BalanchineFan

A friend said the Scherzo costumes “prove that horizontal stripes flatter no one.” The ballet is pleasant but not so substantial.  It was nice to see Taylor Stanley and Brittany Pollack. Anthony Huxley and Miriam Miller look great. There are nice formations but it feels slight. 
Symphony in Three Movements is wonderful. I had bought the ticket specifically to see Sterling Hyltin. So Ashley Laracey wasn’t my choice, but things happen.  I always wish I could coach Ms Laracey, or give her relaxation exercises. She still looks tense and a bit frozen in her face. 

I thought Erica Pereira looked good, sharp, clear, energy out her toes. Something weird happened on her first entrance. Did anyone else notice? She seemed to get lost in a crowd of the white leotard girls, but she got out quickly. I love the ballet. Daniel Ulbricht, Harrison Coll and Megan LeCrone were also very sharp. I would go again if Sterling recovers. 

And LaFreniere is ready!! Her Firebird was great. 

On 5/4/2022 at 3:08 PM, cobweb said:

I was wondering about this from the article: 

"She asked for three years of severance pay, a release from her contract so she could dance elsewhere, and a solo curtain call at her final performance."

The way I read it is that she asked for those things in March 2020 when she first decided to retire. Then the pandemic changed everything.

18 hours ago, Dancingdemon said:

There are several unclear aspects of this article. That's the fault of the writer(s), not the subject matter. However, I must ask the question, "How many of you on this site have previously or are currently dancing professionally?" Not many, I would assume. So, I think you might not understand. The manner in which she was treated was totally unfair, full stop. She was a long-standing principal dancer with one of the highest-ranked companies on the planet. To be relegated to understudying various parts and also removed from the opening night of her final role is abhorrent. That her estranged brother is leading the organization is the final blow. How do you manage in such a situation? You barely manage, is how. 

I am a dancer. I've had a 40 year career that I take pride in. I've performed in theaters on three continents (including the NY State Theater). I've taught dance and performance on four continents.

I have found that expecting others to give you something (even based on your past accomplishments) is a path to misery and suffering. Life is like surfing. You get knocked down nearly every run. You are the only one to decide if you'll get back up. It's no one's fault and blaming others is a waste of your own limited  time and energy. Is that how you want to spend your precious time ?

When Lin Manual Miranda won the Tony for writing Hamilton his acceptance speech was a sonnet that included this line:

That nothing here is promised, not one day

It's true. For instance, the dancers I worked with in Kyiv are currently backpacking towards the border with their kids in tow. Or dead. Anything can turn your life upside down at any time.

So, the idea that we are promised something, is just the set up for heartache and disappointment, misery and suffering. It's a difficult lesson, but most people are calmer and more content when they engage with it as a lesson, as something that is our individual responsibility to manage.

I sympathize with Abi Stafford, probably more than you understand. Retirement is definitely an emotional crisis. But it's not the only one. A full life includes crises.

On 5/3/2022 at 11:07 AM, Drew said:

Quick postscript to my last post to say that there is another discussion of this under NYCB...

I think that discussion was moved to this location. 

The whole retirement grievance thing reminds me of a Lincoln Kirstein quote that I found when I had first joined a dance company. I'm not sure what book it was, but it must have been a collection of his writing, or a history of NYCB. I was struggling, unexpectedly and deeply, and what he said put my situation into a very helpful context:

"entering a professional dance company is a crisis in any career, equal in its severity to the moment when a dancer feels he or she must retire. Both are the ultimate facing and stretching of responsibility and personal possibility."

Lincoln Kirstein

I think these dynamics get played out again and again in a large company. Every dancer faces it, deals with it, each in their different ways. There are films about retirement (Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro come to mind) and dance documentaries; Merrill Ashley and Wendy Whelan docmented their retirements. It's a crisis even when the dancer/management relationship starts out fairly harmonious.

13 hours ago, abatt said:

Based on current casting, they have Sterling Hyltin doing Terpsichore in Apollo, followed immediately  by Hyltin doing the lead role of Euridyce  in  Orpheus.  I don't recall how much difficult dancing is in Orpheus, but they should change the program order (put Agon in as the middle ballet) to give her a break for a few minutes.   

I see your point, dancer wise, but I don't think it's good programming to end an evening with Orpheus. Agon is a better ending ballet. I don't think Eurydice dances much in the first half of Orpheus.

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.

