cobweb

I was at the DAAG/Union Jack program on Thursday night. Lauren Lovette lights up the stage like the sun itself. The section of three men tossing the three women has stayed in my mind for days now, especially the final throw with Lovette spinning fearlessly in the air above Catazaro's head, then being caught securely and swooped so dramatically low. I was sitting at a distance from the stage and forgot my opera glasses -- this turned out to be a blessing since I was able to focus on overall patterns, rather than zeroing in on my favorite dancers. I should forget the opera glasses more often! However, I didn't get a very clear sense of Ashley Bouder, except to note that she and her regiments (both the Scottish section and WRENS) were totally out of sync with each other -- Bouder was way ahead of her group. The ensemble effect was ruined. Savannah Lowery doesn't bring enough force to MacDonald of Sleat -- nowhere near Sara Mearns. But, I liked her in the Royal Navy section, which seems to suit her sunny personality.

I saw three performances of Jewels over the past few weeks and have a few random comments. I saw both Zachary Catazaro and Russell Janzen in their debuts in Diamonds: Catazaro with Sara Mearns and Janzen with Teresa Reichlen. I thought Catazaro was a good partner and a good dancer and he certainly looks the handsome dancer. My issue with him is that he can be too casual in his manner, you can see the effort and even more, he appears as a regular person rather than a danseur noble. He doesn't always carry himself with the noble bearing, the impenetrable and unflappable stage demeanor that a ballet dancer should have. (See, for example, the brothers Angle who have this down to perfection.) Russell Janzen has a more noble and gracious air, but he looked a bit nervous and perhaps underprepared to me. The only other time I've seen him in any major role was in his debut as the Cavalier with Ashley Laracey in Nutcracker, and I thought he (both of them!) looked excellent then. Maybe just a few more rehearsals would help. Mearns, Reichlen, and Maria Kowroski (grand and totally at ease in her special connection with Tyler Angle) were all wonderful. I feel fortunate to be able to see all of them! Ashley Laracey was absolutely lovely in the pas de trois of Emeralds. She so often grabs attention in soloist or demi-soloist roles (the second movement of Symphony in C comes to mind) that I think it's high time she move on to principal roles. I know I just said NYCB already has three wonderful interpreters of Diamonds, but maybe there's room for a fourth?

I have been to several performances over the past two weeks, all highly enjoyable. Last night was my second viewing of the Dances at a Gathering/Union Jack program, and I totally loved both performances. Dances at a Gathering was sublime. The ensemble cast of Maria Kowroski, Sara Mearns, Tiler Peck, Brittany Pollack, Megan Fairchild, Antonio Carmena, Joaquin de Luz, Zachary Catazaro, and Joaquin de Luz (I hope I haven't forgotten any!) was perfect. There are so many heart-catching moments. The piece is quiet and seems so humble, then suddenly something beautiful happens and your heart is in your throat. Union Jack is a blast. The rolling drumbeat and relentless entry of one regiment after another has me rapt. The contrast with the rollicking joy of the Royal Navy section is wonderful. (I could do without the middle section, although Ringer and Ramasar are both very charming comedians, and the pony provided a lot of entertainment by doing his business onstage, then bolting off into the wings before he was supposed to.) So many of the dancers looked wonderful. Jared Angle is always intelligent, gracious, in good humor, and has a natural connection with the audience. Teresa Reichlen was animated, sweet, and sassy leading the WRENS. Andrew Veyette seemed to enjoy kissing her and looking up and down those legs a little too much! Sean Suozzi is always committed and interesting -- I'd like to see more of him! I could go on and on, but I'll just single out Abi Stafford. For some time I just didn't "get" her at all. I started to enjoy her more this past fall season, and in several performances so far this season she has totally won me over with her charm, humor, and some special piquancy she has. I look forward to more!

Mearns had phenomenal force in MacDonald of Sleat. I love the whole first tattoo section as well! As for Emeralds, I wish they would give the "walking solo" role to Ashley Laracey. She conveys a meditative mood so beautifully.

I look forward to any performance reviews! I see several notable debuts coming up: Indiana Woodward as marzipan, Emily Kikta as Coffee, Ashly Isaacs as Dewdrop, and I'm very excited to have a ticket for Ashley Laracey's Sugarplum!

