Kathleen O'Connell

arrghhh! Of course he is! Thank you for the reminder ...

I was around for the original "Danish Pastries"—Peter Martins, Helgi Tomasson, Adam Luders, and Ib Andersen—as well as Leonid Kozlov (Bolshoi), Robert LaFosse (ABT), and Sean Lavery (SFB and Frankfurt Opera Ballet). And of course, Joaquin DeLuz (ABT). Of the bunch of them, only LaFosse trained at SAB if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure I'm leaving someone out; I seem to recall that there were five Danish Pastries, but I'm drawing a blank. In any event, there happens to be a bevvy of talented tall women coming up through the ranks, so there will be plenty of opportunities for the taller men in the corps. I agree!

I suspect that a small army of protesters would gather at or very near to the theater entrance for at least the early days of the run. In the worst case, there would be pro and anti Jackson factions facing off against each other. I can't imagine that the big theater organizations would be willing to take the risk, especially in the age of viral social media, unless they really did embrace the "any publicity is good publicity" line. And Wheeldon would be my last choice for choreographer. (Well, last after Wade Robson for obvious reasons.)

I wonder if he will have a successor in the sense that there will be a (salaried) chief dance critic? Also, just a reminder that Macaulay was for a time (the late 80s) the guest dance critic at The New Yorker.

I hope she is charging him.

My lord, how much longer was he going to bang on about same-sex partnering.

I did a little googling and came across a 2011review of Apollo's Angels by Marina Harss for The Nation. Among other things, Harss points out that by making Apollo her touchstone for all that is both right and proper in both Balanchine and ballet in general, Homans loses sight of (or perhaps refuses to see) the corresponding throughline exemplified by Prodigal Son. Read the whole thing, as they say, but here are some representative quotes: I for one would not have been unhappy if The New Yorker had given Acocella's slot to Marina Harss.

You betcha! I suspect that there would be a more enthusiastic audience for Liebeslieder if NYCB could somehow contrive to perform it in a more intimate venue.

I'm glad the performance moved you and your companion! While I might disagree with you regarding Phelan, Stanley, and Gordon's Liebeslieder debuts, I certainly won't dismiss your response to the performance or to their dancing. I think there's no denying that Gordon and Stanley in particular are very talented and exceptionally musical dancers with a style and an artistry that are uniquely theirs, which bodes well for their future success in Liebeslieder—assuming that they get to dance it again, of course. (I'm a little less sold on Phelan in general; I find her a tad generic.) My complaint was directed primarily at the company for not finding a way to give them another performance or two to find their way into ballet. (And I apologize in advance for the pedantry, but the texts for all of the songs save the last were written by Georg Friedrich Daumer. Only the text of the final song is by Goethe.)

Well, that's what I'm wondering. In addition, Homans can seem overtly hostile to the works, styles, and choreographers that aren't to her taste, dismissing them in terms that are redolent of moral judgment. So, judgmental rather than evaluative, I guess — the polar opposite of the great Deborah Jowitt, who can tell you that something isn't well made without wrinkling up her nose like somebody made a bad smell. I will spare you my rant about "ballet is an etiquette."

I do hope that The Runaway stays in the rep. Even more, I hope that NYCB is able to develop a dancer who can, with justice, take over Taylor Stanley's role when he decides to retire it. Also, I'd like to see "Behind the China Dogs" again. It was my very first Forsythe.

I don't have time for a more comprehensive wrap-up, but I thought I'd pass along a brief take on the 2/10/19 Herman Shmerman / Principia / The Runaway triple bill. My husband was only going to be able to take in one NYCB performance during the winter season. I asked him if he'd like to see either the Balanchine / Stravinsky program or the Balanchine / Tchaikovsky program since these ballets have been among his favorites. "No!" he said, "I want to see something new!" So, off to Forsythe / Peck / Abraham we went. His thoughts, in no particular order: 1) He thought Herman Schmerman was the most well-crafted ballet of the three and thought that in the end it would prove to have the longest legs of any of them. 2) He LOVED Emily Kitka in Herman Schmerman. (And truly, what's not to love?) He thought that she, along with Taylor Stanley, was one of the afternoon's standout performers. 3) He thought Principia was ... meh. He found Sufjan Stevens' score to be very well orchestrated, but badly in need of editing with little by way of thematic or stylistic unity or clarity. 4) He really enjoyed The Runaway and was in awe of Taylor Stanley's performance. He liked the costumes and lighting, and enjoyed the music so much that when we got home he fired up our streaming service of choice and spent an hour or two listening to Kanye et al at full volume. He would like to see more Abraham, too.

