BalanchineFan

2 hours ago, abatt said:

I see that Mearns was replaced in Pictures last night by Nadon (per casting list).  Mearns was also replaced on Tuesday by Nadon in Mosaics.  If anyone goes tonight I would be interested in knowing if Mearns appears in This Bitter Earth.  Mearns had no appearances last week.

Mearns rehearsed Pictures yesterday (donor rehearsal).  I don’t think she was out due to injury. 

Edit: Sorry, that was last Thursday that Mearns did the Pictures rehearsal. Ratmansky was at the rehearsal last Thursday 5/16, but not this Tuesday.

Gilbert Bolden just posted video of he and Mira Nadon rehearsing Bizet 2nd Movement!!! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7T6qHkA0Lb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

7 hours ago, abatt said:

Loved Kikta in Love Letters.  I wish they would cast her and Peter Walker in Glass Pieces.  Their long lines would look great in Glass Pieces pas. 

OMG, Kikta and Walker would KILL in Glass Pieces!  What a great idea.

3 hours ago, Drew said:

I find the pas de deux between Stephanie and Rudolph problematic precisely because it's so visible that she is working hard to keep the choreographic action going even though that action is supposedly depicting her abuse at Rudolph's hands--in particular, she keeps running towards him even though he is raping her.   It undermines the whole thing for me. I am far from a die-hard Wheeldon fan and, on the whole, I rather admire Mayerling, but for me the big Stephanie=Rudolph pas de deux is not a strong point in the latter ballet.

(The women characters in Wheeldon's story ballets often have considerable agency and, in my eyes, are hardly just pliable play-doh choreographically. I haven't seen any of his non-narrative works--even on video--in quite some time.).

I've never seen Mayerling, but I know the history and her running towards him seems completely in line with what happened. She was in love with Rudolf. They were on his country estate. She couldn't walk home or even call a cab. And he was paranoid and possibly delusional. There are a lot of reasons she would be running towards him, even if it eventually led to her murder. Or maybe I'm thinking of Maria Vesteva.

22 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

The point is that Wheeldon's women frequently look passive in their duets.

Whoever dances Princess Stéphanie in Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling is working awfully hard, but what the scene depicts is marital rape on a helpless victim.

 

I feel certain I got your point.

I agree with you that the passivity (This Bitter Earth, After the Rain, etc) and the violence (Mayerling) is there. Unquestionably. I just like it, from the audience as well. In certain ballets. High drama. It's on the spectrum of ballets I enjoy. 

And those are great roles to dance. Vive la difference.

Or maybe I don't understand. How do you feel about the Ivesiana piece where the ballerina is held aloft the entire time?

If you wouldn't poison someone, would you object to dancers playing Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty? Do you feel that way about other choreographers' ppd with passive women, or is it just with Christopher Wheeldon (and MacMillan's Mayerling)?

14 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

A hundred times: yes!

I'm at a loss to understand why a ballerina would want to dance this (or the After the Rain duet or DGV) and be turned into an acquiescent pretzel. Totally raises my hackles. 

I would love to dance any of those ballets and This Bitter Earth, too! There's a lot of partnering. I agree with the assessment that the woman is carried around a lot and doesn't LOOK like she has agency, but the woman works plenty in partnering. It may look passive, but if you were truly passive no one could get you off the ground, much less hold you up with one arm! Try lifting a baby that doesn't want to be lifted. They go limp and it's impossible.

Being partnered can feel like flying.

I enjoy This Bitter Earth, but I don't have to look at the video to recognize that everything you say about it, @Kathleen O'Connell is true. Many of the Wheeldon ppd are like that.

Herman Schmerman, by contrast, has so much more going on. Competition and camaraderie among the dancers, surprises, rather than one idea drawn out like an exhalation. It's enlightening to hear Tyler Angle talk about Forsyth's approach. Thanks for the links.

I love the clips of Law of Mosaics, but I'm still finding my way in that work, and I am a modern dancer. I find myself just watching the dancers and their bodies and the shapes they all make, coming together, moving apart. Mearns and Bolden seem to have a ppd rhythm going at one point, where they gesture to the other after their solos.

11 hours ago, deanofdance said:

Just a few thoughts on this afternoon’s performance:

2) This Bitter Earth — the artistic ember that was growing in Unity is now a small flame — it’s there radiating.  There was real emotion between her and Andy — a connection — they were so attuned to each other — and playing out a drama.  Eloquence. 
3) Love Letter — Today’s performance was a bit different — it seems that Takahashi danced one of Taylor’s solos — I mean, there was KJ dancing a long solo on stage with choreography that I don’t recall him doing before — but since he moves so differently than Taylor, it didn’t register until later that he must have been given one of Taylor’s solos.  KJ was wonderful — giving butch realness (kidding, but you know what I mean!).  I kept looking at Olivia Bell — who with her movement was shouting out that in a just world, she would be dancing Quinn Starner’s role.  But Ballet is like Life — it isn’t fair (well, not all the time).

