jimmattimore

Carley was a brilliant critic of all matters ballet, and I had the privilege of meeting her many times at NYCB,

I pray to her.

JIM

That Gina P., danced beautifully for ten years before being named a soloist drove me crazy, and I wrote to Peter many times to lobby for her promotion which FINALLY came.

They often put her in junk such as the Martins/McCartney debacle two years ago, What a waste of talent and money . JIm

Thank you. We love her so much that I am ordering tickets. I've met her many times and she is so giving and loving and funny.

JIM

Did anyone see Wendy dance at either of these venues, summer 2013. My wife and I love Wendy, but dislike any dance not en pointe, so I want to know if we should book tickets for her performance at the Joyce in 2014. Thanks, JIM

Helene: Thanks to you I found a dance I did not know about, and I will go. Merci. jim

Balletomanes: I loved that interview with Francis. What a joie. Ballanchine lives as the best forever. JIM

On June 20, Gillian Murphy was incandescent. jim

Oh Lord, I went to her ABT retirement. Yes, come back.

Love, JIM

Lauren is ABT corps and is really an up and comer. JIM

Tiler of NYCB has a web site: Tiler Talks.com

I love Lane and Simkin. JIM

I have a single ticket for Friday evening July 8 for the Cojocaru/Kobberg Sleeping Beauty that I would like to sell. It's a $66 ticket that I would sell for $50 or best offer - Dress Circle, Row C, Seat 112. I will be coming into the city via bus for the Wed (tomorrow) evening performance and could meet you with the ticket either before or after that performance. I had been wondering who would fill in for Hallberg never expecting Osipova to be replaced as well! I love Cojocaru but don't really need to see her twice - and neither does my pocketbook! Please send me a private message. Thanks!

Barbara: You missed a thrilling performance by Cojocaru/Kobberg.

I saw her dance in London in 2007 as Odette/Odille, and she is even better.

She dances with a beautiful gauziness.

JIM

This relates to the topic of favorite dancers.

I love too many (past and present) to list, but I've seen Gina dance now for six-seven years, and she's a dynmao on stage. She can also act and sing as she did in "West Side Story" at NYCB.

I saw her dance brilliantly this past Sunday night at a dance performance Emery LeCrone produced at Manhattan Center for Art and Movement.

Question to Peter to whom I wrote today on this topic: Why isn't Gina a soloist?

Jim Mattimore

I would love your knowledgable feedback

the growing tendency to indicate steps with her arms rather than dancing them with her legs,

That is precisely what I was often seeing in Serenade in 2004, but not ballet-literate enough to articulate it. There was a somewhat matronly feel to it, but I still enjoyed her lilt, she always has that.

I have always loved Darci, even in the 90s and 2000s, but obviously at 46 she no longer had the chops to do all those roles.

Yes, I think she was tense until SL, when she shone beatifully.

I love/hate these farewells, but yes Allesandra and Kyra were much more relaxed.

I 've met her many times at SAB and she is a wonderful and kind teacher.

Jim Mattimore

I LOVE ALL THE DANCERS, ESPECIALLY kATIE. WOW, I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE GALA ON THE 24TH

NYCBallet

Dancers' Choice 7:30 pm June 14, 2009

I agree with the comments of the posters before me, DeborahB and vipa: this was an evening of great dancing and of excellent works presented with care and great love.

My favorite works, both for choreographic content and performance execution, were the "In G Major" excerpt with Rebecca Krohn and Adrian Danchig-Waring; and the delightful "Valse-Fantaisie" with Tiler Peck and Christian Tworzynski and the quartet of Collins, Johnson, Keenan and Sell.

Performers who stood out for me were the charismatic Russell Janzen, partnering Savannah Lowery in "The Waltz Project", Zungre and Prottas in the "Dances at a Gathering" excerpt, and Kathryn Morgan and Tyler Angle in "The Sleeping Beauty" pdd -and the three soloists of "Serenade".

This is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the fresh and original

choreography of Ashley Bouder with its bold musical selections and

the full-out and joyful dancing of Gilliland and Ramasar,

and Pollack and Suozzi.

I found it, as well as the costumes of Janie Taylor, witty and delightful.

And, of course, the closing "Union Jack" made everyone leave the theatre with a smile.

A great evening.

I am still dizzy with joy from "Dancer's Choice."

Why do we not see promotions for Katie Morgan, Gina P., Stephanie Z, too many others to mention and the end of Nilas?

WHY?

My wife and I and our friends were in a total joy mood and Jenifer R is a classy producer-and a great dancer.

How could anyone not love "Union Jack" as a closer?

