JuliaJ

I had a similar take on last night's performance to what's described above. Trenary was undeniably the centerpiece of the evening; her Aurora was excellent and as good as Lane's was. I found Lane more graceful and elegant overall but enjoyed the way that Trenary punctuated her movements. She had a bright, youthful energy that made her entirely convincing as Aurora. Also, she was able to hold her last few Rose Adagio balances impressively long. Brisé volés are unfortunately one of the only steps that allow men (Desiré and Bluebird) to show off bravura dancing in this production, and neither Gorak nor Shayer did them with much height or finesse. Cornejo (duh) and Hoven were much better at the other show I attended. I thought Abrera looked fine in the Lilac Fairy solo if not 100% in control. Her miming and acting were strong throughout. Other dancers of note: the "Jewels" fairies were good, with Paris subbing for Shevchanko. The other three, Giangaruso, Waski, and Stephanie Williams, were very much in sync, more so than the dancers on Tuesday. Catherine Hurlin looked great as the "pointing" fairy in the prologue. I do like this production but I hope that overtime Ratmansky will be open to revising some of the less palatable elements -- remove some of the drawn-out miming scenes and cut some fairy-tale characters, and maybe add another solo for Desiré? (Wishful thinking, for sure). I don't mind the 19th-century stylized dancing so much; the show just needs to be condensed. NYCB's production may be less sophisticated in some ways but at least it's action-packed and under 3 hours.

I don't have anything to add about Lane and Cornejo other than to say they were a dream, with stellar technique, artistry, and character embodiment. The cast of secondary roles was excellent last night as well, with standouts including Shevchanko, Devon Teuscher as the Diamond Fairy (so crisp and musical!), Skyler Brandt as the canary fairy in yellow in the prologue (perfect match of dancer to choreography), and Katherine Williams as Princess Florine. This was my first time seeing the Ratmansky Sleeping Beauty and I went in expecting it to be a lot less conventional than it was. Overall I really enjoyed it, both as entertainment and as a unique look into dance history. Other than the stylistic differences in the choreography it isn't radically different from NYCB's. I loved the fast, musical footwork -- faster than you usually see at ABT -- and the repeated motif of legs in attitude. There were plenty of legs above 90 degrees. The one thing I really didn't like was the chainé turns on demi-pointe -- didn't add anything to the aesthetic and just looked awkward. I liked the knee-length dresses and thought they "breathed" well on the dancers; I just wish there was a more cohesive color palette overall in Acts I and III. I would also trim a few things for length... notably the mime-centric spinning-wheel scene, the peasants in the beginning of Act II, and probably a couple fairy-tale characters (Cinderella, the guy with the giant head with all of the kids...). Having sooo many wedding guests made the bows at the end of the show go on forever, when all you wanted to see was Lane and Cornejo come out with the audience still there.

Tonight's performance (Teuscher / Bell) was a bit of a mixed bag. Having seen the absolutely mind-blowing Shevchanko show on Tuesday and knowing that couldn't possibly be beat, I still tried to go in with an open mind. First off, Bell was excellent, especially considering he's such a young and inexperienced corps member!!! His jumps were high, his dancing was expansive, and he was a very good partner. He landed his double tours in perfect 5th in the Act III coda. Towards the end of Act I he seemed to lose his center a little in the sequence where Siegfried does a series of attitude-to-pirouettes around the stage (some minor stumbling), but that was the only flaw I noticed in his dancing. His dramatic acting needs work, but I think he has the potential to be a great dance-actor with time and practice. He certainly brought out the naive boyishness in the character whereas Whiteside, on Tuesday, seemed to channel his drag-queen alter-ego at times (and I mean that in the best of ways). As for Teuscher, I didn't care for her Odette. Her presentation felt flat and, as many have said, her lower torso and legs don't have the right flexibility for this role. Part of it is really just her anatomy and nothing that she's doing wrong. She had some truly beautiful moments though -- she's at her best when turning, and I thought her phrasing with the diagonal with piqué and chainé turns was lovely. But overall, whereas Shevchenko completely lit up the stage by articulating absolutely every motion down to the smallest wrist movement, Teuscher just kind of did the steps at times. That said, she was MUCH better as the black swan with strong, stable fouettés (so many triples and doubles thrown in) and was convincingly seductive and coquettish. She is a fantastic technician and I think she does have charisma in the right roles, just not so much as Odette. Jose Sebastian was OK as Rothbart -- not nearly as good as Royal the other night in the acting department (nor the dancing for that matter). He did the arabesque, and his first few jumps were really good, but the evil and "sliminess" didn't really come across after his initial entrance. While Royal was funny throughout and looked like a total sleaze seducing the princesses, Sebastian didn't have that effect at all. Then he seemed to tire out at the end of his solo. The PDT tonight was Melanie Hamrick, Stephanie Williams, and Royal. I thought Hamrick was much better than Williams, who did fine but looked a little sloppy and didn't have even close to the pinprick precision of Brandt the other night. Royal's leaps were beautiful as always but he had some problematic landings to his pirouettes and especially the double tours.

