bellawood

My thoughts exactly! Other interesting debuts: Nadon/Sanz in Errante -- saw photos on Nadon's Instagram of Suzanne Farrell's coaching, seeing this Tuesday LaFreniere in Symphony in C 1st movement -- would have thought she would be tapped for 2nd movement (of course I'm dying to see Mira dance 2nd movement) LaFreniere as green girl in Dances Mejia in Dances, as brown? Woodward in Dances as pink -- don't know if she can bring Tiler/Sterling levels to this role Nadon 2nd movement B-SQ: perfect role for her, can't wait, and with Bolden

Just back from the matinee -- Debuts in Opus 19 for Alexa Maxwell and Anthony Huxley. To me, this part belongs to Joseph Gordon right now. He embraces both the classical parts and the weirdness in the choreography. Anthony Huxley came off a little paint-by-numbers in this one. He's going to need a moment to relax into it. Alexa Maxwell was very good in her debut. She gets a bunch of what I would consider "Sterling" rep -- but Sterling's stage persona was quite different than Alexa's. Sterling was IN CONTROL. She was sometimes playful, sometimes imperious, but always at a slight remove. It was impressive to watch if sometimes chilly. Alexa is much more vulnerable on stage. It serves her well in Opus. However, with Huxley's natural reserve, it felt like a casting mismatch. Solitude was devastating. I cried. I'll need several viewings for a more academic analysis of this ballet. As usual, Mira stood out. My only quibble is why was Indiana Woodward in this ballet? Sometimes, the talent pool is so big at City Ballet dancers are used because they can. She was a principal in a soloist part, and there were soloists in corps roles. Symphony in 3 was crisper than I think it was earlier in the run. The searchlights looked great. Jules Mabie has been the lucky winner of Jovani Furlan's rep this season and he continues to live up to it, but the clear "who are you?!" sweepstakes winner is David Gabriel. He's made a major impression this season. The women were Isabella LaFreniere, who was terrific in the 3rd principal role, Tiler, who is Tiler Peck, and Erica Pereira, who was fine in this role she's done many times.

Brittany Pollock is pregnant with her second child after her brief return post-injury per her instagram. LeCrone has not danced this season, I don't think?

I think the only dancer who is in line for promotion this year is Emma Von Enck. Outside chance for Emily Kikta and Alexa Maxwell to principal (I would be shocked, however) and Alec Knight to soloist.

Hi! Just saw the matinee today. Ballo is a delightful ballet. I know you need the right principal woman for it but it's just so effervescent and fun. Tiler was amazing, as expected. Joe Gordon had a very strong debut except for an entertaining blooper when he entered 8 counts early, realized it, ran off stage, and then reentered 4 seconds later. The middle ballets were interesting because of the casting. Dominika A. was excellent as the "Wendy" in Albert Evans's duet. Really mesmerizing. Alec Knight handled the exceptionally complicated partnering very well. Hallelujah Junction was punctuated by a performance full of verve by David Gabriel as the solo man. Taylor Stanley looked a little out of shape. Lauren Collett was very good. The problem here is that the Martins' choreography is so overdone that it's hard to let anyone breathe. The Concert was, as usual, very entertaining. Mira was very beautiful as the hat girl. Andy Veyette chewed the scenery. If this rumored debut for EVonE happens, I might return to see this program again and leave after Ballo!

