BalanchineFan

Countries are also limited by their government's policies and laws. Contact tracing in the UK and in Europe seems much more robust than what large cities can put into effect in the US. It's hard to find exactly comparable measurements, but compare the new Covid cases and deaths, New York City vs London (from Google). London is somewhat more populous. NYC: 0 new cases, 1787 is the 7 day average, as of Sept 25, 2021 London: 2494 new cases, on Sept 24, 2021. 16,529 positives during the week ending Sept 18, 2021 https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+cases+in+new+york+city&oq=covid+cases+in+new+york+city&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i20i263i512j0i512l2j0i22i30l4j0i390l2.7183j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.london.gov.uk/updates/news-feed

I was wondering if any among you had seen the ballet, Ballade, music by Gabriel Fauré? It was choreographed on Merrill Ashley and Ib Andersen in 1980, towards the end of Balanchine's life. In her book she says she injured her hip shortly after the premiere so it wasn't performed much. NYCB seemed to do a deep dive in restaging Haieff Concerto before the pandemic and I hope they don't let the opportunity pass to restage Ballade. Both Ms Ashley and Ib Andersen are still working, setting Balanchine ballets. There do seem to be pictures of it from the post-Balanchine era so maybe it isn't in danger of being lost. I am just curious to see it. Has anyone seen it? Do you think it would add to NYCB's current repertoire? Who might dance it? Does anyone know which dancers are pictured performing it on the NYCB rep page linked here? Is the woman Miranda Weise? https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/ballade-balanchine/

I don't think so. There is video of Megan Fairchild doing the role and her bun seems higher. The costumes and headpieces seem to be different as well.

For women, there is something called a Balanchine bun. He had a preference, in certain roles, for buns that were placed kind of where I high pony tail would go. They create a long neck look in profile in a way that a low bun, or even a French twist with voluminous long hair, does not. Or this: Oh! I have seen that. I may even have the video. Thank you for the reminder.

She IS gorgeous. I think I saw Debra Austin dance in the corps, but I never saw her in Symphony in C. This looks like the 3rd Movt, the jumping girl and boy. Does anyone else have a take on what role this was, or other solos Debra Austin danced with NYCB?

Yes to Miriam Miller. Mira Nadon strikes me as not formed enough yet (granted last time I saw her in any featured role was 1.5y ago). >>>>> I'm glad these women are starting to work on these roles. Unity has been dancing Agon ppd for years at Vail and if a dancer has the time (and access to a good coach), that's an excellent way to work on these iconic roles. Mira Nadon and Miriam Miller might work on Bizet, movement 2 for years before they get cast in it in NYCB. Also, you never know who might suddenly get injured during a long season. I'd hate to see a rising ballerina thrown into an iconic role like Agon, or 2nd Movt Bizet with just an hour of preparation. Wasn't Isabelle Lafreniere also rehearsing Diamonds a few years ago, as per her Instagram? Back when Zach Catazaro was her partner? Ashley Laracey had a very nice debut in Concerto Barocco a few years ago (with Silas Farley, who danced beautifully, though there's an enormous height differential).

Once Kowroski, A. Stafford and Lovette retire, NYCB will have only six women principals. I think there is room for a lot of promotions to principal, and there are plenty of deserving women, in my opinion. Phelan, Woodward both get my vote, with Gerrity an added possiblilty. They are cast more as principals now anyway. It would also be great to see some new women tackling the Tschaikovsky gut crunchers (does anyone remember who coined that term?): T&V, PC2, Allegro Brillante. Also, If Mearns is now first cast for 2nd movt of the Bizet, who else has done it: Reichlen, Hyltin... anyone else? They could get some of the younger women going on that. I remember Tiler Peck saying that she started the Bizet in the corps, then danced the lead in the 4th Movt, then the lead in the 1st. Couldn't Lauren King learn 1st movt? Or Indiana Woodward in the 1st? I see Unity Phelan as more of a 2nd Movt type. I hear she danced After the Rain and Agon (ppd only?) in Vail. I read that under 12s are only admitted to Nutcracker, and only with proof of a negative Covid test. Under 12s are not permitted to the repertory performances.

