Amour

With all due respect, Canbelto, this seems like an untrue generalization without any evidence. I'm certainly not aware of anyone other than Copeland. Wearing perfume to class hardly seems like " working the AD".

Tonight at NYCB was Square Dance,Le Tombeau de Couperin, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto. As usual, Square dance was first up.(Corps member Devin Alberda explained to me after the show - he was in all 3 pieces - if you don't dance the very difficult Square Dance "starting out of the gate" you won't get through the night). I liked the performance but felt it wasn't quite as good as it was in the winter. Ashley Bouder was, again usual, a technical wizard and speed demon. But she was off the music at several points; in the beginning she was ahead of the music ( how that is humanly possible, I don't know). Later she seemed to get more on the same wave length as conductor Andrew Sill (who generally conducts this piece). Her séries of échappés, which come near the finale, are unbelievably fantastic. My real disappointment was that lead male Taylor Stanley was just not as good, IMO, as Anthony Huxley in the winter. Though Taylor has an elegant upper body, he doesn't have the economy of movement Anthony has. He struggled with the fast tempo. Instead of quick, crisp positions, his were a bit blurred. He had some trouble with the beats, flubbed the first flat foot turn in his solo and later seemed to fall out of some of his pirouettes. Still, this is an extremely hard ballet to dance and his performance wasn't bad, just not where I think it could be with more experience. The audience, though was very enthusiastic and they got a rousing cheer. Tombeau is a ballet for 16 corps members. They are all featured equally; no couple or individual dancer gets a solo. The 8 initial couples go through a variety of pairings and shapes throughout the piece, from couples dancing under others' high held hands, to groups of four (ever changing) to 2 circles of 8. It is very recognizably Balanchine. Not one of his masterpieces but very good. I really like that he created a piece just for the hard working corps. I also thought it was very well danced. I especially liked the last movement (Rigaudon) which is fast and lively. Next there was a See The Music about Stravinsky and his Violin Concerto. Conductor Andrew Sill explained the complexities of Stravinsky's music while also showing how there is still emotion in the music. These talks are quite informative but I know people who have long commutes home who feel them a bit superfluous during the weekdays. Finally, Stravinsky Violin Concerto. I love this ballet and think it's a masterpiece. Tonight, the first PDD was danced by Maria and Amar. The second PDD was Sterling and Ask. I loved Maria and Amar. They have really become a great pairing and seem to always anticipate each others' moves. This ballet is very spare and modern, yet also lively and has some humor. Maria imbues the movement with some expressiveness without any overacting or drama. All the beautiful lines are there but her arms and the tilt of her head give the piece humanity. I love way she wraps her leg in attitude derrière around Amar and her effortless looking series of backbends. As for the second couple, I liked Ask but found Sterling dull and vanilla bland. For me, it's really hit or miss with her(though I thought she was good in Symph in 3; also she she seems to be getting lots of premieres). Her arms are hyperextended and never rounded. Thus, they rarely convey much expression. She doesn't use her head (as in tilting it) or her eyes (just look at your partner for God's sake) either to convey expression. Even her legs, her turnout (and then having to distinguish it from knee knocking turn in) and general positions were somehow not really clear. Also, she and Ask do not look good at all together. She is tiny while he is quite tall. It's a shame because this second PDD is etched in my brain from the Choreography by Balanchine DVD, where Kay Mazzo and Peter dance it in the most superlative way. In this case,the audience seemed to feel the same way I did. Maria and Amar received rousing cheers and bravos while Ask and Sterling got polite applause. Just as an aside, Lourdes Lopez was in attendance tonight. I couldn't help but wonder if she was there to see how these pieces are danced now by NYCB or is looking to poach some dancers or SAB students for MCB. I also had a chance to talk with Ashley Bouder briefly at the second intermission. When my husband commented that she just keeps getting better, she responded that she's always trying to improve. Like most dancers I know or have met, she seems quite humble and ready to work ever harder at her craft, even though her rank is principal. What a refreshing attitude, given some other dancer threads being posted in other places on this forum. In sum, it was a nice night, not quite much fun as last night (sorry Devin) but one that I'll remember for awhile.

Wow, I never heard of Michael Shannon before. I wonder how long he was with the Bolshoi. Also unusual that he joined as a soloist as opposed to corps member. Then it's really not right that David let it slide about him being the first American to join the Bolshoi. Someone ought to have corrected the record in a public way back then or should do so now.

