Papagena

I feel the same about Western and Slaughter. I can deal with Western if it's a great cast but am skipping out this year because the combination of of Western and Stars & Stripes in one program is a bit heavy on American kitsch for me (I'd be paying exclusively to see The Unanswered Question which is a little snippet of a ballet). Slaughter is last on the program so I'm getting cheaper tickets and dropping off after Agon / La Sonnambula if I'm really not in the mood.

It could be that someone misinterpreted 'woooos' for boos? I thought in general the audience was quite welcoming to everyone. I hope the dancers didn't interpret it that way if it wasn't actually happening, that would be rough for them. Where did this rumor come from?

Was she? I didn't hear boos but maybe was sitting in a more enthusiastic section. Anyone else can confirm?

I actually found the opposite - her weight was completely acceptable but dancing was not. For me her arms were her most beautiful asset - their softer form made me think of the beautiful 19th century ballerinas. It was her technique and clear struggle to keep up with even corps member standards (not to mention the music) that was the distraction. Also she posted something on IG about those who support her and implying the other group are just 'haters' ... so odd. I was her biggest fan and hope she comes back stronger next time, but ranting about haters and that artists should be basically immune to criticism is weird social media echo chamber stuff. Comments like this that focus on her weight though, do not help the matter. Lynn Seymour and Carrie Imler faced criticisms about their weight, but they were paragons of artistry (Seymour) and technique (Imler) so they remained at the top of audience's must-see lists until their retirement. It's 100% possible to be heavier and an excellent ballet dancer. I hope that if Bouder works on regaining her technique and explores her artistry (and ... maybe some self reflection) people will leave the weight conversation alone. I can't imagine what it feels like for people to talk about your body when you probably already feel self conscious about it, and it overshadows conversations about the dancing itself. Olivia Boisson - I hope she has a future as an Emeralds lead. She's been in the company a while though, so not sure what her trajectory will look like in the coming years. I still remember her 'prayer' variation in Coppelia from way back so fondly - absolutely lovely.

Interesting - I wonder if this means more basic technique (like clean turns / landings / precision etc) or that SAB/NYCB's Balanchine-specific techniques and style are being diluted a bit.

This is definitely part of the problem - whereas someone like Mearns had clear signature roles right away, I can't think of roles I identify primarily with Phelan. It seems like she is stretched too thin to make a strong handful of roles her own. I didn't mind her performance last night as I don't expect fireworks from difficult debuts and her solo work was more beautiful than a lot of these reports are implying (in my opinion it was the partner work is what suffered most). However I'm opting out of her Apollo/La Sonnambula dobule feature since I'm seeing so much of her elsewhere. This may also be a management / coaching issue - asking someone to do Apollo/La Sonnambula back-to-back on the same night is sort of crazy to me.

I wasn't sure if it was recency bias for me (or if I was just on a post-performance high last night), but 100% agreed - Mejia on the Rubies cast list is worth shaping decisions around for those who haven't seen him. I was sitting in the 3rd ring and even from there is elevation was making everyone around me catch their breath.

Just got back from tonight's show. The evening got off to a rough start with Emeralds. While I wasn't expecting Bouder at her best, I was surprised to see that the quality of her dancing did not seem to improve since last year. The opening was serviceable, but it was painfully apparent when dancing side-by-side with Laracey or in front of the rest of the company that she is not dancing anywhere near company standard. Even things like her musical timing was off with everyone else, her arabesques the lowest by a large margin, and there were fumbles with basic components like pirouette finishes or sloppy transitional steps. To be clear, none of these things have anything to do with weight (on the contrary, her arms were her most notable asset here, lovely port de bras in her solo). I'm not sure what's going on. I'd be curious about reports to see if she improves on Friday, perhaps it was nerves? Even the wonderful Chan was a bit lackluster. Laracey kept Emeralds from sinking. Rubies brought the house down with Kikta, Peck, and Mejia (no surprise there!). Kikta is my favorite Tall Girl at the moment - I love how she towers over everyone, her broad shoulders and cool demeanor. Nadon's take on the role is more glamorous, but Kikta veers more mythical and powerful. Excited to hear about Christina Clark's debut in this! And if it's possible to have a crush on a dance move, I have a major crush on Mejia's 'Rubies run' (not sure what else to call the little jog all the men do). He was insanely good in this. Tiler Peck seems to dance more effortlessly as the years go on, and her Rubies feels like a gift every time I see it. The audience let out audible gasps for each of the leads at several points. Diamonds started out cautious and dull but bloomed. As it was Phelan's debut and thus Gordon's first time dancing it with her, the opening pas de deux could use another few rounds to develop fully. Both of them really shone in their solo work. Phelan's turn sequences were music-box beautiful and her port de bras became more lush and less 'by the numbers' as the piece went on. Gordon is always great and carries such an intriguing presence, but it seemed like someone didn't properly tailor his tunic - it kept riding up with the neckline swallowing him a bit. Highs and lows, but swooned often and joined others around me in gasps for both Rubies and Diamonds. How wonderful to see the auditorium so full on a Wednesday night!

