BalanchineFan

5 hours ago, cobweb said:

I hope this is not too "off topic" for this forum, but I wanted to alert Balanchine fans that Vienna State Opera Ballet currently has a livestream up that contains a beautifully prepared performance of Liebeslieder Walzer. It's already been up since, I think, Friday, so not sure how much longer. It's a very different kind of performance from what we last saw at NYCB, but very beautiful, and the music and singing is a model of ravishing clarity. 

I can't find the livestream. Do you have to become a member?

15 minutes ago, nanushka said:

But La Valse and Slaughter were both seen in the Fall, weren't they? While that makes them unexciting for those of us who attend numerous performances, I think that's precisely why they're programming them again. I suspect it's been very difficult for them to get in the studios with the recent COVID spike. Liebeslieder hasn't been done in a number of years so would require a good deal more rehearsal time.

Not saying I don't agree it'd be great to have more variety — just that I don't think it's only about "smaller-scale works." (I think Diamonds was problematic not only because it's larger-scale but also because of the amount of rehearsal that means it'd require.)

Much as I love Liebeslieder, it also requires additional expenditures. The singers have to be paid. Most ballets rehearse with a rehearsal pianist, but I don't think that's possible with the vocal music in Liebeslieder, or at least not possible to the extent that NYCB usually rehearses with piano. IIRC, they typically do only one run-through onstage with orchestra for each ballet. They have an orchestra on salary. They don't have singers on salary. Small cast, but not cheap.

Still, if they manage to put Liebeslider on, I, too, will be at every performance. I still remember Unity Phelan sailing through a double pirouette in attitude upstage left. So many beautiful performances. Sterling, Maria.. Tiler. I remember Rebecca Krohn killing it, too.

18 hours ago, Susu_nyc said:

Any thoughts as to what Unity and Sara Adams are rehearsing in Chun's instagram story?  Unity responded to his story that she's working on some new things for winter season.

 

https://www.instagram.com/stories/chunner/2750687378013416984/

 

 

I don't recognize Sara Adams in the video. Unity is definitely working on Tschai Pas. The Emilie Gerrity photo is from Summerspace. I thought it looked like Mira Nadon in one of the Swan Lake ppd. or Swan Lake something...

Where was Sara Adams? Was she behind one of those masks?

 I will miss Abi Stafford in Summerspace. She was spectacular. So composed and daring in all the Cunningham jumps and holds and craziness. Lydia Wellington was great in it, too. 

On 1/11/2022 at 3:42 PM, Helene said:

I think the starting place for a lot of this is "What you're used to."  Think of the photos from the '70's of men's hair, which looks as odd to us as photos of now will look 20 years from now.  Or the agony over men wearing tights and not those modesty shorts.  Or the conical bra cups for women in leotards. Or the coup de pied vs. passe position for men's pirouettes.   Or the completely different musculature and heights of featured dancers in the original ballets vs. today's dancers.

There are some things, though, that aren't accepted across time, and I can only hope that this changes.

OMG, the shorts men used to wear in those old pictures!! LOL. I thought those were so, so unnecessary, until a Dance in America broadcast came on while I was babysitting. Imagine teenage me, sitting down to watch Emeralds on Dance in America, way before VCRs and recording things was possible. One image of a male dancer and the kiddies ALL start screaming "BARE BOTTOMS!" and pointing at the TV. All four of them. They kept screaming and I really couldn't focus on the ballet. 

I guess I introduced those kids to a completely new experience.

4 hours ago, bellawood said:

Some casting hints on Jovani Furlan’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYpCm0pv-w5/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

la Valse with Sara and DGV with LaFreniere (not sure which pair that would be)

Ooh, maybe LaFreniere is doing the role Maria Kowroski did!

ooh, the Partita looks fun. Can't wait to see the whole thing. 

