BalanchineFan

Why do you think they have to pay for the rights if it's Balanchine's choreography? Paul Taylor didn't choreograph it, he was the dancer.

Phelan and Knight brought my companion to tears. Unity seemed even more assured, calm, regal and pure, no wobbles in the turns in the finale, though she does seem to open her leg front and then swing it side in when doing those particular pirouettes later in the 4th movement. Often the ballerina opens directly to the side (a la seconde) flat footed, but those turns are FAST. Both Phelan and Knight seem to be settling into it. I don't see anyone else becoming first cast. To me, it looks like the 2nd Movement is hers. The audience went wild. Overall it seemed like an ideal cast for the Bizet; Tiler Peck and Jovani Furlan in the first movement (though Joseph Gordon and Chun Wai Chan kill in this role), Unity Phelan and Alec Knight in the second, Baily Jones and Cainan Weber in the third ( I wish someone would tell her to keep her head up in the unison demi pliés they do on pointe, but it's a quibble) and Emily Kikta and Aaron Sanz in the 4th. Again, there were a LOT of incredibly well dressed African American people in the audience, the women next to me were in that theater for the first time. It just warms my heart to see Black people enjoying the ballet. I also loved Emily Kikta in Love Letter (on Shuffle). She's got crazy long lines. The ballet has a lot of duets, it didn't strike me at first, but there's a duet for Lister and Corti (I think it's Corti), one for Peck and Villarini-Velez, one for Harrison Ball and Jonathan Fahoury and another for Cainan Weber and a woman in a tutu ( a blonde, possible Mallory Lundgren). I wish they would break down who is dancing which section in the program notes. The Fourth Ring was crowded from what I could see. Lots of energy and excitement for everyone.

Yes! Congratulations all around. I think most of those young women were in the corps of Symphony in Three movements last weekend.

How to handle aging dancers is a big issue in any large company. I credit Balanchine for creating roles that can be performed during the many stages of a professional career, Vienna Waltzes having several of the "aging ballerina" roles. Unfortunately (for Bouder and other shorter, soubrette types), many of these roles were created for Suzanne Farrell and her particular stature and gifts. I remember being impressed by the repertory that was chosen for Darci Kistler's farewell. I believe she danced Movements/Monumentum, and while the piece has its angular moments, there isn't a lot of jumping around on one foot, something that often becomes difficult for older bodies. Kistler looked fabulous in that program. Maria Kowrowski also danced a number of Wheeldon duets (spectacularly!) as her career progressed, Liturgy and After the Rain among others I can't recall. I'm not suggesting Bouder take over that rep, just that the rep is key. I like to see older dancers treated with respect, the respect due their artistry, their contribution to the company and their humanity. They are often beloved by audiences, and showing older dancers off to advantage is a skill any choreographer should take to heart. The repertory of a large company should have roles appropriate for late stage careers. Perhaps more roles than NYCB has currently. Though, looking at it from the company's point of view, rep gets planned years in advance and you never know which principal will be coming back from injury at which time.

I'm so glad Roman Mejia is back onstage, in whatever capacity. He must be working through his injury. So sorry to have missed Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin together in VW. She has been glorious this season. I saw her last Symphony in Three Movements (she got a solo bow) and her last Everywhere We Go. I particularly like her in those ballets. In Symph in 3 she has a brilliant attack matched with a matter of fact quality. It's like you're just seeing the embodiment of the ballet, clear, crisp and playful. She's not "doing" it, she just IS IT.

@Kathleen O'Connellthank you for such a complete reply! I do like the Odessa duet between Joaquin De Luz and Sterling Hyltin. It has a weird creepy-ness that cuts its sweetness. A lot is going on. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to see another Ratmansky, but I may try harder to stay awake if one of his ballets "appears" on a program I'm seeing. Particularly to see if I can observe the references you've laid out here. Thank you! I'm a big fan of Crystal Pite, too.

What did you like about Odessa? And why is Namouna your favorite? I'm dying to hear.

Can I just confess that I'm not a huge Ratmansky fan. I always wish he would use space better. How many Ratmansky ballets are they supposed to keep going? Concerto DSCH, Namouna, Russian Seasons, Pictures at an Exhibition... Do they have others? New ballets are nice, but I never thought of Odessa as a keeper just based on the choreography. I saw it at least twice and I'm not sure I noticed the "rape," .. though it's possible I slept through it. IMO, there are a lot of reasons that's not still in the rep.

I think they hire a female singer to sing Somewhere, as well. None of the dancers sing it or Something's Coming. Maybe they want LaFreniere to have another go at Firebird. She was amazing.

Lovely. What a lovely dancer he is. Are those Swan Lake clips of him dancing with Mira Nadon?

