Olga

8 hours ago, Drew said:

As an aside I can't help reflecting that  if I were Finlay I would rather be sued than face criminal charges that could land me in prison. But that's just me. 

 

 

The two are not mutually exclusive, and one may be a prelude to the other, and even a point of leverage in the first.

4 hours ago, KarenAG said:

Olivia’s Instagram post made me tear up. 

I had the same reaction. It was very real and very touching. 

7 hours ago, fordhambae said:

Allegedly

As of now, the status is allegedly. Whether and to what extent Finlay consented to Waterbury’s access could be of significane. For now, it is important not to accept the plaintiff’s statements of the facts as the actual facts. 

A magnificent dancer. Olivia Boisson’s Instagram post sums up the other contributions he made. Very glad Lynn Garafola mounted that exhibit about him this past year, while he could still see it. A legend among legends at City Ballet. RIP.

4 minutes ago, Rick said:

Surprisingly, there are a lot of seats still available for tonight's opening performance. I wonder if the vacant seats are the result of the recent publicity.

NO. Yom Kippur begins tonight and runs through tomorrow. It is the Day of Atonement, probably the most observed holiday in the Jewish calendar, even among Jews who never go to synagogue. It’s more surprising the theater is as well sold as it is tonight and tomorrow. 

4 hours ago, Royal Blue said:

Recent developments have unleashed a cacophony of sound emanating from all sorts of people, among others those who belittle the arts, those who are unappreciative of the art form of ballet, those who dislike Balanchine's choreography, and those who feel NYCB lost its way under Martins' stewardship. It is fortunate and apt that the season begins with the magnificent Jewels and a few other masterpieces, and that the orchestra will soon start playing the restorative music of Fauré, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Bach. All those on stage and in the audience who understand or sense the importance of art in our society will rise above this unsettling time for NYCB.

 

I for one am planning to.

12 hours ago, On Pointe said:

The Finlay affair seems to have morphed into a referendum and condemnation of Peter Martins.  Those who don't  like him seem to think this situation is all his fault.  (Toni Bentley's piece suggests to a casual reader that Alexandra Waterbury is a member of NYCB.)  Bentley may be correct about the "soft-core porn" influence which permeates many aspects of media.  But does she think that Balanchine or Kirstein would have found all of her writings laudable?  Her work is part of the wave.

Yes indeed. The wave of Martins, Board and NYCB bashing. Bentley also co-authored Suzanne’s autobiography.  Speaks for itself. 

A sad day, a sad month, and a sad year for our beloved company. How amazing is it that Opening Night is Tuesday, which also marks the beginning night of the Jewish Day of Atonement. May they be written and sealed for a better year and a bright future. 

Interesting they have added they decided to fire Finlay prior to receiving notice of his resignation. 

6 hours ago, aurora said:

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/407/337/128/new-york-city-ballet-should-hire-their-first-female-artistic-director/?taf_id=59011009&cid=twitter

This looks like a petition to hire Wendy, not just a female. See petition photo. That is unfortunate - regardless of views of Wendy - as it shifts the focus and hampers consensus on the basic issue. 

1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:

The Hong Kong Ballet will have some special guest artists for its production of Giselle starting next month in Hong Kong: 

Marcelo Gomes: 10/26, 10/27
Sarah Lane: 10/27 matinee
Matthew Golding: 11/3, 11/4

It's not listed who their partners will be (presumably they will be members of HK Ballet).

Julio Bocco will be guest coaching the production.

If anyone attends, please report.

http://www.hkballet.com/en/Whats-On/Productions/Giselle-2018.html

I was surprised Lane would also be checking out on ABT, so I looked. I believe Lane will be w HK Ballet on November 4. She is listed on ABT website as performing with ABT on 10/28. 

Lauren Lovette posted these in the comments section of her recent (love to the ladies) post:

• “...thank you so much for your comment ❤️ good is doing more than is being publicized right now... so many of us may not be posting on social media specifically about this, but it doesn't mean that we are staying silent or remaining idle. I promise we are fighting for a safe work environment too. Love to you

1 hour ago, minervaave said:

I would add that the true mark of a sincere apology where the person should be forgiven is if the person who is being apologized to forgives them. 

