sneds

Hi! OK...the last place I expected to see Damian Woetzel was on a show about baskeball! Right now "Soul of the Game" is on-a show that is looked at the way art, philosophy, dance, music, pyschology and theatre are intertwined with basketball. It's essentially a promo for the NBA, but so far an interesting look at the arts& basketball. Damian, Judith Jamison & Alvin Ailey Company, Mark Morris and Savion Glover were among those shown during the dance section. We got to see several nice clips of Damian in "bike shorts" doing his gorgeous pirouettes and a closeup of his feet & legs in a series of entrachets. Drool.... Plus some voice-over including comparing his day of practice & performance to that of a basketball player's day with practice & game. Darn it...one of those times you wish you had a tape in the VCR. Kate

The NYTimes published its workshop review today which included a listing of the Mae Wien award winners and a nice picture of Tyler Angle and Jessica Flynn in the Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. Mae Wien Awards for 2002: Tyler Angle, Allen Pfieffer, Jessica Flynn and Anna Pazcoguin. Kate

Hi! My apologies too..I just assumed that DanceInsider wouldn't have sent the e-mail (not a post, but one of the update e-mails) mentioning Meunier and the ABT promotions if they hadn't gotten an official press release. Now I know to be more cautious! Thanks Kate

Hi! The promotions have been announced on the NYCB webpage, so it's official. No press release, but look at the changing news bulletins at the bottom of the page. Kate

Hi! I would not post if it was just a rumour. The information came from the DanceInsider mailing list, which is public and open to anyone. I presume they got the info from an ABT press release. ABT is not good about updating it's webpage, BTW. Kate

Gomes and Murphy to principal Riccetto and Saveliev to soloist Meunier (NYCB principal) to join as soloist in 2002-2003 Kate

Apparently Monique Meunier will be joining ABT as a soloist in 2002-2003 and Murphy has been (will be?) promoted. Kate

Apparently Meunier will be joining ABT as a soloist for the 2002-2003. She will DEFINATELY be missed at NYCB, but she'll probably get a more roles over at ABT. Martins better get his act together since he can't afford to lose more principal or soloist women. Kate

Hi! I believe that auditions for the studio company occur at the same time as auditions for the ABT summer programs. The ABT webpage says: "If you would like to audition for American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company, please call the Studio Company Manager at (212) 477-3030, ext. 3206." The ABT Studio Company appears to be one of the best ways to work towards a contract with ABT. Quoting from the ABT webpage: "...ABT's Studio Company prepares young dancers to enter American Ballet Theatre,..." The Studio Company dancers sometimes perform with ABT in the full-length ballets and apprentices seem to be mostly drawn from the studio company. In fact, a large perdentage of the current ABT corps advanced to the company from the Studio Company. If I'm not mistaken, Herman Cornejo is one the most well-known Studio Company alumni now in ABT. Kate

Hi! First of all, congrats to those promoted, if indeed it's happening. Fayette's solid partnering skills are among the best, if not the best in the company. Abi Stafford was promoted to soloist very recently (during the winter season, if I'm not mistaken). Ulbricht is very talented, but I don't think he will be promoted that soon . He's only 18 and got his contract less than a year ago. It's probably his height that will either hold him back or be a big push foward. At about 5ft6, there are not a lot of girls that he can reasonably partner, which limits his corps roles. Thus, if his talent continues to develop, he might actually be a candidate for soloist where he'd have less corps roles to deal with. Martins obviously is interested in him-he's been in Fancy Free, Vienna Waltzes, Prodigal Son, Mozartiana, Four Seasons, Cortege Hongrois and Sleeping Beauty among others. I'll be interested to see if he gets to do Puck when AMND roles around. BTW, in the most recent issue of Dance Magazine the reviewer of NYCB's winter season singled out Ulbricht and Korbes as being on the fast track to soloist There are definately some talented men at SAB, so it would be a great time to make space in the corps. My picks for promotion would be Carmena and Fowler and perhaps Capps. The Fromans are nice, but I'm not sure they are promotion material-solid but not spectacular. It's too bad that Jared Angle has been injured, as I think he's a better partner than Millipied or Marcovici. BTW, was Borree injured this season-she didn't dance until this past week if I'm not mistaken. Kate

