bobbi

I voted No. 2. I prefer programming done the way it was in Balanchine's day, that is, ballet was served up as a complete meal: appetizer, meat and potatoes and then dessert. Appetizers would be Serenade, Raymonda, La Source, Scotch, etc; meat & potatoes would be Agon, the Violin Concerto, M/M, Four Temperments, or any other "black & white"; dessert would be Symphony in C, Who Cares, Vienna, etc. This type of program was good for both newbies and old timers. The current theme programs, particularly the black & white evenings or the Greek evening -- as E. Johnson pointed out -- are not good for newcomers. You need to have the audience walk out -- if not snapping its fingers -- at least with a sense of joy and wanting to come back for more. There have been recent evenings that have ended with Episodes!! Are they trying to drive people out of the theater? The themes are thought up, I think, by people who don't actually go to the ballet. After a hard day at the office, you don't necessarily want three "serious" ballets -- no matter how great they may be.

I'll just add a "me too" to the bravas for Ashley's Rubies. I didn't think she could top the debut on Saturday evening, but she did. Tess Reichlin was also spectacular this afternoon. And it's good to see Ben dancing so well, after his injuries. The high point of today's Emeralds was Jeny Ringer and Jonathan Stafford in the "walking pas." It was just heavenly dancing. But I would like to see Ashley back in Emeralds -- and then maybe do Rubies -- and then tackle Diamonds (if the powers that be let her). If anyone asks, "what was the highlight of the season," for me it was any time Ashley Bouder was dancing. One of the second highlights would be the artistic the growth of both the Staffords. In a marvelous Raymonda yesterday, Abi was just delightful. I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms already. . .

When Ashley and Andrew graduated from SAB seven years, I was so enthused about their performance that I dreamed of all the roles I wanted to see them in together. Well, last night one of my ballet dreams came true: Ashey and Andrew in Raymonda. Both of them gave a polished fabulous performance. Yes, of course, you expect pyrotechnics from both of them, but each just grows exponentially in artistry. Each of their solos was slightly better than their partnering together. But, don't forget, this ballet has some tricky partnering (perhaps all Balanchine has tricky partnering), so the next performance will be super perfection. I saw details in the choreography that I hadn't seen in thirty years -- all due to Ashley's phrasing. And Andrew's cabrioles were gravity-defying. This second cast with the demis needs a little more rehearsal: there was some bumping into each other in the coda and the demis didn't even get to take a proper bow at the end; they had to be brought in front of the curtain at the end. Standouts were Faye Arthurs, Abi Stafford and Ana Sophia Sheller. Sterling made a nice if tenative debut in the Violin Concerto

Yes, I agree yesterday afternoon was a delightful one. The only thing that marred it was Darci's performance. I really believe she is not doing herself, the audience and most of all, Mr. Balanchine, any favors by fudging and/or deleting huge chunks of great choreography. I hope she follows Kyra's lead into retirement soon.

They should have trusted Tschaikovsky more. He built the drama into the music. Neither the costumes nor the sets upset me more than re-arranging the music and taking out the great set pieces of Petipa from the Vision scene, the Hunt scene and the Awakening scene. And, of course, the best Garland Dance is at NYCB. On the whole, the new production is a big disappointment for me.

Hi, Michael. I'm just getting around to responding to your post. No problem with having different views on Ashley's performance. That's why they make chocalate and vanilla. I certainly understand -- and actually agree -- with your comments about the less regal approach Ashley uses. She is more Merrill Ashley than Patty McBride right now (who is stll my gold standard in this part). But I think that Ashley will eventually get more "regal" in the coming years -- and make you happy. What got me "bent out of shape" was just the idea that it was Ashley's height alone that precluded her from becoming one of the great interpreters of this role. And personally I do like a more "cool" approach to many ballets anyway (more Suzanne's way of dancing).

