wonderwall

Soloist Claire Kretzschmar announced she will be retiring in October. Her final performance will be in Vienna Waltzes on the 15th. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChFCtqbg9Wj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Any reviews on how Mimi Staker performed in her couple featured roles this season? 

3 hours ago, vipa said:

I watched Kathryn Morgan's video with great interest. I don't think we can have a full idea of what happened, and how conversations played out from start to finish. Clearly she thought that losing weight was the key to casting, and maybe it was. At the same time I was not very impressed with the rehearsal clip she showed of Firebird, but have no way of knowing how her dancing compared with that of the dancer who was cast.  Perhaps a MCB viewer could better comment on  this. For Morgan, it seems management's expectations weren't met for whatever reasons.  I contrast this situation with Lauren Fadeley who entered as a soloist and was promoted to principal soloist at the end of her first season. She was told by Lordes Lopez that she exceeded all her expectations. (I heard this in a Fadeley interview). Fadeley isn't a skinny little thing. Maybe Morgan's situation had more to do with dancing than weight. I don't know. I do know that even under the best of circumstances, company life isn't easy because it's a zero sum game. For every role in a performance there is a winner and a lot of losers. 

I wish Kathryn Morgan well. Her idea of a pick-up company that tours, performs and integrates itself into community ballet studios is great. 

I also am curious about Lauren Fadeley’s trajectory at MCB in comparison to that of Kathryn. I’ve never seen her dance, so I can’t comment on that. However, she and Kathryn don’t look much different in size based on this picture (would have been right before Lauren was pregnant or only a few weeks along). This picture may not be very accurate, though. 

I can’t find where casting is listed on MCB’s website—did Kathryn Morgan perform?

Not sure how to link instagram stories since they are temporary, but Waterbury has a story today addressing why she is focusing on Amar and not Chase. She says it is due Chase having left NYC and knowing what he did was wrong, whereas Amar has stayed and not apologized/pretended to be innocent.

Just reporting her words—not my feelings.

Was Abi Stafford casted as much last year? I feel like there was a long period where I never saw her name—was she injured?

Kathryn posted that she is learning a “gift of a role,” which she later hints at being Firebird in the comments. Sounds like she is slated to dance it later this season!

Did Ana Sophia Scheller ever address why she left SFB? Was she injured? 

She is such a gorgeous dancer—I hope she continues in another company!

So happy for them! Based on the #twinsisters, I’m guessing she is having girls.

I’ve always been a fan of Ashley, and I really hope she decides to return! Looking through her pictures she posted/was tagged in the last few months, I can’t believe she was pregnant (and with twins, no less!). She looks beautiful!

Ashley Hod will be preforming at Saratoga after being out for over a year due to an injury.

Are there any other reported retirements other than Ashly and Justin Peck? I thought Sarah Villwock may be leaving since her husband left to work for PNB, but I haven’t seen anything indicating she will do so.

Also, add Olivia Mackinnon to the list of injured dancers. She has posted some stories in the last few days about an injury and was in the hospital. Sending healing thoughts her way!

Sad about Ashly Isaacs. It seems like she was cast a bit this year, but I can’t renember if it was any point roles or if she was replaced. I feel bad she never came back from her injury, but I hope she continues dancing (if able!) in some capacity.

in teens if promotions, I hold these new debuts are indicative of a promotion for Laracey, she is long overdue. However, I think it is more likely there will be more Corp to soloist promotions (especially with Isaacs leaving). Although it is early, it seems like Mejia is deserving of a promotion. 

She performed scenes from Romeo and Juliet and Giselle this weekend at a gala in Arizona. She posted some footage of the actual performance on her Instagram story, but nothing permanent yet. Here are some snippets of rehearsal footage, though!

I wish Laracey would get a shot at Aurora, but I definitely think Woodward would be great.

I’d love to hear any reports on Staker’s marzipan debut! Speaking of Ashly Issacs, when was she last on stage? 

I wouldn’t agree with or advocate for that either—just mentioned it popped into my mind. 😊 As I stated, I don’t think Kathryn rejoining NYCB would be a good fit on either side for the aforementioned reasons (rep, gap in employment, performance schedule, NYCB’s abundance of talented females).