I thought Shevchenko was perfection tonight, down to the tiniest little gestures. Her white swan was breathtaking. Her fouettes in Le Corsaire two weeks ago may have been cleaner (flawless, in fact), but the turns a la seconde she threw in tonight were shockingly impressive. Personally I've never seen a better swan than what I saw tonight. Whiteside was a superb partner and solo dancer, with very high jumps. I didn't notice any mishaps at all. Brandt/Trenary/Gorak were fantastic in the pas de trois, especially Brandt. I'm not sure if Swan Lake always gets this much applause but this audience was ecstatic throughout the whole show. Shevchenko got three bouquets of flowers, including one that someone threw onto the stage during curtain calls. It's a mystery why she only gets this Tuesday night show. This was my first time seeing this production as an attentive ballet goer and my god are parts of it bad. Why does every woman who isn't a swan (or in the PDT) have to wear a big heavy dress that hides her legs? Where is the bravura jester that's supposed to be in Act I????? Why are the "guest" dances in the beginning of Act III so forgettable? What's with the maypole (that inevitably gets tangled)?

Lane and Cornejo tore the house down last night, especially Lane, who danced immaculately and fully embodied Manon's transformations from act 1, to 2, to the finale. She also looked gorgeous, with her very dark hair bringing out the "femme fatale" in the character. As many have said, Lane and Cornejo have great chemistry and their pas de deuxs were genuinely steamy. I've seen bigger dancing from Cornejo before -- you can tell he may not be 100% after his injury, as his jumps were quite low, and arabesque balances didn't always seem totally secure -- but thank god he was able to be up there with Lane this week. He brought a real sense of innocence and romance to the role; you could buy how he would be easily swept away by Manon, then heartbroken in act 2, and ultimately ruined by infatuation. Hoven was hilarious in the drunk scene. Trenary did not particularly stand out as the mistress, although her comic acting in the drunk pas de deux was strong. The audience was very enthusiastic last night, especially at the end, with a big standing ovation.

I thought the show was close to perfect last night, even without Simkin. This was my first time seeing the show and I absolutely LOVED it despite expectations. Yes, it's all spectacle over substance but that's clearly the point, isn't it? I appreciated just how much pure dancing there was vs. in a mime-heavy ballet. IMO the orientalism (and romanticization of harems and slavery) is so obviously rooted in fantasy -- and a very historic genre of fantasy -- that it's barely "offensive" in context. There's also some beautiful choreography here despite the showiness of it all, and the music, while not Tschaikovsky, is nonetheless danceable and catchy. Shevchenko was so, so beautiful and technically flawless as Medora -- her long, willowy limbs and port de bras have a real Russian ballerina quality to them. Her fouttés -- lots of doubles and triples(?) thrown in, and so much speed! -- were maybe the best I've ever seen, in person or on YouTube. She is an exceptional turner -- she kept adding extra rotations, even to the turns à la seconde en dedans, and landing them seamlessly. Trenary, who is another one of my favorite dancers, was superb as Gulnare... she has a sharp, speedy quality to her dancing that makes me wonder how she'd look in Balanchine choreography. As for the men, Mack is a strong, athletic jumper with lots of acrobatic-looking tricks up his sleeve and has a wonderful stage presence (makes you not really care about his unrefined feet). His partnering was so solid -- I couldn't believe how fast he turned Shevchenko around in the supported pirouettes. Ahn did a very fine job as Ali. He has high, gorgeous leaps and got lots of applause for pulling off the hard jumps. The only place where I think he fumbled (and barely noticeable if you haven't watched other dancers do it) was in the turns à la seconde with the pirouettes in plié in between (I don't recall him bending the supporting leg at all). The only thing I felt was lacking in his performance was a better sense of characterization, but he can work on that. He certainly has the bravura technique to be a male asset to the company. Special shoutouts to Strayer, as Birbanto, and Bell, as Lankendem, for their excellent dancing, acting, and energy. Bell is so technically strong -- he got so much applause for his center-split jumps (not sure what they're called); I'm excited to see him in Swan Lake in two weeks. Anyway, for those who wanted to attend on Saturday just for Simkin, I assure you the rest of this cast is worth seeing!

