mille-feuille

3 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

Question: are the "pauses" enough time to use the restroom?

I did not leave the auditorium, but it would need to be a very quick pit stop. The pauses were only a few minutes.

1 hour ago, jeff-sh said:

NY Excelsior pass is in fast line?

NYCB website says otherwise

https://www.nycballet.com/your-visit/your-safety

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!

5 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Heather Watts in the Midsummer Divertissement

Is there a recording of this?

Thank you, @kbarber and @Peg! I plan to attend a few of these.

That sounds like a wonderful show!! Brahms Schoenberg and Raymonda Variations are fabulous. I'm sure the Graham solo will be cool too!

And what a great group of dancers! I love Sara Mearns in pretty much anything, and she is a hurricane in Brahms Schoenberg. Joe Gordon can do no wrong in my eyes. Please report back with your thoughts! 🙂

On 2/3/2020 at 11:18 PM, fondoffouettes said:

How do people feel about Bouder's O/O? I've never seen her in the role and due a ticket-ordering snafu, I have a ticket to see her rather than Reichlen, who I'd intended to see. 

Have you seen Reichlen in Swan Lake before? I think the O/O role gets in her head. She appeared very nervous as Odile when I saw her in (I think it was) 2018, and I spent the entirety of that part of the ballet tense and worried for her. If I had to choose Bouder or Reichlen for Swan Lake, I would choose Bouder. (And this is coming from someone who loves Reichlen and is lukewarm on Bouder generally.)

I believe temps de flèche can be done to the front or to the back. See this video:

Also this blog (http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/2014/04/terrific-tuesday-temps-de-fleche.html)

”Temps de fleche is not a common step, but it is often found in several famous classical ballets such as Corsaire and Paquita.  It is essentially a jump from one foot to another, often with an extended kick when it is performed to the front;  or with both legs in attitude when it is done to the back.”

I believe it's temps de fleche. 

HALLELUJAH!

Thank you so much, @cubanmiamiboy @Helene @dirac @abatt @sidwich @Kathleen O'Connell @nanushka @sandik!! I love the pieces you've suggested, and I will be carefully listening to them over the next little while. I will let you know what we eventually go with!   

Hi all, I wanted to ask a semi-ballet related question. Hopefully this is the best forum for it.

I'm engaged to be married in about a year, and I'm looking for good music to use for walking down the aisle, processing out, our first dance, etc. I'd like to use classical music for all of this, but nothing TOO stereotypical (e.g. Mendelssohn's Wedding March is a no). Since we both love going to see NYCB, we'd love to incorporate some music that Balanchine used for a ballet.

I love the second movement from Concerto Barocco, and my fiance loves the "Sicilienne" section of Emeralds.

Do you knowledgeable forum members have any good suggestions—not necessarily Balanchine/ ballet music, but just any classical music? I'd be very appreciative of any help.

I for one love the videos of her dancing. She deserves a shot at bigger roles and if I can't see her take those roles on onstage, I'd rather Instagram than nothing.

I've seen it spelled D'Jampe. I've always (perhaps naively) thought it referred to jumping, since the choreography is so jump-heavy. That would be so cool if it had to do with the Bhutanese tradition of Jampe, though.

NOOOO! I will miss her so much!! She's always so regal and elegant⁠—but also, warm out there. A rare combination. I loved her especially in Concerto Barocco and Diamonds. I am happy for her.

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Perhaps, though what he wrote in that IG post sends a pretty strong message that this may not just be a temporary leave.

Yes, I agree that the tone implies more than just a temporary leave. If that's the case, I look forward to seeing more of the up-and-coming men.

On 10/13/2019 at 1:25 AM, tutu said:

MacKinnon was great tonight — she’s got more than enough technique to handle the role, with lovely amplitude in her jumps, wonderful articulation in the quick sections (something that you don’t always see with tall dancers), and those long, long limbs. She projected joy throughout.

I enjoyed Olivia MacKinnon a lot in PC#2, too.

As for promotions—I was so rooting for Kikta and Hoxha. Sigh.

4 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

I could imagine a dazzling Tchai Pas with Brandt and Cornejo. 

I'd go out of my way to see that! Of the ABT dancers, Brandt is the first to come to mind for Tschai Pas. I'd also be interested to see what Hurlin could do with it, and Lane.

12 hours ago, naomikage said:

Koho Ogawa writes she is retiring as a professional ballerina due to injury. Very sad for such a talented dancer only 24 years old and wish the best for her future. 

Very sad, indeed. I liked her dancing very much and always looked out for her when I saw her name in the program.

Hippolyta, thank you for the report! I always appreciate hearing them from farther afield.

I only saw Shevchenko's O/O this year but next I'll see Teuscher's as well given the strength of recommendations on this board.

1 minute ago, cobweb said:

Boylston? NO. 

Please, for all that is holy and good, no. I will never forget her horrifying turn at Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux a few years ago. Keep Isabella Boylston away from my beloved Balanchine choreography.

Just now, Roberta said:

Wasn't Sarah Lane a cover for someone else two years ago, when she got her shot at O/O?

Kochetkova, I believe.

10 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Then there is that balance - that wasn't.  He kind of got halfway up into the arabesque and just quit and put the leg down.

Granted I've only been watching ABT's Swan Lake for about three years, but I think I've seen this arabesque balance performed well just once or twice. I'd almost rather they do it well on flat than this bobbling.

25 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Do you mean fouettés generally, or just in Swan Lake?

I mean long sections (32 counts worth) of fouettés, such as are found in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Le Corsaire. I see most dancers do them approximately on the beat, but not RIGHT on it.

16 minutes ago, nanushka said:

And now I am hoping that the tow truck AAA is sending to me on I-78 gets here quickly so I can still make tonight’s performance! 🙏

Good luck!!!

29 minutes ago, nanushka said:

if she expected to do the fouettés on the beat (which I suppose isn't necessarily a given).

In my experience doing fouettés to the beat is the exception rather than the norm! (I'll never forget Tiler Peck's fouettés as Odile... ) Using all the music with solid, non-travelling fouettés, whether they be singles or multiples, is enough to satisfy me.

5 minutes ago, Longtimelurker said:

After watching the glory of NYCB's Midsummer last week, this was an extreme letdown.

My feeling exactly. Jane Eyre was also possibly the worst thing I've seen by ABT.

1 hour ago, abatt said:

While Jane Eyre was definitely not the worst thing ABT has ever put on stage, it certainly wasn't very good.

8 hours ago, laurel said:

This ballet’s not good, but it’s not that bad, either.  I’ve seen much worse at ABT.

Out of curiosity as someone who hasn't been seeing ABT for more than a few years, what were some of the worse things ABT's put on stage? Boylston in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux?