NinaFan

I attended Saturday’s matinee and enjoyed the entire program. I loved Justin Peck’s new work. Lots of fun, very musical and danced to perfection by two extraordinary dancers. I thought the ball set the mood for the playfulness between Peck and Mejia. I can’t wait to see them in Other Dances.

I haven’t seen In Creases in a while, and it was interesting to see how far Peck has come as a choreographer. I’ve always liked his work, and at least to me, he keeps getting more and more creative and interesting.

Fairchild and Huxley were exquisite in Rubies, and Nadon just blew me away, but then she always does.

While not my favorite, the new piece by Garner was good and I could easily see it again. Ditto as others have mentioned at the other performances in that they made an announcement about Garbriel dancing, but made no mention that Stanley would not be dancing.

14 minutes ago, California said:

I've been to Philadelphia and the Academy/Doubletree many times in recent years (conferences and ballets). To your questions:

(1)  30th street station: always a long line of taxis waiting. No problem getting one. They all take credit cards. 

(2) Academy of Music/Doubletree: I don't actually remember seeing taxis after a performance and there's no official queue. But Uber drivers hover all around Center City as there are so many hotels. I'd suggest calling one from inside the Academy/Doubletree after the performance. On a recent trip, I got one at 6 am at the Doubletree for the trip back to the airport and many were in the neighborhood. 

(3) Suburban station: don't be tempted to continue over to Suburban Station by City Hall if you're coming in by train or plane. I made that mistake once - no cabs stop during the day. I ended up wheeling a suitcase over to Broad Street. Ugh!

(4) Ground from the airport: I didn't mention this before, but the city has a great Regional Rail Service from the airport to 30th Street Station. Buy the ticket with a credit card ($6.75) before you board. Clearly marked outside the baggage claim area.

That's great information and I thank you so much for taking the time to provide it. I really appreciate it. Can't wait to see the Philadelphia Ballet!

17 hours ago, California said:

Cab fare from 30th Street station to the Academy of Music is about $10, depending on traffic.  https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Philadelphia

It's possible to do that on the subway, but I wouldn't recommend it. I was at a conference recently at the Doubletree (across the street from the Academy of Music). These were the subway instructions they gave us:

• From 30th Street Train Station via subway: take the Market-Frankford subway line east to 15th St. Free Transfer to Broad St line south. Exit Walnut/Locust. Hotel is one block south on Broad Street. Fare: $2.50 (cash only-exact fare) https://www.septa.org/maps/

17 hours ago, cobweb said:

Yes, it’s a short Lyft ride. I also wanted to mention that there are some very inexpensive bus options (megabus, Peter Pan/greyhound) for travel between NY and Philly. It tends to take a little longer than the train and is prone to getting caught up in traffic. But if you leave yourself ample time to account for that, you can save a bundle over Amtrak. 

Thank you so much California and cobweb. I'd prefer to do a cab each way. I assume it's easy enough to find a cab at the train station, but my biggest concern is getting a cab back to the station. Do they have a organized queue at the theater at the end of the performance? 

Last time we went to KC we stayed overnight (to maximize performances of course) and left for home directly from the matinee and there was a problem with little to no cabs showing up in the KC queue. There might have been something going on in DC that day as there weren't even any cabs by the Watergate where we've found them before.  Anyway, we took the metro which requires one change and just made our train.  I'm hoping it's easier in Philly.

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment" and the inevitable "Swan Lake" with maybe another classical ballet?  I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet".  "Don Quixote"?  That would have some variety.

I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season.

Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep.  They need to do some classics like "Don Quixote" or a new "Coppelia" at the State Theater.

Agreed.  At least NYCB is bringing back Coppelia next year. 

4 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

......It’s a very quick cab ride!

Thank you!

I totally agree with everyone about the disappointing programming at ABT. I used to look forward to multiple performances of ballets such as Bayadere, Corsaire, Don Q, Manon, etc. but now we seem to get almost the same rotation of ballets each year, plus a couple of new ballets which seem to have little dancing and way too much story. I still have a subscription but only because they've made it so easy to exchange online. That being said there is so little to exchange into these days. How many KM Swan Lakes can one see year after year?  And I’m not too enamored with the mostly repetitive Koch performances either. 

