gallerina

I’m at tonight’s performance as well, and agree regarding Laracey—as someone mentioned upthread, she looks tense and out of her element. It might be emphasized by her efforts to fit the choreography, but she looks a little frail to me, especially next to Taylor Stanley and Emilie Gerrity.

It also looked like Lauren Lovette's leotard had a hole in the seam near the hip (right above the skirt) during Stravinsky Violin Concerto! And I thought Sarah Villwock looked distractingly thin in Serenade this winter, so was sorry to still feel that way into the first weeks of the spring season. I'm with you 100% on the smugness, too—that's exactly what I meant.

I agree that Huxley/Hyltin were perfection in Scotch—Sterling is so wonderful in that sort of role, and I think her partnership with Huxley is my current favorite. Mira Nadon was lovely in the corps—I'd really hoped to see her reprise her workshop role and was waiting for Week 5 casting in case of a debut, but Ashley Laracey will be debuting that and Stravinsky instead that week. Mary Thomas MacKinnon looked lovely, and Alston MacGill, whom I haven't seen in many featured roles, was bright, charismatic, and brought a huge jump that matched the two featured men. There was another slip in Scotch last night from the corps, but I'm not sure who it was from. I found Valse lovely, and thought Indiana Woodward balanced the strength required for the role stamina-wise with some lovely delicate port de bras—I thought Harrison Ball was good, but he didn't seem to connect with Woodward in the way that she seemed open to. It was a little more "inward" of a performance where a little more connection felt welcome. Taylor Stanley is pure magic, and I enjoyed Megan Fairchild much more in last night's performance than I did in T&V last week. She posted on her Instagram about dedicating the performance to Andrei Kramarevsky, former SAB faculty member and company class teacher who passed away in his sleep on Tuesday night, and their performance did feel imbued with something special. I hadn't seen Stravinsky Violin Concerto since the performance in which Adrian DW was injured, and it was a pleasure to see it back in full force. In the opening, I thought I'd be frustrated by Lauren Lovette's smiley-ness, but she did a really lovely and lyrical job with the role, and she and Joseph Gordon make a lovely pair. I enjoyed Sara's performance in the group sections, but find I miss watching Maria Kowroski in the pas, and though Sanz seems like he has really been stepping up, I wanted to see another cast or old videos to see if some of his epaulment and carriage of his hands/fingers were intentional. His performance, with regard to those details, felt very stylized in a way that I hadn't noticed when watching others in the part. A lot of standouts from the corps groups in Stravinsky last night, too—Laine Habony, Emily Kitka, Miriam Miller, and Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara all caught my eye.

@abatt, Alastair Macaulay posted in his Instagram post about the performance that her tutu developed a tear during the adagio.

Jonothan Stafford and Wendy Whelan spoke again before last night's performance, with Stafford introducing Whelan once more. Whelan's speech was well structured (Jon and I shared this stage for 20 years, but rarely together—the Stravinsky girl/Balanchine boy line—so excited to be exploring a new partnership. Maintain Balanchine and Robbins, and City Ballet's history of cultivating new choreographic talent, etc.) but both were rehearsed and to the point. I'm still trying to decide how I feel about "Bright." It was short, fresh, and lively, but I didn't love the music, and felt like I could have used a little more to grab onto in terms of understanding the piece (Peck commented in the Playbill article that it is about people coming and going into our lives, which didn't read to me). I thought the costumes were beautiful but didn't love the open gray stage/background, especially for a cast of only six dancers. Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen did a lovely job, and, based off of Mearns Instagram comments, returning to the piece that Peck first used for her for Fall for Dance in 2013 was an emotional and rewarding experience. I'd listened to the music for Bartok Ballet (thank you to @DC Export, the playlists are wonderful and so helpful!), and was intrigued to see what Tanowitz would do with such a complex piece of music. I didn't have the same negative response that some others on the board had, but I wished I'd seen more of Pam Tanowitz' work so that I had a better understanding of how this piece fits within her oeuvre. Though I was intrigued by many of its component parts (Indiana Woodward, all four men in the piece (Daniel Applebaum, Kennard Henson, Devin Alberda, and Jonothan Fahoury, the mazurka-esque group section, the use of the proscenium/the back of the stage/the wings, etc.), the piece was long and didn't quite come together for me. I enjoyed the gender neutrality of the costumes (leotards with black and gold shimmering tunic-esque tops transition into bright gold)—pointe shoes are the only distinguisher between the male and female costumes—and after looking at the pictures of the costumes NYCB posted to Instagram with Gretchen Smith and sitting up high with a great perspective of the entire theater, it was fascinating to think about how they referenced the space. In terms of choreography, it was very grounded compared to anything I can recall seeing at NYCB, and the choreography had some very staunch anti-balletic elements (a relaxed arm at the dancer's side in turns, most notably, but arms behind the dancer's head, too). Even though it didn't fully come together for me, I was impressed by Tanowitz's ability to revisit motifs and evoke them through subtle references to their previous use. I appreciated the legibility of the piece's presentation (in terms of structure and presentation), which, especially upon viewing the piece for a second time, might allow me to dig into the choreography a bit more. I believe this is Tanowitz's first time incorporating pointe work, but I thought it worked well with the piece. Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 was a lovely way to round out the evening. Tess Reichlen and Adrian Danchig-Waring were beautiful in the Elegie, though the corps of that section felt the least unified to me. I was impressed by Ashley Laracey and Erica Pereira (who has been looking absolutely fantastic recently, and historically wasn't someone I'd go out of my way to see) in the second and third sections (respectively). Megan Fairchild and Gonzalo Garcia's culminating T&V wasn't as majestic as it can be. I thought Fairchild did a nice job, but it didn't have the sharpness or fluidity that make that role so magical to me. In particular, the moments where she taps the box of her shoe in some of the low lifts really stuck out to me—I honestly thought she'd put her foot down or tripped. Like Abatt said, Garcia just didn't look as clean as De Luz did in this sort of role, and it wasn't my favorite last night. Lydia Wellington was one of the demi-soloists, and I was curious when I saw the demi-soloist roster for T&V, but she and Gretchen Smith (who also looked great in Bartok) were lovely.

