BalanchineFan

On 8/20/2018 at 7:02 PM, bcash said:

If the board does care about maintaining and invigorating Balanchine repertoire as they claim to, Boal and Lopez would be great candidates. Credentials as Balanchine dancers and artistic directors of companies that dance Balanchine excellently. No distractions or questionable episodes in their tenures.

I know Woeztel has an excellent track record as well and is very popular guy, with past and current dancers as well as with donors (important). His obligation to Julliard is obviously a hurdle if he is to move. I just don't know anything about his ambitions--if he considers leading NYCB the ultimate professional fulfillment or if he wants to go to bigger things outside the ballet world, using Julliard as a building step. 

If we are talking about people in their 70s, Thomasson doesn't elicit much passion from me, just based on what I've seen of his coaching and choreographing.  I'm curious what other people think of the quality of SFB's Balanchine repertoire. Rereading an old New Yorker profile of Suzanne Farrell lately, I thought, as Acocella seemed to suggest, Farrell would make a pretty excellent director, or ballet master at the very least. The way she coaches Balanchine ballets and teaches in class, as described in the article, leaves no doubt about her commitment to Balanchine and her intelligence in coaching dancers as unique individuals. 

If we are considering younger candidates. I know Justin Peck is quite ambitious and bidded for Pennsylvania Ballet's directorship a few years ago. Maybe the board would be willing to take a leap and give the rein to him. But judging from that documentary Ballet 422, he really is not a good communicator with non-dancers and lacks fineness when it comes to social skills expected of a director. (A nerdy, talented dance-maker is how I see him.) Speaking about overall leadership style and innovative drive, I really think Millepied, from two documentaries on his short-lived tenure at POB, would make a great director. He might have ruffled a few feathers at POB but the decisions Dupont as the director has been making suggests to me that Millepied's vision and initiatives are actually being carried out and carried on.  

In that same article Farrell states that she doesn't go to see new choreography, she's not interested. I thought that comment alone disqualified her. She's completely cut off, by choice, from what's happening in dance today. NYCB needs new choreography, needs someone who can tap into the pulse of what's happening now, even someone who can create (or recognize) new trends and new directions for the art form. While it's paramount to maintain the Balanchine repertory, and they need ballet masters (of any gender) to do that, the list for a potential AD includes experience (and interest in) choosing new choreographers. That same article also mentions that the Farrell ballet primarily performed Balanchine ballets, and a few Robbins ballets that she had danced.  I say bring her back as a coach, or a restager.

On 8/20/2018 at 11:10 AM, ABT Fan said:

This exchange struck me too.

I wonder who "they" are in the "they won’t let me do it" remark by Peck. The others on the interim team? Since he is the only one still performing on the interim team, I wonder how his casting gets decided, not to mention anyone else. (A rhetorical question....)

Also interesting is the fact that Peck "hopes" to be involved with choosing the next leader and deciding on what that job description will be, as opposed to already being involved or knowing that his opinion will be sought. I wonder if the rest of the interim team is also in the dark. Shouldn't the interim team be part of that decision-making process?

This quote relates a bit to the responsibilities of the future A.D., and to Kathleen's statement:

SALSTEIN Did you ever do “Fancy Free?”

[JUSTIN] PECK I always want to do “Fancy Free.” I ask to do it, and they won’t let me do it.

Who are they? You’re on the interim team — just cast yourself. Are you applying for Peter Martins’s job?

PECK No. I’m not. [Laughs] I wouldn’t get to focus on the creative things I want to focus on if I were to do that. But I hope to be involved with who that is or what the setup is.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/arts/dance/a-ballet-crowd-bustin-out-all-over-carousel.html

I understood Peck to be saying that whoever the new AD is, depending on their skill set, there will be a reorganization from the current 4 interim directors to the new regime. Peck hopes to be included in discussions about his new role (is it just Resident Choreographer, or does he retain any of his interim director duties?).  He hopes to have some choice and say in the reorganization. I think it's appropriate for him to hope about that. It's not a done deal, and the Board would certainly be negotiating exact duties with any incoming AD. A new AD could also, presumably, have more say in the scheduling flexibility Peck has for outside projects, or when his ballets are scheduled, or (God forbid!) make it difficult for Peck to remain as Resident Choreographer.

42 minutes ago, Rock said:

Getting a chance, going out there as the Nutcracker Cavalier for one performance, is not the same thing as being a principal. That kind of focus and preparation for one part with one partner isn't always available. And the pressure - mentally as well as physically - to get out there and deliver isn't for everyone, regardless of their dance gifts. There has to be a tough cookie inside. 

True. 

