vipa

Tiresome is the right word. Unfortunately most of the people who watch will be people who've never seen a ballet company.

I'm glad ABT is pushing on as best they can. I too agree that ABT should try to show us some classical pas with couples they can put together. How much these dancers have been able to stay in classical pas shape is a question, although Skylar Brandt (from her instagram posts) seems ready for anything. ABT's big ticket sellers have been the big classical ballets. That's the audience they've cultivated and programmed for, the exceptions being new works by Ratmansky and other new choreographers here and there. IMO audiences go to ABT to see big, theatrical, classical ballet productions. It may be harder for them, than for some other companies, to appeal to their usual ticket buyers. IMO one way would be to present as much classical ballet as possible, be it by pas de deus or excerpts.

I agree about the design, and as julaij said it isn't particularly user friendly. I wonder who their target audience is? I have to say, I'm not impressed with the planned programing, but perhaps it's too soon to make a judgement about the direction the new leadership is taking.

There's a good discussion on the Fairchild/Lovette interview under: NYCB cancels Fall 2020 and Nutcracker seasons

In all the interviews I've heard Fairchild give, this was the most frustrating in that I wanted to hear more from Lovette. In some other interviews it seemed more natural for Fairchild to interject her own experiences. IN any event, I'm glad Megan Fairchild is putting them out there, it must be quite a learning curve for her.

Wasn't sure where to put this, or if it's been posted already, but a fascinating discussion Megan Fairchild had with Lauren Lovette.

I so agree with this. There were years when things were really dismal at NYCB. A certain blandness set in, in the performances. I started to go to see ABT more! Then something happened. I too remember Ansanelli bursting out, followed by a stream of dancers who had technique, musicality and imagination. For whatever set of reasons, NYCB became thrilling again and has stayed that way. Now we're in a situation in which the dancers are losing more than a year of performing, and new leadership is trying to settle in. I hope for the best. We'll see.

Interesting discussion that is branching off in many directions. In my statement, I certainly didn't mean no new works. I was just struck that the NYCB's press release was very focussed on new works and choreographers. I am hoping to be able to return to the theater again, about a year from now, and see live dance performances. What do I want to see? To me the NYCB is special. It's special because of the vast rep of Balanchine and Robbins, and the training of the dancers which results in a go-for-broke, musical approach that combines expansive movement with incredible speed. Do I need to see this particular company do Tanowitz - probably not. I don't mind seeing Tanowitz at NYCB, and I'm sure the dancers enjoy the process (that is actually neither here nor there to me, but nice for them). At the same time what I want, as we are coming out of a pandemic is the soul soothing of Serenade, the bravura of Theme & Variations, the wit & beauty of Chaconne, the fun of Who Cares, the intensity of Agon, the -- well you get it. An incredible number of Balanchine works have stood the test of time and the variety is amazing. So give me some new works, I love the excitement of that. Most will be forgettable, some will be well crafted and, if we're lucky, 1 or 2 will be worthy of joining the rep. But, I personally, won't be buying tickets to see programs of all new works. I'm hoping for some sign from NYCB that that isn't the plan, but if it is I hope they sell every seat in the house, I won't be there.

Maybe dance audiences will be eager to see NYCB do a lot of new works when they return to the stage after a year and a half, but I'll be eager to be re-immersed in the Balanchine rep. I'm all in favor of giving opportunities to new choreographers, but great art is hard to come by, and I fear the emphasis on turning the page could mean ignoring the fabulous NYCB heritage.

The next season is almost a year from now. There may be dancers who decide not to come back, and even with an extended rehearsal period to allow time to get into shape and build stamina, some dancers will return more ready than others. We might see some shifts in casting and career trajectories.

Forgive me if this has been posted before but I just came across Wendy Whelan leading a panel with Merrill Ashley, Gloria Govrin, Kay Mazzo and Allegra Kent. Allegra is really something!

Agreed. I hope this isn't the end of her dancing career. IMO her career at ABT was filled with lost opportunities for the company and Lane. Her promotion came a lot later than it should have and then she was under under utilized. Personally, I feel it took a toll on her confidence. It may not be easy to join another company in the time of COVID, but I hope she is able to, if that's what she wants. Lane has special qualities.

