BalanchineFan

He is a beautiful and thoughtful writer and an elegant dancer. I dance. I've had a long career and the part about being in a new work and "the opportunity to dance for someone who only wants me to be the person I am," really resonated for me. I think it is a main benefit when a company produces new work. New work develops the dancers. Yes, sometimes the new works are good, sometimes (not often) they are masterpieces, but EVERY SINGLE TIME the dancers get to find out more about themselves without measuring themselves against what anyone else did in the role.

I remember seeing Adrian D-W with Mira Nadon in Monumentum/Movements. They do a series of lifts, something like entrechat six, entrechat six, arabesque. It was her debut. She skipped one of the entrechat sixes, jumped up into an arabesque lift (she totally committed to it) and he pulled her back with one arm WHILE HER HIPS WERE AT HIS HEAD HEIGHT! He's got a gorgeous body, but I was so impressed by what a strong, experienced partner can do. NYCB has a lot of tall ladies coming up, Isabelle LaFreniere and Nadon among them. I'm glad they've got experienced men to partner them.

I'd go see that! I'm now a huge fan of Chun Wai Chan.

I am remembering this quote from the esteemed monument to mental health - (drumroll please) People magazine’s Beauty issue (!!): “I love what I have, and what I don’t have wasn’t meant for me.” That is what I wish for Abi Stafford Lillo. Every career follows its own trajectory. A dancer, an individual, only has certain things under their control. Abi Stafford had a lovely career to be proud of. She rose to principal at NYCB. She danced Balanchine masterworks including Concerto Barocco, Emeralds and Divertimento #15. She had roles in contemporary choreographers’ ballets, Russian Seasons and (to my mind) her breathtaking turn in Merce Cunningham’s Summerspace. There is plenty to laud, even if she didn’t dance as much or whichever roles she might have preferred. She married, became a mother and is pursuing law. I would also caution: when interviewed by a journalist regarding a recent work conflict, avoid mentioning grievances from when you were eight years old. Plenty of people have to adjust their expectations of what their career will be, particularly as it draws to a close. Take a deep breath, look at how full your glass is and savor every drop.

I've always felt Merrill Ashley was the Sanguinic of my time. I"m not sure I can link the video, but it's on YouTube, as well as videos of Patricia Wilde in the role. Both stellar. I wish I had seen Wendy Whelan dance it, too. https://youtu.be/G1yEyHqc2eU

One of my favorites is Indie Food and Wine, which is part of the Elinor Bunin Film Center, part of Lincoln Center. It's on 64th St, more or less underneath the pool with the huge sculpture in it. They are less formal during the day, more like a cafe where you order and take the food to your seat yourself. At night it becomes a proper restaurant with waitstaff and candles. The food is quite good and reasonably priced. They have a nice selection of wines, but probably not a full bar. https://www.filmlinc.org/visit-us/indie-food-and-wine/ Alexa Maxwell looked gorgeous in the corps of Goldberg Variations. A real stand out. I could see her getting cast somewhat like Lauren Lovette and Sterling Hyltin. She is tiny.

I'm hoping Sterling Hyltin does a few of the Symphony in 3 Mov'ts this spring. I love her in that ballet.

Peck did well with Copland's Rodeo. It's one of my favorites. I'm also glad he's using music from the classical canon. He's done a lot of pieces to Sufjan Stevens (and composers of this generation), and, much as I love Everywhere We Go, it's good that Justin Peck is broadening his musical choices. I have the 22-23 schedule sitting on my desk, haven't opened it yet. I'm excited to hear more about this new full length. I hope there won't be sneakers. Ok, I looked. Balanchine's Swan Lake!! It also looks like Peter Martin's Swan Lake is (permanently!!?) gone. Whoohoo! That could be one nice, Covid related benefit for the audience. It isn't just that they're omitting Midsummer next year (and why not? can't each spring be a bit different?), they don't have a Balanchine full length with roles for children. Some years they end the season with Coppelia. Maybe they had their fill dealing with so many children during the pandemic. Or maybe they figure the kids will dance in Sleeping Beauty in the winter and that's plenty. You know, Peter Martins choreographed R+J, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. I think it's about time Justin Peck entered the full length canon! He is infinitely superior as a choreographer.

Has Sterling Hyltin announced her retirement? She looked great in The Goldberg Variations. There has been a noticeable changing of the guard with all the retirements, new principals, newly promoted soloists, but Sterling Hyltin is flying the flag for experience, depth and glorious, fully realized dancing. If more often seems to be happening when she dances, it's because she gets more into the phrases. Oh, I forgot to mention how much I love Chun Wai Chan. His dancing, his personality, his Instagram. Promote this fine man asap!

I, too, loved Ashley Hod and Miriam Miller in last night's Serenade. Both very assured and expansive, lending such glamour to their roles. Shining and radiant. I wouldn't have thought they were debuts (or perhaps the actual debuts were earlier in the week?). It seems like it's a new generation onstage now. Lovely to see Mearns in Serenade, too. She brings so much to every role, and also has a great touch with the simplicity and vulnerability needed. I never think of Serenade as a showcase for the men. Often it's a primer for how to create a ballet without men. Maybe they're not so interested in dancing it? I also think of the male role that deals with the Dark Angel (trio) before I think of the other leading male role, The Waltz Man, I guess. I thought Taylor Stanley looked great, clean, full phrasing. He was understated and gave his attention to his partner. What more would anyone want in this role? I love the Goldberg, but it did seem long last night. I was sitting behind a tall woman who kept fluffing up her hair, so I got her head, her arm and quite a lot of her hair in my view of the stage. She could scarcely have hid the stage better if she had tried. When I moved, the ballet seemed much shorter! I always thought of it as an encyclopedia of dance. A court dance for the first couple, a section of people dancing, all of equal stature (more or less). That's Part One. Then Part Two has more formal groupings of dancers; pas de deux with corps behind them (rather than friends dancing as equals). In Part Two the women eventually change into tutus and the men get jackets, more or less bringing us full circle with the first couple, who reappear wearing ballet practice clothing. It's strongest in the costumes, but the actual choreography follows the same basic outline. I'm not sure if that helps anyone watching it, it's just what I see. To me, it's somewhat like Robbins did a dance version of The Well Tempered Clavier, my other favorite Bach piano œuvre.

