MarzipanShepherdess

Great news about Emma Von Enck! I saw her last night in Rubies and I kept thinking geez, when are they going to move her up already? She was just mesmerizing. I love how she plays with the music and particularly how she finishes her phrases: there's always a little extra oomph, a little more juice she squeezes out at the last moment. It makes me not want to watch anyone else while she's on stage because I don't want to miss a moment of what she's doing!

Dig the Say: definitely a showboating moment for Roman and Tiler (and not much more than that as choreography) but boy can Roman showboat. Tiler seemed a bit inhibited, which makes sense coming back from a recent injury. My favorite part of her performance was seeing how she just genuinely BEAMED at Roman, the interplay between them is really sweet to see.  It's funny, sometimes when I see a dancer do something thrilling on stage I have an impulse of "I wanna see that again, right now!"--and this ballet delivers that, twice over, with the jump Tiler does from the wings into Roman's arms--but each time it had less impact for me. I guess sometimes one and done is better!  The audience seemed to love this piece, huge applause.

In Creases: New to me thought it premiered over a decade ago. I enjoyed seeing Peck using a different register of his choreographic voice: more structured and formal, darker in tone, taking more cues from Balanchine than from Robbins. I liked the lines of dancers with their weaving hands and then legs, and the more contemplative solo danced very well by Jules Mabie. Dominika was dancing like a soloist, so much presence and grace (her promotion seems inevitable at this point). 

Underneath There Is Light: This would have been inoffensive but became almost painful for me to watch because it exhausted the ideas Garner had for the dancers early and then just...kept...going. I really struggle to remember a single specific moment of the choreography, which was REALLY repetitive. The cast certainly were giving it their all and Garner chose some great dancers but this one was a flub IMO.

Such a casting feast for Midsummer! Orchestra and 1st-3rd rings are almost totally sold out for every performance, was so glad I could nab a ticket for the Miller/Ulbricht cast with KJ's debut as Puck (a role he seems poised to hit out of the park). Also excited for Naomi Corti as Hippolyta and Alexa Maxwell as Helena! Alexa is so good in comic roles like that, and Corti seems to have the attack to be a great Hippolyta. 

On 5/12/2024 at 9:57 AM, deanofdance said:

2) Other Dances — how different was this ballet with Joseph and Indiana, who really seemed to capture the spirit of the ballet.  Generalizing, Roman and Tiler are like the high school quarterback and head cheerleader, they are so All American (they’re like Taylor and Travis!) — and they’re show offs as well — bravura is their middle name.  But perhaps when a ballet isn’t technically daring that they are at a relative loss — and I think this was the case with Other Dances.  Joseph and Indiana seemed to have stepped out of Chopin’s Paris — Joseph can be so princely, so inherently elegant, and Indiana can be like a Brontë sister in toe shoes — and the music seemed to spark an inner life — especially in Indiana — whose epaulement can perfume a stage.  Lovely.

Agree 100%. Joe and Indiana were SO gorgeous in Other Dances and I do think a large part of why is that in addition to their technical refinement they both bring a real sense of interiority. Even in a plotless piece, with them one feels one is watching characters with rich inner worlds that are being manifest through dance, not just dancers executing steps with a lot of finesse.

My second time seeing Gustave Le Gray. It's interesting to me how divisive Tamowitz's work seems to be on these boards, but count me a fan. I enjoyed seeing this all-female cast of the ballet (the premiere was mixed-gender). It landed more powerfully for me with these dancers, there was an intriguing sense of sorority and authority amongst the four of them. And I just love the costumes and how they enhance the choreography in the way the fabric strips bring a contrast of roundness (in motion) and softness to all the slicing arms and legs.

Went to DAAG/Brahms-Schoenberg for the Sunday matinee.

DAAG: I just love this ballet so much. Very well-danced yesterday, particularly by the men. Aaron Sanz's port de bras kept catching my eye: so elegant, expressive, and lush (not usually a word I use for male dancers!) Huxley and Chan brought tons of élan and finesse, their "face off" section was a joy to watch. Their double tours were astonishing. I thought Dominika really held her own amongst the other ladies, all principals and soloists. She already brings a real sense of depth and interiority in addition to her beautiful lines and polish. 

