minervaave

I just saw Romeo and Juliet tonight, and I have to say that apart from Tiler Peck, I thought it was really weak.  It wasn’t so much the dancing and choreography even, as the acting and awkward, jarring staging during what was supposed to be intensely emotional moments.  There were a couple of moments in the duel scene and at Juliet’s death where I was tempted to laugh, and not because I was meant to.  But because the reactions seemed so off, either too nonchalant or too exaggerated, not genuine horror and despair.  And Zachary Catazaro didn’t make much of an impression as Romeo.  HIs characterization seemed generic and perfunctory.  He was better in the scenes with Juliet than the scenes with his companions and the duel, but I really didn’t see him falling in love with Juliet the way I saw how much she loved him in every gesture.   It made me wonder whether NYCB dancers don’t get much acting training since so much of their repertoire doesn’t require this level of acting.  Anyone know whether this is the case?  This is supposed to be an intense, moving ballet, but for me, at least, the emotional component was largely lacking.  (And don’t get me started on the sets and costumes - did they hire an eight grader to make those sets?)

9 minutes ago, abatt said:

That's true.  They probably could have terminated him for any reason or no reason, provided the termination wasn't motivated by racial bias, age discrimination or other protected categories.  But NYCB did not go that route. Instead, they chose to hire a leading law firm in employment law to investigate and to render a legal opinion based on the factual investigation.  It's fair to conclude that the law firm's legal opinion will address whether Martins' conduct constituted a violation of  employment law, and whether his conduct constituted abuse under the law.

 

Yes, but then he started to get massive negative coverage in the press, all the old skeletons in his closet started getting rehashed (like the assault on Darci Kistler, which really does not look good in 2017) and then he really sealed his fate with his causing a 3 car accident while driving drunk.  After that, he became a liability regardless of what the law firm found out.

2 hours ago, Fleurfairy said:

A fair point, but I don't think anything Martins choreographed really made huge gains for the company. I think Ratmansky, Peck, Wheeldon, and some of the newer choreographers could definitely fill in the rep without having the AD choreograph too. Nevertheless, I'd like to see a return to more Balanchine and Robbins. The last few seasons have been lacking in both. 

I think Martins clearly demonstrated the downside of having the position include choreographic responsibilities.  It's difficult enough to find someone who can recognize and nurture talent, both in dancers and choreographers, fundraise successfully and oversee the marketing, finances, administration and all the other organizational issues that go into running a major organization like NYCB.  Asking them to choreograph on top of that is almost guaranteeing that you will end up with subpar choreography that has to be performed regularly because it is part of the job of the AD.  Yes, there are organizations where one person does it all, but I would argue that they are much smaller and less complex organizations than NYCB and do not need the same level of "management" talent, which is an equally rare and valuable commodity as choreographic talent.

Really?  It's OK for an adult male to date a 16 year old even if they didn't actually have sex?  And according to the LA times, they were publicly dating, not just grabbing coffee together.  I didn't say it was statuatory rape; I said it was sexual predation.  I thought we could agree that in our culture today, an mature adult (not a 19 year old) showing romantic interest in a minor is a line that should not be crossed.  Yes, it happened in the past, and people shrugged it off at the time, but I think with our greater awareness today, we can see that this is predatory behavior.

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Martin's dating of Kistler when she was 16 isn't the issue.  It's an irrelevant side show. So are the DUI's.  The only issue is whether he committed sexual abuse or physical abuse,as defined under the law, against dancers or students during the course of his employment since he was elevated to director in 1983.

I disagree.  NYCB is not a court of law.  They are a private employer who can fire Martins at will, whether or not he broke any laws.  The only standard they should be looking at is what is best for their organization.  And it is completely within their rights (and many would say part of the board's fiduciary duty) to remove someone who will tarnish the reputation of the organization and pose a potential risk to the students under his charge.  And I will say that his dating of Kistler when she was 16 is certainly germane to the initial issue, which is an accusation of sexual harassment by someone at SAB.  Yes, it appears to have been accepted when it happened by the people who were aware of it at the time, but can anyone really justify it morally today?  It indicates that at least at one point, he conclusively engaged in what we would now describe as sexual predation.  And in terms of the DUI's, I think the last one is the absolute  proof that this man is unfit to be in a position of leadership.  He caused a 3 car accident because of his reckless disregard for the safety of people around him.  He could have killed someone, and no, it would not have been an accident.  If it were the first DUI, maybe the board could have pleaded ignorance.  But after the second one, any continuing assocation between NYCB and Martins would have inevitably damaged NYCB's name, in addiion to Martin's.  (And rightfully so, in my opinion.)

I just came across this quote in an LA Times article.  

"Martins had gone out with Kistler for some months when she was only 16, then the youngest dancer ever made a member of the company."

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-06/magazine/tm-3085_1_city-ballet/7

Can anyone imagine a school principal who had dated a 16 year old, been arrested once for physically assaulting his wife and twice for a DUI being allowed to continue to serve as a leader of children?  And Martins was leader not just of NYCB, but also SAB.  

If creating a great dance company means tolerating such behavior, then I, for one, think the price is too high.

14 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

Witch hunt.

Can we please not make assumptions without knowing the facts?

Can we please not make assumptions without knowing any facts?  

I'm curious to know whether Lane completed the 32 fouettes during her performance with the Kremlin ballet.  Can anyone tell me?  When I saw her in SL with ABT, it wasn't just that she didn't finish them, it's that she seemed utterly crushed for the rest of the act.  I'd love for her to have completed them this time and hope that will give her some confidence.

I saw Friday night and the Saturday matinee, and it was night and day.  Kim and Tereshkina were just on, and they both blew me away with their dancing.  And some of the smaller parts (Manu and the 3rd shade) were fantastic too, not just the Golden Idol, which I would expect.  I hadn't loved Tereshkina before, but now I can really appreciate her.  The way she holds her balances that extra second and has such control over all her movements is the difference between good and great.  And Kim was just spectacular.  It's a performance I will always remember.  Saturday was just not as good - Skorik had a couple of obvious stumbles in Act III that really hurt the magic of the act,  And Yermakov didn't do the same spectacular choreography at the end.  I'd love to know the name for the jumps Kim did going around in a circle at the very end.  Were they 540's?  But multiple ones in a row?  Even Kim's seres of chaine turns was lightning fast compared to Yermakov.  I have heard people have wildly different views on Skorik, and now I am in the not a fan category.  She seemed so much less secure than Tereshkina, and that is not a comfortable thing to watch.  Things that were memorable with Tereshkina were throwaways with Skorik and she seemed to rush to get off of pointe in some cases.  I'm also going to say I was really iimpressed by May Nagahisa, who played the 3rd shade on Friday and was wonderful, and then I found out she was only 15!  I can't wait to see how she develops.  The corps de ballet were amazing in both shows and totally worth whatever bobbles occured among different casts.  

I was there and I thought it was spectacular. Vishneva is such a beautiful dancer, and the two of them had real emotion together. The final pose when the curtain comes down will be indelibly printed on my memory. I have to admit that I have only seen R&J once before, but based on this performance, it's one of my new favorite ballets.