MarzipanShepherdess

And looking ahead to this upcoming spring season, which hasn't even opened yet: Copland Dance Episodes, the 21st Century Choreography program with the Reisen/Solange Knowles piece, and the Balanchine/Ratmansky program with Swan Lake had nearly all their first ring and orchestra seats sold when I was buying tickets last week. As someone who ideally would wait until casting is released to buy tickets, I'm bummed, but as someone rooting for the longevity and financial health of the company I'm delighted.

Count me as another Isabella fan who felt her promotion was very deserved. Agree with you about Episodes, and others about Firebird, and I'll add The Cage as another ballet she made a major impact for me in. I feel like those are all roles in which she has shone that are much more representative of NYCB than Aurora. IMO, not being able to carry a big classic story ballet shouldn't a dealbreaker for NYCB promotion the way it obviously should be at a company like ABT. Re: Mira Nadon's rapid rise--I chatted with someone recently who had grown up training at Mira's childhood dance studio in CA, with some overlapping years together, and she said everyone who knew Mira growing up is unsurprised by her zoom up the ranks at City Ballet. She said it always felt clear to her that Mira was going to have a big career. Perhaps Olivia Mackinnon's promotion feels more surprising than it otherwise might because it comes alongside that of Alexa Maxwell, whose elevation feels SO painfully overdue. By contrast, Olivia's could look more premature than it may actually be. I appreciate @BalanchineFan's reminder that as audience members we get such a relatively limited window into dancer's potential on stage. It's also interesting to think about the promotions in the context of the WWD article @WLH shared. Stafford emphasizes "energy" a lot as a prized quality, and Takahashi certainly embodies that more so than the "overlooked" Riccardo and Bolden.

I was pleased, though like others surprised, to see SunMi Park get such a big debut (and to see Chloe Misseldine and Betsey McBride also get big roles). I'm in favor of ABT taking more casting risks like this! In the 15 years I've been watching the company I've felt the casting is generally very predictable and heavily weighted to the same small handful of dancers. In recent years, with many of my favorites departing the company, I've been seeing fewer and fewer ABT performances as a consequence. The Park/Camargo/Fong/Misseldine/Brandt/Royal cast is the one I'd most like to see when the production comes to New York (though I'm sure I'll go to the Teuscher/Cornejo cast just because I relish any opportunity to see Herman dance and who knows how much longer he'll perform).

Agree with you @pirouette that Alexa really deserves to move up! She’s overdue. Baily Jones and India Bradley seem like other likely candidates. KJ Takahashi has only been in the corps a year and half, but seems like he’s on track to move up to soloist already.

She also performed the Queen earlier in the run in the cast I saw. It struck me that I’d never seen someone do that role so emotively and maternally! She really brought what is often a pretty wooden promenading role some life and color. Brava Marika!

I hadn't heard this explanation before and I love it! I'll stick with this one.

I echo many of @Balletwannabe's observations! Maria K was a delight as Carabosse, she played her as like a female Joker. Lots of maniacal laughter and wicked glee. Joseph Gordon was so gorgeous that I felt cheated every time he went off stage, we don't get enough of him in this ballet! Roman Meija gave a bravura turn as the lead jester, subbing in for Sebastian V-V. Everyone who gets to see him as Bluebird is in for a real show. And Emma Von Enck was excellent as the White Cat, so charismatic and impactful in such a short solo. I really hope we get to see her Aurora sooner than later. Of the non-Lilac fairies/jewels Alexa Maxwell stood out to me the most. What a great season she's having. I'm a big Mira fan and thought she made a lovely Lilac debut, with room to mature in the role. She is a natural Lilac, with her gorgeous long lines and expressive port de bras, much in evidence last night. But there were moments were I felt like she was overdoing the choreography a bit, and it looked a bit forced/effortful. Her Lilac had a grandeur yet also a sweetness that was beautiful to watch, but I think she could further develop how she conveys the power and authority Lilac wields. Megan Fairchild is such a treasure to the company and to audiences. Her Aurora last night was just radiant.