I was at today's matinee too and it was excellent, basically flawless. I wasn't sure what to expect from Miriam Miller but I thought her dancing was beautiful (especially her extensions) and comic acting was strong. Gordon was everything you would want him to be. Ball, as Puck, revealed once again what a wonderful performer he is on top of his technical virtuosity. Fairchild and T. Angle were stunning in the divertissement -- I got teary eyed! Also loved Woodward as the main butterfly and LeCrone as Hippolyta. This is such a beautiful production overall, NYCB at its finest. I've been enjoying ABT as well but their productions just don't carry the same emotional weight for me.

I didn't hear any squeaky shoes on Bouder at today's matinee either; then again Stars and Stripes has loud music. She was really phenomenal -- I can't imagine how anybody could do this part better. Precise, accented steps and phrasing, and ultra-fast turns. This has to be one of her finest roles. Ball was excellent as well and smiled more than he usually does. Overall there was a lot of brilliant, high-energy dancing today -- Hoxha as the male soloist in Stars and Stripes, wow! Such clean, "fluttering" footwork and technique. Ulbright and Pereira blew everyone away in Tarantella. Veyette and Reichlen subbed for Angle and Kowroski in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue today. Even though Veyette is past his prime, his Hoofer was solid -- the role requires strong acting skills, and he was funny and charming. Reichlen was good as Striptease Girl but a little flat. For someone with such long legs, her extensions lacked the wow factor of Kowroski's and Mearns'. I enjoyed The Times are Racing but the central pas de deux (with Stanley and Applebaum) just didn't have the steaminess and intensity of Tiler Peck and Ramasar when I first saw this last year.

Really wonderful performance of the Ratmansky program last night -- what a great mix of pieces in one program, from folky to Petipa-inspired. I loved everything about the Seasons except for the clashing color palette of the costumes (bright red and lime green look horrible together). Winter was especially gorgeous and impeccably danced, with the Ball/Seo/Williams/Hurlin/Paris cast. On the Dnieper was lovely. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed the drama and distinctive "Russianness" of it all. I appreciate how well it conveys the story in such a short time, with particularly effective use of a "chorus" of corps dancers. Overall it was Hurlin who stole the show, as Olga in On the Dnieper and then in Winter. She has the whole package: technique, speed, energy, long lines, and fluid upper-body movements. She would make a great swan. The house was far from sold out but it was quite full (especially the orchestra) and had a lot of energy.

I don't find its existence necessarily unjustified. But these stories (very one-sided and lacking in nuance IMO) have dominated coverage on NYCB in the Times lately with little positive -- or even neutral -- coverage to balance it out. I like Macauley's post from earlier today:

It's such a bizarre article... it's as if Seibert genuinely wants to write a legitimate review of the performance but keeps having to stop himself because he's supposed to be writing a preachy op-ed. Transitioning from talking about Huxley... "A beautiful dancer who has trouble projecting, he could use some of Mr. Ramasar’s un-self-conscious gusto. Or that’s the sort of comparison I would usually make. Instead, this article must be about Mr. Ramasar’s homecoming and the response of his fans, their bravos and standing ovations. Those who were disturbed or disgusted — I spoke with some afterward — were quiet or drowned out or absent."

I find it ironic and troubling that the person whose photos Ramasar DID share is mostly left out of these conversations. The NYT loves to talk about the women in the company are supposedly “shocked” by his return; the paper chooses not to acknowledge that plenty of company members are probably pleased to have him back – including his girlfriend, who has every right to forgive him if she wants to! And this line about Mearns just wreaks of judgement: “And yet there was Ms. Mearns, one of City Ballet’s biggest stars, a woman who once dated Mr. Ramasar, there by his side, seeming, at least implicitly, to endorse him.” I love the Times but I’m getting so, so sick of these extremely one-sided, moralistic, agenda-driven articles in the dance section.

