tutu

CNN's just published a great article about Morgan's journey away from and back to the stage. 

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In the fall of 2014, ballet dancer Kathryn Morgan thought her comeback arc was almost complete.

Once a soloist at New York City Ballet with an auspicious future, she was forced to leave the company in 2012, felled by an autoimmune disease that saw her hair fall out, her weight rise and her balance disappear.

Two years later, however, she convinced herself she was ready to return to the stage. She told fans on her YouTube channel that she'd be performing again by the spring. She gave motivational interviews to the New York Times and Teen Vogue, telling the latter, "If you don't get something, you have to keep going, just because you love it."

"It was wishful thinking," she told CNN last month, five years after she first announced her comeback.

What Morgan initially believed would be a few months of recovery became a nine-year ordeal: of doctors who dismissed her, of surrendering a dream, of personal turmoil and a life repeatedly upended. And, now, as she prepares to return to ballet on her own terms, a rebirth, one worthy of the swans and spirits and sleeping beauties she'd danced on stage.

Some nuggets: Morgan had to go to eight (!) different doctors to get her correct diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease; by 2017, she hadn't intended to return to the professional stage or to a professional career; there's still a risk of relapse, so Morgan's planning to take her career in Miami "one day at a time." The whole thing's a good read!

9 minutes ago, On Pointe said:

I don't understand why we should be careful.  Are we in any jeopardy for expressing an opinion?

I don't mean to suggest that anybody's opinions are invalid or law-breaking or anything of the sort, rather that that ancient adage, "Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition" seems more pertinent than ever 😊

Many on this forum might write solely for the audience of their fellow balletomane peers, and this is a good reminder that the audience for these posts may extend far beyond those users originally intended—including to people who are approaching them from a different context. That's all!

44 minutes ago, yukionna4869 said:

I think both Finlay and Waterbury had characterized themselves as having been in a relationship with each other. I think they lasted about a year or so.

Waterbury’s affidavit states that it was two years.

On a separate note, there are now filed exhibits that directly screenshot this forum, so be careful about what you post, friends.

(If either of the above links doesn’t work, you can get to them via NYSCEF, using the login as a guest option and the case number 158220/2018.)

7 hours ago, balletforme said:

Is it just me or is this entire thing just getting wackier and wackier? 

I am not an lawyer but can someone please tell me why would anyone seek this guy's deposition?  And I read it and it really doesn't have anything very incriminating? It reads like a gossip rag. 

Not a lawyer, but it looks like the current stage of this case is a motion to dismiss under CPLR 3211(a)(7), "a staple of defense counsel's practice," in which the court must "take the allegations of the complaint as true and provide plaintiff the benefit of every possible inference." (EBC I, Inc. v. Goldman, Sachs & Co., 5 N.Y.3d 11, 19 (2005)). So even somebody who would look totally unreliable to a jury might be enough to get past the prediscovery motion to dismiss the claim. 

Also, for clarity, an affidavit is not the same thing as a deposition. 

As a matter of pure speculation, I'd guess that lawyers would use him because he was available and willing to make his statement on relatively short notice. (Nguyen also seems to have some interest in the legal system independent of his larceny case.)

11 minutes ago, dirac said:

He was indicted:

 

Good lord, this guy... well, he's certainly familiar with the ballet:

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Prosecutors said that Nguyen was an avid lover of the arts and used the stolen funds for regular jaunts to the ballet and Broadway shows.

He once tweeted a picture of himself posing on the New York City Ballet’s red carpet, wearing a tuxedo, and posing with a smiling trio of dancers. He also took his pals on vacations to Florida on the couple’s dime, prosecutors said.

ETA: Nguyen's Instagram page is private, but seems to be "followed" by a number of NYCB dancers. (If you are personally a follower of these dancers on Instagram, you'll see their usernames pop up after the gray words, "Followed by")

1 hour ago, alexL said:

You are completely right about NYCB not known for uniformity. I pointed it out since someone had written that ABT shouldn't perform it because this ballet requires uniformity. That's simply not true although I do prefer it when they are more in unison. 

