Kathleen O'Connell

1 hour ago, abatt said:

I think we may be reaching a point where all  interactions and meetings between ballet master and employees must be videotaped and kept on file indefinitely, or a third party must always be present, such as a union monitor. 

There are times in every workplace where a private, one-on-one conversation is the only appropriate option. Denying employees the right to have those conversations does them no good service and implies that neither they nor their supervisors can be trusted. — trusted to tell the truth in the case of the employee and trusted to behave appropriately in the case of the supervisor. Better that workplaces should be reliably free of bullying and harassment. 

5 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

Yup this makes sense.  I initially read that qoute as "there's nothing I can do", but I realize now that she meant specifically within the company.

It's also quite possible that the union wouldn't have been an option back in the 90s for any number of reasons: in might not have had a clear set of policies or a reasonable grievance reporting mechanism in place; it might have been wary of making harassment or hostile workplace complaints a point of conflict if its leadership believed it needed to keep its powder dry for issues like salary and benefits; its leadership might have had personal or professional ties with important company artistic and management personnel and would not therefore be perceived as a creditable advocate, etc etc etc.

11 hours ago, Drew said:

I might wish Tiler Peck could go back in a time machine and coach Heather Watts...but the other way round?  I suppose coaching is its own separate skill and in this case...I hope so.

(Over the years I've been a Martins defender--with caveats--but maybe soon it will become possible to have a Farrell coach the Tiler Pecks of the company.)

Watts was a very good Dewdrop. She was good in a lot of stuff, and some of that stuff was roles that one mightn't have expected to suit her talents, such as Midsummer's Divertissement pas de deux. (I certainly preferred her to Merrill Ashley in that role.) Like Kistler, she was allowed to dance for too long, and her final years tarnished how we tend to remember her.

16 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

"no where to go, no protection"?  The police perhaps?  And why was this charactized as sexual assault when the description suggests otherwise?  So many questions...

The Union. I don't know how up to the task AGMA might have been in the early 90s, but they are alert to the issue now: AGMA ESTABLISHES A SYSTEM FOR MEMBERS TO REPORT CONDUCT THAT CREATES A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT.  This is one reason why unions are important — or at least should be. As institutions, they likely have some catching up to do as well.

On a different note: I still remember Kelly Cass; she was a genuinely lovely and talented dancer. 

PS: One important aspect of the AD's job is the management of the company's relationship with the union. The Board will likely have that in mind when the consider their next course of action.

1 hour ago, sandik said:

That could be the best path -- we've probably all been in situations where a powerful leader is replaced without the right kind of planning made for a transition.  No matter how significant the next individual is, there's almost always a rocky period.  

Yes indeedy. Been there, done that! 

A solid interim AD who 1) is relaxed and and happy about the "interim" part of the title and 2) is committed to acting in the best interests of the company, its artists, and its audience might be ideal in the event of an unexpected departure — especially if the Board is happy with the current artistic direction and isn't looking for someone to come in and shake things up. That gives the company time to groom an internal successor or conduct a thorough and well-considered search for an outside candidate.

With all due respect to the Balanchine-era artists we love and admire, it's time for NYCB to embrace the contributions of a new generation when it selects its next AD*. It's no longer sufficient to have once worked closely with Balanchine. He's been dead for 34 years and a lot has happened to ballet, to dance, to the arts, to the media, to our society, and to the world in the interim. Those artists still have valuable, indeed invaluable, roles to play — as teachers, as mentors, as sources of first-hand knowledge, as touchstones, as keepers of the flame — but running a company isn't necessarily the best way to fulfill them. I say this as an aging Boomer who's delighted, excited, and charmed by the energy and creativity of the generation that's come after mine, and well aware of the things they are alert to, both good and ill, that I am not until they tell me. 

