rkoretzky

1 minute ago, FPF said:

The interim team was thrown into this job on top of their previous full-time roles, they are learning on the fly (and perhaps are overwhelmed), and  in this situation, perhaps everything doesn't get the amount of attention/notice it warrants or would receive if they fully focused on their normal roles and  a full-time AD was in charge. Also, I would not necessarily expect that an interim team would have the same decision-making ability/power as a full-time permanent AD.

Agreed. All the more reason that the delay in searching for a new artistic director is inexplicable. 

I’m not suggesting that this particular scenario was anticipated. Of course it wasn’t. 

I am suggesting that the process should have gotten underway months ago and should have been completed by now. 

Who should be the official spokesperson for the company? Scharf? Jon Stafford? 

I suggest that is the responsibility of the executive director. 

My career has been in the education world—public schools and libraries. I have no experience working in an organization of this size or scope. So I really don’t know. 

Re Bella’s comment: yes, I agree that the interim team deserves our full support. They have done a remarkable job under circumstances they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. But I’m one who wishes the search process had gotten underway much more quickly. And frankly I don’t understand why it didn’t. 

6 minutes ago, its the mom said:

"It was allowed to fester in our current leaderless state."  Leaderless?  Does she/do we actually believe Finlay's behavior would be different had Martins still been at the helm?  Is that what she is implying?

Although I won’t speak for her, I don’t think that is what she’s saying. Again it’s a word choice. “Fester” says to me that it’s inculcated within the organization and has exploded under current conditions. 

Again, why isn’t the executive director stepping up? 

13 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

 Bouder’s IG post bolsters NYCB’s claim that they did not “condone, encourage” etc the reprehensible behavior in question. It supports the company line and, imo, may have been vetted by NYCB.

I was glad to see it. How is it controversial?

Ashley states  “I do not condone this behavior”. To me this is her personal statement and she is saying this as a member of NYCB, but not speaking for the organization. 

There is a world of difference between “condone” and “encourage”. I don’t believe there has been any mention of this reprehensible behavior being encouraged. Please point out if I’ve missed that.

NYCB is not, in fact, leaderless. There is an executive director. Other than her signature on the recent email, along with Jon Stafford, where is Kathy brown? 

As I reread what I’ve written, I want to state in the clearest possible way my unwavering support and admiration to Ashley in making this statement. If she so chooses she will run a company some day, or should. 

I was at the Saturday matinee at SPAC when Chase made his debut performance in Apollo. He was promoted on the spot. 

It was a stunner. He captured the arc with great clarity. I will never forget it. 

Unfortunately injuries intervened and I never saw him rise to that level again. 

I’m rubbernecking. Can’t bear to read this, can’t turn away from it. 

This won’t be a long post. I just want to write in support of Sappho and the others who are calling some of these posts out as victim shaming. 

Whatever else is in play here: no means no. She said no. 

Baily Jones also debuted in Saratoga in 3rd Mvt, also with Sebastian. I was absolutely enchanted by all three of them. 

Precise clean technique, nailed all the tricky footwork, sparkling smiles from the ladies, and Sebastian NAILED the tours en l’air. 

I I think you’ll be very happy with his performance. 

18 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

Great idea! I’d love to see Farrell coaching. Imagine her working with Sara Mearns! Bring back Tzigane!! 

I may try for tickets to Indiana Woodward’s debut in Symphony in C. She should be lovely in that Third movt. 

She did it in saratoga with Sebastian VV. Spectacular. Go! 

38 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I'd add, we also don't know what Finlay's version of events is. He has yet to respond. Presumably this will come out in court. He may contend that she did, in fact know about the recording, and or consented to them being shared. Or he may have some other defense. We have no idea whether he has a version of events that would cast things in a different light.  I agree it looks bad for him, just pointing out that we don't know his version of events. 

Also, as to whether the company has responded appropriately, we really don't have any basis to judge that, either. They acted on the basis of their investigation and its findings, of which we have no knowledge. A lawsuit is filed from the perspective of one person, who is by definition aggrieved. That person's lawyer will naturally cast things in the light most favorable for the complainant, and worst for the party being sued (not sure of correct terminology here). It can't be considered a neutral, factual document. Hopefully NYCB's internal investigation was more impartial than one would expect from hearing one side of a lawsuit/complaint. 

Yes hopefully. I’m not feeling too trusting. There are allegations against a donor, a board member and a principal dancer who allegedly committed rape. These need to be addressed as well, at least for me to regain my confidence in NYCB. 

5 minutes ago, minervaave said:

Institutions and people who participate in or allow this sort of horrifying behavior only change when the negative consequences of not changing are so severe that they have to.  If we, the audience, continue to go see these men perform because we love their artistry, they will continue to be employed and will suffer no meaningful consequences for their behavior.  Is going to see a night at the ballet, no matter how transcendent, worth the suffering Waterbury has gone through?  