Yes--this is how I see LaFreniere's strengths as well, so she doesn't seem like the most natural Aurora to me either. That being said, one of the most memorable Sleeping Beauty's I ever saw was with Veronika Part at ABT, definitely cast against type there. What struck me the most was how she danced the birthday party scene. In her interpretation, Aurora was not having a good time AT ALL, being pressured to make a choice she didn't feel ready to make between suitors she didn't like. It created a beautiful, moving emotional arc in the performance seeing her then blossom into this luminous, assured young woman in the later Acts with her Prince.

Fairchild. Plus Megan's cast gives you Joseph Gordon as Desiré, Mira Nadon debuting in Lilac Fairy AND retired NYCB great Maria Kowroski guesting as Carabosse!

Same! So beautiful to see how she has continued to bloom as an artist relatively late into her career. Saw Copeland Dance Episodes last night, with the Miriam Miller/Russell Janzen cast. For me, this is a ballet that rewarded a second viewing. I thought Miriam Miller was really lovely, bringing softer, more vulnerable shadings to the lead ballerina role than Mira Nadon did in the premiere. And Alexa Maxwell, though a very different dancer than Tiler Peck, was excellent in the other big ballerina part. She's so emotive and engaging to watch. I'll be shocked if she's not promoted in the spring. I really preferred Megan Fairchild to Unity Phelan in the "yellow leotard" role; last night Unity was kind of blurry in her phrasing, where Megan made every step so clear. And KJ Takahashi, though obviously a very promising talent, doesn't yet have the authority that Roman Meija is already projecting despite his young age, so the early movements felt a little less exciting than in the premiere. I know Emma Von Enck has lots of fans on this forum and she really stood out to me in her relatively small role: lots of speed, lots of attack, dancing big. I'd like to see her in the Tiler/Alexa role! Today I was back for the Classic NYCB II matinee. Wasn't sure I'd see this program because I've seen Fancy Free so many times and I didn't love Episodes when I saw it in the fall, but the casting won me over. In Fancy Free, Roman was the standout: this is such a great role for him with all his bravado and charisma, but all the guys were good. Alexa Maxwell and Mary Thomas McKinnon were both great in their debuts. Alexa continues to impress me in dramatic roles, she is a great dancer-actress who can do a lot with her face and small gestures and brings characters to life. Rondo was new to me and I really enjoyed it! It's like a chamber piece, very intimate, and it felt like a rich work to me even though it's short and quite pared back. I loved all the nuances Olivia McKinnon and Indiana brought out in how their roles related to each other: there's mirroring, playful competition, admiration, tenderness. And I loved the ending where the two ballerinas do a reverence to one another first and then turn to do one in unison to the audience. Lovely. Solo: always great to see Anthony Huxley but this has been programmed a lot lately, more so than I think it deserves...I still feel as I did when I first saw it that it gets lost on stage. Episodes: I enjoyed this ballet more on my second viewing. Some of the choreography, particularly in the second section, is so interesting and arresting (I'm thinking especially of the sequence where the ballerina is upside down with her arms around her partner's waist, her legs making horns, or wings, behind him). But the last two sections, especially the final one, feel repetitive to me and start losing my interest. I preferred this cast to the cast I saw in the fall. Isabella was wonderful in the first section with Chun Wai Chan, she can summon such authority, with a shade of menace, and that was very much in evidence here. Ashley Hod was the highlight of the whole piece for me in her debut in the second section. Really, really strong as was Gilbert through all that tricky partnering. Mira also had a strong debut in the fourth movement. It didn't feel as fully realized and out-of-the-gate WOW as her SVC debut earlier this season (then again, Episodes isn't as WOW of a ballet as SVC), but she brought her characteristic vividness and it felt like she made a lot out of all the small, controlled steps. Emilie didn't make much of an impression on me in the third movement, though Taylor Stanley did. I found myself watching him the most in the third section.

