balletforme

She is young and conflicted clearly. I wish her well.

I think the recent issues with suspending 2 dancers and one resigning are indicators that there may be issues?????

I agree that Woetzel must be at the top of the list, as is Lopez. I believe that the Board would buy out his contract if they really wanted him. It seems that NYCB has $.

Finlay knows that a new AD will be hired and might be choosing to wait until that decision is made to step back into NYCB? At some level, refusing to speak to your boss about your own work infraction is a bit odd. Wondering if he let his emotions get the better of him? Or not? Perhaps he was being more calculated.

And am I the only person who thinks the NYT is sometimes kind of a "pro NYCB?" Like why do they continually have to clarify in parentheses re: Martin? Are they afraid of libel? Why do they call up bad reviews to trash Finlay and Catazaro? I remember thinking that the Washington Post gave a slightly more even-handed account of the Martins scandal.

Why Woetzel too late for a different reason????

• Demonstrated artistic leadership success as a programmer and/or company leader for an organization known for quality and excellence; I find this wording interesting. It appears to me to be well-crafted to include potential candidates who have not run a company. To me this position statement has Damien Woetzel or Lourdes Lopez written all over it.

It seems to me that the position, in some respects, is almost written for Woetzel. I believe that he has a rich background of innovation through Vail and even now Julliard. He appears to have the trust of artists and the skill in developing creators of the art, which appears to be so much a part of NYCB's identity. I see them buying out his Julliard contract and him stepping in.

I hear you pherank. . . but I think there's a bit more vetting with gov't at least. . .. ? Maybe that's an assumption in the current climate. I do think it's wonderful that Natasha is setting sights on learning the science of food, metabolism, nutrition, etc. She is an impressive young woman!

Just an observation about Jess Spinner (interviewer) in the Whole Dancer Podcast above. Although she markets "Best Dancer Body Plans," she is not a nutritionist or a registered dietician. She is a Health Coach who studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Her site states: "Health coaching is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. It is not intended to substitute for the advice, treatment and/or diagnosis of a qualified licensed professional." I think that this is important to understand her expertise in relationship to the questions, and responses that she has with Sheehan. She appears to be legitimizing food and dietary choices and recipes and she really does not have the credentials to do so. She is no more or less expert than Sheehan herself.

I saw it and loved it as well. Agreed with the the expectations but loved thought it was inventive.

Went to the evening. I also found Western lively and enjoyed all the solo performers, especially the tall blonde boy. Great stage presence. La Source was not exciting. The pas was a nail biter for me as an audience member. Felt as though they could barely pull it off. In Creases was interesting and clearly challenging but stronger. Western Symphony was strong. I guess someone can help me but honestly, it felt some of the parts were just over the students' heads. Why perform pieces that the students can't master?

I guess that the idea is to have a Plan B that can be efficiently implemented if the first 2-3 turns go wrong. In fact, I even think that practicing a Plan B must part of the address. Then psychologically the dancer has safety.

Copeland reported struggling with fouettes at the Spotlight Awards in LA as a teen dancer. I think that there might be a psychological block.

Again I believe that Damien Woetzel is really a contender. He's got the organizational experience, the SAB pedigree, and the artistic leadership and reputation. He is known and trusted by NYC insiders and board members. I also think that Lourdes Lopez is a serious contender as well.

I think that all ADs tend to pick dancers who match their earlier selves and Wendy would be no exception. IMO what limits her are three things a) lack of experience in the management of a large organization (donors, union, crew, etc); b) unproven artistic choices and c) lack of judgement (current postings but also her inability to transition out of a performing career--clearly still trying to do that as Insta proves). There is a need to be logical and unemotional in certain important decisions. I think she is a Ballet Mistress or a repetiteur. I think she really just loves the art and that is where her skills really are.

and abatt. . will we ever know?

Yes. And the organizations were both complicit. Complicit when he beat his wife, complicit when he had a DUI. . . He had issues, clearly and they were tolerated because of his gifts, a trend that goes back in his life to early years when he was locking kids in lockers at Royal Danish, bashing coat hooks with baseball bats, etc (1992 LA Times article). And we can't say that they is "zero evidence to suggest that kids are somehow in danger,'' because the facts are not known. and very smoothly SAB has taken control of those facts itself by launching an "investigation/risk management analysis." The entire thing reeks terribly.

canbelto, I doubt that the ADs care about her disdain for American training. Many hire European or British dancers who likely the hold the same opinion. The difference is that they don't create videos about it. She creates distractions. She's just kind of adolescent.

Drama kind of follows her. . . And, I honestly believe that the time/days in Russia have heavily impacted her sense of self. It seems that she struggles with picking up on important elements that define the culture of a company and is violating certain standards. She does not appear to be a team player and I think that ADs know and are shutting the door on that. They don't want/need vlogs of Womack's complaints.

Running Circus Polka on the heels of Nut. . .is a marketing move to increase ticket sales. Those little kids are in the program to drive ticket sales.

The cult of personality looms large and is clearly repeating itself in Martin's tenure. Amy how would you judge/characterize Balanchine's pursuit of Suzanne Farrell and it's fall out on her career? Was that sexual harassment?

Wow! This has really stirred up. . . Peter Martins was known to sleep with dancers (MANY of them). Kathryn Morgan states this. I am sure Gelsey did as well. It would not be odd. It was company tradition, Balanchine did it. So why not him? I just don't think it's possible to get people who had consensual relationships to come forward and detail those, especially if they benefited. And people who did not have consensual relationships have no proof. In addition, casting is too subjective to prove quid pro quo. Proving a "hostile work environment" is easier with physical assault because you really can't argue that it is consensual. And honestly, I DID see a show recently where a young dancer was taking on roles and thought, "This person does not look secure. This person is looking down. This person does not seem comfortable in this role." In terms of the investigation and people being naive to it's purpose. . . Why not expect that one of the top ballet companies in the world would want to "do the right thing?" It's supposed to be a quality organization. And gosh, I feel sorry for parents of those kids boarding at SAB. . thinking, "Oh that's great, they really care. . ." Sick. The lot place stinks terribly. The board, Peter Martins, and all these people who have gone along with this.

Hamilton. . . Charlie Brown Christmas James Taylor Christmas La La Land

In my opinion the sexual harassment is so much harder to document and prove, especially given the consensual nature of his relationships, but what appears to be Martin's problem is a pattern of physical abuse and DUIS, and yes, I do believe that's an issue. I believe that one of the best things that can come out of this movement nationally, is progression beyond #metoo to learning understanding and learning what sexual harassment and a hostile work environment is and showing men and women what they can do. I like the timesupnow.com. This link describes definitions. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a446e1d692ebea0061c7cd9/t/5a4a48b353450a63fe781956/1514817716782/TimesUpNow-KnowYourRights.pdf