Brahms-Schoenberg: Why don't they do this one more often? Such a crowd-pleaser, so many great roles.  Miriam Miller looked fantastic in the opening section, and I loved seeing Alexa cast in something more classic and adagio. It was a pleasure to see her exploring softness and expansiveness when what I usually love about her dancing is her speed and attack. She was lovely.  Unity really surprised me in Rondo alla Zingarese; she absolutely knocked it out of the park. This is the Unity I want to see more of: charismatic and hyper-present, deploying her formidable technique with flair and not just polish. Andy Veyette subbed in for Tyler Angle and acquitted himself admirably. The highlight for me, though, was Mira and Gilbert in the second movement. Just glorious. That section has a lot of backbends and Mira's were SO fluid and her arms were so lush and expressive, I was hanging on every moment. I love the rapport she and Gilbert have, too.  Let's have this one again soon, please!

11 minutes ago, SaraBW said:

I believe Ashley performed yesterday - did anyone see it? I'm curious if her technique, etc. continues to improve/rebound?

I saw Ashley dance yesterday. I thought she looked much more charismatic and engaging on stage than she did when I last saw her post-pandemic in Scotch Symphony (in which she looked quite tentative and flat). Indeed my mother, who is not a regular dance-goer and is totally unaware of Ashley's recent struggles, commented at the intermission that she had enjoyed the ballerina in green who was "very confident". 

It is evident Ashley is not back to where she was technically pre-pandemic/injuries: at the end of the section where the green girl is trying to find a partner there's a little balance as the green girl exits the stage and she didn't seem to really be able to hold it. That being said, I enjoyed seeing her on stage and felt like she acquitted herself well in DAAG.  It left me with optimism that she can find pieces in the rep to which she can bring something in this new phase of her career.

The situation with Bouder is just heart-breaking to witness.  I do think in the context of all that she has given to City Ballet over the course of her long, illustrious career some grace has been earned. Sometimes late career dancers can find new artistic depths even as technique wanes, I think Bouder deserves a chance at that which she is being given now with her DAAG outing and hopefully some other roles to follow. If it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out but she’s earned a chance to try.
 

I don’t understand what Bouder hopes to achieve by airing these grievances and accusations publicly WHILE remaining with the company. There seems to be a pretty binary choice, strategically, between leaving and telling all and staying and putting up with the existing management conditions.

An exciting start to the season.

Bourrée Fantasque was new to me. It's a fun one. The first section has some fun comic bits that KJ Takashi was excellent with, though Emily Kikta seemed a bit too serious. Felt like a role better suited to a Megan Fairchild-type who can be playful. Emilie Gerrity and Gilbert Bolden subbed for Isabella and Chun in the second movement. Alexa Maxwell came out eating up the stage in the third movement with so much speed and attack but Victor Abreu was not matching her tempo from go and his partnering was, honestly, frighteningly out of sync. He managed to save her from hitting the floor when he lost his grip on her in the final pose of their pas de deux but it was alarming. When they came out again she understandably and very reasonably toned her dancing with him WAY down, which was a shame.

Erica Pereira and Anthony Huxley were pretty pitch-perfect in Steadfast. I don't need to see this one as often as it's being programmed, but I do like imagining it as a little Nutcracker side plot.

Errante was exciting. It's not a resurrected masterpiece and the choreography is such that it really demands a super-charismatic ballerina to make it work, but Mira (and of course the great Suzanne herself) are indeed super-charismatic ballerinas. I liked how it built. The beginning is a bit pose-y and campy, but it takes off. I particularly liked the beginning of the pas de deux where the ballerina is facing away from the male lead and slowly proceeds backwards towards him as he proceeds forwards on a diagonal towards her, without her looking at him until their bodies meet. Because it's such a ballerina-vehicle it would be neat to see it with different leads. Sara Mearns could be great in this.

Symphony in C was wonderful. I cherish every time I get to see Sara and Tyler do the second movement together, especially, but everyone was great. 

Ashley Bouder posted on Instagram stories that she'll be returning to the NYCB stage in the green dress role at Dances at a Gathering. She'll be in the 4/27 and 4/28 matinee casts. I'll be out of town but will look forward to hearing the impressions of anyone who catches those performances! She says she's rehearsing old parts, plural, so she must be cast in at least one other ballet this season.

EDIT: first week casting is up! KJ, Mira, Emma Von Enck continue to get a lot of debuts as in winter season. Nice to see Alston Macgill getting a debut in Dances at a Gathering along with David Gabriel. Aaron Sanz will be Mira's partner for the revived Errante.

