cobweb

I have not seen Philadelphia Ballet in several years, but my interest in Jake got me interested in Ashton, which got me to the Philadelphia Ballet website, and now I envision a ballet day trip or two this year!

I also was there last night and agree with everyone that Jake Roxander (who I've only seen once before, summer of '22 doing an impressive Neapolitan) is a star. Agree that he made Ahn look like an amateur. He is a young guy but seems ready for everything they are throwing at him. I couldn't help but think, his parents must be very proud! It seems embarrassing for ABT that they are relying on such a young guy for so so much. I mean, it's great for the audience and he seemed to be loving it, but they need a deeper roster. I also agree Devon Teuscher is a lovely, lovely dancer who really shone in Etudes. Overall I enjoyed Etudes, it's hard to resist as it plows along with increasing intensity. But I seriously disliked Petite Mort, and found Piano Concerto No. 1 interesting, but not something I need to see again.

To me India Bradley is more interesting and has more potential for artistic growth than I see in Baily Jones. Bradley was in the pas de trois in Emeralds last month and brings a wonderful fluidity and very expressive face. To answer @BalanchineFan’s question about Lauren Collett she has caught my eye many times in corps roles, most recently Symphony in C first movement. Petite brunette with big eyes and very long arms, great presence, elegant, polished, and very committed to what she is doing. Would like to see her in more featured roles. While we’re on the topic of corps women with potential, Mary Thomas MacKinnon always strikes me as interesting to watch.

Another petite corps woman who has potential is Lauren Collett.

Veyette is still showing his worth and carrying his weight, so to speak. Whereas Bouder was barely cast. Aren't salaries done partly according to seniority? That would mean she is one of the highest-paid dancers right now. It seems doubtful she is going to get back to her old level of technique at this point. I wonder what the future is for her in the company. It would be a shame if that was getting in the way of promoting someone like Kikta or Von Enck.

In regard to Isabella LaFreniere's facial expression/smile (as referenced by @nanushka, @deanofdance, @Kathleen O'Connell, and probably others), I find it interesting that facial expression is apparently not addressed as part of training. It is a huge part of the art of performance. Someone like Tiler Peck always seems to have the right facial expression, and I feel sure that this is something she must intentionally work on. Watching LaFreniere in Diamonds, I had the feeling she hasn't really thought about or made decisions about what she wants to do with her face. Sometimes it was a smile, sometimes it seems like she was trying not to smile but didn't know what else to do with her face. She needs to think this through in general, and make this part of her approach to a role.

Hello, deanofdance. You are a new voice here, but I for one greatly appreciate your vibrant and enthusiastic contributions. About Unity Phelan, I have wondered about the apparent dimming of her promise and luster. We all loved her when she was on the way up. Now many find her, to quote a friend of mine, "bland and boring in the extreme." My guess (and hope) is just that she's spread too thin right now. She has debuted I don't know, like 10 (more?) major, major roles over the past couple of seasons. It's too much. They should have spread some of these debuts around - for example, Ashley Laracey could have very ably taken on Sonnambula and Rosenkavalier while Unity focused on other roles. Hopefully with time she can develop all of these roles more deeply.

Just a few more thoughts on recent performances as I gather my thoughts. Last night Concerto Barocco -- Nadon, LaFreniere, and Bolden all brought a wonderful freshness and largeness to this. This is a bold, beautiful cast in every way. Bolden looked wonderful in his debut. It would be insane not to promote him right now. He is on a track straight to principal. Thinking about his evolution since he joined the company, he first impressed as a big guy (somewhat too big) and don't I recall something where he was wearing excessive makeup in a couple of performances? He always was noticeable, but not always in the best way. This season it's as if (just speculating on what I see from the audience) he got himself together and got singularly focused on becoming the best dancer he can be. I believe he's slimmed down somewhat. And added elegance, polish, and attention to every detail. My partner asked me, "Where has this guy been?" All I could say is, "He's been young." Now he's coming into his own. Symphony in C. This was also wonderful. Tiler Peck was absolutely brilliant. I'm not sure I've ever seen her look better. Chan was dazzling, beautiful and totally at ease. It was thrilling. In the second movement, Phelan and Knight did not cast the same sublime spell as Mearns and Tyler Angle. Knight did not appear totally at ease or regal. It was fine, but not moving. In the third movement we had Baily Jones and Cainan Weber, in for Sebastian Villarini-Velez. I thought it was a debut for Weber, but looking at the casting sheet it's not marked as such, so I don't know. Anyway, I was glad to see him get a bigger opportunity, he is a very appealing dancer and I thought he looked good. As noted above, Peter Walker was a surprising dazzler in the 4th movement, with a sissone so large it was hard to take in! A few comments on the corps. In the first movement the demisoloists were Davide Riccardo and McKenzie Bernardino Soares. This made me realize that we haven't seen Aaron Sanz or Daniel Applebaum (who did these roles recently) all season. Very unfortunate. Sanz has a had a lot of injuries, stalling his career significantly. I love his elegant, very refined dancing. Riccardo is a favorite on this board, but I had not seen Soares in a featured role before. He didn't look totally at ease, but he is tall and has an elegant line and I look forward to seeing more of him. In the corps of the first movement, Lauren Collett was a beautiful standout, so polished and committed. More please. I was noticing the beauty of the patterns in the 2nd movement of Symphony in C. Being less frenetic than the other movements, and having slightly fewer corps on stage, you can really see the shifting patterns as Balanchine moves them around. He sets up striking, crystal clear tableaux again and again. You see a shape, then it dissolves and suddenly a new shape is formed before you even realize how the dancers got there. Just watching that is worth the price of admission!

I don't know this reference, BalanchineFan, but I endorse the sentiment!

