canbelto

One thing I've always been irked about is how the term "ballet body" is used to describe a certain type of extremely thin, leggy dancer. For instance, Maria Kowroski is a perfect example -- I heard over and over again how she had the best "ballet body" because of her legs and feet. But she herself has said many times that her super-long legs, arched feet, and flexible back made her prone to injuries. So "ballet body" is being used just to describe a certain aesthetic.

In addition to negative comments being triggering, I'll say from experience that positive comments could also be triggering. For instance, I've had times in my life when I was subsisting on almost no food, and all I got were compliments for how "great" I looked. All that told me was that starving myself was a prerequisite to "looking great."

On 10/20/2021 at 4:12 PM, Balletwannabe said:

I just realized that if the kid vaccine is approved soon, 5 weeks is still early December (two shots three weeks apart plus two weeks after second shot)... Perhaps NYCB and other venues will be able to open their Nutcracker to vaccinated kids.  That would certainly help ticket sales!

Younger audience members are allowed in with a negative PCR test:

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New York City Ballet announced Thursday it would limit its cast to performers 12 and older as part of safety protocols for its 47-show run of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” which opens the day after Thanksgiving and ends in January. Children under 12 will still be allowed in the audience, though they will have to provide negative virus test results.

On 10/16/2021 at 12:51 AM, cubanmiamiboy said:

Ok....so I guess no NYC for me for a while. This is not the best time to return anyhow....

I'll wait.

Masks and vaccines are required for MCB too ...

4 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

I'm talking about what history has taught us about pandemics...Half of adults don't get the flu vaccine.  Can't force people.   

Actually, you can. All NYCB dancers either got vaccinated or faced dismissal. My workplace has a mandated vaccine too -- those who didn't got taken off payroll immediately.

Well it's never going to end if people are selfish and don't get vaccinated ...

Another person I saw in the audience was Zach Catazaro. Lots of alumni and former members of NYCB.

I saw Heather Watts with Damian in the lobby. She was there, as was Eddie Villela. Ashley Bouder wasn't there but she might be rather immobile from her injury. I also saw Gillian Murphy in the lobby.

I wrote up a little appreciation of the retiring dancers of NYCB:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2021/10/nycb-waves-goodbye-and-says-welcome-back.html

Curtain call for Maria:

I think I saw Merrill Ashley too.

Lauren King got a solo bow at the end of LA Valse.

Some farewell tributes to Lauren King:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVGBYkGggMb/?utm_medium=copy_link

Well Tiler is amazing in Other Dances and she and Roman often dance together. I'm looking forward to it.

Reichlen used to always do it, Miriam Miller has done it, Rebecca Krohn used to do it a lot.

Back to NYCB -- got an email for Nutcracker tickets and uh ... sticker shock. Fourth Ring tickets START at $89. 

I actually have seen farewells where the body language between the AD and the retiree was so frosty that it would have been better not to show up. Veronika Part's was like that. Abi might have requested their absence.

I'm lucky that I'm a teacher and thus always carry a big shoulder bag full of school stuff. It's the perfect place to stuff a drink and sandwich which I eat at the fountain before the show.

Abi Stafford also made comments about how she didn't feel happy with the new regime in this Dance Magazine article:

https://www.dancemagazine.com/abi-stafford-anxiety-2647826840.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

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As NYCB underwent leadership transitions during the last few years and the culture among the dancers shifted, I had developed new feelings of anxiety. Some dancers felt more emboldened to ask for roles they wanted, envisioning exciting career possibilities. Others quietly wished casting choices would remain the same and sensed a more uncertain path. With my brother as artistic director, workplace dynamics collided with my personal life. Casting disappointments jabbed me painfully, and it became hard to find a corner in the theater where my soul felt safe.

When Abi retired, Jon and Wendy did not come out and give her the traditional flowers. Jon and Wendy did do so for both Ask and Lauren, which makes me think Abi's retirement might not have been very cordial behind the scenes.

There was also this with Julian Mackay's brother directing:

Harrison Coll did great in Chaconne! All that tricky partnering was handled with aplomb. As for the Chaconne, IMO it isn't Sara's role. She's not ethereal enough. 

Megan Fairchild was actually really good in Rotunda.

I took some video of Ask's final curtain call:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CU1Urw8Aqgw/?utm_medium=copy_link

Lauren might have a practical reason for leaving: her bf Julian Kay dances for San Francisco.

Ask la Cour had a lovely farewell tonight. He and Tess were great in Monumentum and Movements. 

On nycballet's website she had this to say. She has glowing things to say about Martins:

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Who has been an important influence or inspiration to you as a performer?

The largest inspiration and mentor of my career would have to have been Peter Martins. His guidance and mentorship throughout my performance career as well as his being the first champion of my choreographic journey will live with me for the rest of my time in this industry.

What are your favorite roles to perform onstage?

My favorite roles that I have had the honor of performing on this stage have been Jerome Robbins’ The Cage and Dances at a Gathering (Pink girl); George Balanchine’s Rubies, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (2nd Movement), and Liebeslieder Walzer; and Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse à Grand Vitesse and This Bitter Earth.

Was there a pivotal moment in your career that helped shape who you are today?

A pivotal moment in my career was the year that my boss Peter Martin’s promoted me to principal dancer in 2015, and asked me to choreograph my first ballet for the Company in the same year. I had just undergone some really challenging personal heartbreaks, and needed surgery on my ankle that I couldn’t put off any longer… Peter promoted me two weeks after my surgery while I was still hobbling around on crutches, and something about that belief gave me the absolutely necessary courage to keep moving forward with my life. Dance has been a career, yes, but it has also been my family for almost 10 years now, and for that I hold such deep gratitude for this institution, art form, and audience.

What are you looking forward to about this next phase in your life/career?

I am most looking forward to traveling and fighting my own beliefs about what I am capable of achieving. I look forward to learning how to push myself further as both a performer and a choreographer by taking on projects that push my personal, physical, and mental limits. I love meeting artists and have started my own non-profit to keep pushing the artform forward in ways that feel personal and deeply honest for me. I work with a production company now and am thrilled to be able to have a hand in not just the final product onstage, but every step of the process on the way to that curtain rising.

Do you have any special words of wisdom or helpful hints to share with dancers who are either new to the art form or to the Company?

My words of wisdom for the generation that is coming in new to this artform is to remember that your path is your own, and its twists and turns create a pattern as unique as your own fingerprint. The truth that you carry within your bones is where your dance originates… It is the answer to every nervous show, stressful rehearsal, disappointing casting sheet, and heartbreak in the field. We all have something to dance about inside of us and that is why I have absolutely loved and continue to love what I do…

Now pointe your feet!

 

I did notice that whether by design or not, she was cast less and less when Jon and Wendy came onboard. Now, she had a bunch of choreography projects and whatnot, but she didn't actually dance much.