NinaFan

1 hour ago, Tapfan said:

Besides, other companies are far more adept at switching to other styles than NYCB. Heck, even a stately old battleship like the Royal is better at dancing in different styles. 

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.

1 hour ago, Helene said:

New York City Ballet and the Balanchine- and Kirstein-led companies -- example, Ballet Caravan -- have always danced more than Balanchine, and have always danced more than Robbins during his stints with the Company. In fact, critics wailed intermittently that Balanchine was over-the-hill and passe, and some later claimed that the modern, forward-thinking Robbins had eclipsed Balanchine, and that Balanchine needed to step aside for other choreographers.   While most of the choreographers were in-house and followed the neoclassical path  -- Taras, Tanner, Christensen, Tomasson, Clifford, Bolender, d'Amboise -- some were in-house and did very different kinds of work, like Ruthanna Boris' "Cakewalk," -- and Ashton and Tudor choreographed for the Company.

Thank you Helene.

21 hours ago, Tapfan said:

With the possible exception of  some pieces by Justin Peck,  many of NYCB's biggest fans and financial supporters are always going to be resistant to  anything that isn't Balanchine or Robbins.   It's as predictable as sand is in the desert that they will resent different  work because it means fewer chances to see even more selections from the prolific works of  B & R.    

What's wrong with staying in your lane?  It's worked for NYCB all these years.  As to the dancers, they didn't become  NYCB dancers because they wanted to dance  Petipa,  Forsythe  or McGregor. 

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. 

On 10/8/2018 at 1:02 AM, balanchinette said:

I, for one, much prefer all Balanchine, or a mix of Balanchine and Robbins, to a mix of Balanchine and new.  It’s so much more rewarding.  I thought peck’s easy really suffered by comparison when it followed the genius allegro brillante.  I find most modern works uninteresting compared to Balanchine, and I definitely avoid all new nights. One exception is DSCH, which I love, but it still wasn’t enough for me to keep my subscription ticket to that program this season, given the other works. So count me as one audience member who would go out of her way to attend an all Balanchine program, but avoid a mixed bill with meh new works.  I’m less likely to want to spend money for only one banchine gem among a slew of blah new works.  And I’ve never been a fan of ballets set to sung lyrics.  I like when the dance speaks, rather than accompanying a song. 

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?    

On 10/3/2018 at 2:02 PM, Kathleen O'Connell said:

I'll feel just awful if you regret it! I think Runaway is the real keeper from the Fall Gala ballets, although Gianna Reisen's new work "Judah" confirms every bit of promise in "Composer's Holiday." I had to keep reminding myself that she's just 19. 

From what I've seen touring the reviews, critical opinion is split on the new Abraham. Marina Harss was mostly positive: http://dancetabs.com/2018/09/new-york-city-ballet-fall-gala-the-exchange-judah-the-runaway-new-york/ It may depend on one's ability to tolerate Kanye.

ETA: I'm not a huge fan of Fearful Symmetries, but the mostly all-debut cast listed for the 10/6 matinee looks mighty interesting.

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!

2 hours ago, Helene said:

Sean Lavery having retired is an interesting way of putting it.

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

15 hours ago, cobweb said:

I felt the same, and also seeing Anthony Huxley paired with Megan LeCrone. But the characters don’t really dance together that much, it’s not like there’s any complex partnering. And I guess they don’t want to be rehearsing two new Effie’s, especially when both King and LeCrone are so good at this role. Who else did it last time? I missed Indiana Woodward’s sylph last time and was sorry she wasn’t cast again. 

I believe Brittany Pollack danced Effie.