So agree with this; I was impressed with Walker's sissone from right when he came into the company!! I was there tonight, enjoyed a lot. This is probably my last performance for the season, unless there is some major debut in the next two days (and of course, if anyone hears of such, please post or PM me!). I was so happy Cainan Weber got a big debut tonight in the 3rd movement of Symphony in C and thought he did very well. Will try to compose some more thoughts on the season. So many great principals, and a lot of promise in the corps. Gilbert Bolden is my big new love of the season!!

Hello @tsmitche! I would love to hear your reports from NYCB's 75th, or other performances you've seen.

Hello PFossil, glad you are joining in! The dancer who was NOT in the pas de deux was Emilie Gerrity. She had a lovely turn tonight in Serenade as well.

I had mixed feelings about last night. Symphony in C was great. Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle and the entire cast of demisoloists and corps, made the second movement sublime. Emma Von Enck and Roman Mejia were a tremendous blast of fresh air in the 3rd. I would LOVE to see this pairing in Theme & Variations, or in most anything. Overall the entire piece was sparkling. Orpheus is an intriguing piece, but there's not enough dancing to stand up to repeat (like, more than one) viewing. I found Concerto Barocco fine but lacking in some sparkle. I really didn't like the film they showed beforehand. It was like a commercial, selling the company to people who don't need to be sold on it, this audience is obviously already bought into NYCB! I found it slick and overproduced. Toward the end someone said something like, NYCB will continue to be creative and innovative, and all I could think was this film is not creative or innovative AT ALL. My partner told me not to be so negative, that they must have felt they had to do a special something to mark the 75th anniversary performance, but I wish they could have come up with something a little fresher and/or more interesting.

I would be thrilled to see someone new in Symphony in C. Von Enck, LaFreniere, Gerrity?

I came home from last night thinking I must be pretty spoiled to be disappointed in Serenade or have complaints about Anthony Huxley or Megan Fairchild. Glad to hear it's not just me! Overall I found last night underwhelming, and I too noticed the bloopers mentioned by @abatt. Most surprised by Huxley's bailing out of the double tour-pirouettes, especially since it seemed intentional -- it's not like he couldn't finish and filled in the music, instead he filled in the early part of the music before beginning the sequence.

I too bailed out of today's matinee before La Sonnambula. One thing I wanted to mention from last night's performance of Sonnambula was Cainan Weber in the Harlequin role -- fantastic. He has impressed in a number of virtuoso roles over the past few years and is ready for bigger opportunities. Also Rommie Tomasini was sparkling, and David Gabriel was elegant. Last night and today, I liked Olivia MacKinnon, in the soloist role of Ballet Imperial, more than I have liked her before. Buoyant and expansive. Her facial expression often looks tense and dour, and she can appear effortful. Still, it was good to see her looking better, and like @vipa said, this gave me the first sense of what they were seeing in her to promote her to soloist. Ballet Imperial was just so stunning. Tiler and Joseph Gordon of course, but also the corps de ballet seems to relish the challenge, and the piano playing was thunderously rich. Please please bring this back regularly!!

I wonder who else might be rehearsing Theme & Variations. Indiana Woodward?

Wondering what the program order will be this afternoon. Hope they put Apollo second and Sonnambula last...

I got an email from NYCB about today's performance -- Tschai PC#2 (Ballet Imperial is such an easier name!) will be performed first on the program rather than last. I wonder why?? Also, what will the order of the remaining two pieces be?

I loved the all-debut Apollo this afternoon. Maybe because it was all debuts, maybe because it's all dancers I love, or just that they're all dancers with a star presence, but I found it far more affecting than I usually do. I loved Chan, who I found very dramatic, showing an internal narrative and thought process, in a way that I found more clear than I have in the past. When he hears the call (not sure how else to put that, you know the moment I'm talking about), it was a moment of great drama as he hears, wonders, and registers what it means for him. Like the reverberations of a bell sounding, you could see his demeanor and bearing gain grandeur and godlike as he walks toward his destiny. FWIW, my partner was not as enthusiastic as I am about Chan's interpretation. According to him, Chan did not clearly enough distinguish his initial isolated state, from the later one of finding a way to coexist with others, with the muses. Anyway, that's my understanding of his objection. He says that the last person we saw (he's not sure who, but I think Adrian Danchig-Waring) had a more coherent interpretation. Ballet Imperial was again stunning. Tiler is incredible. Joseph Gordon is beautiful. The corps is incredible! And I absolutely loved the piano. Alternating tenderness with thundering along, it is irresistible.

Okay, I see what you're saying. Glad you made that point, helping me to think about who or what she is. She's not a normal human woman, but not a sprite or wili either. And definitely there's awareness, as demonstrated when she evades the Poet's embrace and steps over his hands. Also when she returns, it's clear she's seeking him, or something -- she's on a dreadful mission.

James Whiteside was in the audience at NYCB tonight. Hope he was taking notes! ABT has a lot to live up to after NYCB's recent performances of Ballet Imperial.

Couldn't agree more. That was the first thing I checked when I got home. Disappointing!! Whatever my previous favorite ballet was (in truth, it shifts), all I want to see now is Ballet Imperial.

Interesting comment, Dale. I guess, since she's called the Sleepwalker, that does imply she's a real woman, just very very asleep. But don't you think that, given the intensity of the sleep, not to mention her return to find and carry away the Poet, she seems to be supernatural? Curious if you are making this comment based on a reading or understanding of what Balanchine intended, or your own interpretation. I am very intrigued by the question of her nature. She doesn't seem human to me, but I don't really know how to understand her.

AGREE. Whatever ballet is supposed to be, this is it at its glorious best.