JuliaJ

I think Brandt set the bar really high with her (in my opinion) transcendent Giselle so expectations of her Swan Lake have naturally been high. I for one thought it was an excellent debut but everyone's baseline for what makes a great Odette/Odile is going to be different. One thing that's certain is she is having a very exciting breakout season, including last fall (and to think that last run of Swan Lake, in 2019, she was still dancing the pas de trois). Very much looking forward to her further growth as an artist.

I would hope Shayer is not on the principal track from what I've seen in the past few weeks. He doesn't fit well into either the danseur noble or the short, jumping virtuoso category. I can't imagine him leading any full-length classics. I was not against his promotion to soloist given the principal roles he had previously taken on, but I felt his very public suggestion that his career was stalled over race -- during a very rocky moment in American racial politics -- was not a good look for him and ended up making his promotion look like a PR move.

Very successful debut for Brandt last night. She is a natural Odette and I felt her Act II was really first rate, especially for a debut. So much attention to detail in the way she uses her neck and hands and the extension of her leg during adagios. Also, her acting is very strong. She has a lot of tricks of up her sleeve, like in Act II when Siegfried lifts Odette up in a series of backbends, her backbends were so deep and daring that she looked fully upside down over his shoulder. In Act III she held an unsupported attitude balance for so long that in the end she had to come out of it for the sake of the music. There were moments when Odile's fierceness felt a little forced, but Brandt will grow into this role with time. She already has the full ballerina package of technique, artistry, and acting. Cornejo was very good as always but I felt he showed his age a little bit more last night than he did in the Don Q performance I saw two weeks ago. Gabe Stone Shayer made very little impact for me as Von Rothbart. Not nearly enough camp and slimy glamour in his characterization, and the dancing was a bit sloppy. Loved the pas de trois of Frenette, Coker, and Granlund. I've noticed Coker as a great talent for awhile but Granlund really caught my attention last night, even with a botched finish on one of the solo variations. She's a great jumper. Frenette is tall and handsome and has a big, beautiful jump with the softest of landings. Hope to see him as Siegfried sooner than later. The floor (with the blue patterned covering they use for Swan Lake) sounded really squeaky last night during some of the men's turns.

The Brandt/Cornejo cast seems like an obvious Swan Lake choice to me. Judging from her Giselle and Don Quixote, I think she could be great as both Odette and Odile. And Cornejo is still in great form. Hurlin's debut should be exciting after the stellar reports of her Kitri.

I may be in the minority on this board but I loved Of Love and Rage. The lush music, the bravura male dancing, the nonstop movement, the wonderful choreography of the corps, the high energy of each dancer on stage, the beautiful scenery. The formations Ratmansky created during the war scene were brilliant. After reading the synopsis I thought the storytelling was pretty clear. I saw the Christine Shevchenko and Thomas Forster cast last night and loved them both. She had the same long lines and impeccable technique as always, but I have never seen Forster dance such a virtuoso role. Really beautiful grand jetés in particular. Such seamless partnering. Ratmansky introduced me to the talents of some corps members with whom I wasn't too familiar: Jarod Curley (Mirthridates), wow! More please! I think I saw him as Hilarion in the fall but this was a much juicier role. Eric Tamm as Chaereas' best friend, also wow. Chloe Misseldine was sultry as the Queen of Babylon with legs for days. Really, I loved almost everything about this despite the uh, feminist shortcomings. It was a little like watching the musical Carousel: wonderful production but with a cringey "stand by your man" message. I wasn't rooting for Chaereas and Callirhoe to end up back together, although I felt the reunion scene managed to be touching. Overall Ratmansky has created an exhilarating, beautiful ballet that deserves a bigger audience. I hope he can bring it to a city where people appreciate it more. It's really a shame that the pandemic disrupted the momentum of its premiere, and it's too bad ABT's marketing is so dismal. At least the people there last night (maybe 1,000 people? Small for the Met but still a lot of heads!) seemed to like it with their standing ovation.

