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KikiRVA

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Posts posted by KikiRVA

  1. 55 minutes ago, cobweb said:

    I was excited to see Ava Sautter's name in Four Seasons until I realized it's just that role where she sweeps on and regally waves her arms around. Still, this is good exposure for her. Glad to see Cainan Weber getting a big opportunity in Winter -- he deserves it! Also will be interested to see Olivia MacKinnon in Spring -- she definitely cannot wear her frequent worried expression in this one! And what on earth is going on with another guest artist!!! I just don't get this trend AT ALL. 

    The guest artist plan was announced months ago as part of the celebration for the 75th anniversary year.  It does not seem at all related to the performance of current company members.  
    2023-11-28_NYCB_75th_Anniversary_Guest_A

  2. 1 hour ago, pirouette said:

     

    Others who came out included David Prottas, Andrew Scordato, Craig Halll, Adam Luders, Anthony Huxley.  A couple more, I think, then the crowd.  He also got a cheer from backstage after he exited after his a la seconde turns.  He was clearly very loved in the company.

  3. There’s a great moving panorama right now on Wendy’s Instagram.  In this, Suzanne looks quite cheerful.  There are also a lot of post-curtain images out there with a very engaged Suzanne congratulating Sarah and Russell, chatting w alums.  I was thrilled to be there and it was a banging opener for the season, but it was very special and a somewhat overwhelming for the decades of dancers.  From talking with a couple of current dancers, it was like a surreal dream having all that history in one room.

  4. 3 hours ago, uptowner said:

    In the season wrap-up episode of “City Ballet The Podcast” Whelan does talk a little bit about why she chose to program the 75th anniversary season the way she did. I don’t know enough to summarize or comment on what she said, but I still was interested. A lot of the episode is looking back but she and Stafford are also talking about future plans.

     https://podcast.nycballet.com

    It was fun to hear that they're planning a "dancers' reunion" for opening night.  Should be a hot ticket!

  5. I saw the Saturday matinee performance at the KC.  I have never seen the company look better - totally committed and engaged with the music.  The attack of Megan's footwork in Square Dance and her seeming joy/ease with the blazing steps gave me chills.  And the corps were all in.  The DC audience was probably less ballet-experienced than in NY, but they LOVED it.  Unfortunately the front curtain wasn't used at that performance (though I saw it in some clips online at earlier performances), so there were no front-of-curtain calls.  Instead the hauled up the black drop for one last bow by the whole company after each ballet.  It is hard to believe that Robbins choreographed Faun in 1953 given its radical sensuality no longer set as mythological.  La Freniere and Nadon were brilliant in Barocco.  The first tier got the giggles during the extended daisy chain - minds blown and Balanchine's ingenuity.  What a rich dessert of Donezetti - Roman and TIler.  Oh my.  

  6. Does anyone know off hand the last time a person so young as Nadon (21)  was promoted to principal?  Extraordinary and well-deserved.  After Marika’s retirement, the most senior corps members are now Devon Alberda, Mary Elizabeth Sell (happily pregnant!) and Jenelle Manzi, all made apprentices around the same time in 2005.  They are all wonderful dancers and hopefully have more years ahead of them in the company if they want to stay.   I long hoped for a promotion for Alberda, but I suspect that door has closed.  Mercifully the current leadership is allowing his talents as a photographer to shine.

  7. Fun afternoon at the Jared Angle farewell.  This was my first time seeing this Firebird -what a spectacle!  The corps seemed to be luxuriously cast including soloists.  I wonder if this was just to get more longer-term colleagues on the stage for Jared.  His ovation was warm and joyful, with the principal men and women coming out as groups.  He gave a “thank you” speech encouraging support for the educational program.  I was happy yo be there - like many here, I feel like I grew up loving NYCB with him in it.  Royal Danish is lucky to be getting him.

    Allegro Brillante was just beautiful.  The corps was ON FIRE, and Megan and Tyler looked great.  Like the comment above on the other Tiler, his extensions are wanting, but I thought he danced very well.  
     

    Unity looks like she will grow in Gounod.  I saw a lot that looked mature, and some that looked comparatively restrained (but Sara is my only comparison).  She took a spill at the beginning of her solo, which probably didn’t help her feel super-secure.  I was thrilled there were 3 Black women in the supporting casts with fabulous braids and natural locks when the hair came down at the end.  

  8. I’m up for a weekend of ballet and Medea.  Tonight’s program was a great start, mostly.  This was my first viewing of DSCH.  What a joy!  It is a beautifully structured ride with a winning score.  Everywhere We Go, by contrast, seems like a big mess.  There’s a lot of choreographic ideas, too many, and the  orchestrated pop score has neither arc nor any other shape.  The men’s costumes cut a line above the waist that was distractingly unflattering to one out-of-prime-shape partner.  And while the women’s costumes are very cute, the fact that all the women are dressed the same made it even harder to appreciate contrasts between the dancers.  If the piece was 1/2 as long, it would be worth keeping in the rep - the youngest in the audience seemed to really enjoy the music (to my chagrin).  I feel like Peck’s work is more effective when someone else picks the music (Rodeo, Carousel, Weat Side Story, even Pulcinella).  That said, the corps looked great, so did debutantes Walker, Miller and LaFreniere.

  9. 1 hour ago, FITTB85 said:

    What an extremely dismissive way to write about Alexandra Waterbury. “Model good looks and feisty personality… she’s the perfect #MeToo agent.” 

    It does not seem that you put that line in the context of the piece she wrote.  She did not call her a monster.

  10. 13 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

    Balanchine fan, I agree.  Saw Veyette Saturday afternoon in the Midsummer Divertissement, as well as Tuesday night in Four Seasons.  There may be a tiny bit of prejudice here because he (and his two brothers) danced at my daughters' studio in Los Angeles way back in the day.  But, what I saw both times was lovely partnering and a true enjoyment of dancing and being on stage in this moment.  It seemed to me that he knew everything wasn't perfect, but that wasn't going to get in the way of giving the audience a great performance, or having one himself.  

     

    I felt very lucky to see Midsummer on Sunday.  It was total magic.  I hadn't seen Veyette this season until then, but while he is certainly not in his prime for the showy stuff, he seemed to be a super-solid partner for Woodward, and their PDD was glorious.  She appeared to be totally comfortable, able to move with abandon.  I was sad to miss Friday evening's performance due to a flight cancellation.  I hope Piano Pieces comes back soon!

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