On 3/22/2024 at 9:40 AM, FauxPas said:

Sadly, Jonathan Klein, corps dancer but potential soloist (and likely principal) material has left the company with his wife Emily Hayes to spend more time managing their skin care line.

Shocked and saddened to see Klein stop dancing.   Am I misunderstanding the timing, or did he resign right after being passed over in the March promotions? 

Saw last night's Stars/Tarantella/Tschai Pas/Carnival performance.

I thought Megan and Joe Gordon were excellent. Megan just nails that beaming sunniness with a bit of sass that Liberty Belle needs, and she knows this role like the back of her hand (while making it look like she still relishes it). She was the highlight for me, though the corps looked crisp and super synced all throughout. I marvel every time I see KJ Takahashi this season at how much he has grown in terms of his stage presence and confidence in just a year or so. He really is dancing like a future principal, as @matildasaid: not just technically, but in the way he holds the stage and fully inhabits the role. One of my favorite moments of his performance was actually one where he was resting between turning sequences, down on one knee at the front of the stage while the corps danced behind him. He made a series of facial expressions that said "You thought that was great? Well here I go again..." before taking off into his next turns. It projected the kind of confidence and connection with the audience that make principals like Daniel Ulbricht so compelling. 

Emma and Daniel in Tarantella: just jaw-dropping. Emma was so light and quick and confident, and made it look like she was having a great time even while executing the trickiest bits. I don't think I've ever seen a dancer move as fast onstage as Daniel in final series of manege jetes. He was just FLYING, it was absolutely astonishing. They both really went for broke the whole way and had a very fun rapport. Would love to see them cast together more. 

Tschai Pas: Very strong debuts from Indiana and Anthony. These roles feel like very good fits for their gifts. The last ballerina I saw in Tschai Pas was Tiler Peck who took it in a more bravura, dazzling direction: Indiana was more restrained but very compelling nonetheless. Her interpretation is more elegant, more lyrical, with lots of expressive "perfume" coming through in how she uses her hands and back. 

Carnival of the Animals: my first time seeing this. I think it's a really cute ballet for kids, I wouldn't see it again unless I was taking a child along though. The choreography is pretty thin and the solos are quite short. Given that, it seemed like many of the roles could have been nice opportunities to throw to the many, many promising corps dancers rather than to cast them with principals as was done last night. I can see the logic for casting a well-established principal as the swan (yes, Sara Mearns brought an emotional depth to the role of an aged former ballerina reflecting back on her dancing days that I'm sure a young corps dancer couldn't have) but the Lion, Baboon, Kangaroo, etc etc could have been fun opportunities to see rising talent. I was moved by how much Ashley Laracey made out of her pas de deux as the Cuckoo, though! 

On 2/28/2024 at 11:35 PM, pirouette said:

Hi all, I've made yet another chart (this time for the Winter 2024 Season) detailing: 

• Times Danced: The number of times a dancer danced IN TOTAL (per the casting sheet as of 2/28/24).
• Roles Danced: The number of roles a dancer danced in (for example, if Nadon danced in The Concert and Solitude, that would count as 2 roles)
• Debuts: The number of debut roles a dancer had (for example, Maxwell in Opus 19/The Dreamer would count as 1 debut). I counted "NYCB Debuts" as a debut. 

As always, please keep in mind that it's not perfect and there are probably a few human errors in there somewhere. I just thought it would be interesting to see the stats, especially since there has been conversation recently about who might be on track for a promotion. 

Here's the link for anyone who's interested: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ubs-DzggnKCrovbCDw3pqIChxma4Ql3/view?usp=sharing

Also looks a big season for Jules Mabie, who danced almost as much as Alec Knight and David Gabriel though he didn't have as many roles. It has felt like EVE and Alexa Maxwell's season on the ballerina side, and that's definitely affirmed by these numbers! Striking that Andy Veyette had so many debuts so far into his career (five!)

It's interesting what just looking at the casting data illuminates and what it can't take into account. For example, Sara Adams and Jacqueline Bologna clearly danced a lot, with a good number of roles and debuts. But I wouldn't have thought of them as dancers who made big strides seasons in the way that India Bradley did, even though she danced less and had a similar number of roles/debuts, because Bradley got such a prominent debut in the first cast of the new Tiler Peck that got a lot of attention.  Similarly with Afansenkov, she doesn't really pop in the casting data but because one of her two featured roles was a lead role in a pas de deux ballet, it seems clear she's seen as having potential some of her corps colleagues who danced more in more roles aren't seen to currently have.