In Dancing for Balanchine, Merrill Ashley recounts how she got to dance the lead in Square Dance—one of her dream roles—during a tour to DC because an injury had sidelined Kay Mazzo. Ashley hoped to be cast in the role when the company returned to NY for its spring season, but wasn't, and decided to appeal to Balanchine directly for another performance. "Summoning up my courage, I approached Balanchine one afternoon and said, somewhat apologetically: 'Mr.B, I know you have lots of considerations when it comes to casting, but I would really love to do Square Dance again, if it is possible.' 'No dear,' he responded quickly. 'Is Kay's ballet." It took another injury to Mazzo before Ashley got to perform the role again.

Well, to be fair, they are also into a lot of other Balanchine ballets.

Sigh. Liebeslieder is like Halley's Ballet: it only comes around every seven seasons. This wouldn't be the first time that NYCB threw a bunch of new dancers at Liebeslieder for a single performance at the tail end of the season and then didn't bother to give them a chance to dance in it again until three years later (if then). The last time this happened I had the same happy thought you did, cobweb, but alas it wasn't to be. I agree that today's performance was a uncharacteristically muted, which I chalked up to a mostly new cast. It looked as if they hadn't quite sorted out who they were, or at least, how to convey who they were. The vocal quartet and the two pianists were very, very good, however.

I imagine there would properly be some useful give-and-take. Stafford might ask Whelan to consider programming (or commissioning) something that would challenge the dancers in a particular way or he might ask her to reshuffle a season if he's concerned that he wouldn't be able to marshal the forces to pull it off. (And not just the dancers: he'd have to be alert to the concerns of the production, design, and wardrobe staff as well. I'm not sure who worries about the musicians.) Whelan is a professional; I can't imagine her putting a season together without consulting with the rest of the team regarding its nuts and bolts feasibility. Whelan should of course be ready to challenge Stafford if she thinks the company is growing complacent, is ignoring some corner of the repertory that could use reviving, is being too cautious about the choreographers it considers for commissions, or isn't giving the dancers things to perform that will allow them to flourish as both artists and technicians. If it's her job to tend to the company's artistic vision, I hope she gets free rein to do so. She will make mistakes; that's OK. By-the-by, no one much mentions the woman who does have a leadership role at NYCB: Executive Director Katherine E. Brown. Not a model for ballerinas? Keep in mind that they have many years to fill when they're done dancing. There are more things to do than teach ballet, and some of those things carry real power and authority.

The Business Couple?!? I had to wipe away more than few tears every time I saw Wendy Whelan and Nikolai Hübbe dance that pas! No couple has packed more yearning and tenderness into those oh-so-simple but oh-so-glorious moments when the man gently lowers his partner to the floor and then even more gently lifts her into an arabesque while she slowly sweeps her foot forward along the floor. Since it's beyond description (like the last few moments of the glorious Midsummer Divertissement pas) here's some footage with Lauren Lovette and Jared Angle. The moments I'm trying but failing to describe start at about 23 second mark: This same couple also get a few iconic moments in the first half when they dance to "Am Donaustrande." To me it always looks like they're recalling a lovely spring day when he pushed her in a swing.

This. If I understand the arrangement correctly, Whelan's priority will be crafting a season—including commissioning new works and other artistic collaborations—and Stafford's will be getting that season onstage—well presented, well rehearsed, and well danced. This too. The company needs a public face that is at once glamorous and comforting. Whelan has the capacity to be just that.

