1 hour ago, fondoffouettes said:

If being a competent choreographer or dancer were a prerequisite for offering criticism, then I wouldn't have a right to say much of anything.

I, too, enjoyed La Sylphide, but part of what made it successful was that Martins didn't try to put his own stamp on the Bournonville choreography. He said as much himself in the ballet's program notes, quoted in this article from DanceTabs:

"In the program notes, Martins points out that he didn’t make any changes to Bournonville’s version of the ballet: 'There is virtually nothing of me in the production. I simply went back to the essential La Sylphide. This is the Romantic ballet that I was brought up on; this is Bournonville as I know it,' adding that his only change was the elimination of the intermission between the first and second acts."

While I don't enjoy the fast pacing and cuts of his Sleeping Beauty, that's another one where he's mostly stuck with traditional choreography (with the added bonus of the Balanchine Garland Waltz).

I don't mean to be hateful toward an entire body of work; I just sincerely believe that most dance critics and audience members wouldn't miss Martins' works if they were removed from the rep., provided that R&J and Swan Lake were replaced with new versions. (I don't count Sleeping Beauty and Sylphide among the full-lengths that should be replaced; they have so little of Martins' own original choreography in them, especially La Sylphide.)

You have every right to offer criticism.  One does not need be a choreographer or dancer to be a critic, and I did not mean to imply otherwise.  What I was really commenting on was that you feel all of his work should be removed, and thus presumed just about everyone agrees with you.  And since I am quite happy with Martins’ versions, I am just voicing that I am one of those people who does not want his ballets removed from the rep.  Interestingly your recent response implies that you now don’t include Sleeping Beauty and La Sylphide for removal because he mostly stuck with traditional choreography? 

Thank you for the interesting link on La Sylphide.  The article also says  “Martins not only removes the intermission, thus shortening the performance time, he also accelerates the pace of the events. It feels as if the story rushes at you with a kind of animated vigor, acquiring a comic spirit in the process. In fact, in this production, a chain of misfortunes that occur to the young James feels less like a drama and more like a comedy, albeit with an unfortunate, tragic end. As such, the production, danced to perfection on both nights I attended, is stimulating and utterly entertaining but devoid of any sense of Romantic poetry, nuance and nostalgia.”   

While the above changes may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are indeed changes to the production.  And quite honestly, I prefer the original more Romantic version, but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy Martins’ as well.  Ditto on Sleeping Beauty, which as you mentioned earlier, has similar cuts and fast pacing.   I personally like the fast pacing, but not the cuts.  But it still doesn’t stop me from enjoying it.  I see other versions elsewhere.  I can never get enough ballet, and I don’t have to settle for just the one version. 

I understand you wanting to see different versions of Swan Lake and R&J at NYCB, just as I’d like to see ABT replace their Swan Lake.  But what you seem to forget is that NYCB had no full length Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, or Romeo & Juliet until Martins added them.  Give the man some credit.

11 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Yes, but hopefully the new AD will have the sense to replace Martins' awful full-lengths with more palatable versions.

Let's face it -- if all of Martins' works were effaced from NYCB's repertoire, almost no one would miss them. 

 

I'd miss Martins' works.  What a shame that you detest his choreography so much.  While he is not Balanchine,  I think he’s done especially well with his full length ballets.  I find myself already missing his La Sylphide, which only ran for a short time.  As far as his one act ballets, those are more hit and miss, but there are a number which I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years.  Unless you can choreograph better yourself, best not to throw such hateful stones at an entire body of work.

I’ve seen many performances of R&J over the past thirty years.  Most were MacMillan’s version at ABT and Royal Ballet,  which continues to be my favorite version.   Having said that, I feel there’s always room for new versions of any ballet, just like there’s room for new flavors of ice cream. 

I found Saturdays’ matinee of R&J with Hyltin and Coll to be the better of the two casts I saw this week.   Sterling and Harrison had wonderful chemistry, which seemed to grow even more by the second act.  Both danced with technical precision and intense passion.  Their death scene left me drained and in tears.  As always, Ulbricht’s Mercutio was spectacular, as was the rest of the cast.  Apparently the audience loved the performance as well, as they gave a much deserved standing ovation.  The house appeared to be sold out or close to it, with people even sitting in the fifth ring.  

