tutu

Post is out with COVID per her Instagram.

7/4 pas de trois was planned to be Fang/Waski/Sumitani, according to one of Waski‘s Instagram posts. 7/5 and 7/6 evening were scheduled to be Misseldine/Park/Han, according to a Misseldine post. Unclear who 7/6 matinee pas de trois will be, as it certainly can’t be the remaining cast, Hurlin/Waski (replacing Williams)/Hoven, performing for Hurlin’s O/O debut. Maybe Fang/Waski/Sumitani again? Of course, given the several demanding weeks already completed and the amount of COVID in NYC right now, we may already be into the “bleeding casting sheet” phase — that is, when injuries and illness mean substitutions run rampant. At this point in the season, I think no casting is a guarantee.

I share your sentiment — I know the McKenzie Swan Lake is not everyone’s favorite, but I just adore it, swamp Rothbart and all.

I was very disappointed not to be able to attend this weekend, but quite appreciate reading the reviews. Thank you and keep ‘em coming!

Thank you, Buddy! Also just saw this crop up — Carmen isn’t my favorite, but I like what she does with it here:

A long way up for those Act I lifts!

Literally — how tall is Bell again?

Did anyone see the Hurlin Hurricane? Especially curious after the positive reports from the gala.

Agreed, and I think the NYT review does a good job of describing the seamlessness and polish she brings (especially in transition steps — she’s so crisp in the in-betweens): “She’s tiny, but her dancing is so fleshed out that she isn’t exactly diminutive; Brandt doesn’t just hold shapes vibrantly, she expands them, gliding from one step to the next with a fluidity that allows her to indicate the trick without commenting on it.”

Good! I’ve seen them both deliver more jaw-dropping performances in the past, but tonight was a solid run overall and well worth the price of a ticket. (Both have an excellent baseline, so even when they’re not pushing superhuman limits, they’re pretty fantastic.) Brandt’s not a natural jumper in the same way that she’s a natural turner or balancer, but she maximizes what she has and certainly doesn’t feel earthbound; Cornejo’s doesn’t have quite the power that he used to but he’s certainly no slouch. Trenary was a luscious Mercedes/Dryad Queen (though she had to fight for her Italian fouettés), and Shayer was clearly enjoying Espada (though I, too, miss some of the stylish Espadas past). Zimmi Coker and the young apprentice Elwince Magbitang—boyish in a way that reminds me of young Simkin—were more than serviceable as the Gypsy Couple. Overall, corps was clean, but I do wish that they’d bang the shoes a bit more beforehand to quiet them down. Edited to add: I might be imagining it, but it seemed as if they’ve either refurbished or deep-cleaned some of the costumes this season; colors seem a bit brighter than seasons past (in a good way).

From the few videos I’ve seen of Smirnova, she’s one of the most exciting youngsters in Russian ballet: powerful, charismatic, with extraordinary lines. I’ll have to track down video of her performances at this competition!

Just got a last-minute ticket to tomorrow night’s Brandt/Cornejo performance. I can’t wait!

The New York Times season review is in, and Gia Kourlas’ last lines are a perfect encapsulation of how I feel about this season: “Farewells are not just for goodbyes but for new beginnings, a fresh start for a new generation led by dancers like Chan, Furlan, Woodward and so many more. What did the spring season show us? That talent is overflowing through the ranks. Proof was on the stage.”

