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JuliaJ

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Posts posted by JuliaJ

  1. 3 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

    I can't believe they are banking on Like Water for Chocolate to sell 12 performances. After seeing The Winter's Tale, I feel no need to see a Wheeldon full-length ever again.

    It's kind of sad that Gillian's O/O has been relegated to the Wednesday matinee, with Hurlin's debut that evening (normally you'd expect it the other way around). I don't disagree with this decision, but it's kind of sad nonetheless.

    Only Myrtha as far as I'm aware. 

    Hurlin actually debuted O/O last Met season (a Wednesday matinee) and it was a big success with a glowing NYT review. So it does seem fitting she'd get a primetime spot along with other big debuts now.  

  2. They are are really betting on Like Water for Chocolate to succeed, with 12 performances. Seems very risky given how poorly their last big premiere (Of Love and Rage) sold. Like Water for Chocolate the book and movie aren't exactly in the cultural zeitgeist enough for this to be a guaranteed hit. Time will tell. I wish the season had more variety in four weeks, and it's pretty sad that this is what the Met season has come to. Hope all goes well regardless, and looking forward to June. 

    Swan Queen Murphy getting the Wednesday matinee? Ouch. Not surprising given her age though. I guess there aren't a whole lot of performances to go around these days.

  3. Yesterday was my first time seeing The Dream and while I found the set and costumes gorgeous, the lighting was way too dark (not helped by the uniformly green costumes that matched the background). Neither Gillian Murphy nor Herman Cornejo danced like 40+ year olds -- they were both wonderful. Cornejo's jumps in particular were fantastic, so weightless and bouncy, and possibly better than what I saw him do during the spring season. Agree with previous commenters about Camargo, who was excellent as Oberon and really fills up the stage. Tyler Maloney was hilarious as Bottom. 

    I do like the Seasons despite its flaws and felt it held up well on a third viewing. Standouts were Chloe Misseldine (truly jaw dropping lines and elegance) and Sunmi Park in Winter,  Zimmi Coker in Spring (how did Granlund get promoted before her??? Granlund is also great but Coker was the stronger Spring girl), and most of all Hurlin and Royal in fall. Was nice to see Carlos Gonzalez back, although he fudged the end of his solo as the Faun.

    ABT did a much better job with programming (and perhaps casting) this fall season than past Koch seasons, and the audience clearly showed their appreciation with a nearly sold-out house and standing ovations. Although I wish they would not allow infants and toddlers in the audience. 

  4. I was there. I have mixed feelings about Whipped Cream but by the finale I was convinced that it is indeed a good production. The costumes and sets are spectacular. Skylar Brandt was absolutely stellar as Princess Praline and I can't imagine anyone else doing this choreography so well (I never saw Sarah Lane in the role, for what it's worth). The crispness and polish she brings to her dancing is exquisite. Jonathan Klein was mostly wonderful as the Boy. Not always the smoothest partnering but the solos and acting were on point. His powerful turns à la seconde and then the jumps in the finale really brought the wow factor. Would like to see more of him in the future. 

    Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal were lovely and well-casted as Tea Flower and Coffee. Both brought appropriate charm and a little seduction to the roles. Joseph Gorak danced Prince Cocoa and was in fine form. I find some of Ratmansky's Act I choreography frenetic and not very pretty, however. There are moments when it's hard to tell if the dancers are screwing up or if they are doing the choreography as intended. The choreography doesn't always go with the music, but I guess this is understandable given that much of the music sounds suboptimal for dance (despite being originally composed for ballet).

  5. I thought Phelan was regal and beautiful in Symphony in C. Sure, there is room for more depth but hopefully that will come with time. Partnering was mostly smooth although I didn't sense much of a "connection" between the two. Knight looks tailor made for these kinds of roles, so I hope they continue to give him opportunities even though he has a ways to go. I definitely choked up during the backwards falls. Furlan had a mostly successful debut in first movement; such an elegant presence and beautiful lines. Teensy struggles with the solo turns, however. Cainen Weber (in third movement) is definitely one to watch--HUGE airy jump and lots of charm. One of highlights for me was definitely Emily Kikta and Aaron Sanz in 4th movement, especially in his lines and the way she maintains seemingly effortless control and ease with the tricky choreography. 

    The rest of the program (all from the fashion gala) was better than I expected. Did not care for "Playtime" although I liked Solange's jazzy music. Just could not get past the ugly silhouettes of the costumes, especially the grotesquely wide-hip pants on Harrison Coll. The choreography was forgettable. The sparkles and color scheme worked well on stage though. Really enjoyed the Abraham piece and felt it was a much better work than Gia Kourlas gave it credit for in her NYT review. Tiler Peck's contemporary-dance skills were utilized to great effect, and the overall fusion of dance styles (and to hip-hop music!) worked very well. 