I do too, but I'm SO glad I got to see Mearns in this tonight. She and Tyler Angle totally lit up the stage and so much energy, charisma, and personality. (I'm not sure how Kowroski would have done with the lightning-fast choreography?) I thought this was the best part of the show, with Brahms-Schoenberg being the more enjoyable piece on the program overall -- Emily Kikta really shined in the first movement, and Anthony Huxley had the same clean technique and expansive jumps as always in the third. (Pereira, on the other hand, seemed to struggle in this part, especially in the adagio sections -- and I normally like her dancing.) Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 had some high moments.... la Cour surprised me with a stronger-than-usual performance in the first movement with Mearns (in the recent past I've found him distractingly bad). Laracey and Pazcoguin both looked beautiful in the second and thirds, respectively. I think Pazcoguin screwed up some leaps but it didn't even matter. Unfortunately there were some issues scattered throughout the program. First of all, Jared Angle is at this point embarrassingly out of shape. By normal-person standards he looks fine, but onstage next to other dancers he looks legitimately fat now. The silky pink shirt in Tschaikovsky sure doesn't help. When I saw him on the casting sheet I assumed these roles (two of them in one night!) might be partnering-only, but no. He had to grand jeté, and it was uncomfortable to watch. I don't understand why he's still cast at this point. Clearly other men can do the hard partnering in this program, as both roles have different casts for other performances. Theme and Variations was a little sloppy. Fairchild's solos were strong but the partnering with Garcia was lackluster. Garcia's double tours were better than I thought they would be, but he lacked sharpness and charisma. The corps was often out of sync... Megan LeCrone evidently stepped in for one of the demi-soloists (I'm guessing last minute) and was dancing a count ahead of everyone else at times. It was still a good night at the ballet, but I really wanted a more jaw-dropping finale than what Theme's cast delivered (at least we got it with Brahms).

I did not see the performance last night, but I had a similar experience seeing Tanowitz's work for the first time at Martha Graham at the Joyce a few weeks ago. I had high expectations after reading all the hype about her in the press (the ballet world being so desperate for good female choreographers), but I found the piece boring and disjointed.

I thought Mearns was on fire last night. I was also surprised to read that self-deprecating Instagram story. I thought everyone danced wonderfully throughout the whole evening -- the whole cast of Pictures at an Exhibition, Veyette in Oltremare, and Ulbright and Stanley in Rodeo were particular standouts. Pollack was great standing in for Tiler Peck. Oltremare is undeniably not on the same level as the other pieces on the program (some of the ensemble moments in particular were laughably bad), but the excellent dancing -- especially Kowroski's elastic-like extensions in the acrobatic partnering -- still made it enjoyable.

^ Agree with the above take on the program. Leaves are Fading, Ave Maria, and Valse Triste -- the three pieces in which Osipova was on point -- were the most enjoyable by far and showcased why she's a star. Valse Triste was especially beautiful. These pieces were worth the ticket. I DO like contemporary dance and still found Flutter, In Absentia, and Six Years Later hard to sit through, although the last one had some interesting and admirable parts, choreography-wise (and good music). Flutter reminded me of something you might see at a student-choreographed high-school or college dance concert. In Absentia did little to showcase Hallberg's talents.

Ever since the Martins resignation the NYT arts section seems really set on making the company (and ballet as an art form) look bad. They must be super proud of such "investigative" journalism in an area where performance reviews are supposed to be the norm. I enjoy the reviews the rare times they're published, and even the puff pieces, but almost every article seems to have some kind of moralistic, social-justice-related agenda. Who knows how much the writer of the article cherry-picked quotes from her interviews with Bouder and Stafford to achieve maximum Martins-smearing. I actually prefer reading Alastair Macauley's more informal musings on Instagram.

Echoing others in emphasizing how great the Woodward/Huxley performance was. After seeing this show twice this season, I actually love this production for its speediness, gorgeous visuals, and total lack of drawn-out mime sequences. I enjoyed it even more last night than on Sunday, with the Bouder/Garcia cast, even though Bouder was technically stronger as Aurora after over a decade of experience (her rose adagio balances were jaw-dropping, and the fish dives had more "snap" to them). I preferred Woodward in the vision scene though. Huxley may not be all that princely but I'd gladly see him in leading-man roles over pretty much every other man in the company. All of his landings were light and seamless. I think Megan LeCrone did as good of a Lilac Fairy as she's capable of, but she's simply not right for the part (unlike Lauren King, who's perfect for the role). Strong technique though. And shoutout to Harrison Ball for technical perfection as Gold. I really hope he gets promoted to principal soon.

I was at tonight's performance. Bouder was stellar... in the Rose Adagio, she held the last few balances for an insanely long time and made it all look so easy. She tripled a few of the pirouettes. Fish dives in the final pas de deux were daring. Garcia was a perfectly competent prince, but I found him somewhat bland and his jumps looked (and sounded) rather heavy. He still manages to land most double tours cleanly in 5th position though. Partnering was solid, even if I wasn't convinced that these people were actually in love. Despite a few mishaps, it was a good night at the ballet. King was a fabulous Lilac Fairy -- lovely port de bras and lots of warmth. Phelan really stood out as Courage and later as Emerald. Sanz (subbing for Walker) looked great as Gold with lovely lines and high jump, despite stumbling out of a pirouette towards the end of the turns à la seconde sequence. Hoxha and Adams had some major partnering problems in the Bluebird/Florine part. Two times, if I remember correctly, he couldn't manage to spin her around, and the mistakes clearly threw both of them off because they finished the sequence long before they were supposed to, took bows, and then scrambled to strike the final poses and bow again with the correct music queue. Individually, though, both were excellent and "bird-like" as the roles required. Hoxha's footwork is really clean and precise -- Anthony Huxley-esque -- and his jumps looked weightless.