Saw the 21st Century Choreography program tonight. Starting off with the premiere: I found 'Fortuitous Ash' to be a real disappointment. It felt VERY repetitive, and what is being repeated isn't particularly engaging. It's such a shame because Jinakunwiphat chose some great dancers to work with, but even really exciting, vibrant dancers like Mira Nadon and Chun Wai Chan felt flat here. They just don't have much to do. I'm in favor of City Ballet bringing in choreographers who don't usually work with ballet dancers, obviously the result can be invigorating as it's been in the two collaborations with Kyle Abraham. But here it felt like Jinakunwiphat's lack of familiarity working with ballet dancers might be part of the problem with the piece. She did not seem to have many ideas for what they could do, so we got a lot of the same handful of movements over and over again. I think her work with A.I.M. is much more successful. I will be shocked if this stays in the repertoire. However, I really enjoyed Voices (which I didn't get to see in 2020) and it makes me very excited to see more of Ratmansky's work with City Ballet dancers. The score, which mixes recordings of 5 different women speaking about art over live piano, is unexpected and for me kind of strange, but I found the choreography really engaging and meaty. I'd love to see it again because there was so much to take in, especially in the ensemble dances at the end. Georgina Pazcoguin, who as others have noted has not had much to do this season, was a standout. For me, she outshone Unity, who is technically a stronger dancer but felt a under-powered here in contrast to Georgina who really brought some fire and attack and definition to her solo. Alex Maxwell continued, as she has for the last year, to make a strong case for being ready to move up to soloist. And I enjoyed seeing Megan Fairchild deliver a great performance in a role that relied on none of her charm and sparkle. Everywhere We Go: I'm glad they keep this in the repertoire and I was glad to see it again. Seeing it on the heels of Copeland Dance Episodes, though, I had the same feeling that the ending didn't feel satisfyingly timed. It was nice to see Chun again after seeing him in Fortuitous Ash and be reminded of how wonderful he can be when he has something to work with.

Casting is up and Megan is opening the SB run with Joseph Gordon! Mira's debuting in Lilac that night, really excited to see her in that role. And Maria Kowroski's coming back to do Carabosse!! Very cool. Emilie Gerrity is also, as expected, getting a Lilac debut. Unity, Tiler, and Indiana are the other Auroras in week 1. Cainan Weber, Roman Meija, and Villarini-Velez all have bluebird debuts, and Baily Jones and Emma von Enck get Princess Florine debuts. Hod and LeCrone debuting as Carabosse. Edited to add: Chan, as expected, is debuting as Prince Desiré dancing with Tiler Peck. He's the only new Prince week 1 (Anthony Huxley is dancing with Indiana and Andy Vedette with Unity)

The dancers only wear them for the opening, when they’re all walking on stage as the curtain rises. Then they exit and Roman (and eventually everyone else) come back on without them. The ballet is danced in color blocked leotards. To me they evoked hazmat suits and isolation, also chrysalises. At the beginning of the ballet when the dancers wear them they’re all wandering around on stage together but disconnected from each other and not interacting. Then they take off the “hazmat suits” and began to engage through dance. The ballet itself has themes throughout, at least to me, about connection and how we desire it but also struggle with it and ultimately can fail at it (as the central couple danced by Mira and Taylor do), and it felt like the opening costumes were part of that thread.

Copeland Dance Episodes feels like a winner for City Ballet! Clearly a big investment of company resources and a gamble on audiences having appetite for a new full-evening work, and a 76 minute intermission-less one at that, but I think it paid off. House looked very well-sold, all the way up through the fourth ring, and the audience reaction both throughout and for the final curtain calls was VERY enthusiastic. I know Mira was the understudy for the main ballerina role, but man she hit it out of the park. She and Taylor had wonderful chemistry and really held the emotional center of the ballet all the way through. Over the course of the work they come together, part, pass each other by, try to come back together, and ultimately fail to reconnect. Both Mira and Taylor brought wonderful nuance, focus, and intensity to their roles. I felt truly moved throughout, and couldn't help exclaiming "but they don't end up together!?!" to my companion after the curtain went up. They take you on a journey! I appreciated the breadth of the work, ranging from big high-energy moments with lots of dancers on stage and little bits of comedy sprinkled in to very intimate, charged pas de deux. I agree with @nanran3that the solos felt relatively less exciting than the pas de deux and group dances. For me, the ending felt a bit abrupt, I wanted to feel more of a sense of resolution. But the work held my interest and attention all the way through. I'll definitely see this again, for sure in the spring and I think after seeing it tonight I want to see the second cast as well!