It's a fairly small theater but there is a slope to it and the seats all seem pretty good, as long as you don't have a really long torso-ed person in front of you. There's space in the front for the interviews they have periodically, so the first rows aren't as neck bending as in other movie theaters. I sat in row L and would have liked to be closer. I moved up to the third or fourth row for the interview. I got there during the previews and someone was actually sitting in the seat I'd bought, so I don't know that they are real sticklers for the seating assigments. <<<Balletwannabe I'm a ballet fan and especially a fan of NYCB, so much so that I drive my daughter out of state every day to train with one of the teachers in this documentary. The students learning from them do not realize how fortunate they are. To them it's just what they're used to...but to hear "Balanchine told me/us..." on a regular basis; that's invaluable. >>> @Balletwannabe Bless you. My mother did more or less the same thing (driving me around to countless dance classes and workshops) and I wasn't nearly appreciative enough.

What a spectacular night! I sat in the second to last row of the 4th Ring, much farther than my usual subscription. It was great to see the choreography from there and the group formations are just beautiful. It was nice to see the new mothers dancing so wonderfully; Sterling is back! I really missed her. With my binoculars I could also pick out one of the new apprentices, Ruby Lister, who was featured in On Pointe in the corps. Lots of dancing for the female corps. No Roman Mejia. Only 19 men's roles in the whole program. I didn't notice Megan Fairchild having any difficulty in Symphony in C and I wasn't close enough to see her emotion in the curtain call. Joseph Gordon rocked it and the crowd went wild. Sarah Mearns seems to have grown in the second movement and simplified her approach, she's letting the movement and music carry her rather than adding drama. Everyone seemed so glad to be there. onstage and off. The State Theater lobby is so open and spacious that having people drinking champagne beforehand didn't seem so problematic to me, particularly since people are all vaccinated. Some got their champagne and took it to the far side of the rings. I've been on airline flights where you could take your mask off to eat, it's necessary on long flights. I think it will be nice when the mezzanine terrace is open to one and all. It was also nice to get out a bit early, without the intermissions. I work early during the week. The Clear app combines your photo and vaccination into one digital document, so you can do it ahead of time and only present one thing in addition to your ticket. IF you're presenting any other vaccination proof you need to show a photo ID as well. The Clear/Excelsior line didn't seem to move so fast to me, but it was worth it, even if my photo is now definitively in the facial recognition world. A word of recommendation, arrive early.

I see your point. Though, I have tickets for tonight in the 4th Ring. It's sold out. I had friends try to get tickets and they couldn't. It's expensive for them to open the 4th Ring if they don't sell enough seats, and they're coming out of a huge financial loss.

There was an Executive Order #225 in NYCity that requires proof of vaccination for all those entering restaurants, indoor entertainment, fitness and dance studios beginning August 18, 2021. No exceptions for NYC residents for religious or medical reasons, (i.e. you don't have to be vaccinated but you still can't come in, at least where I work). I teach in a dance studio and I've had to check all my students' vaccination cards. For those concerned about people forging them, forgery is a crime (at least here in NYC) resulting in penalties up to $5000 and jail time up to 15 years. I heard the Mayor speaking about it on TV and looked it up. The Executive Order has exemptions for visiting non-resident performing artists, non-resident sports teams, repair people and similar short term occupants, who are there to work but not for NY residents, employees, patrons or tourists. I'm sure the idea is to safely get Broadway, Off-Broadway, Lincoln Center and the related 14.7 billion dollar performing arts industry back up on its feet. Personally, I'm glad they've taken this step and I've spent quite a bit of money recently on tickets to dance and theater and can now drag my vaccinated bones out as much as I like. Megan Fairchild said on her Instagram that at NYCB they were rehearsing in the studios in masks, but would do stage rehearsals and performances maskless. I guess the theater is much larger and has better ventilation. My guess is that's the protocol everywhere people are performing in NYC. Also, @canbeltoregarding Laura osnes, it was a one night concert performance and she says she quit quietly, with no drama. https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/17/broadway-star-mn-native-laura-osnes-says-wasnt-fired-for-vaccine-refusal-she-quit/