I LOVE Kyra Nichols in this. She was one of my favorite dancers back in her day. I saw her dance PC2 in Paris and followed her out of theater to say how much it meant to me. She is very gracious.

It's not his own work, but Bill Irwin is in at least one episode of The Gilded Age. He's danced with Tiler at Fall for Dance and (iirc) at Vail. They had a duet that they created together, him doing his clowning and her dancing. Tiler has a great producers eye and mainstream appeal. I wish I could have seen her programs at City Center. Did anyone see the Paul Taylor Company perform Lauren Lovette's Pentimento? She was recently named their resident choreographer, so I'm guessing the piece was pretty good.

Truth to that. I remember when I had plantar fascitis. (Note: I have NO info about Ashley Bouder). Tendon injuries (and many other injuries) are pernicious; long lasting, hard to recover from. My pain came and went on its own schedule. Sometimes I couldn't walk, other times I could safely run without pain. It all depended on how my ankle joint was interacting with my foot in that moment on that day. Even now I have to watch it when I sit in a cab because my ankle can get stuck and not move smoothly for a period of time afterwards. Who knew you could worsen an injury by sitting in a cab!! Google the ankle and see just how many bones are located in your ankles and feet. A lot can go wrong and when it does all of those things need to consistently go right for a person to return to performing at a high level. Bouder says she's a senior in political science at Fordham University. Good for her! Also, as per Jovani Furlan's IG he's rehearsing Agon. Whoot! Whoot!

Interesting. How will they cast things? I'd love to see Unity Phelan do the entire Agon. She's danced the ppd many times with Calvin Royal III. However, I also think she was a bit overworked this winter. Didn't she debut three ballets in one week? I wonder how the new casting will go. Kowroski and Reichlen did a lot of Agon performances. I'm not sure I've seen anyone else dance the female lead (except Miriam Miller) in the past few years. Savannah Durham danced the ppd in her Workshop performance. I wonder if they'll have Amar Ramasar dance it again. He was great in Agon.

Scream if you like, but I know from IG that NYCB has robust testing in place for their performers. SAB probably doesn't have funds for testing. Audiences at the Koch were enjoying food (candy, cookies) and drink during recent intermissions, so even though audiences were masked... it's not that different.

I LOVE that they're doing Symphony in C and honoring Suki Schorer's 50th and Kay Mazzo's leadership. The last movement in the Bizet is often one of the first roles female apprentices perform (if they don't join during Nutcracker) so it makes sense for the students and it's such a boon for the audience. I wonder if they'll use the original Karinska costumes or those new ones.

I've read the book and I recommend it as well. I know others have mused that the end of Serenade was inspired by (or a reference to) Lydia Ivanova. She apparently danced a lot with Alexandra Danilova back in the day, both at the Maryinsky and in early Balanchine pieces.

It's official. I LOVE Balanchine's one act Swan Lake. I hope they keep performing it. The choreography for the corps is really nice. Megan Fairchild danced Andantino this afternoon, just fyi. Lovely. Joseph Gordon and Unity Phelan were great in Black Swan ppd. He really shone and had a few moments that took my breath away. Sara Mearns was beautiful in SL.

I saw Miriam Miller's Slaughter debut. She is GORGEOUS, as you all know and her legs and figure are spectacular. It seemed like a good debut to me, all the elements are there, but she's not quite at home in everything. She seemed just a little tight. I'm interested to see how she grows and deepens in this role over time.

Are you saying Peter Martins danced Mozartiana, back in the day? Did you see him dance it? I thought the male role was danced by Ib Anderson. He was very different with Farrell from Martins

The days I went it rained and snowed, so the terrace was closed.

Is the thinking that the Grand Tier is more like a restaurant, and that it's very open? I'm just shrugging on that one. I think NYCB should open the outdoor terrace/balcony on the First Ring. I just love it out there. If we can't get sandwiches you could at least bring a little something and ingest it outside. When (WHEN, not if!) this pandemic ends I'll be having sandwiches on the terrace.

You're welcome, though, your mileage may vary. While I am a huge Balanchine fan, I had a career in modern dance.

Read Merrill Ashley's book, Dancing for Balanchine. Her husband's comments about her facial expression completely changed her performances, adding a great deal of depth. Whether NYCB gives dancers this kind of coaching, who knows? I doubt it. I'm sure Balanchine expected dancers would find it on their own, or he gave them cryptic comments which they struggled to understand, as Ashley also recounts. I would tell dancers to relax and let their experience of dancing show in their face. Generally, it's not an everlasting smile.

It's not a book, but, for me, the recent documentary In Balanchine's Classroom has tried to address some of these issues regarding Balanchine's teaching (in class), how it helped performers who danced for him, and how they are passing it on. A lot of "non-star" ballet dancers are interviewed. Has anyone read John Clifford's book, Balanchine's Apprentice: From Hollywood to New York and Back? It is IN NO WAY a biography as you describe, but a chatty, readable memoir.