This wasn’t directed to me, but these are such fun questions so I’ll answer. As to question 1, I wish I knew what it was! I can identify the appeal of long lines (like Miriam Miller and LaFreniere now, Maria Kowroski then), superhuman tricks (like Tiler Peck, Ashley Bouder), go-for-broke bravura (like Sara Mearns), gorgeous upper-body movement (like Indiana Woodward), but there’s also a kind of confidence and charisma onstage that catches your eye and you have no idea why (Lydia Wellington was always this way for me, and Gerrity is now; Janie Taylor also had it, and India Bradley, who reminds me so much of Janie Taylor, does as well). As to question 2, I think there’s a difference between the promotion to soloist and principal. Soloist for me makes sense when they’ve got the charisma and the technique to have handled a leading role (and I think all of the recent soloist promotions are completely appropriate). The most satisfying principal promotions are consistent technique night after night, across a range of roles, with charisma, showing range, and showing good judgment in their other public-facing media (such as social media or promotional appearances). For me, Gerrity’s a no-brainer for principal for me because I trust that it will be a strong performance when I see her name on the casting sheet: Gerrity’s proven that she’s got the technique, flexibility, charisma, and stamina to get through principal roles—often the really tricky, pure technique exposure roles—by any choreographer in the rep (Balanchine? Check. Robbins? Check. Ratmansky? Check. Wheeldon? Check. Peck? Check. Cunningham? Check.), and my eye is always drawn to her when she’s onstage (wasn’t always true, but a couple years ago, something seemed to completely blossom and she just came alive). Reminds me a lot of Rebecca Krohn, who I adored and miss seeing onstage. Now that Gerrity and Chan are beginning to establish a fruitful (and hopefully long-lasting) partnership, it just seems like the right time.

Any reports from Maxwell’s Cage debut?

Can anyone speak to Jaffe’s record at PBT in a way that can help predict what kind of changes she may bring about?

I’ve never really realized how rare this must be — ballet is such a physically and psychically punishing industry, but to have new work must provide both a developmental opportunity and acceptance of the dancer for themself. When I saw Mearns and Janzen in the new Tanowitz ballet this season, I was struck that their dancing was unlike anything I’d seen them do before, but the movement also seemed utterly familiar to them. Maybe that’s why.

Russell Janzen has published a really thoughtful piece on navigating partnering in the New York Times: Highly recommend reading the full article — for me, it really opened up a new perspective on the partnering relationships. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Janzen’s dancing for a while; now I’ll also keep an eye out for his writing. How lucky we are to have such multidimensional performers and thinkers onstage and in print!

My thought was that both sides are probably more likely to settle and closer on bid-ask than they were two — make that four — years ago. On NYCB’s side, they know they’re not necessarily the right/best-funded institution for a test case here, there’s substantial publicity risk, and the follow-on risk associated with getting a Court of Appeals-level decision affirming the Appellate Division (both in what discovery would look like here and what it could mean for other incidents that are more common in ballet than in other industries) could be pretty disastrous. On plaintiff’s side, she’s probably more resolution-focused and eager to move on with her life than she was four years ago, and counsel doesn’t necessarily want to risk getting this win of a decision smacked down by the Court of Appeals. But I’m not a litigator, so my thinking may be totally off here.

Likewise

I’d be shocked if the parties can’t reach a mutually agreeable settlement after this ruling. This a big-deal decision.

I was hoping they’d bring Plot Point — I’ve been curious about it for quite some time.

Haven’t seen an announcement from Hyltin herself, but an announcement was slipped into a recent Broadway World summary of the 2022-2023 season announcement. D-day is December 4: “The 2022-23 Season will also feature a farewell performance for Principal Dancer Sterling Hyltin who will retire from NYCB after 20 years with the Company. For her final performance, Hyltin will dance the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® on Sunday, December 4 at 5pm.” Agree with everything you say. Hyltin’s at the top of her game and I’m just heartbroken, but I guess it’s up to the ballerina to decide when she hangs up the boots 🥲

Miriam Miller and Ashley Hod debuted in Serenade (Dark Angel and Russian Girl, respectively, with Sara Mearns’ Waltz Girl) last night. Both were good, clean performances — a bit tentative in places, but that can probably be chalked up to debut nerves. Mearns, the veteran, was extraordinary as always in the role, and against the shadow of Hyltin’s impending retirement, I can only pray that we get more time with Mearns bringing us into her world onstage. The Miller/Mearns/Sanz trio was especially striking with Miller and Mearns’ mirrored blonde hair. The dancers looked great in Goldberg Variations (an especially nice debut for Indiana Woodward!) and Walters plays the Bach well, but my word, that is a long ballet. Worth it to get one more chance to see Sterling Hilton (please don’t go!) but I don’t think I’ll seek this out again unless it’s presented as an excerpt. Maybe this is just because it’s my first time seeing it — would be happy to be told that the length holds up better on subsequent viewings!

To have this much talent among the newer members of the corps… what a gift!