I saw McRae dance in Don Q and Giselle and adored him in both. 

22 hours ago, nanushka said:

 

Did anyone make it out to Port Washington to see any of Veronika's performances in Nutcracker this week? I'd love to hear any reports!

I was hoping to report on this, but we wound up skipping the performance at the last minute due to the lousy weather.  It didn’t help that we’re unfamiliar with the area, and weren’t sure how far we’d have to park from the venue and walk in the pouring rain.  Of course, now we’re sorry that we missed it. 

4 hours ago, nanushka said:

Three performances with the Fadeyev Ballet (directed by the Vaganova-trained Yaroslav Fadeyev) in Port Washington on Dec 22-23; tickets available here.

 

Thank you nanushka!  I just ordered tickets!

15 hours ago, Royal Blue said:

Last evening I attended the first of the all-Balanchine repertory programs performed at DHK Theater in a while, consisting of Square Dance, La Valse and Cortège Hongrois. The last two are not even commonly considered among his best works. Let there be no mistake: I am awed and humbled by the stupendous beauty of Balanchine’s choreography and the way today’s NYCB artists performed it.

 

 

Cortege Hongrois is actually one of "my" personal favorites.  I'll never forget the first time I saw the ballet with then corps member Damian Woetzel.  He totally blew me away.   Anyway,  I'm so glad you enjoyed  the program.  I'm looking forward to seeing it next week.

On 10/4/2017 at 1:13 PM, fondoffouettes said:

Well, I'm going to the matinee on 10/14 and the seating prices are similar. It must be dynamic pricing, right? 

$185 is the regular price for NYCB's best orchestra seats.  I've never seen dynamic pricing at NYCB, however it is standard practice when ABT performs at the MET.

I guess to each his/her own.  I'm actually very excited about the new ballet. 

15 hours ago, canbelto said:

http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/SubscriptionDocuments/3517-FY18-FallCalendar_V18.pdf

 

How strange.  When I click on your link, I get Duo at the end of the program.  When I access the pdf directly from NYCB's website I get Duo sandwiched between two ballets.   The only difference I can see in the URL is that the one below appears to be version V19.  Could that have superseded V18?

http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/SubscriptionDocuments/3517-FY18-FallCalendar_V19.pdf

18 minutes ago, cobweb said:

If anyone notices the 4th ring being opened for ticket sales for either performance (Oct 14 matinee and Oct 15 matinee), please post or PM me. 

Looks like Fourth Ring rows A and B just opened for Sunday, Oct 15. 

I just received an e-mail from NYCB as follows:

Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin in Duo Concertant

In celebration of Robert's NYCB career, Peter Martins has added Duo Concertant to the All Balanchine program on the final two matinees of the fall, where Robert is scheduled to appear alongside Principal Dancer Sterling Hyltin. We anticipate high demand for these performances, and we encourage you to purchase tickets now if you would like to be in attendance. 

We hope you’ll join us in thanking Robert for sharing his extraordinary talent while at NYCB, and in wishing him the best as he moves on to the next phase of his career.

19 minutes ago, nanushka said:

 

Duo Concertant was not originally planned to be part of that program; they must have added it especially for him.

 

Yes, I agree that they must have added it for him.   I didn't even realize that it wasn't part of the original program until you mentioned it.  

I can't say it is a total surprise either, but I had hoped he'd do a few more seasons before a total departure.  I'm so glad that I already have tickets for one of his last performances. 

Per today's NY Times, Robert Fairchild is leaving NYCB.  His final performances are the matinees of Oct. 14 and 15, dancing “Duo Concertant,” with Sterling Hyltin.  I am so upset.  First Simkin at ABT, and now Robbie! 

I am so upset about Simkin's departure.  Since this is effective for 2018/2019, I am keeping my fingers crossed that he dances a full 2018 MET season.  I was looking at the Staatballett Berlin website, and it looks like their spring seasons overlap, so I don't know how much he would/could be available to dance at ABT.   

Ditto.  I agree about it being really creepy.

11 minutes ago, nysusan said:

They actually sent an email with casting for the full Swan Lake run. This is the browser version - casting

I just got an e-mail with the casting as well!  I'm so excited!

