vipa

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!

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Love her dancing. So upset by her abrupt departure. But “Principal Dancer”? Seriously? Principal of what?

Not a good look.

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. 

On 5/11/2020 at 12:04 PM, DC Export said:

Hey there folks-

As NYCB has been adding ballets to their YouTube page every week, I've gone back and visited my "Ballet Bucketlist." One of the items on there is the Elusive Muse documentary about Suzanne Farrell. Does anyone know where this can be seen online?

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

8 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Thank you for the link.

I would gladly pay to watch a complete stream of Liebeslieder. That is all.

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

1 hour ago, aurora said:

It seems so strange that she hasn't addressed it at all on her social media by now. She's been posting, but not on this, and her info still has her as a principal at ABT.

 

I understand wanting to process things in ones own time, so I don't meant this as a criticism, she owes us nothing.

I just think it is somewhat surprising she wouldn't want to get something out there.

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!

1 hour ago, On Pointe said:

If Lourdes Lopez has a preference for very thin dancers,  hiring a woman whose years-long struggle with weight is well known was a pretty whack move.  The fact that so many dancers left at once indicates that Kathryn Morgan wasn't the only dancer who couldn't put up with Lopez.  It might be time for a change in administration,  which is a shame as so few women run ballet companies these days.

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. 

16 minutes ago, pherank said:

Oh, I was just referring to the fact that Morgan said she was sidelined because of her appearance, but Lopez could just as easily have said something like, "I'm really sorry, but I want to give performance time to this other dancer to announce her promotion. But don't worry..." Yada, yada. But instead Lopez apparently focused on Morgan's appearance. It doesn't seem like any attempt to salvage the situation was made. As many have pointed out, there was nothing hidden about Morgan's situation - it was all very upfront. Lopez knew what she was getting into.

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? 

5 hours ago, Jack Reed said:

I would imagine so!  I've noticed performing artists perforce tend to think in entertaining ways - although whatever that way is at the moment may bother those trying to focus on cold facts or a consistent story sometimes - so, thanks for the link to one of his examples, but do you have a link handy for the "listening parties" as well?  

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.

3 hours ago, Dale said:

I'll put this up here so we don't have to go through the Lincoln Center website to get to the video for the Coppelia/Balanchine program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pFz5e2XufM

Thank you so much

O

I'm sad, but not surprised that Nutcracker was cancelled. For one thing SAB has to be up and running in order to provide approximately 100 children, who probably start rehearsing in October. Just one of many, many unsolvable issues with a big production like that. So sad.

27 minutes ago, California said:

As I'm sure many of you did, I got a detailed questionnaire today from NYCB asking about prices I'd be willing to pay for different offerings -- performances, talks, interviews, classes, etc. I suspect we'll be seeing more of this.

I just filled out the questionnaire. Clearly they are trying to get creative with cash flow ideas. These time call for new ideas, so I wish them well.

I am very surprised. I expected him to have a long career with NYCB, because from the beginning he was involved in so many different types of projects - choreographing at summer intensives, acting as MC at Met Museum performances and other venues, leading outreach projects, hosting the podcast and more. He seemed to be the go-to speaker/presenter. I assumed the company saw him as someone who could eventually be part of management or public relations. Maybe he will return after his formal education, and do just that. Anyway I'm sorry to see him go, but wish him well.

On 6/12/2020 at 5:21 PM, Helene said:

I'm listening to Michael Breeden and Rebecca King Ferraro's interview with Phil Chan, author of "Final Bow for Yellowface," and they discuss Bugaku.  Chan's suggestion for Bugaku is to present it in a museum setting, as the only work presented, and with discussions/exhibits about the context of the work.  As far as being a rep piece, his suggestion is to set it aside and hire a current Asian choreographer to create a work.

https://conversationsondancepod.com/2020/05/26/final-bow-for-yellowface/

He's also working with Doug Fullington to retain the notated steps of classical ballets -- so far La Bayadere and Le Corsaire are on the roster -- but putting them in different contexts.  Carla Korbes is going to coach these versions, which sounds like a fascinating project.

Just want to add that I'm reading Phil Chan's book - Final Bow for Yellowface. A short and interesting read (195 pages) that develops the ideas I've heard him express in interviews. I find it particularly relevant during this time when many of us are thinking about race, and race relations.

3 hours ago, pherank said:

Yes, both YouTube and Facebook allow live chat (comments) but the user has to sign in with a valid account. YouTube may allow sign-in from a number of different sources (Google, Yahoo, Facebook?), but Facebook live chat can only be accessed with a Facebook account.

The program was on YouTube but you could also be sent a Zoom link, which is what I was given. You could submit questions using zoom chat.

16 hours ago, pherank said:

Thanks for the heads up, Vipa.

Is this the video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHnwcllAzc

Yes, I believe that is the video. It was quite interesting how, during the presentation, you could submit questions. It seems the questions asked were the most frequently asked. It must have been quite a job keeping track as questions rolled in. I think there were over 4.000 viewers!

I may have missed it, but I haven't heard anyone mention the Mark Morris zoom effort last night. Forgive me if I'm repeating covered ground. An hour long presentation that, for me, was more interesting than satisfying. The always interesting, intelligent, opinionated Mark Morris and his musical director spoke, answered questions from viewers and introduced pieces. The pieces were short. Apparently the 18 dancers in the company were sent music and a movement assignment/response that they could do at home. They filmed themselves and submitted their work. It seems Morris received 70 to 80 submissions from the dancers for each assignment. He and his musical director made choices about what videos to use and in what order. As I said the end products were more interesting that satisfying but I liked that they were looking it as a new way of working. A zoom creation. I believe the hour is now available on Youtube if you look for Mark Morris. Anyone else there?