26 minutes ago, abatt said:

  I 've seen Boylston's SL twice - once with Gomes, and once with Lendorf.  The one with Gomes was more dramatically incisive than the one with Lendorf.  No surprise there.  Gomes could always improve the performance of his partner by his presence and charisma. As the NY Times wrote about Boylston's  SL with Lendorf, it lacked tragic  dimension.  Boylston's problems with sloppy  upper body ,  neck  and arm positions have not really improved much over the years.  Since upper body beauty are an integral part of the Odette role, Boylston will never be a great interpreter of this role until she can address these problems.  She is more suitable for  whiz bang roles with lots of spinning and jumping,  like Kitri.

 

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.

32 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

I'll feel just awful if you regret it! I think Runaway is the real keeper from the Fall Gala ballets, although Gianna Reisen's new work "Judah" confirms every bit of promise in "Composer's Holiday." I had to keep reminding myself that she's just 19. 

From what I've seen touring the reviews, critical opinion is split on the new Abraham. Marina Harss was mostly positive: http://dancetabs.com/2018/09/new-york-city-ballet-fall-gala-the-exchange-judah-the-runaway-new-york/ It may depend on one's ability to tolerate Kanye.

ETA: I'm not a huge fan of Fearful Symmetries, but the mostly all-debut cast listed for the 10/6 matinee looks mighty interesting.

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. 

10 minutes ago, Barbara said:

I'd rather see Shevchenko or Teuscher get a Manon with Hallberg rather than Boylston.  But if he does indeed do Swan with Boylston I'd give that a go based on reviews. 

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

7 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

I actually liked the new Abraham work a lot, although of course your mileage may vary! It's worth the price of admission just to see Taylor Stanley, but I think it flatters the rest of the cast, too, especially the men. I love the ruffs; I love the headpieces. The only costume I'm iffy on is Ashley Bouder's; it makes her look just a little too much like a fuzzy caterpillar.  

One thing I liked  was the way Abraham interleaved a phrase of not-ballet with a phrase of most-definitely ballet, rather than trying to atom-smash them together into some kind of new dance compound. When the dancers were given ballet steps to do, they by and large got them in complete phrases and did them the way ballet dancers would. And they got real steps: like Pam Tanowitz, Abraham seems to have more respect for the possibilities of petite allegro than Christopher Wheeldon does. The dancers' movement had a different inflection in the not-ballet passages, of course, although it was fun to see a characteristic bit of Abraham resolve into a beautiful, poised croisé. 

Check out the samples on the work's repertory page on the NYCB website: https://www.nycballet.com/season-tickets/18-19-season/winter/feb-10-2019-new-combinations/new-abraham.aspx

They appear to have taken down one of my favorite bits of "flash footage" wherein Roman Mejia unleashes a demented barrage of petite allegro to the equally demented "I Love Kanye."

ETA: I will make every effort to see The Runaway again, although I probably won't get a chance this season, alas. 

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

Just now, abatt said:

Perhaps you can exchange the ticket?

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

17 hours ago, Dancerboy90210 said:

Seems like they're trying to make the Bolyston/Hallberg pairing a new thing, so I wouldn't be surprised if he dances Swan Lake with her. McKenize seems intent on shoving Bolyston, Seo and Copeland down our throats, but they're not international stars (on their abilities alone), not even close. Their trajectories don't seem to indicate the potential to get there. I wouldn't be surprised to see Manon be cast with Bolyston, Seo, Copeland and maybe a guest appearance by Ferri, but no Lane, Abrera, or even Murphy (rather see her get a go at the role, over the other options). 

I used to love the ABT Met Season. International ballet stars performing productions that are vehicles are superstars. Every night was a true "occasion". These productions don't work with two regional level performers (with clearly limited rehearsal time and a limited bench of coaches) and are even worse when they pair an international star, like Hallberg, with someone that isn't anywhere near his level. This mis-sizing/miscasting is more apparently then anywhere, on the Met stage (empty seats, unexcited crowd, Odile's that cannot do 32 foutettes ever, etc.). Certainly not an "occasion".

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.  

