sz

I was there for opening night too - Bravi! And a huge congrats to Lourdes! She was there in a stunning, tightly fitted, classy red dress. Of course! Just like her direction of the evening. Everything was tight (no messes, no messy, out of control tempi) and clean (Serenade was amazing in this regard.... everyone was in total sync and pointe shoes were not tap dancing throughout). Lourdes did not take a well deserved bow in front of the stage curtain. But she was there afterwards to meet and greet audience members and those on their way to the Gala dinner.

Serenade was beautifully done with Simone Messmer making her debut as the Waltz Girl. I would never have known that it was Simone's debut if I hadn't read it in the program. Wow! She was very impressive. Simone was radiant, confident and handled every demand of the role as if she had done it dozens of times before. Her bows seemed very emotional and full of humbling gratefulness. She seems very much at home with MCB. It's been quite a journey for her to finally arrive at Balanchine's house.

I thought Emily Bromberg was lovely and managed a most beautiful, smooth promenade with a very large arabesque partnered

by an excellent man underneath her skirt. This moment can often look nervous and awkward for the girl as she gives full control to her partner. Last night it was so easily and grandly done, I wanted to applaud as sometimes happens at NYCB.

Nathalia Arja had a very demanding night first as Russian Girl in Serenade and then in the very difficult dancing part in Ratmansky's Symphonic Dances. She was truly amazing in the later. Symphonic Dances is full of weirdness..... hoodies on the guys at times.....what? Puffy, very full and light, crayola colored dresses for the girls. But somehow it all worked. I thought this ballet was a bit too long.... but it was entertaining for the most part.... again because of the excellent dancers.

Two others who stood out for me during the evening were Jeanette Delgado and Kleber Rebello, both were in lead parts of Ratmansky's. Such strong personalities and gorgeous technique. I would have loved seeing the two of them dance the Mozartiana piece that was given to us on the program as a Musical Interlude. Odd for me, to attend a ballet and not see the ballet danced.....but I closed my eyes and recalled several dancers I have loved in the ballet recently and in years past. I thought the Musical Interlude was MCB's respectful nod to Balanchine.... music first! The best intermission ever!

Agreeing with Jayne, I think PA Ballet will not be a sister/brother type company to NYCB in the future. I think,

I hope, that PA Ballet will be a very good ABT-type company. I'm remembering the days when ABT had principals from other countries and companies with different dance training. They added color and style to ABT. There was not a strict uniform style. Also ABT used to dance Balanchine ballets as well as a bit more Jerry Robbins than it does today.... Not sure what the politics of that situation are... but I miss much of what ABT once was.

Angel with all of his connections and experience I think, I hope, will create a very interesting company in PA.

A large part will depend on not only what choreography Angel presents but what dancers are attracted to working for him. So far so good, imo.

KEEP: choreography by Matthew Neenan, music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin -- heavily repeated

THE ACCIDENTAL: Trey McIntyre's choreography:, Patrick Watson's music -- overall a fun piece but too long

GRACE ACTION: choreography by Nicolo Fonte, music by Phillip Glass -- too long a piece but was

imo the most sophisticated in style

KEEP: Lillian DiPiazza, Arian Molina Soca - a stunningly beautiful pair
Lauren Fadeley - strong, gorgeous dancer
Amy Aldridge, Francis Veyette, Ian Hussey, Jermel Johnson, Evelyn Kocak, Alexandra Hughes,

Andrew Daly

THE ACCIDENTAL: Evelyn Kocak, Craig Wasserman, Oksana Maslova,

James Ihde, Alexandra Hughes, Ian Hussey and Craig Wasserman - a very strong, interesting dancer

GRACE ACTION: Lillian, Arian, Lauren, Ian, Craig, Alexandra, Marjorie Feiring,

Russell Ducker, Holly Fusco, Andrew Daly,

and my first live viewing of the new DonQ couple Mayara Pineiro with Etienne Diaz - she's truly lovely,
with a strong technique, and he is also very strong technically and a fine partner - a natural, youthful

chemistry between them

I was there for opening night, along with many present and former NYCB dancers. That was one fun meet

and greet party with Angel hosting, talking with everyone who said hello.

