lampwick

Last year and the year before, there was a decent amount of bleacher seating at Summerstage so the sitelines really aren't too bad.

Eddie Villella looks really REALLY cute in the old pictures I've seen of him. He seems full of personality and humor. Very attractive man.

I like guy guys. Damian Woetzel is very cute in person and I will be crushed if he retires from City Ballet while I still live here. He's my favorite.

I think it would be almost impossible to come up with any of those guys who AREN'T totally gorgeous. They all are. Short ones, tall ones, pretty ones, manly ones...I love them all.

Stricly by looks alone, no one is quite as handsome as Jose Manuel Carreno. Wow

I'm wondering if it's at all common practice for the dancers themselves to seek outside coaching if they're so inclined to do so, especially coaching from the former dancers who are still in NYC. They take daily class from whomever they choose, why not hire private coaches if they want? I sure would.

Of course, this would be limited to principal/solo roles and small groups I would think.

I saw them on Friday night. Wow. The men performed the quickest footwork I had ever seen and the sheer display of pyrotechnical feats were beyond belief. They made the fastest Balanchine ballet look like slow motion. The "sword" dance was particularly exciting. No wonder Balanchine loved these dancers so much. All the men showed off and looked like they were having a great time. Totally raised the energy level in the theatre.

The women reminded me of the angels in Balanchine's Nutcracker. They glided around the stage in those gorgeous long dresses. Stunning.

I loved the performance. I was exhausted when I arrived at the theatre, and left totally pumped up. It was a wonderful birthday gift for Balanchine and a real treat for the audience.

I voted to show it occasionally. Looks like it cost a fortune and it would be a waste to never show it. That's the only reason I can think of though. And it will probably die quickly with the regular NYCB crowd attending mixed rep evenings. I didn't hate the ballet, but it was structurally flawed and more than borderline distasteful. It's not a fitting tribute to George Balanchine. The fact that it's billed as such, and is danced by his company, strikes me as just plain wrong.

This was my first Eifman experience and it wasn't as bad as I had expected, based on the prevailing view of his work. I found some things tasteless (and predictable)I was waiting for the tendu pose, and got it, what...one minute into the performance?

Eifman seems to be reluctant to say these characyers ARE Farrell, the cat Mourka, LeClerq, etc... Why then use such LITERAL images of events, like LeClerq's polio, and drag her offstage on a cloth? It didn't read symbolic at all. Eifman should take responsibility for the images he uses in his art.

Alexandra carried it off with a lot of aplomb. Her interpretation of the role was done with a great degree of sensitivity and taste.

The dancer's performances saved this work from its many difficult moments, or flaws, or whatever you call them.

Robert Tewsley was OUTSTANDING. He had to play Balanchine as a suffering artist/senile old man lost in recollection...and turned this into a riveting performance with some beautiful dancing. I loved him and thought he looked very much like Balanchine (as far as I could tell from the 4th ring)

I feel like Maria Kowroski can do more than penchee. Lately, I feel like they just pay her to penchee. Apart from a facial similarity, her dancing does not look like Farrell's at all. If anyone's dancing reminds me of Farrell's approach, it's Alexandra Ansanelli. She has the same fearless attack and slightly off-kilter look. They look nothing alike though. Despite this, I always enjoy Kowroski's dancing and Friday night was no exception. She looked like Maria Kowroski dancing like Maria Kowroski.

Wendy's adagio as Mourka was sensual (I think this is appropriate for a cat)...though I expected leaping. The photos of the cat were all leaps, so I didn't understand why it was adagio.

There was one lighting change near the end which really broke the little consistency that already existed in the choreography. The dancer's were all silhouetted on a bright stage. The scheme seemed to come from nowhere. There were a couple of nice things design-wise; the collapsing barre in the Kowroski section was nice, and served a functional/artistic purpose and the dancing pointe shoes at the beginning was funny, though it seemed a little more empty/clever.

At first I didn't like how Eifman seemed to be poking fun at Balanchine technique in the clasroom, though it seemed appropriate to poke fun at this, especially since many of his former dancers have written in thier biographies about his somewhat scattered company class. 40 minutes of tendu and so forth.

