wonderwall

IIRC, Craig Hall didn't get an on-stage acknowledgment during his final appearance (which I believe was at Saratoga, where they'd perhaps be even more likely to do so since it is more of a casual environment). Though, I agree it would be nice to do some type of on-stage acknowledgment for departing non-principle dancers.

Who would be the most senior corps member with Brown leaving? Possibly Anderson? Congrats to her with a full ride to NYU (assuming to their medical school)! Megan Fairchild posted a cute tribute to Lowery the other day (hover over the picture and click the arrows to see all four pictures):

With De Luz leaving in Fall and Fairchild being out on pregnancy/maternity leave, I wonder who he will be partnering with? Even though Megan is out for a great reason, I am sad they will not dance together on the night of his retirement! Dieck and Unity Phelan have also been dating for five years (they made anniversary posts on their public social media)--definitely did not realize he had been there for ten years already! Hoping him leaving doesn't mean their relationship went into the NYCB curse going on lately.

Interesting, thank you! Is that a character role? Has she danced in any performances this season or Nutcracker? I think she would have been a great opportunity for a new Juliet.

Is Alston MacGill out? I haven't seen her in casting recently, and I saw she posted she was injured over the summer.

I agree with everyone's replies/assessments about the interview. Dumb question but just want to be sure. She mentions Universal Ballet contacting her after seeing her videos. She must mean audition (or possibly competition) videos, not her youtube videos, right?

Joy did an hour-long interview with a podcast done by the dance network. She mentions she will be starting with Universal Ballet on January 22nd. A few interesting tidbits/markers: 18:00 min: She addresses the whole "first American" at the Vaganova 18 minutes in. 36:00 min: Leaving Bolshoi Ballet 43:00 min: Reactions to her videos at the Kremlin (mentions those in the Corp there were often not motivated) 47:00 min: Mentions having done auditions before getting the over at Universal Ballet, which she found humbling. She says that Julie Kent couldn't give her a place at the Washington Ballet. Here is the youtube video of the interview (also shows her as it was filmed):

I really like Whelan, and I think her ability to relate to others (as somebody noted in the other thread, her way of knowing everybody's names and changing that culture according to Boal) would definitely be a strength she'd bring to the AD position. She also worked under Jerome Robbins, so she'd have that direct lineage. Of course, there are several other characteristics and skills needed to be an AD, and I am unsure how measures on those. I can't help but root for her, though. Probably unlikely choice, but my vote is for Ethan Stiefel. He has been an AD before and has always seemed to have a lot of praise attached to his name. However, with him leaving NYCB (even after achieving principle) for ABT and staying with them through the end of his career, I wonder if that'd be looked at as him not being as devoted to Balanchine as NYCB would want (which may be fair). Anyway, not a perfect choice, but seems like he would be 1,000x better than Millepied.

This feature on her mentions she severely strained her lower back while training for Firebird.

Final week of Nutcracker casting is up. There are no debuts. I feel like there was a lack of debuts this run overall, but maybe they just wanted to keep things consistent amidst everything? http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/Casting/NYCB-Casting_Dec-26-31,-2017_lobby.pdf

Semi-related question, but when dancers/choreographers within the company are casting works, is there any roadblocks to casting their spouses? I was thinking of Troy and Ashley--not sure if that has ever been an issue though, especially since they don't report to each other, but I wonder how that works. Are they the only marriage left within the company (within the current roster of dancers)?

Not sure if this is new (apologize if it is old news), but in a recent story (will disappear after 24 hours) on Olivia MacKinnon's public Instagram, she and her sister, Mary Thomas, were in the Nutcracker (Olivia as Marzipan and Mary Thomas in Spanish)--so it looks like she is also an apprentice. So, another sister duo!

I think Gwyneth Mueller is at Yale right now for arts administration and was the AGMA rep for NYCB (so must have good people skills). Maybe one day she can come back to NYCB!

Oh, wow! For all those interested, this thread goes into it. I guess Gottleib also had a bumpy departure from the board after going head to head with Martins (based on what was allowed to be written/posted in that older thread). Back to this thread: Would Sean Lavery ever come back to NYCB to be an AD? At one point, wasn't he second in command to Martins?

I think each organization's approach to this policy is different. In mine, even with Mazzo as an intermediary (in a chain like Kistler --> Mazzo --> Martins) would be against the rule as you cannot have any relationships in a reporting chain since (using this example) Martins could still instruct Mazzo to act in ways that favor Kistler. Something to get around this would be to have Kistler report to Mazzo who reports to Stafford (Kistler --> Mazzo --> Stafford), and it just stops there, but that is even difficult since Martins and Stafford are not on the same level. However, they may just have an issue with direct reports, so having an intermediary may be all they need to be in line with the policy. In terms of other possibilities, Margaret Tracey has been the director of Boston Ballet's school for the past ten years, so she has experience running a school and teaching (though no AD experience unless I am mistaken).

I am surprised the policy of forbidding romantic relationships between managers and those reporting to them was only established there in 2010. I know this would be highly unlikely, but for fun, I am throwing Ethan Stiefel's name out there!

