sunshine67

There are two more performance remaining for the New Jersey Ballet Nutcracker.

December 12th at 2pm & 6pm at the Levoy in Millville, NJ.

Maria Kowroski is our new Artistic Director.

Tickets are available at https://levoy.net/event/new-jersey-ballets-nutcracker/

On 9/27/2021 at 1:22 PM, ABT Fan said:

Casting has been announced.

Brandt, Teuscher and Hurlin get debuts as Clara. Teuscher is an unlikely choice imo. Full circle for Hurlin, pretty cool in fact. Surprised that Trenary isn't included, but maybe she has other holiday plans. No Copeland.

https://www.abt.org/performances/the-nutcracker/

So wish I could see this!  I remember Catherine Hurlin as a young Clara.  Enjoy, California!

14 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Yes, it is such a great showcase for multiple dancers, not to mention just beautiful. With multiple dancers and multiple casts of up-and-coming dancers, I would be there multiple nights. Come on, NYCB, the audience would much rather see this than Slaughter on 10th Ave!

One of my favorite ballet for so many reasons.  Circling back to Isabella LeFreniere and Laine Habony .  SAB performed Divertimento No. 15 for Workshop and both dancers were in the ballet.  Habony was a principal cast in Divert- I believe Tani LeClecq's spot  (and Tiler Peck) and LeFreniere was the lead in Walpurgisnacht Ballet.  Let's bring those dancers and Mimi Staker back for those ballets.  I was at those performances because one of my students  and I did have such high hopes for both of those dancers!  Both LaFreniere and Habony were the only two new corps members in Snow and Flowers that same Nutcracker season.  And I can remember Habony has been through in ballet after ballet - learned Concerto Barocco from a video according to IG and on stage in an hour.  It seems with Maria's retirement there will be more opportunities for LaFreniere.  But I believe Habony could also do those same roles.  She is not as tall but she is not a short girl, either.   Her classical training would do well for those tall girl roles.  Regardless, I want to see someone new at NYCB and I do not mean these younger corps dancers.  I want to see LaFreniere, Habony, Bologna, Staker, Claire Von Enck, Olivia Boisson in principal roles (all SAB Workshop featured dancers).  I do love Emma VonEnck and Mira Nadon but I am still heartbroken for those dancers who were lost in the transition years.  I cannot imagine forgoing other opportunities to commit my life to NYCB to only be passed over during by the transition team.   What a toll on their spirit.  As a teacher, I have seen dancers lose heart.  It is hard to give your heart on stage when you are repeating Snow and Flowers year after year.  Come on NYCB ... give us the 'lost generation' please.

On 12/14/2019 at 1:22 PM, Helene said:

Love him or hate him or anything in between,

• His contract was just extended through 2026-27
• The Met just announced that Sara Mearns and tenor Piero Pretti (replacing Vittorio Grigolo) would be performing in "La Traviata" in 2020.

I'm combining my bests in this thread:

(rest of post)

Thank you for sharing this list!  This is amazing!

54 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

I wouldn't mind if they danced in all their balding glory, frankly, but it should be their choice. If they're more comfortable dancing with toupees, they should by all means do so. I just hope they don't feel pressure from the company, or their peers, or the world at large to wear them. They may view their toupees much as some ballerinas (or opera singers) view pinned on hairpieces or wigs: part of the costume—and that's fine too.

Personally, I'd like to see a more relaxed approach to on-stage hairstyles in general, and wouldn't mind a few beards in the bargain. 

Bald can be very sexy!  But with some makeup on the head to reduce the shine!

22 hours ago, nanushka said:

That fits with the other switches next week. I’m guessing Pereira ended up rehearsing with that cast.