I was at the Saturday evening performance. The dancing by all -- from the tiniest to the graduates -- was at a very high level. We have much to look forward to from the male section in coming future years. In Twinkliana, both Joseph Gordon and Austin Bachman (in the Friday rehearsal) were extraordinary. We are talking top tier male dancing. For the immediate future, however, l think that Matthew Renko, who did Melanchonic in the Four T's, is definitely one of the best of this season. The girl who impressed me the most was Raina Gilliland (again in Friday's rehearsal) as the lead in Choleric. Terrific class.

Yesterday afternoon at NYCB I saw one of the best performances of any ballet in all my over 40 years of ballet going. The occasion was Ashley Bouder's second Tschai. Piano No. 2. I don't understand the quibbles about Ashley's height. Patricia McBride -- shorter than Ashley Bouder -- was one of the greatest dancers of this role after it was stripped from its imperial moorings in the early 70's. And the casting was by Balanchine himself!! What's the problem? In any event, everybody, but everybody was "on" yesterday. The corps, both male and female, were the best I've ever seen. I'm sure Mr. Balanchine, looking down from his heavenly perch, leaned over to Peter Ilyitch and said, "Peter, that how I envisioned this ballet to be performed." The male corps, led by Seth Orza and Sean Suozzi, just soared. And the female corps, led by the appropriately regal and "snooty" ladies in waiting Faye Arthurs and Amanda Hankes were just perfect. There was only about 15 seconds that brought me down to earth, and they were when Jonathan Stafford's arms went out of cavalier mode in the first movement when he was walking to center stage. But it was only because his performance was at such an extraordinarly high level, that one noticed the difference. He is turning out to be one of NYCB's greatest male assets. And Teres Reichlen is really getting the second ballerina role down pat. She is starting to phrase. Great job. Her height makes her a great "foil" to Ashley's. And what kudos can I heap on our Miss Ashley to give you the flavor of her performance yesterday? The Times critic was right to say that last week's debut was the event of the New York City Ballet season. I very much concur. I also agree that last Sunday her look was way to serious. But for regular Ashley followers, we knew that the look was just tension. Yesterday, however, she already felt comfortable in the role and was starting to play with phrasing. Her performance was so perfect that she brought tears to my eyes. What also made me "teary" was Kyra's last Mozartiana. No, it was certainly not her best by any means. She was "careful" and careful and Kyra are two word one doesn't usually see in the same sentence. And it was a very nice touch -- and very un-City Ballet like -- that she was given flowers on stage at the end of the performance. Thank you, Kyra, for all your years of artistry.

Last night was an exhilerating night evening at NYCB. I like this combination of Mozartiana, Piano Pieces and Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2: two "chamber" pieces and then a granddaddy windup make for a satisfying ballet blend. Everyone was terrific in Mozartiana. Wendy is always good in this but she outdid herself. The very pleasant "news" is how really good Philip Neal was; his foot work was incredibly precise. Although always a reliable partner, he just seemed to have come into his own as a dancer. And Danny Ulbricht added a touch of elegance to his over-the-top technique. Just a super performance all around. Great ballet. I've always considered Piano Pieces to be one of Robbins' best works. There is little of the annoying stuff and lots showing his special and great gifts. Jennie Somogyi especially took advantage of her part. She has the rare gift of plastique -- something Robbins uses a lot -- and she showed it off here. Also noteworthy was Jeny Ringer for her charm and lyricism. Really nice. There was a little gasp when Meagan (subbing the Abi) slipped but she recovered quickly and did well. The best of course was the last. The Tschai. Piano No. 2 is one of my Top Ten Favorites. Sofiane is starting to really play with this now and (despite a little slip at one point), is becoming a master of this gut-cruncher. I would give her an A- overall. She lost "points" in my mind during the opening sequence because I remember Patty McBride doing a sort of hop in her turns. Sorry I can't explain it better but am hoping to see this restored this coming Sunday when our Miss Ashley takes over the role. But make no mistake: this was a superb performance by a real ballerina. And I am very glad to report that Teresa Reichlen is paying more attention to the music and to phrasing. She really is so stunning to look at that sometimes overlook the fact that she is not innate musically, but she was good in the second ballerina role. And Seth Orza and Sen Suozzi caught the elegance of their roles. Just a terrific performance by all hands.

