Kathleen O'Connell

1 hour ago, dirac said:

a dancer can be too heavy and still not reach the bar of actually disfiguring the choreography or failing to get across artistically

Here's what I'm always wrestling with: what is "too heavy" (or too thin) and why? Or more to the point, why do I find myself tempted to make that assessment when looking at a ballet dancer, but rarely when I'm looking at dancers in other types of dance? 

(I too find dancers thin to the point of emaciation discomfiting.)

For World Opera Day, Bard's Fisher Center is offering a video-on-demand stream of its production of Ernest Chausson's King Arthur on a pay-what-you-want basis (including $0) from 10/25/2021- 11/01/2021.

I haven't watched this one yet, but Bard's opera productions are usually very good and typically explore less well known corners of the repertoire

WORLD OPERA DAY: KING ARTHUR

by Ernest Chausson
The American Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Leon Botstein
Directed by Louisa Proske

10 hours ago, dirac said:

Critics are there to tell us what they see. If a dancer is visibly heavy to the detriment of the dance in that critic's view, it's fair comment. There are plenty of ways to convey this without getting cute, as Macaulay did. 

I think it's fair for a critic to comment on a dancer's physique if it's made clear why it's relevant to the performance. Simply saying that a dancer looked "out of shape" or whatever the euphemism du jour is isn't enough, imo. It's incumbent on the critic to say why it matters. Was the dancer's line so materially affected that it defeated their artistry or the choreographer's intent? Were they unable to move in a way that was ideally free and expressive? Etc. Otherwise it comes off as someone patrolling the boundaries of permissible body types rather than artistry.

12 minutes ago, pbl said:

Little things, like Albrecht not wearing his sword when he enters in Act I, and not changing his costume to look like a peasant;

This struck me as a weird omission because that bit of (necessary!) exposition is detailed in the very plot synopsis that ABT puts in the program:

"Count Albrecht arrives with his squire and enters the cottage opposite Giselle's. He emerges dressed as a peasant, submits his disguise tho the squire's inspection, and dismissed him."

Hilarion's breaking in to Albrecht's cottage makes no sense if we haven't first seen Albrecht hide his sword and fancy clothes there.

3 minutes ago, BalletFan said:

I enjoyed Giselle so much that I wish I could have seen all six casts. 

This was the rare ABT run of a ballet where I actually wished I could have seen all the casts, with the possible exception of Seo / Stearns. I definitely wanted to see each and every debut. For the first time in a long time, there's a cohort of dancers at ABT who I want to watch while their careers develop rather than simply watching the finished product.

(This is harder to do at ABT than NYCB simply because of the nature of ABT's repertory and casting choices: you get a Giselle, and you get a Giselle, and you get a Giselle ... everybody gets one Giselle a season.) 

I suspect that the degree to which one found Trenary's debut satisfying depends on whether or not one found her dramatic interpretation persuasive. I found more than persuasive: I was moved by it. And, I appreciated how far inside the role Trenary appeared to be; to my eyes at least she was doing more than executing the steps with a dollop of acting on top. Hadshe been visibly struggling with the choreography, or had she been less musical, I would likely have been much less taken with the performance.

I didn't mind her falling off pointe during her hops any more than I minded Cojocaru falling out of some turns during an otherwise radiant performance as Aurora. (Also: I am no more invested in those hops than I am in Odile's fouettés or Aurora's balances. They could be replaced with any other step that fit the music and the dramatic moment, and I'd be fine with it.) 

PS - I think it's fine to weigh the various aspects of a performance differently or to prefer different interpretations of a role. That's why it's a good thing that ABT could present us with six credible Giselles. 

No time for a full report, alas, because Cassandra Trenary's and Calvin Royal's debuts this afternoon as Giselle and Albrecht certainly deserve one. Trenary especially took full possession of the role: had I not known it was her debut, I never would have guessed that it was. She's clearly put a lot of thought into her mad scene, but it looked unmannered and natural: theater without theatrics. She's also put her imagination to work on differentiating her act 1 village Giselle from her act 2 spectral—and I'd be hard pressed to say which one I like more. 

One more thing to note: Trenary is the kind of stage animal ABT hasn't really seen since Marcelo Gomes. Brava!

3 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

I don't think it's right and I don't think bullying about weight has any place in offhand remarks in a ballet review, "sarcastic" or not. Are patrons going to exchange their Nutcracker tickets when they read that someone in the audience found the lead dancers “fat?”  I don’t think so, and I don’t see any value in the information.

Yes, exactly. Who is the audience for comments about a dancer's weight? It's not as if the dancers aren't themselves acutely aware of what their bodies look like. "Huh. I had no idea I look fat!" said no ballerina ever after reading a review that commented on her weight. Ditto the AD; if they think the dancer looks fine and values their artistry, I sure as heck hope they have the confidence in their judgment to brush aside someone carping about a dancer's weight. 