46 minutes ago, vagansmom said:

On the topic of male principal dancers who haven't been cast in the recent dance seasons, what about Sean Suozzi? He's on the roster as a principal dancer, but I can't recall having seen much, if any, of him in the last couple danceable seasons.

It's possible he had an injury in there at some point. I think I remember him being suddenly taken out of a few things (which indicates injury, imo) but I can't remember when. I think he has often danced the second man's part in Mozartiana, to acclaim.

7 minutes ago, abatt said:

Yes to Joe Gordon in anything.

 

I found Tyler Angle's baldness distracting in Symphony in C, but not at all distracting  in DGV pas with Maria at her farewell or in Slaughter.   

 

So is it the tutus that makes you feel the men should have hair?

I would watch Joseph Gordon cross the street! Happily and attentively. Yes, on Mozartiana, yes on anything else. Put him in!

I don't see what baldness has to do with dancing ability. Tyler Angle is not playing a "young prince", except for Swan Lake, and is it... impossible that a young prince would be bald? Not to my mind. I also love seeing older dancers in roles.

I will admit I saw Nureyev dance several times. As he got older he was difficult to watch because he seemed to be in pain landing his jumps. THAT was not comfortable for this audience member. Pain onstage is never a good look. It doesn't in any way apply to Tyler Angle, though. I thought both Angle and Veyette looked great last season. I was surprised, but happy to see the bald head. Better than the toupees many men wear, imo. I think ballet needs to loosen up on many of these preconceived ideas of what is "appropriate."

I've even seen/heard people remark negatively on dancers who had gotten tan and were appearing in Diamonds. I'm Black, and it made me wonder how they felt about dancers who are naturally "tan" or people of color. Are we supposed to think that they're not appropriate for Diamonds, either? An abstract ballet.  Going further... Must all the white swans be white people?  Or... Should only Black women dance the Black Swan? (That would certainly upend a lot of casting worldwide!)

Maybe the ideas (anti-baldness and color-ism) are separate for some, but they seem connected to me.

3 hours ago, nanushka said:

I'd see that! I don't know that her Preghiera would particularly do it for me, but I'd love to see her tackle some of those variations especially.

Tiler Peck can bourree with the best of them. It might be interesting. I used to think of her as Ms Sunshine, but she's deepened considerably over time.

I saw Suzanne Farrell do it back in the day, and her (performing) ghost looms nearly as large as Balanchine's over Mozartiana. She was otherworldly. And you never quite knew when the spirit would catch her. The phrasing and her choices were so spontaneous, different each night. She FLEW across the stage like a wind had gotten hold of her. And I still don't know how you could be reaching up so high to commune with ... the higher spirit... and end up in such a deep backbend.

28 minutes ago, abatt said:

Phelan?

I know! I'd love to see Unity Phelan in Mozartiana.

Also, the website is screwed up. Feb 10th has a link for the open rehearsal of Nutcracker. Pretty sure they're not having an open Nutcracker dress in February.

I wonder who will be cast in Mozartiana. Maria Kowroski used to dance it. I've seen Sara Mearns and Sterling Hyltin dance it. I hope there's a debut... but who would it be?

40 minutes ago, GB1216 said:

I’ve never seen the Balanchine swan lake, so would love to see it.

I hated the martins version.  I saw tiler peck’s debut and she was fabulous, but the production was horrible.  Stafford has some real opportunities to replace this SL and Martins’ sleeping beauty as well.  I saw that many moons ago and remember being underwhelmed.  

They should rid themselves of all the Peter Martins choreography asap. The Swan Lake is an awful production (just my opinion) and the costumes and sets are also horrendous. The primary colors need to go. I'm excited to look at the changes. I have Covid at the moment, so it's doubtful I could have seen the first week anyway.

I would LOVE to see the Balanchine Swan Lake!

4 hours ago, GB1216 said:

I wonder about diamonds.  Sara Mearns would be first cast now that Maria is retired, but she still seems to be MIA (hope she’s ok).  Who else does it? Tess Reichlin I think.  But maybe a debut there as well? 