I wasn't bored by the ballet and there was some good dancing. I don't know how it would read on audience members who know nothing about balanchine. Probably like Farrell Fan and Oberon said

Anyone who didn't "know" the ''subtext' of the ballet would have seen an aged ballet master in a nursing home remembering in dreams/nightmares his life and work

If that floats your boat...

legs:Maria Kowroski wins by a long shot

feet:Alessandra Ferri

arms and hands...hard to say. I see a lot of NYCB .

Such a century and I can only pick ONE?

The question didn't state whether or not we were only talking about ballet choreographers (though I guess I should assume so ). Although I ADORE Balanchine's work and feel as though he took ballet and made it modern and exciting and pushed the artform forward...I'd be hard pressed to say that he was greater or more influencial then, say, Martha Graham.

For ballet though, in my mind he was the greatest. Not only for the works he created, but the legacy he left.

I have to say that the ensemble work in the 4Ts on Friday night was absolutely perfect. Right at the end of the ballet, before the curtain came down...I had never seen corps work so good, and I sit in 4th ring...any little pattern shift is very noticable. It ended the evening on a perfect note.

Porte/Soupir was just the right length I thought, and I really enjoyed this ballet. I think Tom Gold is such a strong dancer and it's nice to see that there are good roles for him. Maria K. is perfection of course.

On Thursday night, a very nice older woman gave me an Orchestra section ticket (her husband couldn't make it). It was so cool to actually hear the dancers breathing Only thing that made me sad was Union Jack. This is something you don't want to watch straight-on. I think there's probably more impact if you could watch from above. I loved Wendy in this. The section she lead -- with the drumming -- got a huge ovation. I thought Damian looked great in the sailor costume.

The donkey was well-behaved on Thursday.

Is there a valid reason to boycott? I haven't heard rave reviews of his work, but I'll probably see the ballet anyway.

Alice172,

Thanks so much for the background info on Maria K. You can see in class and on stage how straightforward and simple her approach is, and the anecdotes about her double pirouettes and so on at a young age really make sense. I see so many very young dancers who approach class this way, and often wonder if fear and doubt set in at an older age, or if that quality stays. Especially in pirouettes, where more often than not, it's the doubt that will throw you off. Boy, do I know all about that

It's funny how a dancer who is often critizised for such things as overly-extreme extensions and broken wrists is actually, at her core, a dancer who's approach is so simple and modern. When she walks, she just walks. There's really no flash, at least none that is self-conscious.

he seemed uncomfortable in his lovely lime green tights. He sometimes appears to have difficulty committing to roles or costumes that are a little silly, like this one or Union Jack.

It's so funny you mentioned this. A friend and I were remarking on this very though the other night when we saw Woetzel in "Four Seasons". He looked really uncomfortable in the pink shirt. Admittedly, not the most flattering color on him. It's so strange that this translates to the audience. His dancing was exciting and perfect as usual, but I kept thinking about the shirt, and almost felt sympathetic towards him. It wasn't a terrible costume by any means, but I had the feeling he didn't like wearing this, and it almost shows. I thought I was imagining it. Strange...

Maria Kowroski's strength and speed absolutely astounds me.

Like Clara 76 mentioned, she has very loose joints and is quite tall. This type of body is extremely difficult to work with (though aesthetically ideal). I have no idea how she could have built the strength to control those limbs. She must have worked very VERY hard to to have the control that she does. I've been lucky enough to watch her up close on many occasions and she actually has very clean technique. In small jumps, her torso does not budge one iota..it's very "held" and strong.

Her knees ARE hyperextended but they're not as extreme as they appear on TV I think.. .And her bones are straight and aligned. It's so important to really align yourself over the working hip with hyperextension and Maria does this very well. Instead of pulling away from the working leg in an extension and placing undue stress on the joints, she puts herself right on her leg, and allows the skeleton to support itself, with minimal "pulling"effort from the muscles. Watch the section in Barocco where she does the developpee over the people kneeling down. She goes right onto the supporting hip and rotates the working leg right in the socket for turnout, barely any lift to the hip on the working leg side. This is very good technique, it has to come from a ton of support in the abdominals. Effortless. That's why she appears so "curvy" when she dances, even though she's a very thin woman. She uses her body in a very anatomical, straightforward fashion.

