Hello everyone, I'm new here. I've been following NYCB closely for the past two years after relocating to the city just before the lockdown.
I saw both casts for the opening program - I like watching back to back performances. And I'm so grateful I haven't missed the glorious return of Sara Mearns in Conecerto Barocco. I was somewhat sceptic before the performance - I'm a Lopatkinasque-ballerinas fan - and I was proved wrong. She was a little bit cautious and too focused on each step during the first few minutes, I watched her closely with a binoculars, I saw some hesitation in her moves, some stiffness in her arms. And then a magic happened. She kept her eyes open but I got a feeling that she simply shut her doubting mind and let her body do what it knows to do the best. This transition was so palpable, and then I saw a true old-school Balanchine ballerina with clear positions, with very smart and strong arms, with measured fluidity. There was that crystal Balanchine musicality, mathematically beautiful. You know that feeling, when you know that the dancer knows and understands what he is dancing. It is a very rare quality, and I will be forever grateful to Sara for gifting me with that very rare experience. I didn't catch much of Isabella LaFreniere, I admit. But in the short syncopic interactions with Sara the difference in the class was very clear - mostly in the arms. And she also added some Broadway-like hip movements - similar to Ashley Laracey in the same part a night previously, so I'd have to see another cast to give my verdict on it. Unity Phelan was beautiful in Concerto. She is one of the most ballet-gifted dancers in the company - the soft long muscles, the natural turnout possible only with a very particular hip bones structure, the arc - her adagios are delicious not only for her tecnique but also for the beauty of her ballet body. She has gained some weight recently and while it doesn't harm her technique and she is a beautiful and strong dancer - I miss that feeling of being absolutely taken aback by watching that rare born-to-be-ballerina body dancing (her debut in After the Rain was one of my first strongest impressions from NYCB). To be continued...