I confess: I love Katie Morgan and she and Tyler are a wonderful pairing.

I have seen one MND and will see a second on Saturday, then I will cry until November with a brief bit of October joy from ABT.

JIM

I attended the Sunday matinee and saw “Swan Lake”, “Opus 19/the Dreamer” and “Vienna Waltzes”. I haven’t seen Balanchine’s one-act Swan Lake in years, and I really enjoyed it. I thought Wendy Whelan gave a beautiful performance as Odette. I was especially impressed by Whelan’s bird-like arms, even though they weren’t in the same league as Nina A’s, Diana Vishneva’s, Irina Dvorovenko’s, or Veronika Part’s (in my opinion anyway). Sebastien Marcovici was a decent partner, but very inconsistent in his solo. He totally missed two of his jumps, but danced the rest of the solo rather well. And I find it strange that Balanchine chose the music for the Big Swans dance for Prince Siegfried’s solo. Also, the corps lacked unison. I didn’t mind that they were in black and Odette was in white, but I did mind that they weren’t dancing together. It just threw the whole ballet off.

I always love “Vienna Waltzes”, but I didn’t like all the performances Sunday afternoon. I was disappointed not to see Sara Mearns, but I thought Ellen Bar was lovely in her place. Yvonne Borree was better than I expected her to be, but she still lacked the buoyancy and fluidity required by the Voices of Spring female soloist. I think Ashley Bouder is still out injured, but what about Megan Fairchild or Tiler Peck. Either ballerina would have been wonderful in the part. And it didn’t help Borree that she was so outclassed by Benjamin Millipied. As always, Millipied’s pyrotechnics are so unforced, so natural. And the way he just flies around the stage is breathtaking. Jennifer Ringer isseductive and mysterious as the Merry Widow, but her partner, Nilas Martins, is just okay. And Darcy Kistler in Der Rosenkavalier is beyond brittle. She looks like she could barely move. Doesn’t Peter Martins watch any of these performances? It’s especially sad in Kistler’s case, because she was a great ballerina. Unforunately too many of us will remember too many years of weak performances, rather than all her great dancing in her early years at NYCB.

The highlight of the afternoon for me was “Opus 19/the Dreamer”. I’ve seen this ballet a few times before, and I’d never thought much about it. But Sunday’s Opus, with Robert Fairchild and Janie Parker, was so haunting. I don’t remember when I’ve last been so moved by a performance. It’s strange. I don’t remember steps or images from the ballets, but just a sense of Fairchild and Parker taking me away to some other world. I felt the ballet viscerally. I hope to see again soon (with the same cast) so I discover more of what this ballet has to offer.

Colleen: You saw Janie Taylor. one of the best, not Janie Parker who does not exist at NYCB.

I love your excitement.

jim

That seems a cruel remark about Darci who has graced NYCB for thirty years, and yes no one at 44 is 16.

Accept the joy she has given us.

Darci was the first ballerina with whom I fell in love as she danced Ballanchine's "Swan Lake," and I love her still. We just met her on February 13 at SAB, and gifted her with a lovely card and Godiva; she loves teaching and her girls love her as much as she loves them.

I too love Kathryn Morgan , and I have had the pleasure of kissing her perfect 20 year old cheek; by now she should be a soloist.

She IS Juliet, and she shone in "Stabat Mater," as you noted.

I never saw Tanny or Diana or Merrill or Suzanne dance live since during the 70s and 80s my wife and I were raising three children in Port jefferson on Long Island, so we spent our cultural time in the museums of Manhattan and Brooklyn and Long Island.

But I have seen Darci and Wendy and Kyra and Heather and Yvonne who have spent many years at NYCB, some now as we know sadly gone, and I am grateful to and for all of them.

These days I can love seeing Katie Morgan, Janie Taylor, Charles, Andy, Megan, Abi, Gina P., Tess, Sar, Amar, the Brothers Angle, Jonathan, Danny,Ashley,Albert,Sterling, Maria, Sebastien, Benjamin, Phillip, Jennifer Ringer and Jennie Somogyi,Abi,Wendy still,Robbie, Savannah,Tyler, Rachel, Ana Sophia,Faye, Adrian DW,Kaitlyn G.,Megan Johnson, Lydia Wellington,Brianna, and every other dancer in the company.

I love NYCB becasue no matter how depressed I might be, the dancers make me feel elated to be alive.

We are so blessed to have NYCB and ABT and City Center and the Joyce in our Manhattan.

I'll close with love and praise and thanks to Darci for a great run.

This is my belated Valentine to NYCB.

Avec amor,

Jim

I was there 12/30 to see Katie Morgan as the SPF and she radiated warmth and regality.

