cobweb

Lovette has her strengths and weaknesses. I loved her in many roles, most especially Sleeping Beauty, where she was radiant. However, as abatt says, in Swan Lake (one of the last performances I saw before the shutdown), she was really struggling with her grasp on the role, technical and otherwise.

I too watched the interview/coaching session of the Siren last night, and I found it surprisingly lackluster. The interview portion was repetitive and superficial, with Kowroski, Clark, and Jackson repeating the same things: don't overact, you grow into the role, and the cape should be expected to malfunction. Then on to the coaching session. Unfortunately, it had nowhere near the nuance and interest of the City Center Studio 5 series with Tiler Peck/Merrill Ashley and Sara Mearns/Nina Ananiashvili. It shows Clark going through the cape solo again and again, with Lisa Jackson saying things like "that's better," or telling her to better distinguish the steps. Jackson has killer legs and was wearing great boots, but she was walking around and waving her arms frenetically and distractingly. I got very little insight as to things to watch for next time I see this ballet. Overall, this was a missed opportunity. I hope they can put together something more engaging for the next two programs. In any case, like others I look forward to tomorrow night's broadcast of Prodigal Son, and of course more than anything, getting back to the theatre in person.

The press release says they are "previously recorded" performances, it doesn't say when but presumably in recent years, not new. Prodigal Son - Reichlen (with it was Kowroski) and Ulbricht; Theme and Variations - Peck and Veyette; Stravinsky Violin Concerto - Hyltin, LaCour, Mearns, and Stanley. *wish* it was Kowroski,

Wow, I knew he was young, but I didn't know he was THAT young. I too feel like I've been watching him for a long while. This puts into perspective the baffling question of why he hasn't yet been promoted to soloist. He appears so confident and poised that he could probably (so it appears) manage the pressures of being a soloist at a very young age, but still, there's a good argument for waiting till the person has a few more years.

Wow, THANK YOU for posting this, canbelto! I can't wait to get back to the theatre to see these dancers, who feel like my dear long-lost friends.

So I just watched the livestream (available for just a few more hours this evening). Mixed feelings. It was great to see the familiar faces of the dancers again, but I certainly am eager to see ballet in an actual theatre again. This was a huge undertaking, with Schumacher providing an hour of new choreography. I liked this choreography better than Schumacher's more experimental work, and would look forward to seeing more of it. In terms of the dancing, it was quite limited by the setting - the party scene takes place in the house, the mouse battle and waltz of the snowflakes outdoors (were those ladies dancing in the snow? couldn't tell if it was actual snow/ice, it couldn't possibly be, right?), then the divertissements inside a big tent with a stage. Also, with the stage being viewable from all sides, it was hard to get a full view of the divertissements. I was sorry this wasn't the cast with Ashley Laracey as Sugar Plum Fairy, as she is a favorite of mine and I haven't seen her dance she went on maternity leave from NYCB. However, Sara Mearns looked good, if dancing smaller than usual. Tyler Angle has gone bald. Otherwise, it was hard to really assess the dancing, but I did notice that Cainan Weber was a bolt of energy as Candy Cane, and Kristen Segin brightens up everything with her beautiful face and smile. The drama of the battle scene, and the majestic music after the Nutcracker Prince's triumph, really made me miss the NYCB production, with the bed swirling around on the stage and the Nutcracker Prince nobly offering his hand to Clara. Next year.

Those are fascinating photos. It looks so different without the costumes I’m used to, it’s hard to recognize it as the same ballet. The long tulle skirts worn now add an entirely new dimension to the ballet.

In talking to a friend who knows little about ballet, I was trying to describe some of the mystical, beautiful moments of "Serenade." This led me to an internet search for photos of the iconic moments. I am eager to find a picture of the moment that the Dark Angel and the man enter - just the two of them, him with his arm outstretched and her behind, with her hand over his eyes. Surprisingly, I can find no photo of this moment on the internet. If anyone can point me to a pic, I would appreciate it. More generally, I would love to see everyone's favorite moments of "Serenade." And in poring through the online photos, I really CAN'T WAIT to see this again. There could be no better re-introduction to performances of live ballet.

I'm not sure where this topic should go - this is not a NYCB production, but the dancers are all apparently NYCB, and probably most of the people who follow NYCB on this forum would be interested. Should "Ballet Collective" be listed as a separate company with its own forum? I have been getting publicity emails about this, and now I gather there's a positive review in the New York Times. I'm very intrigued by the production. If anyone has attended, please report back in detail!

Interesting to hear. Now I'm more interested in figuring out how to watch it. I would have thought Sara Mearns would be the go-to Sugarplum Fairy. Is the camerawork distracting?

