BalanchineFan

I was shocked and disappointed that Maxwell was not promoted yesterday, but also really happy for the dancers that became principal.

Mejia danced Bluebird ppd today, so no, I have no idea why he would be replaced Saturday. He was fabulous. The crowd went wild. I liked LaFreniere as Aurora. Some of the story gets lost or flattened out. I can see why you wouldn't want to play too young or skittish if you're trying to calm your nerves for those balances. It may be a house of Balanchine thing, or just being new in the role. The Rose Adagio was solid technically and she seemed freer once the balances had gone well. Peter Walker really moved me in the Vision scene. He has the bearing of a prince and the intense, searching aspect of the character is strong. He had a bit of trouble landing his jumps in the Wedding, but no matter. The fish dives were great. The way they do it (at least today) it's almost like he gets her in the dive in penché arabesque then she lifts her bottom leg. It was fully danced and exciting. It's a tall cast, with Christina Clark as the Queen and Emily Kikta as Lilac Fairy. They work well together. Emma Von Enck is great in Puss & Boots. Alexa Maxwell really shone. She's had an amazing winter season, preceded by an amazing fall and spring. The jewels section isn't great. I agree with whoever was questioning the choreography. I think it would be hard to make a huge impact with what they're given. Davide Riccardo danced Gold well, aside from a little bobble ending his last turn. He is so beautiful to watch. Lands his jumps like butter. Silent. The jesters killed it. Brought the house down. Excellent timing, in canon, unison, everything. It's been a season with lots and lots of debuts. It's exciting, after years of seeing the same five or six ballerinas do everything.

Dominika Afanasenkov is in On Pointe, and she's done (at least) one of the SAB pointe shoe hack videos. I don't remember Afanasankov getting her apprenticeship during On Pointe, however. I could be mistaken but I only remember Zoe Bliss Magnussen and (later) Ruby Lister getting theirs. I think Dominika is a year or so younger.

I know that male dancers in Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux have different variations, sanctioned by Balanchine. I don't see why that wouldn't be the case here as well. In his book, D'amboise wrote that Balanchine sometimes asked the men, "What can you do, dear?" meaning, what are your best tricks, jumps, turns, etc. and the variation would be based on that. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn0rNQ9ok0u/

I could see doing it right before the Spring season begins. Build lots of excitement for future performances of the newly promoted dancers. It doesn't make sense to me to do it now when they have... what.. five shows left before a break.

According to her IG, she had to drop out of a Nutcracker around Dec 6, 2002 due to achilles tendinitis.

My prediction is that Mira Nadon and Isabelle LaFreniere will be promoted to principal. My crystal ball and my ballet-going companions are practically yelling it out.

I saw her in the patrons dress rehearsal and she was just astounding. So vibrant, technically secure, reveling in all her moments. It was a joy to watch.

She had a baby somewhat recently. Her daughter can be seen on her Instagram.

THANK YOU! I never saw her live and I so wish I had. What sheer joy and mastery. I can't stop smiling.

Speaking of Fairy variations, has anyone seen this https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoxAkUQgL-0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= It’s been awhile since I’ve seen any of the fairy variations danced with such dynamics and authority. Whelan practically does a straddle split leap into that 4th position to start. I’m not sure how the tempo compares, but it’s clear that THIS is the tempo she wants. So, so musical!

Nieve Corrigan danced in her place, as she's doing Bradley's schedule and her own shows the rest of the week.

Darci left SAB shortly after Peter resigned. I deleted my entire post when I started thinking about how Martins would have known Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward and any other dancers he took into the company and promoted, quite well.

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I've always felt a little lost watching Episodes. Do you, or any other posters, have advice for things to watch for, a framework for viewing the piece or even what you like best about it?

A few clips from years gone by. Everywhere We Go, To Live in the Hearts We Leave Behind. My favorite Peck adagio. Kowroski and Fairchild (no music) https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154201188600529 Kowroski and Janzen https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=everywhere we go kowroski