Tonight was a fantastic night at NYCB. 4 ballets - Apollo, Agon, Duo Concertant and Symphony in 3. At least 3 (maybe not Duo Concertant) are masterpieces. All were very well performed and all drew cheers and bravos from the audience. Really, tonight was one of the most enthusiastic audiences I've seen at NYCB. The highlight of the evening for me was Adrian D-W performance as Apollo. OMG! Just WOW. His performance was exciting and exhilarating. It was also very unique. I don't recall ever seeing the role performed this way. Every position was stretched, exaggerated and emphasized, like it had an exclamation point. Every backbend and lunge was extremely deep and long. Adrian's arms were outstretched to the heavens. He can also twist his torso like a pretzel. As a result, I saw new shapes in the choreography I'd never seen before. He's also very strong. He lifted Tiler (Terpsichore) into her upside down split like she weighed nothing. Same when he lifts the ballerinas off the floor at different times (at one point Polyhymnia -Ashley Isaacs- and Caliope -Lauren Lovette at the same time) or takes Terpsichore onto his back. His Apollo was not refined or restrained but very athletic and modern looking. I loved it. His proportions are also great and it doesn't hurt that I find him handsome. Other friends saw these same things and some weren't as enthusiastic as me. But again, I loved him! I also have to give props to Tiler. She was lovely as Terpsichore. Very expressive (especially her arms) and really played with the music in a way I haven't seen her do before. Ashley Isaacs was very good as Polyhymnia, her pirouettes especially and Lauren fine as Calliope. I was so impressed with this performance I just might go back Sunday matinee. Next up was Agon. With Maria, Rebecca, Lauren King, Ashley Hod, Amar, Andie, Devin Alberda and Danny Applebaum this was basically the same cast I saw several times in the winter and it was great. It was very good to see Andie back on stage and showing no sign he had been injured. Same with Rebecca. I was very impressed with Hod (I'm not sure she was in the winter cast). Tall and long limbed, she is very strong has nice lines and great, long held balances. I enjoyed Maria tonight much more than last night. Both she and Amar have really perfected the central PDD. They can each anticipate what the other will do and make them feel secure. As always (for me) the best and most difficult part is when Amar lies on the floor and balances Maria while she's in penchée. They really killed it and the audience applauded wildly after they were done. I will again say that I find Devin's dancing really elegant and captivating. It's time he became a soloist. Duo Concertant was a piece I was hesitant about. The last time I saw it performed was at ABT last spring with Misty and Eric Tamm. It was sluggish, slow and boring. Not so tonight with Ashley Bouder and Anthony Huxley. It was playful and humorous. They both also danced it very fast and with great precision. These are two of my favorite dancers in the company and I love seeing them dance together with such rapport. Tonight this went from being a ballet I didn't look forward to, to one I will anticipate. Finally, Symphony in 3. I love both the ballet and the music. The audience broke into applause as they saw all the corps girls in white, on a diagonal line in their high pony tails. Danny Ulbricht and Erica Pereira were the first couple. Any time I can see Danny I'm happy and this PDD, which involves a lot of jumping, is right up his alley. Erica also looked very strong and energetic. I was surprised at how good they looked together. Savannah Lowery and Andrew Scordato were the second couple. He's fine but she was a bit leaden. No mistakes but just not infused with the bright energy most of the piece has. Sterling Hyltin and Taylor Stanley were the lead couple. I'm generally not a great fan of hers but she was very good tonight - quirky, technical prowess, some very fast chainees into the wings. Taylor is not quite her equal as far as technique goes, but he matched her energy. And I love the finale of this piece, which uses a good deal of the company, all the girls in white, demis in black and white and the lead women in different shades of pink. Finally, conductor Clotilde Otranto was in a great mood tonight. She seemed very happy each time she came out to conduct and at the end, really bounced around onstage as she took her bow with the dancers.

What other American joined the Bolshoi (as opposed to guesting) before David? I know Precious Adams was there (can't remember if she's American or British) but I believe she joined after David.

Who do you think nominated Xander Parish? He's the only nominee from the Mariinsky.

With Grigorovich as the President of the jury, I'll eat my hat (or whatever) if Zakharova doesn't win the women's prize and Rodkin the men's. I also suspect Maillot will win the Choreographers prize for Taming of the Shrew (done for the Bolshoi).

I think the new box office is starkly modern, almost jarringly so. But I like that you can pretty much see whole human beings behind the glass, not just a head. Those agents no longer have any privacy. I also noticed there's a large wooden lyre directly over the box office (a nice touch). I wish they'd matched the marbles better but frankly I'm just glad everything is back in one place.

I,too, am thrilled to be seeing Bouder and Vyette (always was my dream cast) in Sylphide on the 12th and a lot of debuts in Bournonville. I also have tickets for Tiler and Gonzalo in Sylphide on the 16th.. Nice to see that Vyette will finally get to dance his role in RODE,O. So far looks like a great season.