Definitely NYCB. It's magical. I generally don't find the kids in the audience to be overly noisy or rambunctious. The ABT version leaves me flat.

To follow up on California's comment, Gabe Stone Shayer was indeed spectacular as Ariel yesterday. I wasn't eager to sit through Tempest again, but I was curious to see the second cast -- and in particular Shayer, who made a big impression on me as part of the ensemble in Clear a night or two ago. He is a young man with a lot of talent. Huge effortless leaps with soft landings, charming and vivid acting, and charisma to burn. He is not a slender androgynous type like Simkin, and in fact he has a somewhat thick, weighted quality, but somehow it just seemed so right as he flew across the stage. I'm glad ABT didn't hold to the hierarchy, and gave this young man a huge opportunity!

I was there Friday night and Saturday night. The Tempest strikes me as totally ill-conceived. How anyone could have thought this music would be good for carrying a complex narrative is beyond me. The storytelling is difficult to follow. I hated the costumes. There was just something unpleasant and uncomfortable about the experience of watching it, that I can't quite put my finger on -- maybe it's that there was nothing that seemed pleasing to look at, and the happenings onstage were so confusing that I often didn't even know where I was supposed to be looking. Theme & Variations -- Semionova and Stearns were fine, but not exciting. I did like the new costumes. And I couldn't help but appreciate, yet again, what a beautiful piece of choreography it is. I was impressed that ABT has a wealth of talent in the men of the corps de ballet. Joseph Gorak is a standout in whatever he does, with elegance and refinement. In Clear, Gabe Stone Shayer conveyed an immediacy, warmth, and vividness that were very compelling. Also in Clear, Jose Sebastian deployed a high-flying, long-legged grand jete that was a joy to see. Roman Zhurbin is a striking actor. And Calvin Royal, as Stella Abrera's partner in Bach Partita, had a beautiful elegant line and looks like a confident, assured partner. More please! The highlight of my evening last night was spotting Chase Finlay in the audience... or maybe I should say it was the lowlight, because he was on crutches. Get well soon, Chase!

I too am chiming in late. In Sonnambula, I found Hyltin a little flat and kept wishing I could see Ashley Laracey as the sleepwalker. I saw both casts of Prodigal Son. Reichlen was "wow" indeed. The night I saw Kowroski she seemed not at her most dazzling -- but she had been replaced by Reichlen the night before, so I'm guessing she may have been sick? Daniel Ulbricht in Prodigal -- he is a virtuoso dancer who has no real peer in the company in that department. But he's not deep as an actor, and I didn't find him at all convincing in this role. There is something about his demeanor that I find stiff and unappealing at times.I saw all three casts of Swan Lake -- so I saw Ulbricht, Troy Schumacher, and Harrison Ball as the Jester. Again, no one can compare to Ulbricht in sheer feats, but both Schumacher and Ball brought more elegance of line, and more relaxed humor and appeal to the role.

I had never seen Namouna before, and I loved it. Wish I could see it again, but there is no way I could sit through Spectral Evidence again. If I could have walked out during this piece without disrupting the people sitting next to me, I would have. In fact, I was so dispirited at intermission that I nearly left altogether, but I had heard good things about Namouna, so thankfully, I stuck it out and left the theatre in high spirits. Like the delightful Four Seasons, Namouna is saddled with being on a program with pieces I have zero interest in (although Soiree Musicale was charming), and it's hard to buy a ticket when I know I'll be skipping half the program.

That doesn't surprise me at all! I'd love to see her, but I don't think I can sit through the ballet again. I have no idea why they are reviving this piece, which I saw last Friday. The only things of interest were the very entertaining Amar Ramasar as the ape, and Sara Mearns looking ravishing as the "Librarian-turned-Mermaid." Otherwise, a total yawn. I thoroughly enjoyed Four Seasons, especially the splendid Sara Mearns in "Spring," and I'd love to see it again, especially with the other cast. But it's hard to justify the expense of a ticket with Carnival of Animals and Jeu de Cartes on the program .