I saw the film last night. I recommend it wholeheartedly. I'm still vibrating from the experience. After the screening, there was a live interview with Connie Hochman, the director, and Merrill Ashley. The interviewer asked how Hochman made her choices about which interviews to include. Hochman had some very interesting things to say. She was trying to make a film about the artist's journey, so it seems to me that many of the interviews were chosen because those dancers talked specifically about how Balanchine's class, and also his coaching helped make them into better dancers, how it improved their dancing, how they were transformed by the experience with him, as a teacher. Overall, I found that aspect incredibly inspiring. If doing 64 tendus front, 64 side, and 64 to the back most days (among other things), and "The 64th should be better than the first, dear," Ashley quoted him as saying, of course it would be transformative. It just made me want to work harder, more specifically and more intensely at all the things I care about because, "What are you saving it for, dear?" I didn't feel the film jumped around, though it's not chronological. She's making a point and showing this generation of dancers passing on his teachings, or trying to. So along with footage of Balanchine teaching in the 1970's you see Merrill Ashley coaching ABT dancers, Villella teaching and coaching at Miami City Ballet, Gloria Govrin teaching in Connecticut, and Heather Watts working with dancers in NYC. I was glad Ms. Hochman mentioned the artists' journey, because it's so clear in retrospect. This kind of work and commitment is what it takes to be... not just good, not just proficient, but an artist. Transcendent, transformative, inspiring. There is always more work to be done. Heather Watts spoke about an attitude towards performing and life that Balanchine wanted to pass along to her. I thought Lisa de Ribere was a great choice, so that it wasn't all stars and former principals. She has an anecdote about the speed of the class, though maybe that was Darla Hoover. Barbara Bocher (?) is another dancer with whom I wasn't so familiar. Since it took Hochman 10 years to put the documentary together she might not have known what the connecting theme would be at the beginning so certain people probably just didn't emphasize that aspect. Hochman said, in the live interview, that she'd studied at SAB, wanted to get into NYCB but ended up dancing Balanchine rep at Pennsylvania Ballet instead. She found there was something different, more detailed and deeper about all the coaches she had at Pennsylvania Ballet who had worked with Balanchine and she wanted to shed some light on what that was. I think she succeeds brilliantly. It's not a terribly long film, around 90 minutes, IIRC. Hochman also said they were creating an archive of all the interviews in their entirety. Go to InBalanchinesClassroom.com for more info on when the IBC archive will be up and running. Whoever you were hoping to see, if they were among the 100 Hochman interviewed (and Kay Mazzo certainly was, along with Patricia Wilde, Arthur Mitchell and many who have since passed) then they will be included.

Thanks for the reminder! So Roman Mejia hasn't disappeared entirely. I wouldn't think dancing Ratmansky's Fandango Oct 23 in FFD would keep him out of the first few weeks of NYCB. Tiler Peck and Georgina Pazcoguin are in FFD and they're performing w NYCB. They should give Roman one of those Western Symphony performances! (I'm just ranting)

My mistake. Kikta is dancing Western Symphony, last movement. Gerrity is doing Serenade, Phelan is in Glass Pieces. Those are the roles Kowroski typically danced where others seem to have moved up.

YAY, YAY AND SUPER YAY!! I can't wait for those rehearsals. Imo, they are one of the best things about living in NYC.

It's always so interesting to see the casting. It looks like Unity Phelan and Emily Kikta are taking over for Maria in Glass Pieces (as a general rule). I'm excited to hear about this new Bigonzetti duet. I'm betting they'll include it in the Kowroski Farewell. Where is Roman Mejia? I was hoping he would do at least some of the Western Symphony performances, particularly after he and Teresa Reichlen lit the place on fire during the digital season. I hope he's not injured.

The NYCB website says Lauren Lovette will dance both Opus 19 and Serenade. It doesn't say which role. I've got my tickets and I'm really looking forward to it.

