mille-feuille

I've been admiring Mira Nadon too! So glad I'm not the only one. She has an elegance to her dancing (and also her dramatic pale skin/dark hair combination) that makes her stick out to me. I was very happy when she was taken into the corps; I hope to see more featured roles for her!

Ratmansky's statement came off (to me) as upholding traditional male/female roles in ballet specifically. He also did not insult anyone. I'd say he sounded, at worst, old-fashioned. I personally have been lukewarm on the same-sex partnering I've seen so far, and have found it to work better for men (not surprisingly, as they train in how to partner and are generally stronger), so maybe I'm old-fashioned too. Polunin is making statements about humanity at large, and being derogatory and inflammatory in the process ("Men, what's wrong with you? [...] You are an embarrassment. [...] Need a good slap!").

I'm not familiar with the male roles in Serenade--is this a role that La Cour is capable of?

I'm very excited to see Mack. I hope they are seriously considering bringing him on full-time.

Ooooops! Thank you!

I am a fervent devotee of Balanchine's version. Although I admitted on this forum that I find Mother Ginger's children tiresome, in general I adore the important role that children play in NYCB's Nutcracker. As a child, I looked forward to Christmas day so eagerly and delighted in every moment of it. It really did feel like a day infused with magic. As I've gotten older, I've found Christmas to be more and more like any other day, and it's stressful planning my flight back to my hometown and buying presents for everyone on my list. But when I watch NYCB's Nutcracker and see those kids dancing their little hearts out, I'm transported back to that magical feeling of my childhood. Marina Harss, writing in DanceTabs, hit the nail on the head: "After all, it is a ballet about memory – the memory of family parties, of winter nights, of new friendships, and of the tinge of fear that accompanies childhood." I see ballets about romantic love throughout the rest of the entire year. NYCB's Nutcracker rejoices in being about something entirely different—it is a breath of fresh air. Furthermore, NYCB's Nutcracker is a coherent story. It makes sense for Clara/ Marie, a child, to be captivated by a doll and dancing alongside other children. Suspension of disbelief is harder when Clara/ Marie is danced by an adult and gazing adoringly at a doll. Worse when her friends are all a foot shorter than her. Balanchine's Nutcracker also knows when to hold back. So many other productions cram in more drama—e.g., a Snow Queen and King or, worse, a romantic pas de deux for Clara and the Prince during the Snow transition scene. This, I have always suspected, is to please filthy casuals audience members who only see one ballet a year and expect swooning pas de deux around every corner. Balanchine's Snow, Flowers, and Dewdrop choreography are the best in the business, bar none. The only quibbles I have with Balanchine's Nutcracker are these: the addition of the snippet of Sleeping Beauty music in Act I. the lack of a boisterous group of men in the Russian divertissement—I find the Candy Cane children rather boring. the Chinese divertissement—I envy productions with awesome lion-dance inspired choreography, like SFB.

My money's on Teuscher. Hoping for some increased Shevchenko and Brandt as well though!

1. Congratulations to Gillian and Ethan! What happy news! 😍 2. NO!!! I was planning on seeing her O/O for the first time this spring! 😩

I love all of it, with my personal low point of Act II being Mother Ginger and her children.

Welcome, Keith! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on what you see.

If I recall correctly, neither sold particularly well last year. I can't imagine they would sell any better this year, sadly. I have seen both and do not feel like they reward multiple viewings, so I will be skipping them. I know that they do have some devotees, however. I think the Northern Ballet has done Jane Eyre. I am excited about it, mainly because I like the book! I believe YouTube has a sample of some dramatic-looking partnering. I will probably see Murphy and Shevchenko as O/O, as well as Lane, Trenary, or Murphy as Aurora. I have to say, I am bummed about no Giselle! It's my favorite story ballet. Oh well, I'm sure it'll come back next year.

I haven't seen the Lang, but I agree so so much about the Dorrance.