For me, I don’t want to punish the dancers at NYCB who had nothing to do with this, but I will never go see any of these men dance again.  And I will not donate a penny to NYCB until they are no longer part of the company.   If they are merely suspended for a period of time and then continue merrily along with their career, continuing to attract audiences, then every victim seeing them will understand that their suffering doesn’t really matter and everyone who would potentially do something like this will see it as not a big deal,  just “locker room talk”.  And nothing will change.  If Finlay, Ramasar, and Catazaro lose their careers, and we the audience lose their presence on the stage, but a future generation of ballerinas is spared something like this and able to practice their art unhindered, I consider the exchange well worth it.

Yes well said. But here’s my conundrum: there are others who were implicated but not named in the complaint. We have no idea who they are and we will likely be watching them onstage. 

Over decades of watching this company especially in the relaxed informal summer atmosphere in Saratoga, I’ve been so lucky to get to know many dancers. It pains me to even think about insulting them by my absence and denying myself the pleasure of watching them. And yet, I believe much more lurks underneath here. 

The statement from New York City Ballet doesn’t go NEARLY far enough. No mention that a donor or a board member have been implicated. (Are these the same person?) 

Count me among the loyal fans who’ve posted here and who are conflicted about the coming season. Yesterday when casting for week one was announced I was prepared to make my choices. As I always do I checked this board to see what comments might have been made re casting and encountered this. At the very least, not a penny of donation money from me until I see movement towards full disclosure. 

Is it appropriate for a statement to be issued to ticket purchasers, fans, donors and subscribers (most of us here fall into at least one if not all those categories) expressing regret and hope that we will continue to support with our attendance? Or is that an admission of something? 

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Heartbreaking. 

He was the reason I came to NYC as a young dancer and studied at the Taylor school. 

I think he's the last modern great to go (unless I'm forgetting someone).

Mark Morris? 

The great Paul Taylor has passed away at age 88. I’m sorry, I can’t figure out how to link to the NYT article or the press release from the company. 

39 minutes ago, balletforme said:

Why Woetzel too late for a different reason????

I’m only surmising this: he just started a very high profile position at Juilliard. Awkward at the least? 

I would hope he could be. But his wife was (one of?) the first person to speak out against Martins. Regardless of anyone’s personal feelings, it could be very divisive at a time when unity is desperately needed, don’t you think? 

I’m a fan. I grieved when Peter Boal retired. There was a lot more dancing he could do. But he seized a tremendous opportunity. 

Daniel Ulbricht put together a phenomenal program this week at the Pillow. It was the best possible Robbins tribute. (Far better than the paltry lip service from spac ). I believe he could do this job. But he seems to have much more dancing left. This opportunity is too early. 

Much unfortunate timing here. 

Tomasson, Villela, Farrell, McBride—too late. 

Woetzel—too late for a different reason. 

Ulbricht—too early. 

Boal—I wish it were possible. 

Lopez—practically perfect in every way. 

Peter Boal would be a dream candidate. But it was his wife who was one of the early voices that toppled Martins. 

Lourdes Lopez is the one imo. 

10 minutes ago, nysusan said:

Its true, I always go to the box office to buy tickets and they do close for vacation every year in August. They re-open about a week before fall for dance tickets go on sale.

Wish I had known this and I would have asked my daughter to get to BO sooner. 

Notice on the website maybe? Prominently? I was checking often. 

And as an example of an excellent policy that rewards frequent ticket purchasers:

I’m an original member of NYCB Fourth Ring Society, now know as Society NYCB. This goes back decades. My tickets can be purchased by phone or at the box office, with no service fees ever. There is a $3 facility fee for every ticket purchased, box office, online, phone. In my memory that’s relatively new, maybe 5 years?, but I just add it to the price if the ticket and it’s fair, across the board. 

I pay $25 annually to keep my my membership. It started at $20 all those years ago. I consider it a supplemental donation to NYCB and pay it gladly. It’s like season tickets at Yankee Stadium or my very inexpensive glimmerglass subscription. I won’t give it up. 

Ticket prices have risen a lot over the years. $12,$15,$17, $23, $28, $31. Maybe an increase this season, I still think it’s a marvelous deal.

Quite a few years ago, the PTB tried to eliminate our society. What a hue and cry! Our dear Carley Broder, R.I.P., published a letter in the New York Times!  It was restored, but only to current members. 

It us capacity controlled. I had a problem once, trying to see a Mearns Swan Lake. And you sit where they put you. No other down side. 

So this is interesting. I finally had a few minutes to call city center when our schedules lined up. They don’t open the offices  until 10am.

I left a VM for the Vice President of marketing and certainly hope she’ll return my call. However the person I talked with (didn’t get her name) told me she’s worked there for eight years and the box office closes every August. (This is July 29-September 4, but I guess close enough). 

I’ve been buying tickets at CC for decades and have never heard about or experienced this. Anyone? 

Service fee $3 per ticket. Convenience charge $10 per order. 