And yes, I'd rather see Shevchenko or even Teauscher in Mozartiana than Mearns. 

I don't think anyone can say any company's Balanchine is OBJECTIVELY disgusting and awful. One with SOME ballet background can't say such thing so lightly. 

Entirely agree on City Ballet. I think of NYCB as a company of soloists — on the one hand, because there’s so much incredible talent at every level; on the other, because I expect more, erm, “individuality” than coordinated movement among the corps. Also agree that “objectively” is a interesting and likely inaccurate adverb here.

I am so, so, so hoping that I’ll be able to get to Shevchenko’s inevitable T&V in the fall. I can only imagine what she’ll bring to the role!

Pointe has a great story about many of the new or expecting parents at ABT, including interviews with Lauren Post, Alexandra Basmagy, Thomas Forster, and Luciana Paris:

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What has it been like going through your pregnancies all together?

Lauren Post: I feel like it's been so helpful to have Gemma and Luciana to show that yes, you can continue your career and have a child. Because for a while, there weren't many moms at ABT. Going through the pregnancy with Alex and Gillian has been hugely helpful. We compare notes like, "Is this normal?" It's very reassuring.

 

There are also some great photos of the dancers with their baby bumps — check out that first picture with Post, Basmagy, and Murphy on the stairs! 

I also loved this quote from Forster:

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Though it might seem like Forster's energy would be spread thin, becoming a dad has actually given him more focus in all areas of his life. "Before I had a kid I was very much a sleepy-head and daydreamer, but once you're called to action you just snap out of it," he explains. "If anything, I'm on less sleep now but I'm way more energetic. It just changes you. You can't be lazy anymore because there's a whole life that needs your support. So you get out there and you do it."

19 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Abrera has posted a lovely rehearsal video of her executing that tricky arabesque-turn sequence from the Lilac variation. It’s nice to finally have a visual record of this.

 

My word, she is beautiful! This is so, so fiendishly difficult, but Abrera is just spectacular in this short sequence. I wish I could see her Lilac Fairy this year.

Just now, bingham said:

Hurlin in T&V.

My thoughts exactly. 

Constance Grady has a review (if you could call it that) of the production in Vox, published about two weeks after the end of the Jane Eyre run.

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Jane Eyre might be celebrated for Jane’s romance with the saturnine Mr. Rochester, but it’s immortal because of Jane, because of Jane’s journey toward self-acceptance, and because of Jane’s anger. Which makes it a perfect subject for a ballet adaptation, because ballet bypasses language to build its stories purely out of emotion. And in Marston’s Jane Eyre ballet, which was developed at the UK’s Northern Ballet in 2016 and played this June in New York City at the Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House, Jane and her anger are front and center.

A friend recently turned me onto this incredible dancer out of the Kazakh Opera Ballet—his elevation is off the charts! 

Can’t find out too much about him, but it looks as if he won gold at the Moscow competition in 2017. Here’s video from then, though he seems to have gotten more refined since then. 

There’s more video on his Instagram profile, but not too much on YouTube. Has anyone seen Adamzhan live? 

As may have been clear from my earlier post, I was quite impressed with last night’s pas de trois — agree with @MarzipanShepherdess that this was some of the most thrilling ballet I’ve seen in a while.

Simkin was, of course, astonishing.

Mack is charismatic, has incredible elevation and is a strong partner (Brandt was noticeably more comfortable with him than with Simkin). It seemed as if he was fighting the nerves—he boffed catching Medora’s tossed flower and seemed a bit tense in the first act, but relaxed into his technique and stage presence as the ballet went on. (Anyone else think he could have used some support from the orchestra? The tempi seemed a little quick for his solos.) Does Mack have Hallberg’s feet and precision? No. Is he absolutely flying in his jumps, attentive and secure as a partner, and capable of dramatic depth, even in this silly problematic circus of a ballet? Yes. He’d be a good addition to the principal roster, and I wish I could see another performance from him as the nerves wear off.