Unless the victim is so acculturated to a dominant culture of abuse and harassment that the forgiveness can’t be read the same way as it normally would be. 

21 minutes ago, balanchinefreak said:

@Olga, you don't need the authority of an AD to tell an employee don't come to work drunk or we suspend you.  If you violate a 2nd time, you are fired. 

I don’t disagree on this narrow point.

Actually, even that narrow point may be wrong given disability regulations and the fact he is a union member. 

To me, the major result of having used the company server, if they did, is that the company in conducting its “investigation” would have had access to emails even without going to a third party. I don’t think the no expectation of privacy rule means the company has a duty to read everyone’s emails etc. But it sounds like they were texting which as pointed out upthread is different. 

Even if Stafford was a great leader, he lacked the authority of an AD because of his interim status. I think his chances of becoming something more than interim vanished when the complaint was filed. I take Bouder’s post more as a criticism of the Board for letting this go on for so long, an expression of her hope for the future, an affirmation of the “company” itself, and an effort to disassociate herself from this awful stuff, particularly in view of her image as a feminist and outspoken person. It’s pure speculation to guess at reasons why the Board is taking so long. This should light a fire under them. I am not one to fill a position (or for that matter to vote) purely on the basis of gender or race. But in this instance I believe they must appoint a woman, and I will have a hard time renewing my membership if they don’t.

10 hours ago, rkoretzky said:

I was at the Saturday matinee at SPAC when Chase made his debut performance in Apollo. He was promoted on the spot. 

It was a stunner. He captured the arc with great clarity. I will never forget it. 

Unfortunately injuries intervened and I never saw him rise to that level again. 

I have always thought Finlay’s dancing undeserving of principal status so interesting to read this. 

3 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

David Prottas is filling in for Ramasar tonight in Carousel. Has Prottas filled in before? (I haven't been following the Carousel discussion very closely.)

 

 

Protas filled in for Ramasar when the latter went on vacation a couple of weeks ago. 

Marvelous article and in every way.  Canbelto - Thank you for posting.

Yes. And the company has a long way to go to reach that level of dysfunction. Of course, there was a flip side to it, except during the time it all came crashing down.

I respectfully disagree about the company appearing dysfunctional. On the contrary, what stands out to me is how well they are doing. They have come through the Martins difficulty with great spirit, and dancing beautifully. I feel there is a strong internal positive dynamic at that company. Sure, they must haver their rivalries but they are lifting each up. And oh, what a deep bench! Granted, there are some issues among the male soloists and principals but the corps is rip roaring. I expect Joseph Gordon to move into principal rank soon, and some promotions to the soloist ranks. Dysfunctional is when you can’t function through difficulties. They are doing much more than just functioning. I think a lot of theevents this year are related to the political climate and the increased exposure broight about by social media. A couple of divorces? Come on. It’s a ballet company.   Here’s a controversial statment: the Balanchine/Farrell relationship was dysfunctional. 

17 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

 

17 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

18 hours ago, CharlieH said:

I’m disappointed that this article includes quotes from negative reviews by Macaulay on two of the guys in question. Was that really necessary?

The authors are not ballet specialists and may know little about the dancers in questions, so all they have to go on are Macaulay's reviews. This is precisely why I wish he wrote in a less personal and more journalistic way, because as it stands his highly subjective take becomes the "official record."

I couldn’t agree more and also wonder if Macaulay gave them the specific quotes to use.

11 hours ago, vipa said:

I still think Lordes Lopez has it if she wants it. She's the full package - knows media, runs a company which she took over with minimal disruption (as far as I could see), worked with Balanchine but has an eye for contemporary works. If she wants to move back to NY, I'd put good money on her.

I would think the job is hers for the asking. If she doesn’t want it, and Woetzel can’t take it, my money is on Stafford. 

I would like to be corrected if I am wrong, but I do not recall the box office of any other major dance venue in NYC (Koch, BAM, Joyce) closing like this. 

Thank you for this info Kathleen. Very interesting. I knew ticket service charges were a substantial revenue item. But I didn’t realize how much so. Obviously I agree about the regressive nature of the fees and the unfairness. There are many more things I could say about the way City Center has handled this but I am “biting my tongue.”