mille-feuille

NYCB's instagram stories have some clips of the new work premiering tonight, "Fortuitous Ash." To sum up my reaction as best I can: UUUUUUUGH 😑 Why does so much new work look like this? Dark lighting, depressing music, reptilian movements. These works never stick around past one season. Why does NYCB keep commissioning these????

I was there for Bolden's debut as well. I thought it was great! Gerrity was like a chameleon, in the best way, as coffee. She brought a wonderful mysteriousness to the role. David Gabriel's jumps were wonderful in tea. Roman Mejia burst out of the wings at the start of Candy Canes—his elevation felt about 50% higher than I expected. He made Candy Canes so much more exciting than I've seen it in awhile. I wish I could see him as Cavalier again this year but the ticket prices are just so expensive (and I already have a ticket for Mira Nadon's Sugar debut 🙈). Tiler Peck was radiant, as always, in Dew. The way she does that combination of fouettés and attitude turns makes my heart soar, and the energy she projects is just pure joy. I thought Bolden's Cavalier was pretty much the full package. His partnering looked secure, and his demeanor when interacting with Phelan was attentive and gentle. His solos were strong, especially the series of coupés jetés that @tutu mentioned. I also just love his smile and energy on stage. I was smiling from ear to ear during their Pas. All in all, Saturday night was a lovely performance. Looking forward to (also kind of dreading 😭) reports of Sterling's retirement.

The NYCB website seems to be allowing sales now. Many performances are amazingly well-sold.

They've squirreled those PDFs on the subscription page: https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/subscribe/22-23-subscription-packages/ Fall 22: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1660672233/Documents/Calendars/NYCB_Fall_2022_Calendar?_a=AACnOEz Winter 23: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1660672237/Documents/Calendars/NYCB_Winter_2023_Calendar?_a=AACnOEz Spring 23: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1660672235/Documents/Calendars/NYCB_Spring_2023_Calendar?_a=AACnOEz It's very frustrating to have to go digging for the PDFs; I remember them being easier to access before. Echo others' confusion about why these are now so difficult to find.

I saw the Shevchenko and Forster cast Tuesday night. Echoing some others on here, I thought there was far too much story. There was never time to fully soak in the emotional tenor of a plot development—as soon as one plot twist occurred, the next one was right on its heels. I did feel a hint of emotion when Callirhoe and Chaereas were reunited, which I attributed to Forster's innate likability and Shevchenko's dramatic skill. I found it tiresome that every man falls in love with Callirhoe immediately—it comes off a bit like a fanfiction. But it led me to wonder, is Chaereas' love for Callirhoe different from the mindless, love-at-first-sight of Dionysius, Mithridates, and the King of Babylon? I suppose Chaereas goes to the greatest lengths for her, but we're never shown why he is motivated to do that; how their love (ostensibly...) grew during their short time together. Shevchenko danced beautifully, as always—her movement was silky and refined. Forster was very elegant; his jumps were high with gorgeous pointed feet. In fact, he projected such gallantry that it was difficult to believe that he would be so violent toward Callirhoe in Act 1 to make her collapse into a coma. I noticed no difficulty in the torch lifts—in fact, I thought he made them look easy and was very impressed. Chloe Misseldine was striking as the haughty, jealous Queen of Babylon (unfortunately her long sleeves got caught in her tiara twice). Jarod Curley was menacing and masculine as Mithridates; I'd like to see more of him. I found the solo and pas de deux choreography forgettable, but I enjoyed the choreography for the corps and the "Greek vase" shapes they made. Mithridates' retinue reminded me of the "manly" section of Glass Pieces; this was probably the most memorable section of the ballet for me. I probably will not see this again. Looking forward to Swan Lake next week!

