sphillips

spinning2night, Please come back and post more! I was so bummed that I couldn't make it to Ethan's farewell. I've watched the video a million times and was touched watching him with his parents. His sister, her husband and children were also on stage with him. He's a special person and an amazing dancer. He will be missed!!

I hope a lot of people will report on Ethan Stiefel's last two performances with ABT. He's always been my favorite and it truly is the end of an era to see him retire.

The end of an era for me. He was always my favorite ABT dancer. I wish him all the best

I'm going to look for your review. Thanks for the heads up In the lobby during intermission, it seemed like there was a 50/50 split of people who either loved or hated this version of Nutcracker. You know what side I'm on I usually try to get the Saturday night performances, as I've found the company is more rehearsed and relaxed. I've had a number of ABT dancers kind enough to "friend" me on Facebook, and yes, they got here Wednesday afternoon. I have a question, and don't know if I'm breaking any board rules, so please tell me if I am, because like I said, I'm really shy about posting on here. From what I remember that has been posted publicly, Herman Cornejo has been injured a lot this past year. There were a few times during the Grande Pas De Deux, that I was worried he wasn't going to be able to catch Ms. Reyes and they improvised the way that great partners do. I was wondering if it was the change in choreography, or improvisation, like I just said. Nonetheless, I loved the performance, but I am biased, because ABT is my favorite company. And again, just my opinion

You should be proud balletmor! I loved the bees too. There was a family siting next to us, and I heard her mom whisper "Wonder why there are bees in this act?" Her little girl, who was probably about ten, whispered back, "Bees pollinate flowers, Mom" Lol Just her tone cracked me up. I'm on the Ratmansky choo-choo! Still can't get over how much I loved this performance. I've never seen Xiomera Reyes dance before, and she just sparkled, in my opinion. Also, in my opinion, the kids nearly stole the show from the main company

You must be so proud dancemom He is such a talented dancer! Does he attend the JKO school? I thought all of the children were outstanding, but your son and the little girl who played Clara had both my husband and I in awe. We truly loved the performance!

I've danced probably every role in Nutcracker, staged many productions for my studio, and of course hear the music everywhere. What I loved most about this version is that it made the story truly come to life. I loved the first act when Clara wakes up in the middle of the night and is looking for her "toy'. The way it was staged, when her bed rises, and it appears that everything is happening underneath...to me it was a great job of conveying was it a dream, or really happening. The rest of the ballet continued in the same vein. The children dancing were outstanding! Especially Clara and the little boy who was supposed to be her Nutcracker/Prince. I loved the Snow scene and the ominous undertones, i.e. Clara being in danger of freezing or being lost in a snow storm. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this production put a different enough spin on a classic to make you pay attention, but like someone else here said, it didn't change the choreography and story just for shock value. I'm dying to see this again, and am tempted to travel to Brooklyn from DC to do so. I was literally in tears at the end of Act 1, which in my opinion is what set this apart from other Nutcrackers. Hope this is helpful. I'm a ballet nut and long time lurker, but so shy on this board

I loved it!! I'll write a review later. I'm not as technically proficient as some of you on this board, but I loved what I saw, especially the first act

I'm going Saturday night. Looking forward to your review

I'm from Chas. SC and this is a huge loss for the arts community. I took classes from him, and he was a wonderful man. I feel so sad.