I watched Kathryn Morgan's video with great interest. I don't think we can have a full idea of what happened, and how conversations played out from start to finish. Clearly she thought that losing weight was the key to casting, and maybe it was. At the same time I was not very impressed with the rehearsal clip she showed of Firebird, but have no way of knowing how her dancing compared with that of the dancer who was cast. Perhaps a MCB viewer could better comment on this. For Morgan, it seems management's expectations weren't met for whatever reasons. I contrast this situation with Lauren Fadeley who entered as a soloist and was promoted to principal soloist at the end of her first season. She was told by Lordes Lopez that she exceeded all her expectations. (I heard this in a Fadeley interview). Fadeley isn't a skinny little thing. Maybe Morgan's situation had more to do with dancing than weight. I don't know. I do know that even under the best of circumstances, company life isn't easy because it's a zero sum game. For every role in a performance there is a winner and a lot of losers. I wish Kathryn Morgan well. Her idea of a pick-up company that tours, performs and integrates itself into community ballet studios is great.

I saw Elusive Muse a number of years ago but haven't been able find it since. It suddenly appeared on youtube.

I too would happily pay to watch a complete Liebeslieder and, in my experience, it's a ballet that is best appreciated close up.

She could be deciding what to do next so she can make an announcement with a positive spin.

I too am bummed about Sarah Lane, if it is true that she is no longer with ABT. She had become a really fine dramatic artist of depth and beauty. It is weird that Kevin M. bothered to promote her but then didn't cast her. I'm a bit surprised Gillian Murphy is still on the roster. Her comeback from maternity leave was interrupted by COVID so I wouldn't have been surprised if she decided to retire. I also wonder about Misty Copeland. A month or so ago, in an interview, she said she hadn't been able to do much physically during the shut down because of injury. ABT will return a changed company. I'm glad to see faster promotions!

With all due respect, I don't believe we can jump to the conclusion that dancers who are leaving MCB at this time, are doing so because of Lopez. We are in a pandemic and many people are rethinking their lives and careers. I don't have insider information to comment on Morgan's hiring and casting at MCB, but it could be a case of misaligned expectations. Many dancers in many companies learn roles that they do not get to perform. In terms of body type, Lopez hired Lauren Fadeley, who is not a waif. She did quite well casting wise and got promoted. My guess is that the expectations on both sides were more in alignment.

I'm confused, sorry I haven't been keeping up with this conversation. Is there a link to a Lopez interview in which she said she told Morgan she was sidelined because of her weight?

The link to the last Listening Party is below. I believe the next one is on Sept. 17 "Music to Love or Hate." Also at MarkMorrisDanceGroup.org the video fault is quite fun.

I don't know if anyone is joining the Mark Morris listening parties, but they are informative and entertaining. He mentioned "Soundies" this evening. Three minute musical films that had been available via jukebox like devices in the early 1940's. They can be found on youtube. Here's a young Gwen Verdon in one.

The first two online streaming nights of the Vail festival have been very enjoyable. Friday night's opening performance and Saturday's passing Balanchine on discussions.

Nantucket Festival totally worth a watch IMO. I'm not sure how long it will be available. https://nantucketdancefest.org/

I watched the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival part 1. It's a struggle to present a festival in any form in the current circumstances. My favorite was the Adrian Danchig-Waring's presentation of the Apollo solo on his lawn. Well done!. The Ashley Bouder variation from Tchaikovsky pas is readily available on YouTube, and not the best musically IMO. It was great seeing an excerpt from Lilac Garden, although I don't know how it would read to people not familiar with the ballet. The Lovette piece seems weak and probably plays better live. The DeMille pas from "The Other" was hard for me to make sense of - it seemed that every time the couple stopped moving, the audience started clapping as if it was over. Overall I'd say it was a good try to carry on, under these crazy circumstance. I'll be watching parts 2 and 3 over the next couple of days.

Thank you so much