Misty was replaced in AFTERITE by Brandt last night, so it's possible she's injured. How demanding is her part in AFTERITE? (I left after Songs of Bukovina last night, as I had no interest in AFTERITE.) The theater was woefully empty last night. I came because I wanted to see Symphonie Concertante, and it was danced decently, although one corps member fell (on bourrees...) and others wobbled or were not in synch. ABT just doesn't do Balanchine well, although Shenchenko and, especially, Hoven looked great. I will add to the general consensus that Songs of Bukovina is competent but not terribly impactful. It was nice to see Calvin Royal looking so great, and kudos to Shevchenko for looking wonderful in two ballets in a row! It was also striking how good the corps dancers looked in Songs compared to the Balanchine. Ratmansky really knows how to bring out the best in his dancers. Now if only he could make works for ABT that are as wonderful as his best for City Ballet, like Russian Seasons and Concerto DSCH. That's it for my ABT fall season this year. Hopefully they can figure out a strategy that will work for them in future years, because the poor attendance this season is disheartening. Is it normally like this? This is my first ABT fall season so I have no basis for comparison.

OMG! That is horrible and hilarious. 😂

Any word on whether Shevchenko will also replace Seo on Wednesday? The only other thing I care to see ABT dance is Symphonie Concertante and I can only make the 24th, but ABT's Balanchine track record has not been good (e.g., Boylston in Tschai Pas a few seasons ago ☠️, Mozartiana...). If I see Balanchine danced badly I'll just be crabby after the performance.

I forgot about Barber! I like it too.

I am SO happy that Joe Gordon was promoted to principal; I have been devouring his dancing this season. Well-deserved. I think he would make a wonderful Apollo. Also, hooray for Mira Nadon being taken into the corps! I have loved watching her. I too was in the audience for Joaquin's farewell. I was thrilled by the high level of dancing in all works. Todo Buenos Aires was such a forgettable ballet, but I did think it was appropriate for the occasion. (Aside: how nice it is to have so few Martins works being programmed nowadays! I believe the only upcoming one is Hallelujah Junction, which is one of his I actually like.) What a short but sweet season this was. On to Nutcracker!

At NYCB, I like Devin Alberda a lot. His jumps are so buoyant and he has an elan and fluidity that stands out. I also often find myself watching Preston Chamblee, Christina Clark, Isabella LaFreniere, Roman Mejia, Miriam Miller, and Lydia Wellington. At ABT, I like Joo Won Ahn, Kaho Ogawa, and Gabe Stone Shayer.

For me, a big reason would be that the company he founded and directed folded after only 11 years (according to Wikipedia, his LA Ballet existed from 1974-85). One of the requirements listed first in the job description was Demonstrated artistic leadership success as a programmer and/or company leader for an organization known for quality and excellence I don't think Clifford has demonstrated that. His age also isn't a plus; a quick calculation tells me he's about 71. I think he would be invaluable as a stager/ coach of Balanchine works, however.

John Clifford is an obvious no, so it rubs me the wrong way that Megan LeCrone is specifically goading him to make videos promoting his candidacy.

Saturday (9/22) matinee Jewels: Emeralds, while having the most understated choreography of the three, to my ears has the most beautiful music. Tiler Peck was buoyant and pristine, but perhaps too down-to-earth to fully entrance me. Unity Phelan, on the other hand, reminded me of a mermaid queen. She and Adrian Danchig-Waring (what a welcome sight he is!) floated through their pas de deux and solos. Days later, visions of her dancing the Sicilienne solo are still echoing in my mind. I loved Sterling Hyltin in Rubies and found Andrew Veyette less leaden than I had expected from reports. Sterling was like a lightning bolt -- seemingly no transitions between crystal-clear positions, jumps, and turns. Bam, bam, bam -- there she was! What a joy she is. I completely agree with whoever characterized Kretzschmar as a cheerleader. She was way too smiley and did not radiate command. I sorely missed Tess Reichlen's subtle menace as the Tall Girl. Mearns and Gordon were sublime in Diamonds. Although I see Odette influences in Mearns' Diamond, there is a larger-than-life seriousness and profoundness to her interpretation. Where Odette is vulnerable, Mearns' Diamond is not. You get the sense that she is powerful but choosing not to display it, so as not to terrify us: she is an angel in the old style, a heavenly warrior who has to tell us "Be not afraid" when she first appears before us. And despite all the recent turmoil, this performance still made me think: "Thank heaven for New York City Ballet."