While I was very impressed with most of the dancers, I too wish Angel had added something classical at least

once in the program. I understand he is showing NYC that PA can dance contemporary, but it was too, too much

of the same thing. Also the stage at the Joyce is much too small for any Balanchine-type or DonQ or Corsaire-type

pas de deux, so I really don't know what else he could have brought besides contemporary pieces.

In summary, the dancers, not this program, most definitely did encourage me to visit PA Ballet again to see

their rep in PA.

Here's another link, not as recent, Sylve has more fire (and ice) in her approach to Black Swan with

Friedemann Vogel:

(It's a round stage and the focus is not so clear, but you'll enjoy it, I think!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz9RK5UIajc

Her Swan Lakes with NYCB were my favorites!

How about Adrian Danchig-Waring with Sara or Tess? I think he's a great partner, and has the technical chops! He was terrific in the lead of Chaconne a while ago with Tess.

Violette! Oh, I loved her so much. I have so many memories of working with her starting from SAB when I did gigs with her and Eddie. Watching her at NYCB in Emeralds, Donizetti, Liebeslieder, Tchai Pas, La Source..... Violette's soul, her charm, her strong technique, her perfume, her humor. She was so womanly and luxurious in her way, bringing warmth and sensuality along with surprising sparks to every role. For me there will be no other as the green skirted girl in Dances at a Gathering.

Backing up......
The double fouettees are not what I was referring to when I mentioned that in Marnee's solo (the turning girl solo of Who Cares?) had been modified with Pollack's and Isaacs' debuts.
There was an entire diagonal of turns removed and substituted for steps that did not involve turns. Double fouettees or not doesn't really matter much to me, as long as the fouettees are beautifully done.
Yes, Marnee's version of the variation was absolutely incredible. And btw, she had a little trick to staying on pointe, while turning, and in her fouettees, so that she didn't have to come off pointe. I've never seen anything like that since.

"The Most Dreadful....." sounds awful. Not a great evening overall either if they had hoped to encourage new audiences to attend. Sigh....

I was there too (Sat. matinee, 1/30/16). Loved Gordon! I thought he partnered both Phelan and Pollack beautifully. He also danced superbly with charm, gorgeous turns, jumps, ease with the choreography. Did I mention he is handsome with a great body for ballet?! And he's tall enough! Megan Fairchild was a very last minute substitute for Tiler who was a short notice substitute for Lovette.... Naturally, Joey Gordon and Megan Fairchild were a bit careful (and nervous) during the pas "The Man I Love." There are a few very tricky, difficult partnering moves in that pas de deux. I doubt Joey and Megan had more than one, very brief run through of it. But I was overall very happy and most grateful that Who Cares? was not replaced by Glass Pieces.... due to lack of female leads..... Did anyone notice that the choreography for the turning girl role in Who Cares? has now eliminated some of the turns? Both Pollack and last Thursday's Isaacs had their solos modified, and both were a bit nervous.

I'll second what California said adding that some of the dancers who were supposed to be part of the interviews did not attend, though they were not on the injured list. Ms. Scheller from NYCB danced beautifully in Corsaire pas de deux with fantastic, clean, calm perfectly executed double fouettees, and was quite charming in her brief interview. She said she felt funny taking bows to a non-audience.... but needed the pauses to catch a breath between sections.

Kolegova has gorgeous legs and feet. She jumps, she turns, has very nice extensions. She's pretty with a lovely princess quality.

videos on you tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSPtqLI3a c

(Le Corsaire with Matvienko)

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkcsAciwEGM

(Sleeping Beauty - see her variation)

It looks to me as though she may also be a wonderful Raymonda.