I attended Wednesday night's performance, and I have to say that I am totally bewildered by Ashley Bouder's interpretation of Odette/Odile. Ashley, Ashley -- why?? Such a great dancer who is a joy to see in so many roles. Why this bizarre, jagged, affected interpretation? Where is the legato, the luxuriating movement, the soulfulness and sorrow of Odette? What is this totally maniacal grin as Odile? Why the staccato delivery, hitting the iconic poses and holding them like a rock, with no effort at softness or subtlety? Andrew Veyette looked like he was in another ballet altogether, trying to emote and connect with his swan, and gamely getting all the partnering done with his usual assurance, despite his swan being a caricature of the role. Ashley, this is just the opinion of one fan, and a lay person at that, with no connection to the professional ballet world, but for what it's worth, I urge you to ditch whatever coach dreamed up this interpretation, and rely on your own inner resources to connect with this great role in a way worthy of your talents. Sincerely, your fan, Cobweb.

I was also there last night and will write more if I have time later. But, I had a question about the apprentices. It was announced a month or so back that several, but not all, of last year's apprentices were given corps contracts. I kind of assumed that was bad news for the remaining apprentices and that they would not be moving forward with the company. However, last night I noticed that several of last year's apprentices are still dancing as apprentices, in addition to a whole new batch of apprentices from the recent SAB class. Is this usual practice? I think literally half the swans were apprentices. Somehow I had the idea there was a limit on how long you could be an apprentice, and surely some of these must be approaching the limit. Otherwise, much the same reaction as others note. Mearns great; Angle a little bland but a great partner and I love his gracious presence. Whereas in the past I totally hated this production, to the point of never wanting to see it again, now I don't hate it quite as much! I was especially surprised to find myself enjoying the folk dances; they had more life and interest than usual. I loved the Spanish dance, especially Faye Arthurs and a very snappy, snazzy Sean Suozzi. I have a ticket for tonight... a little unsure about Ashley Bouder in the role, but we'll see!

Renata Pavam will be very, very missed!

I was there last night for Cornejo and Kochetkova. Herman Cornejo -- wow. So beautiful and intense -- I can't even try to describe it, but if I can help it I'll never miss one of his performances again! I didn't find Maria Kochetkova very interesting. She didn't have any glow, she doesn't have Cornejo's charisma. He seemed to be looking at her very intently, trying to connect with her, but she stayed cool. I wish they had given this performance to Sarah Lane. Leann Underwood was replaced by Gemma Bond as one of the fairies, but I thought I spotted her amongst the corps in the vision scene. As for Vasiliev, I admire the energy and passion with which he throws himself into his roles. As Orion in Sylvia, and again as Bluebird, he seems to completely efface himself in the service of the role. So much so that I'm a little taken aback... but I love the energy he brings to the stage. Yuriko Kajiya is not my idea of the Lilac Fairy. Too thin and not authoritative. Give me Abrera or Part!

from atm711: "For the life of me I cannot understand why a dancer of Misty Copeland's prominence is cast in this production as a Cat (and one who does not dance, at that!!)---surely it would have been a prize spot for a corps dancer." I had the same thought when I saw Stella Abrera as one of Sylvia's attendants last week. It's just sad to see a dancer of Abrera's talent and seniority, in a role that could go to promising corps members. It's not good for her, and it's not good for the younger ones to have her taking that spot. Same thing with Misty Copeland. And I think it's not good for the audience, either. People who attend ballet regularly get invested in seeing favorite dancers rise through the ranks. There's a real pleasure in seeing someone you first noticed as one of a line of swans, get new roles roles and get promoted. But when I see dancers like Eric Tamm and Joseph Phillips languishing in the corps year after year, it gets demoralizing. As an audience member, I puzzle about what is going on. I can see why Simone Messmer and Maria Riccetto decided to go elsewhere. I find myself fervently hoping that current corps standouts, Joseph Gorak and Skylar Brandt, don't succumb to whatever is causing such stagnation. As for Hee Seo, I did not see her SB (or Swan Lake for that matter), but the reports are not good. I don't understand what happened to her. When I first noticed her in the corps, there were a couple of years in which I eagerly looked forward to her performances, where she seemed dazzling in every respect, obviously headed for promotion. Now so many poor reviews. What happened?