I saw the Friday (9/21) All-Balanchine performance and Saturday (9/22) matinee Jewels. Friday (9/21) All-Balanchine: Reichlen was gorgeous in Concerto Barocco. I just love her -- so on top of the music, she's almost dancing a hair's breadth ahead of it, illuminating it. The corps looked a bit ragged at times, but overall the ballet was lovely and, delightfully, not too long. 😉 Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux with Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz... what more is there to say that you all don't already know? The audience, myself included of course, ate it up. Peck sparkled, radiated joy. de Luz was his charming, mischievous self. His jumps looked more labored than even as recent as last season, but the charm is still there in spades. They got a standing ovation for this, and five curtain calls. It was a lovely moment. I was disappointed by Stravinsky Violin Concerto. When I last saw this (too many years ago), Ramasar was dancing it and he along with Hyltin and whoever else was dancing really made the coda a strong statement of happiness and playful energy. With the information standing as we know it now, I could not watch Ramasar again and feel good about it, no matter the quality of his dancing. Although Hyltin, Mearns, and Stanley were excellent Friday night, somehow this ballet still felt half-baked. I'm seeing it again Wednesday 9/26 -- I hope I will enjoy it more then. Symphony in C had many highs but a few disappointing lows. The highs: Ashley Bouder, Joseph Gordon, Indiana Woodward, Sebastian V-V, Troy Schumacher. I too thought that Woodward's jumps were low compared to Sebastian V-V's, but whose wouldn't be? She, however, has lovely head, arm, and shoulder movements that he currently lacks. If you watch that Instagram video of the two of them posted by the Times and included in this thread, she has a lovely variation in speed and texture and reminds me of the weaving of a basket. Joseph Gordon's jumps and turns were less impressive than some of the corps men who did them in unison with him, but I can't get enough of his seriousness and regal bearing. I'm watching him eagerly! I found Maria Kowroski disappointing. To me, she is heart-stopping when doing things that do not require too much strength, but she makes me very nervous when strength is required and in turns. Her entrance had me spellbound, but the famous developpe a la seconde was VERY shaky and that + Tyler Angle sprinting behind her to catch her other hand completely took me out of the moment. (I wish that more dancers, if they're feeling shaky, would do what Kent and Ludlow do in the German recording -- it looks so dignified and serene.) During the coda, Maria almost lost it in a fouette and I had to force myself to watch Bouder instead. (To be fair, during a later fouette in the coda, I saw from the corner of my eye that hers was the most beautifully held of the four main women.) Will post my impressions of Saturday's Jewels later.

I actually prefer the dignified, languid quality of how Kent and Ludlow do the a la seconde to the man positively sprinting to get to the ballerina's other hand (e.g., how Reichlen and Angle do it in canbelto's video around 2:15). But I mean... this entire ballet is transcendent and spiritual nourishment, so I don't mind TOO much. 😉 I am finally going to NYCB tonight and I CANNOT WAIT YOU GUYS!!!

She was, and if these allegations are true I would be surprised if Finlay *didn't* have material of Lovette taken without her consent. I was just wondering where that was in the court document.

Where was Lexi Maxwell named as a dancer whose photos were passed around? Item 61 says that Chase "offered to share Ms. Waterbury with Mr. Ramasar and Alexa Maxwell" -- almost sounds like Lexi Maxwell was joining Amar in looking at the photos/ videos. I too hope they don't return. If they do, I will go out of my way to avoid them.