Tonight was opening night for the season. Just a quick, few notes because it's late. The ballet's were all black and white leotard ballets. 2 of them were not my favorites (Monumentum pro Gesualdo & Movements for Piano and Orchestra), 1 had never seen (Episodes) and 2 are masterpieces (Concerto Barocco & 4Ts). Monumentum and Movements started out the evening. The first night of a season I'm always prepared to see some rustiness or just not dancing at the top of your game. This really didn't happen, except a bit here in these 2 ballets. The corps was in unison and looked good. I thought Ask's partnering was secure (he mainly partners) but Maria looked just a teeny bit sluggish, like she could have stretched her leg in arabesque or penchée a bit more. What I mainly noticed, though, was that for the first time Maria looked noticeably older that the corps. I know she is, just I've never really been aware of it onstage. Next was Concerto Barocco, I piece I love. As in the winter, Tess and Sara had the main female roles and Justin Peck the lead man. I thought Tess was wonderful. Tall, radiant, confident, her limbs stretching out forever; still playing it a little "safe" but more comfortable going off balance. Justin was, to my great surprise and pleasure, also wonderful as her partner in the PDD. Trimmed down, in good shape, clean lines, no trouble lifting Tess overhead I thought he danced especially well. And I was happy to see him in a real dancing role, not something as simple as Death in La Valse (which he danced this winter). As for Sara, to me she looked a little off her legs at first but by the finale, with the exception of her jumps (which still need work) she was in fine form. My only problem really is that I don't think Sara and Tess look particularly good together. I know each one embodies a different violin voice but it would be nice to see 2 women with slightly more similar body types. It'll be interesting to see how Krohn and Lowery do next Wednesday the 6th. (I'd be curious to see Mearns and Lowery together). Then came Episodes. I didn't much like the piece but it was enjoyable simply to see the return of Jennie Somogyi to the stage. She and Craig Hall danced the 3rd movement and they were great! If I hadn't known Jennie had been injured, I never would have guessed. In all her penchees and attitudes she went for broke, no holding back. It was also rewarding to see Craig Hall back onstage. He seems such a secure presence, very solid, young enough to still dance well but old enough to have the maturity to know what goes into a role. Rebecca Krohn and Adrian D-W were lively and technical in the 4th movement. I'm really looking forward to seeing him as Apollo tomorrow. Finally the 4Ts. Gonzalo did an excellent job as Melancholic, with it deep backbends in 4th position. Tonight this variation reminded me a bit of the solo the man does in Square Dance (which also has deep backbends) Sanguinic was danced by Scheller and Tyler Angle. This was also Scheller's return after a long injury (about 1 year off I believe). I didn't think she looked nearly as comfortable as Jennie. She had a bit of difficulty/sloppiness with the fast footwork and it looked she was trying not to press through her feet too much so they looked a bit weak. Tyler is always a wonderful dancer and partner and he did everything he could to help her. However, she has a lot of solo work. It was good to see her back but I suspect she's still recovering. For Phlegmatic, there was a last minute substitution of Ask for Amar. I liked how Ask did all the little collapses, hunching over, even the hands get oddly placed. I thought it was nicely done. Then finally,the pièce de résistance, Ashley in Choleric. She came out, guns blazing, all speed and fast footwork. No signs of any first night rustiness from her. She also held her balance in arabesque as two different men grab her outstretched front arms (from both the front and behind), switching between them holding her. She was just terrific and then led the ensemble in an energized finale. So a not perfect night but still a pretty great one.

I just wanted to reiterate abatt's reply. Yes, Misty has not just gotten O/O but Juliet, in R&J (a part Sarah learned awhile ago but has never performed). She is dancing it at the June 20th matinee. You can see that by looking at the ABT.org website (I don't know if they send you mail). She'll be dancing with Gorak who, based on his partnering skills I've seen, may have a hard time lifting her. Misty also got the lead in Rodeo. Stella has 1 lead in Cinderella and Sarah has 1 partially new Aurora (because it's Ratmansky's). I also find it tragic that Stella, who used to regularly perform Myrtha (but performed a tiny bit as Giselle at Works and Process), has now been reduced to dancing the peasant pas in Act 1. So Misty's casting is definitely more preferential than Sarah or Stella's.

Tiler and Robbie's engagement/marriage media publicity didn't go on for years; maybe 10 months maximum. But I have to say that by last September I was totally at my limit at hearing about it. "Enough already" was what I was beginning to think. Thankfully, it stopped just around that time.