Jonathan Fahoury debuted in Love Letter, Taylor Stanley didn't dance it in its premiere season. (I think Stanley was busy with Copeland Dances, or something), so I don't see how KJ could have danced one of Taylor's solos. The piece always featured a large number of dancers. I agree Olivia Bell looked great in it, and I think, in time, she'll have a larger role in many ballets.

I think Love Letter looks better the more I get to know it. It's possible the lighting was brightened up in a few places. The dancing is stellar all around. The duet between Ruby Lister and Naomi Corti still shines, KJ is amazing, Quinn Starner equally so. Did anyone else remember that KJ and Quinn had a ppd together in their SAB workshop, whenever that was?

If you have PBS Passport, I think it remains available there, too.

2 hours ago, FPF said:

It's on the NYCB Facebook page now.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/nycballet/3370174478687067358/

NYCB also has it in their IG Stories. It's kind of buried, but I've seen NYCB's official announcement of Emma von Enck's promotion to principal a few times.

On 5/16/2024 at 12:23 AM, deanofdance said:

) Love Letter — so much depends on casting — I remember that Jonathan Fahoury was in the original cast — and it wasn’t until Taylor replaced him that this ballet took off. And after multiple viewings, I’m thinking why aren’t more African American dancers cast in the solo roles?  For example, seeing Olivia Bell on stage and how she moved — I wished she were given a larger role.  And Mabie isn’t a good fit — neither in the ballet or with Taylor.  Represent.

I loved Jonathan Faboury in Love Letter. He left the company (practically) the next day. I couldn’t understand who else could do it, but of course Taylor Stanley is perfect. Stanley is SPEC* TAC*ULAR in Kyle Abraham’s work. 
 

So glad that Emma von Enck was promoted!! I was at the rehearsal of Symphony in 3 yesterday and she was on fire. So clean and sharp and energetic. Well deserved. 

On 5/15/2024 at 5:01 PM, volcanohunter said:

I'm not surprised. Winning new audiences is never as easy as that. So on balance are the high-profile commissions and expensive costumes worth it?

They had the 4th Ring closed at last Sunday’s DAAG/BSQ program. Imo, they need to keep doing things like the Solange Knowles commission, not abandon it. 

A few quick, random highlights from Inside NYCB tonight:

Taylor Stanley is back and dancing beautifully, such time stopping clarity. They did a solo from Love Letter on Shuffle and performed in an excerpt of Red Angels with Emilie Gerrity, India Bradley and Davide Ricardo. I am not familiar with this ballet and I’m now very excited to see it. India Bradley is built for it with her long legs, sharp attack and extreme lines. I’ve also become an Emilie Gerrity fan (this and her lovely DAAG this season!). Davide also looked fabulous.  They all look spectacular in their red unitards.

Emma von Enck was another stand out dancing a solo from Pulcinella. She has that gift of being completely still for a moment in the middle of furiously fast choreography. Everything so crisp, clean and surprising.

Wendy hosted and asked Miriam Miller, Taylor Stanley and Andrew Veyette to talk about how being in new work has helped them grow as artists and also influenced their work in existing rep. It was quite inspiring. They expressed a lot of mutual respect and gratitude for their other, spectacular colleagues.

7 hours ago, cobweb said:

I know that not everyone is a fan of DAAG, and I feel like I'm hearing more criticisms of it than I have in years past. I still enjoyed it very much, with various moments of it drifting through my mind last night and this morning. The piano playing was rich and beautiful. This cast was stellar.

I love the ballet. With recent retirements  DAAG has had a lot of role debuts. It may work better with more seasoned performers, or dancers who have been in their roles longer. Not that the debuts themselves were shaky, just that things didn’t always jell. I’ve never seen that big lift go awry and I witnessed one miss and one gasp inducing near miss. I saw DAAG three times this season. Each cast had an issue with the lift at some point. I wonder what else was missed, glossed over, mis-timed or less than fully realized. That a ballet can withstand that, and still delight and move an audience, is a testament to its choreographic strength. 
 

44 minutes ago, vipa said:

In this respect, it's unfortunate that Bouder was the only dancer/mother interviewed. She seems to be at a difficult point in her career with a mix of issues and grievances. A number of dancers have young daughters, and there are many professional dancers whose mothers were dancers. It would have been nice to hear from some of them to get a fuller perspective. Of course I don't know the author's intent or how the piece came to be written, but a  variety of voices would have made a better piece IMO.

