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Does anyone know what principal dancers will be performing?

Sorry one more! Although he's a Dim Lustre when Push Comes to Shove he gets off Fancy Free. I had to get that off my chest. Sorry - no more!

Perhaps it was Miss Julie (who had a whip) joining forces with the Accused (who we all know was Lizzie Bordon with an Ax) who ran away to Dancers at a Gathering to do who knows what.

I'm sure the ABT pairing of a short ballet with Giselle preceded Baryshnikov. I remember seeing (back in the day) a Michael Smuin ballet, Pulcinella Variations (sp?), before Giselle. I don't know the history of ABT's pairing Giselle with another ballet, but I'm sure it goes back a ways.

Lucky Saratoga, it looks like Bouder is back - Firebird, Other Dances and Stars & Stripes.

That's true. She was supposed to alternate with Ansanelli. Ansanelli got injured so Fairchild did them all.

What an enjoyable evening. Here are a few of my take aways Serenade gave Kowroski a rare opportunity to do the waltz girl. Megan LeCrone and Teresa Reichlen were both outstanding - those girls can dance!! Waltz Project excerpts were well danced by all. It is always a treat to see Georgina Pazcoguin on the stage. Valse Fantaisie was a delight. Peck, Tworzyanski and corps members Collins, Johnson, Keenan and Sell were all having a great time as was the audience. I think it would be nice to have this lovely treat back in the rep. It is a small and delightful treasure. The Dances at a Gathering excerpt was very well done by Stephanie Zungre & David Prottas. For me it was a great introduction to Zungre, a dancer that I was unfamiliar with. In Sleeping Beauty ppd the pas was really lovely. Tyler Angle partnered the glowing Kathryn Morgan beautifully and seamlessly. His variation had some rough spots (which he'll have to clean up to be cast in this type of rep) but the overall impression was very positive. The Dancer's Perspective film was a delight. The visuals and he said/she said perspectives on partnering were funny and very human. I hope NYCB will show it at the theater and on its website. A few seconds is available on the website now. The Bouder ballet was fun and danced well by all. I loved the red sneakers. The Union Jack excerpt had me smiling the whole time, and reminded me of how masterful Balanchine was in so many ways. Jennifer Ringer was a lovely, warm and funny host, and we all got party favors to take home!! I did not see last year's Dancer's Choice, but after attending this year's, I'll do my best not to miss another one.

I just came back from the NYCB Dancer's Choice performance. I thought Jennifer Ringer did a great job. I'll post comments and thoughts about performances later. At the moment I just want to say it was a festive, fun evening and a warm and positive atmosphere prevailed. On an unrelated point. It was a great day for NYC performing arts. Earlier in the day I heard the amazing violist, Hilary Hahn, at a "free for all at town hall" concert. If anyone in or near NYC doesn't know about these concerts check it out on line. The final concert for the year is next Sunday.

I went to Sat. Mat. - Simkin & Boone replaced Cornejo (who was replacing Steifel) and Wiles. I really enjoyed it. I'm glad Simkin is going beyond the classical virtuoso roles. His very youthful look brought a different dimension to the role. I agree that Boone is wonderful in this roll, powerful, seductive and beautiful. All of the partnering went very well. The end of the ballet never fails to move me. For me the most moving moment of the evening. Desir - lets just say that dancers try to do a lot with a little. Murphy, Hoven, Lane, Hammoudi, Seo, Gomes and all the corps members did their best with what they had to work with. Gomes partnered Seo in what bordered on an acrobatic night club act. Dneiper - Ratmansky is a real choreographer, but this is my least favorite of his works that I've seen. He moves groups in a wonderful way that directs your eye (unlike Kudelka in Desir) and some of the solos were beautiful and meaningful, but I found the ballet too long. At times it was like he had more music to fill so he continued providing steps. I also disliked the moving trees and falling blossoms (I guess they were blossoms). I also have to say that Riccetto is not my cup of tea. Interestingly, a friend who was with me who has only seen ballet once before remarked - "He left Natalia because she is boring." That's how I feel. I've seen Riccetto as Lilac Fairy, in Mozartiana and in this. I always find her technically secure and uninteresting to watch. Like I said, not my cup of tea.