I was at last night's dress rehearsal but will leave it to other, more articulate posters to go into details. But I think it will be a huge hit. It was given a Standing O at the end by what seemed to me a non-regular ballet going audience. Peter spoke to the audience before the curtain went up, introducing the major players who put the ballet together. He was quite charming. I very much liked the scenery, am a little "iffy" about the costumes. No. 1 for me was that it's not boring (my main complaint about other R&J's). Thank goodness, the "whores" are no where in sight -- just wholesome, frolicsome villagers. Outstanding dancers: Sterling and Robbie, of course. But the loudest applause went to Danny Ulbricht for his pyrotechnics. Antonio and Joaquim were also terrific. And the sword fighting is the best I've seen in the ballet world -- very Erroll Flynn-like. I now will be going to the other casts. See it.

I agree 100%, Project Talk, that Ashley Bouder makes a "splash" whenever she's on the stage. And, yes, I am well aware that she has done 3d movement Bizet and been in Symphony in Three Movements for a few years. However, 1st movement Bizet is a meatier, more nuanced role; it is that part I was hoping to see Ashley in. With her superb talents, I think is the one to restore the balance between the 1st and 2nd movements. I too would like to see her as part of the lead couple in Three Movements; right now, she's not doing the main role.

I could certainly get used to these All Balanchine evenings!! I was there both Tuesday and Wednesday, and the company looks terrific. Random highlights for me: Great to have Ask La Cour back. He has matured, and I think will be a great asset. And oh those nice soft landings!! I thought Sean Suozzi made a very respectable debut in Melancholic, but I missed Bart Cook's gravitas (melancholy?) in the role. I was not looking forward to Pavane but it turned out to be the highlight for me. Patti's interpretation was very, very sad, but Kyra's was just elegant. Two great artists but a very different feel. I liked Kyra's better. Ana Sophia is a joy in 1st movement Bizet. She started a little nervous but her style and musicality came through by the end. Despite a little partnering flub, this was a major debut. And Tiler Peck's debut in the 4th movement was perfect!!! Well rehearsed Barocco, Square Dance and Symphone in Three Movements on Tuesday. Abi Stafford and Jaret Ange were terrific in the central pas in the Three Movements. Although I am not begrudging any of the above ladies their debuts, when is Ashley Bouder going to be making debuts in any of these ballets?

Like SZ, I too remember a Darcy Bussell Agon years ago. What was so startling about it was that after the famous pas, there was a burst of applause the likes of which hadn't been heard in the State Theater since Suzanne and Peter did it (and quite frankly hasn't been heard since).

Very nice evening last night, Wednesday, which had two of Balanchine's greatest hits (Mozartiana and the Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2) as the opener and closer. Wendy and Nikolaj both did star turns in the leads, with Wendy demonstrating for the company how to glide across the stage with the smoothest borrees imaginable. She was strong, elegant and very musical. Nikolaj too was in good form; his stage presence and musicality always carry the day. Danny Ulbricht did Victor Castelli's role admirably. He toned down (thank goodness) the acrobatics and made a stronger impression in doing so, but I would like him to listen to the music more. The special treat of the evening was the debut of Sofiane Sylve (and also of Tess Reichlen) in the Piano Concerto. Wow!! Sofiane brought back memories of Patricia McBride in this role. Although it's a killer part technically, it needs a ballerina with authority and drama to bring out the essence of the role. Sofiane was absolutely fabulous, garnering lots of applause at the curtain. When Sofiane made her promenade around the stage, you knew she was "the Tsarina" and the court (the corps girls) were playing homage. Tess too made a strong technical debut and I think she will get even better phrasing wise as she gets comfortable in the role. Her two partners, Seth Orza and Vincent Paradiso, also did well. If you love this ballet, don't miss this cast.