I've been thinking more along the lines of casting the rep that they've got this fall. Two weeks to learn Emeralds or Diamonds seems par for the course at NYCB. I'm sure the dancers will wish they had longer, but some of these guys have been in the company for years, and many do outside projects where they are featured more prominently. Mejia danced with both Ashley Bouder and Tiler Peck this summer, making a debut in Tschai Pas with Peck at Vail. You hear stories all the time about someone getting injured and another dancer stepping into their role during intermission.

Also, regarding the different penalties I understood the official statement to mean that Finlay chose to resign rather than be suspended or even defend himself to management.  It seems like a strange/extreme stance to take, maybe he doesn't really want to be there.

I agree that there need to be different kinds of penalties for different kinds of offenses. 

14 minutes ago, Rock said:

Miller was not an apprentice when she did Agon. But here's two examples of ravishingly promising young talents. Who wouldn't want to see what they could do? 

Thank you for the correction. Miller is still in the corps, and hasn't lost either of those roles.

I think it's going to be a fascinating season. And I will light a candle for Amar (and Zach, too) to come back from suspension better than ever. After de Luz's retirement there will still be 10 principal men but only 8 principal women dancers (with Megan Fairchild on maternity leave). Why aren't people worried about the paucity of women? Is it because there are only 5 male soloists (only one tall, if you don't count Justin Peck, I mean how much can the guy do?) and so many promising women soloists?

Just now, Rock said:

Those guys mentioned are all so talented and promising, but it's a longggg waaaaay from the back to the front.

 

I don't think the powers that be at NYCB think it's a longgg way. They throw women in there when they are apprentices. Look at Miriam Miller and Alston Macgill. They danced principal roles while they were still apprentices; Miller in Midsummer and Agon, Macgill in Symphony in C... She's even in the PBS recording of NYCB in Paris. There isn't a man mentioned that hasn't danced at least one principal role.  Though, perhaps I should back up and ask what you mean? 

5 minutes ago, FPF said:

Yes, I also like Silas and he's definitely tall. Wasn't he been cast as half of the two-bodied king with Walker in The Most Incredible Thing because they were the tallest? I seem to vaguely recall reading about it.

That casting would make sense, and one would have had to read about it, since there was no telling who was in that costume from the audience!

A few years ago they had a huge number of debuts as Sugar Plum Fairy, perhaps 18 corps de ballet women debuted it in one season (some of you must remember). Maybe they'll do the same thing this year with the men... a Parade of Princes.  I also see a lot of opportunities going to Taylor Stanley. He's a beautiful dancer and I don't think he's done Agon. He's not super tall, but I saw him partner one of the taller women (I've forgotten who it was...Tess? Maria?) and they looked great together.

2 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

There's plenty of talent further down in the ranks. 

Joseph Gordon, Aaron Sanz, Roman Mejia (though he's not tall)... I saw Silas Farley in his Concerto Barocco debut last spring. He was great and he's plenty tall... 6'3" or 6'4" is my guess.  Maybe we'll be seeing more of them.

41 minutes ago, vipa said:

Not easy for Ramasar, I would think. He is 36, and has been on Broadway for a while so had to get back into "ballet rep" shape, as it is.

Since Ramasar and Catazaro are being suspended without pay I wonder if they'll be able to take class at SAB to stay in dancing shape. I know injured dancers, and other dancers returning from Broadway have done that. Depending on the nature of the offense that might still be allowed.

I am bereft that i will not be seeing Amar dance this fall. Just bereft. Though he may still perform in Fall for Dance in the piece with Tiler Peck. I don't much care what he's done, if they're able to keep it quiet I would see him dance again in a heartbeat. Of course I say that in complete ignorance. The other two... meh. They are both quite promising, but not mature artists.

On 7/19/2018 at 4:00 PM, FPF said:

I also saw the Tuesday night performance.

FYI: tickets to pre-performance talks are free this year although registration is required (but several people without tickets were able to get in on Tuesday). Deborah Jowitt spoke. For me, the most interesting thing was her discussion of the 4Ts and how the elements corresponding to each humor relate to the quality of movement in the choreography (e.g., fiery for Choleric, watery for Phlegmatic). 

 I thought that Square Dance was just OK. Erica Pereira danced well but didn't project strongly (I prefer to sit in the balcony).  Taylor Stanley was good. 

 In 4Ts, Sara Mearns and Jared Angle looked a bit off to me--as though there might have been some sort of misstep toward the beginning of Sanguinic, soon after they've met and are moving together.  I agree with Griffie that Megan LeCrone's Choleric was a highlight.