Brandt was really lovely, the best I’ve seen her. Her pas de trois solo was remarkably strong. She earned a round of applause for the series of passés—hardly the most thrilling step in the repertoire, but performed with refinement and sparkling energy. (She had some minor, minor trouble with the second rotation of her à la seconde turns in one of the coda series, but nothing throwing her completely off). Brandt is so small, but dances so big, and I couldn’t stop watching her. Based on tonight’s performance, she is entirely deserving of a promotion, whenever the spot opens up.

Lane was lovely as Gulnare, and I only wished to see more of her.

Like @nysusan, I found Hoven’s Lankendem serviceable but disappointing, lacking in “bite.” I wouldn’t wish those grand plié landings in the solo on any dancer’s knees, and didn’t miss them, but I was looking for something, any kind of acting or presence, to speak to the character. Likewise, I found the Odalisques fine but not fab; I’m hoping it was just opening-night jitters and that they’ll settle in. 

This ballet is not my favorite. Aside from the Orientalism (agreed that it’s odd that the statement didn’t address that), and the subject matter (I appreciated losing the chains and the whipping—both were unnecessary details), it’s a series of thrills with only the thinnest storyline and movie music. But the principal performances tonight were worth the price of admission—a great evening at the ballet!

On 6/10/2019 at 12:49 PM, fondoffouettes said:

In case you aren't following Simkin on Instagram, this is what he may attempt for his manege in the pas de trois:

 

Well, folks, he did them tonight. Will have more thoughts later, after my brain finishes exploding. It was a FANTASTIC Act II pas de trois tonight!

7 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 This is why I think "Jane Eyre" and Cathy Marston might be a great thing for this generation of ABT dancers.  The use of upper body expression and movement was consistently fascinating and full of subtle detail and psychological insight.  Also Marston got some excellent dramatic acting from dancers we don't expect that from.   But that is what is lacking in today's young dancers and what Marston managed to elicit from this cast.  The actual ballet steps were really basic and not very diverse.  Elaborate ballet steps and jumps and turns project better in a big house.  If you are in a 5,000 seat opera house you will lose the small details in the upper body and the expression in the faces.   ABT Fan was sitting in row D and probably got more out of Marston's choreography because they were close to the stage.  "Jane Eyre" looks like it belongs on the City Center stage, not the Met.  Even the Koch/NY State Theater would be better.

Did anyone see the Copeland/Stearns cast?

I saw the Copeland/Stearns cast tonight. I really enjoyed the performance, much to my surprise.

To be honest, I usually avoid these two—they're not my favorites in most of the rep. But they were really, really great tonight. Copeland displayed great depth and used her upper body in an extraordinary way, with breath and range and a fluidity I'm not used to seeing out of ABT. I usually find Stearns entirely flat and boring, and thought that, with his model looks, he'd be miscast in the role, but he was wonderful, with clear character and projection in his first scene and real tenderness emerging later on. It was this cast's third performance of the production, and the roles looked "lived-in." (It was also really, really wonderful to see more of the company get a chance to shine. Lots of great dramatic work throughout many short soloist roles, lots of growth.) Brandt was also really wonderful as Young Jane, and I think she'd be great in the lead someday.

I was not expecting to enjoy this production, particularly given the reviews earlier on this thread. But I saw characters, relationships, structure, and interest, and even would like to see it again. For what it's worth, I was sitting in Orchestra Row L, and I did a thorough prep of the source material before attending the performance—both factors that may have helped me appreciate the ballet. Whatever it was tonight, it was worth it.

Any reports from Generosa’s T&V debut?

12 hours ago, StephinNYC said:

Anyone know the runtime for Judah? I want to see DAAG tomorrow night, but can’t make the 8pm start time. 