Skylar Brandt and Isabella Boylston are both very skilled at marketing themselves on social media. That seems to be the best path to fame these days, for better or worse. Both of them seem to draw relatively large crowds to their shows, although in the case of last week's Don Quixote run I'm sure their male partners (Cornejo and Simkin respectively) had a lot to do with that. In any case, I'm happy Skylar is getting her "moment," it's certainly deserved. I feel like Christine Shevchenko should be a lot better-known by now.

Agree that Boylston is a natural Kitri re: "feistiness" and jumps, but after seeing both her and Brandt's performances this week, I personally prefer Brandt's more elegant, detailed approach. Boylston was best in Act I and fine in Act III. She struggled a bit with the Act III pas de deux balances but held on. Fouettes were all singles... fast and powerful but not very "pretty" IMO. Her shortcomings in the port de bras / hands department were most on display in Act II... it's kind of a problem when Kitri is artistically outshined not only by the Queen of the Dryads but also by Amour (the wonderful Léa Fleytoux). Not to say it was a bad performance, overall Boylston was impressive and brought the right go-for-broke energy. Simkin wasn't only outstanding for his tricks but also his classical finesse. Never a crooked line or unpointed foot. He was the reason I attended this performance and he did not disappoint. Really liked Katherine Williams as the one flower girl but thought Paulina Waski was low impact and lacking in precision or jumping height. It was nice to be around such an enthusiastic audience. Maybe TOO enthusiastic as you couldn't even hear the music over the applause at times!

Not sure how much difference it has made but their ad campaign this season has been unimpressive. Is advertising the season as "Kevin McKenzie's farewell season" really supposed to resonate with a mass audience? And who's idea was it to use just a picture of Isabella Boylston's face as the poster for Don Q? Sounds like their marketing team could use an overhaul to accompany the management turnover. I hope they can find a way to fill some more seats for Of Love and Rage, even if it means giving them away. It sounds like a great production. A theater of nearly 4,000 is an uphill climb for most shows to fill, especially for something unfamiliar and new. Sigh.

Brandt and Cornejo brought down the house. I thought they were pretty close to perfect. The level of polish and finish Brandt brings to her dancing is just stunning, in addition to her amazing technical abilities. There is a fluid, Russian-like quality to her upper body movements that stands out when she's on stage next to the other ballerinas. A really exciting performance all around. Elwince Magbitang (as gypsy man) is one to watch. Betsy McBride and Breanne Granlund were the flower girls and they were both very good. My one complaint is the male corps (in the blue matador costumes) looked a little sloppy in Act I.

I enjoyed ENB's Giselle a lot. It's a radical departure from the traditional version though, not just updated setting but the music is unrecognizable except for a few moments. No hops on point and almost none of the famous Act II choreography. Really, there is not much classical ballet at all except for the women being on point in Act II. I loved Khan's incorporation of Indian-style dance. He made some interesting choices, like drawing out the "mad" scene into an ensemble dance, and giving Hilarion a lot more dancing than I'm used to seeing. The willis were spooky and witchy, not at all sylph-like. The narrative aspects were a bit fuzzy... it wasn't entirely clear what was going on in Act II. At no point was Albrecht forced to dance himself nearly to death like in the original. Overall the piece had a distinct vision that came together cohesively and successfully. I would recommend it to ballet and modern-dance fans alike. I don't think anyone watching last night would know from her performance that Tamara Rojo is 48 years old. She has a BIG presence on stage and her experience with Macmillan sort of dramatic ballets was very evident last night. All of the lead dancers were really stellar in the physical-acting department. Jeffrey Cirio as Hilarion was a standout--what a huge loss for ABT! Really all of the dancing was excellent and looked impeccably rehearsed and polished. The crowd (looked like a mostly full house) gave a big standing ovation at the end.

Jared Angle danced Ivan in Firebird this past spring season. He looked out of shape, even in the generously forgiving, modest costume. Unclear why he's still on the roster, but at least the company recently promoted a handful of new male principals regardless.