I'll definitely be there to see the Who Cares? debuts! Gordon is a favorite of mine in anything, and Phelan should be sexy fun in this ballet. I'm assuming she's dancing the jumping solo (aka Karin's) and not the turning solo (aka Marnee's). We'll see. I'm also excited to see Lauren Lovette in the lead role, a perfect fit for her personality, imo. One day, maybe it will be Chase Finlay as Lauren's partner, and then we'll see lots of chemistry in "The Man I Love" duet.

As for the other ballets on this program, there's always something to enjoy -- especially at $30 a seat!

I think, eventually, NYCB will put Lauren Lovette into Mozartiana with Anthony Huxley. At present, she may not be quite ready for such a demanding ballerina role. Technical demands aside, I'm inclined to believe that Lauren may very well have the personality and wit for this ballet...from other performances I've seen of hers.

I'm very excited to see Huxley take on the lead in Mozartiana! Danny Ulbricht would handle it beautifully, but you can ask Peter why that casting hasn't yet happened. Definitely not a good fit, at this time, with Sterling, imo....

I went to today's matinee performance (12/26). The most outstanding, brilliant performance was that of Harrison Coll in "Candy Canes," aka "Hoops." He was elegant, athletic, and full of bright male energy with gorgeous lines. He replaced Devin Alberda who was originally cast. Unity Phelan made her debut as Sugar Plum. Her long, beautiful legs worked so well in the adagio. Everything went fine enough. No tumbles. No misses. She is very pretty and has some lovely mannerisms. Overall, I wished she had done a few gigs of this role first....perhaps she has....before debuting at NYCB. She was quite nervous throughout which took away from the mystery and drama of the adagio. Her solo was good, but tense. I was sitting very close to the stage.... maybe her nerves didn't show further back. It's asking a lot of a first debut, but I expected something more regal, more glamorous from Unity. Perhaps with time....

Check out who is dancing the Grand Pas de Deux at SFB!

https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/casting

Sarah Lane!

I'm also looking forward to some pairings of Boylston with Lendorf. I hope McKenzie is moving in the direction of having Lendorf as a regular partner for Boylston.

What a good pairing that would be.

A documentary on Diana Vishneva is in the works --

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pivotalpointe/diana-vishneva-pivotal-pointe

Feel free to forward this link to anyone you think might be interested. It includes the full 6 minute trailer plus lots of details and photos...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pivotalpointe/diana-vishneva-pivotal-pointe

Here's the 6 minute trailer, plus lots of details and photos...

Who was the man who came out just before Robert Hill?

deleted

The footage of Novikova is stunningly beautiful. I much prefer her Russian trained version to Fonteyn's. Of course, neither ballerina is dancing the awful new-old Ratmansky minimized choreography..... with heavy, longish skirts instead of light tutus.

If I could "like" posts here, I'd "like" that one 100x.LOL

I believe that Osipova was cast for Sleeping Beauty on Wednesday, June 10th, not yesterday, June 11th.

Sarah did a beautiful, full of quality performance. The fall to her rump happened not during the Rose Adadio, but after she pricked her finger and (via the choreography) fell softly to the floor. When she got up to begin the "I'm okay, I think, but not really dancing" (via the choreography) that's when she slipped on a fake, red rose on the floor. She was on her rump for a couple of seconds before she acted her way through it. Many around me in the audience thought that rump moment was cute and just part of the choreography.

I thought Herman danced his Bournonville variation with elegance, pride and very strong technique.

You know that I skipped last night's performance because I thought that despite Bouder's amazing technique she would be too cutesy & presentational for me as the Sylphide. I don't regret switching my tickets so I could see Sarah Lane's T&V - she was wonderful - but based on your description I just picked up a cheap ticket for the Saturday matinee.

I still MUST see Part, Abrera and Lane in Les Sylphides at ABT's Saturday matinee but as soon as that ends I'm heading across the Plaza to catch Bouder & company.

Only in NY, kids

What a great idea to see both Saturday matinees! I may be joining you in running across the Plaza after ABT's first ballet. Don't forget that Joseph Gorak is also in ABT's Les Sylphides this Saturday matinee. That performance should be quite a special beauty.