What a lovely gift - NYCB has several (probably around 40 by the time it's done) extensive clips of the performance on their IG stories right now. They may 'highlight' them on their account permanently but they may disappear in 24 hours. Somehow I've actually never seen Fairchild in Rubies before. I hope she's years away from retirement because I just adore the impish quality (and sense of total technical control) she brings to her dancing.

I suppose there are no shortage of musicians in NYC able to fill in any empty spots - does anyone know how that works at nycb? I feel a bit shallow saying 'oh, phew' but I cannot imagine Jewels without a live orchestra.

is there an orchestra at the performance or canned music?

Yeah I was thinking about Cirio as well - for a dancer I imagine that contracts are there to provide security, labor protections and the ability to plan their year out (not to mention reducing immediate firings outside of extenuating circumstances). I'm sure most dancers would welcome a midseason revised promotion contract, especially as most of them would happily sign for the better salary and title? I have no experience in ballet world contracts though so I could be wrong. I too think Jaffe is waiting until the end of the Fall season to finish testing out the dancers so she can make a truly informed decision. She will be judged on these promotions so I totally get why she is taking her time. My guess is also that she's working with budget confinements and wants to promote more people than she can (financially) and has to tenderly open some convos about who is going to be retiring from the soloist and principal ranks to make room for others. So far I've found her casting decisions to be quite smart and she put together a more interesting Fall season than we've had in a while. I'm really excited to see how she promotes!

I'd say only read the books if you're excited to read them, rather than doing so in service to the ballet. Book summaries and reading more about Woolf herself (her letters, the themes of her writing and philosophies) might help the most since McGregor seems like he's really just trying to tap into the essence of Woolf and her novels. If I had to choose one or two books to read again (all are worthy but not easy reads), I'd probably read Mrs Dalloway, as it's her most known work and is the most character-heavy section of the ballet. For Orlando, just watch the gorgeous 1992 movie version of Orlando starring Tilda Swinton! For The Waves, you could always thumb through a few pages to get a feel for her more experimental side. Reading about the concept and ideas behind The Waves instead of the The Waves itself is definitely enough to understand this part of the ballet. I hope Alessandra Ferri comes to perform the Virginia Woolf role with ABT! Such a marvelous role for a more seasoned ballerina who can captures its depths. Off the top of my head I can't image anyone else at ABT in the role.

I hope they get what they're asking for. The variety of music the audience is able to hear at NYCB shows is one of the reasons I don't mind coughing up so much money for tickets. In a way I always feel like I'm getting two performances for the price of one.

But they don't have the same kind of chemistry that Ferri/Bocca and Vishneva/Gomes had. Boylston / Whiteside have a very 'close silly friends' energy that doesn't translate well to the romantic ballets - almost like seeing brother and sister together. The only pairing with them that really worked for me was Harlequinade, where their goofy energies and playfulness lit up the stage. Really early in their careers it was different, but now I think management was in the right. I think they are a great pair for comedic ballets, which are rarely done anymore since they don't sell well. Then again I've avoided them together for this reason (love Whiteside's modern energy with a more muted romantic ballerina, and Camargo brings out the best in Boylston), so my exposure to them together during the last few years has been limited.