With all due respect to Kourlas, I think it's a shallow one. I'd have liked to have seen a woman fully in charge of NYCB as anyone, but Whelan doesn't arrive with a full portfolio of AD skills. As Kourlas herself points out: "She certainly faces a steep learning curve. Until recently, she hasn’t done a great deal of teaching, coaching dancers or staging ballets." You know, those things that take up a considerable portion of an AD's working day. Kourlas seems to think that Whelan's biggest qualifications are her "star power," her willingness to hire contemporary choreographers to make dances on her, her showing up at MoMA, and her personal grace. Does that warrant co-equal status? I'm not sure.

Would any other company even be given the performance rights for Revelations? I don't believe this is still the case, but there was a period of time where every AAADC performance would close with Revelations. I don't know who controls the rights, but it could be that the company itself has them locked up for as long as it wants them. It's AAADC's signature work, a touchstone of the company's heritage, and a cash cow. I can't imagine the company wanting to dilute the work's box office potency — or, less cynically, its stylistic integrity and the special place it holds for the company and its audience.

Well, about $4.8 million of the company's $200 million endowment has been earmarked for Martins repertory. I don't know what stipulations the donors have attached to the use of these funds or what specifically they are intended to support (royalties? rehearsal time? music licensing fees? production maintenance?), but the powers that be would have to have a really good reason to walk away from that pool of money. If I were fabulously wealthy, I'd tell the Board I'd double the amount of money earmarked for Martins just to put his R+J and Swan Lake permanently in mothballs. Yes, R+J and Swan Lake do put butts in seats, but I think anyone's version of Romeo and Juliet or Swan Lake would put butts in seats.

Oh, I suspect the Board's gala committee will be able to fill more tables with a leadership team in place than they would be with a hint that a "big announcement" might get made at the gala itself. Also, the foundations and government agencies that provide a decent chunk of the company's funding were probably as eager to see the leadership question wrapped up as everyone else. (Organizational stability is one of the key factors foundations consider when they make funding decisions.) Delaying the decision for much longer might have put some of their funding at risk or a least created a little friction with the institutional donor base. And ... at least a subset of potential gala donors will happily pony up for Whelan. Being able to put her name on the invitation is a good thing.

I think it's more complicated than that. From the press release: "As Artistic Director for NYCB, Stafford will supervise all areas of the Company’s artistic operations, working closely with NYCB Executive Director Katherine Brown, who is responsible for all administrative functions for both the Company and its home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Stafford will also continue to teach Company class and rehearse and prepare ballets for performance." "In the role of Associate Artistic Director for NYCB, Whelan will focus on conceiving, planning, and programming NYCB’s annual performance season; commissioning new work from choreographers, composers, and other artistic collaborators; and working closely with NYCB’s dancers in the rehearsal studio, both teaching class and coaching numerous works in NYCB’s unparalleled repertory." "The new leadership formation at NYCB will also expand the involvement of Resident Choreographer Justin Peck, who will add the role of Artistic Adviser to his portfolio. In this capacity, and at Stafford and Whelan’s invitation, Peck will work closely with both of them on ideas for programming and new commissions." "As Artistic Director of the School of American Ballet, Stafford will work closely with Chairman of Faculty Kay Mazzo and SAB Executive Director Carrie Hinrichs to ensure that the most promising ballet students in the United States have the training, resources, and guidance to develop into world-class artists and healthy, well-rounded individuals. While Whelan will not take on a formal leadership role at SAB, she is expected to guest teach with regularity." I'll have to noodle on this for a while to sort out what it really means in terms of who does what and has final say when push comes to shove. In any event, it is past time.

"Daydream Believer" was playing overhead while I was waiting in line at the drugstore, and it was like being 14 all over again. I should have saved those copies of Tiger Beat! We were all so young ... RIP, Peter Tork.

It would have behooved Martins to explain the reason for his changes to both Stafford and to the dancers who were affected by them — and it could well be the case that Bouder wasn't the only dancer who, at his direction, got bumped from a performance slot, got bumped from a role altogether, or got thrust into a role they either weren't ready for or that didn't suit their talents. Martins had to have known that bumping Bouder from the opening night slot had at least the potential to send a message — to Bouder, to Stafford, and to the company as whole — and to create additional friction in a company grappling with enough disruption as it is. A thoughtful person with some regard for the company and its dancers might have tried to ameliorate the damage.