  6. I agree that putting on a full length ballet during the fall season is a great idea, although Whipped Cream does not appear to be selling well. That happened the last time they programmed it. Looks like the Dream/Seasons program is most popular as of now. I love most of the Ratmansky work I've seen but feel that Whipped Cream suffers greatly from lackluster music. I will give it another chance next week however, since I want to see the Brandt/Klein cast. It's weird that they didn't program this ballet as the discounted "family matinee" and chose the 10/30 Dream/Seasons show instead. 

  7. This article said that the company had pledged to "work to eliminate racial and ethnic stereotypes in ballet." That could have something to do with the decision to not put on WSS. Or maybe finding enough cast members with passable singing voices proved challenging. Or, they know Firebird is a dependable a box-office draw and are playing it safe for that reason.  

     

  8. Based on those photos I don't think I've ever seen costumes more hideous than those of the Reisen ballet. And why anyone would put polka-dot leggings on Anthony Huxley for the solemn, pandemic-inspired "Solo" is beyond me. The Giles Deacon costumes are ok, but they look like they would be better suited for an exhibition in the Met Museum's costume gallery than for a ballet stage where one can't see the pattern details from afar. I bought a ticket for this program just for Symphony in C and am not looking forward to the other pieces, although the Abraham work sounds somewhat promising at least for a one-time viewing. 

  9. I thought that Peck and Gordon in Tchaikovsky pas de deux this afternoon were worth the price of admission alone. Peck has to be the standard bearer of this role. I aways feel so lucky to get to experience her dancing live and while she's still in top form. Gordon's debut was a huge success--so much personality and charisma that were well suited to the slight tongue-in-cheek nature of this ballet. I might even go as far as saying he's the overall best male dancer in the company right now in terms of classical technique, mastery of Balanchine style, and partnering. Truly the full package. 

    Phelan and Gerrity were particularly breathtaking in Piano Pieces. And the corps looked a lot cleaner than when I saw this in the spring. This ballet doesn't make for the most epic of closers but the program ended on a joyous note. 

    I also noticed the (minor) issues in Raymonda but overall thought it was an exciting and beautiful performance from LaFreniere and Chan, especially given the late substitution. At this point I would be thrilled to see Nadon in just about anything. 

  10. Agree with all of the above about last night. Excellent show all around. Watching Huxley's feather-light jumps and precise footwork is always a treat. Davide Riccardo looks like a real danseur noble and I hope to see him more. 

    The only dancer who just didn't do it for me was Pazcoguin. She gets cast in dramatic roles from time to time and she's great as Anita in West Side Story, but I've often found her underpowered, including last night. Jared Angle's continued presence on the roster is a mystery. 

    If Peter Walker is out of Raymonda, who will dance opposite LaFreniere? Huxley is too short. Gordon has done the role before, so I wouldn't be surprised if he steps in. 

  11. From the Metropolis interview:

    "I was always dancing with weaker partners, so to be in the studio with someone who is such a strong partner is a privilege for me"

    Ouch.

    Love Sarah Lane as a dancer and so happy to hear she's getting opportunities, but she hasn't always shown the best judgement in making public statements. 

  12. In early July, during the program with Theme & Variations and the contemporary pieces, the company actually did insert a notice in the programs stating replacements "due to injury" (and Bell was originally supposed to dance in T&V and Zigzag and did not end up appearing in either). 

    From Fjord Review's Don Q review: "Joo Won Ahn, who partnered Hurlin in place of an injured Aran Bell, was stalwart and handsome, but lacked pizazz." Not sure of the publication's fact-checking standards but presumably this was verified. 

    Whatever the alleged injury, he did manage to dance Don Q (for the opening three-cast night and with Shevchenko as a replacement for Stearns), Of Love and Rage, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet. 

     

  13. I noticed this past season that Kreztschmar was cast very infrequently compared to most of the other soloists. I think she might have danced just the Justin Peck works and Nutcracker. Before the pandemic, she did Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Episodes, and a couple of other big roles. Her career seems to have stalled for whatever reason. I liked the piece she choreographed for the pandemic digital season and wish her the best if she's focusing on choreography now. 

  14. I don't really have a problem with ABT updating Corsaire and Bayadere to get rid of the "oriental" settings and other unfortunately dated elements, but I hope the choreography pretty much stays in tact.. It would be a shame to completely do away with two solid full-lengths from the rep. I'd rather see the company spend money on new versions of those than on additional mediocre contemporary pieces, personally. In any case, I'm thankful I saw the "real" Corsaire during the 2019 run. 

  15. Excluding Copeland, looking over the ABT roster there are only maybe 6 black dancers in the company. So either 1) Rudd will have a very small cast, 2) he will bring in guest artists from other companies, or 3) all of the featured roles will go to black dancers but others will fill corps roles? And of course there's the possibility of injuries requiring substitutions. I will likely skip this program (not a huge fan of social messaging at the ballet) but I hope it turns out to be a success for all involved. 