I’ve only seen Philadelphia Ballet once at the Joyce shortly after Angel became AD so it is time to start going to Philly. Been to KC quite a few times, so Philly seems like a bargain in travel time.  I plan to see at least see Corsaire and La Sylphide/Etudes.

5 hours ago, nysusan said:

Philly is a 90 minute train ride from NY, with easy access to the Academy of Music and 2 hotels across the street. I saw their Modern Masters program last month and was very impressed. I've already ordered a Saturday matinee sub. They are doing 4 programs - Corsaire, Swan Lake, La Sylphide/Etudes and a modern program. They let you exchange a program up front so I swapped the modern program for a Saturday night Corsaire. They also give you 1 free ticket so I used it for the Sat night La Sylphide program.

 

nysusan - The subscription sounds like a great deal!  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music?  Thank you.

8 hours ago, meunier fan said:

A query if I might about the ABT Fall Season at State Theater.  Does anyone know if this ALWAYS follows immediately on from the finish of the NYCB Fall Season.  I know it did last year - but just want to check if this is always the case.  I'm a dedicated NYCB fan and attend the majority of performances but live in London.  I've just set my dates/plans out for the NYCB '24/25 season and thought I would stay on a week after the Fall '24 season end to catch ABT - but want to make sure that it is in fact the week following so i don't mis-book my flight/accommodation dates.  Grateful for your kind advice.

Yes, ABT’s fall season always follows NYCB, but as California noted above, it’s not a guarantee until it’s announced. There is a general inquiry form, e-mail address and phone number where you can contact ABT directly for general questions. I posted the link below. Hopefully they will be nice enough to confirm the dates so you could make your flight arrangements. 

https://www.abt.org/contact/general-inquiries/

23 minutes ago, Dale said:

....Andrew Vedette is retiring. I must have missed that announcement. I think he's been dancing as well as he ever has. I will miss him. 

Just got my subscription renewal notice and noticed that Veyette is retiring.  I didn't know about this either.  As you say, he's been dancing well and I'll miss him too. 

I also find it extremely puzzling that NYCB would choose to rename Tzigane with the exact name of an earlier Balanchine work to yet a different composer.  It can only lead to confusion for ballet aficionados and ballet/classical music historians.  I found a couple of museums that still refer to Errante in their archives, this is one of them….

20 hours ago, ksk04 said:

We'll understand more about the ordering after the first night. I'll try to fill us in on who is actually who with what we get in the program notes!

Thank you!  Have a great time tonight!

Looks like the tickets are selling well now.  Looking forward to everyone's reviews.

On 4/4/2024 at 7:04 PM, Marta said:

“Peter Martins ran NYCB for 35 years, the same tenure as Balanchine.”

• That bothered me too.  It sounds so petty.  I will read the book if's available at my library.

 

Most of you seem so excited to read the book, but some of you can’t even get past a one liner bio/description of the author which happens to be factual. It does not equate Martins to the esteemed genius of Mr. B.  I can’t imagine that anyone would dare to liken them.

It is a fact that Martins ran the company for 35 years which just happens to be the same amount of time as Mr. B.  Why is it a crime to acknowledge his tenure?  He kept NYCB and SAB going strong for another 35 years. If you think that’s easy, just look across the plaza to ABT to see how poor management can turn a world class ballet company into a shadow of its former self. 

21 hours ago, FPF said:

The NYT has a new "Speaking in Dance" on the solo from Ratmansky's Solitifude with Joseph Gordon. Hope this free link works:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/25/arts/dance/nyc-ballet-ukraine-solo.html?ugrp=m&unlocked_article_code=1.fk0.iJYv.NEgTrk_9l-_s&smid=url-share

I'm happy to have seen this since I haven't seen the ballet yet, but not a fan of this new format for Speaking In Dance where the dance is chopped up into individual clips rather than a single, continuous performance. I would also have preferred to see Gordon's entire body--there are a number of shots that cut off his legs. 

Thank you for posting, but oh my goodness, I totally agree with you.  Why would they chop up the ballet into bits like that?   That's fine if you want to analyze and write an essay, but the interruptions destroy the continuity and make it impossible to enjoy the solo. 