As far as I know, neither Abrera or Lane have self initiated any publicity about their gigs. Certain bloggers who adore them find out about them, though, and make sure to follow them.As for Misty, it's not just the social media, it's the TV spots (NY1, the NewsHour, etc.) and mainstream press (NYT, Time). If I haven't heard her sob story, accusations and ambition what feels like 1,000 times, I haven't heard it once. Frankly, what dancer doesn't want to be a principal. But to have a hook like "first black principal at ABT", well she's going to exploit that for all its worth. If I thought her dancing was of a caliber to back up this media blitz I wouldn't mind so much. But I don't like it. And she's pretty much put Kevin in a corner where if he doesn't promote her he'll look like a racist. I would like to say that I have seen no other black dancers in any company jumping on the Misty bandwagon. In fact, my impression is that others, especially at ABT (Calvin Royal, for example) want to be distanced from her. As itsthemom wrote a few days ago, other minority dancers want to be judged and given roles based on their dancing not their skin color. My impression is that Misty just wants to get ahead, no matter what, no matter how, come hell or high water and she doesn't care at all how she does it.s

Yulia Stepanova joined the Stanislavsky in December 2014. Far from initiating the bloggers and Ytubers, she was at their mercy (from what I read) and extremely uncomfortable with their attention (which also focused on excoriating Skorik). You can hardly compare her to Misty.

I read about this very revealing YT. This was strategy conceived by the Board and Kevin in 2008 to try to fill seats at the Met (they claimed their only homegrown star who could fill seats was Misty; otherwise roles and money that should have gone to developing the company artists goes to guests). In addition to all the accusations of racism, her background, etc. Misty will be made principal because she can fill seats at the Met where other in house artists can not.

That's great news!!! It's too bad it's too late for her to come with Chudin to the Met. But I hope she is healthy and can stay that way for awhile.

Courtney Lavine at ABT is a lovely dancer. Long limbed, small head (nice proportions), nice lines, musical. A lot of people see how good she is and lament that she's stuck in the corps. NYCB also has a lovely looking black ballerina, Olivia Boisson, in the corps. She, too, has beautiful proportions, nice lines and is clearly musical. Olivia was awarded a Mae L Wien Award for outstanding promise in 2012. SIlas Farley a black dancer/choreographer, also won Wien award. Unnfortunately (and for what reason I don't know), we have not seen enough of Olivia in soloist or Demi-car actere roles yet. However I'm hopefull spring might new roles for everyone. ABT's Studio Company also has one black female dancer, Erica Lall, who seemed fairly good though no one in that compsny really impressed me.I agree that there are too few black ballerinas in major companies. That situation has to be addressed and rectified. But the major question balletomanes ask is Misty a better ballerina than Stella Abrera (who is Asian) or Sarah Lane, the two soloists she is vying with for a principal spot? And to that we give a resounding "no". Both of those other dancers have nicer lines, more nuance to their dancing and, in some respects are just technically better (Sarah is the only soloist capable of dancing that killer ballet T&V and the only soloist Ratmansky trusts to perform Aurora in his new SB). I'm sure that given all the publicity that surrounds her, Misty will be made a principal. But many will think she got that promotion for reasons having little or nothing to do with her dancing.

I think you will find most balletomanes are very enamoured of ABT's Calvin Royal. In fact his dancing in last week's Works and Process got a lot of enthusiastic comments and was a highlight of the program. ABT's Gabe Stone Shayer is also a dancer most balletomanes are watching closely. These are corps dancers who everyone wants promoted NOW. Similarly, NYCB's Preston Chamblee's quick rise from apprentice to corps member delighted everyone. I certainly noticed how good he was in last spring's SAB workshop. And most of us love Craig Hall and lament he doesn't get to dance enough (partly because his main partner Wendy Whelan was first injured and now retired). I would also like to add that Adrian Blake Mitchell, who is studying at the Vaganova and was the lead male in their piece Elementarium at the Mariinsky Young Choregraphers Night, is a stunning dancer. I was so enthused I immediately tweeted the Mariinsky to find out who he was (the piece had no names listed).I took class with Tai Jiminez when she was a baby ballerina and thought she was a gorgeous dancer. Many balletomanes simply do not like way Misty dances; we find it too athletic and, this fall in Liam Scarlett's work, a bit vulgar (the twerking). She also simply does not have classical lines. Also, her relentless self promotion just grates. I'm not sure why there seem to be so many more talented black male dancers on stage now than women but there certainly are quite a few. To say balletomanes don't notice black dancers is just wrong.

For the Saturday evening performance, program B. Tickets are the center of the mezzanine, row F. $20 each (were originally $45). PM me if interested.