Wow, this surprises me as it really seemed like he was gaining momentum these past few seasons and doing more featured roles! He had a pretty prominent role in the new Abrams this fall, and obviously is also in the first cast of the new Justin Peck.

Furlan's casting sheet also shows SB rehearsals for Adams and Villarini-Velez, Pereira and Takahashi (he's having quite a season!), and solo SB rehearsals for Gerrity and Bologna. I wonder if that means Bluebird/Princess for the pairs and Lilac for Gerrity (which would be a debut for her). Not sure what Bologna's would be for, next to Bologna's name is: (JONES AR) and then whatever follows is cut off. I think Walker could be a good Desiré. Very princely and emotive.

Same! And I'll miss their hilarious ABT TikToks. I'm eager to see how they spend their leave and hope it's fulfilling for them.

Thought it was a fine debut from Gerrity in Walpurgisnacht. One of the things I enjoy about this ballet is the arc from contained to wild, and I feel like the lead ballerina has to project some real gravitas to make the very contained opening interesting or it can feel kind of flat. Gerrity did that: she was refined and brought a lot of presence (regal but still with a warmth), and that made the transition into the hair-undone-wildly-whirling bit feel exciting. Tyler did not look his best, as Matilda noted, but honestly the one male role in this ballet is so thin that it didn't bother me much. He's just there to catch the ballerina in the leap at the end! I almost wish Balanchine had cut that one grand jeté sequence so that it was just all the ladies dancing. On which note, it made me smile to see the array of hair textures on the corps ladies during the finale, which wasn't the case in any previous Walpurgisnacht I've seen. Also very much enjoyed Phelan and Chan in Liturgy. This is the kind of role I feel like Unity really nails, with her beautiful long lines and polished technique. In roles that are more emotive and dramatic I sometimes find her to be flat, but in this kind of work she really delivers. Most of the roles I've seen Chan do are more allegro, bravura ones that make use of his beautiful jump and charisma, so I enjoyed seeing him in something so different and was impressed by how he finessed all the intense partnering. He's the full package! I echo the praise for LaFreniere as Firebird. I really love the emotion she brings to her final solo, she makes it really heartbreaking in the vulnerability she projects.

Mira absolutely KILLED IT in her Stravinsky Violin Concerto debut. Élan is the word that comes to mind. So much passion, verve, intensity. Really thrilling. Big audience reaction, which was lovely to see. Everyone kept applauding after she and Adrian went into the wings after their big pas de deux, so much so that they came back out for mid-performance bows.

I saw a 2008 performance of Davidsbundlertanze but somehow missed it in 2014. Would really love to see it come back into the active rep!

I have tickets for the 17th! Sad not to be seeing Sara, but a surprise debut from Mira is definitely the best possible consolation. I'll report back!

Roles I'd love to give to City Ballet dancers if I could: Isabella LaFreniere as Tall Girl in Rubies and Choleric in 4Ts (maybe she's done them already), and as Odette/Odile. Chun Wai Chan as Puck, and as Bluebird. After shining as the Soldier and Tea this Nutcracker run, I'd like to see Caian Weber get a Bluebird too. Peter Walker as all the Princes (Siegfried, Désiré, etc). Ashley Laracey in Diamonds and as Waltz Girl in Serenade. Mira Nadon in Walpurgisnacht!