I agree with so many reviews here -- S V-V was sloppy last night -- but he's ALWAYS sloppy. A few days ago, Chun posted an Instagram story about Tiler's new ballet where he joked about her constantly reminding her cast to point their toes. In her interview with Wendy on the podcast, Tiler mentions that Heather Watts, one of her long-time mentors, always talks to her about the feet and foot placement and making deliberate choices. These things feel so integral to ballet but so often forgotten! S V-V 's feet (and arms) are always all over the place. His exit in the deep backbend was marred by scuttling feet and bent knees. I have the same reservations about Isabella as many here. She was spectacular in Concerto Barocco this fall; in 4T's, dancing a role she should be perfect for, she was visibly thrown by her stumble (which she semi-saved, by the way!). ADW is an old hand in my favorite section, but my memories of this ballet always begin with Albert Evans' masterful dancing in this role (this gives you a sense of when I first started coming to the ballet!). LW: I am decidedly not an expert on this sort of singing, so I will leave it to others here to comment on the quality! I thought it was a lovely, moving evening; I particularly enjoyed watching Tyler and Tiler dance together. Their partnership is so strong and has been overshadowed by the flash of Tiler/Roman. Watching them dance reminded me of how much I love seeing them together in Dances at a Gathering. Mira is a gift; if Peter Walker is one of her default partners, he needs to up his game a little. I've actually seen Roman dance with Unity before -- in an ill-fated Tchaikovsky Suite No. 3 performance where she fell three times! A little treading on the hem seems like small potatoes after that.

Was at the matinee today -- Rotunda: not worth discussing, really. I had seen it right before the pandemic and had been underwhelmed. It felt like a bargain-basement Cliffs Notes version of Dances at A Gathering in athleisure and pantyhose. That feeling was reinforced today. It is so lazy! The circle motif is so obvious. As for the dancers, if they must bring it back again, why not do it with all baby corps? Unity Phelan in this ballet makes no sense. Sara Mearns looked tired and tentative. I hate the Muhly music which sounds like a soundtrack to a depressing indie movie. An added thumbs down for the extremely performative "everyone gets a bow" sequence at the end. The tepid applause did not warrant that plus two curtain calls. BUT . . . are we in a Daniel Ulbricht renaissance? He was by far the best thing in this and excellent in Odesa, as well. Tiler's Ballet: I really enjoyed this! It was so interesting to watch other dancers pushed to Tiler-esque daring, She is a witty choreographer! From the moment the curtain went up there was a crackling energy, and all her quirky arm positions and syncopations really worked. Of course, she had the A+ cast; I wonder if it will be as good when say, Miriam Miller dances in place of Mira . . . and there's no one in the company who can do the male lead except for Roman. The Poulenc was terrific; I love two pianos. The ballet was very well received by the audience. Odesa: I saw this in 2017, but I think this is the first revival. I was really absorbed by it. The sleazeball polyester 70's shirts on the men really give it a louche quality. The choreography is compelling, particularly for the Fairchild/Ulbricht pairing (I guess originally Hyltin/deLuz?). Why did Sara choose to dance the sub-par Rotunda instead of the role that Ratmansky made on her in this ballet? Unity Phelan danced it instead.

One beneficiary of injuries has been Alec Knight -- he's gotten a lot of the Sanz roles. Also Huxley is out of 4 Ts but is still doing Ballo?

On Insta Jovani says he's out for the rest of the season.

If Sanz can't go I wonder who will dance second cast Hallelujah Junction at the Saturday Matinee? Gordon is debuting both HJ and Ballo, so can't possibly do both in the same performance??

Yes Rondo also! That was Nadon/LaFreniere one cast and OMcK and Indiana Woodward maybe in the other? I forgot about Rondo.

I am surprised she's not dancing Summer -- I hope this means that she has big things coming up later, including the new Ratmansky. I certainly hope it doesn't mean she's sidelined for any reason! In her Instagram stories last week, she reposted a Kyle Froman gem of Darcy Kistler dancing the Concert and said, "She wished she could throw her hair around like that" (I am paraphrasing) -- so she might be debuting the hat girl? It was Christine Redpath for the dramatic PPD in Brandenburg -- this time danced by two casts, one Mira/Aaron Sanz and the other Unity/ADW(?)