As for the audience: well, I think we can be led to let our taste regarding body type evolve. When Sara Mearns first came to prominence, there was some grumbling among the critics regarding her weight / body type. Today she can lay claim to being one of the company's brightest stars: I'd say the audience cast a pretty deciding vote about what they value in a ballerina, and it's not whether she's five pounds on the other side of an impossible ideal.

An aside: For related reasons I have always been irked by how often Maria Kowroski's dancing was reduced to the beauty of her legs. 

1 hour ago, California said:

With a little googling...the Koch stage is 56' wide and 54' deep. Met Opera is 103' wide and 80' deep. Seems odd-- Is the Met really TWICE as wide as Koch??

No, it's not. The 103 foot width specified for the Met includes the wing space. The proscenium openings for the two stages are comparable: 56 feet wide by 30 feet tall for the Koch and 54 feet wide by 54 feet tall for the Met. The Met stage is deeper than the Koch stage: the Met stage is 80 feet deep from the curtain line to the rear wall; the Koch's stage depth is 54 feet at the center of the stage. 

7 minutes ago, nysusan said:

Got a seat I like for only $29 but with all of the fees the total came to $44.

One big problem with the tacked on fees is that they aren't proportional to the base ticket price, so they're effectively like a regressive tax. They make up a MUCH greater proportion of the least expensive tickets than they do of the most expensive tickets. They add an additional 50% to the price of a $29 ticket, but only an additional 7.5% to the price of a $200 ticket. Those less-expensive tickets should function as an attractive way to introduce new audience members to the art form and as a way to reward loyal fans who don't have a lot of disposable income but do have a love for the company and the art form. Effectively doubling the ticket price is no way to reward either their curiosity or their loyalty. 

42 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

McBride would have been an excellent choice.

I think so too. 

16 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

the rep programs usually don’t sell extremely well, but imo they should have chosen much better programming after a 2 year hiatus.

They should have chosen better programming after a 2 month hiatus. ABT has some real treasures in its repertory; they could have celebrated their return to the stage by showcasing some of their best jewels. (Pillar of Fire is one of them, of course.) 

4 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

Half of adults don't get the flu vaccine.  Can't force people.   

Sure you can.

The state of Mississippi requires all children entering Mississippi schools from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade to receive the following vaccines:

Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP)
Polio (IPV)
Hepatitis B
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Chickenpox (Varicella)

(Mississippi Dept. of Health)

A  doctor may request a medical exemption if vaccination would endanger a child's health, but there are no exemptions for religious or personal beliefs. 

Sigh. He almost gets it. 

"You may well want to see fewer of the showier lifts in today’s dance repertory: I’m among those who’ve written that there’s been too much manipulation of women in dance, especially (but not only) in ballet. But plenty of twenty-first-century choreographers have been using them. Is it really time for the twenty-first-century ballerina to start gaining a few pounds?"

Well, if "plenty of twenty-first-century choreographers" are making dances that require super-thin ballerinas, that clearly means that ballerinas are therefore obliged to starve themselves. Or, choreographers could make dances that celebrate all kinds of bodies.

42 minutes ago, FayBallet said:

Speaking of Ms. Ringer, Alastair Macaulay recently wrote a reflection on Sugarplumgate:

OK - I've removed my comment here and will repost it to the new thread.

39 minutes ago, canbelto said:

Some farewell tributes to Lauren King:

Sigh. So sorry to see her go! 

55 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Ah, the cast sheet must have been wrong then, as they both had stars for "first time in role."

That's not the first time that's happened! I've seen a couple of "debuts" that weren't and spent more than a few minutes trying to sort out whether or not my recollection of having seen that very dancer in that very role before was a false memory. 😬

20 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

I'm at a loss to understand why he hadn't danced the part a lot sooner.

It was LaFreniere's debut—Danchig-Waring has danced the male lead in Chaconne a number of times. I've seen him with both Mearns and Reichlen, and he was indeed excellent. You can see a few clips of him and Reichlen in one of NYCB's "Anatomy of a Dance" videos here: https://vimeo.com/250349793.

I'm seeing LaFreniere and Danching-Waring in Chaconne tonight, and I'm looking forward it—I'm delighted that LaFreniere is back from a far-too-long absence and taking on a major role.

2 hours ago, cobweb said:

I'm trying to figure out if Chaconne is on the schedule for Winter or Spring, but it's hard to find that information quickly on the website (unless I'm missing some season overview page).

You're not missing anything! For some inscrutable reason, the powers-that-be have decided to move the links to the Fall, Winter, and Spring season calendars from the main Season & Tickets page to the Subscription Packages page where no one can find them. 🤷‍♀️ It's nice that each program in each season has its own page, but clicking through each one in turn is no way to get an overview of the season.

