oberon

Well, carbro, you make alot of sense but the question remains: how does one get performance experience except by performing? Where would Sarah (or Ashley B, for that matter) dance her first O/O if not on her home stage? I can think of other girls in the Company who I'd love to see get a crack at this role, but they would all be first timers. If she fails, everyone will hate Peter even more. If she succeeds, everyone will blame him for not having given her big stuff sooner. To my mind, she herself will emerge unscathed no matter what happens. Twenty years from now, we might be at the farewell performance of the great principal ballerina Sarah Mearns and, as the rose buds fall on her, we will say: "Hey, remember that first SWAN LAKE she did here?" Or she might quit dancing, move to New Mexico, and have 6 kids. Who knows? As an aside, the box office lady told me SWAN is selling like crazy. I would imagine a huge number of the audience will not be holding their breath because this girl is attempting something big for the first time. Just the few of us will be aware of the situation, and will have knots in our stomachs til it's over.

Yes, Bouder's blazing fouettes made the other women seem slow. In MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS, Helene Alexopoulos seemed to me the type of dancer the ballets call for. Cool, contained glamour.

There are two places in the finale with fouettes, I hope we are talking about the same thing. The first comes when the 4th movement principal ballerina starts at the back of a diagonal of corps girls and comes forward: fouette, step forward, fouette, step forward, etc. to the front of the angle. The turn and the step flow into one another but the fouette movement is not continuous. Later, all 4 ballerinas do fouettes in sync (hopefully)...these are continuous fouettes with no intervening step and each woman should stay - as much as possible - on her mark.

A girl has to start somewhere. How can you gain performance experience unless you are given a performance? I suppose she could go "out of town" and try it with some local company but wouldn't the resident "star" of such a company want such a plum role? Besides, how many smaller companies can stage a full SWAN LAKE? I suspect if Kowroski were well and Somogyi feeling 100% (she did dance 100% gorgeously on Tuesday & Thursday, but those shorter ballets don't require the stamina of O/O) then they would be doing the Swans, and Mearns and possibly even Bouder would be on hold. All the great Swan Queens did their first performance somewhere; will Mearns be a great O/O? Possibly not at first, but one can only gain the experience by doing it. Let's see what she does.

Minor glitch of the box office computers? That's for sure. I went down early to pick up tickets for next week. There was a long line so I joined it. After a while it seemed we weren't moving, but everyone was chatting and looking at the brochures so no one seemed aware of the situation. After several minutes, the line hadn't budged and then we realized the first guy on line wasn't talking to the ticket seller, he was just leaning against the window. So finally a woman marched up, banged on the window someone sheepishly appeared to say that the computers were down and they were not sure how long it would be. Could not some announcement have been made so we all didn't stand there for nothing? My description of the diagonal turns in SYMPHONY IN C finale was not about how well or poorly Abi executed them but to try to clarify that there is a transitory forward step after each turn. I think everyone will agree that the step is there; otherwise how could she get from one end of the diagonal to the other? That is the way Pascale van Kipnis, Alexandra, and dear Samantha Allen have always danced the segment. Of course, it all happens very fast and you are barely finished with your turn when you have to step up...sneaky little Balanchine combination! Whether Abi was up to snuff would remain in the eye of the beholder. As far as the 4 women being in sync, at most performances they are not. Last night, in addition to Abi drifting forward, Sylve started about 2 steps back from the line-up and edged forward with each turn. Perhaps they were secretly playing a game of Grandmother's Footsteps? With all the comments about the finale section, hardly anyone has said anything about Sylve in the adagio. Was I the only one to find it a little disappointing? Can anyone point out what was "lacking" in her performance? It's not like she couldn't do the steps.

I never said that to travel in fouettes is a good thing, simply that it happens quite often and it doesn't ruin a performance, at least not for me. The Morishita incident in fact, for all that she literally traversed the entire stage from back to front during the 32, drew an enormous ovation, stopped the show, and she took 2 or 3 bows. The diagonal in SYMPHONY IN C are individual turns, not a sequence. The dancer does not whirl continuously as she does in Black Swan...she is advancing down the diagonal, stepping forward after each turn. Otherwise, if she were doing a continuous series of fouettes, she should stay in one place. If she can.