I agree that Washington Ballet seems like it’d be a great fit. Carolina and Boston Ballet also come to mind.

That “celebrity” hiring factor popped into my mind as well, but in terms of NYCB—timing her return with the announcement of the AD in an effort to start the company’s new chapter with a feel-good tone/get good publicity. However, NYCB Is bursting at the seams with talented female dancers, so I couldn’t see that happening (and like others noted above, it may not be a good fit for her anymore due to her employment gap/rep of interest). Maybe she’d want to go outside the US? 

Merde to Kathryn! I hope she achieves whatever she has in mind!

I am excited that Staker will be debuting Marzipan during week three! I am interested to hear how she does if anybody attends.

She responded to somebody asking her if she was going to try out for a company again with "I may be working on it 😉" (see instagram video comments below). She seems to be devoting herself to it, so I hope she achieves whatever she is hoping for. Based on her more recent posts/stories, it seems like she moved to NYC, so I wonder if she is just training there or hoping to audition for NYC-based companies.

In this article on Laracey (which I highly recommend if you are a fan of her's), it says she was out for an entire year after she ripped three ligaments during a 2004 Nutcracker performance, so I imagine that may have detoured her progression at the beginning of her career. The article mentions some of her perceived weaknesses ("mental toughness"), so perhaps that is something that has impeded her. Regardless, based on how she performs on stage, her lack of promotion to principal at this point is astonishing to me. In my opinion, she has been the member of the company most deserving of/in need of a promotion for at least the past couple of years. I feel like age must play some factor as she is ~35 now. I imagine promoting the newer talent is preferred, but I feel as though age shouldn't play a factor in promotions as long as the performances are deserving.

Off my soapbox--congratulations to all the new promotions! I am especially happy for Claire K. and Joseph Gordon.

Is the video they are referencing in #37 ("With defendants CHASE FINLAY and AMAR RAMASAR, wherein they both boast that they love being with the women of defendant NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC.") the AOL video posted up thread? I am still mystified as to why NYCB ever thought that video was a highlight of their company/their male dancers when the majority of it is just the straight dancers defending their masculinity and explaining their profession as giving them access to women. 

Also, #94 is absolutely disgusting. Looking at Amar's most recent post, even if the picture was consented to, I can't imagine the subject okayed the circulation of it.  Provided all of the alleged is true, it definitely makes me think "don't let the door hit you on the way out" re: Amar and Catazaro. 

Is Georgina Pazcogiun dancing this season? I can't remember if she returned at the end of last season or not.

I don't think this necessarily makes them culpable, but I thought this was interesting. And it makes me like Stafford--I wonder if it was during this interim period? They just say "program director," but before his interim position, he was at SAB, so not sure how much contact he and Finlay would have had then. 

Indeed. one of the program directors, Jon Stafford. frequently asked Mr. Finlay about his partying and alcohol use because he smelled like alcoholic beverages and yet, NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC. buried its head in the sand without investigating Mr. Finlay's conduct.

During graduate school, I remember reading a few ethnographic studies on male sports teams regarding gender norms, masculinity, etc. One of the interesting observations made was that male teams in sports typically viewed as a "softer" or "more feminine" often had cultures that endorsed toxic masculinity (I remember a particularly shocking one about a male volleyball team, but interesting nonetheless). Of course, ballet is not a gendered team sport in the traditional sense, but reading through this, it makes me wonder whether their profession causes some male dancers to feel the need to overtly demonstrate macho masculinity/womanizing behavior (compensating in some way). While ballet is already entrenched in gendered roles/power structures, it is just interesting food for thought.

I watched this after reading this thread and thought it was very interesting--especially 2:52 through the end.

I am pretty sure the "put up with Alex" in #61 is referring to Alexandra Waterbury and not Alexa Maxwell based on Finlay saying it, and the "referring to the fact that she was 19 years-old" would fit with Alexandra's age at that time. I don't think Finlay's comment about sharing Alexandra with Amar and Alexa was about giving photos to both of them but rather was more of a vulgar statement regarding sexually passing around his girlfriend (Alexandra)--or at least that is how I read it. 

Very disappointing all around.