NinaFan

To say NYCB dancers can’t switch between styles is really selling the dancers short. It’s the other way round in that dancers from other companies often have difficulty dancing Balanchine properly. Balanchine and Robbins are not one homogeneous style. They are totally different styles, which NYCB dancers perform exquisitely…. it’s in their DNA. So to say they can’t dance other styles when they’ve been doing it all along is absurd. And this does not even take into account all of the other choreographers who have choreographed for them since their inception. Thank you Helene.

Let us agree to disagree. Count me in as one of NYCB’s biggest fans, plus a member of their guild (that's a financial supporter) for thirty years. What drew me? Balanchine. What keeps me going? Balanchine. As I pointed out in my post, Balanchine is the backbone of the company. If that were to change, I would no longer be attending NYCB performances with such frequency. That being said, I believe that all ballet/dance companies need try out new works, whether they keep them in the rep or not. Dancers need to be stimulated first by their current rep, which you so aptly pointed out as being the main reason why dancers joined NYCB in the first place. But they also need the excitement of having new works done on them. I saw a different side of Taylor Stanley last week in a modern and very different ballet. He was magnificent as was the rest of the cast. Will it stay in the rep? Probably not. The music was not to my taste, but perhaps twenty somethings feel differently. The ballet companies need to bring in new audiences, and if popular music helps, then more power to them. With regard to your comment "What's wrong with staying in your lane? It's worked for NYCB all these years." That's actually not true. They've had plenty of new ballets created on them post Balanchine and Robbins. The bottom line is, we don’t want the company to stagnate. It would save ballet companies tons of money if they just did the same ballets and nothing else. There must be a reason why they try out new works. Paul Taylor saw that coming several years before he died when he opened his company up to other works. Personally, I try to get all Taylor programs, just as I try to get mostly Balanchine and Robbins programs. But I am open to new works, and enjoy the bulk of them, even if it’s to see them only once. This applies to NYCB as well as other ballet/dance companies.

Balanchine was pure genius. And Robbins was absolutely brilliant. You can sit me in front of their works daily and I’ll never tire of them. However, I am still of the opinion that new works need to enter the rep or the company and it's dancers will stagnate. I personally happen to enjoy most of the ballets created by Peck, Wheeldon, and Ratmansky, as well as some of the other lesser known choreographers. I may not always love the music, the costumes, or even the choreography, but I still look forward to seeing new works. Some are gems, most are not. Just this past Saturday I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the new Abraham ballet (Runaway) along with a Peck, Wheeldon and Martins ballet. Yes, the classics of Balanchine are the backbone of NYCB, but why stop there?

Kathleen, I’m so glad I listened to you! The dancing was absolutely spectacular in Runaway, with the entire cast dancing with incredible abandon and yet stunning precision. And as you said, Taylor Stanley’s performance alone was worth the price of admission. WOW! Did he have a solo curtain call at your performance? He did yesterday. I’m guessing his fellow dancers pushed him out in front of the curtain. The audience roared their appreciation! Yes, Fearful Symmetries was very interesting! It’s been a while since I’ve seen the ballet, and I loved every minute of it. With the exception of a few who had danced in it previously, it was mostly debuts from some very talented dancers. The piece has such intense speed that I was exhausted just watching them! It was a terrific performance, and I thank you again for encouraging me to see Runaway!

That's a heck of a mistake! I wonder if a colleague will tell her so she can make a correction.

I believe Brittany Pollack danced Effie.

Yes, I agree that Boylston definitely excels in the whiz bang roles with lots of spinning and jumping. I've found her Swan Lake to improve over the years, with the most recent being this past Spring with Simkin. It's the first time her Odette took on a whole new dimension and actually made me tear up.

Wow, Meagan will definitely be missed! But it's good to hear that she is likely staying on to teach at SAB.

I promise not to hold you responsible! TBH, it's easier to go on Saturday rather than figure out an exchange date. Like many on here, we've already bought our tickets through May. That being said, I'm sure there is something we could slip in should we need to swap.

I'd love to see Shevchenko and/or Teuscher get a Manon with Hallberg as well.

Kathleen - Thank you so much for the great review and links! You convinced me to keep the tickets for Saturday!

Yes, they can be exchanged. I'll go over the schedule and decide by Friday. Thanks for catching the change on the schedule.

I try to avoid what I consider to be lackluster performances as well, but I hardly count Isabella Boylston as a regional level dancer. She has an amazing jump comparable to Osipova, and whips off 32 fouettes without the blink of an eye. Her Odile has always been sensational, and her Odette has now become breathtakingly beautiful.

Arghhhhhhhhhhh! I have tickets for Oct 6, and Concerto DSCH was definitely the draw for me on that program. I have never seen so many program changes. Yes, it does happen once in a long while, but not on this scale.

I saw the same cast on Saturday and thought the performance was danced beautifully. My only complaint is the height issue you mentioned. I thought King did a great job as Effie, but it looked odd to have her towering over the two men. And that little heel on her shoes didn't help.

It looks like they meant to say October 3, not October 7.

I second that!

I haven't seen Harrison Coll cast in anything this season. Has anyone seen him dance?

I love the MET for it's spectacular ambience. But as you say, the Koch is better in so many ways, the most important being the sight lines. I'd hate ABT to leave the MET entirely, but that uninterrupted eight week extravaganza at the MET appears to be out of ABT's hands. We can only hope that they pick up the other three weeks at the Koch, which in my opinion is the next best option.

I agree. And now that Paul Taylor has moved to the Fall, perhaps ABT can take their three week slot at the Koch, take a 2 month break (sounds like NYCB, no?), and then resume at the MET in June for another five weeks. Thank you for posting this! Here I am watching the Koch website for tickets and not even realizing that they moved to the Fall.

I certainly hope that ABT can somehow manage to perform an 8 week season in NY. I'd like to see them start at the MET, and transfer to the Koch for the last three weeks of the season. While the Koch sight lines are significantly better than the MET, the MET's large stage allows them to perform the full lengths without cramming the dancers or staging. That being said the Koch has a big enough stage so that they could still perform some of the full lengths. Of course the Koch has to be available as they do have some guest companies throughout the year.

Ditto. I've been trying to figure out how to squeeze in one decent performance, but it doesn't seem to be working for me either. This is the most lackluster programming I've ever seen. As you say, TG for NYCB.

I would have thought you'd have them by now. I would call the subscription office, and if necessary they can always resend.

OMG! I just saw this topic! As noted, this is a huge blow for the male principals. I was very excited that Ramasar was returning from his stint on Broadway. Fingers crossed that we still see him this coming Winter season.

I'm in total agreement. I used to try to avoid the ballet at ABT, but Sarasota Ballet really did the ballet justice. I can't remember if it's usually done with full orchestra, but I loved it with the piano.