  16. Wonderful R&J last night. Teuscher gave a vulnerable, dramatic performance with more fluidity in her movement that I expected (and her issues with flexibility weren't really a problem with this choreography). She is ten years older than Bell but was convincingly innocent and youthful. And is there any dancer in NYC with more beautiful épaulement? She's had an amazing season and is suddenly a dancer I want to seek out more. Bell was also great, very boyish, and was technically strong although maybe a bit more careful than usual. There have been mysterious reports of him being injured this season, and I saw no clear evidence of that, although I've seen him give more "wow!" performances in the past. The balcony scene was just stunning. Partnering was smooth throughout. These two have good chemistry together and I hope the company continues to pair them together. They are performing again on Saturday if anyone is still deciding on a cast to see. 

    Garegin Pogassian was very good as Mercutio. Mostly clean dancing, convincing acting. He's a very small guy. Loved Forster as Tybalt. Sung Woo Han also great as Benvolio with lovely long lines. 

  17. No disrespect to Zhurbin but what is the point of promoting a 37-year old who only performs character roles to principal while leaving promising princely types (e.g. Curley, Frenette) in the corps?? The mysteries of ABT! So surprised about Coker; I thought she more than earned a soloist promotion between last fall and this spring. 

    Perhaps they will promote a lump of male soloists together at some point. The new Mercutios from the corps haven't even made their debuts yet as of today. 

  18. I saw the show last night... I think Cornejo's presence in Single Eye was the result of a lot of shuffling around after Stearns' injury. Royal was listed in the program in what I believe are two separate roles but that are never on stage at the same time. They must have subbed in Cornejo so Royal wouldn't have to do both parts? Cornejo's role didn't look all that arduous to me -- high energy but nothing crazy -- so hopefully it won't affect his T&V performances. 

    Agree that Bell and Shevchenko's disappearance from T&V is mysterious. While I was more than happy to see Teuscher last night (she was fantastic, very detailed and regal), Bell would probably have been more suited to the male lead. Ahn really struggled with the double tour/pirouette solo. Perhaps he was tired after dancing Siegfried only the day before. I think he is more than capable of nailing that solo, but it didn't happen for him last night. The rest of his performance was fine, not exactly exciting, and a far cry from Baryshnikov in the Live from Lincoln Center video, but fine. The partnering in the pas de deux looked totally seamless from my view. It was refreshing to see Balanchine after weeks of full lengths, even if it was imperfectly danced. The corps looked pretty good, and the tempo was faster than I expected. It was a better performance than what I saw with Lane and Gorak in 2019, double tours/pirouettes aside. 

    Single Eye had some strong moments but felt a bit disjointed. It ended with a somber pas de deux between Brandt and Royal, which made for an anticlimactic finish. I had forgotten how great Boylston is in contemporary ballet. The best part of this for me was the virtuosic choreography for some of the corps members, notably Misseldine, Granlund, de la Nuez, Pogassian, and Clerico. Not a lot of chances for lower ranking dancers to shine in this company, but King really let them shine, and they seemed to be relishing every second of it. Even though it was flawed, Single Eye felt like a stronger piece than some of the contemporary work NYCB has put out in recent years, so it's odd they haven't commissioned anything from King (especially given their diversity efforts). 

  19. I attended the matinee today and thought Hurlin gave a very commendable debut performance that she should be proud of. She has a lot going for her including height, perfect proportions, long extensions, and technique to spare. It wasn't perfect (she struggled to get her leg all the way up during a couple of the developpés in Odette's solo -- only was a problem on the right leg -- and her upper body could have been a little more fluid; she doesn't quite have that silky quality as of yet) but she's fairly young and not even a principal yet, so she has a lot of time to grow into the role. All of the foundations were there. Act II showed off how strong of a turner she is, especially the fouettés, which were probably the fastest singles I've ever seen.... she did double speed for the first half before slowing down at the music change (nickname "hurricane" is very appropriate!). She stopped maybe one turn early but hid it well. Her unsupported black swan balance was very brief but didn't take away from the performance. Acting was solid in both acts. I would see her in this again. 

    Ahn danced mostly clean, just a couple of very minor bobbles with pirouettes and one brief, small partnering mishap in a supported turn. He has nice lines and can land a double tour in 5th. Like others have noted, I thought his stage presence lacked impact (although he is strikingly handsome in white tights). But I will cut him some slack given he basically went from corps member to principal and never got to dance a single season as a soloist. He has the goods of a danseur noble and I hope he can improve by next spring. He's been a real MVP this season, subbing for so many shows.

    Was a little disappointed that this show had the exact same casting for pas de trois (Frenette, Coker, Granlund) AND Purple Von Rothbart (Shayer) that I saw last week. However, the PDT trio gave another solid performance, and I would say all three of those dancers are worthy of soloist promotion at some point. I found Shayer just as blah as last week, although he does have an impressive split-jump sissonne.

    I expect we will be hearing of Hurlin's promotion soon after her successes in Don Quixote and now Swan Lake. 

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