51 minutes ago, California said:

Rehearsal clips of Aran and Chloe in White Swan. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4-k4r6A8T5/

Thank you for posting!

On 3/25/2024 at 4:02 PM, Anthony_NYC said:

There's a substantial excerpt in The New Criterion.

Thank you so much for posting.   Can't wait to read the entire book!

16 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I worry the same about Jake Roxander and many of them!

Me too.  It wasn't that long ago that very some talented soloists and corps dancers did just that when they got tired of being overlooked for promotion.  Not having opportunities for a dancer to dance just puts the icing on the cake.

Like others, I wish I could see much more of Bell.  He was dancing frequently until the MET season was reduced by almost half.  I just hope he isn’t tempted to leave ABT.  I honestly can’t see how a young dancer with such outstanding technical and artistic ability would want to stay at a company with limited opportunities to dance.

22 hours ago, TheAccidentalBalletomane said:

I have been watching ABT carefully for about 12 years as a fan, seeing full ABT ballets and performances live at the MET and other Lincoln Center venues, City Center, etc... during that time.  While I am not an x-dancer and do not have the language to describe or best critique as many of you, the nuances of talent and individual performances...

For the future, it seems to me that Bell and Roxander are the two up and comers.  I see Bell dancing with all the principals but a great deal with Hurlin and I see Roxander perhaps matching up with Brandt after Cornejo retires..... 

Don’t sell yourself short.  Knowing the correct ballet vocabulary is not a requirement for enjoying ballet.  You know what you like and you obviously have a good eye.

However I disagree that Bell should be considered an up and comer when he has already more than proven himself in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Don Q, Sleeping Beauty etc.  He is at the height of his career, and I doubt many would disagree that he is the best male principal at ABT right now.  

As an aside, I’ve been following him since he was about 14 years old when he guested in a local ballet school’s  Nutcracker and danced just about every other role.  He blew me away then, and has continued to blow me away since joining ABT.  I was beside myself when he joined ABT and often found myself watching him instead of the principal dancers.  But fortunately, it wasn’t long before he began dancing principal roles himself.  

Can anyone tell me how long this program runs?  NYCB says 2:10, but sometimes they're off ....

Thanks!

45 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Posting an update on Whiteside’s injury here as it may affect the Met season.

He says in the video below that he has a cyst on his ACL and that he doesn’t need surgery. Not sure when he’ll be back dancing. More details in the video.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3-pOT4OgkM/?igsh=MTN5Y2FycTIzeDM1eQ==

Thanks so much for posting!

17 hours ago, Fernie M said:

Is Roman Mejia replaced?

NYCB posted the revised casting sheet online, and it still shows Mejia for Sat mat

18 hours ago, MJ said:

I notice the ABT gala will NOT be at the Met.

it will be at a fancy catering hall on 42nd street.

Wow, that is sound weird.  I wonder what kind of actual dancing can be done in a catering hall....

16 hours ago, California said:

Thanks for these reports on Chloe and Aran. I opted for NYCB this week, but hope to see them at the Met this summer. I am struck by the fact that they are performing once this week and won't do this ballet again until July! Meanwhile, NYCB principals are each  performing several times this week, in different ballets. I just have to wonder about how ABT principals feel about such limited opportunities on stage! It must be very frustrating. 

I considered going to KC to see Chloe and Aran as well.  I already ordered my tickets to see them at the MET this summer.  I agree that it is a wonder how ABT dancers can manage with such limited opportunities to dance at ABT.   Like you, I've been enjoying NYCB.  Just one more week of the winter season left,  but at least we don't have a long wait for their spring season. 

26 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Whiteside is now out with another knee injury (not the knee he injured a few years ago). I hope it’s not serious and he recovers in time for the Met season. But, they really need to get Curley rehearsing Siegfried etc as a possible replacement (he deserves to be cast in any case).

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3xopOqOu6z/?igsh=c3ZlM3NuMW1nOGVj

Thank you for posting.  I am so upset for Whiteside as he's been through so much injury already.  Like you, I hope it is not serious and that he recovers in time for the MET season.