Thanks so much for collecting this data and tabulating it! @pirouette

Echo the praise for Emma Von Enck and David Gabriel in Ballo last night. She danced wonderfully all throughout: effervescent, light, fleet.  Her face looked quite tense at the beginning (debut nerves I'm sure) but after she got through her first solo she was just BEAMING for the rest of the ballet and it was lovely to see her joy in her face as well as her movements. I can't believe David Gabriel only joined the corps a year and a half ago. He feels like the full package already. Beautiful jumps, beautiful battement in the air, confident partnering.  The four soloist also all were great.

This was my first time seeing "In a Landscape" and I thought it was excellent. Glad Wendi and Jonathan chose to revive it. What a shame Albert Evans passed at such a young age and didn't have more years to continue choreographing. It's been a long time since I saw it, but I remember him dancing Bugaku and that felt like an influence (in addition to Agon, as @matildanoted): all the slowly intertwining limbs and the lifts and the 90 degree bent arms. Also Duo Concertant, with the repeated motif of the two dancers side by side facing out at the audience and taking each others hands. Even though the influences are clear, it felt like Evans had made something uniquely his own. I found the opening and closing passage, in which the male lead slowly stalks offstage with an arm extended and the ballerina is prone on the ground with an arm in the air, being pulled motionlessly across the floor by the invisible stagehands, to be quite moving. I was impressed by Knight's confident management of all the very tricky lifts (lots of flipping the ballerina upside down, etc) and by Afakensenkov's ability to hold the stage in a minimalist work like this, given how relatively new to the corps she is. 

Hallelujah Junction: it seems almost rude to me how much work Peter Martins puts the dancers through for so little ultimate impact (the choreography looks exhausting--I was close enough that I could hear some of the dancers panting, and it's not a short ballet!) Everyone performed capably but ultimately I find this quite a boring piece. 

The Concert: I hadn't seen this for at least five years and it was fun to revisit it. It's just charming. Alexa Maxwell is first-rate in the mad ballerina role; is there anyone in the company who could outshine her in Robbins at this point? She would be a great Coppelia if they ever bring that ballet back. 

Noticed Alexei Ratamansky was in the audience last night, maybe checking out all the debuts? I could see him making great use of Maxwell's dramatic chops and her comic flair.

Was able to get a last minute ticket to yesterday's opus 19/solitude/symphony in three movements program, to my delight.

Solitude is such a rich, powerful, layered work: I know it will reward repeat viewings. Bummed it's not coming back in the spring, fingers crossed for the fall! The whole cast was excellent, especially Joe Gordon who was searching, solemn, heart-broken yet not crushed, and Sara who was radiant and expansive, a Dark Angel with more tender shadings. Mira and KJ also stood out, their dancing adding some lift to contrast with the aching solos by Joe Gordon. Thinking of the dedication to the children of Ukraine in the program, I interpreted their roles as being child-like, in the way they whirled and leapt and hopped around, each paired with a kind of guardian dancer who often manipulated their body, catching them and pulling them back as they leapt away as a worried parent might with a child. The still form of the dancer playing the dead child felt all the more chilling with this contrast. I thought the piece ending as it had began, with Joe Gordon kneeling beside Theo Rocios (the student dancing the dead child) was so moving: though I felt there was something of hope in Gordon's final solo, Ratmansky ultimately reminds that this individual and international grief for those lost in the war will endure.

Enjoyed Unity more in Opus 19 than anything else I've seen her in this season. The Dreamer is a perfect role for Taylor Stanley, who always registers as a dancer with great emotional depth, and here movingly conveyed the Dreamer's interiority. I find this to be a really interesting ballet as danced by Stanley: their Dreamer is playful yet narcissistic, even to the point of being casually cruel in how they pick up and drop the female lead as their attention flickers elsewhere. At the end, both dancers appear to be falling asleep with their head cradled by the other's palm. Is Stanley dreaming Phelan the whole time, or is she "real" and seduced by the Dreamer into joining his dreams? Fun ballet.