I have tickets for next Saturday's performance of Serenade with the other cast.  I missed Gerrity performing last go around so I am very excited to see her in the second cast.  There were only 4 shows and two casts this season, so only two casts.  I do believe Gerrity will bring so much more than LeCrone can deliver.  I spent more than 10 years as a dance sponsor in the Chautauqua Institute (summers) and Serenade was staged by Patti McBride.  I was privileged to see Isabella LeFrienerre perform the Waltz Girl and Laine Habony perform the Russian Girl - and they were incredible performances for such young woman (15 years old).  I hope those two are understudying those roles at NYCB and we will see them both get the opportunity one day.  It seemed Martins had both of those dancers on that trajectory before the fall out and believe they were both being groomed for great things from a young start.

12 hours ago, cobweb said:

I'm hoping for the best with MacKinnon's debut in Tchaikovsky PC #2, but it's not clear to me why she was chosen for such an exposed, big opportunity. She often looks effortful and doesn't seem to enjoy herself onstage. Seeing her as one of the four corps in Valse-Fantaisie a couple of times over the past week, all of the other three seem to be more obvious choices for a big opportunity, based on fleetness and crispness of dancing, as well as projecting a radiant joyfulness: Emma von Enck, Alston Macgill, and Kristen Segin. 

I agree.  I was able to catch last Friday night and it was painful to watch MacKinnons expressions all through Symphony in C.  I don’t find the technique there, as well.  I was also able to see the Sunday matinee and Valse Fantasisie was just lovely.  I plan on catching that with Indiana Woodard and am so excited.  

On 9/15/2019 at 11:25 AM, sohalia said:

I finished listening to all three episodes today, and I am very excited for this podcast and the content we will get out of it. Silas Farley has THE perfect voice for this role, he's so soothing yet captivating. I could have listened to him go on and on for hours. I could hear in his voice the passion and enthusiasm he has for ballet and its history, so it truly was delightful to listen to him. I can't wait for more of it, and to also hear from Whelan and Litton.

What a fantastic initiative! I love the direction NYCB seems to be taking right now with outreach and social media, with these new podcasts and the live Instagram video of the DGV rehearsal... Now bring back Devin Alberda's backstage photographs, and I'm going to be the most happy camper and NYCB fan ever.

Agree on all points - especially Devin's photographs!

On 9/3/2019 at 4:02 PM, Leah said:

Indiana Woodward is not cast at all in the first week. I was hoping she’d debut in the Verdy role in Emeralds since Tiler Peck is out. She did post an Instagram story recently in Urgent Care, so hopefully nothing’s wrong. I’m glad to see Mira Nadon getting two debuts, especially one as the tall girl in Rubies! Kretzschmar was awful last year IMO so it’s good to see Nadon getting a crack at it. 

I agree on Indiana - it would be a great role for her!  And yes, Claire was not good in rubies.  Emily Kitka is fantastic and I am sure Mira will be great.   Laine Habony would have been a great choice for Rubies.  She has been doing demi's for Diamonds for years.  It's time to see her cast in a more featured role.  

On 4/18/2019 at 8:38 AM, Leah said:

I see that Western Symphony only has 3 couples listed. I know that NYC ballet doesn’t usually include the third movement. The only full performance I’ve seen of the piece is the MCB version on YouTube which does the complete version.

How does NYCB treat the finale when the four couples come out? Is the choreography modified for just the three couples or does some random couple come out of nowhere at the end?

 

 

The Third Movement is treated as a run on.  The both male/female role is performed by a corp member - usually a stepping stone.  Last time NYCB had WS on the rep Harrison Coll and Laine Habony were the 3rd Mov runs ons.  They basically jumped in pre-finale and in the finale.  They were adorable!  And obviously Harrison Coll has jumped up as soloist!  Hopefully we will see more of Laine Habony this season.  I missed the Gala last night but I saw in video clips she was on Megan's right hand in Theme and Variations.

On 3/4/2019 at 11:31 AM, CTballetfan said:

Thank you, ABT fan, this is good news. Sounds like she has had to work hard and overcome obstacles to get back in shape. I remember it took Maria Kowroski awhile to return to top form after pregnancy, and she has been doing star turns lately. 

