JuliaJ

Songs of Bukovina was my favorite part of last night's performance -- I'm officially a Shevchenko fan now. I actually didn't notice the apparent fall in Symphonie Concertante, which I thought was danced overall well, if not nearly up to par with NYCB's Balanchine dancing. Boylston, Shevchenko and Hoven certainly pulled off the difficult technical elements. The first two pieces were well worth the ticket. Afterrite was just alright; I enjoyed it more in the spring, and I think the dancers probably did too, because I remember them looking more vibrant. The piece also felt more lackluster this time following Balanchine and (not-Firebird) Ratmansky. I definitely don't need to see it for a third time. The theater wasn't TERRIBLY empty -- the orchestra section looked rather full -- but it seemed like everyone sitting near me was there with a comped ticket because they knew someone in the orchestra or otherwise involved with the performance. The company must have been giving away free tickets left and right to fill the empty seats.

I might be in the minority here, but I liked AfterRite in the spring... it's a shame that it seems to be bringing down ticket sales (I actually look forward to seeing it again!). The choreography is interesting, and that Stravinsky music never gets old. To be honest I preferred the piece to Ratmansky's Firebird, which was in the same program. Part of the problem is that it's sooooo off-brand for ABT (and ballet audiences generally do not go in expecting such dark subject matter). If NYCB or another more modernist-leaning company did it, I doubt the response would be as negative, let alone financially disastrous!

Pereira was a completely different dancer in Coppélia. Total principal material there. Her overall star quality might be lacking on other occasions but I still think she has some of the strongest technical ability in the company. Also a good actress.

Yes... they were stunning. I'm mostly unfamiliar with Ashton and I was able to appreciate him more watching Cornejo/Cojocaru last night than with Sarasota Ballet this summer. The staging was short and sweet; a few solos full of bravura tricks from Cornejo, and a small live orchestra onstage. Cojocaru has beautifully arched feet and she really brought out the choreography with her fast, light footwork. That piece, plus Petrushka with Tiler Peck/Lil Buck/Brooklyn Mack were the best parts of the evening. The latter updated the "petrushka" theme with juggalo-inspired makeup -- interesting fusion of classical and contemporary, with Tiler on pointe. As for Lil Buck, WOAH! I have never seen anybody move like that ... he manages to make his body look like a distorting digital graphic. Very surreal. The other two acts were blah... dancers were all talented and the break dance piece was fun to watch, but both lacked the sophistication and extra edge of the other two.

I saw last night's show too... the highlight for me was definitely Allegro Brillante, despite the obvious partnering issues mentioned above. The dancing for the rest of the evening was wonderful, but, yes, the program felt very long. I could have done without Easy (I actually enjoy Carousel, mostly because of the music and the interesting pas de deux). I had high hopes for La Sylphide but found it to be somewhat slow and lackluster overall... not because of Ashley Bouder, Anthony Huxley, or Harrison Ball's performances (they were great)... I'm not quite sure what it is that's missing about that piece, but I definitely wasn't feeling "moved" or hypnotized by the end.

I attended the All Balanchine show tonight... what a fabulous program! Highs: The corps in Concerto Barocco, not to mention Reichlen / Stafford / Janzen in the lead roles Harrison Ball's debut in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux -- such clean technique and high jumps! I hope to see him promoted to principal soon... no, he isn't tall but he's very "princely" in white tights and could help fill the current void The whole cast of Symphony in C, but especially Joseph Gordon, Tiler Peck, Indiana Woodward, and Sebastian VV. Very enthusiastic crowd tonight -- you could really feel the love and support for this company despite the recent drama. Lows: Ask La Cour. How is he even on the stage at all, let alone as a principal? His upper body totally lacks grace and fluidity; his arms seem to awkwardly flop around and overall he looks like he's just marking the choreography instead of actually dancing. He started out rough but looked totally exhausted by the end. I love Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Mearns/Hyltin/Stanley are all first-rate company members, but La Cour was really distracting. The male corps dancers were all fantastic and any one of them could have done the lead role better. I hate to say it but Maria Kowroski showed her age tonight... her adagio in Symphony in C had some issues; in the developpé à la seconde balance she almost fell over before Tyler Angle caught her. She's still a beautiful dancer but her performance looked more effortful than it probably should have.