Symphony in Three Movements is always a ballet I enjoy. Gabriel and Mabie stood out, with presence and refinement beyond their years, and Isabella ate up her role with lots of big dancing and attack. She's SO good in the Balanchine leotard ballets. Tiler is just indefatigable, one would never know she was just back from an injury. Erica Pereira seemed an odd casting choice and did not seem at ease.

On 2/20/2024 at 10:44 AM, BalanchineFan said:

 She’s getting a bunch of debuts now, but in Robbins ballets, The Concert and Opus 19. Maybe they need her acting skills there more than in the Balanchine. She’s ASTOUNDING in Robbins’ work. Worth the price of admission all on her own. 

I agree. She's one of the best dancer-actresses in the company at the moment, which makes her a great fit for Robbins. I hope she gets a Titania spring season. I would have loved to have seen her in the Liebeslieder role Unity was dancing this season. 

Late posting this, but I was impressed by Tiler's company choreographic debut. I'd rather see it stay in the rep than pretty much any Martins ballet and a not inconsiderable number of the recent commissions (like the Reisens). She's got chops! And a good eye for casting, and she chose a great piece of music. She is really gifted at bringing out the most in her dancers, giving everyone ample opportunities to do what they do best: Mira looked extra-lush, Roman extra-playful and charismatic, India and Emma extra-quick and precise, etc. Would happily see this one again.

Rotunda to me is a bit of a filler ballet: I don't dislike it, but I would feel no pang of disappointment if I never got to see it again. I think Peck utilizes a lot of the motifs he's exploring here to greater impact elsewhere. Though, I'll take any chance to see Daniel Ulbricht get to do something besides Jester/Fancy Free sailor type roles: he was the highlight of this for me, and was wonderful in Odesa as well. My first time seeing Odesa and I loved it! Indiana was just stunning in it and it's so inventive and engaging. I also loved the music Ratmansky chose. So excited for his forthcoming works with the company.

17 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Another possible improvement is that in the pause between the halves of "Liebeslieder Walzer" the curtain came down but so the lights were only put on at a lower level - so clearly it wasn't like another intermission with the lights full on.

Agree keeping the lights lower could help. A number of people in my section seemed quite confused when the lights went up and started bundling up to leave, thinking the ballet was over. All the talking and shifting around did certainly feel like a rather rude awakening from the dreamy spell of LW's first section. They could also just have an announcement at the beginning of the evening that Liebeslieder is performed in two sections with a pause in between (like when they announce 11th hour casting changes).

For anyone so inclined, a number of the dancers have been posting a request on social media that audience members (especially donors and current KC ticket holders) contact ABT to (respectfully) voice their support.

They suggest writing to contact@abt.org with the subject line "solidarity with ABT dancers and stage managers for a fair contract", and noting that as a ticket buyer and/or donor you support the strike authorization vote, and support the dancers and stage managers in their fight for a fair contract that pays a livable wage. If you won't attend performances until good faith active bargaining is in process, they suggest you note that in your email. 

Hopefully this is resolved favorably soon!

10 minutes ago, tutu said:

This is shocking — what’s NYC’s living wage threshold?

Officially, the city defines a living wage as $16/hour which would annualize to $33,280 a year with full-time work. MIT's living wage calculator defines a living wage for a single childless adult in NYC as $22.51/hour ($46,820/year with full-time work). I'm sure there are other standards. AGMA's post doesn't cite whose definition of a living wage they are using.

AGMA just posted ABT's dancers voted last night to authorize a strike, with 95% of the dancers in favor. The Instagram post notes the negotiations have stalled after 8 months and that the dancers have been working with an expired contract since September, and says ABT is currently offering only a 1% COL adjustment  and proposing salaries that would leave 20% of the company living below NYC's living wage threshold. It also notes ABT dancers are now "significantly behind industry peers" in terms of work weeks and retirement contributions.

Hoping for a speedy and just resolution for the dancers!

AGMA just posted on Instagram that ABT's artists have authorized a strike, with 95% of the artists voting in favor. Good timing what with the sold-out KC run of Swan Lake, which the post mentions is now in jeopardy. Hoping for a speedy and just resolution for the dancers!

39 minutes ago, abatt said:

I found Villarini Velez particularly frustrating in 4T's because  it can be such a profound section of the ballet.  Often his movements were clipped and his body was rarely fully stretched. 