19 minutes, according to the City Ballet website. 

ETA: Oops, missed @Leah‘s answer above. Sorry for the double post.

The New Yorker’s Culture Desk blog has a lovely piece on Robbins’ A Suite of Dances and Gonzalo Garcia’s rehearsal process: 

“When danced well, “Suite” never loses that improvisatory feel; like many of Robbins’s dances, it lies on a knife’s edge between naturalness and an uncomfortable ersatz quality. Its success depends on the dancer’s ability to be in the moment, to find that perfect synthesis of self-knowledge and unself-consciousness. When it happens, the audience feels that it is seeing who that dancer really is, watching him think and react in real time rather than execute well-rehearsed choreography. That’s the trick.”

I’m intrigued. Can any BAers report on Garcia’s performance?

@MarzipanShepherdess, thanks for writing this up. I feel like I’ve seen several versions of this same work (or at least the same ballet+bondage inspiration in a non-theater space) over the years, and I laughed out loud reading your post, especially as it stands up to the Vogue rave.

53 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

It will be interesting to see how much Ramasar is cast in the fall season, and with whom he dances. I for one will not attend any performances he dances in. 

29 minutes ago, Leah said:

I don’t know if I’m comfortable watching Ramasar. I’ve only seen him a couple of times in person and I had been looking forward to seeing him again, but what he did was gross.

I think I’m in the same boat. I admired Ramasar’s dancing, but I don’t think I can do a program where he’s featured.

I recently tried to watch that excerpt from the Tony Awards again, and just felt sick — so I don’t think I could stomach a pas de deux. 

4 hours ago, NYCgirl said:

I noticed a young corps member, Jonathan Fahoury, last night in both Oltremare and Rodeo. He did a little duet with Pollack in Oltremare and caught my attention with his fluid, natural, musical movements. He then danced Taylor Stanley's old part in Rodeo, and again was a standout for me. He has a movement quality that I can see taking him places in this company in the future. I look forward to seeing him grow more, and is definitely someone to keep an eye on!

Saw Fahoury on Friday night in the same role, and share your sentiments. While nobody can match Taylor Stanley in the role he created, Fahoury is fantastic.

Another corps standout: Rachel Hutsell in Oltremare. She’s got an amazing movement quality and sense of phrasing, even in the unison passages, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

It was my first time seeing Oltremare, and for me, it worked — maybe because the subject matter is close to my heart. Interesting to others’ reactions, though.

42 minutes ago, nanushka said:

While I was really looking forward to seeing Peck in Sonatine, Lovette seems like a nice substitution.

This seems like it could be a wonderful fit for Lovette — I hope to get a chance to see her in it!

So happy about this. I'll admit, I was a naysayer -- I thought there was no way she'd make it back. I'm delighted to have been proven wrong!

I love this paragraph: 

“At PNB, we've abandoned audition locations we suspect are less welcoming to people of color and relocated to ones that are more so. We've added free master classes so students can get to know us better. Audition fees are waived when needed. Hijabs, dreadlocks, afros and brown tights are all okay. We used to send only white people like me to run auditions. Now we send a racially diverse group. In places where we have taken these steps, we see change. Our hope is that all students feel welcomed, valued and empowered.”

Reminds me of someone I heard discussing diversity in venture capital: If you’ve got a pipeline problem, build some new pipes. Bravo to PNB and Boal for working on new pipes!

Sara Mearns reflects on the experience:

9 hours ago, nanran3 said:

Thanks for posting this.  I've put it on my calendar.  it looks like NYCB has been using Silas Farley for these types of public lecture/demo events.  He does a great job and is very well spoken.  Good for him!

I’m always impressed with Mr. Farley’s discussions of dance — his explication of Balanchine’s Sleeping Beauty Garland Dance for the company’s Anatomy of Dance video series is a standout. 

This MoMA event should be great, and I wish I could attend.