Yes, that was odd...Damian did some NUTCRACKERs and is down for SWAN LAKE, but Nikolaj seems to constantly pull a vanishing act. He was announced for BAROCCO and SWAN LAKE and then his name disappeared, just as the picture came out in the TIMES.

Yup, Bouder was just astonishing! You think she can't possibly go any faster or take any greater risks...and then she does. And she just has such a damned good time doing it!

January 5 evening A very "up and down" evening, starting off with a very pretty rendition of ALLEGRO BRILLANTE featuring the delectable Miranda Weese and the astute partnering of Philip Neal. Excellent back-up group: Craig Hall (face, body, natural grace = star material), Krohn, Sloan, Keenan, Ricard (4 beauties), Adrian D-W, Tworzyanski and the ascending Andrew Veyette. A short ballet, a long intermission. And then we had a mesmerizing LITURGY in which Wendy & Albert inhabited their own world which we were privileged to view. Incredible partnering. Wendy's elasticity and control seem beyond human possibility. Albert was magnificent. This elicited a roaring ovation from the crowd. MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS are difficult ballets to bring off. The corps was ideal: emotionally detached & well-coordinated in movement. But the ballerina role requires a coldness that is not in Darci's personality. She is too lovely and gracious; she went through all the steps well enough but I just felt that neither the music nor the style suited her. Askegard was not quite on his top partnering game and there were a couple disconnected moments. SYMPHONY IN C opened with a glittering performance from Jennie Somogyi; quite the opposite of Ringer's interpretation: Jennie was more extroverted and dazzling while Jeni was more lyrical and warm. Both approaches work. Nilas Martins took care of her and tossed off some pretty nice turns. Sylve's entrance had "prima ballerina" written all over it: gorgeous, aloof, regal. But as the adagio progressed something was missing, I am not quite sure what it was. She certainly knew what she was doing and she looked good doing it, but it just didn't quite have the mystery and musicality that makes Wendy so memorable here. Sylve & Askegard didn't have everything quite ironed out yet, but I'm sure they'll develop it in future performances. Bouder (replacing Fairchild) & Millepied literally soared onto the stage and kept soaring all through the 3rd Movement, revelling in their technical security and casting broad smiles at one another. They drew a shouts of "bravo" from the house and they were re-called. Abi Stafford was again charming & secure; someone mentioned that she seemed to fall out of a series of turns...actually she steps out of each turn and into the next. In fouettes it is quite common for the woman to travel forward; Abi and Sylve did so to an extent tonight. I once saw Yoko Morishita travel all the way from Amsterdam Avenue to the footlights of the Met during a SWAN LAKE. And wasn't one famous ballerina described as making a "cook's tour of the stage" during her Black Swan (was it Fonteyn?) Reichlen again a striking demi, and Craig Hall likewise.

Well, maybe they ARE preparing her. Who knows how long ago the casting decision was made? She may have been coaching & working on it daily for weeks.

The various comments about the opening performance simply show how different viewers see the same thing differently. Chiapuris writes about familiarity with the dancers in relationship to writing about a performance; I have often found most interesting the comments of people I have taken or sent to the ballet who have not seen the Company before, or see them rarely. Both in terms of repertory and dancing, they have no prejudices and the pieces and dancers they find appealing or moving are sometimes very at odds with the "accepted wisdom" of those of us who've been going a long time. I love to think, whenever I am there, that there are "virgins" in the audience on whom the evening - hopefully - will make as much of an impression as McBride & Tomasson in BAISER DE LA FEE made on me over 30 years ago. The image of those two beautiful dancers backing away from one another as the curtain fell has been one sustained in my mind with resonant clarity. Over the years, the mental scrapbook has become filled to overflowing with such memories. And more were added on Tuesday: Albert's calm nobility in BAROCCO, Wendy's forehead brushing her knee in that electrifying plunge in SYMPHONY IN C ("Like this"? Suzanne said to Mr. B the first time she did it) or a moment of antagonistic lyricism from Amar Ramasar & Jennie Somogyi in SYMMETRIES. And what is in store for us tonight? I'm going now to find out.

