FPF

It looks like they did finally send out an email about the cancellation late yesterday morning, along with a plea for donations. THANK YOU for supporting the New York City Ballet at SPAC! Dear Friend, Tonight will be the glorious close of one of our most exciting New York City Ballet residencies in recent memory. As you know, yesterday we took the very difficult, but important, decision to cancel today’s matinee due to the extreme heat conditions and concern for the health of artists and patrons. As the matinee was one of our most heavily-sold performances, the negative financial impact on this year’s residency will be considerable. Would you please consider donating your matinee tickets – or making a direct contribution to “HEAT FUND” – to help us offset the loss on today’s performance? Here’s how you can help: Donate your tickets for today’s performance as a contribution to SPAC here Make a gift online today

Congratulations to them!

As per Ashley Bouder's instagram, the gala program has been changed so that she and Joseph Gordon can do the Coppelia wedding pas de deux.

Yes, Lovette was Waltz Girl, Le Crone was Dark Angel, and Pereira was Russian Girl. Yes, I've been wondering if the cancelled performance and refunds will somehow be spun as NYCB not bringing in enough money. I also find it very discouraging that Sobel can't even convincingly pretend to like ballet for two minutes on opening night. This should not be difficult. I saw the notice by chance when I went to the SPAC website. No email.

Thank you CTballetfan--I don't have real-life ballet friends, so it's really a pleasure to have this forum to discuss what we all see. I totally agree with your assessment of Megan--she has really developed star quality. A few years ago, Huxley really wowed me on an opening night Square Dance with Ashley Bouder and he's been a favorite of mine since then. I'm really happy to that he's not getting only the short guy/jumping bean roles. Also, I forgot to mention Kennard Henson in my earlier post--he had some amazing split jumps as the acrobat automaton in Act 2 last night---he really wowed the audience--I don't think I've seen that role make that much of an impression before. And I hadn't realized it, but last night was Andrew Veyette's debut as Dr. Coppelius. Just wanted to clarify that she didn't say anything negative about the ballet, it's just obvious that she really doesn't have anything to say. Her speech was something about how (innovation? renaissance? excitement?--I can't remember) was throughout the area, from Caffe Lena to Skidmore to Yaddo to... to here at SPAC. And to the New York City Ballet. Which has new leadership in Jon Stafford and Wendy Whelan. The end. The previous AD, who I was not a huge fan of, would have probably had Jon and Wendy come out and make some brief remarks, and would have said something about NYCB and the current season and how wonderful the evening's program was going to be. Also, since I didn't post them earlier, here are the last of the promo videos: I can't believe that we are down this year to only 6 performances.

Tomorrow afternoon's Coppelia has been cancelled. This is the first time I can recall NYCB being cancelled at SPAC due to weather. https://spac.org/event/new-york-city-ballet-8/ https://www.news10.com/news/nyc-ballets-saturday-matinee-performance-cancelled-due-to-hot-weather/

I was pretty wiped out from the heat and late night on Tuesday, so I decided to skip Wednesday night and do a ballet double-header yesterday. The matinee was the same Balanchine Tschaikovsky program as on Tuesday night and with the same cast. The weather was thankfully quite a bit cooler and there was a bit of a breeze, so it was much more pleasant. I sat downstairs this time thanks to a very nice woman who gave me her extra ticket. This peformance looked to have sold very well, and this time, they did announce the cast substation before the start of the program. I thought Serenade was better this time--I enjoyed all three women (Le Crone, Pereira, Lovette) and Chamblee was much smoother. And I can confirm that Lauren Lovette was the blonde--it looks like the roots are still dark, but when she pulls it down, it looks very blond. I found the theme and variations in Mozartiana a bit of slog, although I couldn't say what was different in between the performances--sometimes I think that the matinee is better because you can see more, but I think the darker theater does help you to focus. Lydia Wellington was looking very good in the Menuet quartet. Finally, Teresa Reichlen gets my vote again as MVP--this performance of Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 was just as good as the Tuesday night performance and received a huge and loud ovation from the crowd.. Russell Janzen and Lauren King were also excellent, once again. I also particularly noticed Alec Knight as one of the demis. I came back last night for the first of the three Copppelias. Swanilda was Megan Fairchild, Fritz was Anthony Huxley, and Dr. Coppelius was Andrew Veyette. I've seen this a number of times over the past 30 years, and last night's performance definitely ranks as one of the best I've seen. Megan and Anthony were absolutely on fire, particularly in the wedding pas de deux. Veyette was an unusually spry Coppelius. Baily Jones substituted for Sarah Villwock in the Waltz of the Golden Hours--she was great and the kids were both professional and adorable. Lauren King was wonderful as Dawn--she is so sunny and glowing. Emily Gerrity did very well in Prayer. Although she was otherwise very good, Sara Adams had a very visibly fumbled step in Spinner. I may be in the minority here, but I love Discord and War and Unity Phelan and Spartak Hoxha were wonderful. I've said it before, but the wedding pas de deux was just brilliantly danced. On the whole, a great night at the ballet. This performance also seemed to have sold well and the audience was extremely appreciative. I'm probably skipping tonight, although I'm kind of tempted to see Huxley and Fairchild again. I'd also really like to see the Bouder/ Gordon cast , but the heat/humidity tomorrow is supposed to be brutal. Ditto for the gala.