I am sure it's just a formality that Chun Wai Chan hasn't been promoted yet. I'd be shocked if he weren't in the next few seasons; he is such a gem. Huge congratulations to the three new principal men! 💐✨

Four T's really was wonderful last night. I've been very stressed lately and the beauty and genius of it was a balm to my heart. I loved Emily Kikta, Ashley Hod (she is so fast and crisp!), and Miriam Miller especially. I know it's a little silly and not something they control, but Mira and Chun Wai make such a gorgeous pair with their black hair. I saw a little of this last night, too. I remember thinking the same thing at Mira's debut as Tall Girl in the Fall 2019 season, but this season I thought she performed Tall Girl wonderfully. (Her final penchée especially was SO juicy.) I'm guessing it was mostly newness and nerves this time, too. She joined the company as an apprentice in November 2017 and only got in ~2.5 years in the corps pre-Covid, and she already dances in a way that takes my breath away on a regular basis. I was very impressed by many aspects of her Black Swan debut, especially her attack, clarity (in most moments, especially in the first half or so), and bold characterization. I adored Chun Wai Chan in the Pas (also in everything else I've seen him in, which has not been enough!). He landed his double tours in the most lush pliés and was just so bright and sparkling. Ugh. NYCB doesn't have many classically prince-like men (perhaps only Joseph Gordon and Harrison Ball) and I'm so glad to have Chun Wai. Sorry, Houston Ballet... 😅 I wasn't in love with Tiler in the Balanchine SL. I'm used to her low arabesque, but she didn't seem to hold positions much at all last night. Her arabesques were more like battements. Joe Gordon was gorgeous, as always—gallant and melancholic. He needs to be cast more.

Nope, Indiana Woodward and Gonzalo Garcia danced Andantino instead.

Super interesting casting for Week 4. Can't wait.

Same here. I'm not sure whether I'll even go to the first week, which pains me to say. I'm not interested in Summerspace or DGV; I'll hold out for reports on Justin Peck's new work Partita. The All Balanchine programming is just odd. I've never been a big fan of Mozartiana. I love Rubies, but it feels weird to see it without Emeralds and Diamonds—although I may go to see Emily Kikta's Tall Girl. And La Valse... I already saw it twice in the fall! This program feels like a random grab-bag rather than a cohesive evening. Here's hoping for interesting casting for Serenade, Tschai Pas, and 4T's...

Tess Reichlen used to do it, and Sara Mearns as well. I read on Sara's IG that she retired the role, though.

Casting for Week 4 is up: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1638386102/Documents/Casting/NYCB-Casting_Dec-14-19-2021 Debuts for Mejia as Cavalier and Nadon as Dewdrop!

Was there a thread created for NYCB's 2019 Nutcracker run?

Ooh, that is a tempting cast. Wish I were in town! Fingers crossed it's repeated.

I am convinced that the crowd would be in raptures if Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street were performing the After the Rain pas. I'm so sick of it but people eat it right up every time.

I noticed that too. 😬

Mr. Mille-feuille and I thoroughly enjoyed Friday night's program. We both thought La Valse was great, especially the second part. It's so dramatic, and (I feel) Halloween-like, in the best way. Sterling and Joe Gordon looked wonderful. I'd watch him in anything. Was it just me, or was one corps girl missing from the second half? One of the boys had no one to partner, although he covered admirably. I have not liked Other Dances much when I've seen it before, but Tiler can make anything interesting. It was my first time seeing her this season and she was gorgeous—silky and floaty. I have to admit that Mr. Mille-feuille and I did not particularly enjoy After the Rain. I have seen it SO. MANY. TIMES and it just does not hold up to repeated viewings. Mr. Mille-feuille is not a fan of modern choreography—his tastes fall squarely in the classical and neo-classical realm. We saw this on opening night with Maria and Ask and did enjoy it then, thanks to the depth of these veterans' artistry. I found Lauren Lovette and Preston Chamblee too green in this ballet. Now, a ballet that I have seen many times and has never gotten stale is Agon. Amar looked wonderful, as did Ashley Hod. Sebastian Villarini-Velez caught my eye favorably, too. I thought Megan LeCrone had the perfect aura/mood in the Bransle Gay, but I felt that she was holding back in her dancing, not taking up as much space as she could. Amar and Maria were fabulous in the pas, and they bowed four times—the audience wouldn't stop clapping. It was heartwarming to see the friendship between them as he encouraged her forward for the extra bows. Considering going to see Maria and/or Teresa Reichlen in Agon next week...