Exactly! If these men had been sharing images from PornHub with one another, there would have been no issue. Any workplace doing its duty by its workers would sanction or fire workers who shared intimate images of other workers without their consent. And I would add, nonconsensual sharing of private nude or sexually explicit images of someone isn't just a breach of trust, it's increasingly ruled to be a crime in many cities and states. I

Yes, that was Clotilde in the fabulous purple sequined dress! Like you, I was struck by the number of musicians who came out to pay their respects and don't remember that from other send-offs I've been in the audience for. What a perfect, perfect goodbye for Sterling! It's always been delightful to witness the particular joy and lightness she brings to the stage and that was radiantly in evidence yesterday. In her first solo her interactions with the children were so tender while still being regal. And her pas de deux with Andy had so much emotion, from both of them, it was beautiful to see. Her final manège into the wings was breathtaking, she went absolutely full out and her speed and precision made it abundantly clear she's going out on top. I loved seeing her exultant, megawatt smile after her last unsupported balance, it was a real "nailed it!" moment. It felt quite poignant that her last moments on stage were enacting a literal goodbye, sending Marie and the Prince off in the sleigh as we collectively bid farewell to her NYCB stage career. It felt like a symbolic passing of the baton to the next generation, what with her plans to expand her teaching career and her gracious desire to retire so as to make space for younger dancers to move up in the company (as she described in her recent NYT interview). I sat in the first ring and it was sweet to see maybe 15 company members lined up against the back wall for the second act to watch Sterling's farewell and applaud her from the audience. Robbie Fairchild came back to give her flowers, which was also lovely to see. Thoughts on the rest of the performance: Like @cobweb, I was particularly impressed by Titus Landegger as the Prince. So elegant, particularly in how he used his hands and arms, and real stage presence. There's that gesture that repeats a few times throughout the first act where Marie and the Prince shake hands slowly, and I've seen too many casts do it in a way that over-exaggerates the gesture and makes it look awkward rather than poignant. Titus and Caroline O'Hagan made it into a real moment of slowly dawning recognition, mutual fascination, and connection every time. It was a treat to see Sean Suozzi reappear guesting as Drosselmeier, he was excellent. Cainan Weber stood out in the first act as I dare I say militaristically polished Solider. In the second act, Indiana Woodward gave one of the best performances I've ever seen from her as Dewdrop. Just gorgeous. It was a nice reminder that even as principals I've loved since I first started seeing City Ballet, like Sterling, are retiring, the next generation of principals are very much coming into their own.

Saw 2/3 of the Children's Songs/LIFTED/Sinfonietta bill (jetlag caused me to bow out at the second intermission, unfortunately). Children's Songs: well, it's a big step up from Zig Zag and yes that is damning with faint praise. It's not a groaner, but this didn't feel all that substantial to me. I was most engaged when Lang was most obviously taking inspiration from "childish" movements and the work felt more playful (for a work inspired by children it felt quite sleepy at times). I agree with others who say the stated theme of showing the progression from childhood into maturation via movement didn't feel fully realized. The highlight for me was unquestionably Sunmi Park, particularly in the big pas de deux. I was looking forward to seeing Elwince in a more featured role, but he didn't have much to do here. LIFTED: I look forward to seeing this again (especially when not feeling so jetlagged). THIS felt substantial, with lots of layers in the interplay between the five dancers and also the way in which they interacted with the set (which is a T-shaped set of mirrored walls that get rotated by the dancers throughout the performance). I thought the set design was used to moving and powerful effect throughout the piece, both as a means for the dancers to interact with their own images in the beginning, and later on when all five dancers were leaping across the stage and the mirrors gave the audience a vision of what a future ballet world with a greater number of Black dancers might look like. I thought the whole cast performed beautifully, but especially Calvin who is such an exceptionally emotive dancer. He was transfixing. I appreciated the opportunity to see Erica Lall in a meatier role than I've seen her in previously, and she certainly made the most of the opportunity, by turns regal and tender. The work held my attention and I hope they bring it back in the spring. It feels like a piece that would reward further viewings, which is for me one of the hallmarks of good ballet.