I agree. I would have loved to have heard Gillian Murphy (though she has a son), Catherine Hurlin (who's mother danced with Paul Taylor), Megan Fairchild, Patricia Delgado, Shelby Mann (daugher of Charlotte d'Amboise) and Brittany Pollack speak on this. They could have interviewed Darci Kistler as well. She has a daughter.

1 hour ago, California said:

For those of you interested in Ashley Bouder, a new article just appeared:

https://www.romper.com/life/ashley-bouder-new-york-city-ballet-body-shaming

The last time I remember seeing her was in Coppelia pre-COVID, partnered by then-soloist Joe Gordon. I was amazed at her sizzling technique, but her smug facial expressions annoyed me. I also remember thinking: Gordon has a great future. Keep your eye on him. But I don't recall seeing her since then. New Yorkers who see her regularly are a better source of information on her current dancing.

I saw Bouder this weekend in Dances at a Gathering. Bouder has definitely gained weight, but I see that as different from being "out of shape." She dances quite well in her limited repertory. She is not huffing and puffing and trying to move around. She's dancing well. As an aside, I once watched a rehearsal of Agon where one particular dancer could be heard huffing and puffing throughout the ballet. That, to me, is "out of shape,"  as in, physically de-conditioned, unprepared for the physical demands of the ballet. Though that dancer probably got into better shape by running the ballet.

That is not the case with Ashley Bouder today. She is just heavier than she was. Significantly heavier. I find it strange to see, but not an affront against modern ballet. Things change. I saw her perform the role in DAAG twice this season. I'm getting used to it, and it's a good role for her. I do wish she'd be more specific and smaller, actually, with her arm gestures, but that's a separate issue. And her facial expressions still lack depth and subtlety. I've seen her in modern works (memorable examples: Peck's New Blood - performed months after the birth of her daughter, The Runaway, and her own self-produced concerts) where her "face" was not an issue.

The issue of weight is so much bigger than any one dancer. New York City now has a law on the books against height and weight discrimination. People are not to be fired due to weight, or weight gain. Many are wondering what that means in the world of dance. I'm not a lawyer, and being physically able to perform your duties is part of the law, as well. Still, it's a possibility that Ashley Bouder has this law to thank for her continued employment and that the NYCB's required accommodation is casting her in these few roles. Another possibility is that the press wants to write about her because of the new law. Body positivity is a national movement.

https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/media/height-and-weight.page#:~:text=Overview,to as “body size.”

https://www.whitefordlaw.com/news-events/employment-law-update-nyc-employers-weight-height-discrimination-law#:~:text=Washington State prohibits discrimination based,%2C housing%2C and public accommodations.

I think NYCB is trying something different with their casting change announcement. They no longer announce the name of the dancer who will not be appearing. At yesterday‘s matinee the announcement was that “the fourth movement of Brahms Schoenberg would be led by Unity Phelan, and Andrew Veyette.”

No mention of Tyler Angle, who did not appear. It’s a nice change. You don’t get that “aww” of disappointment when the audience learns a favorite won’t be appearing. 

10 hours ago, FPF said:

Much as I dislike both of these productions, they do seem to sell very well. More support for Balanchine's suggestion that "all ballets should be called Swan Lake."

You can count on Balanchine for a priceless quote! 

I always thought the Kirkeby swans were wearing bed sheets for tutus.

I was thinking of Unframed! Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. I think it’s the two piece attire that embarrassed me  and the hair down. It’s really like underwear, not dance clothing  

Unframed

Though I like the ad you posted, @Kathleen O'Connell Lots of dancing and swirly costumes.

8 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

16 hours ago, mille-feuille said:

Call Me Ben was truly terrible. My top City Ballet stinker is definitely Bartok Ballet.

 I think I'll reserve the top honor for Boris Eifman's Musagète . Call Me Ben was bad, but misguided bad, not diseased-at-its-core bad.

I happen to like all of the Tanowitz works in NYCB's rep and buy tickets to see them whenever they're programed. I vastly prefer them to any Peter Martins ballet, all of which could be scrubbed from the rep without undue effect, IMO. 

I agree about liking Tanowitz and wishing NYCB would divest of all Martins’ ballets. 
 

Which ballet was it where they wore Calvin Klein underwear and all the women had their hair down? I’m not sure that is my ultimate clinker, but I found it embarrassing to watch. Like I’d wandered into someone’s room while they were getting dressed. 

I thought Olivia Boisson looked lovely. I’ve been noticing her more this season but I can’t remember in which ballets. 