I saw the 2nd NYC preview performance last night, 3/14/15, and loved it. Bravo to all the leads but especially to Robbie Fairchild who will steal your heart. Chris Wheeldon has created a full of dancing, wonderful recreation of this movie.

Performance 2/18/2015

I agree with Abatt and Amour that Bouder and Huxley were absolutely wonderful in the leads of Square Dance. Individually they were both strong, joyous, full of personal style while being completely comfortable with the extremely speedy, allegro footwork and jumps, turns, et al. However, I'm not sure that these two are the best fit for each other. Huxley is on the short side for Bouder, and Huxley seems more poetic - reminding me of Peter Boal. Bouder was all razzle dazzle with plenty of flashy technical sparks. They seemed from opposite worlds instead of a blending partnership. Andie Veyette might have been a better partner for Bouder if he were not injured, but we would have missed the brilliant solo that Huxely gave us. It was like entering his very personal world. Not only did Huxley have gorgeous lines, but his expressive face and port de bras added so much to a slowly controlled solo.

Harlequinade is charming, witty, full of humor. Sitting up close in Orchestra helped much to see all the acting that was performed so perfectly last night.

DeLuz was brilliant in his solos and acting. I agree he was a bit awkward in his partnering of Tiler Peck during the first act, but again that could have been their height differences. DeLuz is a bit too short next to Tiler.

Harlequinade's first act is my favorite. I could watch it over and over, and I have watched it many times. The second act is primarily for the kiddies and their parents and can seem a bit long. I'm fascinated though throughout this ballet with Balanchine's creativity using large groups of dancers, big and small. The leads are perfectly choreographed.

2/17/2015 Performance

Went to NYCB out of curiosity – all young dancers in the first three pieces.

First on the program was Peter’s Hallelujah Junction: Lauren Lovette was luxurious in her movements, then again the choreography wasn’t very difficult. She’s short, but moves well with lovely, expressive port de bras. I hated that huge French twist on her little head. It was distracting and too heavy a look for her. Otherwise, she was a pleasure to watch, and very comfortable in Gonzalo Garcia's excellent partnering.

Of the guys, David Prottas stood out for all the right reasons: masculine, meaty movements, dramatic and large with every step. He has a powerful look and he knows how to use it. Danny Ulbricht was fantastically strong technically but often too forced. Danny was impressive as always but this piece needed a more cohesive presence.

I didn’t like the music (John Adams), and didn’t care for the costumes and scenery. The backdrop was solid black, and the ladies were all in black including long sleeves except for Lauren who wore white. Danny was also in black which hid some of his physical stockiness. The other guys were in white. So…. if you weren’t wearing white, or danced overly strong, you were swallowed up (hard to see) by the black scenery.

Next was Tarantella: I think it was a Koch Theater debut for Claire Von Enck who was a cute, round-faced, light blonde with lots of personality. She started out very strong in her entrance with Spartak Hoxha, but barely made it to the end of her first entrance without looking weak, or tired, too weak to execute the exit jumps well. Overall her technique needs a lot of work especially when it comes to jumps. Claire was much more comfortable with her turns although some of those weren’t executed that well either.

Spartak was good, but not my cup of tea. He seemed a gentle personality, not at all the boldly sexy, meaty, masculine and showy performer required for this part. Spatak danced all the technique very well, but the spark was missing.

Paging David Prottas! (Maybe he’s not quite back in shape from past injuries for a big part like Tarantella.)

Interplay: Harrison Ball! With his sexiness and blonde mop of hair, he stole the show. Harrison, so handsome, was strong technically on top of his personal style of being a sensitive, maturely playful, witty actor. He managed to pull away from the cuteness this ballet can feel too full of. Instead he managed to make the very basic choreography feel fresh and genuine. Megan Mann and Lydia Wellington stood out among the ladies for some of the same reasons. Brittany Pollack as the pink girl, the adagio girl, was lovely but I think she might have given more of herself with a different partner. Peter Walker is very tall and very thin but has a way to go in performing double tours and in his partnering skills.

I left after “Interplay.”