Last night was a very hot and sticky one at the ballet, so kudos to the dancers for doing a great job in the oppressive weather. There were some improvements to the facility over the summer--most notably, newer, crisper screens for the lawn viewers (although I don't know how the performance projections were because I sat inside) and new railings on the ramps leading into the amphitheater. The performance began with some trite remarks by SPAC Director Liz Sobel, who I saw leave via the parking lot as the first chords of Serenade we're playing. This is the second year in a row I've seen her do that--clearly she is not a dance enthusiast. Although there were cast changes, as mentioned by cobweb, there were no announcements. The opener was Serenade. Although this is a favorite ballet and I enjoyed it, I don't think it was a particularly great performance. Leads were Megan Le Crone, Lauren Lovette, Erica Pereira, Ask La Cour, and Preston Chamblee.Preston Chamblee seemed to get Megan Le Crone's skirt tangled up when supporting her as Dark Angel. I was very confused during the performance trying to figure out who/where Lauren Lovette was or if she'd also been substituted, but I think she's dyed her hair blond. For me, Erica Pereira was the standout--she's always had technique, but she has been developing more of a stage presence in the past few years, and I really enjoyed her performance here. Also, this was, I think, my first time seeing the refurbished costumes with the yellow panels--not a great look. Next up was Mozartiana with Sara Mearns, Tyler Angle, and Daniel Ulbricht. Tyler's performance here reminded me of his great work in Bournonville Variations a few summers ago--he still can do the fast, precise footwork in addition to being a skilled partner. I don't think this is an ideal role for Sara, but she did a fine job. Daniel was excellent in the Gigue. Last was Tschaikovsky Piano Concert No. 2. I've seen this many times before and I can't say whether it was the best performance, but it was definitely my all-time favorite. This was also my first time seeing the new costumes and I thought they were lovely. From my seat in the balcony, the bodices didn't look overly heavy and the men's dark blue tights didn't get lost in the background, and there wasn't too much sparkle. My thoughts were that perhaps the lighting has been improved to better show them off. Or perhaps one's position in the audience affects the contrast--from above, the legs appear more again the rear of the stage floor than against the blue backdrop. As far as the performance, Teresa Reichlen was absolutely wonderful--the music seemed at times to be emanating from her feet. Just gorgeous! Russell Janzen was her partner. Lauren King was joyous and vivacious in the second female principal role. All in all, an enjoyable night at the ballet. I don't think I've ever been as uncomfortable in the heat and humidity before there. Thankfully, the dancers handled it well.

Some more Magic of SPAC videos with NYCB:

I saw my first WTF performance of the summer a couple of weekends ago--a great performance of A Raisin In the Sun, directed by Robert O'Hara. I'd read the play many years ago as a teenager, but had never seen it before. There were a few unexpected updates. First, although the father is already dead when the play begins, his ghost was played by an uncredited actor. Although it made his influence on the family more overt, I'm not convinced that It really added anything. Second, there is a monolog by Walter that he delivers straight to the audience under a spotlight, rather than to the other cast members. According to the NYT, he was holding a program from the show to berate the (mostly white, upper-class) audience members--from where I sat in the rear orchestra, I had no idea that he was doing that. The last and most controversial change was that, at the very end, after the family moves out, the son turns off the lights and the set of the Younger's living room is pulled back. A scrim showing a little yellow house drops down with the boy standing in front of it. And then the N-word is projected onto it in red graffiti. It was really shocking and affecting. When I first thought about it, I wondered if it was in keeping with the author's vision, which I thought was more hopeful about the family's future. But then I also realized that the play was not subtle about the fact that there might be trouble if a black family moved into a white neighborhood, and that it was really driving this point home. On the whole, it was a very powerful production, with great performances all around, especially those of S. Epatha Merkerson as Lena Younger and Francois Battiste as Walter Younger.

