cobweb

High time for Ulbricht to debut in this role. Strike that. Long overdue. Any reports on the two new Soldier debuts welcome - tonight Kennard Henson, tomorrow Andres Zuniga.

Thanks for the reminder about this. I noticed that at the performance I saw the other night. I thought the vivid blue was charming and in character, matching the vividness of Harlequin's diamond-patterned, multicolored outfit.

Thanks for the heads' up, Swanilda! I just ordered the book from Amazon. I love the photo they're using for the cover. True to the legend of Balanchine's arrival in the US, when he was confronted with a bunch of amateurs, and still managed to create Serenade. The photo shows him intently at work with the material at hand - no complaints from him, just making the best of what he has, and judging from the attentive expression of the dancers, he already has their cooperation and respect. And we know it developed into something beautiful. I look forward to reading the book.

It’s true that she appeared unsteady and unbalanced at times during the grand pas de deux. But Sara may be her own worst critic. What this fan remembers was her grandness, majesty, and beauty.

This is a review of last night's performance. I buy my Nut tickets way in advance, without knowing the casting. When I find I'm scheduled to see Tiler Peck's Dewdrop, it's like winning the lottery. She did not disappoint her fans last night, turning in yet another dazzling and daring performance. Sara Mearns was a majestic Sugarplum Fairy. She is so beautiful. There is something exotic about her eyes, but when you zoom in, they're sparkling blue and friendly. Truly alluring. Russell Janzen was a perfect Cavalier, attentive and noble. Other standouts were two tall and beautiful flowers, the grand Emilie Gerrity and Miriam Miller. The Nutcracker prince, little Athan Sporek (sp?) has a charisma and poise beyond his years. I gather he's already an accomplished performer, and I can see why. Keep going, little Athan! Sebastian Villarini-Velez made his debut as the Soldier. He was not as "wooden" as others have been, but boy he gives everything his all. Not sure I've seen Devin Alberda do Candy Cane before, but he was terrific. It was great to see all the dancers I'm so familiar with, but also great to see unknown and beaming new faces, apprentices and children. I really go for the first act, the charm of the party scene, and the magic of the violin solo and transformation and battle scenes. Look forward to at least two more performances this season. And would be really glad to read any other reviews!

Which dates, canbelto? Was it the particular casting that drew you in?

Week 4 of casting up. Debuts for Sebastian Villarini-Velez as the Cavalier and Kennard Henson as Tea. Very excited to find I have a ticket for the Woodward-Ball-Phelan cast, with the bonus of Roman Mejia as Tea. Can't wait. The Adams-Villarini-Velez-Kikta cast also looks terrific, I would love to see that one.

Robert Fairchild was my favorite Candy Cane, so bright and brilliant. I look forward to any reports from opening weekend and beyond. This board tends to get fewer reports on Nut than during the regular season, but I love hearing about the different casts.

If it’s Hod’s injury that is causing her to be replaced, it must be pretty bad. Frau Stahlbaum doesn’t have a whole lot to do besides walking around. I was hoping to see Hod back soon!

I take my luck with Nut tickets, which I buy way in advance. In this case glad/not glad for Dec 5. Look forward to Hyltin who can play with the celesta, Veyette to see how he’s doing, and Pereira, not so much. But I really go for the beautiful vision of the first and second acts.

Buddy, this is beautiful. Thanks. (I'm just seeing this thread for the first time.) I love your poetic rendition of this transcendent performance.

It's been a few weeks since these performances, but I find myself still thinking about the Joffrey's Four Temperaments. Maybe because I saw it three times in as many days, and maybe it struck me in a fresh way because the performers were entirely new to me, but I find it's really stayed in my mind. Two details that stand out, that I haven't noticed before while watching NYCB: at the end of the third theme, when the man is holding the woman curled up before him, and she stretches out her legs as they exit the stage - as they executed this and exited, they both also rolled their heads way back - perfectly timed - as if to leave part of them behind on the stage, as if to prolong the parting? I hadn't noticed this detail before, and it keeps playing in my mind. Another detail was the exit of Phlegmatic and the four ladies. At NYCB, I seem to recall all five exiting in one batch (someone correct me if I'm misremembering this). The Joffrey's version had the four women rushing off as I'm used to, but Phlegmatic holds back, then extends his hand, reaching forward, exiting in the same searching way that he entered.

I love the tiny children! They are adorable, and I am always impressed with the level of their technique and how well rehearsed they are.

I love Tea, I find it great fun. Whereas Coffee is a snooze. I buy Nut tickets way in advance, without knowing casting, so I’m always eager to see who I’ll get. Nov 30 - Mearns, Janzen, and Peck. Can’t do much better than that! #happy

Yes. Sometimes it's even worse, such as "The groom's previous two marriages ended in divorce, as did the bride's." I love the photo of Sara in the embroidered jumpsuit (minidress?). That is a gorgeous piece of clothing, and she looks beautiful.

I hope Gretchen is back dancing soon. Seems like she's been out for ages. I love Sara's dress too.

