BalanchineFan

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. 

3 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Agree with this, but also Peter Martins should have made her principal at the same time Lovette was promoted -- or even instead of Lovette. That was in 2015. 

3 minutes ago, cobweb said:

  45 minutes ago, vipa said:

As for Laracey, I've said this  before  but I think they should have made her a principal, even though she probably doesn't have a lot of years left, and let Gerrity and LaFreniere mature as artists for a couple of years.

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

On 2/1/2024 at 12:02 PM, deanofdance said:

3) The Times Are Racing — comparing casts —  But I would note that Taylor with Ashton Edwards was wonderful wonderful! 

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

On 1/31/2024 at 5:11 PM, Fernie M said:

Where is Kikta?

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

20 minutes ago, On Pointe said:

I've been impressed by Tiler Peck's choreography and I'm eager to see what she can do with a large cast.  But I didn't think it was necessary to include a discussion of her leading dancers' perceived shortcomings.  They are professionals,  not students,  and presumably they got where they are in the company because of what they can do,  not what they need to work on.  It puts the dancers in an uncomfortable position before the audience even sees the piece.

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.

On 1/26/2024 at 6:57 PM, cobweb said:

I would like to see a second cast of Liebeslieder with Mearns and Laracey. Since this is a role Mearns does, I'm guessing that means there will be a second cast. Also, I can totally see Preston Chamblee in this (more than I can see him as his other upcoming debut, Sanguinic). His restrained elegance would be perfect here.  

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

7 hours ago, abatt said:

I would love to see Mejia dance HJ.  

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.

5 minutes ago, bellawood said:

If Sanz can't go I wonder who will dance second cast Hallelujah Junction at the Saturday Matinee? Gordon is debuting both HJ and Ballo, so can't possibly do both in the same performance?? 

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

8 hours ago, FauxPas said:

I agree - not necessarily.  BTW: I was wondering about Preston Chamblee.  His recent Instagram post has a valedictory tone to it:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C2QCJwaAD7B/?img_index=1

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. 

On 1/24/2024 at 10:07 AM, FireDancer said:

Was she off the music or was the music itself slow? If the latter, then it's not her fault... I think someone previously said the rehearsal director was asking for the tempo to be increased, in which case, that would indicate it was not Fairchild's choice.

I am convinced Fairchild was the one asking the pianist to speed up as she danced. 

I mentioned to a friend of mine that the picture on the cover of Homan’s book had been cropped. She has never seen the original, where Arthur Mitchell looks on as Balanchine and Farrell dance Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. 
Are you all familiar with the original photo ? It can be seen here:

https://1960sdaysofrage.wordpress.com/2021/09/30/balanchine-the-teacher-i-pushed-everybody/

I can see why one might crop Mr. Mitchell out, but the context completely changes, imo. 

8 hours ago, abatt said:

Casting is now available on the website for week 2 on the website.

LaFreniere and Kikta seem to be MIA thus far.

There's not a lot of large cast rep in the opening two weeks. Primarily, The Four Season and Times are Racing. No Balanchine whatsoever. I bet there are a lot of dancers we're not seeing. Isn't this the time of year Ashley Laracey once didn't perform for a month?

SMART! I never knew there was such an agency. I wonder what they would recommend. 

14 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

As much as I appreciate NYCC as a designated landmark and for its place in performing arts history, I grit my teeth every time I buy tickets for a performance there. The sight lines are suboptimal at best and, because the house is so shallow, the viewing angle is too steep from any seat not in the orchestra. Too many of the seats on the sides are effectively partial view (but aren't billed as such). If I were a billionaire, I'd build NYC the 1800 - 2000 seat performing arts theater that it deserves.

I'm all for new venues. Where would you put yours?

Some of what I like about both City Center and the State Theater (or anything Lincoln Center based) is that it's easy to get to as I can use the 59th St subway stop. Broadway shows aren't so far away, Hudson Yards isn't horrible, but Lincoln Center and City Center are so, so easy to get to. BAM is a pain in the patoot, but there are a lot of subways that service that area as well.

I love the sight lines at the State Theater, the placement of the Rings, the pricing (every price point is available to subscribers in the First Ring!!). I wish they hadn't put the center aisles in the orchestra, but after accompanying my 83 year old mother (and others who are mobility impaired) I can see the plusses too.

On 1/11/2024 at 3:58 PM, FauxPas said:

I think City Center is a worthy option and Ailey or whatever could be shifted. 

Ailey has a tradition of playing multiple weeks at City Center in December. They open both balconies and regularly sell out. IMO, moving them would be bad for Ailey and bad for City Center, outweighing any other considerations. 

11 hours ago, Fernie M said:

Nadon danced Waltz Girl in Madrid and was absolutely stunning.

She was great! I also love Unity Phelan in that same performance. To me, however, Serenade is about the ensemble.

.

Well, of course the company has changed a lot since Balanchine’s time. How could it not?

I was very depressed about the change back in the 1990’s and stopped attending, but in the past 10 or 15 years I’ve gotten past it and I now enjoy the rep and dancers enormously. 

Here in NYC you can get what (for me, are) reasonably priced tickets ($42-$76). I imagine they have a few different price points, even in Chicago. Binoculars are a plus. 

And @bellawood Yes! Rondo!! Robbins originally choreographed it on Kyra Nichols and Stephanie Saland.

14 minutes ago, bellawood said:

42 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

The Repertory Directors are listed in the programs. It's rare that their rep is publicly posted but Jean-Pierre Frolich is in charge of the Robbins repertory, Rosemary Dunleavy deals with the corps de ballet. Craig Hall works closely with Justin Peck. Christine Redpath staged the Robbins duet that was revived recently ( I've forgotten the name). They all have an area of expertise and particular rep to focus on. It is often mentioned in interviews and on Instagram with dancers thanking specific people who coached them in particular roles. If you read a fair amount of press you'll be able to suss it out.

It was Christine Redpath for the dramatic PPD in Brandenburg -- this time danced by two casts, one Mira/Aaron Sanz and the other Unity/ADW(?)

Oh! I was thinking of a duet for two women, Rondo? Olivia McKinnon was in one cast (perhaps with Isabelle LaFreniere) and Mira Nadon was in the other. 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:28 PM, Jack Reed said:

 Can anyone point me to information regarding the current coaches at NYCB for the Balanchine and Robbins ballets?  Does the company reveal that, ever?  Or the press?

The Repertory Directors are listed in the programs. It's rare that their rep is publicly posted but Jean-Pierre Frolich is in charge of the Robbins repertory, Rosemary Dunleavy deals with the corps de ballet. Craig Hall works closely with Justin Peck. Christine Redpath staged the Robbins duet that was revived recently ( I've forgotten the name). They all have an area of expertise and particular rep to focus on. It is often mentioned in interviews and on Instagram with dancers thanking specific people who coached them in particular roles. If you read a fair amount of press you'll be able to suss it out.

On 1/7/2024 at 7:23 PM, matilda said:

Ha, I live within walking distance of BAM and love when something I'm actually interested in seeing comes there (sadly it's rare). I can kind of see why ABT wouldn't have been a huge success there. For one thing, the stage is small and the sight lines are not great for dance. They don't even have an orchestra pit (or maybe they somehow manipulate the stage area to create one for some shows; I have no idea). 

The BAM Opera House (Howard Gilman Opera House) has an orchestra pit. I performed in an opera there (we had an orchestra in the pit) and I saw Mark Morris conduct an orchestra there. It is adjustable and sometimes extends either the stage or the audience. Could you be confusing it with the BAM - Harvey, a different, less traditional performance space down the block?