Well, drb pretty much said it all. But I would like to add my accolates for Ashley's performance. Her solo work was just astonishing -- demonstrating the kind of quiet perfection and detail that make a balletomane's heart fill with joy. I too was totally taken with her Vision Scene. This dancer just gets better and better. One suprrise: A really quiet (read "dead") audience. There were oodles and oodles of terrific dancing last night that just seemed to go unappreciated. Go figure. . .

The 1 p.m. Sunday, December 16, Nutcracker was awash in debuts, all of which were very respectable and some even more than that. First off, Ana Sophia Scheller turned in an extremely polished, poignant and delightful SPF. She is an incredibly musical dancer who has an excellent sense of drama and all of this made her debut exceptional. Her partner was Tyler Angle, who too was making his debut. He is a very attentive partner and the two of them together make a delightful pairing -- their body types, heights, stage presence and musicality make for an ideal pairing. Tyler's own solo work started out very nicely indeed; his menage around the stage were high and wide. In the scherzo section, his turns a la seconde needed more stamina. Whether that was a matter of nerves or energy level only time will tell. But in any event the cure is for him to be given more such assignments. Sara Mearns debuted as Dewdrop. She showed off some stunning stage pictures in various spots, but she too may not yet have enough stamina for this role. I say that because some of her jumps were beautifully done and yet in others you saw the effort, with the top of her body pushing forward first. But a very nice first effort. Other debuts were Suehara as Candy Cane, and he too did a fine bravura display and managed not to get caught up in the hoop. Although Carrie Lee Riggins did a fine lead Marzipan, I was disappointed that Stephanie Zungre -- who was supposed to debut -- did not show. The other debutante was Pazcoguin in Coffee. She went for the sultry angle, and it worked; she even did the bent knee turn that had been missing from other Coffees. Very nice indeed. All in all a delightful afternoon.

Last night I saw Ashley Bouder's Dewdrop for the first time this season. Boy!! It sure worked for me!! I have no objection to any dancer dancing full out according to his/her ability. That is what Ashley did last night. She even turned in three perfectly executed turns in attitude that were spectaular. There was nothing vulgar, nothing forced about any of her dancing; it was all wonderfully musical. Her sense of rubato is a joy to witness. You go, girl!! By the way, Jeny Ringer turned in another very satisfying Sugar Plum; the lady just seems to get better and better in this role.

Last night Jeny Ringer turned in a performance that was everything a Sugar Plum should be: warm and radiant with some nice technical fireworks. Her admirable partner was Philip Neal. I was disappointed in Maria K.'s Dewdrop, and agree with SZ in that she was surprisingly weak. One of the nice highlights was the pairing of Amar Ramasar and Melissa Barak in Hot Chocolate; they danced full out and with verve. Bravo to both!! Ana Sophia did the lead in Marzipan. With the exception of one little slip (but no fall), it was a secure and delightful performance. Her musicality is a delight. (Could there be a Square Dance in her future?) There was a new young man from SAB as tea (whose name escpaes me at the moment) and he too made a nice first outing in a sure-fire role.

I voted no favorite, as I was disappointed in the dancing and costumes for all three, although the Diamonds dancing was better than the others. The only backdrop I liked was the Diamonds one; I thought the others belonged at the Museum of Natural History as diaramas for gem exhibits. My objection to the Emeralds costumes is not so much the style as the color green. NYCB's Emeralds costumes have some (I think) yellow or something in them to give a bit of zip. The POB green is all one shade and a bit boring. The Rubies costumes -- with the layered look for the ladies -- made the ladies look chubby, and the shades of red for the ladies and gentlemen didn't match. But then again I am partial to NYCB's flaps as opposed to bouncy fluff. The Diamonds costumes were my least favorite, both style and color wise -- not to mention the stiff long tutus, which are not my thing. The NYCB Diamonds costumes in person are actually not white but yellow, so when you see them on stage with the lighting they appear white. It seems to me that the POB Diamonds costumes started out white and in the harsh glare of lighting, appear much too white, and of course the tacky silver harkens back to the worst of the Bolshoi costuming era.