There were a lot of  cast changes in Symphony in C. If I have it correctly, first movement was Ashley Bouder and Joseph Gordon, Second Movement was Teresa Reichlen and Russell Janzen, Third was Indiana Woodward and Sebastian Villarini-Velez, and Fourth (I think this was the only movement with the listed principals) was Lauren King and Andrew Scordato.  All were excellent. I'm not sure if I've seen Villarini-Velez in a principal role before, but he made a fantastic impression here, with excellent ballon. I am still not crazy about the floppy newer costumes-- when Reichlen did the deep penche, her tutu completely inverted. I don't think I'd ever seen that with the Karinska tutus. 

There's a NY critic who refers to that tutu inversion as "Hello Sailor!" It flips up all at once when the women penché. I find it very disturbing and wish they would reconstruct the Karinska powder puff tutus.

On 4/26/2017 at 10:47 AM, Helene said:

Victoria Morgan at Cincinnati Ballet. 

 

Tharp has done three new works for PNB between 2008 and 2013: Opus 111, Afternoon Ball, and Waiting at the Station.  She did a one year artistic residency in Seattle.

 

Her availability is limited when she's working on her own projects, like Broadway work that subsidizes other work.

 

However, the chances that she would have gotten ballet commissions at ABT or NYCB had she not had success as a modern choreographer with her own company I think are slim to none.

Interesting conversation on the dearth of opportunities for women choreographers in ballet. I've been enjoying reading it, even though a lot of it is over a year old. I couldn't find the Alastair/Luke Jennings twitter thread. That seems to have disappeared.

Tharp got her commissions at ABT and NYCB because of her work for the Joffrey. Deuce Coupe, specifically. She got the Joffrey commission because of her modern dance work. I point that out to say that I believe commissions from ABT and NYCB were even harder for modern dance choreographers to get then. Tharp's success paved the way for a lot of people, even if the path remains restrictively narrow.

While I appreciate some of the traditional aspects of classical ballet, I don't see them as a reason to deny women choreographers commissions. Women can still dance on pointe, men can carry them around (if the choreographer says so), and women can choreograph it all. I don't see how any of Ratmansky's comments provide any reasoning for denying commissions to women choreographers, even if he might see the reasoning.

On 7/15/2018 at 3:56 PM, Helene said:

NYCB Principals are not getting extensive coaching from the staff, who are staging scores of ballets each season.  (There's one Ballet Master dedicated to the corps.)  Dancers have always coached other dancers at NYCB, passing down roles and teaching them to last-minute replacements, right up to curtain.  It's part of the Company legacy and is nothing new.  Nor is a dancer believing that by doing so, it's not just teaching a bunch of steps and running: it's actually coaching and passing on legacy.  I would guess that Peck, who has been mentored by Watts and Woetzel, has had a deeper legacy passed to her than your average NYCB dancer.  She's no more likely to defer to a peer who is passing it on third-hand than someone who was coached in "Rubies" by Patricia McBride, for example.

SAB teachers and guest teachers are only relevant to Company members if those dancers return to SAB to take someone's class, like many Company members took Stanley Williams' classes.

Another way things get passed down is by short outside gigs. Lauren Lovette is taking a group to Vail, and has done so in the past. Jared Angle performed with a group in Nantucket, as he's done in the past. Tiler Peck is dancing Tchai Pas with Roman Mejia (a debut for him. He also worked with Lovette). Ashley Bouder Project had Mejia, Olivia MacKinnon, Claire Kretschmar and India Bradley (she's also working with Lovette)... both in Martha's Vineyard and at the Joyce. A lot of coaching goes on during these summer outside gigs. If you look at the dancers' Instagram feeds, and at summer performance schedules the world over, you'll see  a lot of growth opportunities for promising young NYCB dancers. I think the NYC Choreographic Institute also employs any NYCB dancer who volunteers. They get paid union scale for two weeks of rehearsal, and a chance to create a role for an up and coming choreographer.

General public tickets go on sale tommorrow for the Balanchine: The City Center Years. Performances run Oct 31-Nov 4th and feature several different companies each night, including NYCB, ABT, Miami City Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, The Joffrey, SF Ballet, The Royal Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet.

https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2018-2019/Balanchine/

Will there be a place for people to post about the Balanchine at City Center programs? They look very interesting, several different companies on each program. NYCB appears only once doing Symphony in C, Oct 31st. Are they going on tour for the rest of the event?

34 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Ok, thanks for the reminder about the cost of the singers. Are Brahms soloists in particular expensive for some reason?