I was at the Saturday 2/11 matinee. Voices (by Alexei Ratmansky) Fortuitous Ash (Keerati Jinakunwiphat) and Everywhere We Go (Justin Peck). Voices may be my favorite Ratmansky ballet. I had skipped its premiere season partly because descriptions of Peter Ablinger's music were off-putting, but contrary to reports, it's right in line with my aesthetics - deconstructed, edgy and experimental. The piano plays over women's voices recorded in interviews (Bonnie Barnett, Forough Farrokhzad, Setsuko Hara, Agnes Martin, Nina Simone and Gjendine Slålien). Sometimes the piano matches the rhythm of the speech, sometimes it's accompaniment or counterpoint. It's less distracting when you don't understand the language, but the effect is engaging and thought provoking, even hours after the performance. The womens' solos are compelling, danced Saturday by Emily Kikta, Megan Fairchild, Unity Phelan, Georgina Pazcoquin and Alexa Maxwell. Each one had a fierceness, an attack, seemed to play with timing, nuance and dynamics. The utterly held my attention. The women look gorgeous, in jewel toned leotards, bare look legs and pointe shoes. The men provide brief interludes, entering as a group, arms linked in a phalanx, carving up the space, then bursting into solos with turns, jumps and virtuoso traverses across the stage. The sparse design and structure of the dance, music and set combine for a powerful, cohesive impact. It's not remotely like any other ballet. Captivating. Satisfying. Ratmansky shows his skill and experience, he's chosen his element wisely. I was pro-Ratmansky-at-NYCB before but now I find my anticipation for the resulting ballets building. Fortuitous Ash also held my interest. The dancers look lovely here too, though perhaps it's the aftermath of something serious. There's a trio for Mira Nadon, Ashley Hod and Emilie Gerrity. Quinn Starner and Kennedy Targosz make a memorable impression, legs, passion and high extension. Chun Wai Chan looks fabulous, and he has a few nice moments with KJ Takahashi (now in opposition, now partnering) but the ballet doesn't quite add up. Other dancers are Harrison Coll and David Gabriel (substituting for Sebastian Villarini-Velez, new winner of the Megan Fairchild Dancing Like a House Afire MVP Badge). The ballet is a bit of a puzzle, moody music with changing instrumentation, dynamic dancing, lost of gorgeous arabesques and classical lines, but dark and unclear. You can tell she knows how to move people around the stage. It ends with one of the daners held aloft. Not sure why. Abstract ballets aren't required to mean anything but puzzlement isn't a plus. NYCB has commissioned a lot of choreographers, but remove the cream (Kyle Abraham, perhaps Lauren Lovett) and Jinakunwiphat sits well in their company. We've all certainly seen worse. Everywhere We Go continues to amaze me. Peter Walker and Taylor Stanley danced The Shadows Will Fall (originally Robert Fairchild and Amar Ramasar), Chun Wai Chan and Indiana Woodward danced Happiness Is a Perfume (Veyette, Hyltin), Isabella LaFreniere soared in the Reichlen role, and Miriam Miller and Peter Walker danced To Live in the Hearts We Leave Behind. In this section the woman is gently partnered by the man, arabesque penché, split leaps skimming the ground (borrowed from Symphony in C), turning, reaching, yearning. Then a crowd enters, she leans on one of them for support, the man is left alone. Separation, Romantic longing. They find each other and the lights start going on and off. It's a heart breaker. Miller, serenely supported by Walker, has leaned into it, equaling the depth and pathos brought by its originator, Maria Kowroski. Here Miller seems reforged, reduced to her essence, uncovering a vulnerability, a gravitas that match her nerves of steel and striking long lines. I found myself sobbing in my seat. The next sections are more energetic and upbeat. My companion and I left floating on air. NOTE: After seeing Alexa Maxell's stellar dancing in Copland Dances (she shares the role with Tiler Peck), Fancy Free and now Voices, promote her already! She should be a soloist after carrying entire evenings on her slim, little hips. After Voices, I'm sure she was glad Fortuitous Ash wasn't shorter, as she had to change into white tights to dance the corps in Everywhere We Go! SECOND NOTE: Why can't we buy Sufjan Steven's music for Everywhere We Go in the lobby? It's not available anywhere online either. That ballet premiered 2014. Lost opportunity, people. The NYC Ballet orchestra needs to put out another album (or start a streaming service). Sufjan Stevens and Solange Knowles should be first on the list. Work those commissioning contracts.

Oh yes, First Ring center would always be my first choice... except for the price.

I love the First Ring left. The vantage point on the stage is good. The ladies room is close by. A lot of company members (Wendy, Jonathan) watch from the First Ring. The AA seats are decent, unless something is upstage right.

I've seen Everywhere We Go many times, it's among my favorite Justin Peck ballets. I am interested to see the new cast. I have such strong memories of Amar Ramasar and Robert Fairchild in a sequence where one is standing and the other is on the floor with his feet against the back of his partner's ankles. I like seeing Peck's ballets repeated times because so much is happening in them. Sometimes I think it's a generational thing, all of Hamilton went by so quickly that I wanted to see that more than once as well (and study the lyrics and cast recording). Creators now are of a generation with shorter, multi-tasking attention spans, or they are used to more stimulation. I also enjoyed Copland Dance Episodes more on the second viewing. I had given up my expectations of what the ballet would be and I could enjoy what he created, which is significant. Also, both casts are killing it.

Thanks for posting your list!! I really appreciate it. So, many of the numbers are due to the ballets and the number of times a dancer is cast in a ballet that gets performed often. Also, I think Mejia was injured for part of the fall, or also had Covid, and my guess is that's the only reason his numbers are low for fall.

I"m really looking forward to seeing Everywhere We Go this weekend. My guess is that the Sterling Hyltin role will be the most difficult to recast. She and Andy Veyette had such sparkle in their duets and he really pulled her through the air to amazing effect. Lots of away-from-the-body lifts where she seems to float around him, flying through the air, sometimes turning at the same time. She talks about it here. 1:30 in you can see some of the most dazzling parts.

Not that I disagree with the assessment, but how could one possibly know what is going on in Jonathan Stafford's head?

Welcome to the board, pirouette and YES! I would love to see your chart of soloists in principal roles. I thought Aaron Sanz looked great in Copland Dance Episodes. It wasn't one of the six principal roles, but IIRC he was in that men's quintet from Rodeo.

I could see Gilbert Bolden as Carabosse! And I have no doubt he would bring the glamour and the LOVE of villainy.