I am excited for the spring season and have just purchased a ticket to yet another performance to add to my spring series. I hope the new artistic team will continue to emphasize the Balanchine classics and the great Robbins ballets going forward. I love them and, to be mercenary, they sell the most seats, which enables the company to offer new choreography, some of which takes time to build a following and other new pieces which strike out. 

It looks like NYCB heard your request! - 31 out of 39 performance days will include Balanchine! https://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/0054-FY19-Marketing-SpringCalendarRefresh-v03.pdf

On 3/3/2019 at 2:26 PM, vipa said:

I had the pleasure of watching the NYCB career of Wehdy Whelan's start to finish. I remember a point at which she was cast in pretty much everything. but there came a time when I thought she was perhaps on a decline, then Wheeldon came along and there was a burst of creativity in her dancing that never went away. Towards the end, I agreed with the Martins assessment that she no longer looked her best in some roles. I guess what I mean is that careers can be complicated. When it's time for Whelan to take an older dancer out of a role, I'm sure she will do it with compassion but she will have to do it.

Well said.  And yes, I believe Whelan will be quite gracious transitioning LeCrone and other dancers.  Martins was slow to do this to his favorites (and LeCrone was one of his favorites) - as much as I love Darci, there were too many times she was 'mismatched' with a younger man and it was off-setting. 

On 3/7/2019 at 3:58 PM, BalanchineFan said:

g Georgina returned from injury last fall to premiereThe Runaway. To some acclaim. I’d hate to see anyone forced out but change is bound to come. 

I think Georgina is on-fire in her artistry right now.  She is so strong.  She is like half the company - capable of SO much more than she was given a chance to do.  And then add injuries/surgery.  I hope we thats changed and we see more of her in the Spring.

On 3/7/2019 at 7:43 PM, BalanchineFan said:

After Amar danced, the woman next to me said rather loudly, “well, I was wondering how I would feel seeing him onstage. It’s official: I miss him.” 

I concur. I went for Amar. Faux Pas’ take on the evening is a fair one, but I expected college student dancers and I don’t hold that or Michele Wiles’ age and body shape against her. It was in the press release. They are well trained and prepared college students.

I went for Amar and I plan to be there again if he dances anywhere in the greater NYC area. I love his dancing and he looked great. 

I also was fortunate to see Amar and I miss watching him dance.  I wish, as the elder, he would have spoken up and nipped that texting situation in the bud as a leader.  Hopefully he will return to the states full-time soon and we will all be the luckier for it!

On 3/7/2019 at 8:39 AM, DC Export said:

Casting has been posted: https://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/Casting/NYCB-Casting-Washington-DC-April-2-7-2019_3-06-19.pdf

 

Lots of debuts (Phelen in "In the Night" and "Kammermusik") and the return of Megan Fairchild!

So excited to see Megan return.  Becoming a mother (of a gorgeous baby girl!!) is going to impact her artistry, no doubt!  It will be exciting as she was already a full-scale performer.

On 12/4/2018 at 11:14 AM, gallerina said:

I saw the Saturday night (12/1) Peck/Gordon Sugar Plum PDD, with Erica Pereira replacing Tess Reichlen as Dew Drop. Reichlen is still listed as performing tonight's Dew and SPF on the 14th, so my fingers are crossed that she is not injured. The other announced casting change was that Emma von Enck replaced Lily Frances Cosgrove as Harlequin in the party scene. As balanchinette mentioned, there were a few mishaps--though they were not quite as egregious as it seems they were opening night! In the battle scene, Marie's shoe missed the mouse king, and while he (Farley) still jumped and pointed at it on the floor, the action was missed by my non-balletgoing friend who was at the Nutcracker for the first time. Besides that, Tenzin Niles and Ines Gout were delightful--I missed Niles' prince last year, but saw his pantomime on the NYT Speaking in Dance feature, and he is just as princely and lyrical as he seems both in last year's video and in this fall's NYT feature on the two princes. 