... and as noted up-thread, there are very varied reactions to these programs. I saw the Joffrey do Four Temperaments three times (Friday night, Saturday matinee, and today matinee). I liked it very much. They had attack and commitment, and they looked plenty capable to me. Notably, they have a bunch of strong men. Never having seen these dancers before, it's hard to single any out, but I liked today's Melancholic, Phlegmatic, and Sanguinic men, as well as Choleric. The Sanguinic woman on Friday night and today was unfortunately lacking in the forceful presence needed for this role, but I found the corps women were fierce. Symphonie Concertante. I am pretty unfamiliar with this piece, having seen it a few times the last time ABT did it, like maybe 12 years ago. After so many glowing reviews on here, from the ABT season and last night, I was eager to see it, but I just could not get into it. Not sure why. But I'll try again next time and hope I can connect to it more, since so many here love it. It was hard for me (and I imagine for others in the NYC audience) to see dancers I'm totally unfamiliar with, do roles that I associate with particular dancers. This was especially true for Tchaikovsky pas de deux. I have a vision of Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz, and also that sweet video on the NYCB website where Tiler talks about the ballet (see the videos at her dancer profile). Tereshkina and Kim were totally different. Heavy makeup to the point of bizarre, and old-world grand manners. Sure, I suppose part of the point of this festival was to show how Balanchine is carried out around the world, but the grand manners/mannerisms, and milking the audience for applause, just seemed out of place in modern New York City. Still, it was great fun to see Kimin Kim. His effortless ease is wonderful to see. As for the Agon pas de deux, I see Maria Kowroski and Amar Ramasar. The couple from POB, Sae Eun Park and Hugo Marchand, were woefully unsuited to this piece. On the other hand, I saw them do the pas de deux from Midsummer Night's Dream twice, and I loved it. Wanting to see them do this piece again, was part of why I splurged on a ticket for the final performance. They were exquisite. Something notable I've learned, that I did not know about myself before, is that I really like ballet as performed by American companies. As beautiful as the Russian and the French schools may be (I did not see the Royal Ballet), I relate more immediately to the forthright American style, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the Joffrey.

I agree with BalanchineFan’s analysis. I do not follow the dancers on social media but I have imagined it must be an exciting week for the dancers. I picture the wings being crowded as the dancers watch the performances. I splurged for one of the few remaining tickets for the final performance. For the other two performances I saw, I sat in the top balcony. I don’t think I’ve ever been up there before, but I’d gladly sit there again. It’s very steep which makes for great sight lines for short people such as myself. Also it’s surprisingly close to the stage - much, much closer to the stage than the top balconies at the Koch and the opera house. It was a great new angle to see familiar pieces like 4T’s.

Rebecca Krohn?

I saw last night and today’s matinee. It’s been fascinating. One thing I’ve learned is that I like the American companies the best. I enjoy their energetic and forthright quality. SFB’s Divertimento No 15 this afternoon made me so happy, just floating as I left the theatre. Miami City Ballet sparkled in the Glinka pdt, with the beautiful Kleber Rebello getting huge applause. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen this one before. Why doesn’t NYCB do it more often? I’m already casting it in my mind... Sebastian Villarini-Velez, Indiana Woodward, and... maybe Lauren King?). I also mostly enjoyed the Joffrey in 4Ts, which I thought they attacked with admirable energy. The four buzzing ladies of Sanguinic especially exemplified this. I thought Sae Eun Park and Hugo Marchand of POB were really lovely in the pdd from Midsummer Night’s Dream. On the other hand, I saw this same couple again today in the pdd from Agon, and I thought it was completely lacking in suspense, tension, and Balanchine style. Also she got into position with the arabesque penchee, then he laid down, totally bypassing the drama of that moment. Finally, Kimin Kim and Tereshkina in Tchaikovsky pdd. Agree with others. Tereshkina was way too studied and tense and took some liberties and did some fudging of the choreography. The piece was totally lacking in the proper spirit of fun and partnership. But Kimin Kim - this is my first viewing of him - lived up to his reputation, with the audience simply laughing at how over the top incredible he was. A fun introduction to him.

Well, posting from intermission at The City Center Years, all I can say is that if it turns out to be Lopez, I hope she’ll bring Kleber Rebello with her. More later on the other thread.

Curious about the mishaps mentioned of NYCB in symphony in c. Can anyone elaborate? I have tickets for tomorrow night and Saturday matinee.

Interesting, I find Boylston and Teuscher totally different dancers. Boylston is sloppy to the point of unbearable. I find Teuscher appealingly clean and elegant, if sometimes lacking in excitement. . Although I should add, that having greatly reduced my ABT viewing, I haven't seen a lot of either one of them lately.

... and this is why I avoid Boylston whenever possible. As someone said awhile back (maybe it was you, abatt?), she seems to regard her sloppiness, casual demeanor, and lack of grace as a feature, not a bug.

After reading these reviews of In the Upper Room, I decided I had to go, despite not being able to avoid Isabella Boylston. Was there last night. The fourth ring was definitely NOT sold out. I didn't love Upper Room the way I have in the past - there were times in past years when I felt I could never get enough of it, but now I was a tad blah. Not sure if it was the performance, a change in my taste, or what. Also - way too much smoke - was it always that bad? I did like the two red pointe shoe girls, Erica Lall and Anabel Katsnelson. Katsnelson especially has an intriguing quality that makes me want to see more of her. Sarah Lane was wonderful in Other Dances, charming, modest, whimsical, and totally in control of her technique. Her facial expression, which I have often found strained and artificial, was relaxed and natural. Stearns was just bland IMHO, not appearing light or folksy, and not having the casual charm to connect with the audience. I found the Lang piece pleasant enough but with no real substance, inoffensive but not at all compelling.