moving up more quickly.

Wow, she's 37? I tend to lose track. Like someone said up-thread, it's surprising (and delightful!) to hear Isabella LaFreniere is only 25. In the other direction, I forgot about how long Reichlen has been dancing. Makes me wonder, how old are Fairchild, Bouder, Mearns, and Hyltin? They definitely have to shore up the female pipeline, and I'm glad they're doing so!

Wow, a shocker! I don't have a subscription to the NYT, can anyone let me know if they say anything about why or what she has planned next? I know she just had a baby, maybe she wants to focus on building a family? Also, I guess this factors into why they felt they could promote so many tall women!

I find the Miller and Hod promotions surprising. Miller took awhile to blossom, but I hear she did very well in her Diamonds in Saratoga last summer, so maybe that is a factor (and I was disappointed when Diamonds was cancelled for the Winter, because I was hoping to see her in it). I know a lot of people on here love Ashley Hod, but aside from her incredible limbs, I don't find her very interesting; she doesn't convey that quality of interiority that I especially love (see: Laracey). Given the surplus of tall women, I would have thought they might hesitate on these two for promotions. Also, of course, Abi and Jonathan Stafford.

I could nitpick one or two of the choices, but overall this is great news. I notice they are going tall. Kikta and Miller are two of the tallest women in the company, LaFreniere and Hod aren't far behind, and Nadon is on the taller side of medium. Only von Enck is bringing up the short side. I too would love to see Kristen Segin in there! I imagine this means we'll be seeing some retirements among the female soloists. Pazcoguin and Adams are clearly not favored, and Pereira has shown a failure to progress. I also wonder about Megan LeCrone and Ashley Laracey, although they are used more widely and I hope they can stick around awhile longer, Laracey especially.