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This should be very interesting. I always thought Ratmansky did some of his best work for NYCB. With both Justin Peck and Ratmansky on board, will there be fewer new works by other choreographers at NYCB? This is a question not a complaint!

7 hours ago, California said:

An interesting new interview with Jaffe on YouTube focusing on programming decisions for the next few years. 

 

Thanks for posting California. It sounds like new, full length, narrative ballets are of great interest to Jaffe. I'm not a fan so I envision myself going to see ABT less and less. I wonder what current rep she is interesting in preserving?

5 minutes ago, Helene said:

It's a stream, but not a live one.  PNB has been taping the Opening Night performance since sometime last season -- in the beginning, it was the final open dress rehearsal -- but it's made available the Thursday after the last performance the prior Sunday.

But it will be wonderful, nonetheless, and once you purchase the stream/have a subscription that includes the stream, you can watch it as many times as you want during the 4+ day access period.

Thanks for the correction, Helene. I'm still excited! I'm sure it will be wonderful.

55 minutes ago, cobweb said:

A little surprised to see a big opportunity for Christina Clark (in Haieff Divertimento). She is so tall I can’t imagine she has a future beyond the corps, and even then, I’ve been surprised they took such a tall girl into the corps. 

I'm surprised too at the Clark casting in Haieff, also that Unity Phelan isn't doing it. I believe last time it went, Phelan did every performance of it. I hope Mearns will indeed be back, after missing Nutcrackers. It's only the first week so it's hard to judge the season, however Erica Pereira has some nice roles, and no sign of Emma Von Enck yet. 

I admit, I'm getting excited!

I'm so excited that this is being live streamed. I haven't seen this production of Giselle and am really eager to!

26 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Agree. I just took a look at the Winter programming and sad to say there's not a whole lot that I want to see. Disappointing. Hoping they will shake things up with some exciting new casting. 

Looking at winter I definitely want to see the All Balanchine (Stravinky Violin, Haieff, Valse Fantaisie, Donizetti) and Classic NYCB I ( Allegro Brillante,Liturgy, Walpurgisnacht, Firebird). I'll check out the new Peck. Interestingly, I got a NYCB flyer in the mail that was devoted entirely to promoting that ballet. A full length with so many shows is a big risk. 

On Sleeping Beauty, I've seen both Fairchild and Peck as Aurora. Both were very, very good but I wouldn't say transcendent. I'd love to see Woodward or Emma Von Enck. I've said before, Laracey is one of my all time favorites as Lilac Fairy. I believe Mearns has retired that role. Nadon could get Lilac or Aurora. Sara Adams is another possible Aurora. I'm assuming Bouder won't be back in the role.

Like Cobweb,  I am looking forward to casting. A real changing of the guard is taking place. On a related note, I like Unity Phelan very much, but IMO she's over- used. 

Just saw an amazing movie, Women, Talking, Written and directed by Sarah Polley, based on a novel by Mirian Toews. It seems to be having a very limited run, but if it's near you see it! It's engrossing and ultimately up-lifting. Amazing performances.

Here's the official trailer. 

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

.. and since we're dreaming about casting, I know this will never happen, but Ashley Laracey in 2nd movement, Symphony in C.

If we're talking about upcoming casting, Sleeping Beauty is the big one and I hope Laracey does Lilac. I'm wondering about Donizetti Variations. It was a big Bouder role, so I wonder what will happen there. Woodward seems a natural and maybe Emma Von Enck. On IG Unity Phelan posted a rehearsal of herself doing the principal role in Walpurgisnacht, so she'll be one cast. That was a big Mearns role, and she was wonderful in it. Hope she's in the mix for winter casting. 

4 minutes ago, matilda said:

What respected ballet choreographers are there to potentially step into the Artist in Residence position once he's gone? Ratmansky has been a good fit for ABT because he's so classical. I imagine they'll look for a woman or a not-white guy... but who???? Hoping Jaffe has some ideas. 

They don't necessarily need an Artist in Residence do they? They can commission new works from Ratmansky or anyone else, while maintaining their current rep. They don't really need a "house choreographer."

15 hours ago, Josette said:

I attended the four weekend performances on Dec. 10 and 11.  All the men (Whiteside, Bell, Royal, Forster) were excellent, and it was wonderful  to see James Whiteside on Saturday afternoon, dancing strongly and being cheered by the audience, many of whom obviously had been at the performance when he was injured onstage last year.    The Sunday performances of Trenary/Royal and Shevchenko/Forster were particularly beautiful.  Trenary and Royal  gave an amazing performance - premieres for both of them.  Trenary melted all hearts with her beautiful presence and danced with a melting quality as if in a reverie during her solo, and Royal was joyous and danced and partnered with mastery.  Shevchenko and Forster, who were not new to me in their roles, were brilliant and danced with exceptional musical phrasing.   