I think classical soloists are expensive, compared to rehearsing to piano. I can't imagine Liebeslieder goes onstage with just one rehearsal with all the musicians. Most  ballets are rehearsed with piano and get the full orchestra for the one dress rehearsal onstage. The conductor might attend one studio rehearsal prior to the onstage dress, but I'd think with Liebeslieder you'd need the singers there for more of the rehearsal process, which means even more money. 

It's hard to read the union minimums, but it looks like singers get 25% more than scale if there's only one person on a part. Pro rata is $348/3 hour minimum, plus 25%.... for each of the four singers. And I think it says they can only rehearse 4 hours a day.

On 4/16/2018 at 12:01 PM, abatt said:

I guess I'm cynical, but since Justin Peck was in charge of or instrumental in selecting the last two new works, it was unlikely that Peck would pick a competitor within NYCB to make a new work.   Also, Lovette's work has been okay, but it has not been groundbreaking or exceptional in any way.  If part of the goal is to increase diversity, it made sense that they would choose Abraham, who also happens to be a MacArthur Genius award winner. 

I have really enjoyed Lauren Lovette's choreography, particularly Not Our Fate. It was groundbreaking enough to get an article with a large picture in the NY Times.

In my opinion, Justin Peck has more than enough going on to be secure and not petty about "competition" from other NYCB choreographers. I'm sure he has realized that one person can't choreograph an entire new season for 80-100 dancers every year. They need more choreographers, not fewer. He's quoted in a NY Times article (can't remember if it's the same one) as encouraging Lovette to choreograph, "If you want to do this, do it now."

21 hours ago, canbelto said:

I assume this decision was made because Liebeslieder despite being so beloved has never sold well (it was this way during the premiere as well) and DAAG has always sold well. But you do have a chance to see Liebeslieder in the winter so ...

I always thought Liebeslieder wasn't programmed that often because the dancers need to rehearse with the singers and the four Brahms soloists are expensive. They have pianists on staff so I can't imagine too much added cost there. I went over 30 years as a Balanchine fan before I saw Liebeslieder. It was so beautiful and satisfying that I couldn't believe I'd missed it for so long. I'm not going to miss it again. Seems to me the theater was full the last time I saw it, but I would have been in the first ring. 

Why do you think it doesn't sell well?

On 6/21/2018 at 12:14 AM, Inge said:

Cirio is an extraordinary artist (also, is there a more likable principal in the ranks?), but he couldn't carry Harlequinade, which I thought would be a shoe-in for him. Even though his solo was the cleanest of all the leading men that week, he didn't seem 100% immersed. I just don't think ABT is a good fit. He excels in more cutting edge pieces. 

I love Royal in everything I see him in, but his technique hasn't been looking the strongest these past few weeks (his port de bras is still to die for though, and he does have that 'it' factor). I think the big leading man solos would get the best of him unless he has a technical epiphany. 

I've seen Calvin Royal III dance Agon ppd a few times with Unity Phelan. He's great in it, though there are no solos in the ppd. Maybe he could do some of the Balanchine rep.

I also saw his Benvolio in R&J and was surprised how well it looked. I hadn't particularly pictured him in classical story ballets.

On 6/4/2018 at 11:16 PM, wonderwall said:

IIRC, Craig Hall didn't get an on-stage acknowledgment during his final appearance (which I believe was at Saratoga, where they'd perhaps be even more likely to do so since it is more of a casual environment). Though, I agree it would be nice to do some type of on-stage acknowledgment for departing non-principle dancers.

I saw Craig Hall's final NYC performance. He didn't get a bouquet, but they added After the Rain ppd to the program so that he could perform and NYCB posted online that he would be retiring and becoming a ballet master, so most of the audience knew. I don't think he got a solo bow, but it was very moving to see him perform that piece one last time. I wish they would do one solo bow for departing soloists. What could it hurt?

On 5/25/2018 at 8:06 AM, susanger said:

Did you notice the casting for the last day (June 3) of the season? Cameron Dieck gets to retire making his debut (!) in Agon and reprising his role in The Four Temperaments.  Savannah Lowery retires dancing Concerto Barocco and Agon. Should be a lovely day at the ballet.

I was there for the final performance and I have to say Lowery was just ravishing. I've been watching NYCB since 1979 and it was such a special afternoon at the ballet. I can't think of when I've seen her look so good, expansive, musical dancing, everything completely fulfilled. She looks in excellent shape and like she was relishing every moment, master of her elements, particularly in Concerto Barocco. Agon isn't quite the "joyous" ballet, but it was also finely done. It's great to see someone that tall who dances that big.

"You can see more," Balanchine said (of tall dancers in general). 