Aurora, I think Vishneva did indeed crash into something. Did anyone else notice that in the second to last scene of Act III she was sporting a nasty scrap on her left shoulder and the leotard on her right knee was torn and bloodied? Aside from giving an outstanding performance, she certainly deserves the "Trooper of the Year" award. I didn't see how it happened, but only noticed the result. Wow!! What a performer.

Well, I was just bowled over by two extraordinary Diverts this week. Absolute stand-outs among the debutantes were Ana Sophia and Tiler. Wow!! There is magic when two dancers who know how to phrase meet Mr. Mozart. Just heaven. The rest of the cast -- old timers by now ( Megan, Andrew, Rachel, Jason and Jonathan Stafford) -- were outstanding as well. On Tuesday night, there were glitches in the partnering betwen Andrew and Rachel, but they got their act together (literally) on Wednesday. I had forgotten how much I enjoy Vienna Waltzes. The most delightful section for me last night was the Rachel Rutherford and Hubbe pairing in the first section. Again, the ability to phrase counts for so much, and these two are past masters at it. In the second section, De Luz subbed for Damian. Although the height different between him and Miranda looked wrong, it was very enjoyable. De Luz seems to have a great affinity for Helgi roles (see his Baiser). I would like to see him paired with Ana Sophia here. I know Miranda (albeit a strong techncian) has many fans on this board, but I find her dancing lacks phrasing and thus is not satisfying for me. A lovely evening. By the way, the Episodes was very well received. But, then again, what's not to like in an All-Balanchine evening? There should be more of them.

I was at the Saturday evening performance (as well as the rehearsals). The Class of 2006 has oodles and oodles of talent. The standouts for me were David Prottas in Square Dance and Kathryn Morgan in the Scenes de Ballet. David Prottas' dancing was at a tremendously high level. His qualities include beautifully pointed feet, pliancy, ballon, stage presence, musicality and -- most especially for me -- soft, soft landings.*** Although I could see where others at the intermission quibbled with his rapid and deep pelvic movements during the Corelli adagio, I think that Balanchine would have approved. No, it wasn't the way it was done for Bart. But nothing that David did was unmusical. This fellow was born to do the Melanchonic section of 4-T's. And, as icing on the cake, he's tall!!! (Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Prottas). Peter M. please sign this kid up today!!! I remember Kathryn Morgan from last year's workshop and she has now tht old "ballerina polish" in spades. Both David and Kathryn are this year's Wien award winners. There were others that were terrific too, but at this point I can only name Jose Sebastian and Sean (brother of Seth) Orza. ***I've often wanted to start a thread called "Soft Landings 101." Why is it that this young David Prottas (and, by the way many of the other young men in the class of 2006) can land so softly and yet many of today's men at NYCB are -- despite being otherwise good dancers -- "clunkers"? It can't just be that the Danes (Eric B., Peter M., Helgi, Peter S, Adam, Nicoli H) or the Russians (Rudy or Misha) have a monolopy on soft landings. Our American men (Eddie, Jacques and our own Damian) seem to know how to do this. Can someone please tell me why this young David Prottas already knows how to land softly? Moderator's note: Soft landings, a great topic idea, to be continued -->here. --carbro

It was a very nice afternoon at NYCB today. The Scenes de Ballet is a charming piece, and it may well be my favorite Wheeldon today. The highlight of the afternoon for me was an excellet performance of Baiser de la Fee with Megan and Joaquin in the leads. Both of these dancers have grown so much in this ballet as artists; it's just been amazing to watch them since Baiser was revived. It was easy to see Joaquin's progress, but until today I thought Megan had reached a plateau. But she was truly wonderful today. So many of the details of the exquisite little masterpiece came through. (Could she have been coached by the originator of the role, who is in town?) The Duo Concertant was also very nicely done by Yvonne and Nikolaj. This is one role that she does well: she is a musical dancer, she is a performer, and the technical requirements are not beyond her. Hubbe of course is one of the most musical dancers on the scene today, so every performance by him is very satisfying. Maria's Firebird was disappointing; in fact, it was quite pedestrian. But maybe I am missing Ashley B. too much. . .