Yes - also NYCB's brand has always been its sophisticated, accomplished repertoire/choreography and the varied strengths of its company as a whole. Most programs are not set up to spotlight just two dancers, and it is not up to one or two dancers to hold up an entire program or attract an audience. It's a more holistic approach to making performances that people actually might want to see, thus feels more sustainable to me. ABT''s later golden ages succeeded almost exclusively off star power (and ... Swan Lake no matter who is dancing it). Very few people are interested in watching Don Q itself - we love watching Baryshnikov, Herrera, Corella, Osipova or Simkin in Don Q. Even as a balletomane, I can't think of a single ABT dancer right now that would pull me into a Don Q unless I scored an orchestra rush ticket.

Do we know he walked off?

Misty Copeland retirement performance? I don't see any other reason to bring it back again (although R&J did sell well this year - it's also the show that's the easiest for me to convince non-balletomanes to see with me, it still feels relatively fresh and sort of sexy). But who knows, she's also only 40 and could do what a lot of other international stars did, which is just a few shows / 2 ballets. Honestly that would probably be best for ABT - to keep her on for guest shows. Would love to see her Manon again, an underrated role of hers. There is a small batch of beloved dancers on the verge of retirement and I imagine next couple of years may be positioned a bit around that.

Joo Won Ahn has been my biggest disappointment amongst all the principal men. Great technique + an incredibly handsome face that catches the light beautifully - he has the stature and physical gifts to make an imposing, striking Tybalt as well as an ideal romantic lead. But alas, I think he may not have it in him. His acting and chemistry with his fellow dancers is not improving. At this point I don't know if extra coaching will make enough of a difference.

I assume it's just because Jaffe has control over casting at this point (outside of LWFC), and if she's going to decide on promotions for the next generation of male soloists, she's probably testing them all out as much as possible. Smart move. Rough for Gorak and Hoven. My only sure bet would be on Curley (especially after Alastair Macauley's glowing mention of in his recent ABT posts), but Ive been very wrong in the past.

Agreed. Might have been The Rock School. Seems like they had a field trip according to their (soon to disappear) IG stories. I've enjoyed looking through all the excited IG stories from them and others this week. A lot of young fans overall making trips to NYC to see Swan Lake (as much as I'm tired of this production, ABT might be wise to stick a couple extra shows with Brandt and Copeland - if she is still up for it - next year to take advantage of midsummer SL-mania). Enthusiastic young fans are one of the things I find really endearing about Misty Copeland's performances - while not everyone likes it, I'm sure Christine did. I recall going to Le Corsaire with my friends as a young teen, and just screaming our heads off for Angel Corella (more so during the bows and at the end of solos, not during the variations). I don't do that anymore, but find it charming when young people treat dancers like rock stars, even if it makes for a different type of evening than I expected. I get more annoyed with all the adults chatting or pulling out their phones.

I'm not understanding the mild disapproval in these reports. Thank god there is enthusiasm at the Met! Are we not thrilled that such a technically brilliant dancer (who has room to grow artistically) is getting the attention we wished on her years ago? On another note that has been mentioned by others, the Klein/Roxander Neapolitan was world class. Not only are they technically excellent, Klein has such an interesting intensity and nobility in his stage presence (I haven't seen the other Roxander breakout roles, but what a presence he has as well!). I hope all these young, extremely talented male corps members (Curley! Magbitang!) will follow the path of Bell, not the others who faded out slowly in the soloist ranks. .

Good point. Purple Rothbart can be such a delightful, hammy highlight that it sort of justifies the other cheesy elements of this SL production. A dull Purple V R is almost worse than a dull Siegfried for me (in this KM version, anyway) - a dull performance can suck the tension out of Act III. I've also seen O/Os really respond to the energy he brings. His variation is almost an appetizer that wakes up the audience before the Odile pas - such an important role that should be treated as such! How spoiled we were when Gomes, Hallberg, and Vasiliev would tear into it. Wish I could see Curley in thus run!

Maybe it's like the Prince Gremin character in Onegin (Tatyana's husband in Act II)? That role can disappear completely but I've seen both James Whiteside and Roman Zhurbin (of course) elevate it into something that stuck in my heart. Excited to see if Royal or Curley can bring something to the table here.

"At some point, you might find yourself ranking characters, and asking yourself whom you’d rather never see again the most. But they can’t even be killed off; two return as ghosts." Kourlas is really growing into her role at the NYTimes (in the past year I've found myself enjoying her reviews more and more). This is a darn good roast 🤣