Kaysta

He’s crazy. And not in a good way. I have no desire to see him dance again.

You are right, I needed Kleenex. So awesome to see those kids dancing.

Thanks, you are all correct, it is at Opera Bastille. I was thinking the seating chart looked big in comparison to the pictures, now I know why! And to think I booked a hotel right outside Palais Garnier! 😆. I’ll just have to do the public tour, as was nicely suggested!

I am making my first trip to Paris in March and picked up some Swan Lake tickets. I don’t really care that much about casting, as I’m just excited to see the Palais Garnier, but when in general is casting listed?

I saw the matinee yesterday and the Seven Sonatas PDD was the highlight for me. Stella and Marcelo were absolutely amazing today, especially Stella. So much emotion and chemistry. I also loved Andile Ndlovu in Tarantella. So musical! I was slightly less impressed with Graniero who I felt at times was a bit behind the music. Except her turns, which are blazing fast. i thought Barkman was good, and she improved as the PDD progressed but I thought she lacked the sharpness of attack I prefer in my Odile. In the beginning, I kept thinking maybe I’d prefer her as Odette, because she has such smoothness to her movement. The audience loved her though, they received a resounding ovation. As I’m new to the DC area, this is my first experience with the Washington Ballet. I enjoyed the day and am looking forward to supporting the company.

Well, if they have the texts to back up what is in that complaint, I’m glad Catazaro and Ramasar are gone. And the donor is just disgusting.

I’m not sure what to think about Ramasar’s second statement. But I will say this: if he received photos of Waterbury and knew she didn’t consent or he didn’t bother to ask Finlay if she was alright with him receiving them, then he failed at being a decent human being, regardless of whether he publicized them to anyone. A decent person wouldn’t be ok at looking at them if the subject didn’t consent to it. Just my opinion. Whether he legally should lose his job or not will be for others to sort out.

Wow! While I’m sad that this has happened (because Ramasar was my favorite male dancer at NYCB) I’m happy that NYCB has finally decided to take a strong stance. I don’t believe they would have done this without having the appropriate evidence to proceed.

It wouldn’t be so horrible if they did a small season at the Kennedy Center in DC.

I know enough of the facts to come to a reasonable conclusion: 1. Finlay resigned before he could be investigated 2. NYCB did an investigation and punished two dancers (one whom is exceedingly popular) and put out a statement essentially saying while they—NYCB—are not guilty, , they did have enough evidence to suspend dancers they were relying on for their fall season. I’m sure NYCB has seen the texts and did not decide to suspend without evidence. I am not going to feel bad for someone who abuses others. Women are not farm animals. Covering up or minimizing abuse is not ok with me, no matter who does it. No matter how great a dancer they are. No matter how much I love the institution they are a part of. Further, whether I, or you, forgive Chase Finlay means nothing. We are not the victims here.

Innocent people don’t resign without defending themselves. I have no doubts Findlay is a horrible person.

Why is the process to find a replacement taking so long? I get that it is a major decision, but they must have several applicants in mind whom they want to interview. Frankly, I’m shocked that this has gone as long as it has, though I admit I have no idea how these hiring processes go.

I’ve been away a bit (moving, new job, buying a house). Shocked and sad to come back and see this. If the allegations in Waterbury’s lawsuit are entirely true, I will have a hard time supporting this company with the current leadership and board in place. They are the “captains of the ship” and are responsible for the culture created or maintained under their leadership.

I just wanted to add two things: 1. The music doesn’t need to be world class, but the choreography and the dancing have to “fit” it. Plisetskaya is a perfect example of this above. 2. The story ballets, like Don Quixote, require a different type of musicality than Balanchine because to be memorable they also have to be able to act. When you watch Plisetskaya, she is in the music even when she isn’t dancing; the way she moves her head, her hands, her feet, and her face. I’m trying to think of anyone I’ve seen who comes close to this (in the story ballets) and I can’t think of anyone right now.

Yes!!!!! This is exactly it! She is so with the music, that’s it like her body is the instrument that is playing it. It’s inspiring and amazing to watch. I’m sad I never got a chance to see her perform live. The only other dancer I’ve seen who can “play” with the music to this degree is Tiler Peck in Balanchine and Robbins works. Others have come close, and for me it is what makes the performance memorable in my mind.

She looks gorgeous!

I completely agree with you, although I do think the best Kitri’s have an inherent sense of musicality, albeit a different “kind” than what I would associate with Balanchine. When a dancer is comfortable in a role and with the music, the two blend for me, to the point I can’t hear or watch one without the other playing in my head. ( sorry I’m getting cheesy) I think it’s a rare and extraordinary dancer that can do this with any choreography. Most can do it with their style (like Mariinsky with La Bayadere or Bouder in S/S), but will struggle outside that particular style of dancing ( so no shame that Boylston struggled, many fantastic dancers would). But as someone who can’t regularly get into NY anymore, I sure am happy to see companies attempt styles outside of their comfort zone. It might not always work, but that’s ok, I don’t mind watching it. On an unrelated note, that Bouder/Gatti video is the first time I’ve seen Gatti dance and he was amazing.

I’m sure Canbelto will have a far better interpretation to what she meant than I could ever have. But for me, disappearing into the choreography is when I can’t decipher the choreography without the music or the music without the choreography. They become one., which is what I see when I watch the Peck and Bouder videos. I also see that intense musicality with Ratmansky’s video, so you don’t have to be trained in the Balanchine technique to get “it.” With Boylston’s video, it’s not just that there were technical issues, but that the musicality of the steps with the music was absent to the point her movement looked jarring.

I am a Boylston fan, but that was horrible. Not surprised it has been yanked from YouTube now. I it’s especially bad when you watch Tiler’s first, who is amazing. NYCB also posted a small snippet of Megan Fairchild today, which was also fantastic. As as I don’t get to see as much NYCB as I would like, I’m not picky about seeing other companies perform Balanchine. And while I agree that the Boylston/Simkin Stars and Stripes wasn’t very good, their performance helps highlight just how difficult the choreography is.

Cirio confirmed he is leaving ABT on Instagram

Bethea was injured last season as well, wasn’t she?

I completely disagree. Lane got one Nikiya this year. One. Who knows when she’ll get to dance it again. If you bring in guest artists 2-3 performances a week, she likely would have gotten 0. And dancers like Brandt and Trenary would get no opportunities as the principals above them would get all of them. I have no problem with ABT bringing in outside talent as full company members. They’ve tried to do this and it’s failed as of late-Lendorf, Kochetkova did not boost much whether due to injuries or lack of audience excitement. But it has worked in the past.

I mostly enjoy Boylston and Lane and certainly will not avoid either’s performances. i do think social media is (unfortunately) super important for today’s dancer to get noticed by the public, at least in the US. I think using it in the right way gives that dancer an edge over an equally talented dancer who does not use it. It seems like most companies are about the money, which is understandable, because they need to stay afloat and try to prosper

Uh oh. I hope she does, but I'm placing my bets on her withdrawing if Hallberg is pulled. Unless they bring in someone else to dance with her.

Also to add, that both Siegfreids are young. Jack Thomas, who is partnering Maslova, is only a second year corps member. Zecheng Liang was at Houston ballet previously (corps from 2012- this year), but it is only his first year at PAB and he is also in the corps. I've seen some instagram videos of Liang, and he looks amazing, though I haven't seen him partner.