Olivia MacKinnon had a clip on her IG doing Swan Lake with Sara Mearns in the studio. They were only doing the variation that has goes entrechat quatre- passé. Sara had on dark sweat pants and a baggy top, but her footwork, and arms are impeccable. IMPECCABLE. So Mearns is in the studio.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMx0h5BEud/

Isabelle LaFreniere was working on Diamonds awhile back. I'd love to see Unity Phelan dance Diamonds. Or Miriam Miller. NYCB has no shortage of the leggy types they usually cast in that ballet. Emilie Gerrity, Emily Kikta, Mira Nadon... but I'd really like to see Unity do it. It seems to be right in her wheelhouse. Watching her Sugar Plum Fairy this winter I kept being struck by her glamour. Each SPF has her own personality, and Unity has glamour in abundance. I could go for Diamonds with some glamour.

6 hours ago, cobweb said:

I'm checking anxiously for the first week of casting for the NYCB Winter season - it would reassure me they're counting on going on as planned. I'm holding off on buying tickets till this happens. 

Tiler Peck has video on her IG saying that she's making a debut in Rubies. Don't know which evening, of course.

On 12/22/2021 at 5:25 PM, FayBallet said:

Thank you for your point of view. They aren't allowing subscriptions to the Balcony Boxes, but it was a good idea!

I have a small pair of binoculars that I always bring. They work better than opera glasses and still fit into my evening bag. They have a wrist strap.

21 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

I see your point. I would agree that he danced with ego, however, besides the tricks I believe he possesses great charisma and stage presence, had terrific chemistry with Seo, and was very fluid and even luxurious in his phrasing. So, IMO I witnessed more than just tricks. 
 

Guest stars rarely integrate into the company, they usually just fly in/fly out for their one or two Met performances, which is kind of the point. They almost never go on tour with them. I see your point here as well, but I’m not sure how they could become more of a company member when as a guest they are scheduled for a very limited number of performances.

Maybe the partnership with Seo is a place to start, then. I agree, he has a great deal of charisma.

I hope the new AD will address some of these guest artist issues. What you describe wasn't always the case. I was a huge fan of ABT in the late 1970's and 80's. Baryshnikov and Makarova started out as guests, IIRC. So did Gelsey Kirkland and Rudolf Nureyev. For me, the point would be to have a continuing, growing relationship with any guests, so that partnerships, artistic relationships, inclusion in new works, etc might be part of the "guesting" package eventually. And to look for artists who want to build on the connection with ABT.

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Thanks for this link! I just started a one week free trial with Marquee TV, but you have to pay extra ($20!) to rent NYCB’s Nut from 2 years ago. Which I didn’t realize before subscribing, which was the whole point! 😕

there is a special code and subscribers can get Nutcracker for "just" $14.99. The code is SUGARPLUM25.

On 12/23/2021 at 3:04 PM, ABT Fan said:

I agree with everything you wrote here. Yes, Han did the pas with Hurlin this summer, but I think that was a necessary choice; I don't see him carrying a lead at all. Cornejo won't be able to sub in; his current allotment is a lot for him now IMO. I saw Forster as Espada, and he was terrific, but I don't see him as Basilio. He could be surprising though. Royal doesn't have the technique. Would also love to see Simkin and Mack guest star. 

Kim would make an amazing guest star for DQ. His Solor at the Met a few years ago was astonishing.

Kim is a fine dancer and perfect for the role of Basilio. He seems to dance with quite a bit of ego (just my opinion) and if he guests again, I hope they integrate him into the production a bit. I would like to see him develop more of a relationship with the dancers at ABT. I thought his Solor was very "guest-y" as in here I am, here are my tricks, aren't I great! rather than furthering the storytelling or making the audience feel anything other than awe. Great dancer, great potential, not quite an artist in this setting. Just my opinion, and it could change at any moment given what Kim does the next time he sets foot onstage.