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Major program change, folks.  For the Sat Oct 6 matinee, they have replaced the Ratmansky masterpiece Concerto DSCH with the decidedly NON-masterpiece New Kyle Abraham work.  The Concerto DSCH was the main  draw on that program.  (See updated casting sheet posted today.) 

I assume this was necessitated by the firings/resignation/injuries.  It's having a ripple effect.  You can see that the Angle brothers are once again being drafted into additional performances due to lack of available principal men. They still have not figured out yet who will replace Adrian at the DeLuz farewell in Todos Buenos Aires.

Oh, and the casting for This Bitter Earth on that same program is changed from Tiler & Tyler to Reichlin and LaCour.  Glad I decided to skip the Oct 6 matinee.

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.

54 minutes ago, canbelto said:

I was at last night's performance. It was a very long program. It was also Joaquin's last James. Sterling Hyltin was exquisite as the Sylph, and Joaquin clearly was enjoying dancing James for the last time. Only thing was Lauren King was so much taller than Joaquin, Sterling, and Daniel Ulbricht that she towered over all of them. Odd casting choice. NYCB currently has a whole bunch of shorter, sweet-faced girls who could have danced Effie.

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.

59 minutes ago, abatt said:

I was looking at the online program listings (not the casting sheets), and the Allegro Brilliante entry for Oct 2 reads as follows:

 

Music by: Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky

Choreography by: George Balanchine

Principal Casting: SEPT 29 mat, 30 mat: Sara Mearns, Tyler Angle
SEPT 29 eve, OCT 7: Tiler Peck, Roman Mejia* (*first time in role)
OCT 2: Erica Pereira, Anthony Huxley (*first time in role)

 

Since Allegro Brilliante was never scheduled for October 7, is this a typo?  I would be thrilled to see Allegro on Oct 7, so I hope this is not a typo error.

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

3 hours ago, canbelto said:

Speaking of Reichlen I really really miss her as Tall Girl in Rubies. She was sensational every time she did it. I doubt I'll ever see a Tall Girl as amazing as her. 

I second that!

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

4 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I agree that something will be lost, at least to me, if they leave the Met completely. Though I am also in agreement that the Koch is better in some ways for ballet/ABT (better acoustics, fewer seats to sell, etc) there is nothing like the grand and beautiful Met with its red carpeting, spiral staircases, and the star chandeliers that ascend into the ceiling signaling the show is about to start. If they decamp to the Koch and it helps them financially and artistically and keeps them in NYC for a longer season, then I'd have to support it. But, I'd also greatly miss going to the Met for their 8 week extravaganza.

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.

8 hours ago, Helene said:

Hopefully, there will be the same amount of ballet, but distributed differently.  As long as they have a big enough theater, I don't see why the rep would have to change significantly.

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.   

14 hours ago, zerbinetta said:

"The 2019 Paul Taylor American Modern Dance season at Lincoln Center will take place in the Fall of 2019: October 30 - November 17. " quoted from the Taylor website.

 

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. 

4 hours ago, nanushka said:

I completely agree. I've been pretty unexcited about ABT's fall seasons for a number of years now (with certain individual pieces as important exceptions), but this one really hits a new low. Every ballet I want to see is on a program with one or more I really don't want to see. As a result, I'm not going at all. I'll see Symphonie Concertante at City Center and leave it at that. As messed up as NYCB may be, they have many more appealing programs this fall, and a substantially higher standard of performance. TG for them.

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. 

5 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Still no subscription tickets!!! Is anyone else still waiting?

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.

21 hours ago, cobweb said:

For me the highlight of the week, aside from seeing Marcelo Gomes again, was falling in love with Monotones. I had seen it once before, a few years ago with ABT at the Former State Theatre, but it totally failed to make a mark on me - because the hall was too big for it, I was in a bad mood or distracted that night, who knows why. I gather it’s usually done with full orchestra (?). To me the piano was just perfect. What a timeless, beautiful piece. I know I could see it many many times and still find new aspects and depth in it. 

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.