cobweb

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 The night I saw Kowroski she seemed not at her most dazzling -- but she had been replaced by Reichlen the night before, so I'm guessing she may have been sick?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.

Lauren Lovette was most impressive as the Librarian-turned-Mermaid in Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals last night.

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!

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.

Actually the house was packed tonight including the fourth ring. Very appreciative audience for many wonderful performances!

The surprise for me was Red Angels. One of the few modern pieces that made sense to me. And if this is Jennie Somogyi's first week back, I'm impressed. She looked wonderful - in form, totally confident, and sassy!

Very welcome news and highly deserved for ALL of them! I'm surprised and gratified by the large number. It was clear that some of these people were on a direct path to the top (Finlay, Lovette, Stanley), and it has seemed recently like they were "auditioning" a number of possible additional soloists. Laracey, Pazcoguin, LeCrone, King, Pollack, and Peck all made outstanding impressions recently, and I was wondering which one or two might be plucked out for promotion, and sad at the idea that any would be left behind. What a great surprise that they just promoted the whole batch!!

Megan LeCrone suddenly emerged as a very intriguing dancer in Serenade and Swan Lake. Ashley Laracey in that same solo in Swan Lake was lovely, and her gravity and seriousness of expression as slowly walked onto the stage during the second movement of Symphony in C were very moving. She just looks like a ballerina. Chase Finlay's catlike landings in Mozartiana are one of the indelible impressions I took from the season, along with Taylor Stanley's mesmerizing clarity in everything (esp Symphony in C, but really everything). Adrian Danchig-Waring is one of the most exciting dancers in a company where there is no shortage of terrific men, and Ask La Cour has long struck me as a very interesting dancer.

The one dancer who wasn't included that I have to single out is the lovely Gwyneth Muller. I so appreciate her beautiful smile, expressive face, and the sheer graciousness of her dancing.

So bummed that I had to miss yesterday's multiple-debut cast of Nutcracker (Lauren King, Mary Elizabeth Sell, etc), not to mention today with Lauren Lovette. Any reports from those who attended would be very welcome!

Casting is up for the week of December 18. Lauren King and Lauren Lovette debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy. So so bummed I'm going to be out of town!! I hope that I can count on detailed reviews from BTers. Please!

Thank you ksk04 for the names of the dancers in the pas de trois and big swans. I completely agree with your comments, especially about the lovely Asian dancer in the pdt (now I know it was Yuhui Choe) and the very lovely big swan. I also found Yanowsky, who previously I had never heard of, unexpressive and uninteresting. As for the production.... not for me. The drunkenness, the floppy skirts for the swans, von Rothbart with mohawk... yech. I hope never to see a "concept" Swan Lake again.

What an unimaginative, uninteresting season and casting. I'm glad they're bringing Sylvia back, and I'll be curious to see how they manage Symphony in C, but otherwise there's not a whole lot that piques my interest.

As for Kristi Boone, I don't know if she's been injured, but I kind of assumed that for whatever unknown reason, she is simply not favored by the artistic staff. Indeed amazing in Prodigal Son, she now seems relegated to roles like Bathilde in Giselle. Misty Copeland too would be great in so many things, but time is dragging on and it doesn't seem to be happening.