And, with all due respect to the younger, up-and-coming talent we love and admire, that AD has to come on board with a full portfolio of well- tested skills, including both artistic judgment and managerial expertise. Being an emerging choreographer isn't enough; running a pick-up company in the off-season isn't enough. Running a dance program at a university isn't enough. (One might argue that the opening decade or so of Martins' tenure shows what happens when someone is selected on promise rather than achievement, but i digress ...) 

A successful AD needs to be able to present a coherent artistic and organizational vision to the Board and convince them to 1) pay for it and 2) trust that he or she can and will make it happen, especially when there are setbacks. It's not job that can be handed to a novice or even a relative novice, especially given NYCB's financial and organizational scale, its position as one of Lincoln Center's resident companies, and the firepower of its Board and major donors. 

A successful AD needs to be a leader. And although a clear artistic vision is paramount, managerial and organizational savvy is not something that can be dismissed lightly: all one has to do is look at the PA Ballet's various personnel and PR debacles in the Corella era to see what ill can be wrought by an indifference to the niceties of sound leadership. 

Finally, if Martins is relieved of his position for reasons related to harassment or fomenting a hostile work environment or toxic culture, the Board may well elect to look outside the organization for his replacement.

* Even if Martins survives the current firestorm, he is 71 and in the twilight of his NYCB tenure. If we aren't discussing his replacement now, we will be soon enough. 

1 hour ago, kfw said:

Is that a standard business term? If not it's just bad writing. A subordinate by definition reports to the supervisor, so the company could have omitted the phrase. 

Yes, "reporting relationship" is standard corporate terminology. 

7 minutes ago, dirac said:

In fairness to Martins, it's worth repeating that, as many here already know, at the time of his appointment he was considered to be a promising choreographer, at least as good, if not better, than other male NYCB stars who were encouraged to make dances.

Also in fairness to Martins, although he made too many ballets (or too many of the same ballet), he did not crowd out other promising choreographers. The fact that he made money that he might have spent on his own work available to others is a good thing. I wouldn't have hired some of the choreographers he did, but I applaud his willingness to spotlight - and more importantly, cultivate - other talent.

1 minute ago, Helene said:

I don't know if people will forgot how Wheeldon walked out of Morphoses.

Well, I won't. Were I on the Board, I'd consider it disqualifying.

If I were Lopez, and I were interested in the NYCB AD position, and Wheeldon got it instead, I'd be pretty steamed.

1 hour ago, miliosr said:

As for Suzanne Farrell taking over the helm (if Martins doesn't manage to weather the storm), at 72, I don't know that she would want the hassle of managing a big institution like City Ballet when she didn't want to institutionalize her own company in DC as a rival "see" to City Ballet.

I think Farrell's age is an argument against appointing her to be NYCB's AD — not because 72 is too old to successfully discharge an AD's duties, but rather because her tenure would likely be too short to provide the kind of organizational stability the company would need to transition into a new era. 

Frankly, given Martins' age alone (71), a well-run and thoughtful board would have already begun the process of succession planning. If they don't already have a list of candidates in hand, as well as an understanding of which of those candidates might not be available on short notice given contractual obligations and the like, they haven't done their job.

Because they have been in the company and have AD experience, Boal, Lopez, Woetzel, and (sigh) Millepied are obvious candidates, as is Stiefel. (I hadn't thought of him, but he's an interesting suggestion! Thanks for mentioning him, Wonderwall.) Martins is living proof that NYCB's AD doesn't need to be a choreographer.

yukiona4869: I'd wondered if Jonathan Stafford was being groomed as Martins' potential successor. I guess we'll see.

13 hours ago, angelica said:

Leaving aside the matter of substitutions and alternate approaches, Lane has posted some wonderful videos of herself rehearsing in the studio and dancing on stage in various ballets that show her at her stellar best. Given the side angle of the videographer and the hypothesized tiredness of Lane, why not simply take this video down so that people see her at her best, rather than her second best? If I were Lane and the camera caught me like that, I wouldn't want it all over the internet. 

Alas, the internet giveth and the internet taketh away.

That being said, I try my dead level best never to base my overall assessment of a dancer on a video, or even the sum of their videos.