Agreed.  I found the 4Ts performance to be disappointing overall, but most of all Sebastian in Melancholic.  I'm thinking of those "drooping" sections, especially, where the dancer's body appears weighed down; it can be so emotive and impactful, but last night it actually looked silly, like someone parodying sadness rather than inhabiting it. 

It felt like a real shame to see such an underpowered performance of one of the greatest Balanchine ballets. In the opening sections, I wanted so much more sharpness, definition, and speed from nearly everyone in the cast. India Bradley, to me, was the dancer who "got it": she looked like she was really meeting the choreography's challenges with a relish no one else in those early sections was. Brava to her.

I thought Isabella came out strong and I was hopeful: I think Sanguinic COULD be a really good role for her, but she stumbled coming out of that series of turns early on and never seemed to recover her confidence. Emily Kikta was able to sustain her momentum; I still wanted more (Choleric can be so thrilling when someone really goes for broke in it, as Teresa Reichlen used to) but Emily's finding her way into this role and it suits her.

Adrian deserves some kind of MVP award for showing the audience what 4Ts can be with an assured, committed performer. He was moving and really inhabited Phlegmatic fully. He saved the day!

After the disappointment of 4Ts, last night's Liebeslieder felt like a feast. I thought everyone danced well, but Mira was the belle of this particular ball for me: a perfect blend of elegance and passion. She so completely embodies her roles, truly a dancer-actress who brings dramatic nuance to every little inclination of her head or wave of a finger. Tyler and Tiler were wonderful together, his deep gravitas a beautiful contrast with her quicksilver lightness. Whenever he swept down to his knees to kiss Tiler's hand my heart leapt. 

I may be in the minority here but despite not being the best height match I'd be into seeing the Roman and Unity partnership experiment continue. She is obviously a beautiful, technically accomplished dancer but she can be so FLAT and, frankly, boring, and Roman is never boring. Could he help bring out some livelier qualities to her dancing? Unity seemed more vivid last night than she usually does for me.

4 hours ago, nysusan said:

4th week casting is up! Nadon as Choleric! Laracey in Liebeslieder!

https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1706723614/Documents/Casting/NYCB_Casting_February_13-18_2024_lobby.pdf

Interesting that the casting notes Copeland Dance Episodes will now be performed with an intermission. 

Roman in Autumn was definitely the highlight for me as well. What an incredible artist he is. Last winter season I remember seeing KJ Takahashi in Copeland Dance Episodes and finding him impressive technically but not so developed with his stage presence: no more. He was a super-fun, charming faun. 
 

I was particularly impressed by Veyette and Angle’s strong partnering in ‘In The Night’ with all those lifts. Unity came across to me as more rushed than passionate at times: I think this is a role for her to grow into more. Sara Mearns seemed a bit tentative with some of her turns but the gravitas and charisma she brought to the role made her magnetic on stage. So glad she’s back. 
 

Stellar Fancy Free. I do agree it’s over-programmed but this cast has really nailed the roles. I thought MT MacKinnon was notably more confident and playful as the purse girl than she was in this role last year. Brava to her. 
 

Naomi Corti gave a sweet speech about how seeing Emily Kikta debut in Rubies while Naomi was a new SAB student had cemented her determination to join the company and been a lasting inspiration to her. Thought it was lovely of her to pay homage to another dancer like that. 

16 hours ago, vipa said:

I have hope for that! I saw one of her pieces  on the program she presented in City Center, and two of them at Vail. In my opinion they were well constructed, musical and used ballet vocabulary well. I wouldn't say they were memorable,  but she has craft and musicality. That's promising in my book.

I agree that she is showing promise as a choreographer, after seeing her work at City Center! Based on Instagram teases it looks like Mira Nadon and India Bradley have significant roles in Tiler's upcoming work. I'm excited to see it.

Still no second week casting. I wonder if the current COVID wave is hitting the company and scrambling casting.

On 1/11/2024 at 2:31 PM, matilda said:

Definitely the Opera House -- all of the dance shows I've been to there in the last seven or so years (Hard Nut, Pina Bausch, Batsheva, ENB Giselle) have used recorded music and it looked like there was no space for an orchestra pit because the front row of seating was practically up against the stage. But I can see how they could adjust the space to include one. 

I saw the Mariinsky perform at BAM in 2014 and 2015 and I recall they brought their orchestra as they did everywhere else I’ve seen them on tour. They did Swan Lake and Cinderella.