On 3/28/2018 at 9:13 PM, canbelto said:

I forget too. Sometimes I wonder what's happening with her. She hasn't talked about an injury. She was able to dance a complete Juliet in the Winter. But for whatever reason ever since she got promoted to principal she barely dances.

Lauren Lovette has been working with an injury. At one point over the winter she had pictures of herself in a boot (soft cast) on IG. She may also have been at an onstage lec-dem wearing a boot. Was it the Apollo event?

Tiler Peck is somewhat shorter than Sterling Hyltin. I've heard that Tiler is under 5' tall. I've seen her in person on the street, but I couldn't say for sure. Sterling is someone I've spoken to and (best guess) she's in the 5'3"-5'6" range, roughly my height. Anthony Huxley is not a big guy. 

On 3/28/2018 at 9:13 PM, canbelto said:

 

On 2/26/2018 at 10:31 AM, jessa_sissonne said:

I agree with jerryb. It was a long and grueling show. When did they do away from the plastic looking costumes from Neverwhere? The dancing was a little sloppy and with the practice clothes I felt like I was watching a rehearsal. I'm failing to see the allure with Namouna. I was really excited by what I thought was the finale and then it dragged on for another 10 minutes. I was at the Sunday matinee.

I was at that performance and I don't remember a thing about Neverwhere. Just sayin.

On 2/24/2018 at 12:19 PM, canbelto said:

This is a general rule about Tiler Peck: despite her amazing abilities as a dancer she's not a great actress and I've rarely seen her have chemistry with any of her partners. 

I think Tiler has great chemistry with Amar. They brought me to tears a few times in Liebeslieder Waltzer. She's such a brilliant technician I think she dances better when the choreography is difficult. She understands what to do. When I saw her in SL it was a bit like, bourrees (check) swan arms (check), fouetteés (double check!) but the story didn't sing. The audience loves her though. And rightly so.

Her debut in Piano Concerto #2 was a thing of historic beauty. The woman doesn't have many shortcomings.

15 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

It's pretty frustrating that the company feels such an obligation to perform only Balanchine's final iterations of his ballets. Suite No. 3 is pleasant enough, but it pales in comparison to the brilliance of Theme and Variations on its own. I'm not saying the full suite should never be performed, but I don't think it needs to accompany T&V every time it's performed.

Would it kill the company to, once in a blue moon, perform Square Dance with a caller, or to perform the original version of Apollo with the birthing scene? The company seems to have a very narrow-minded view of what it means to preserve the legacy of Balanchine.

It's time for NYCB to stop think about pleasing "Mr. B" and to treat Balanchine like any other genius-artist. The company has every right to pick and choose how it presents Balanchine's works. 

In many ways I prefer Apollo with some of the earlier scenes; Apollo being unwrapped by the two muses in particular. ON the other hand, I can see why NYCB would want to preserve Balanchine's last iterations of his ballets. Who else's judgement should win the day?

I don't, however, feel a need to see Square Dance with a caller again after seeing it on youtube. The caller seems redundant, and it's easier to hear than to see, so it's distracting. Patricia Wilde is amazing, tho!

1 hour ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Jennie Somogyi was excellent in the second Agon Pas de Trois (the one with two men and one woman) and she wasn't tall, although she did seem to dance about six inches taller than her actual height.  Sofiane Sylve — a very different dancer from Somogyi in terms of both body type and style — was very good in the role as well: I think it can accommodate ballerinas in all their variety, so long as they are musical. (The Branles Gay, to which the second PDT ballerina dances her solo is a metrical thicket: the castinet ostinato is in 3/8 time but the other instruments are irregularly subdivided into meters like 7/16 or 5/16, so nothing ever quite matches up until the end.) 

I've seen LeCrone in the role and liked what I saw. I'd like to see Claire Kretzschmar get a crack at it, and Isabella LaFreniere too — both have been looking particularly good this season.

I am not a ballerina, but I was so into Balanchine as a student that I learned Labanotation and one of my teachers found Balanchine choreography for me to learn. In the end I taught myself that second ballerina Bransle Gay. A metrical thicket is a good way to describe it! The notation was excellent, attitude wasn't just "leg bent to the back." It was a true Balanchine attitude, with the knee directly behind the hip and the lower leg crossing over at an angle. I've noticed the NYCB dancers do a few steps differently from what was notated; from what I've read Balanchine probably changed a step or two for a particular dancer, or had a Melissa Hayden version alongside a Violette Verdy version (for example).

I missed Jennie Somogyi's entire career, sad to say. Sofiane Syle, too. I'm just starting to notice Claire Kretzschmar and Isabella LaFreniere.