If Bell is injured or sick, maybe they are trying to figure out who will partner Hurlin in Act I for the gala. The other tall Basilios (Stearns, Ahn) are already dancing in the other acts. I seriously hope Bell's absence will be very temporary -- they really need him this season! And I'm very much looking forward to seeing him. Plus, it's his first Met season as a principal so it's an exciting time.

Catazaro currently dances with the Cleveland Ballet: https://clevelandballet.org/zachary-catazaro/ Certainly not as prestigious as NYCB but at least he's still dancing professionally. He was the least culpable in the Waterbury scandal so I always felt really bad for him. Talent-wise, he was not as much of an asset to the company as Ramasar though. As someone who has thought for years that Ramasar's punishment was totally excessive (not just the firing but the constant shade from the press and having to deal with protests outside his shows), I am so, so happy that his career got the happy ending it deserved. His colleagues clearly have a lot of love and respect for him.

It's a cliché but some dancers just have that "je ne sais quoi" factor where whenever they're on stage they seem to radiate an aura even if they're not doing much. Sara Mearns, Mira Nadon, Unity Phelan, and Isabella LaFreniere have that kind of "it." Tiler Peck and Indiana Woodward are both incredibly musical and have astonishing technical abilities. Same with Sterling Hyltin but in a more subtle way. The list goes on. Some dancers simply don't have that transcendent ability and they serve the company better as soloists, and there's nothing wrong with that (not referring to anyone in particular with that statement).

Also the discount only seems to apply to seats in the $120 range? If they're going to push a discount at least make it a good one, and be clear about the restrictions! On a separate note I can't believe ABT's arguably best current Odette/Odile, Shevchenko, is only cast for the the weekday matinee Swan Lakes, including on the 4th of July when most people are not looking to sit inside a theater all afternoon.

Overall very lovely Midsummer last night with Gerrity, Mejia (both debuts), and Schumacher, plus Fairchild and T. Angle in the Divertissement. This is the only Midsummer I've attended this season so I couldn't immediately compare to other casts. I wasn't so sure about Gerrity in the opening pas de deux with Chan; she seemed a bit tentative. But she really came to life in the scene when she dances with her group of tall ladies and then in the part with Bottom. Really beautiful lines, solid technique, delicate phrasing, and a lot of warmth in her characterization. The romance scene between her and Bottom is supposed to be silly and funny but I also find it very touching and moving, especially last night. I'm kind of on the fence as to whether Gerrity should be promoted, but either way she's a wonderful dancer who has had a fantastic season. Mejia (as Oberon) is always a thrilling dancer to watch, and it was nice to see him in an acting role. He doesn't have the delicate fairy quality of, say, Huxley, but I was more than happy to watch him tackle those tricky solos with his ultra-high jump and rock-solid turns. It was a successful debut IMO. Schumacher was fine, competent. His Puck was appropriately impish but did not have anything close to that otherworldly beauty you see with Harrison Ball's interpretation, which I was lucky to catch in 2019. He doesn't have the lines or the jump to give the character that extra wow-factor. But for someone new to this production, or someone with a less trained eye for ballet, I don't think they would have noticed anything missing. Isabella LaFreniere was excellent as Helena, which isn't a role that I've found particularly "moving" in the past. She made it so. And Peter Walker (as Demetrius) is a fantastic comic actor. Megan Fairchild and Tyler Angle made me tear up in the Divertissement. It was so nice to see her back. Ashley Hod was a very good Hippolyta but she did step out of one of the supported fouettés in the final wedding dance. It was a pretty noticeable mistake.