I'm guessing that he's debuting Stravinsky Violin Concerto because Finlay is gone... the exact same cast performed last fall, with Finlay partnering Lovette (although it's not like they haven't had time to get somebody else up to speed, considering they were allegedly planning to fire Finlay anyway). It's possible that one of the three terminated dancers was originally supposed to dance Symphony in C as well.

I would think that the dancers are just as concerned about the company's public image as the company's directors and board members are. Whether or not some female dancers actually feel uncomfortable around Ramasar and Catazaro, nobody wants the company to be associated with accusations of rampant sexual misconduct. Cutting ties with the men named in Waterbury's case -- rightfully or not -- is obviously a PR move.

She's part of the student-run Columbia Ballet Collaborative: http://www.columbiaballetcollaborative.com/dancers.html

I think the media's choice of wording ("ballerina," "dancer") helps to further paint her as the perfect victim -- beautiful, white, Ivy League student, and only "19" as opposed to her real age, which we know from her Instagram is 20. Though I believe her claims and take them seriously, we're only getting her side of the story regarding the culture of NYCB, which we can assume that she's experienced mostly via her relationship with Finlay. I don't care what happens to him and the other culpable individuals, but, as others have said, I don't think it's fair to the other dancers in the company -- the women, gay men, and decent-human-being straight men -- for fans to stop attending performances and donating. I have multiple tickets for the 18-19 season and look forward to using every one of them. Anyway, I hope that NYCB can take the necessary steps to fix whatever institutional problems lie within, and to ultimately restore the public's favor.

Looks like Chase is no longer listed on DNA Models' website: http://www.dnamodels.com/div/men-main-board/?sid=63408/ (Catazaro is still there)

Tonight's show wasn't so great.... Arron Scott does not have the technical chops for the lead role -- his jumps have no height -- and the corps was very off in the opening scene. I would have loved to see Simkin or Cirio in this part. Cassandra Trenary and Calvin Royal were lovely as Praline and Coffee though... she nailed the fast footwork and his movements were more graceful and effortless than the other male dancers'. They both have wonderful stage presence. Teuscher was good as Tea Flower but didn't seem 100%. Loved Forster in his small role as the guy in brown with the mustache. Everything came together well for the finale but for much of the performance I did not feel like I was watching a "world-class" ballet company. And this music really isn't great for dance... I guess Ratmansky made the best of it?

They're still doing Liebeslider the last week of the Winter season: https://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/SubscriptionDocuments/4055-FY19-WinterCalendar_V09.pdf

To be fair, I did see Misty perform pull off lovely fouettés -- albeit only around 3 of them in the sequence -- in Christopher Wheeldon's "Thirteen Diversions" last fall... there were four lead women fouttéing in the finale, and only Sarah Lane was slightly out of sync with the others. Misty is much better suited for contemporary pieces than the technically rigorous classics that ABT is known for. I loved her in Afterrite.

I saw them on Wednesday... thought they were great together. Hallberg is a more graceful dancer than Boylston, but she really nailed the acting elements. Musically, I thought she was better in the Act III opening pas de deux than in the balcony scene. This was my first time seeing this production -- aside from the balcony scene snippet with Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel in "Center Stage" -- so I don't have much frame of reference, but I couldn't see much to criticize. The audience sure was into them. If anything, Jeffrey Cirio and Calvin Royal were a bit "off" as Mercutio and Benvolio in Act I, but Cirio came back with full force in Act II with ultra-precise, high jumping sequences.

I can't say anything about the quality of the production, as I haven't seen it, but I find that ABT generally draws in a less sophisticated ballet-going crowd than NYCB... that is, people there more for spectacle than substance. Every time I've attended an ABT performance, there's be at least one of the following completely inappropriate distractions: a crying baby or otherwise loud child, people talking, texting, etc. And, as others have stated, the Met is not a good venue for more "intimate" productions. The stage is just too far away from most of the seats to feel fully absorbed.

I went to the matinee yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by Pereira. I've never been blown away by her before, but in Coppelia her classical technique and stage presence were excellent... really great projection and command of the stage. I think this role was perfect for her. Huxley was also excellent in his technical ability and artistry... his traveling jumps and overall precision are insane, despite a couple of slightly awkward landings in the double tours. Swanilda's friends were mostly good and in sync; one pair seemed consistently "off" though. Loved Woodward, King, and Gerrity in the waltz/dawn/prayer solos. Overall was really impressed by the quality of staging and storytelling as well... unlike some other story ballets, the plot was easy to follow -- it almost felt like a silent film, especially in Act II.