Now Megan LeCrone is back to back (pause indicated, not an intermission) in Hallelujah Junction and Herman Schmerman—I guess she'll have the first section to recover, but that feels like a difficult program!

@nanushka, thank you! That is the post I was trying to cite—I'm sorry for the incorrect link!

He posted what I've linked below, and one post prior to that, soon after the decision was made this fall. The first did not seem to express the level of understanding the second did (I'm sorry I can't figure out how to make the post embed!) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn1VElYAjUE/

A article in Dance Magazine just now publishes the AGMA statement that both Ramasar and Catazaro were offered reinstatement, and while Catazaro declined, Ramasar will be re-joining and undergoing counseling on the standards for his conduct. The article is here: https://www.dancemagazine.com/zachary-catazaro-amar-ramasar-firing-determined-wrongful-2635059461.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 and the tweet with Ramasar's decision, from Michael Cooper of the Times, is below. https://twitter.com/coopnytimes/status/1119257641593769985

I loved reading Miami City Ballet dancer's accounts of learning the Paul Taylor Episodes solo--there's a bit in an episode of Conversations on Dance in an interview with Eric Trope where he mentions that the dancers who learned the Episodes solo from Peter Frame were trying to get together to record and compile their notes and memories of the rehearsal process. I believe Ariel Rose (who recently choreographed a piece that was dedicated to Peter Frame for the students of Ballet Academy East), Eric Trope, Jovani Furlan, Neil Marshall, and I believe, according to the comments that were made, two others all learned it. I hope they've had the chance to do so. I'm hoping that Taylor Stanley is cast, and would be interested to see someone like Harrison Coll in the role as well. Article from Eric Trope on the rehearsal process with Frame: https://blog.conversationsondancepod.com/2018/09/18/remembering-my-time-with-peter-frame/ (I believe the MCB site has an interview with Furlan about the process at the time, as well)

I just wanted to thank California and nanushka for the advice—I received my copy of More Balanchine Variations on Saturday, and was so thrilled for the additional reading material. Thanks to everyone who gave more context for Liebeslieder, too.

She posted this yesterday, working on Symphony in C finale! https://www.instagram.com/p/Buz4P38A6Ed/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I feel like Erica Pereira and Brittany Pollack are cast quite often, as is Indiana Woodward (I'm hoping she will be promoted soon, though I have no idea if and when new leadership will decide to make roster adjustments).

Abby Jayne DeAngelo is a PNB apprentice--also a "barn baby." I had a VHS of Children with a Dream growing up, and it made such an impact on me in terms of understanding the importance of a solid technical foundation. I'd love to see if it is available on the PBS website or online anywhere while I'm thinking about CPYB and MDW's legacy.

I've been wondering about what will happen with the roster, too, though I don't have the experience of years of watching the company that I know much of this board does! I have been thinking about what might happen if a whole group of partners of taller dancers move along--Maria Kowroski and Tess Reichlen, in addition to Unity Phelan, Miriam Miller, Isabelle LaFreniere, and more all need taller men, but even watching Sara Mearns in Diamonds with Joseph Gordon, I wanted to see her with a slightly taller partner. Silas Farley, Peter Walker, and Aaron Sanz all seem like the right height, but I can't see them taking over with Kowroski or Reichlen all the time. I've also been wondering about Megan Lecrone, too--from everything I've read about her, it seemed like Peter Martins was a big fan of hers, and I wouldn't have expected a lot of debuts that have come her way this year (Sugarplum, Lilac, Hermann Scherman, etc.). The line from the Kourlas piece about friends casting friends made me wonder who she had in mind. Plus, even though Lecrone's dancing in no way reminds me of Whelan's, I think they sometimes get labeled the same way as dancers with comments on angularity and that sort of thing. I wasn't around to watch the beginning of Whelan's career, but lots of things I read comment on her work with Christopher Wheeldon opening up a real softness in her dancing, and I don't think that has happened (or that it will) with Lecrone. That might be very off base, but I have wondered about the roles Lecrone has been in and what she'll do going forward.