Wonderful performances last night, what a fun program and great way to start the weekend. Mejia was absolutely thrilling and I personally didn't notice anything glaringly sloppy. Not only is he a beast of a jumper but his turns are so controlled, especially how he slows down at the end of a long tours à la seconde series. He's still very young and can work on refinement over time. Four Seasons is a ballet where he can go full-on Basilio and it really works. Where Peck lacks in extensions she makes up for in her signature turns and speed. Takahashi is a real stand out and I assume we'll be seeing much more of him in the "jumping" rep. I'm thrilled to see Anthony Huxley in literally anything so seeing him in Piano Pieces AND Spring was a double treat. He and Hyltin are well matched in size and style, it's odd they haven't danced much together (Mozartiana but that might be it?). Last night was my first time seeing Emma von Enck in a featured role and I see why she's a big deal! She reminds me a bit of Megan Fairchild and I can see her taking on more virtuoso allegro roles (Divertimento, Raymonda, and La Source next season??) Agree that Mira Nadon totally sizzled in summer. She can light up a whole stage in a way that only the best of ballerinas are capable of. They have been using Aaron Sanz more this season, and his long lines were a nice match with Nadon's. All of the featured ladies in Piano Pieces -- LaFreniere, Woodward, and Phelan -- looked beautiful. The corps could use some work before fall though. Jacqueline Bologna and (I think) Baily Jones were very good in the pas de trois with Huxley. I'm not a big fan of the opening ensemble choreography in this piece but it picks up with the pas de deux.

Emilie Gerrity is debuting Titania next week so that might be a test for a possible promotion.

I hope Coppélia comes back soon -- makes for a great season closer and it's totally family friendly. I love how much virtuoso dancing it has in addition to all of the storytelling and "cute" moments. They last did it in NYC in spring 2018, I believe.

So thankful they chose someone with a deep appreciation for the classics. Classical productions are what ABT does best and the recent attempts to semi-rebrand the company with mediocre contemporary work has been a huge failure, in my opinion. I'm sure there will be new commissions but hopefully better-selected ones. The company needs to seriously rethink its strategy for the fall season because lackluster triple bills that barely sell tickets are clearly not working (putting on Giselle last fall was a good start, however).

Isabella LaFreniere is having a real star turn in Firebird, wow. Her performance last night was as good as any past principal's that I've seen, if not better --beautifully elegant and with such a powerful command of the stage. And very clearly articulated "bird" characterization. This woman is going places! ...Diamonds? Symphony in C second movement? I can totally see her doing more of the Kowroski and Mearns rep. The crowd really loved her. Emilie Gerrity was really lovely as the bride as well. Jared Angle returned to the stage after a lonnnng hiatus. His partnering skills were appreciated but I wonder how much longer he'll be on the roster? Symphony in Three Movements has been danced better, but this was a solid performance overall. I love this ballet. Major props to Ashley Laracey for filling in FOUR performances when she wasn't supposed to dance any of them. I love her dancing (particularly in more classical works) but this role is not a great fit for her. She doesn't have the attack, and sometimes she blended in too much with the rest of the cast. I kept my eye on Erica Pereira knowing that she's dancing Rubies soon. Rubies seems like an odd match for her but she was very good with this Stravinsky music and modernist style, so it may work. Scherzo Fantastique was nice but not particularly memorable. Peck really knows how to choreograph for Anthony Huxley's skills. There is one female corps member who is so out of shape right now it's distracting. I wonder if the company is being more lenient about these things? If I had one major problem with the evening it was the bizarre decision to put an intermission between Scherzo (only 14 minutes long, after a 5-minute orchestral performance) and Symphony in Three Movements. Should have been a pause.

As long as a story fits into a narrative of "changing the culture of ballet," the NYT seems eager to publish it. A big problem is when there are no actual injustices taking place, and the biggest newspaper in the United States is giving the story an inflated sense of gravitas by placing it smack on their homepage. Situations such as navigating a workplace where your younger brother is your boss, feeling discouraged because you are aging out of ballet repertoire and can no longer perform up to company standards, feeling hurt by a choreographer's comments, or getting mad that somebody else got "first cast" might be legitimate personal grievances, but they are not grave injustices worthy of New York Times coverage. The current dancers at NYCB have been looking spectacular this season but the NYT would rather spend their resources -- including sleek professionally shot portraits -- reporting on last year's workplace drama instead. Seems more suited to a gossip column. Clickbait indeed! Someone commented directly on the article that NYCB's "soap-opera of a workplace" as reported by the press gives them no desire to attend performances anymore. How depressing.