Hi! I don't think the turnover at NYCB is unusual for a company of that size. There seem to be periods when little changes, and then periods when many dancers leave for other challenges and companies. That's the natural aging process of a company-especially in the corps where dancers may realize that they are probably never going to be soloists, and decide to dance elsewhere or pursue another career. Also, at smaller, more regional companies, the dance seasons are shorter and the workload less grueling, thus dancers are likely to hang around longer. Actually, if you read my post on the stats of NYCB vs ABT, it turns out the majority of the corps have been at NYCB for at least 4 years, many for far longer. Also, just because a ballet is not being danced with the orignal dancers does not mean the dancers have left (though in this case they have) since there are almost always multiple casts. Kate

Hi! Student tickets at NYCB are available to full-time students under the age of 29. They are $10 and can b ordered online (http://www.nycballet.com/nycballet/html/ti...studentrush.asp)or at the box office up to 24 hours prior to the perfomance. Online tickets must be ordered by 3pm for evenings and 11am for weekend matinees. However, be aware that student tickets are not available for every performance. For instance, this week they are not available Tuesday or Wednesday nights. Availibility is posted here: http://www.nycballet.com/nycballet/html/ti...vailability.asp You can also call 1-212-870-7766 The location of the seats can vary-I tended to get 4th ring seats, but when I ordered online one time just after midnight I got an orchestra seat. I've also heard of people getting in the second or third rings. The location probably depends on the time you order, the popularity of the particular ballets on the schedule and how many tickets were sold already for the performance. I'd reccomend ordering online just after midnight or first thing in the morning. Good luck, have a great time at the ballet and let us know how it went! Kate

Hi! I'm not sure where to post this, but since it's about dancers, I'm putting it up here. This came about after seeing both ABT and NYCB in one day and wondering about the experience and male/female ratio in each company. Debate, conversation etc. welcomed on the relevance (if any) of this info ** ABT has 79 dancers and 7 apprentices, though 1 dancer is retiring and one is guest principal for this season only. NYCB has 88 dancers and 7 apprentices, with two corps members that have left and not been replaced as of yet. ** ABT is 45.6% male, with 43 women and 36 men, while NYCB is 44.3% male with 49 women and 39 men. ** However, NYCB's male corps is much more experienced with 50% of the men having joined prior to 1999, while only 36% of ABT's male corps have that much seniority. The NYCB female corps is also more experienced with 56% of the women having joined prior to 1999, compared to only 36% at NYCB. ** The experience of the soloists at each company is about equal, with one soloist a piece being hired as a soloist. ** I did not do a comparision of the principal dancers because only nine of the 17 principal dancers at ABT were promoted from the ranks. Only two current NYCB principals joined as a principals (LaFosse and Hubbe). Woetzel was a principal at the LA Ballet, but came through SAB and the NYCB ranks and Askegard joined as a soloist. ** Also, of the current NYCB dancers, I think that only five (Robertson, Ritter, Hubbe, LaFosse and Hofmans) did not come to NYCB via SAB. ** The Count CORPS: ABT:50 28 Women--10 pre 1999, 18 1999-2002 (8-99, 5-00, 4-01, 1-02) 22 Men--8 pre 1999, 14 1999-2002 (3-99, 4-00, 5-01, 2-02) NYCB:54 34 Women--19 pre-1999, 15 1999-2002 (3-99, 7-00, 5-01, 0-02) 20 Men--10 pre 1999, 10 1999-2002 (2-99, 5-00, 2-01, 1-02) APPRENTICES: ABT-7 women NYCB-6 women, 1 man SOLOISTS: ABT:12 7 women 5 men NYCB:16 6 women 10 men PRINCIPALS: ABT:17-8 women, 9 men -includes Acosta, a guest principal for 2002 Met Season and Jaffe who is retiring this month -Bocca, Ferri, Malakhov & Ananiashvili are members/directors of other companies -Corella, Stiefel, and McKerrow are also permanent guest dancers elsewhere NYC:18 -9 women, 9 men -not including Alexopoulos -includes LaFosse who does not dance often, and does mainly character roles

Hi! A few additional notes: I don't think Neal is injured, or at least very seriously, given that he was in "Vienna Waltzes" and still scheduled to dance in many more ballets this week. The principal guys had better stay healthy, as Woetzel is barely scheduled at all next week. Presumabley that's to give him time for final preparations on his new ballet, premiering at the SAB Workshop. In fact, I just saw him heading across the plaza to the Rose Building, CDs in hand. I'm not sure that Mozartiana is a great role for Woetzel. At least yesterday, he didn't have the nice pointed feet and exact footwork in some of the solos. He spins beautifully and is spectacular when airborne, but I missed the precision that someone like Boal or Neal brings to the role. I liked the Baynes ballet, but the buzz was (and I agree) that it was a fairly thinly veiled "variation" on Dances in a Gathering. Lots of walking on and off the stage and various bits for one, two, three dancers/couples. Also, much of the cheoreography was very reminiscent of Robbins. Nice as a whole, but the parts are all things we've seen before. I did NOT like Darci Kistler in "Vienna Waltzes". To my eye, she looked rather stiff and over-dramatic. I believe someone near me said it was a "caricature of a caricature" and I'd agree. Kistler is a great ballerina, but she hasn't figured this role out yet. I wonder if Kowrowski might be a better choice (even though it;s definately a "mature" ballerina role. Kate