Abi's THEME came at a time when there were many injuries and the healthy ballerinas were filling in all over the place. I seem to recall she did four, the first one clearly under-rehearsed but she improved during the run. At the time I thought there were 5 or 6 other women who could have done it "better" (aside from the ones who normally danced it) but who knows the logistics of these decisions? I suppose they could have changed the ballet on all four nights. My point is not whether this casting was appropriate or not, but simply that in the case of THEME it really didn't cause Abi's problems and that she danced some beautiful performances between the time she finished THEME and the time she sustained her injury. Who can predict how Sarah Mearns will fare in SWAN LAKE? We've seen so little of her. It was a casting surprise to be sure. I'll be going to see her, and of course I wish her the best.

In fairness to Abi, her setback was due to a foot injury and was further complicated by a premature return to the stage. Now she is back, in great shape and dancing probably even better than she did pre-injury. Whether one liked her in THEME or thought she was ready for it at the time had nothing to do with the situation.

As an apprentice, Kaitlyn doesn't get listed in Company roster in the Playbill. The apprentices get listed in the casts of the ballets they dance in, but will not be included in the roster until they are hired. I did notice that Darius Crenshaw is no longer listed in the Corps.

The first night of the Winter repertory season found a good-sized and enthusiastic audience in the theatre. I have seen Yvonne Borree dance CONCERTO BARCCO many times and tonight was the most secure and lovely performance she has given; perhaps the clue to her success was the presence of Albert Evans, who was simply a magnificent partner. He calmly took care of everything while exuding an aura of genial seriousness; his line and style are heavenly - a big man with a lyrical presence. Rachel Rutherford was very attractive in the other leading role and the corps girls were a very impressive group. The non-stop dancing in Peter Martins' FEARFUL SYMMETRIES must be exhausting for the dancers but instead they seemed exhilirated. Groups and couples flash across the stage in complex combinations at breakneck speed. Everyone was dancing full-tilt every moment, with an excellent trio of "fast boys" (Ulbricht, Pfeiffer and Laurent) and an awesome, super-speedy couple (Bouder & de Luz dancing up a storm). It is great having Abi back, she is a no-nonsense dancer with an increasingly dramatic presence...strong yet purely feminine. Amar Ramasar's arresting appearance is backed up by his spacious, beautifully aligned dancing. Stephen Hanna is also a striking dancer, and he and Jennie Somogyi were very impressive. At one point the couples change partners and Amar & Jennie showed the potential for developing a very interesting partnership, contrasted physically yet alike in their attack and dramatic nuance. Among the demi-soliste couples, the staggeringly gorgeous Rebecca Krohn stood out, superbly partnered by Adrian Danchig-Waring. Again the corps girls danced very well. Jenifer Ringer's beautiful dancing of the first movement of SYMPHONY IN C was like a breath of springtime on a cold, damp evening. She and Nilas Martins danced very well together, Nilas being a master of cool & controlled partnering. Wendy & Philip Neal danced the adagio, making it the focal point of the evening with a sense of the mystery as well as pure musicality; Wendy's clarity of every step & gesture - all so defined yet still flowing lyrically - is breathtaking. Megan Fairchild and Benjamin Millepied were airy and secure in the 3rd movement and Abi was a delight in the opening solo passage of the 4th, later partnered by Jason Fowler. Among the bevy of gorgeous demisolistes, Golbin & Edge are always a major feature of the 2nd movement and Teresa Reichlen in the first movement made me see visions of her eventually dancing the principal ballerina role of the adagio...she's ready for it. Ellen Bar also looks great. Among the men, Andrew Veyette stood out. In the finale, when the 4 women danced together, Wendy's peerless musicality seemed to resonate across the footlights. Many new faces and many people to watch; Kaitlyn Gilliland was listed for 4th Movement but turned up in 3rd instead. She has an especally nice quality. Glenn Keenan, Sterling Hyltin & Ana Sophia Scheller caught my eye but everyone really looks good. If the season maintains this level, we are in for some treats. And - hopefully - NO INJURIES!!