Thank you for this report Josette. I don't follow ABT as much as I do NYCB, so I was surprised to hear this was Trenary's debut. So glad it went well. I'm a fan of hers!

Looks like Daniel Ulbricht gets two shots at Cavalier this season, the first being Dec. 21. I've always felt he was underutilized in general, so it's nice to see him get a few opportunities even if it is late in his career. A lot of soloists were heavily called upon this Nutcracker season, as was corps member Olivia MacKinnon. It's hard to know in Nutcracker casting what's due to  dancers' outside gigs, COVID, and various injuries, but it will be interesting to see how casting takes shape post Nutcracker. I think Nadon and Hod are on principal track, and Olivia M on her way to soloist. I'd love to see Alexa Maxwell promoted too. 

5 hours ago, GB1216 said:

I’ve been wondering about Megan lecrone lately.  Is it it me or she doesn’t seem to be cast much under Stafford/Whelan? I remember listening to her conversations on dance podcast, and she identified very strongly as a Peter martins dancer - more so than Balanchine.

Seems like LeCrone, Pereira and particularly Pazcoguin haven't been cast much in Nutcracker this year. Although Pereira did get a a few SPF's. And when was the last time Brittany Pollock performed? Pollack, Pazcoguin and LeCrone became soloists in 2013, Pereira in 2009. None of them are on principal track (so it seems to me). I have to wonder how much longer they'll be there. Also, from looking at Nutcracker casting it seems Olivia MacKinnon is being given a lot of opportunities, as a corps member. I haven't seen her in Nutcracker, any have impressions of her? I feel like management might be testing her.

8 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

I loved this symposium on Balanchine's Nutcracker. Alistair MacCauley moderates, Suki Schorer, Indiana Woodward and Unity Phelan talk and show excerpts from Nutcracker with a focus on SPF and Dewdrop. It starts about 3 min in. The dancing is JUST GLORIOUS!!

 

Thanks BalanchineFan. I'd forgotten this was happening. It was delightful. I could have watched for another hour!. Suki Schorer is irresistible and the dancers lovely both in their dancing and as people.

9 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Yes, I was wondering how many more of them might do this. Maybe not too many. Also, note that Sterling didn’t just invite him and climb off the stage to greet him, she honored him with a bouquet of flowers. Obviously very thankful. 

Sterling and Megan Fairchild are dancers who speak fondly of Martins. Kathryn Morgan in interviews has said he was nothing but supportive of her during her struggles. I do not want to re-open the whole Peter Martins debate; it's complicated and always has been. Personally, I'm glad that, Martins as a 76 year old man, is able to receive public acknowledgement from dancers who are grateful to him.

6 minutes ago, abatt said:

No reports or videos of Hyltin's farewell?

I'm eagerly awaiting reports. Sara Mearns posted front of curtain bows on her IG feed.

It's been touching and lovely to see so many tributes to Hyltin, from her colleagues, on social media. I hope her final performance was everything she hoped for. I'll miss seeing her on stage. 

7 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

The saga continues. This time Olga Smirnova makes a guest appearance. I’m in tears this is so funny!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CltcczeIuod/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

So funny. Thank you for sharing this.

22 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

I see Alexa Maxwell has a debut in Coffee. India Bradley in Marzipan. And Zoe Bliss Magnussen is out of Dolls. I hope she's ok! She had surgery sometime last year, (there were pictures of it on IG, or maybe in a NYCB newsletter) but she's been performing since then.

Speaking of soloists being cast, I don't see Gina Pazcoguin cast much. Coffee of course, and I believe one Dew Drop. Meagan LeCrone is cast even less. Both of these ladies have been soloists for a long time.

44 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Wow, von Enck and Mejia, that sounds like a winning combination!! Hope someone can report on that performance. Nadon’s Sugarplum also. 

Yes and Tiler Peck as Dewdrop, it could be quite a performance. If anyone is there please report. Also, I noted on instagram that some of the dancers were mentioning shows for students. There had been some discussion here about ticket prices, and giving kids an opportunity to see Nutcracker. Does anyone know how those performances work? Are the kids brought in from schools? Are the tickets subsidized? Just wondering how it works, if anyone knows.