Hi! Did Ansanelli actually fall in the wings? Sometimes dancers will drop to their hands & knees in exhaustion once they've exited the stage, and occasionally the cheoreography for the exit requires a less than graceful landing in the wings. At the CPYB Alumni show, where the wings were very shallow, I had a great view of Adam Hendrickson on hands & knees betweeen sections of "Tarantella". The "hiccup" was a bit interesting-I've seen the Tchai pdd enough times to realize that something wasn't quite right, but it was hard to figure out exactly what had happened. Both dancers covered it up pretty well-the person next to me didn't even realize that something out of the ordinary had happened. Yes, the musicians were stage right (to the left from audience vieew) during "Viola Alone". The pianist was behind the curtain stage right until the final part of the ballet. Kate

Hi! Manhattanik... Forgive my fuzzy brain-I didn't get back from NYC untl 2am this morning (5 hours roundtrip)-and my ignorance of Gertrude Stein, but could you clarify all your heres in the comment on Woetzel. A sleepy, but happy to have seen NYCB Kate

After leaving Pennsylvania at noon, I ended up getting to Lincoln Center by 2:30, and got a ticket for what remained of the matinee. The 4th Ring at the State Theater is a long way up when one is in a hurry!! I saw "Opus 19/The Dreamer" and "Symphony in C", both for the first time. "Opus 19/The Dreamer", cheoreographed by Robbins to music from Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1 in D major, was the second ballet of the matinee. With Woetzel and Whelan in the leads, the ballet was nicely perfomed, but it won't go down on my list of favorites. Woetzel seemed almost to relaxed in the role of the dreamer, bobbling slightly on the end of a pirouette that should have been no problem for him. I think Whelan and Woetzel work well together as they are both powerful, yet graceful dancers with lean, angular physiques. "Symphony in C" Wow!!! I think that, along with "Serenade", "Symphony in C" is one of Balanchine's finest ballets...a real masterpiece. I could watch the ballet many times, and each time find something different to focus on-the lead couple, the soloist couples, the corps, the patterns... Each section has a lead couple, two demi-soloist couples and a female corps of 6-10 dancers. After finally seeing this ballet, I can see why it doesn't work as well over at American Ballet Theatre. First of all, it takes a large (34 women), competent female corps that can handle Balanchine's fast footwork. I count 34 women in the NYCB corps, plus five apprentices. ABT is a slightly smaller company, so it must be a strain on resources to rehearse and put on this ballet to begin with at ABT. Also,the principal couples must be able to stand out, but also not take away from the corps. The patterns,interaction and dancing of the corps and demi-soloist couples in each section are as important as the the dancing of the principal couple. In this way, this ballet seems to define the very idea of the NYCB-a company without true stars, where all can be equal on the stage. At ABT, where there are defined stars, I think it's harder to have this blend on stage: the stars are used to standing out because the company markets itself on the talents of the stars. Getting back to the actual performance...The ballet was well performed, though the corps wasn't as tight as it could have been-either unde-rrehearsed or tired at the end of the week. The simple costumes allowed me to admire the nice lines of Philip Neal and Charles Askegard-Askegard seems well matched with the tall Maria Kowroski. The highlight of the ballet for me was Ashley Bouder and Antonio Carmena in the 3rd movement. He, though not tall, has light airy jumps and a delightful precise manner of dancing and she is a talented, fearless dancer. She appears to be taller than he when on pointe, and there was a sense of daring in the supported arabasque penchees (I believe this is the correct term). I also was very impressed by the men in the demi-soloist roles. They all were very much up to the challenge both alone and in partnering-and it speaks highly of the depth of the NYCB male corps. With dancers like Stuart Capps, Stephen Hanna, the Fromans, Craig Hall, Jason Fowler and Antonio Carmena, NYCB has a great male foundation. The grand finale of "Symphony in C" is simply spectacular with more than 30 corps women in their white tutus around the edge of the stage. Initially the corps was a bit scattered, but they got in back together for the rousing finale-how wonderful to see so much talent on one stage! As a final note, I want to mention the costumes. The tutus for this ballet are among my favorite-they are plain white with wide silk ribbon decoration for the corps, and narrower white silk bows for the principal women. Their beauty is in their simplicity, much like the white ballgowns in the finale of "Vienna Waltzes". The men are in all black, subly highlighted with a smattering of black sequins. At first the black costumes seemed jarring as they contrasted so much with the white tutus. However, especially on the tall men, the black served to throw the focus on the women by highlighting the white tutus. When the men were alone on the stage, the black stood out, but when they were with the women, the black provided a background for the women in the white tutus to stand out.