18 hours ago, FPF said:

I also usually buy my SPAC tickets in person when I go to a performance there (and I live ~30 miles/40 min away). After seeing the Cuban National Ballet, I received an email with a coupon code for online purchase only that could be used for the Gala, which normally is not discounted at all. My ticket came with $13 in fees ($3 facility fee and $10 "convenience" fee). The fees ate up more than half the savings, but the overall price was still somewhat less than the original price. I thought the fee was exorbitant compared with what other local-ish venues charge (Jacob's Pillow, Glimmerglass, WTF).

I'm also going to see Limon at the Pillow but on Sunday (~1.25 h for me). 

I’d love to meet you. I’ve lived in Saratoga for 40 years and worked at SPAC as an usher and usher captain for 30 of them. Now I just buy tickets and enjoy. And we do all those things you mentioned (glimmerglass, WTF, Pillow). In fact we’re heading out now for a concert of chamber music society of Lincoln center. We have that too.

if we could only be assured of the future for NYCB. 

10 hours ago, Olga said:

I agree - service fees should be waived or reduced. And get this: the members’ exclusive pre sale period for many of he upcoming dance events (Osipova, NDT) falls ENTIRELY within the period in which the box office is closed. So, in order to avail oneself of the pre sale membership benefit one has to pay the service (handling) fee!!! Astounding. 

Did anyone else get the email that city center will reduce service fees if you subscribe to Encores? And this doesn’t even go on sale until mid September, when the box office is reopened. 

14 hours ago, Birdsall said:

Just so you know there are websites like "a view from my seat" where people have posted views from their actual seat in various theaters. Not every single seat is shown, but you can find views from seats that are in a similar section. This might help for future reference. It is something that someone at a box office can't show you.

I don't live in NYC so for me buying online for me personally is wonderful, and I buy online locally also for tickets here in Florida. No line, no waiting, very fast, sometimes you can actually get a seat view, but not always. You can buy tickets wherever you are or whatever you are doing. Tickets went on sale at 12pm for NYCB yesterday and at 11:45am even knowing tickets were about to go on sale I took my dog on a walk here in Florida and when it hit 12pm I bought the tickets on my phone as I was enjoying the walk. I remember years ago having to wait at the computer for tickets to go on sale and sometimes the site would not work well and you would watch the seats you wanted get bought up before your eyes as you are trying to make a choice. Or before online sales having to call just as tickets went on sale and that was a nightmare. There was so much stress involved in trying to get a good seat asap before the good seats were gone. I even took a day off work in the past to make sure I could get good seats to all the operas I wanted. For me regular ticket buying was SO stressful. Online buying has taken all the stress out of it for me. I think it took me like less than 3 minutes to choose and buy my NYCB tickets yesterday once I logged onto the site on my phone.

We all make our choices depending on what works best for us, what’s practical or manageable. My problem with the current city center situation is that there’s no choice to make short of deciding not to go or taking a chance that you won’t get tickets at all by waiting until September 4 for box office sales. 

For you the service fees are a happy trade off for convenience. For me, they are a necessary evil that I will pay if I can’t get to a box office or have someone else go to the box office for me. I maintain that service fees (or at least some percentage thereof) should be waived in this situation since the box office option isn’t there. 

I live about an hour and a half from Jacobs Pillow. I just bought a ticket online for Limon on Saturday. The service fee was a very reasonable $3. I live about a mile and a half from Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Two tickets for an event on Thursday night cost $40.The service fees would add $16. You can bet I’m going to the box office tomorrow. 

4 hours ago, Birdsall said:

Just to play Devil's Advocate......I suspect the majority of ticket buyers (I could be wrong) purchase online (so convenient), b/c you can choose the exact seat you want from home or even your phone the minute tickets go on sale. If you choose "Choose your seat" option rather than "best available" you get a seating chart and are able to choose the exact seat you want. I love this about most online purchasing. When I purchased tickets for Nov. 2 and 3 for these performances it was easy. I can't remember if City Center allowed me to see the view from the seat I selected, but some company sites have that option as well.  I hated buying tickets before the whole "choose your own seat" option became widespread. You basically had to have the seating chart open on your computer as you talked to the person on the phone.

Today single tickets for NYCB went on sale and I was walking my dog and purchased my tickets online on my phone. I personally LOVE the convenience of online purchasing. They probably do not need to charge a fee. It is probably way easier for them just as it is for us, so the fee charge is ridiculous, but I am okay with it for the convenience. Years ago I could not walk my dog and purchase opera and ballet tickets.

Points taken Birdsall, but isn’t the best way to get the exact seating you want by buying directly at the box office window?the seat map is right in front of you and you’re interacting with a live person.

I am averse to paying service fees and will always buy at the box office, at least in New York, whenever possible. As an example, the Public Theater is often out of my way but their fees are very low, for broadway and Lincoln Center, box office always. I don’t live in the city but my daughter does, and a group of my theater, ballet, opera pals often pick up tickets for each other. Someone is always going in for something so we help each other out.

I didn’t find purchasing these tickets on the city center website easy, convenient or pleasant. There is no option for seat view by the way. And yes, the fee charge is exhorbitant.