I didn’t think Boisson’s role in Underneath was particularly big, however. It’s difficult to imagine it being choreographed on a principal, especially since the ballet has no principal women. Miriam Miller is the one I would call a lead. (Though somehow I don’t have a strong memory of Emma von Enck, who is in my program, either).

Are you certain your info is correct?

16 hours ago, jeff-sh said:

it can be used for their frequent (gala) gigs around the world

Was their second entrance (repeat) cut? or maybe I dosed off

I, too, thought that Dig the Say would be a very useful piece for Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia. They look spectacular in it and it's lots of fun. The pyrotechnics are amazing, as always. It's nice to see Justin Peck working with music from a different composer. I love Vijay Iyer and the quartet sounded fabulous.

Mejia and von Enck danced all of Symphony in C, 3rd movement, including the repeat. At least on Sunday.  They are the best 3rd movement pair I've seen in awhile. No one jumps like him. He makes it look easy, and, dare I say, it IS easy compared to what he does in Dig the Say. I think von Enck/Mejia is a great pairing and I'm glad that he's getting a chance to develop partnerships with dancers other than Ms Peck, much as I like seeing those two together.

I'm eager to see Underneath, There is Light again. I thought it was  beautiful, and it was nice to see Miriam Miller, MT MacKinnon and Naomi Corti featured. Who was the other tall dark haired woman who had a few featured moments and ended the ballet at center? Was it Grace Sheffel?

There was a point where I tired of the dancers running around like crazy. It was a marathon of curved pathways and such, but I'd been to see NJ Ballet (Harrison Ball's Purcell Suite made it worth the trip, Lauren Lovette's ballet was a flop) and this was so much better than the NJ Lovette that I didn't mind. Garner Hall's experience and skill showed through ultimately. I liked the pointe work too.

In Creases had a very young cast. I've always liked the ballet, the formations and the combination of solos and ensemble moments. Dominika Afanasenkov, Ruby Lister and Jules Mabie shone particularly brightly. Malorie Lundgren and MT MacKinnon also looked noteworthy. It was like the youngest and newest of the up and comers, and Preston Chamblee (dancing well!) there for a touch of experience.

Two really nice programs for a great weekend of ballet.

Tastes change over time and I wonder if any posters have noticed their own changing tastes? I wonder if there are things you never thought you'd enjoy on a ballet stage that you have now become accustomed to, or outright enjoy?

Flexed feet? Bald men? Bare legs? Dancers of color? Different body types? Atonal music? I'm sure there are many, many other things...

When I first saw ballet it seemed, to me, old fashioned, prissy, static...bending towards the figurine on top of a music box. NYCB was never like that. It was energetic, athletic, forward pushing, avant garde, at times. I love this company!

I'm not currently one who likes watching overweight ballet dancers (in modern dance there's a different, more diverse standard which I do enjoy), but I wonder if that is something that will change in me over time. I've become more used to pictures of overweight clothing and fitness models. Lululemon is one of many brands using a wide variety of body types for their models, and as someone with a larger frame, it's nice to see. 

Ballet has frequently gone through revolutions in what is considered "appropriate." Tschaikovsky's orchestral music was originally deemed unfit for ballet: Swan Lake = inappropriate! Unballetic! Revolutionary!!! Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps created a scandalous sensation at its premiere. Looking at pictures of 1900's ballerinas, none were as thin as what we became accustomed to under Balanchine. In fact Balanchine's dancers were called stick figures in the early days. Many audiences and critics didn't like the thinness. I'm just wondering what other posters think of themselves in this arena.

I often feel a well of concern watching super thin, super young, flexible Russian dancers and ice skaters  and wonder if they are being mistreated or exploited. The stories of what young gymnasts endured (Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci) are also very troubling in this regard.

I suppose my reflections, my questions are partly prompted by seeing Ashley Bouder in DAAG last weekend. This rep is a sensible, rational choice for her. She can still perform it well, no lifts, no big pointe work displays. So many things have opened up in ballet. Is this different somehow? Is this the last bastion of (my own) prejudice?

22 hours ago, abatt said:

I sitll remember Kyra Nichols as girl in pink in DAAG.  I think Tiler Peck has now achieved the same level of greatness in the pink role, which she has been doing for quite some time.  

Have you seen Indiana Woodward as Pink this season? I thought she was sublime, different but equal to Tiler Peck.

16 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

And not to be facetious, but has anyone ever put up an urban encampment to protest anything "ballet"?

It was meant as a joke, but there were protests by the NYCB orchestra last fall. They yelled at opening night audiences from behind a barricade and handed out leaflets. No tents though.

I'm sorry to hear you're not excited by the casting. I've flown to Toronto on occasion and I would never do it to see ballet. Customs is a pain in the neck.