1 hour ago, balletlover08 said:

I went to the Misseldine/Bell matinee yesterday here are my thoughts! Warning it may be a little long because this was my first time at the ballet(not including local companies Nutcracker) and I was just so impressed by everything?  I guess you can take my words with a grain of salt but I did travel to see it and I would absolutely travel again if the performance is this magnificent. Over the last few years, I have watched a ton of swan lake on YouTube from different companies but seeing in person is an EXPERIENCE. 

General thoughts, Kennedy center was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the hall of states, I felt tiny walking there. The sightline from my seat in Terrace Two was wonderful! I could see everything on stage clearly albeit from a Birds Eye view. It did give me a good sense of who dances big and who dances small. Coming from the classical music world I’m used to not clapping until the very end while ballet audiences seem to clap for everything: seeing the main character *clap*, the end of a variation *clap*, fouettes *clap*, pas de deux *clap*. It's fine when the dancers stop and bow but I feel like sometimes it's distracting when the dancers are still dancing and there’s no real break. I think the dancers do appreciate it though as I think the claps give them confidence. A lot of people there had no idea who was dancing, what the ballet was called or what company it was. They just showed up for a good time and luckily they enjoyed it and I heard a lot of them say they would be back. Most didn’t even realize that Chloe was debuting; they thought she was seasoned which is a high compliment in itself. 

Overall, the corps were in fine form here. They danced very well together especially in act II. Pas de Trois was Pauline Waski, Sierra Armstrong and Kento Sumitami. I felt that Kento stole the show and he definitely got the loudest applause up to that point. Sierra did well in her variation, nice turns! Pauline though seemed like she wasn’t getting a lot of oomph in her jumps and it just felt flat through her variation and her part of the pas de trois. 

I think Act II was my favorite. The corps de ballet, the white swan pas de deux ugh I could cry from the drama of it all. I am a fan of angst and these two delivered that. I thought the two of them had great chemistry and sold the story well. They are very evenly matched both technically and emotionally. The lifts in the pas de deux were magnificent, she seemed to float in the air for an extended time, heard lots of gasps in the audience and they also did supported pirouettes that seemed ages long. Also, Chloe has great arabesques, she really knows how to make them a moment and essentially freezes at the pinnacle. Cast her immediately in anything that requires lots of arabesques. Being tall, she has beautiful lines and a great port de bras. I didn't notice too many broken wrist moments but I might have been too far to see clearly. 

Her Odile was good too! Quite sultry and confident. She has a queenly demeanor to her and that was evident in her Odile. She was confident and assertive and one can easily see why Siegfried gets duped. I think she did a triple into a double attitude in her solo and it was done well. The fouettes were fine, traveled forward but stayed on beat and finished well. I didn't count but she filled out the beats to applause so good enough for me. I do think she was exhausted by the time she got to the fouettes so I was happy just to see them done! 

Jarod Curley did a fabulous job as Purple Rothbart. He had the audience eating out of his palms in the first few seconds of being on stage. He has natural comedic timing and his acting was perfect. Even from way up high, it was easy to understand. He also looked so very tall and princely, when will he be cast as Prince Siegfried? 

Act IV surprised me because I really enjoyed it. That final pas de deux between Odette and Siegfried almost made me cry because I knew the end was coming and it was like their final dance together. And then the jump into the lake (I think it's the lake they are jumping into right?) and then the reflection of them in the sun with the corps in front almost made me tear up. Maybe because this was my first swan lake but it just really hit me. 

Both Chloe and Aran received tons of well deserved applause and Chloe looked almost overwhelmed by it all at the curtain call. What a magnificent debut and I have no regrets about traveling to see it. It fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine to see Swan Lake in person so I am extremely satisfied. I am hoping to get to the Met in future seasons, if every cast danced like this I would see Swan Lake yearly. 

What a lovely write up from someone going to their first professional ballet performance.   I'm glad you had a great time! 

I  agree that it's fine (and expected) to clap when the dancers stop and bow, but it is VERY distracting when the dancers are still dancing and there’s no real break.  It totally breaks the spell! 

I hope you can get to NY someday to see performances during ABT's MET season.   But don't assume that every cast will dance and act as magically as Chloe and Aran as they won't.  Continue to choose your casts carefully.

Thanks again for your first timer review of Swan Lake and KC!