I can't find any mention of casting, even though the page says "Principal Casting." I don't think they've posted it yet. I expect they'll update the page when they're ready to make things public.

Looking at the program, when you count up the Angels the Polychinelles, the children at the party who also play mice and soldiers, I think there are two casts of 60 children under 12. It’s a shame for them but I don’t see how NYCB could do any different. And how great for the 12-year-olds! there are probably a lot of children under the age of 12 at SAB that are small. If they cast them with the taller members of the company charm will be preserved and the company will comply with the New York State Executive order for dance studios and gyms (you must be vaccinated to enter). The governor took some of the decisions out of their hands. And rightfully so in my opinion. In the OnPointe series they show one studio rehearsal with all 120 children, three sugarplum fairies and the whole female corps ballet, including apprentices. Everyone dancing hard enough to lose their breath. You might wipe out a generation of ballet goers if the ventilation breaks. (Insert evil laugh). This year‘s Nutcracker will be very memorable. Usually it’s the same old, same old. Though it irks me to say anything positive about him, I loved it the year Peter Martins cast only corps de ballet dancers as the sugarplum fairy. Was it 18 debuts in one season? The Nutcracker can use a gimmick every so often.

Serenade is a gem, rightfully emblematic of the NYCB in my opinion. I always find it very beautiful and moving.

Yes, beautiful description @cobweb. Thank you. I also think it's worth noting just how generous Gina Pazcoguin is in the On Pointe series when she greets a group of children performing with her in the Nutcracker. She's warming up backstage for Arabian and they come by. She asks if they're nervous and gives them encouragement. It's a very sweet backstage scene.

YAY! I was hoping they would each get in.

I had to look to see that Emily Kikta is still in the corps. She certainly deserves a promotion to soloist. NYCB has added to the number of apprentices listed. IIRC, all last year the only apprentices were Savannah Durham, Zoe Bliss Magnussen, Samuel Melnikov and KJ Takahashi (who was in Kyle Abraham's When We Fell). In the documentary On Pointe (still on Disney+) Zoe and another dancer are seen receiving news of their apprenticeships. APPRENTICES Savannah Durham David Gabriel Ruby Lister Zoe Bliss Magnussen Samuel Melnikov McKenzie Soares KJ Takahashi Quinn Starner Rommie Tomasini

With all due respect to traditional, Christmastime ballet afficionados, I've never loved Balanchine's Nutcracker. Sure, the music is glorious and there's some nice dancing, but it's a lot of showbiz: the growing tree, the costumes, the decor and the cute children (I do like the Angels and the Candy Canes). There's not a lot of adult dancing in it. The majority of the first act is the party scene: highly trained dancers pretending to be at a Christmas party, some pretending to be servants, then you get them pretending to be mice with their bodies hidden. They might as well be sitting near the fountain waving a rose. I can see why corps members tire of it. If you are reading a behind the scenes story, you're going to get behind the scenes info. Snow is great, Flowers, too, the SPF ppd, (Hello? a ballet where the lead ballerina doesn't appear in the first act?) a few divertissements... It's mostly NOT about the dancers, not in the way 4T, Concerto Barocco or Agon is. No one is pretending in Concerto Barocco, they're just dancing, it's all them and their artistry. I much prefer Baryshnikov's Nutcracker. He had a lot more dancing in the first act.

I've just finished Swan Dive: The Making of a Rogue Ballerina. Yes, the style is conversational. Yes, there is profanity. You almost feel like you're sitting down with Gina over drinks or coffee, probably after a long, physical work day. It's a quick read, and I wish it had been longer. If she writes another book I'd like to hear more about her preparation for specific roles in the ballet, even how she learned she was cast, what rehearsals were like. Her love of the art form really comes through, and her dedication to ballet and dance in general. There is substance to how she recounts her journey. I would caution those that have only read excerpts, or have only read reviews that the book is much more than its excerpts. I thought the most damning account she had regarding Peter Martins was the Hippolyta incident. [mild spoiler]