Kowroski's lumbar spine is very curved, which helps give her those amazing arabesques, and I'd be more apt to think her back would be prone to injury, rather than the knees. She's so very strong though, and I'm sure gets constant attention from staff physical therapists and pilates and so on. Sports medicine/dance medicine has gotten so good. Total guesswork though, I have absolutely no idea if she is prone to injury or not or what her "issues" are.

Some of her lines look extreme (well over 6 o'clock penchee and so forth) but I'm pretty sure her actual "core" technique is really strong and from what I've seen, she actually works in a very smart manner. She's just a very unique dancer and quite lucky to have that body. She's getting more sure of herself too, especially in pirouettes. They're really looking good and consistant. I really liked her in Kammermusik No.2 a couple weeks ago. She's got a quirky, comedic quality that comes out in fast ballets like that. She's lovely in adagio work because of her lines and amazing arabeque, but to me that's just physical.

I hope we can watch her evolve and grow for many years to come.

Oh yay!!! thanks so much for posting this. I had no idea that it would be broadcast on PBS. I would have missed this if you hadn't posted. Get to leave work early and set up the old VCR....

I noticed that corps member Dena Abergel was replaced for the first week casting and doesn't appear next week either. Has there been any official word on her status? I actually enjoy her dancing a great deal and look to her as an example of what tasteful Balanchine technique should look like.

Prodigal Son is a favorite of mine. The role of the Son requires virtuoso technique as well as acting ability. The last scene is gut wrenching beautiful.

I am a City Ballet diehard, but am really looking forward to seeing Alessandra Ferri in Romeo and Juliet. Can't decide between Jose Manuel or Angel...

I am looking forward to seeing Wendy performing again. Also, I have never seen La Sonnambula and am looking forward to finally seeing it live. I enjoy Wheeldon's work and am looking forward to the premiere of a new piece. Also, anything that Damian is in, I look forward to.

I think it's "Assoluta"

Great question though.

The "Guest Teachers, Coaches, & Adjudicators", contain several notable people in ballet. I know nothing of competitions, but it looks like it is a reputable event, just based on the calibre of people involved.

Willy Burmann deserves credit for Maria Kowroski's upper body improvement as well. He works with her quite a bit and is a wonderful teacher.

Juliet,

Sorry if I came off as too harsh. I was actually very nice to the person who called. I told them that I appreciated the call, will be attending the ballet many times this spring, but had to get back to work. I was a telemarketer in high school myself and used to work retail and all kinds of jobs when I was young. In this economic situation, as a graphic design/ web person, I may yet still need to work a job like that at some point.

I shouldn't have said I hate telemarketers. The call was a just bit much. I'd rather look at a brochure on my own time.

I buy my tickets for NYCB on-line with a 4th ring society membership. I joined the 4th ring society because I want to see the ballet at least once a week, and I'm not a rich person. $30 for me and a friend to go to the ballet is a great deal (even though I watch the whole thing through binoculars). It's fun.

I'm not annoyed by mailings asking for donations (I've also been solicited by SAB asking for money to be used for scholarship funds), nor am I annoyed that there is a box to add a donation on the website when I order a ticket.

What I was annoyed at was a volunteer calling me (at work!), trying to sell me Spring subscriptions. I appreciate aggressive marketing of ballet and all the volunteers who do this work, but I don't like telemarketers, no matter what they're trying to sell me, especially when they call me at work.

I voted "Other"

This is the first time I had ever seen Jewels so I had nothing to compare the set to. I agree with cabro on the tie-dye backdrop in Emeralds. I have a tank top that looks exactly the same. The set and lighting in Rubies was quite nice, I thought. It DID look a bit like a Modern Dance set...maybe a bit out of place but I liked the effect nonetheless. Diamonds was nondescript and bland. I agree that the Jewels were difficult to see from the 4th Ring.

I was at the first night of Jewels and the audience gasped approvingly when the curtain was raised on each set. The dancing in Rubies was fantastic BTW

I noticed the same thing when I was watching archives of past competitions LMCtech. My teacher insists that Asian students work harder (especially Japanese). I usually just laugh at any generalization like that, but there's probably some truth in it.