Tuesday's May 2 Midsummer featured no fewer than nine (count 'em) debuts. Whether it was the enthusiastic conducting of Mr. Dunner or just the freshness of so many new faces, it turned out to be an exhilerating performance by all hands. Of the old hands in the cast -- Sofiane as Titania and Danny Ulbricht as Puck -- both were superb. I had not liked Sofiane's first outing in this role, but last night she found the lightness and the "fairy-ness" the role called for and made magic. Her cavalier, Jason Brown (substituting for Hanna) was as elegant as ever, danced beautifully in his own right. More roles for Jason please!!! Taking it from the top, Andrew Veyette was an excellent Oberon. He had all the requisite beats down pat. He didn't have the wonderful soft landings of Eddie, Helgi or Ib, but we can always hope that will come. I would also like to see him be a little more aristocratic in his acting. That too may come. But an A- for a first outing in a major role. All the lovers were new: Melissa Barak as Helena, Sterling Hyltin as Hermia, Seth Orza as Lysander and Omar Ramasar as Demetrius. The men danced and acted very well; both Melissa and Sterling turned out to be good actresses too. Melissa danced this role strongly, but it was the acting that impressed as well. I was especially happy with Sterling as Hermia, as this is one of my favorite roles. It requires a dancer who is very musical. (Judy Fugate used to do a fabulous Hermia). Sterling provided all the requisite seemless musicality and flow: the audience saw lots of flowing, swirling blue dress. Tiler Peck made a superb, superb Butterfly. This dancer is definitely going to go the distance. And the height difference between her and Danny was not that obvious. Maybe we have a partnership here. Gwyneth Muller's Hippolyta is a work in progress. Although she did okay in the Act I pyrotechnics, she -- like many another Hippolyta before her -- almost came to ground (literally) in the Act II coda. She was saved by her cavalier, but that Act II can be trecherous if you miss just one turn. She'll do fine the next outing I'm sure. The Act II divertissement is one of the greatest of the Balanchine opus. Jeny Ringer and Chuck Askegard were delightful in the pas but not as ethereal as other past interpreters. (I always sigh when thinking of Suzanne and Peter in this part, not to mention Patty and Helgi.) Delightful evening.

Satuday night's all-Feld evening was a bit of a marathon; we didn't get out until just about 11 p.m. I was looking forward to the Intermezzo, which I hadn't seen in years. However, I found that although it was charmingly danced and costumed, it was a bit of a bore. One minor note was how nice a couple the Fairchild siblings make (ala Fred and Adele). What has held up very well and what the audience -- as well as I -- seemed to really enjoy was the Ives piece, The Unanswered Question. All the dancers (Askegard, Hendrickson, Tyler Angle, Pazcoguin, Rutherford, Carmena and (yippee!!) Korowski) were superb and riveting. The Backchat piece with Adrian Danchig-Waring, Craig Hall and Andrew Veyette was really fun. The main prop was a wall on which the dancers danced (climbed really) in all sorts of combinations. It went on a little too long but did hold one's interest. In "a star is born" tradition, Etoile Polaire had the young and enchanting Kaitlyn Gilliland doing a solo turn. What stage presence this young one has; you just can't take your eyes off her. Like Tess Reichlin, she's another tall blond to watch. There was a big round of applause and lots of bravas for Kaityln. The world premiere called Ugha Bugha danced by Wu-Kang Chen was interesting for the first several minutes, but it too went on too long. The closing piece -- A Stair Dance -- was energetically danced by Ellen Bar, Adrian Danchig-Wring, Robert Fiarchild, Sean Suozzi, and Giovanni Villalobos. The prop was a series of wooden staircases which took a bit to set up. (The stage hands got lots of applause for their efforts throughout the evening.) Perhaps it was at the end of a long night or that we had seen much of the same thing in Backchat, but the piece seemed very repetitious. But the dancers gave it their all.