Tyler Angle became a great dancer last season, and he's even gotten better; he was Katie's Cavalier.

Those costumes are simply beautiful in the pas.

The house was sold out--on December 30. I'm happy, but why?

Okay bring on the rep; I'm nutted out.

January 8 will my first of the year.

Happy 2009, JIM

anybody see erica pereira's spf? i'd love to hear about it. she's a beautiful dancer.

On the 20th I saw Katie Morgan doing a magnificent and enchanting Dewdrop.

She's doing SPF on the 27th and 30th.

Happy Holidays balletomanes. jim

By his writings Clive Barnes learned so many of us to appreciate ballet and he did until the very end. His contribution to ballet cannot be overestimated.

\\To all:

He was a wonderful man, and a great lover of dance.

May he be in ballet heaven.

jim

I met Ashley Bouder (with boyfriend whose name I forgot) at an ABT at City Center a few weeks back. I can only guess that she has NYCB blood flowing through her veins, and will remain at NYCB, especially since she and her boyfreind will now be working together.

JIM

Tess should be a principal, Katie Morgan should be a soloist. Megan Johnson and Lydia Wellington just finished at SAB in June. I want to see Callie Bachman.

JIM

Thank you, Jim, for your wonderful report. I identify: one of the terrors of living on Long Island was having to drive through our around NYC to get away. The Cross-Bronx, boxed in by huge trucks, huge SUVs, and buses.

The NYCB Guild alternative sounds like a great alternative to trying to do it on your own. It's truly wonderful that there were 73 participants. Has anyone else done this?

Bart: Yes.

Patricia and I drive to the Ronkonkoma Long Island Railroad Station in about twenty minutes, board our train with our sandwiches and drinks and chat and read newspapers and magazines and books.

We take the 1/9 to Lincoln Center and arrive for NYCB fed and relaxed.

For several years a friend and I went to the Metropolitan on a Friday subscription via car.

(My friend LOVES to drive.)

Parking back ten years ago was $25.00+ tip.

Then he had to drive us home at 11:00 p.m. or later.

Not for the two of us thank you.

Many of you are savvy travellers, but lest someone not know this: Amtrak goes to Saratoga Springs.

I don't know where the station is, but the town is so small that a cab ride to your hotel should be about $12.00 or so I would guess.

Next year I /we would like to go on Thursday, see the evening ballet on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the matinee on Saturday.

As I write, I am ballet-deprived (I'll pass on Pilobus at $44.00 at the Joyce.), watching Suzanne dance on YouTube

JIM

Thanks for your response, Jim and Pat. It was great fun for me to read, and reminded me of my wife's and my first trip to Saratoga thirty years ago this month. That was the year Baryshnikov joined NYCB and his first appearances with the company were at SPAC. There was great excitement among the Guild weekenders, and also in the town as a whole. The talk among the locals was of "that Russian" who was such a phenomenal dancer -- Patty MacBride's new partner. Usually in those days, the group stayed at the Holiday Inn, but that year some of the overflow was booked into other motels. Alice and I were at the Downtowner. We asked there about where to eat and were told, "Mother Goldsmith's for dinner; Lou's for lunch." Lou's, now Compton's, happily survives, but Mother's is long gone. My memories of it have scarcely faded however. The first thing I remember seeing there was Peter Martins and Heather Watts in a booth, having a very spirited discussion. In fact, if I hadn't known that everything is beautiful at the ballet, I could have sworn they were having a fight.

Alice and I continued going on the Guild weekend for fourteen years in a row, until my wife finally put her foot down and decided we'd HAD Saratoga Springs. Alice passed away in 1995. and in recent years I returned to Saratoga on my own and stayed at the Adelphi, which used to be a place where NYCB dancers and fans gathered after performances. The elevator there is one of Mr. Otis's original models. Now that my bones have grown creakier than the Adelphi's floors, I thought the resumption of the Guild's weekend trip was tailor-made for me. But as the time drew near, I had second thoughts and decided to stay home.

Except for Pat's lightheadness, it sounds like you had a good time. Hope she gets a clean bill of health from the doctor. Thanks again.

Dear Farrell Fan: I am updating you in a public forum since my brain is taxed with Patricia's continuing lightheadedness; she went to the doctor yesterday who gave her antivert which zonked her, but she is still of balance as I write.

We await blood results for lupus, anemia, thyroid.

She is a tough and good woamn.

I am sorry about your Alice, and I do wish you could have creaked on board the bus.

I'm: mattimj@optonline.net.

What's next:

The Gala and the Nut.

JIM and Pat

With gratitude