BalanchineFan

I don't see height as EVER being the reason someone is kept in the corps or as a soloist. If they're not too tall to hire, they're not too tall to be promoted. I don't think dancers are ever hired with someone thinking, "oh, corps for life, no matter how well they start dancing.' Alexa Maxwell has had notable debuts in Alexei Ratmansky and Jerome Robbins work as well.

Are you only considering women? Because Jules Mabie deserves to be promoted now, imo, after seeing him in Symph in 3 and 4T. Just on the basis of those two performances. David Gabriel was also good in Bourree Fantasque last fall, throwing Alexa Maxwell all over kingdom come. In terms of promotions, I don't see any of those women being promoted in the immediate future. Talent aside, NYCB has 20 principals and 20 soloists, they don't need to promote dancers. They need to develop them. Still, following your question, I look for corps members who are cast in, and KILLING, their principal role assignments. I enjoy all the dancers you mentioned above, but none of them has yet had as many principal roles as Alexa Maxwell did before her promotion to soloist (The Cage, Copland, Voices, Fancy Free, and I think I'm still forgetting something major). I agree, I thought they could have promoted her and Kikta to soloist a year earlier. I don't mind the prudence with promotions, it's just how it is. What roles would people want to see India Bradley, MT MacKinnon, Domenika Afanasenkov or Ava Sautter tackle pre-promotion? Or roles for ANY upcoming woman to prove herself? As Midsummer is approaching, Sautter and Afanasenkov seem like Titania types, but I would cast Kikta before either of them. Generally, I'd want to see success in a variety of Balanchine and Robbins leading roles before promotion to principal. Paradigm shifting success. I've only seen MT MacKinnon in demi roles, not even true soloist parts. Did I miss them? Olivia MacKinnon had done the 2nd lead in PC2 and Walpurgisnacht (I think?) along with Rondo before getting promoted. Or was Rondo after?

I’m really not following your point. It seems to me that if there are two people, then you have two oppositional forces. We’ve seen the duet in TTAR as male/female, male/male and non-binary/nonbinary. It’s still two people doing the steps, doing their best to dance together. How do dialectics and binaries come into it?

I SO wish I'd seen them dance it.

Thanks for the chart! I added last week's cast.

I loved the difference in their heights. All of the duets have such a depth and mystery to the relationship, who has the power, who is chasing whom, I think it gives Chamblee and Woodward a lot to play with. I will say, and I've seen both casts this year: no one dips as low as Patricia McBride in Nein Geliebter where she does that forward leg gesture. The man, standing behind her, clasps his hands around her pelvis and takes her forward. I was watching the film on youtube and she's practically right hip on the ground, and still (McBride) manages to gesture her leg forward without it really touching the floor. All the couples I've ever seen (past 5-7 years) could work on that, if they deemed it important to their interpretation. I believe this role was choreographed on Melissa Hayden. And kudos to Tyler Angle, partnering both Tiler Peck and Isabelle LaFreniere in the role created by Violette Verdy.

I thought last night’s 4T was electric! So many fine debuts, so many dancers who performed with a single driving purpose, bringing out all the colors and dynamics in the choreography. Jules Mabie… DEFINITELY among them. What a long limbed, broad shouldered hunk of burgeoning artistry. Davide Riccardo, equally so, perhaps more languid and “beautiful” as one might expect from his role. I loved Ashley Hod’s crispness and drive as Sanguinic. Positively stunning in the devil’s backbone pizzicato section, too. (What is that part called? It’s in Choleric when the three Theme women and Sanguinic gather around Choleric for a lot of fast footwork). All three themes solid, though I particularly enjoyed Nieve Corrigan & Andres Zuniga and Megan Dutton OHara & Alex Knight. Knight has matured and is “giving prince” as a younger generation might say. I almost didn’t mention Mira Nadon’s bright, sharp Choleric. She is an amazing stage animal. I sat closer than my usual seats and, though you could see her working things out to end with the music on the various crashes in her first variation, it was seamless. Alston MacGill seems to have fully recovered from whatever injury/setback she had awhile back. She dances like a predator; no dainty poses for her. She’s seen what she wants and she’ll hunt it down and shake it out of a tree. That energy and attack, that appetite for movement are what I love most about NYCB. The whole cast had it. And then, Liebeslieder!