Sorry to hear about James Whiteside's injury. He's chronicling his recovery on IG, for those who want to follow.

I had planned to see Nutcracker again this season, so here's the next best thing (barring a subscription to Marquee TV). From the 2011 broadcast, stellar cast,(M. Fairchild, De Luz, Bouder as DewDrop, Reichlen as Coffee, Ulbricht as Candy Cane) you can even read Megan Fairchild's account in her book The Ballerina Mindset.

Watching Tiler Peck's Marzipan made me wonder, who is the best Marzipan you've ever seen? Peck (here) may be le ne plus ultra for me.

5 hours ago, cobweb said:

Thanks for the hopeful note, canbelto!

5 hours ago, canbelto said:

I THINK the difference is that the Winter Season doesn't need children in the production who are not company members, and who have stringent laws regarding how much they can work. NYCB only fields two "children" casts in Nutcracker. They cannot work every night. 

MUCH smaller casts all around for Winter. They might even be able to get dancers back into pods. There are so many more covid work-arounds when you go from a cast of 60 to .. say 12 dancers and minimal sets for a single evening. And no child lives alone, whereas many adults do. Single Adults are more able to limit their exposure. 

i’m praying for a Winter season, can you tell?

I'm so sorry they had to cancel performances. I hope everyone is ok. It seems I got there just in time. I saw the Sunday 5 pm show. It was really fantastic. I have a friend performing in another show the NY Times article mentions. They had been hoping to resume A Christmas Carol on Dec 27th, but I guess that's finished now, too. 

I hope everyone is safe and healthy wherever you are! Keep those masks on. They work.

Unity Phelan performed the Swan Lake ppd (white swan judging from the pics) in 2018 at Vail with Corey Stearns. Phelan often seems to emphasize her legato lines but she's capable of speed and great allegro attack as well. There's a section in Nutcracker where she starts upstage left, something like soutenu, pas de chat, soutenu, pas de chat, etc. and her attack and clarity are remarkable. Watching her dig into the beginning of the Agon ppd  - there's footage of Agon on Phelan's IG  (2017?) she's worked on it with Heather Watts over the years a lot - also gives me hope for great success in SL. I just hate the Martins version, however. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmWMsX_jrPd/         https://www.instagram.com/p/BXJewyujYew/

Also, I agree about Megan Fairchild. Someone should vote her this year's SPF MVP.

15 hours ago, Susu_nyc said:

Did anyone see Nadon or LaFreniere this week as Dewdrop?  

No, I saw Emily Kikta as Dewdrop. She was gorgeous, as was Phelan as SPF. Phelan brings a lot of glamour to the role, dancing fully and authoritatively. Harrison Coll was the Cavalier. (They did beautiful shoulder sit jumps for those who are keeping track). Kikta was a real highlight, the role and the jumps showcasing her long legs and her clarity of movement. Roman Mejia did not dance Candy Cane. KJ Takahashi replaced him and David Gabriel (an apprentice, I believe) took over for Takahashi as Tea. Both were great. I was happy to see Alexa Maxwell in Tea, and also Ashley Hod and Christopher Grant leading Hot Chocolate.

The only time I noticed that the children were older (taller) was during the Angels scene.  They seem to have the world's shortest, smallest 12 year old playing Fritz.

Anyone looking for debuts, they are likely to be announced right before curtain as replacements. So, so many dancers have done so many different Nutcracker roles over the past weeks and years I'm surprised there are still dancers that have NOT done the roles. If you debut 18 women in SPF any given year, it's got to reduce the number of possible debuts for a while.

I remember Kathryn Morgan saying that there were about 14 things in the SPF ppd that could go terribly wrong. She didn't list them, but every so often I wonder if I, myself, could make a list, just based on watching from the audience and what ballerinas say in interviews.