I think key to this Wendy posting discussion is that we don't really understand the role she plays in the company -- in particular, what are her responsibilities and does Jon Stafford have final say over everything? Is she coaching? Teaching? Casting? Scheduling rep? For instance, I seem to remember that she was the one who reinforced Ratmansky's casting decision not to have Abi Stafford dance her Russian Seasons role except at her retirement. That could be because Jon Stafford recused himself, or it could be that it's her job to liaise between choreographers and dancers. Is she commenting on dancers about whom she has a major say in promoting or minimizing? As to her posting, I think it gives clues about who is on the rise, which is probably indiscreet -- her post about lending her gig SPF tutu to Emma Von Enck was similar to the India Bradley post in tone. (I don't think it takes a post from WW to understand that EVE will soon be a principal, however!)

Yes, between Prodigal and the poet in La Sonnambula there was a lot of acting this season for Huxley. He is at his best in interior roles like Melancholic, I think.

Saw the program tonight. Mira and Isabella made a wonderful pair. They really carved those shapes. The deep 4th, the épaulement were all there. I think 2nd violin is LaFreniere at her best. She absolutely shines. Bolden was terrific in his debut and he and Mira are well partnered. She was beautiful, expansive and mysterious. Her extension in those “scissor” lifts at the end were so beautiful. He also made the series of quick lifts towards look effortless. She bounded into his arms. Symphony iN C — Tiler danced with Chun and they were so musical and easy together. You expect it of her but he has really grown into the Balanchine style. The steps felt natural and perfect. This is the second time I’ve seen Phelan/Knight (the first time was their debut) and they were more secure, She is working her way into the role, though she constantly has trouble turning in the 4th movement. Cainan Weber danced in place of Sebastian V-V in the third movement and amplified the jumps well, but I wish he had done a little more with his final series. Jones was fine but not a standout. Peter Walker was a nice surprise in the 4th movement; if he can build his stamina I think he might grow. Emilie Gerrity was underwhelming. It’s an unfortunate comparison for her to dance 4th movement and then have Tiler run on for the 1st movement reprise. It’s just not the same level of dancer. But I also feel 4th movement is not a natural role for her?

A marvelous time last night. The audience was energized and the theater was filled to the rafters. I enjoyed the whole program, even Orpheus (Stockholm syndrome, perhaps?) but Symphony in C brought the house down. It looked great, crisp, expansive. All principal couples were excellent.

Yikes!!

Interestingly Megan gave herself a meh review on her own Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyPhlcAupxy/

I was there too, and felt Huxley/Fairchild was surprisingly flat. I saw Huxley's debut a few years ago, and he fell in the tour/pirouette sequence in the second solo; I was wondering when I saw him cut them short/start them late if that was in his head. Megan also had a moment towards the end of her long diagonal of turns when she stumbled slightly. The four soloist ladies were a mess. I think it's because Megan LeCrone was always ahead of the music. I would love to see someone other than Mary Elizabeth Sell or Laine Habony (who was in Serenade) in these featured corps roles. Finally, I wondered if Andrew Litton was revving the tempo a bit; the corps was flat-out running around to get into their lines. The double tour/double tour finale was shaggy. Watching this made me think of other casts I'd like to see. I will see Peck/Gordon this weekend; wouldn't Emma Von Enck be killer in this? And, of course, Roman a la Joaquin de Luz would be a treat (de Luz used to do the tour/pirouette sequence every day, apparently). Serenade was very good. I don't actually love Sara in this role, but I can't question the commitment. Russian Girl is a great role for Indiana, and I thought Miriam Miller was compelling as the Dark Angel. I've only seen this as Gerrity/Le Crone recently and it's nice to have some change of casting there. I felt Davide had a decent first pass at this very challenging partnering role. I think you need a few goes of it before you stop looking like you're directing traffic or catching fly balls. Jovani had the same problem in his debut last (?) year -- I assume he was supposed to dance it this season but had to opt out because of his knee. ADW used to dance this and was great at it. Orpheus -- hahaha on the creatures running off stage! @abatt I was slightly left, and it looked like they had trouble dragging Ashley under -- maybe she collapsed just a bit to far away from the hem? Joe kind of helped shovel her under the curtain. Then the curtain went up, and they all went running off. The joys of live theater. I am seeing this three times this week, and then not again I hope for a while. As @cubanmiamiboy says, vintage!