I will be very, very sorry not to be able to see Simone Messmer in New York any longer, but I have a feeling she's making a good move for her career. When she was promoted to soloist I was a little puzzled as to why -- she had never made an impression on me as a corps member as, to give two examples, Isabella Boylston and Leann Underwood did. However, as soon as I started paying attention to her in soloist roles I was totally won over. She is a beautiful, individual, and fascinating dancer, and she should be in an atmosphere where her talent is appreciated and used.

Wasn't Leann Underwood scheduled to do Lilac Fairy on July 2? Now Stella Abrera is listed. Also, has Yuriko Kajiya done Lilac Fairy before? She's listed to do two performances.

For corps promotions, I'm on the Skylar Brandt-Joseph Gorak bandwagon.

I was wondering about the protocol (if any?) when there is a mishap as there was at the Sunday matinee and something obviously hazardous ends up on the stage in the middle of a performance. When the mouthpiece fell off Savannah Lowery's bugle, who should have done what? I was thinking she should have just grabbed it and thrown it offstage, however out of character that might have looked. What would have happened if one of the corps girls hadn't taken it on herself to grab it as they exited the stage? Also, presumably they will be offering contracts to this year's apprentices soon. I'll be interested to hear when there is official news. Finally, I just had to add that Reichlen's "dark angel" arabesque on Sunday was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Re Sara Mearns in Allegro Brillante on Saturday night... I had some misgivings about this casting. She is so intense and individual, I almost felt like this role needs someone who can stay a little more on the surface. She didn't look like she was leading an ensemble, but instead like she was having an intense, highly personal, experience. Even the peach dress, I felt, didn't quite suit her. On the other hand, her dramatic qualities are beautifully suited to Serenade, which I saw on Sunday. My current favorite cast of Serenade would be Mearns, Ashley Bouder, and Megan Le Crone. Tons of fun at the season closer, with crowd-pleasing performances of Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Stars and Stripes. One of my regrets of the season is that I didn't get to see Troy Schumacher leading the Third Regiment in Stars and Stripes. Daniel Ulbricht was amazing, of course, and Bouder and Veyette looked like they were having the time of their lives. I was too!!!

I don't think the replacement of "Purple" by "The Infernal Machine" means Somogyi's injured. I was also there when she danced on Friday night, looking great, and I noticed at that point the casting sheet already showed that "Purple" was replaced for Saturday. It's been a great season (that is, except for a week or so of programs of little interest...). I've attended a ton of performances and been dazzled again and again. So many dancers looking so great, expressing such beautiful pieces, it's hard to know where to start! One thing: of the new soloists, Ashley Laracey seems to be getting the most opportunities, and making the most of it. She has a captivating quality to her and I can't wait to see more.

Any reports? I was across the plaza tonight but I look forward to detailed reports!

Canbelto... They "jumped the shark"? I am not familiar with this term. I eagerly look forward to your report!

I was there last night. Drink to Me Only... I'm with the faction that likes this more on the big stage than the small City Center stage. It has more room to breathe naturally. I'm not crazy about it, but I liked it more than before, and as everyone has said, Joseph Gorak was truly beautiful. Symphony in C. As a big fan of this ballet and NYCB, I went in with interest and high hopes, especially since I read good things about the performance at the gala. I left disgusted. I found it sloppy and unfocused, lacking the energy, precision, angularity, musicality, and attack that NYCB brings. Polina Semionova was seamless in the adagio, but she had a cheerful smile on her face some of the time, totally at odds with the grandeur and solemnity of this movement. (Someone mentioned seeing Maria Kowroski in the audience and wondering what she thought: I hope she realized that she has nothing to fear from the empty Polina Semionova). Much as I admire Marcelo Gomes in virtually anything and everything, he seemed so wrong in this movement. In the third movement, Osipova and Vasiliev brought a welcome jolt of energy and vitality to the stage, although that only underlined the lack of overall cohesion, as they seemed to be dancing in a different piece from everyone else. Also Osipova was mugging for the audience, which I found disrespectful of the ballet, as if she can't submit herself to being a piece of something larger. The only positives were seeing some lovely ABT dancers including Stella Abrera. Also I hadn't seen Jared Matthews in some time, and was surprised to see him looking more confident and polished than I remembered.