Tiler Peck's variation at the beginning of Act II was stunning, though (in the second mishap of the evening for the youth cast) an angel fell getting into line at the front of the stage just after she finished dancing. The divertissements had some highs and lows, in my book. I thoroughly enjoyed Meaghan Dutton O'Hara's Hot Chocolate, but found Georgina Pazcougin's Coffee underwhelming. For an indulgent and luxurious piece, she seemed a little rushed and unsure of herself, and her command of the bells/chimes was not as musical as it could be. Both Claire and Emma Von Enck danced in Marzipan, and it was really interesting to see the two side-by-side in a featured role. I particularly enjoyed the evening's lead flowers--Laine Habony and Mary Elizabeth Sell (Habony, from her public facing Instagram, was the flower responsible for rescuing the shoe on opening night as mentioned earlier in the thread)--and they made me forget my disappointment in missing Tess Reichlen's performance. Peck and Gordon were stunning in the PDD--though I'll be interested to see them once they've performed it a few more times, it was the sort of magic you hope to be reminded of when attending the Nutcracker. Gordon--who has been flawless in the solo portions of his roles I've seen this fall--did stumble a bit at the end of a turn sequence, and overall, the pas was not as seamless as some of Peck's work I've seen recently with other partners, but I also had the chance to see her with Joaquin De Luz numerous times this fall, and that is quite the high bar! It seemed like they were both a bit hesitant on the shoulder sits, but their pas still felt pretty close to perfection.

I'm hoping to get tickets to one more performance--I'd love to see the Reichlen SPF and Hyltin Dew, and I'm sorry that I've already seen Pereira's dew as I'd really like to see Hyltin's SPF. 

I was at this performance and I still get a kick out of Laine Habony's shoe save which is on her Instagram post.  She was finally cast in a few roles as Flowers and Coffee last season - hopefully we will see her as SPF or Dew next year.  Not sure what caused Martins to drop her from the castings as she was on his radar in her early years.  Same with Dutton-O.

On 2/6/2019 at 5:18 PM, Balletwannabe said:

Oh I didn't realize she was tall.  I'm seeing her dance for the first time on the 15th (courage fairy I think?).  Looking forward to it!

Nadon was outstanding, btw, as Courage.  I cannot remember anyone dancing Aurora in their teens.  Bouder debuted at 20.

On 1/30/2019 at 9:50 AM, DC Export said:

So many debuts during the variations! Glad to see Dutton-O'Hara getting more opportunities.

Overall, there were dancers that had been overlooked for too long finally getting a few roles - but not enough.  Dutton-O, Habony, Alberda, Applebaum ... some new faces in the corps this year that truly shined!  It will be interesting to see what happens in the Spring and Fall with Whelan on the team.  Hopefully Justin Peck will cast something other than his regular dancers and give someone else a chance to shine.  There are so many dancers on the roster.  Many are capable of much, much more if they were given an opportunity to rehearse and grow.  Fingers Crossed!

13 hours ago, canbelto said:

I did a wrapup of the Winter Season which includes a link to my review of the last All-Balanchine program at Bachtrack:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-review-of-nycb-at-bachtrack-winter.html

great write up!  Totally Agree on Devin Alberda.  Both this season and last fall.  He has flourished since Martins left.

Hello everyone, I'm new here.  I ran across the forum in a Google search one night and have been hooked since. I travel extensively for work (and pleasure) and have the privilledge of watching performances all over the country and occasionally oversees.  I was not a professional dancer, but did begin studying tap and ballet in my 30s!  I was, however, a competitive cheer coach!  I love to move my body to music in any way possible!  And I love to watch others do the same.  I have been told by many I have a great eye for ballet technique and I admit I believe I was a dancer in another life - or so I can dream!  I do spend a great deal of time in NYC and am an avid-fan and patron of NYCB.  My views are my own and I hope to share and appreciate while hanging out here!