What interviews are these? The article doesn't make them seem like they are part of the investigation (since they mention there has been no substantiating evidence a few times), but I haven't heard of or read any recent interviews with former NYCB dancers or SAB students that have mentioned this. Any insight?

I was just about to reply the same thing! If only...

A video from the NYT of the corps practicing the snow scene: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/arts/dance/the-pitter-patter-of-nutcracker-snow.html?ribbon-ad-idx=2&rref=arts/dance&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Dance&pgtype=article

I hope LaFreniere is casted in dewdrop again--she sounds wonderful based a recap written in NYT last year. I also hope Laracey is back in action during Nutcracker season! How is Lowery as Coffee? I never hear much about her.

Is it being in nine ballets in a whole year (ie, 2017-18 annual season) or per season (Fall 2017, Winter 2018, etc.). On some podcast (probably Conversations on Dance), I think a couple NYCB dancers have spoken reflected their experiences of getting their corp contract, and I may be mistaken, but I got the impression it is that number per season. Then once the next season starts, you are back at zero. That would make sense as to why Nutcracker never counts--it is one ballet for an entire "season." Edit: It was in Unity Phelan's interview (around 10:40 in)--she mentions she was kept out of the walking part in Glass Pieces (so I think it is any part no matter the size? Which makes sense as it is likely a union-based rule) since it would have been her ninth ballet. The hosts ask her about it, and she adds more clarity that makes it sounds like it is per season (like being in nine ballets during Winter 2018 season equals corps contract, but if you only have eight or less, you start back at zero during Spring still being apprentice). Maybe I am mistaken, though. However, this may be may be a moot point as she mentions that apprentices now have signed contracts, so the whole ballet quota may no longer be a thing!

I really enjoyed the documentary not just for Wendy and NYCB itself but for also presenting the idea of how difficult it is to cope with no longer being in a position/job that you've built your whole life around. This can cause such great distress for those who have built their entire lives around their career and suddenly just don't know what to do next--even past jobs that are physical. I know several doctors and researchers who completely lost themselves once they retired since their whole identity was built around their jobs. It is something I feel we think about with these physical jobs (ballet, athlete, etc.), but not something that can extend past those realms. I believe Wendy said in one of her interviews people of all professions that have encountered this intense loss have thanked her for the documentary. It is just so fascinating to me how work provides you with stuff that is good for you (routine, fulfillment, insurance [sometimes]), but it also can be so detrimental when somebody devotes too much of themselves to their job/makes it their whole identity. I think you all are correct in there being a new era of having a "plan b" past dancing in a company versus one may have previously been thought of as opportunities. For instance, there are traditional routes like teaching ballet, getting an education for a different career, using skills to leverage a career (I bet Janelle Manzi will do that with her cooking), etc. I thought it was interesting when Wendy stated that in her day/that era when she came into the company, you didn't date, have a baby, etc. (something like that). This is a mere observation, but it seems like, even past career/educational opportunities, dancers are able to lead much fuller personal lives outside of ballet. My heart went out to Wendy as she was coming to terms with dealing with this loss of her identity, but I also liked seeing her linear growth throughout the movie as she finally became okay with moving on and find fulfillment through her modern dance endeavor. I know a few dancers who saw it who felt like, with her being 47, she should have just been grateful for being physically capable/her body holding up that long, but I really don't think that would have been comforting to her with having so much of her identity looped around her being a Principle at NYCB. I do have to say, I think she came off as a very humble, kind, and funny person, which I definitely enjoyed. You could tell how much love and admiration there was for her within the company. It's always nice seeing a "big name" like that seeming so down to earth. In terms of what was presented (and not going off my impression of Peter Martins' decisions to keep his family on the roster and fire corp members during the recession), I don't think it portrayed him poorly. I think he seemed diplomatic, and I actually came to think how difficult it would be to be an AD. You have these relationships (he and Wendy worked together for 30 years) and your own love and admiration these dancers, but you ultimately answer to a board and see talent that also deserves to be cast. I am sure he has lots of difficult conversations--I for one would have major difficulty dealing with that! Overall, it seemed like NYCB/the board gave Wendy a lot of time and flexibility around coming back and retiring. Las thought--being frozen out of roles/people no longer speaking was mentioned by Wendy in reference to herself, but it also was briefly mentioned about in terms of Jennifer and Janie ultimately retiring (something was said between her and a friend like "they just weren't getting casted"). I wonder if that has always just been the way to say "we want you gone" or "you're on the decline", and if that is ultimately why Ana Sophia Scheller left and possibly why Rebecca Krohn is retiring.

Casting for week four is up: http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/Casting/NYCB_Casting_October-10-15,-2017_lobby.pdf

I just revived the Restless Creature thread in the Documentaries section if interested in sharing your all's thoughts--would love to hear them! That was the only thread I found on the film, but if there is a more active one, could somebody point me to it?

It is now available to own/rent on iTunes and Amazon as well as stream on Netflix.