A) It's just one performance. 50 things outside of the dancer's control could go wrong. (Alternatively, everything can go beautifully, magically right and a meh dancer can look like the best ballerina ever.) 

B) There are just too many things that can undermine any video, much less something shot on a phone and posted on Instagram. As Angelica has pointed out, the angle at which something has been shot can make it look worse (or in some cases better) than it looked in the theater. The music could be out of sync. The lighting could be funky. Makeup that looks terrific from halfway back in the theater looks like a Halloween fright mask in a close shot, and you can't unsee it.  Etc etc etc. 

Videos capture a moment in time, and they can help us think about what's important, or what's ideal, or what we respond to, or what we like, or how a particular dancer approaches a role, or a step, or the music – but they can't tell the whole story.

11 hours ago, vipa said:

Makarova was the master of body language and stage craft.  Unfortunately, these days a lot of dancers think they have to throw in doubles to meet a certain standard. The  typical audience couldn't care less. They just want to see the music filled up with turns and a dazzling finish.  That's what dancers should go for.  

Also, no one really wants to see a dancer fail; or, to put it more positively, everyone wants to see a dancer succeed. Body language is powerful, even from the stage. Heck, especially from the stage, where even the slightest bit of tightness in the shoulders or stiffness in the neck gets telegraphed all the way to the back of the theater as tension, nerves, or a lack of confidence. Even if they're not consciously aware of their response, there's some part of an audience member's brain that's made uncomfortable: as social animals, humans are exquisitely attuned to the nuances of body language. A dancer who fills the music with smiling, well-executed, and confident singles will make the majority of the audience happier than the dancer who is struggling and obviously distressed by it.

I think one of the reasons no one seems to mind an Ashley Bouder tumble (other than concern for her safety, of course) is that she exhibits utter confidence and self possession before, during, and after a fall. Her particular brand of daring is something we can enjoy on a visceral level.

14 minutes ago, Olga said:

Plisetskaya style!

I like Lane just fine, but those fouettés weren't an example of this dancer at her sparkling best. That's OK; it's one performance, and it's a video — they may have had more èclat in the theater. 

I'm in the tiny minority that doesn't think a full 32 counts of fouettés is particularly important, but that, in the case of Odile especially, a full 32 counts of something dazzling and seductive is. I'd rather see a ballerina do a big ol' manège of piqué turns brilliantly than a bunch of  fouettés indifferently, and without much theatre.  

13 hours ago, canbelto said:

Maybe I'm betraying my love for sports but I always think Odile's fouettes should be done with the expression Steph Curry has when he hits another three-pointer.

Absolutely. And no matter how badly they're going, her face needs to say "Swish! Nothing but net!"

21 hours ago, California said:

I assume that this could be figured out from the 990s filed with the IRS, which has to include grants and gifts, although a lot of other things are on that form and it might not all be itemized. But remember how much aggressive fund-raising went on for the three-company Jewels last summer -- all sorts of high-cost Friends options + very expensive tickets. 

Neither its 990 nor its audited financial statements provide sufficient detail to determine how much Lincoln Center, in its capacity as a presenter, paid in performance fees to any particular artist or company.

Per its most recent 990, expenses associated with its performance programming activities totaled $37.9 million for the year ending 6/30/16. That amount includes the performance fees paid to artists and companies (about $14 million) as well as the cost of things like operating the theater, promotion, and the like that can be allocated the the shows Lincoln Center itself puts on -- e.g. Great Performers, Mostly Mozart, White Light, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, and the Lincoln Center Festival. The revenue from these activities totaled $11.8 million, so you can see the gap that needs to be covered by grants and donations.

Lincoln Center's audited financial statements parse things a bit differently (of necessity - the way they have to present things to the IRS differs from the way they have to present things according to current US financial accounting standards). But if you compare page 4 of the financial statements with pages 9 and 10 of the 900, you can get a 60,000 foot view of what's going on.

