KarenAG

I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle injury, canbelto. Here’s hoping your recovery speeds up. I’m sure it’s very demoralizing. Thank you for your interesting thoughts!

This is a fun topic and I’m glad it was revived! My love of ballet began in the summer of 1980 when my future husband took me on two dates to see NYCB at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. I was 24 years old and hadn’t experienced much ballet at all up until then. How I wish I had kept my programs! The first date included Scotch Symphony and I do believe Suzanne Farrell danced the lead role. I was enchanted, I tell you! The second performance we saw that summer was Midsummer Night’s Dream and Patricia McBride danced Titania. Talk about being enchanted! And gobsmacked! I’d never in my young ladyship seen anything like it. Well, I was hooked and thus began my ballet education and long devotion to and love for the New York City Ballet. Over the next few summers I was to experience many of Balanchine’s, and Robbins’, essential works. So the five critical ballets in my life were: Scotch Symphony MSN’sD Apollo (the old version, I think, before Mr. B changed the choreography to eliminate the staircase and other elements) Concerto Barocco and the Balanchine ballet closest to my heart, Symphony in C. I will never forget the first time I saw it. It was so thrilling and it was danced so perfectly, I nearly wept. I must also add a sixth, Mr. B’s one-act Swan Lake. Such a distilled beauty. For many years, the only company I saw was NYCB at SPAC in the summer, and, except for taking some adult ballet classes and reading a ballet history or two, that was my dance education. I was going to college, working, and other life experiences took center stage. I felt blessed knowing that this great company was in my proverbial backyard each summer, and, at that time, that was enough. Fast forward to the 2000’s and I had 1. the opportunity to see more ballet, 2. the time and maturing interest to broaden my dance education through acquiring books not available in the library, and 3. the ability to learn ALOT through the internet, most importantly and critically, on YouTube, especially Russian and Soviet ballet. And I began to acquire a video and book ballet library, which gives me great pleasure. So I think of my ballet education and enthusiasm in two distinct parts. As such, I must add five more ballets that were critical in making me the ballet-lover I am today. Swan Lake (full-length - Russian performances on video, American stagings [NYCB, ABT] live). The Nutcracker The Sleeping Beauty (Royal Ballet and Russians on video, NYCB live). Serenade The Firebird - NYCB’s. Giselle (ABT’s live, especially Xiomara Reyes and Sarah Lane; Ballet Nacional de Cuba live; Royal Ballet and Dutch National Ballet on DVD, and all sorts of video clips on YouTube, especially Maximova and Vasiliev).

Thank you so much, dirac.

Great post, Cristian! Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to our BA community who celebrate today. Now that I’m retired, I hope to post more than I have these past two or so years. Enjoy! Karen

mille-feuille, I’m cracking up! GOAT. And I completely agree with that. I saw Tiler perform Dewdrop a few years ago and she was fabulous.

Greetings, Canbelto, I hope your recovery is speedy. Thank you for this, it will be great Sat morning reading with a cup of coffee. Rest in Peace, Ms. Alonso.

Thank you, Nina. I haven’t been on BA, either, as I was out of the country. I appreciate uour responding to me.

Why, NinaFan? Is ABT’s Met season shortening?

Exactly! I didn’t get ANY email.

Thank you, FPF. I’m worried about that, too, even said it to my husband at dinner when I heard of the cancellation. I only found out because my friend texted me. Wasn’t listening to the news, but when the six o’clock news was on TV, all I heard (I admit I was only listening with half an ear) was about the race track being closed. But by then I’d already heard about SPAC. It would have been brutal for the dancers. I imagine it’s terrible tonight. But no email to subscribers? I get emails from SPAC every day!

Thank you for your reviews, FPF. I so wish I went up to SPAC tonight. I’m glad you enjoyed it and happy to hear about Megan’s and Anthony’s great dancing.

Just want to weigh in on the one program I saw on Tues opening night and Thu matinee. I really enjoyed all three ballets and I enjoyed seeing them twice, which occurs with frequency at SPAC now due to the very short residency at SPAC. I agree with FNP about Elizebeth Sobol. She seems to have no interest in ballet and her comments were perfunctory. And why didn’t Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan come out and welcome the season? It was very disappointing. Is anyone having the feeling I am having? Is this the end of a 50+ year privilege? I couldn’t help but think this with the lukewarm welcome our beautiful company received. The audience was responsive, I’m happy to say. I was in the balcony Tues and in the Orchestra on Thu. I think I got more out of seeing Serenade these two times more than ever. I’ve seen it a number of times but it was very special to me this week. I was in awe of the patterns and choreography. My eyesight plays tricks on me, though. Was Lauren Lovette Waltz Girl? And Megan LeCrone the Dark Angel? Likewise, Mozartiana. What a complex and provocative ballet. I love the choreography in this ballet, too. The three leads were terrific and Sarah’s Preghiera was full of drama and gravitas, beautifully danced. Daniel ‘s Gigue, the Menuet and T and V were wonderful, too. I had never seen Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto #2! I just loved it. Although I read Nancy Goldner’s essay AFTER seeing both performances (kicking myself that I didn’t read it BEFORE), I appreciate the Petipa homage and traditional choreography, ala Balanchine. The dancing was terrific (the dancing the whole evening was terrific, in my opinion) and Tess Reichlen and Russell Janzen were just fabulous. The orchestra sounded great and I love the acoustics at SPAC. All in all, a great evening and afternoon, despite the heat. And a tribute to the variety and genius that is George Balanchine. On that note, I’m very sad about tomorrow, both for the dancers and for the attendees. I wish I’d known earlier that tomorrow was being cancelled; I think I’d have jumped in the car and driven up for tonight ‘s Coppelia. So I probably won’t see NYCB’s Coppelia for a long time. So sad. Did anyone get an email from SPAC re the cancelled performance? I didn’t.

My husband and I are saying the same thing. This has never happened before. We are very sad and we were attending, but it’s better to be safe.