SPAC has started to release this year's promotional videos counting down to the NYCB season on its youtube channel. The first two are choreographed by Emily Kikta and Lauren Lovette. Here they are:

You can use promo code JULY4 to get 25% off NYCB opening night (7/16) tickets at SPAC. Promo code expires 11:59 pm July 7th.

Do you think his Apollo is worth attending the gala for? I'll probably see Principia on the Wed. night performance and have little interest in seeing This Bitter Earth again.

I'm catching up on my Sunday NY Times and noticed a review (by Helen Shaw) of a new memoir by Bettijane Sills (former NYCB soloist, now a professor at SUNY-Purchase) with Elizabeth McPherson in the Book Review. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/books/review/balanchine-cunningham-dance.html From the review: "The moment the polite little book tips accidentally into nightmare comes halfway through. Having already been reprimanded for weight gain, Sills is called into Balanchine’s office, and he takes her hand, squeezing her fingers. 'When I asked what he was doing,' she writes, 'he reminded me of the story of Hansel and Gretel. Did I remember the old witch who in order to tell whether the children were plump enough for eating, would squeeze their fingers every day?' Get out, I thought. But she danced for that witch for 10 more years."

Since there were a bunch of promotions (7) this past October, maybe they will wait? I don't think NYCB always announces promotions at the end of the spring season.

I would say that I'm neutral. I don't plan on avoiding a program just because he's cast. But I also wouldn't go out of my way to see him.

Yes, this is exactly what I meant.

What really annoyed me in that NYT article was this: "As a dancer, Mr. Ramasar gives even imperiousness a boyish innocence that defangs it, or used to. On Saturday, bounding joyfully in his old manner as if nothing had changed, his technique seemingly in good shape, Mr. Ramasar looked more than a little clueless." Although he had been one of my favorite dancers, I am really not excited to see Ramasar at SPAC this summer (although I probably won't avoid him either). But it's ridiculous to say that having been cast in the role that he should not have been conveying joy. What is he expected to do on stage that would satisfy this criticism? And I'm also more than a bit tired of this scandal being brought up continually.

This might be older than you want (and maybe trashier) but there's Ballerina by Edward Stewart. https://www.amazon.com/Ballerina-Novel-Edward-Stewart-ebook/dp/B00I3TJIFI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= There's also White Swan, Black Swan (a short-story collection) by Adrianne Sharp. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O1O7L2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3 She also seems to have written a couple of other ballet-focused novels: The Sleeping Beauty (also published as First Love): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594481989/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i2 True Memoirs of Little K: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312610718/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1 If you search Amazon for ballet and novel (or mystery or thriller), it seems that there are many possibilities. You said that you're not really interested in YA, but there's Bunheads by Sophie Flack, which I think is YA. She wrote after being laid off from NYCB and I believe that it is largely based on her experience in the company. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316126543/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0

NYT article by Macaulay on Suzanne Farrell coaching Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns in Diamonds: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/arts/dance/suzanne-farrell-new-york-city-ballet.html

This is a truly heartwarming story. Congratulations to her!

The website says that they last did it 30 seasons ago.

It looks like there are some very interesting things coming up next year.I'm particularly looking forward to the Haieff Divertimento, which I've never seen, as well as the Sylvia PDD, which I've only seen on tape. I'm also really looking forward to the new Ratmansky, whatever it is. I think that the press release that Leah linked to is the only thing currently posted.

Yes to both. From an old Chicago Tribune article (edited to add: actually originally from the Washington Post) : https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-03-13-0303130071-story.html Perhaps Nilas Martins' life was too easy. Shortly after he became an apprentice with the Royal Danish Ballet, he was fired, he says, for "taking things for granted, in a sense." The company director insisted that he train somewhere else, England perhaps, but Martins didn't want to leave home. The 17-year-old had nowhere else to go -- except his father's house. Unlike his father, Nilas Martins didn't find quick acceptance at NYCB. The fast, aggressive technique Balanchine had bequeathed to his dancers was a drastic change from the lyrical Danish style, and Nilas spent two years at the School of American Ballet, NYCB's training arm, mastering the fundamentals.

Andre Eglevesky Jeroen Hofmans Jeppe Mydtskov Ivan Nagy Otto Neubert Ulrik Wivel Erlends Ziemench