Re: yesterday's matinee -- agree with most of the comments above. Reichlen at least looked very nice in the adagio sequences. And her jumps and turns were mostly good. The chainés looked slow compared to the fast piano music, though. She mostly looked most "off" in the fast footwork sequences -- I couldn't always tell if the choreography was supposed to look slightly awkward, per Balanchine playing with convention, or if it was her butchering the steps. The mostly passionless demeanor didn't help the performance either. But Angle proved that he's still got it. LeCrone was great but she does struggle with making her face look warm and inviting from afar. I tried to overlook this though because it isn't entirely her fault. I loved the over-the-top sparkle of the costumes. Overall, it was a great program. Lovette did a nice job in Serenade but could have brought in more drama. I also noticed that one botched pirouette. Loved Gerrity as well and agree that she's principal material -- she's good in a wide variety of roles, I've noticed, from classical to modern and contemporary. Nice to see her get so many debuts. Bouder was fabulous as expected. And Mozartiana looked so seamless and effortless with Huxley and Hyltin compared to the last time I saw it, last spring, with Mearns and Finlay and Ashley Hod's terrible onstage fall (although I thought Schumacher was better in that performance than he was yesterday).

I think Tyler still dances well. He was energetic and had a high jump as the Second Movement guy in Symphony in C this past fall. He does get cast a lot though and looks a bit out of shape. Jared seems to primarily do partnering-only roles these days. I'm mostly concerned about Ask la Cour still performing. He doesn't even move around the stage gracefully, let alone jump or turn well.

Gorgeous Nutcracker last night with Phelan / Gordon / Woodward. Woodward is a natural Dewdrop... she has the spark and personality, plus musicality and perfectly executed turns that reminded me of Tiler Peck. She was the highlight of the evening. Phelan was a very admirable Sugar Plum Fairy, if not an ideal one. She has beautiful extensions for the role but could use more warmth and airiness in her steps. Gordon nailed all of the tricks and was a great partner -- there was a moment in the promenade sequence when I thought Phelan might not make the unsupported balance at the end, but she ended up pulling it off. Other highlights: Harrison Ball as Candy Cane, Sebastian Villarini-Velez as tea (those jumps!), Lydia Wellington who stepped in (unannounced) for Georgina Pazgoguin in Hot Chocolate, Athan Sporek as the little prince (he is destined for greatness), and the perfectly in-sync Polichinelle child dancers. Agreed with whoever said that Megan LeCrone is a mediocre Coffee. She was the only disappointment of the evening, though, and she wasn't even that bad.

Very bizarre casting change... Teuscher and Ball are now dancing on the Friday night that Hallberg and Murphy were scheduled for... now Hallberg is dancing with Copeland on Saturday 6/29.

I didn't think tonight was so bad... I really enjoyed Scotch Symphony and thought SF Ballet's dancing was overall the best of the evening, despite the fall. This piece was the only one on the program that didn't make me think about how much NYCB does it better. Kimin Kim is a superhuman and his jumps in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux had the whole audience gasping. Tereshkina was NOT right for that part though. Maybe she was having a bad night but her style is nothing like the musicality and crispness that Tiler Peck and Ashley Bouder bring to the role... so what if they don't kick as high. And there's something odd and unpretty about Tereshkina's arm movements. Four Temperaments is one of my favorite ballets and I think Joffrey did an admirable job, if not a great one. I wasn't really going into this one with high hopes to be honest. How can you top or even compare to NYCB in this? I liked the guy in Melancholic but, again, the lack of energy of the woman dancing Sanguinic made me really miss NYCB dancers. Overall it was nice to see all of these companies all in one program, and at a much closer distance than at Lincoln Center.

I loved last night's performance... the Lang and Dorrance pieces were nothing special choreography-wise, but they were very well danced and had great energy -- especially the Dorrance piece, which got a ton of applause. The ballet-tap fusion doesn't really work well and the dancers don't quite have the versatility to pull it off, but I still found the performance enjoyable. In the Upper Room was literally epic and I love seeing ABT dance this well outside of their normal element, mixing so many styles. I can see why it might not be for everyone but I thought it was a real masterpiece. It had me in a trance from start to finish. I live for dancing like this. The house was packed last night, which was nice to see considering the poor performance in ticket sales this season.