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

Totally agree with vipa and pherank. When it comes to the big ballerina roles and dancers like Mearns, Kowroski, or Reichlen are out there, I’m relieved to see Jared Angle, Tyler Angle, or Andrew Veyette walk on, no matter if they’re a little thick around the middle. 

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.

On 5/5/2022 at 1:00 PM, Rock said:

Chun Wei Chan

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. 

15 hours ago, abatt said:

Four T's was in my opinion a mixed bag.  This was the first time I've seen Kikta in Choleric and she was explosive.  Loved it.  Can't wait to see her in more roles.   I also liked Ramasar's precision in his Phlegmatic variation.  It's too bad he is retiring because he still dances so well.  Peter Walker was cushion soft in his landings in  Sanguinic and he was an excellent partner to Hod.  I think Hod needs more time to grow into her role.   Wendy Whelan owned this role during her career, and I have not yet seen anyone who has equaled those memorable performances. I also thought that Villani Velez started out well in Melancholic, but by the end he lost steam.  His body positions weren't stretched out, and he seemed a little underpowered.  (I miss Huxley in this role.)

 

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

16 hours ago, cobweb said:

Thanks to all for the restaurant suggestions! I think we’re going with Sapphire. 

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/

13 hours ago, vipa said:

I too have been a Maxwell fan since she joined. I believe she was out with an injury for a while and that may have stalled things for her, but I always found her outstanding both in presence and technique.

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.

On 4/16/2022 at 10:05 AM, vagansmom said:

I will miss her terribly. Hyltin has been my favorite NYCB dancer for many years. Is there anyone else who dances like her? 

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

On 4/18/2022 at 6:58 PM, volcanohunter said:

It does seems like an awfully big box-office gamble.

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.

5 hours ago, tutu said:

 Mearns, the veteran, was extraordinary as always in the role, and against the shadow of Hyltin’s impending retirement, I can only pray that we get more time with Mearns bringing us into her world onstage.  The Miller/Mearns/Sanz trio was especially striking with Miller and Mearns’ mirrored blonde hair.

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.

On 3/29/2022 at 4:58 AM, seattle_dancer said:

Yes I saw it in the theater when it was first released and Tyler Peck was in Seattle to promote it even!  I think it was back in 2018 or 2017?

I learned a lot about Peck and thought it was entertaining.  Afterwards Michelle Dorrance’s company was all over the place, it even toured to Seattle.  And I want to say I saw Bill Irwin somewhere else, maybe Vail, but that doesn’t seem right.

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.

On 3/23/2022 at 12:14 PM, Helene said:

All of this is Bouder's own business, unless the company decides it's theirs, or she decides to make it ours.  We certainly have been spoiled by how much dancers share on social media.

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.

On 3/9/2022 at 6:38 AM, Balletwannabe said:

Someone make it make sense:

NYCB performances- guests vaccinated & masks.  Performers, maskless.

Winter ball at the Koch: guests packed in, socializing, eating/drinking, no masks....oh but the (fully vaccinated) minors performing for your entertainment?  N95 masks.

Let me go scream in a pillow now before someone tries to explain this one away.

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.

On 2/28/2022 at 10:10 AM, Roberta said:

I truly enjoyed seeing Balanchine's Pavane over the weekend, within the "Short Stories" program. Sterling Hyltin was sublime in the brief but touching solo with the big blue scarf. I saw both the originator of the role, McBride back in the day, as well as Kyra Nichols during the 1990s.  Only during this run did a curious idea hit me:  Perhaps Balanchine created this work as a remembrance of Lydia Ivanova - his dear friend who drowned in a boating accident (or murdered, as some have suggested?) in 1924 before Balanchine and other young dancers set off on a tour of Western Europe?  There are several instances during Pavane when the ballerina lifts the blue scarf in a way that suggests going under water. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. 

Which reminds me -

For those interested in early Balanchine and Lydia Ivanova, I highly recommend reading Elizabeth Kendall's Balanchine and the Lost Muse (2013 - Oxford Univ. Press). I'm sure that it can be found through BA's Amazon link.

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.

10 hours ago, cobweb said:

Was anyone there tonight? Would be interested in a report and if Miller made her debut in Slaughter. Her legs are certainly suited for the role. Does she have the comedic chops?

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. 

3 hours ago, KikiRVA said:

It was a wonderful weekend at the ballet!  I went up the weekend’s performances starting Friday night, so got to see the all-Balanchine with two different sets of casts.  Some things that stuck out to me:

-Speaking of Mozartiana, Ball looked fabulous.  He seems to have studied Martins’s posture, gesture and look to the stars.

 

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