SingerWhoMoves

Too late; it's under a country club, a couple of condos, and the Town of Greenburgh 7-school campus. I went to kindergarten in the Warburgh mansion. It was like a castle. :-) How wonderful to later find out my favorite ballet premiered there. I then went to junior high on the same campus- not such a pretty building there!

Just FYI, Alex is also a contributor on "The Winger" now.

I meant to come post about Thursday 12/14's performance. I don't have my playbill here with me, but the little boy playing Fritz was so great- he got so many laughs and helped tell the story very well. Saskia Beskow was a lovely Hostess, and Rachel Piskin stood out as particularly cute in Dolls. Adam Hendrickson was very effective as Drosselmeier (sp?). His characterization fills every moment with interest. Jennie Somogyi did a beautiful SPF solo and had the stage presence, maturity and star quality I was missing from Megan Fairchild when I saw her... I still wish I could see Jeni Ringer! :-( Gwyn Muller was very enchanting as Hot chocolate- dancing with great amplitude and style, as well as having a great charming stage presence. I also couldn't keep my eyes off of Kathryn Morgan once again behind Gwyneth.. I LOVED Melissa Barak's Coffee! She really cast a spell, and is a great actress.. the audience was in the palm of her hand and went "ooh" when she finished.. Her finger cymbals were a bit weak though. ;-) I thought Sterling Hyltin was a perfect Marzipan- she was so demure yet mischeiveous- and her jumps and turns were outstanding- so light and easy for her- I really look forward to watching more of Sterling. The flowers were lovely- but Ashley Bouder was onstage as the Dewdrop- and she was breathtaking.... So much joy and fun in her dancing ,and her leaps seemed to hang in the air forever.. it really looked like she was floating or wearing a flying harness. The audience gasped several times and cheered- it wasa delight to see. She seems to be having the time of her life every time I see her dance- and it just makes me smile. Nilas Martins was a wonderful partner and he and Jennie were very secure- His solo however.. he seemed to get a bit dizzy and lose his balance a few times.. when he landed on one kneee, it seemed he didnt know where he was and nearly sat down... and you could see it on his face. But his partnering was so secure that it was forgiven. All in all, a delightful evening at the Nut. I felt this performance was more fun for both the cast and for the audience than the matinee I saw on Sunday 12/9- of which the highlights were Gwyneth's lead flower, Alina Dronova's Marizipan and Sterling Hyltin's dewdrop. That's my opinion and I'm stickin to it. Happy Holidays and Nutcracker Viewing everyone! Sandi

Bobbi, I had so hoped to get to see Jeni Ringer's SPF... Ah well.. tomorrow night I shall see Jennie Somogyi- with whom I went to school when she was a tot- what a joy to watch her as such a beautiful dancer now. I'm really excited to see Ashley Bouder's dewdrop, and Sterling Hyltin's Marzipan..oh, and Melissa Barak's coffee... I thought Faye Arthurs danced this beautifully, but I felt she was pushed by the orchestra in the parts where she has to cover ground flat footed- and that it was not as slinky as I would have liked. I'm in the club of those who loved Sterling's dewdrop- I found it abandoned,exciting and really amazing to watch.. I felt like I was watching a true star... something I was missing in Megan Fairchild's SPF... she was technically perfect, but I felt no passion there... I'll report after tomorrow night! Did anyone here see Hyltin's second SPF today? Sandi

Just to add another update- Just got back from seeing friends in the road company of Phantom of the Opera, and Jessy Hendrickson is dancing in the ballet chorus. I don't know what she looks like, so I could't say hi, but all the dancers were lovely. Sandi

Whoops! I guess you missed the posts by Farrell Fan on July 26 and Klavier on August 15! LOL! D'oh! Guess I did. I tend to only read the NYCB folder on this board! My bad. Sandi

I enjoyed the opportunity to see such amazing dancers in so intimate a setting- a rare treat. Even though I try to sit close at the NYS theatre, it's not THAT close! I was there Friday night and while I liked both PDD's, I feel like I would have liked them better had I not seen them on the same bill. They had too many similarities. I was impressed with the ABT studio company members, but it was extremely interesting to compare their stage presence and commitment to what they were doing to the NYCB girls in Tom Gold's piece. They danced together but each had such presence and character on their own. Of course this is about age and experience, and I'm sure it was a thrill for the younger girls to watch from the wings. Speaking of watching from the wings- I was sitting on the side of the balcony, and was amused to watch Maria Kowroski warming down, toweling off, bundling up, removing her pointe shoes and having a snack as she watched the next piece. I have to say I was a sucker for Masada- what fun! Perhaps it was just the wonderful joy that the dancers brought, but I just could not stop smiling. This was also my first opportunity to really SEE Tiler, Georgina, Ana Sophia and Sterling up close- and I loved them all. It was especially hard to take my eyes off of Sterling- even when Ashley Bouder was also on stage!! That's a feat. Also, the choreographers did bow on Friday night and it was a delight to see Tom Gold and the love his dancers seemed to be sharing with him. A big thanks to Kristin Sloan at the Winger for posting the info about this event- I would never have known about it at all. back to lurking... Sandi

Is there some complete list of winners? I went to the website, but the only list is from the 2004 competition. Congrats to all! Sandi

Interestingly, as a performer who has paid her dues and "killed herself" , I had the opposite reaction. I was instantly thrilled for Kathryn and thought that she must be very special indeed to have warranted this casting. Firstly, I thought- it's in Saratoga- a safer place to try it out than at the State theatre. I don't necessarily think that every casting is a reward- just part of the job. I know the Mearns Swan lake was met with skepticism when it was announced, but look how well she did. As for Juliet- perhaps Kathryn's innocence will shine through as the part is intended and will make the performance that much more real. I mean no disrespect to the wonderful company dancers who work so hard, but I think there must be a method to the "madness". Sandi

I was just thinking the same thing! Good for her. Merde Kathryn! Sandi

There are two new pictures up on Front Row Center...from Russian Seasons.

Oh Cabro, I was only hoping for official word. Thanks! Sandi

Did I miss an announcement of an injury or a leave? I'm out of town, but I'm enjoying reading all the NYCB posts. Did something happen to Ashley? Thanks, Sandi

Wow.. Mearns as Titania! How I wish I was in town for this!

I so wanted to see this evening's performance, and the way you describe it, I'm really sad I didn't get to. Thanks for the review!