Marta

I read this on Instagram a few weeks ago and plan to go. I'm excited too. I've seen her in Giselle and The Bright Stream, but never in contemporary works except on film.

My reaction was negative. I would be more comfortable not knowing her favorites. But then I am not a fan of Kourlas in general.

Thanks so much to everyone who posted reviews of the fall season. I was away and unable to see anything so I really appreciated reading your thoughts.

I love Balanchine's La Sonnambula. Someone called it Balanchine Gothic and it fits. It shows us that if Balanchine wants to "tell a story", it will be unique. La Valse seems to be in the same category. The music is influenced by Bellini's opera La Sonnambula but the plot is totally different in the opera. Yes, the protagonist is a sleepwalker. Nobody dies in the opera. Not sure if anyone is sure what it all means!

YES! I hope some VIP at City Ballet is reading this but I doubt they would be influenced by audience opinion. At this late point in his career I would be surprised if he were cast in juicy lead roles like Stravinsky Violin.

I'm with you! I had to change my tickets for tonight because of a conflict and can't wait to hear the reviews. Gordon is long overdue for an Apollo.

Looking forward to your review of that program, cobweb. I had tickets but can't get to NY that day.

Do you want to know the program for a specific date? I could try it.

@cobweb: Something must be screwy. When I click on the date, I get the program and two options, subscribe or buy tickets.

Totally agree with cobweb and vipa about NYCB's UN user-friendly site. In the past it was not as counter intuitive. Why did they change it for the worse? Definitely "view full calendar" is the easiest way to find complete programming.

Yes, that was a fascinating choice by Shklyarov. In his Instagram post I recall he mentioned his Ukrainian grandmother. Did all the dancers choose what they would perform?

What "should" one conclude from the list of dancers on volcanohunter's post, above? We know that Zakharova and Polunin are supporters of Putin; should we assume that the other dancers are too? Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, Shklyarov posted his protest on Instagram. It didn't stay there long though. I imagine refusing the invitation to perform would not be a good idea, or maybe it was an order rather than a request.

I thought Peter Boal was great as the Prodigal. Maria Calegari was a terrific siren although I'm not sure she and Boal were together in the performance I saw. Kowroski was also a great siren. I agree that this could be a good role for Mejia.

Yes! I've watched that video tons of times. What a wonderful film, and what a delightful person she seems to be. And she was still able to "dance in place" at that advanced age!

I'm looking forward to reading your reviews of dance that you see.

Helene said: I remember seeing photos of dancers in costumes for The Moor's Pavane and Pillar of Fire in one of the ABT program books from the early '70's. ABT performed a number of the older Tudor ballets, like Dim Lustre and Dark Elegies, and he created The Leaves are Fading in the mid-'70's. ABT performed over a dozen Tharp works, deMille's Rodeo, Three Virgins and a Devil, and Fall River Legend, works by Nijinska, and among those with legs outside of ABT, Fancy Free, Le Spectre de la Rose, Le Jeune Homme et La Mort, Miss Julie, Les Rendezvous and Les Patineurs, Gaite Parisienne, Grand Pas Classique, Paquita, Birthday Offering, etc. etc. I recall seeing several of those ballets, the Tharps, Three Virgins, Fall River Legend, Sylvia PdD with van Hamel and Bussell, Dark Elegies, and Makarova in McMillan's The Wild Boy, in a short work by Bejart, I think, and others. Why doesn't ABT still have mixed bills in the fall at City Center, as they did in the early 2000s, even if It's far from ideal theater. I enjoyed reading all the reviews of Of Love and Rage. I thought I wanted to see it but the more I read, the less I liked the sound of the overstuffed plot. I thought most of the costumes were fantastically ugly. I'm a Ratmansky fan and would be happy to see anything by him. I'll wait to see if it comes back next year.

I was surprised to read that Cornejo would even be doing DQ at age 41. I'm shocked he'll be dancing T&V. It's not only a leg killing role, but as someone said there's no "character" to lean on. I'm having second thoughts about buying tickets for that perf. I would though really like to see Brandt, whom I've never seen in a principal role.

Thanks to everyone for their vivid reviews of DQ. I was really hoping to see Brandt/Cornejo or Simkin/Boylston, but after reading about Hurlin, I'd also be happy to see her-- in anything.

Great comment.

I echo all that you've written, Jacqueline. I only saw three performances this season and no Midsummer. I loved Nadon, Hyltin and Huxley, Joe Gordon in anything, and Phelan. I'm especially grateful to canbelto for the Ramasar farewell photos.

Exactly! I didn't feel exhilarated by her performance even though she was technically "correct". It doesn't seem like a congenial role for her.

Pereira was excellent, but Mejia and Nadon were absolutely thrilling! I had never seen Le Baiser de la Fee. I was disappointed at first at how pretty it was, but both variations were unusual and beautifully danced. Woodward and Huxley were great together in Duo Concertante. I enjoyed The Cage, particularly Hyltin's performance. Her just-born Novice, crouched and curled up and very tiny, looked about half the size of La Freniere, also very impressive.

I also felt sad listening to him and thinking about all the dancers who spoke in that film. Both Smirnov and Potomkin were very touching.

1 hour ago, pherank said: Tonight's 60 Minutes episode (05/08/22) has a segment on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is affecting the ballet world. Alexei Ratmansky is one of the people interviewed. When a link becomes available I'll post it here. Here's the link, starting at 28:30 https://www.cbsnews.com/video/60minutes-2022-05-08/#x