Unfortunately I won't be able to use my Fall for Dance tickets for Program 5 (featuring Roman Mejia in a solo, Tiler Peck & Herman Cornejo in a pas de deux, and Ayodele Casel) on Oct. 23 at 8 pm. My tickets are in the middle of the Orchestra (O114 and O115). DM me if you're interested!

Oh dear. Time to exchange my ticket for this program!

😭 I will miss her!

Please elaborate! I feel the opposite. At least at NYCB, the men do have some wonderful moments but the women are the stars of the show. Here's my hot take! In terms of choreography, I don't care the gender of the person who is in control. I care much, much more that quality ballet is being created, and I worry for the future of ballet since there are so few truly skilled choreographers alive today. After the endless trash Peter Martins subjected us to with his own choreography and the never-again-seen ballets from the Here/Now Festival and that wretched Architecture Month... first, Universe, give us a few more truly talented choreographers, then I will relax enough to worry about representation. That said, I have greatly enjoyed Lauren Lovette's choreography and would like to see more of it. In terms of partnering, I'm old-fashioned and I think that man-woman partnering is the most pleasing. Man-man partnering can be very nice as well. I am not a fan of woman-woman partnering (in general) because every time I have seen it, it looks very unstable and effortful. It's nice in theory but in my experience, it is not practical. (Of course, I am speaking in terms of averages and not for every single dancer. I believe Ashley Bouder, for example, when she says that she could lift her female roommate over her head while a student at SAB.)

You're certainly right that the majority of dancers (or at least dance students) are female, while the majority of those in charge are male. Off the top of my head, two years ago Cathy Marston set her ballet Jane Eyre on ABT, with some of the music by Fanny Mendelssohn. (As an aside, I detested this ballet and followed Mr. B's advice for what to do in that situation.)

I have specifically noticed the two moments you mentioned in Serenade. I haven't noticed any more, though.

I did not leave the auditorium, but it would need to be a very quick pit stop. The pauses were only a few minutes. I too thought CLEAR would have its own line, but indeed there was one line for CLEAR and Excelsior. I thought it moved fairly quickly.

I was there for opening night too; it was wonderful to be back. The theater was crackling with excitement. Serenade was beautiful—especially Hyltin. I liked LeCrone much more than I previously had. I was sitting in the rear orchestra and didn't notice the usual glower, which made it much easier to focus on her dancing. Mira Nadon's lush arabesques and port de bras in the corps caught my eye. I also liked the After the Rain pas more than I usually do—I had found it overplayed and felt its merits were wearing thin. This time I pondered the motifs in the choreography, so beautifully embodied by Kowroski and la Cour. I did find the surprise Waltz of the Flowers a bit odd, especially as the orchestra is in the midst of a labor dispute with the company... 😕 Felt a bit weird, although I was able to suspend disbelief (for lack of a better term) and enjoy the beautiful music. Symphony in C was spectacular; my favorite of the night. I didn't notice signs of straining from Megan Fairchild—she seemed in control and confident, although her arabesques were a bit low. I enjoyed her speed, clarity, and joy onstage. I'm sure as the season progresses she'll completely bounce back physically. Joseph Gordon absolutely knocked it out of the park; his pirouettes-to-jump sequence in the first movement was fast, powerful, and thrilling. Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle were gorgeous in the Second Movement. She has toned down the Odette vibes and embodies the music so well. I thought it was refreshing to see Tyler Angle with the bald head, and I'm sure I'll get used to it more as the season continues. Harrison Ball's ballon in the Third Movement made me gasp. He and Indiana Woodward danced with such clarity and joy. Lauren King and Andrew Scordato looked great in the Fourth Movement, radiating sunshine. During the curtain calls, Scordato made a heart with his arms above his head (like this); it was so sweet!