Marta

On 10/17/2022 at 10:11 AM, ba11et0mane said:

This is certainly off topic, but has anyone seen that Natalia Osipova will be returning to new york in january?? will anybody be seeing her? i bought tickets and i can say i’m definitely excited.

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.

On 10/21/2022 at 7:15 PM, On Pointe said:

I don't know how I feel about a critic being so open about having favorites.  Of course they all have their preferences,  but it tends to cast doubt on her ability to assess performances fairly.

 

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

1 hour ago, NinaFan said:

Thanks to everyone for the postings on Sterling and Robbie's VW.   The reviews are wonderful and it sounds like a very memorable performance.  I wish I had been able to make it.  At least I got to see Sterling in some other rep this season.  She was clearly appreciated by the audience.   We are all going to miss her.

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.

10 hours ago, cobweb said:

Thanks, nanushka! Those are some great shots. I'm glad they gave the costumes some love in this video. I also discovered there's an instagram hashtag, #divertimentono15, where there are some good shots. 

... I know Sonnambula has a reputation for being a snooze, so to speak, but I'm enjoying it. What a strange piece, shifting in mood, introducing the main character late in the game, clearly a narrative but it doesn't cohere, and just overall what does it all mean?? Is there some back story to this that Balanchine adapted? Anyway, a few comments on the divertissements. The quartet of Boisson, Maxwell, Gabriel, and Zuniga all looked excellent. This is the second time I've seen Jacqueline Bologna and Maxwell Read in the pas de deux. I've never thought Bologna was particularly special, but she takes control of the stage here, her feet and her line are more beautiful than I ever noticed before. Maxwell Read doesn't have the most elegant line, with kind of an unwieldy chin, but he has a large, generous presence. Finally, Daniel Ulbricht as Harlequin delivers!

 

 

 

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!

13 minutes ago, abatt said:

They should be giving Ulbricht lead roles in neo-classical ballets like Stravinsky Violin  (the acrobatic pas).

 

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.

1 hour ago, springnemesia said:

Very excited to hear how tonight goes! I can't believe I'm considering doing the matinee AND evening show on Saturday just out of desperation to see TschaiPas...

Do we know yet if there's a second cast Apollo or if Danchig-Waring is doing all three shows? Was hoping for a Joseph Gordon debut at some point!

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.

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

Thanks, Marta! Yeah, that's odd - it looks like there are hyperlinks on the name of the program ("Balanchine I") and pic, but when I click on them I get nothing. No idea what's wrong. I wish they had the old PDF available, 

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.

59 minutes ago, vipa said:

Funny you should mention it cobweb. I was just making similar observations about the website. I've found it easiest to click on "view full calendar"  and then the date I'm interested in. A list of the ballets being performed pops up. Awkward, at best. The overall look and layout of the site makes we wonder who it is aimed at.

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. 

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

Marta, those are great questions, and I doubt we'll get to the bottom of them anytime soon. For most of these dancers, incuding Shklyarov, these were not their first appearances at these kinds of Crimean galas. I think it may have been a first for Bochkova and Chudin. What is interesting is Shklyarov's choice of repertoire, namely Ostap's variation from Taras Bulba, not a neutral selection by any stretch. In this context it could be read as an act of protest. Or it could be an all-out show of colonial cultural appropriation. ("Ukrainian folk dancing? We're claiming it for ourselves!")

 

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. 

On 7/13/2010 at 1:21 AM, Quiggin said:

There is a wonderful scene of Doubrovska in her living room acting out the Siren part in Virginia Brooks' film "Felia Doubrosvska Remembered" (available at Amazon). First Doubrovska is sitting demurely on the sofa, with pillows neatly set up on point behind her as she tells stories about Diaghilew. Then suddenly, in the flash of a jump cut, she is kneeling on the floor showing how the part is done, touching the coffee table with her knees (her legs are too long for the alloted space) and grandly bending backwards as her little dog watches from the sofa.

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.

3 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

Saw Christine and Calvin yesterday afternoon for Calvin's debut, which I think was also Andrii Ischuk's debut as Purple Von Rothbart. Seeing ABT now makes me feel so OLD: I feel like such a granny pining for the "good old days", but that's really the primary feeling I had yesterday seeing this Swan Lake. I miss Marcelo! I miss Diana, Veronika, and Nina! I miss Irina vamping it up as Odile! 

   My feelings are the same, including the old part!  Nina and Veronika in Swan were the absolute greatest I've seen in person, and Diana's Giselle was equally great. 

  I unfortunately have not seen any of the current SLs so i really appreciate all the thoughtful reviews of everyone.

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.

25 minutes ago, Helene said:

Who knew that Balanchine, a great absorber of the influences around him, including jazz, and who was doing what was considered avant-garde choreography as a teenager, or, for that matter, Diaghilev before Balanchine emigrated to Paris, was "woke"?

 

Great comment.

1 hour ago, Jacqueline said:

Thank you so much to our New York City compatriots on the ground for your insights and musings on the season.  As an out-of-towner, I truly appreciate the vicarious thrills.  I was there for only three performances and off the top of my head, the standouts for me were Phelan as Titania, Stanley as Puck (I did not get to see Ball), Mira Nadon in anything and everything, Chan in Spring, and as Titania's Cavlier, Huxley in "Piano Pieces" AND "Spring," and Furlan and Gerrity in their beautiful "Piano Pieces" pas de deux.  And Walker and LaFreniere in the same pas de deux.  If anyone else cares to post their season highlights, I would love it.  And Canbelto, special thanks for the videos of the Ramasar sendoff.

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.

53 minutes ago, abatt said:

In Rubies, I liked Pereira but she lacks swagger and boldness, which is a big component of this role.  That's part of why Bouder is (was) so good in this role - swagger could be her middle name.  Agree that Mejia and Nadon were fantastic in Rubies. 

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.

3 minutes ago, Peg said:

I’ve been sad to see the third and fourth rings closed for want of audiences at many performances. The dancing this season has been pretty great all around. There are often $38 orchestra seats on the sides, a great deal and with very good sight lines (except at the far-most ends) of the rows. 
 

I agree that Erica Pereira did a great job in Rubies.  But Roman Mejia was simply thrilling!  And Edward Villella was in the audience, would love to know his reaction.

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.

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

I really felt for Ratmansky when he described the feeling of sand castles crumbling behind him as he made his departure from Moscow. Under any circumstances knowing that months of heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears have suddenly come to naught is extremely painful. But the haunting feeling that ballet doesn't really matter a whole lot in the face of such cataclysmic circumstances must have been eviscerating.

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.

Here's the link, starting at 28:30

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/60minutes-2022-05-08/#x