canbelto

Actually I found this picture from the new production. It does seem to have a pineapple tree in the center!

Robert Fairchild's interview addresses the Peter issue: NYTimes interview:

It wasn't always so. I actually remember the first time I saw Mr. B's Nut. It was maybe 15 years ago? It was a rather dire performance. Yvonne Borree was having one of her bad nights, two snowflakes fell, one dropped her snowball and the entire corps had to dance around the dropped snowball, I don't remember who did Candy Canes but I do remember him tripping over the hoop. I was like "this is it?" and stayed away from Nut for years. I moved away from NYC for a few years. When I returned I bought a ticket to Nutcracker and it was a totally different experience. I remember it was Wendy as SPF. I was astonished at how much tighter and neater the whole performance was.

Kyra Nichols.

And if you want vintage footage, here's Allegra Kent:

You can familiarize yourself with the Balanchine Waltz of the Flowers as there are several YT clips:

I saw Kleber Rebello when he was in NY. Such a tiny but powerful dynamo, as was Natalie Arja. I had kind of wished that MCB's new production in the second act would have more of a South Florida tropic decor. That would have set it apart and given the well-known Balanchine production a local flavor.

I wish Marcelo would put out a statement to his fans. He doesn't have to say exactly what happened, but as he has one of the most loyal fanbases in ballet a simple statement of appreciation/explanation would be appreciated.

Cristian how were the performances of the leads? I know MCB's roster has undergone some reshuffling in the past few years.

Sterling Baca is now the leading man at Pennsylvania Ballet and I doubt Corella would release him to guest at ABT.

I was there for last night's Nutcracker. I was dismayed to see that Adrian Danchig-Waring seems still very much on his way to recovery after such a long injury. His dancing was slow and leaden. The snow corps also had a few bloopers, and in general no one was IMO dancing at 100%. A few exceptions: Savannah Lowery randomly pulled off a very good Coffee, and even did those bent leg pirouettes in the finale. Erica Pereira's Marzipan was great, maybe the best I saw all season. Danny Ulbricht's Candy Canes were wonderful -- so fast that I think he did 14 single hoop jumps instead of the usual 12.

Gomes has been removed from the ABT website.

Best: Justin Peck's The Times Are Racing. I'm one of those that loved this sneaker ballet, and I thought it got the NYCB crowd worked up like no other. The best: the tap duet between Justin Peck and Robbie Fairchild and/or Ashly Isaacs. Prodigal Son with Tess Reichlen and Daniel Ulbricht. My god it was great. It sizzled and chilled and was all the things you'd ever want this ballet to be. Tiler Peck in Allegro Brillante. She just seems to grow more and more brilliant in the role every time she dances it. Sterling Hyltin as the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula. Good to see that this Danilova/Allegra Kent/Wendy role has found such a worthy heir. Also Hyltin in Sleeping Beauty. Such a lovely, poetic, sweet portrayal of Aurora. Mariinsky's La Bayadere - the performance I caught (Tereshkina, Kim, Matvienko) was heaven. Superjewels - really interesting to see the three different companies take on the different sections. Sarah Lane's Giselle - the sincerity and beauty of her performance was unforgettable Diana Vishneva's farewell in Onegin. It was sad that it was a farewell, but what a performance by her and Marcelo Gomes. Tony Yazbeck's tap dancing performance in "The Right Girl" in the otherwise dreadful Prince of Broadway. David Hallberg returning to the stage. Worst: Whipped Cream - I found it to be entirely charmless except for the costumes and designs. Veronika Part's sudden dismissal from ABT and the rushed, awkward "farewell" for her. Troy Schumacher's What The Wind Brings - I actually can't believe I sat through that. Some of the "nuggets" dug up by the Here/Now festival that really did not need a revisit. The pall of sexual misconduct that hangs over NYC's two biggest ballet companies -- Peter Martins for NYCB and Gomes' sudden resignation from ABT.

I think this also goes to show how social media in some ways is as tightly controlled of an image maker as the old-time Hollywood publicists. Judging by social media, there was no person more beloved in ballet than Marcelo Gomes. Just recently Veronika Part made a public instagram posting saying how much affection she had for him. And Gomes' posts were funny and charming and depicted a happy life with his boyfriend and pets. Obviously something happened 8 years ago of which we don't know the exact details, but suggest that there might be a dark side to Gomes' personality and character. Sad day for ballet.

I;m still in shock. I can't believe this would be the last time I'd ever see him on the Met stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epy1Cy5Ri78&t=125s

This is wonderful to see.

Hmm I think Gottlieb might be sort of referring to personal loyalty. Balanchine was personally loyal to a lot of people long after their professional association was over. Like Alexandra Danilova -- he might have said she was "too old" to dance for him but he did install her and other Ballet Russes dancers like Felia Doubravska at SAB. He lost interest in Allegra Kent after all those pregnancies and the personal problems but he also kept her on payroll even when she wasn't dancing because she was in dire financial straits. He willed many ballets to Tanny so she'd always be financially secure.

It sounds as if Marcelo voluntarily resigned rather than go through the investigation, so I am assuming the charges were very serious.

FWIW I saw the performances Gottlieb referred to and I agreed with him about the rather affected, stiff presentation of the Paris Opera Ballet. I was also stunned at how many iconic details they altered or changed, including the "clock" arabesque in the Mimi Paul walking duet. This is what I wrote: http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2017/07/superjewels.html

Wow. I'm stunned. I can't even imagine ABT without him. And he had a reputation as the ultimate company dancer, beloved by all.

Yes he is. He was very taken with her and wrote about her in his review of Superjewels: http://observer.com/2017/07/jewels-lincoln-center-review/ I love how much institutional memory he has about the company. I don't always agree with him but I always respect his erudition and passion for dance.

I totally am. It's definitely my own record. I'm "justifying" it by saying that I didn't go to Nutcracker Rouge or anything else really in December so ...

How were Sterling and Adrian? I'm seeing them on December 23.

I saw Isaac's SPF two years ago and she came to grief in those pique turns-to-arabesque-penchee. She sort of pitched forward on each one and had to be pulled back to prevent a disaster. She's a good dancer in the right roles but her SPF was definitely lacking in magic. Part of it I think is her stage persona is so straightforward -- like a sunny cheerleader. I wanted to see her Dewdrop this year but she cancelled the performance I had tickets to and Megan Lecrone went on instead.

How were Isaacs and Suozzi (making his debut)?