On 9/3/2017 at 3:32 PM, audreydoll said:

Sara Mearns posted on instagram that she is dancing on opening night, Sept 19.  Her other dates are Sept 23 matinee and Sept 30 evening.

Thanks for the update!  I have tickets for one of those performances.   I've been checking NYCB website daily, but they haven't posted any  castings yet.   Can't wait for the Fall season!

On 8/26/2017 at 2:02 PM, Kathleen O'Connell said:

 

Sigh. This is a tough one. I despise Martins' Swan. First and foremost, it's an ugly production - any eyesore pure and simple.

 

In any event, I've vowed to stay away from this production until Martins decides to stop casting Von Rothbart with dancers of color. 

 

 

What a shame that you hate the production so much.  Of course to each his own, but I guess I don’t understand your comment with regard to Von Rothbart.  If you are skipping NYCB’s Swan Lake because of Von Rothbart casting, then I have to assume that you also skip ABT’s Swan Lake.   Just for the record, it was an absolute joy to see ABT’s Calvin Royal III dancing Von Rothbart this year.  He’s a handsome and thrilling dancer.  I can’t wait to see more of him dancing lead roles. 

In the meantime,  I am going through ballet withdrawal, and look forward to NYCB's fall season, which for me, includes Martins Swan Lake. 

On 8/26/2017 at 1:10 PM, Barbara said:

I saw Reichlin/Jantzen do the Balanchine one act Swan last winter season and they brought me to tears. I don't know if I can bring myself to see the Martin's Swan. I suppose if I sat through the Bolshoi's I should give the Martin's a try. Thoughts?

I wouldn’t miss Swan Lake.  While it is not my favorite production, ABT and the Bolshoi’s Swan Lakes have their problems as well.   At least with NYCB, you can always count on seeing outstanding dancers at every performance.  Sure, I prefer some dancers over others, but I never have to worry about getting stuck getting with “Cast D”.  NYCB is chock full of remarkable dancers these days.

9 hours ago, Drew said:

 

...If the Bolshoi brings a Grigorovich ballet that isn't Spartacus to NY anytime soon, please let it NOT be Ivan the Terrible. Golden Age with its fantastic score or Legend of Love would--for my taste--be greatly preferable. And the last two named also have great roles for two different ballerinas.  Always a plus!

I would love to see the Golden Age and Legend of Love !!!!!!  I remember Ivan the Terrible, not so much for it's score, but for it's high drama.  But I'd take Golden Age over it any day.  And you are so right about great roles for two ballerinas!  So I second your nominations of both ballets!!!!!  Bolshoi Ballet, are you listening? 

I saw Taming of the Shrew on Sunday.   Since there were so many negative reviews on BA, my expectations were pretty low.  But I figured that if the ballet wasn’t any good, at least I was getting to see some top Bolshoi dancers.  Well, I seem to be in the minority here, as I thought the ballet was witty and entertaining!  We had a magnificent cast which included Krysanova, Lantratov, Smirnova, and Chudin.   The women were great, and OMG what a wonderful group of male dancers doing impressively high leaps and fast turns. 

This ballet is apparently not everyone’s cup of tea (okay, pun intended re: the ballet’s cute take on two for tea), but I enjoyed the ballet so much that I actually hated to see it end.  If you want to see this story as Shakespeare intended, then go to see the play, but if you want to see a fun ballet, with lots of great dancing, then you can’t go wrong with this top Bolshoi cast in Taming.   And I loved the music.

Sure, I’d like to see them bring Spartacus, Don Q, Ivan the Terrible , etc. next time, but I am soooo glad I didn’t miss this! 

KarenAG - Thank you for sharing!  I'm going through NYCB withdrawal, and have to wait until September when they're back at the Koch.  We came close to going to Saratoga for a few days, and after reading your reviews, wish we had. 

Enjoy the rest of the performances, and please continue to share your reviews!

15 minutes ago, nanushka said:

I think this is the first year in quite some time that I have felt that every promotion given was exactly the right move.

Me too!  I can't stop screaming and clapping!

Congrats to Sarah, Devon, Christine and Calvin! The promotions are so well deserved! I'm so happy for all four of them!  Like others on here, I was also hoping that Gabe would finally get soloist this year.