Hod was promoted to soloist recently. I agree she looks fabulous.

I don't see any need for NYCB to (gasp!) bring in outside talent to augment their ranks of principal ballerinas. I would promote Isabella LaFreniere, Emilie Gerrity and Mira Nadon. Barring that, I would give all three a principal workload (more Balanchine tutu leads for Nadon, definitely, and more Stravinsky). I also see Emma von Enck continuing to take over roles associated with Ashley Bouder and Alexa Maxwell continue to take on roles that Sterling Hyltin did (or other rep for women of petit stature). They have all been dancing gloriously.

A number of dancers had trouble with turns right on that upstage center spot, 4th Movement. Even Joseph Gordon, who rocked them in the first movement (truly electrifying), and another dancer in addition to Phelan. I wondered if the stage was wet right there, or if it was something else. I think Phelan was born for this role. Debuts don't always go completely according to plan, but I found her mesmerizing.

I watched Everywhere We Go from the orchestra for the first time, and I have to say the formations read much better from my subscription seats in the First Ring. I still love the ballet, though. I have to wonder, where were you sitting? Also, I absolutely loved the program with Solange's music and the new Kyle Abraham, Love Letter. The audience was nearly as thrilling to watch as the ballet, with so many Black people showing off their tresses and their finery, photographing themselves on the theater's staircases and in front of the sculptures. I also spoke to a few enthusiastic, first time ballet goers. As a Black person, I'm loving it! Gianna Reisen could learn to use space better, or borrow some of Peck's formations from Everywhere We Go. Either her dancers are grouped around center, or they're spread equally throughout the space. It dulls the mind. The costumes, music, lighting and (of course) the dancers carry that ballet. Mearns wears the Solo costume without sleeves or tights, and it's much more spare. The solo has an intense emotional quality, like she's grappling with weighty issues (amid the soaring arabesques and attitude turns). Brava.

Before the pandemic they used to sell "2 tickets for the price of 1" in January. I think/hope they'll do that again. I'm sure it helped them over the post Nutcracker slump, few people go out in January because they're poor from Xmas spending. I LOVE that promotion.

There is a lot of variety in foot injuries. I was in physical therapy a few days ago and the dancer next to me was saying she felt fine on pointe but was in pain coming off pointe or wearing some other sort of shoe. I've had injuries where I could hop on one leg but not the other. Some choreography can be changed to accommodate that, other choreography... no. Hard no. I'm sure no one has "forgotten" Mira Nadon. I sure haven't, and wouldn't forget her dancing if (god forbid) she retired tomorrow. There may also be additional cast changes in the next few weeks. There usually are. TPTB may know that she's understudying a few people who are likely to go out. Plus, it's a big company, there are a lot of casting considerations to balance.

Returning from pregnancy is quite different from having an injury. During her pregnancy Bouder posted videos of herself doing fouettés in class at 6 and 9 months pregnant (scroll through her IG, the posts are still there). Not the sort of thing you can do in the midst of a "possibly career ending injury."

Ashley Bouder just posted on IG (in the stories, I believe) that she is back from a "possibly career ending injury" and thrilled to be onstage. She thanked her family and her physical therapists.

At SAB they danced only the fourth movement of Symphony in C. I thought it worked well. It's rousing piece on its own, though it doesn't last that long.

So Sterling is debuting Rosenkavalier! How lovely. And how lovely that she's cast with Robert Fairchild. He's looking fabulous these days. I have tickets to see him in the Wheeldon/Joni Mitchell piece with Sara Mearns at Fall For Dance. I'm really looking forward to that ,too.

People are also complaining online about ABT's interface with that same theater. Maybe it has something to do with the theater.

Kurt Froman posted an ad campaign from the early 1980's that features women in pointe shoes, but their feet only. It strikes me as a counterpoint to this current ad. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg9eZ9Jgs5e/

Verrrry interesting. It sounds like a fascinating Fall Fashion Gala: Solange and Gianna Reisen, Kyle Abraham and Giles Deacon, Justin Peck and Raf Simons and SYMPHONY IN C! Maybe I'll try to get a ticket to the gala itself.

Yes, they are slow with the dancer headshots. There are a few interim places to look for photos, however. Newer dancers are often featured in NYCBallet's Instagram. They also have interviews (short 5 question articles) on their website, from time to time. I know you didn't ask about these particular dancers, but this is an example of what's on NYCB's Instagram Quinn Starner https://www.instagram.com/p/CcqhJzFsDI5/ Rommie Tommasini https://www.instagram.com/p/CcqhR0phTRy/ LAUREN COLLETT https://www.instagram.com/p/CBv5VnuHwEU/ (FOUND IT!)

I just saw that. What a lovely picture of her dancing in Stravinsky Violin Concerto. She will be missed.