Another alternative: go to the repertory section and click on the ballet that you want to see. If it's been programmed for a current or future season, the performance dates will be listed there. For example, here's the page for Chaconne, which shows no performances listed for after the Fall 2021 Season. But here's the page for Rubies, which shows performances for both the Winter and Spring 2022 Seasons.

1 hour ago, GB1216 said:

Oh that’s so sad re: Bouder.  I’ve noticed that she has been rather quiet on IG this season - usually she is much more active on there.  I saw her on the 23rd in Serenade and thought she was still working on getting back into performance shape.  It’s a hard road! 

Bouder looked a little out of shape on Tuesday evening, but otherwise seemed to be taking the role in stride and danced with her usual verve. I didn't notice any on-stage mishaps, but who knows what might have gone awry to keep her from coming back for the finale and sidelining her for the rest of the season. 

A couple of very quick notes on last night's performance of the "Innovators & Icons" program (Andrea Miller's sky to hold, Sidra Bell's Suspended Animation, and Balanchine's Western Symphony) :

1) I liked Miller's sky to hold just fine, but I liked the music a lot more—so much so that I fired up my music streaming service of choice and searched for Lido Pimienta's music as soon as I got home, and I'm glad I did. (I'm listening to her album Miss Colombia while I type ...) Sebastian Villarini Velez replaced Taylor Stanley.

2) I loved Bell's Suspended Animation. I want to see it again, but alas it hasn't been programed for either the Winter or Spring 2022 Seasons.  Kudos to the costume shop for pulling off John Rogers' gloriously over-the-top creations. Also, Peter Walker was rocking a beard and a man bun and I am here for it. It totally worked with Rogers' demented hot pink version of a tri-corn hat.

3) I think Laine Habony stepped in for Ashley Bouder for the finale of Western Symphony? (It sure looked like her during the curtain calls ...) I hope nothing is amiss. 

14 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

Who besides Megan LeCrone dances that second woman's role? Who that's still in the company?

Emilie Gerrity, for one. 

51 minutes ago, sohalia said:

Hopefully with all the upcoming retirements, we will see more promotions in the next few weeks or months. I agree that only two was disappointing, but I want to be hopeful. 

 

So far only Abi Stafford has actually retired. Lauren Lovette and Ask LaCour retire on Saturday (10/9/21). Maria Kowroski retires on 10/17/21. Gonzalo Garcia doesn't retire until February 27, 2022. Amar Ramasar doesn't retire until May 29, 2022. (Per Faye Arthurs' recent review of NYCB's Fall Season opening night, soloist Lauren King will also retire shortly. Perhaps other soloists are retiring as well, but I don't think anything has been announced.) 

It could be that the company has chosen to time the promotions to correspond with the retirements, either because it wants to or because it needs to.

21 hours ago, California said:

Another issue with encouraging new choreographers: in recent years, I've noticed companies around the country encouraging female choreographers with commissions for new work. This is all to the good, if a bit late in ballet history. Too many come up with work that really isn't ready for prime time and flops badly. I'd like to see more use of studio and workshop settings to nurture female choreographers (although I know there is already some of that). 

NYCB's own New York Choreographic Institute (now under the direction of Adrian Danchig-Waring) certainly appears to be making an effort to provide young women choreographers an opportunity to hone their craft.  The NYCI now makes videos of at least some of its fellows' creating available for viewing on its  website.

This offering from NYCI's Fall 2020 Martha's Vineyard Residency features choreography by Claire Kretzschmar and Eliza Blutt, for example. (There work by Preston Chamblee as well.) I was particularly taken with Kretzschmar's Rachmaninoff Suite for an ensemble of five dancers (Emilie Gerrity, Russell Janzen, Miriam Miller, Gretchen Smith, and Andres Zuniga.) I hope she gets a chance to make more ballets—I'd certainly show up to see another effort.
 

I wish NYCB had the wherewithal to give its NYCI fellows (or whatever they're called) an opportunity to present a staged work in a smaller, less high-stakes venue than its main stage.

Here the link to the Fall 2020 Martha's Vineyard Residency videos.

I saw Ballade with Merrill Ashley and Ib Andersen shortly after its premiere (dating myself here!) and several times since then—but it's been too long, so bring it back please, powers that be! Miraculously enough, give how little it's been performed I've seen four ballerinas dance it: Merrill Ashley, Stephanie Saland, Judith Fugate, and Wendy Whelan. It's the kind of ballet that can have a totally different perfume depending on who is dancing it. I gather the choreography can be challenging to dance, but I think there are any number of dancers on NYCB's current roster who could do it justice.  

The ballerina's costume as shown on the repertory page looks NOTHING like the original, which looked intended to emulate a Degas painting. (There was also a giant swag of a deep red curtain as part of the set, which was thankfully retired somewhere along the way.)