tutu

Ditto! I’m no help on the city center programming, but I’ll be sure to pay much more attention to Peck’s programming going forward!

Olga Smirnova has left the Bolshoi after speaking out against the war. She is joining the Dutch National Ballet. Source.

Heartily agree. The one-act feels as frenetic as a Safdie brothers film. You never feel like you know—or frankly care about—the characters, and instead are just watching 36 minutes of kaleidoscopic choreography with costumes that miss the mark. Hyltin elevates it, but one person’s artistry is not enough to overcome the mania of the production.

Oh fantastic!!!! And well-deserved!!!

Thank you! Which of these are exciting new debuts?

The DGV debut seems promising, though. Gerrity’s got a principal’s technique and the stage charisma / maturity / “it factor” — as I’ve said before, would love to see her in a SL debut. (Was hoping to see her in a Mozartiana debut as well, but alas, looks like the fates have not aligned.) Congrats to Ms. Reichlen on an extraordinary career. What a year of major turnover at City Ballet. For better or for worse, it’s feeling rather like we’ll be seeing a whole new company by 2023.

Oh man — knew this was must have been coming soon, but still will miss her terribly! congratulations on an incredible career, Ms. Pantastico

Any word on casting yet?

On today’s Instagram takeover, Sarah Pasch Thomson announced that this is her last season at PNB — she’s going to embark on a career as a schoolteacher. Because this is an Instagram story, and not a general post, the post will only temporarily be available, but the link is here: https://instagram.com/pacificnorthwestballet?utm_medium=copy_link

My husband is a very occasional fan of the ballet but already told me that if there’s a Phelandebut, we’re getting tickets. Would love to see Gerrity get a shot at Swan Lake. She’s got the acting skills and the technical chops.

WOW! My jaw’s on the floor.

Truly — I agree with you on all of these, and have at least a dozen others in mind as well. The depth of talent in this company…

Well it looks like Amanda Morgan’s Dewdrop was a debut! https://www.instagram.com/p/CXFRtV2BRZv/?utm_medium=copy_link Morgan’s Instagram post caption notes that this is the first year that Dewdrop in Balanchine’s Nutcracker has ever been allowed to wear flesh-colored tights — a watershed moment and a step forward.

Are a couple of these Sugar and Dewdrop debuts?

They also have food and drink available for purchase at intermission and beforehand.

I attended last night’s evening performance, bringing a companion who’s never seen a production of the Nutcracker. It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. The missing little ones are most noticeable in war, candy canes, and angels, as they’ve kept the littlest and youngest as polichinelles and, to a degree, in party scene. I missed them most in war, surprisingly — the size difference between the soldiers and the mice is not as noticeable or absent, and it somewhat changes the dynamic — and in party scene, where there’s just a bit less wildness with more mature kids. Still, I think it was the right choice about where to use height under the circumstances. Marie and Nut did quite well! Another Covid-era adjustment: no live singers for snow as far as I could tell; sounded like piped-in singing over the orchestra. Snow corps was clean and the storm, as always, was to great effect (and it’s early enough in the run that the paper flakes aren’t grey yet, ha!) The second act was a treat. Peck/Gordon replaced Mearns/Janzen as Sugarplum, and Peck essayed the part, with Gordon serving as a gallant cavalier. Phelan was a good Dewdrop. With the advice of this board in mind, I didn’t go in expecting Peck or Woodward’s crystalline thrills, but Phelan was clean and her jumps weren’t labored, and her épaulement is just glorious. (She was my companion’s favorite performance of the night.) Kikta was an ideal Coffee, my favorite I’ve seen in the last few years, sultrily deploying those long limbs. Saw a couple kids in the audience (maybe because of the vaccine’s new availability to under-12s?) dancing at intermission, but fewer than usual, and missed the whispered “wows” and “Mom, how does she do that?” you usually overhear mid-performance. Hope they can be back next year. Still, this performance brings out the inner child in adults, too. I highly recommend bringing a Nutcracker newcomer, as witnessing someone seeing the surprises for the first time (the bed moving, the curtain going up on the land of sweets, the angels gliding, the SPF traveling arabesque) is a complete delight. In the words of my companion: “That was awesome.”

What an exquisite description of what sounds like an exquisite performance! Generosa’s Florine in Sleeping Beauty is a treat because of these same qualities, i think (fond memories of how she plays with the simple échappés to turn them into gorgeous wing unfurling), and I love how her quickness and daring technique give her such an ability to stretch and explore the musicality. Her opening solo sounds divine.

The level of talent and drive to be able to fit into the PNB corps so well after only, what, two years en pointe (one of them solo in lockdown)? The future holds great, great things. How was Generosa’s sugar? Refined (pun intended), I’m sure! And are there new costumes for the Green Tea Cricket?

Good to know, thank you — she didn’t strike me as a natural for the role, but I thought maybe it was one of those casting-against-type wins

Thinking about the Mearns/Jansen/Phelan cast — anyone seen Phelan’s Dewdrop?

WOW indeed! What a résumé!

What a treat!

Meant to respond to this earlier — also think that the production works better at the Koch. I was seated pretty high up, so for me, it wasn’t necessarily my proximity to the dancers, but the scale just seems more human. Part of me wonders if the relative uniformity in the Wili corps (much better than I’ve seen at ABT in a while) is the result of the stage better matching the ABT studio dimensions? My other theories are that (a) the ABT school / standardized curriculum is finally paying off or (b) reaping the benefits of having the run at the beginning of the season, before the extremely hardworking, every-single-performance corps dancers are exhausted and more injuries deplete their ranks. (Would that ABT had the budget and extended season to allow for a corps big enough to give some of these dancers more rest.)

Oh yes, Li was sublime. I’ll be looking out for her in other roles.

Cornejo was great (with beautiful brises) but part of Cornejo’s greatness is knowing when he should be highlighting his ballerina, which he did beautifully. Among other things, press lifts in Act II were extraordinary. Peterson seemed like she may have been suffering from some nerves in her first few entrances (tense port de bras, didn’t seem quite as stable as expected) but something in her released and relaxed and she took gloriously imperious flight after that.