Hi! FarrellFan-I think I saw you when you were over looking at the locations for the returned tickets. I think that Leigh summed up the evening very well, so I'll just add a few comments. I was pleased to see Carrie Lee Riggins in "Viola Alone". She's had some injuries at very unfortunate times, so it's great to see her get a chance in new role. Great to see Jeroen Hofmans dance-is it me or does is he very much overlooked-doesn't dance than much and not often mentioned in the press. He seems to be very talented and I hope Martins nurtures the talent. What do other BalletTalkers think of him? "Tschai Pas de Deuc" was really great. I did notice the little slip up, but they covered it up fairly well. Woetzel was really on-hard to believe he turned 35 on Friday!! The corps in the first 3 parts of "Vienna Waltzes" seemed a bit off to me, especially in the Polka (yuk!). No obvious mistakes, just not as tight as I've seen the corps before. I was happy just to see Kyra Nichols on stage-it's been years since I last saw her dance. Didn't someone post here that she might be leaving soon. She and Darci are the last Balanchine principals, are they not? And Soto & LaFosse are the last male Balanchine principal, right? Speaking of Vienna Waltzes...the Playbill editor let one slip: I'm sure Edward Liang. Alexandre Izilaev, Ryan Kelly and Bryce Corson would have been surprised to know that they were dancing in Vienna Waltzes last night! Oh, why is Margaret Tracey still listed in the principal pictures...she retired in the winter season? Kate

Hi! I would guess that "Prodigal Son" is being performed specially for the occasion of Helene's retirement. It is one of the ballets she has performed in a lot the last several years, and one of her "signature" roles. Kate

Hi! On Monday the performance starts at 7pm, but on Saturday it starts at 8pm. Kate

Hi! I have not received a response from NYCB...I am intrigued as to how they will respond to my particular e-mail. First of all, I would think that the student rate is (and if not should be) restricted to full-time students, since part-time students (like those Alexandra mentioned) are more likely to be able to afford full-price tickets. Also, remember that unlike 4th ring memebership, student tickets are for whatever seats remain-sometimes orchestra/2nd or 3rd ring. However, I still think that NYCB is ignoring the financial reality that many younger AND older undergraduates and grad students face. Just because one enters school later on, it does not mean that one has more financial resources-money saved goes to tuition and living expenses, since some post-grad study precludes being able to hold more than a very part-time job. These are the type of people who may only be able to attend a peformance a season-4th ring membership is not a bargain. And I would agree that the response is very callous when it comes to the realities of most dancers. Kate

Hi! My e-mail is on it's way too. I'm not old enough to be affected yet, but if I start grad school (they allow grad students to get student tickets too) this fall, I will be 30 before I graduate. Kate

Hi! Are you sure about Lauren Toole-she's still listed on the NYCB website and they usually make changes there ASAP (Jerome Johnson is now listed and Melissa Walter is no longer listed, BTW). Then again, our news sources may be faster than the NYCB webmaster's corrections!! I'm not surprised by the other possible departures. LaFosse hasn't danced much at all in the past couple of years, except in character roles like Dr. Coppelius or Drosselmeyer. He was on the panel at the Annual Luncheon in February and it sounds like he is very busy with cheoreographic committments outside NYCB. Kipling Houston has been around for a LONG time (25+ years) and has had a fairly limited rep as long as I can remember (which, to be fair, is not that long ) Nichols is also no spring chicken, and has two (?) young kids at home now. And I'm sure the corps dancers have decided, for various reasons, that their future lies in things other than NYCB. Good luck to all those dancers in their future endeavours!! Kate

Hi! Elizabeth Walker is the subject of this week's Dancer of the Week feature on the NYCB webpage. She mentions that she is teaching a women's B class every Monday at SAB, but there is no indication that she plans to cut back on dancing. Kate

As far as I know..YES. I believe that there are four or five Otto brothers in all. Kate