Some thoughts. This article does not shine a positive light on Abi at all, in my opinion. It sounds like she just couldn't accept that her performance abilities were declining. Other principal dancers got more roles because all of them were (or still are) better dancers overall. From my view, her weight was never the issue. Some particularly cringey points: Telling the NYT that she got mad at Jonathan for announcing his engagement on her birthday -- really? Telling the NYT that she was bitter when her younger siblings decided to pursue ballet because it was HER thing! Asking for $200,000 in compensation because Ratmansky held her to a high standard in his work, and her feelings were hurt This passage (emphasis added): "In an interview she said that she had grown frustrated after she asked Ms. Whelan to learn new roles, and was told she was not right for them. “The one thing that she said to me was that was really disturbing or upsetting was, she said, ‘We’re trying to do what’s right by the ballets.’” Ms. Lillo said she retorted, “What about the dancers?”" Disturbing or upsetting? This just sounds delusional. New York City Ballet is a ballet company obligated to put on performances of the highest quality. Of course it's about the ballets! All dancers should be treated with dignity and respect but at the end of the day, nobody is "entitled" to be casted when they aren't suited to the roles. Overall, yikes. This might be worse than the time Ashley Bouder complained to the NYT that Peter Martins gave Sterling Hyltin opening night of Sleeping Beauty instead of her. It shows poor judgement to talk to the press about certain internal or family disputes and not realize how incredibly petty the grievances sound to the outside world. All of this gives me even more appreciation for class-act dancers like Reichlen and Hyltin who are able to retire with grace while still in their primes. (Not that I want to see Hyltin go!!!!)

Last night's performance was one of those evenings when I walk out of the Lincoln Center plaza just so grateful to live in NYC and get to experience such wonderful choreography and dancing. What an excellent program; I wish more of them were this well curated. Before the show, when the announcer stated that Tiler Peck would be replaced in Divertimento no. 5 there was an audible audience grown, but I was thrilled to see Indiana Woodward in the role because she really knocked it out of the park. Such speed and crisp technique and charming stage presence -- so, so excited to see more of her in these virtuoso principal roles. I had never seen Peter Walker lead a classical piece and he was great -- really clean landings on the double tours. Management has been making good casting decisions lately, for the most part. Angle was better than I expected in Allegro Brillante; he did fine with the pirouettes and big assemblés. But yeah, time to move on from the white tight roles. Tiler Peck was brilliant as always but surprisingly didn't throw in any triple pirouettes in her solo. I wonder if Angle's casting was a last resort with Anthony Huxley out of commission. (Huxley has danced it with both Fairchild and Pereira, if I recall, and he's amazing in the role.) Ball would have been really good in this but it seems like he might be out commission right now too. Four Temperaments is one of my absolute favorites -- loved Danchig-Waring as Phlegmatic in particular. Bolden really impressed; he's definitely an up and comer. LeCrone was ok; I was disappointed to not see Nadon, who was originally supposed to dance last night.

I was also at the Saturday matinee and was blown away by Miller's expansive dancing. I used to find her dancing a little stiff but she's grown a lot as an artist. In Goldberg Variations, LaFreniere showed that she can fully handle (and further grow into) the Mearns/Kowrowski/Reichlen rep. My favorites were Woodward and Hyltin though. Woodward is really peaking in artistry right now, and her technique is on par with the very best at NYCB. It took me a couple years to fully appreciate Hyltin's talents but I'm savoring every second of her dancing while we have it! She has such a unique way of making everything look light and effortless. Will miss Ramasar as well; he looked great on Saturday.