I’m on my way home from the ballet. A lot of luminaries were there, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, James Whiteside, Suki Schorer, Susan Pilarre, Heather Watts The new Ratmansky, Solitude, is quite moving, masterfully composed. He really knows what he’s doing. What a great evening. (KJ Takahashi partners Indiana Woodward in it. He’d be great with Emma Von Enck) Joseph Gordon is amazing. He opens Solitide in stillness, he has an extended solo later. Both Mira Nadon and Sara Mearns are beautiful and moving. It deals with death and the war in Ukraine, it’s quiet and powerful, with bursts of activity, lifts and partnering. The juxtapositions (stillness vs sharp, tense movement, or swooping dancing) work very well. This isn’t a review, just a reaction. I recommend it HIGHLY. People should see it. I think it will be in the rep for a long time Opus 19 began the evening. Lovely dancing by Taylor Stanley and Unity Phelan, though this atmospheric ballet has never spoken to me. Symphony in 3 closed the evening. The women danced well, but I’m hoping to write about them more at length. David Gabriel and Adrian Danchig-Waring were stand outs for me. Adrian, in particular is killing it every time I see him. So clear and dynamic. Jules Mabie is also making his mark as a partner of tall ballerinas and capable soloist in the making. The more often I see NYCB the more I am struck by the depth and variety of the rep. Next I’ll be back for 4T and Liebeslieder. They are churning these ballets out. In the best way.

They currently keep the lights low. I think it’s clear it’s not an intermission. There are just certain people who need to use the restrooms.

Preston Chamblee has a commanding stage presence. I remember him partnering Taylor Stanley in Not Our Fate, how great they were together, and thought he could probably partner anyone. I thought he had a strong debut in 4T, big, clear, rhythmic. He looked a touch nervous. I wasn’t sure if he exhaled the entire section, but my friends who sat in the orchestra were sure they saw him breathing. 😜

Sterling didn’t hint. She said Enck’s Ballo debut was coming up, she just didn’t mention a date. I so enjoyed the performance tonight! I have lots of thoughts on it. You could tell there were a lot of debuts. I agree, Adrian Danchi-Waring was a highlight in 4T (he really moves his back!) , along with Kikta. I also loved India Bradley eating up space, and MT MacKinnon matching her. So much promise onstage. I have tickets for next week, too. I love the 4T Liebeslieder program.

Hi @vipa I was there, too. Emma Von Enck was just lovely! I’ve been to NYCB three times so far this season. I’ve seen Fancy Free twice (same cast, unfortunately) and was a bit tired of the ballet. Then tonight at the lecture demo, Alexa Maxwell utterly changed my experience of the ballet. She was transcendent! All the characters’ hopes and hesitations made the pas de deux so moving. Heartbreaking. The guy is so ready for romantic adventure and she’s capable of being swept away, but a little too sensible in the end. From the first moment Harrison Coll reached for her hand it was a completely different experience from what I saw before. They elevated it, brought out all the colors and emotional beats in complete fullness. What a performance ! What a couple the two of them made. There was good dancing all around, however Emma von Enck, in a short solo variation from Ballo, was the other real highlight of the evening. Sprightly, musical, fleet of foot and utterly charming. Get your tickets now.

Thank you @deanofdance for writing more about Ashton and Taylor’s duet. How wonderful! I went twice this weekend. I’m officially concerned about Sara Mearns. Her physical dancing is fine, but she looks unhappy, miserable, like someone turned the lights off behind her eyes. It was difficult to watch, after years of seeing her joy, artistry and courage onstage. It seems obvious something is going on and my heart breaks for her. Daniel Ulbricht had a very different kind of weekend. Sailor in Fancy Free, Faun in The Four Seasons, solo figure in Rotunda (just stupendous, mature, nuanced, searching, GORGEOUS dancing, soft, surprising ends to phrases) and then Odesa, too. It was a different side of him (perhaps several different sides to his artistry). He can really act and carry darker, more introspective moments… along with jumping, spinning like a top and making us laugh. I enjoyed Tiler Peck’s new piece. Really enjoyed it! Roman looks amazing. He hangs in the air, and such charisma. I didn’t feel much connection between Mira Nadon and Chun Wei Chan, though they both danced beautifully. I loved the duo of Emma Von Enck and India Bradley. Visually they are so different but they matched each other in energy and polish. There was a lot of movement to the ballet, groups swirling in and out configurations changing. I hope I get to see it again.