I haven't viewed this Nutcracker (I don't even know what Marquee TV is), but it's fun reading the reviews. Just like the old days! I can't wait to get back to live performances. JuliaJ, I don't think they deliberately chose this casting for a recording and broadcast. I assume this was similar to the other pieces they released for the recent "digital seasons," that is, performances recorded for archival and/or publicity purposes only. When covid happened they reviewed and chose some for a release that was not originally intended. I think it would have been great fun if they had put out multiple casts. I would have watched them all.

Did anyone see this casting last year? It would be fun if they took the opportunity to showcase different casts. If they showed 5 casts, I would probably watch them all!

Agree... especially about Bartok Ballet. The new commission I'm most interested in seeing is from Silas Farley, at least I know that he knows and appreciates ballet. I haven't seen any of his work, though -- as anyone seen any of his choreography?

I also find the redesign unattractive and unengaging. The home page is all silhouetted sculptural bodies. No movement, no ballet. Nothing to draw the dance lover in.

If you're a dancer, now is probably a really good time to have a baby. I suspect we may be seeing a lot more of this. Congrats to her!

Just judging from this one interview, a simple fix for Megan Fairchild might be to clarify in her own mind what kind of dialogue is this meant to be. Is it a conversation between old colleagues about how both of them have been doing during the pandemic? Or is it an interview of Lauren Lovette and her reflections on her past, present, and future? Megan seemed to be taking it as a convo to which they would both share experiences, while Lauren seemed to be taking it as an interview of herself. I would prefer the latter, but I could enjoy the former as well, if they are both on the same page.

Thanks vipa for pointing out this video. Lauren's story is fascinating, and she comes across so well, beautiful, engaging, and thoughtful. So many people are taking the disruption of the pandemic as an opportunity to reassess life choices. I wonder what direction Lauren will go in. My only complaint about the interview is Megan Fairchild's interviewing style. I kept wishing she would shut up and sit back, and let Lauren expand on what she was saying, like her stepping back from ballet. Can we hear what Lauren is thinking about ballet and her future, please? I kept feeling like Megan was changing the topic, like when Lauren is discussing the painful break from her family, and rather than let the moment sit, Megan jumps in, saying something like "Totally!" and takes over. She misses what was really a very poignant moment. Megan kept wanting to throw in her own vignettes about Lauren, personal anecdotes only tangentially related to what Lauren was saying, and so on. I feel she missed the opportunity for a really powerful interview by letting the charismatic Lauren tell her own compelling story.

I just got Dance Index as well. What a pleasant surprise. However, this makes me realize that I somehow did not receive the final issue of Ballet Review, despite being subscribed. I was out of town for awhile, and thought I had received all my mail, but this must have gotten lost. Bummer.

"Thank you New York" has actual dancing, which some of the other new works completely lack. So thumbs up for that. But I don't know about Jonathan Stafford's new look. I didn't recognize him at first. Has he lost weight? Downvote on the mustache.

All very true, Quiggin, and thanks for spelling it out. When I first started going to NYCB, I found the "black and white" ballets very difficult, and even dozed off a number of times. I kept at it, because I knew how deeply appreciated those works are, and over time I grew to profoundly appreciate them. I would love for there to be great new choreography, or even new forms of dance, so I try to watch with an open mind, but I keep being disappointed. It's hard to know when to keep trying to appreciate something, like, say, this week's Bell and Tanowitz works, and when to decide it's better to spend my time on something else. If I hear a chorus of support for some of these works, I would certainly try again.

YES!

Okay, now I delved into the Pam Tanowitz for Russell Janzen piece. I didn't watch the interview with Tanowitz, I don't know if that would help me to appreciate it. I'm just not seeing any real dancing going on, same as with the Sidra Bell piece. This "site" art form is just not for me. Let's get back to ballet!

I started to watch the Sidra Bell piece, but I had trouble with my internet connection and gave it up about 5 minutes in. Admittedly, I didn't try very hard to get it back on. I had trouble discerning any real dance there. Also the camera work was frenetic, zooming in too close then darting back out, and jumping from one angle or one site to another. Probably that was intentional. I wondered if I could appreciate it more if I watched the whole thing and also the discussion with the choreographer to understand what her intentions were. But, based on what I saw, nothing drew me in. Disappointing.

Thank you, Rock! I'll have to check it out on Youtube. That is all very good to hear, and I look forward to "meeting" this young man.

Furlan certainly deserves that promotion, based on what I saw of him in the fall and winter seasons. But I'm still waiting to hear more about Chun Wai Chan, and especially, is he tall? I can't think of any other reason he should be put ahead of Roman Mejia. Also, wouldn't Alec Knight be an obvious choice for soloist opportunities, and tall to boot?