Thank you sasark for your detailed reviews. I eagerly await your review of Osipova/Polunin. Bolle is widely known and beloved in Italy, in part, I think because he still performs there so much. A few years ago we met an Italian couple in their '60's in Florence. They knew and loved Bolle but had never even heard of Alessandra Ferri!

In case anyone records this show (I do) WNYC Arts had an extensive interview with Chris Wheeldon last Thursday evening. Paula Zahn asked him numerous questions not just about AIP but his dance career and, for example, how he came to choreograph After The Rain. The usual rebroadcast is on Sunday (already past) but maybe it'll end up on YT.

Yes, I was surprised that certain dates had so few orchestra tickets available. But I didn't look up at the rings. If something looks strange, I'd suggest calling the box office at 212-496-0600. I've always found the NYCB ticket agents to be quite knowledgeable and helpful.ETA: I took a quick look at the first week. Since no seats are available at all in the 4th ring I assume it's closed. However, there were quite a few seats available in the 3rd ring.

I just came back from the Wednesday night performance. The RBS kids were beautiful. Just gorgeous! In the first piece ("Rush" by Wheeldon) you could see just how great these kids are. They are all about the same height and body type: tall, slim (some girls a little too much so) with long arms and legs. They danced very much together so you could see they had the same training. Clean footwork, nice epaulement (but RAD not Vaganova) and very polished. Very musical. In Rush I especially liked one of the female leads (Chisato Katsura) and an Asian boy in the corps. I also like Chisato in a rather difficult (but too short) PDD entitled Chanson by Derek Dean. The flexibity of her back and the relative with which her partner Gareth Haw entwined her around him (shades of Grgorovich) was fantastic. But every one of these dancers had great stage presence and was interesting to watch. They also all did a terrific job in the tutu ballet Classical Symphony (this version choreographed by Liam Scarlett), especially the leads both nights, Leticia Dias Domingues and Harry Churches. Each one of these dancers is ready for a professional career right now. Bravo! Unfortunately, the opposite was true, IMO, of ABT's Studio Company. A mishmash of different heights and body types. Compared to the RBS, they looked kind of stubby. None of them really look like they received one type of training. Their upper bodies and arms all need a lot of work. I failed to see one clean fifth position (they all looked like third). And for me, with the exception of Aran Bell (of First Position fame), none of them was interesting to watch. They all kind of looked like dancers you might see in an intermediate class at Steps. I think it was a bad choice to have these kids perform an excerpt from a classical ballet like Le Corsaire. Aran, who is now tall, long legged and handsome did fine as Conrad but I had expected his dancing to be more exciting. Ali (Tyler Maloney) was able to execute all the jumps but, again, the upper body and arms seemed a bit wrong. And he was simply not at all exciting to watch. Medora (Breanne Granlund, whose mother we sat next to) is a sweet short blond but again fairly uninteresting to watch. She did all her fouettes but they travelled all the way downstage. The last piece they performed was Lidberg's Untitled (seen a few days ago at David Hallberg's Legacy gala and which replaced Cunningham's Duets, seen Tuesday). They look more rehearsed and better in this. Then again, the contemporary choreography and costumes can hide a multitude of sins. Judging from last year's SAB Workshop, YT's of the Vaganova, tonight's RBS kids, and I'm sure the POB school, the JKO school needs to up its game and fast.The contrast tonight between the RBS kids and the Studio Company was really quite significant. If this is where Kevin is getting his dancers (and according to Alastair Macauley, at least two are already ABT apprentices:(http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/arts/dance/review-british-and-american-ballets-showcase-youthful-blend-of-style-and-skill.html?ref=dance), no wonder ABT (again IMO) looks so stale. Just wanted to add that a lot of ABT's glitterati attended tonight. My husband and I sat behind Irina Dvorovenko, her husband Max, their daughter and her parents. A few seats down were Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel. In front of them were David Hallberg and Susan Jaffe (whose piece Metallurgy was performed by the Studio Company). With all that talent hopefully helping them, one hopes the Studio Company will improve.

Exciting new debuts all around for the first 2 weeks. I'm going to see Adrian D-W and Catazaro as Apollo. Just sad this probably means Finlay is injured again (otherwise I'm sure he'd get an Apollo).

Yes, the ballet is terrible and I,too, couldn't make it through the DVD with Le Riche. But I thought the Bolshoi gave an exciting performance. Lobukhin and Rodkin were both terrific. I'm not a huge fan of Nikulina but she was fine. Since we will never see this ballet in the U.S. (and maybe that's a good thing) I'm glad I went to see it.