PS: Typically, presenters pay artists and companies a fee to perform. The presenter is on the hook for covering the fee and the cost of running the theater; the company is on the hook for covering things like its own artists' salaries, travel expenses, etc.

31 minutes ago, sandik said:

I'm thrilled when people are publically out, but I can certainly understand when they'd rather be low-key.

I think it would be a fine thing if people could be low-key about any aspect of their personal lives if they'd rather. The perceived need to have a robust social media presence makes it difficult, although some public figures manage to thread that particular needle quite nicely.

I'd hoped to point to two things:

1) There are a lot of openly gay actors, enough for me to say that there are, indeed, a host of them. 

2) Women find them sexually attractive. One might suspect that the only bar to gay actors portraying male romantic leads is a certain squeamishness on the part of (hmmm ... male?) producers. It's called acting for a reason.

I think Nanushka is right: in the very near future, if not now, tying oneself in knots in an effort to remain closeted will be the scandal. 

5 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Kathleen, I feel like you always have the best links!

I wish I could claim some sort of ninja level google-fu, but these were literally in the top five or so links that popped up when I searched "gay movie stars." 

It really is a new world.

21 minutes ago, Drew said:

They aren't really known as romantic leads or fantasy fodder for magazines.

 

11 Gay Male Celebrities That All Women Dream About

19 minutes ago, dirac said:

 And a “host” of others? It’s become that easy for out gay actors? It doesn't seem so to me, but I could be wrong, of course.

 

65 Hottest Gay Male Actors

53 Openly Gay Actors Who Are Out, Proud & Smokin' Hot

It's a whole new world out there.

51 minutes ago, dirac said:

Career reasons, possibly. Being known as a gay male ballet dancer, or even a gay male dancer generally, is not that big a deal, but even so not many talk about it or are willing to discuss their private lives as many straight dancers do freely. If you have ambitions as a romantic male lead in theater it gets dicier, particularly if you are thinking Hollywood, which I expect has at least crossed the minds of both these gentlemen.

Hmmm ... could be. Although Neal Patrick Harris, Zachary Quinto, and a host of others seem to be doing OK. 

I can't pretend to know why Fairchild and Day took down their Instagram posts; I don't know them and I don't know the dynamics of their social and family circles. However, it's entirely possible that they took them down out of a concern for the feelings of others – perhaps their respective exes*, perhaps members of one or both of their families – rather than the sudden realization that they might have outed themselves. 

If so, it's a shame they didn't think about it before they posted, but they are hardly the first people who have advertised a relationship when tact might have been the better part of valor.

Sometimes – most times? – it's difficult to see that your own joy is nothing but a dagger in someone else's heart.

* For the record, I don't know if Day has an ex, but it would hardly be surprising if he did. 

17 hours ago, vagansmom said:

I'm hoping I can find The Unconsoled in audiobook format at a library.  That's the only way I can manage to  "read" books right now: in the car, I'm a captive audience.

Anyone else listening more than reading? 

Me! Audiobooks are perfect for chores, and perfect for commuting. I live in the city and thus don't drive much, but there is no subway ride or trek across town by foot that isn't enhanced by a good book.

I did listen to the audiobook version of The Unconsoled; I got a lot of ironing and scrubbing and schlepping done in the process. 

My best audiobook experience ever was the audiobook of Skippy Dies,  done by a cast of Irish readers. 

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

 

Thanks for this report! How was Sebastian as Espada? He's pretty much remained a back-row corps dancer, so I'm curious how he did in this.

Well, based on what I saw on display in his recent Fall Season performances in of Songs of Bukovina and Serenade After Plato's Symposium, ABT ought to move him out of the back row pronto. 

So, if it's not the audience, why is the Wednesday matinee slot deemed appropriate for dancers who don't "deserve" a Thursday evening performance?

Who's decided that Thursday evening is for the "deserving," and why? I'm not trying to be a pain, I'd just like to hear what the logic is behind the assumption.