I have been reflecting on the discussion around the lack of connection between Tiler and Joe in PC2 and I have some thoughts: 1. Unlike other grand ballets, PC2 doesn't have a "real" PDD when they are on stage alone. I last saw this ballet in 2019 with Joe and Ashley Bouder (and her squeaky shoes). I had the same feeling then -- they are apart. At the time, I considered it an issue of Ashley's, since she has often felt separate on stage, even in her spectacular heyday. But PC2 is very much about the ballerina. She is in command. In other instances, as when TP & JG did Swan Lake together, I thought they had terrific rapport, and Joe has had great stage rapport with other partners (most notably Lauren Lovette). 2. Tiler's incredible stage presence and charisma. She's just mesmerizing -- you just watch her. I think you can forget to take in the whole since you get so focused on the one. She's scheduled to dance quite a bit next week and I wonder if she'll be able to return. Best wishes to her father.

Wonderful! I love that role. Just watched Chun’s debut, very very successful. He wasn’t perfect but was dancing so free. Mira was beyond. I mean, what a dancer and artist. As she did in Emeralds, she showed me Terpsichore as something totally new. What a treat, honestly. The PDD was incredible. Isabella was quite excellent too. Emily was ever so slightly off in the infamous shhh! turns. She flubbed the last one. But for a debut an excellent version and I highly recommend getting a last minute ticket for tomorrow if you can!

I agree, to me Miriam Miller is a ballerina who was very to PM's taste and has perhaps not gotten a lot of looks under new management. Her major roles -- Titania, Agon PDD -- she did when PM was director. I think Kikta is several inches taller than ILF. She looked like she was dancing with a child during the coda of S&S. Can she dance with Gilbert Bolden? Never mind her own husband?

Yes, I remember. it wasn't a huge success for either, unfortunately. Claire is very pregnant right now!

I second that! What fun he is to watch, in the spirit of Damian and Joaquin.

Hi all! Just returned from 3rd cast. The place was packed, and in a continuing trend, a notable number of patrons were young/stylish/there to be seen. Emeralds -- MIRA. The thing that I am realizing while watching her discover these ballets is that she dances them like they are absolutely natural to her body. This is true for Violin Concerto and Emeralds, two totally different ballets. Second, she shows me things I never noticed before. The beautiful Violette solo, which can come off as "cute" in the wrong hands, is absolutely riveting and internal in Mira's interpretation -- it's about Mira being in the moment, not any showing off at all. Davide Riccardo was an able partner. Megan Le Crone, in an unfortunate contrast to Nadon, was effortful. Her solo and the walking PDD felt like steps. I've watched her dance for many years, and while she has gifts, it's always this sense of effort that holds me back from being there with her. ADW danced in place of Aaron Sanz. Rubies -- WOW EMMA. I mean, wow. She's so precise, so playful, so fast, and dances BIG. She's much better in this role than Lauren Lovette ever was. This is Sterling territory but with more warmth and humor. It's no surprise now that Erica Pereira did not get a second go at this. Emma is principal material, and soon! Jovani was an absolute delight. There were many cheeky, non-choreographed moments, and frankly, I ate them all up. Christina Clark was just ok. She had the smile pasted on (not great) and is so tall I think that feeling of attack is muted just because her limbs can't move fast enough. It is pretty tough to do this role, I imagine, when another current company member has so quickly claimed it as her own after Tess's retirement. Diamonds -- There are boys in this ballet -- a redhead who was partnering Naomi Corti in particular -- who look SO young. Chun was very polished, very elegant, a wonderful and handsome lead, but I imagine that Joe Gordon was more impressive in the solos. I was underwhelmed with LaFreniere. This feels miscast? She was secure technically, but there was no perfume. It takes time to inhabit this majestic role, I know.