I didn't think she should have been promoted before, but I think Laracey should be promoted now. Who cares what her age is?

I wish I'd seen them. Did they do the slow/fast duet in the middle? What was it like?

Doesn't she have Choleric in 4T coming up?

It struck me differently. Peck talked about wanting to be challenged as a dancer, and also wanting to challenge her dancers and bring out different sides of them as choreographer and coach. "Shortcomings" didn't enter my mind, just that they're all growing and improving as dancers. As a frequent audience member I'm excited by the prospect of seeing dancers grow and develop. It's what should happen.

This is great, @cobweb! I have (somewhere) a list of the poems in German and their English translations. I can't find a print out, but they are listed here. https://oxfordsong.org/song/liebeslieder-walzer I'll keep looking for something more user friendly.

I've seen several casts of Liebeslieder in the past and I've never seen Mearns dance it. Which role does she typically do?

Olivia MacKinnon was great. Flirtatious, bouyant, expansive, daring at times. She filled the stage. Roman Mejia, Aaron Sanz, David Gabriel and Jovani Furlan were "out due to illness or injury." The other highlights for me were Joseph Gordon and Indiana Woodward in In the Night. So smooth and effortless. She just glided along the floor in all the lifts. Really swoony. He is just a masterful partner. Tiler Peck and Gilbert Bolden III as the passionate (YES! NO!) couple. It's like the choreography is saying "I love you! I can't stand you!" all the time. They were very dynamic and all the spectacular lifts were amazing. They made a bit of noise on one lift where she slides along the floor but I don't think anything was amiss. They were quite the passionate couple. I've seen this ballet before and I don't remember it being so vivid. Also, Daniel Ulbricht dances and jumps like a 20 year old. Phenomenal. He replaced Mejia in Fancy Free and danced the Faun in the Fall section of The Four Seasons. He hung in the air and made the most of the silliness, too. Fancy Free was quite charming and well danced. Still, I'm a bit tired of it.

Does the casting sheet say that Chamblee and LaFreniere are dancing Sanguinic in 4T? I think it does. What an exciting cast! 1st Theme: Olivia Boisson, Samuel Melnikov 2nd Theme: Olivia MacKinnon, Kennard Henson 3rd Theme: Sara Evans, Davide Riccardo Melancholic: Anthony Huxley Sanguinic: Chamblee, LaFreniere Phlegmatic: Adrian Danchig-Waring Choleric: Emily Kikta

He was amazing. 17 years old, or something like that. Just eager for all the turns and jumps, spinning like a top, beats galore, lots of confidence, charisma and youthful exuberance. I remember vividly how he smiled a bit when he started a long diagonal of beats and turns. Relishing it. MT MacKinnon danced the lead and India Bradley was one of the featured soloists. They were great, too. It was the best Hallelujah Junction I had seen. The most thrilling. Sharp, energetic. Much better than NYCB at that time. Those students were fired up. Nilas Martins set it on the SAB students. I hope Mejia is ok.

Roman Mejia danced the role for his SAB workshop. He might be too busy, though.

Third week casting is up. Tiler Peck is alternating with Megan Fairchild in Ballo. Lots of debuts in the soloist roles. Also, there's only one cast for Liebslieder. I wonder if they'll stay with that for all four performances. https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1706053481/NYCB_Casting_February_6-11_2024_lobby.pdf

Chamblee was on Miriam Miller’s IG rehearsing Barber Concerto with her. He looks good. They look great together. Almost made me want to see Martin’s’ choreography again. Almost.