Mearns did appear in the lead of CHOPINIANA when Cynthia Gregory staged it for NYCB but I think at that point Mearns was still an SAB student.

...appears at the NYCB website. Three new Swan Queens: Bouder (with Millepied) Sarah Mearns (with Nilas Martins) Sylve (with Charles Askegard)

Too bad about Nikolaj, but it will be great to see Albert in a new role. I imagine Sylve might be getting ready for a Swan Queen the week after? Weese replaced the earlier - and very briefly - announced Somogyi in the Sunday SWAN LAKE. With Kowroski ill and Somogyi maybe not 100% yet after the long layoff, I think there will be considerable juggling. I'm betting on a "surprise" Odette/Odile in the second week? Reichlen? Bouder? Any bets?

The photograph of the dancers on the stairwell was not included when the article first ran on-line. It's great because the two women look very serious and the guys are having a big laugh over something. The photo session looks really impromptu, like someone at the Times sent the photographer over to the theatre at the last minute and they rounded up whoever they could find who got mentioned in the article.

Nice article just popped up in the NY TIMES on-line edition...dance critics write about NYCB dancers who have especially moved or impressed them. I'm sure this story will be linked here soon...

Thanks, carbro...is that Eva Natanya being fitted in the costume shop?

Poor Maria! Mono is devastating, I had it several ago and it just wipes you out. My partner & I, who are big Maria K fans, have been lamenting her absence this season. We feared she had sustained some injury but this story explains why she isn't dancing. She will need lots of rest and then to take it slow on the comeback trail. Poor baby, I wish her the best... Just yesterday I was listening to Beethoven Piano Concerto #1 and remembering her gorgeous performance in Helgi Tomasson's PRISM - a work which very much deserves a revival at NYCB.

December 28 @ 6:00 By this point in the season, the corps must be sick to death of the party, of being mice, or of getting that yucky snow on your lipstick. But you'd never guess it; everyone seemed pretty vibrant. The Snow scene has been especially well-danced this season. Earlier in Act I Austin Laurent was a very fine soldier doll. Jemifer Ringer's the vision of a sugar plum dancing in your head; that such a beautiful woman is also such a beautiful dancer seems like an abundance of good fortune. Tonight all the gracious, womanly qualities and the lovely refinements of gesture & expression that make Ringer such a pure joy to watch were amply on display. The divertissement led off with Gwyneth Muller & Amar Ramasar as a very attractive Spanish couple, followed by a quite remarkable Arabian from Melissa Barak - vibrantly danced, she seemed to make a real connection with the audience. Vincent Paradiso, whose presence I have been enjoying since he joined the Company, was a very breezy & high-bouncing Tea while Adam Hendrickson gave a deluxe Candy Cane, as befits one of the Company's most skilled and interesting dancers. I love Carrie Lee Riggins and have since I first set eyes on her; her lyrical Marzipan well expressed the joy of dancing. The beautiful blondes, Beskow & Rutherford, led the Waltz, and Ashley Bouder blazed through the Dewdrop's coloratura phrases with carefree brilliance, the Bouder smile generously bestowed on her attendant Flowers and on us, the fortunate viewers. Splendid Bouder night! Ringer and Philip Neal then crowned the evening with a beautifully phrased, deeply musical adagio. Jenifer's luminous final balance drew a shower of applause from the full house. Wonderful moment to cap her success.

LOL, carbro...yes, gravity can be a nuisance! I remember my idol Merrill Ashley crashing to the floor during DIVERT #15. At the time, I thought it was the end of the world.

In her Dancer on Dancer interview with Golbin, Bouder talks about her many falls onstage. One especially goofy one was in the televised MERCURIAL MANOUEVRES a few years ago where she wasn't doing anything difficult but suddenly landed on her butt. Hyltin should not feel discouraged, she joins the ranks of recent fallers who include Fairchild, Borree, Meunier, Ansanelli, and even the normally ultra-stable Wendy Whelan. These things just happen, and can happen to anyone. I am never shocked when people fall; on the contrary, I'm surprised at how rarely it actually happens...considering how fast and intricate many combinations are.