12 hours ago, cobweb said:

This would make more sense if they were selling out with $115 and $90 fourth ring seats, but they’re not. The top rows are not even for sale. Having some affordable option (standing room, partial view, top row seats for a sensible price) would signal to the audience that there is a price point for everyone. 

That makes total sense. There should be a way have some more affordable tickets and, most importantly, to let people know about it. Their dynamic pricing is mysterious (to me anyway). I checked, out of curiosity. There are some shows for which you can't get a fourth ring seat for less then $115. On the other hand I saw a couple of mid-week evening shows that had $45 fourth ring tickets (not a lot, but some were still available). Someone who just wants to take their kids to see The Nutcracker, is not going to start hunting around like that for more affordable tickets.

My guess is that NYCB sees Nutcracker as a cash cow that helps fund less popular programs, and they squeeze every dime out of it they can. I don't blame them, but it would be nice to have a mechanism for inexpensive seats. Some Broadway shows have day of lotteries for cheap seats. 

In case you haven't seen it, there was an article in yesterday's New York Post about Tiler Peck:

https://nypost.com/2022/11/19/ballerina-tiler-peck-is-back-in-two-nutcrackers-and-still-loves-mikhail-baryshnikov/

Just listened to a wonderful discussion of Jennifer Homan's book at a Studio 5 City Center event. Alastair Macaulay with Homans and Lordes Lopez. Included two live dance excerpts. It's available for free streaming until November 28:

https://www.nycitycenter.org/About/our-programs/studio5/

Didn't see this posted so just in case. Here's the NYTimes book review of the Jennifer Homans Balanchine bio: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/books/jennifer-homans-george-balanchine.html

33 minutes ago, Buddy said:

It is written in stone that you can never have enough Swan Lakes (and I do like the Kevin McKenzie one very much) and probably Giselles.  😊 

 

 

You remind me a quote by David Vaughn, a wonderfully witty dance writer and fan I had the pleasure if knowing. (I may be paraphrasing a bit): The best Swan Lake you've ever seen is never the one you're watching.

That always made me laugh.

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

This afternoon was a mixed bag.

Children’s Dances by Jessica Lang was ok - I’ve never warmed to her choreography much; she seems to try different ways of doing certain steps or arm positions that don’t really work, it just looks different for the sake of doing something different. The point of this piece was to demonstrate the transition from childhood to adulthood while maintaining a sense of play but I didn’t really pick up on that. But it allowed me to see certain dancers like Robare, who is bursting with natural talent and high energy, he just needs a bit more refinement. Keep an eye on him. Also, Magbitang- who is a future star. Can’t wait to see him as Puck tonight. New soloist Park looked beautiful.

The new piece Lifted was also just ok. I believe all of the mirrors were to convey POC’s desire to see themselves represented in all areas of life. It’s something that I wish was already happening, but this motif was a bit too obvious to have an impact for me. I didn’t like the score at all, it just didn’t work for most of it. It was wonderful to see a black conductor walk out. Royal had some gorgeous moments, and it was nice to see Lall featured. Lawovi is a relatively new corps dancer; he has talent but was straining far too much.

The highlight was Sinfonietta - an embarrassment of riches seeing so many principals at once dancing such gorgeous choreography to a blazing score. And, my first time seeing musicians (trumpets) on each corner of the stage under the boxes. Forster was perfectly cast, having the most beautiful grand jete out of everyone. Shevchenko and Trenary fit this piece like a glove. Bell also in wonderful form. I was surprised but thrilled to see Cornejo as well. But, the ongoing revelation this year was seeing Klein, who more than held his own on stage with so many principals. I’m gonna beat a dead horse and again ask why this man hasn’t been promoted yet?? This ballet ended far too soon.

Agree with ABT Fan. Just want to add - I'm in the minority on this board in that I like Jessica Lang's Zig Zag, but I found Children's Songs Dance just OK and way too long. In the opening section the patterning and walking motif were promising, but didn't develop into anything. I did not pick up at all on the childhood to adulthood thing that ABT Fan mentioned. And, although I generally enjoy Chick Corea music, in this case it felt like background music to me.

Lifted had some stunning moments with the set. lights and reflection pool. At two points during the piece, the audience thought it was over and started applauding enthusiastically. I would have been fine with it ending at either of those points! 

Agree that Sinfonietta was the highlight. I hadn't seen it in many years, and it really holds up. Love the quiet of the ending. Cassandra Trenary was a stand out for me with her lush, yet precise movement. I look forward to reports of her performance in The Dream.