Funny there seems to be availability in all section now. I just purchased a 1st ring (row C) and 4th ring (row A). Were tickets being withheld for some reason? It should be a fun night. I agree about Ringer and can't wait to see what Bouder comes up with

I saw it a few weeks when I got a free preview pass. I loved it. The film takes you through the lengthy audition prospect of the revival, while giving you the history of the original production of A Chorus Line. I'd highly recommend it, not only to dancers and dance enthusiasts but to anyone.

Looks like big changes in Prodigal casting. Steifel is out of Sat. Mat (I bought a ticket hoping to see him). It's now Cornejo & Wiles. I'm sure I won't be disappointed. Simkin is now doing it with Dvorovenko on Wed. & Fri. Isn't that a change? Also Prodigal is first on the program, not last. I think that is a change too.

Thank you abatt. That is good to know.

Thank for the update. I based my Sat. Mat ticket purchase on Steifel in Prodigal -- fingers crossed.

Probably the wrong place for a review. I just saw the May 30 evening performance. Donizetti Variations was as good as it gets. Fairchild and De Luz were charming beyond belief and technically flawless. It was a WOW performance. All the dancers in this ballet had the sharpness & allegro movement to perfection. It was one of those times when I could have left after the first ballet feeling happy, knowing that I got more than my money's worth. Hallelujah Junction shows the dancers off well. Hyltin - Garcia - Ulbricht looked great, as did the other dancers. Simple Symphony - I have a feeling that this might be an unpopular opinion, but why is it in the repertory? It is third rate Balanchine. Also, Abi Stafford doesn't work for me in this type of ballet. Her attempts at being romantic seem stilted to me. I love her in Concerto B. and look forward to seeing her in more leotard ballets. I didn't stay for Swan Lake. So far this season the NYC ballet discoveries for me have been all about Megan Fairchild & Le Luz -- I'm in love!!

I know this may be wishful thinking, but is there anywhere online one can go and see a full cast listing? Even if not in advance, for ticket buying purposes, I'd like to be able to check out what dancers get cast in various roles.

I saw the Monday afternoon and agree very much with the review by SZ. By the way, there were a lot of children in the audience because you could get a free ticket for a child when you bought a ticket. What a great idea. From where I sat - dress circle - it looked like a pretty full house and the audience was very appreciative. I so agree with everything SZ said about Irina D. in Allegro Brillante. She was fabulous. This is a dancer who I have pretty much avoided since seeing her black swan ppd a few years ago (I thought it overly mannered without any subtlety). Today, as soon as she entered, I knew I was in for a treat. She was musical, glamorous and had totally assured technique with all the speed and sharpness needed. There were magical moments, as when in one long arabesque balance she started in a low arabesque and lifted her leg and focus as the music swelled. Just glorious. I want to add that Max's partnering was perfection and the eight corps dancers were right on. The ballet was exceptionally well danced by all. Tchpdd with Vishneva & Corella was fun. I've seen the pas many times and this won't go on my list of all time favorites, but fun none the less. She looked like she was having the time of her life! He seems to like very brisk tempi for his solos, which for me are sometimes too fast. They don't allow any breathe and the beauty of landings do not register. Non the less he gave a virtuoso performance and did some flashy a la second turns (throwing jumps in) that were pretty spectacular - the crowd loved it. I also agree with SZ that this was the longest Mozartiana that I've ever sat through, and I am a fan of that ballet. Blaine Hoven showed us just how difficult the male role is. He struggled from beginning to end. Maria R. is just too dry and seemingly unimaginative for me. She did the steps but there was no sense of wit in her presentation; there was no life in her phrasing. Theme with Lane & Stearns - I went in with a bad attitude because I wanted to see Cornejo!! I was pleasantly surprised by Stearns. That ballet is a mine field for both the man and the woman, but he did well. I look forward to seeing him develop in it. Although he is a bit big for Lane, I thought they related to one another uncommonly well in the pas. This is something often missing from this ballet. I noticed something for the first time (I've seen this ballet a lot). He does a beautiful little bow to her as the pas starts, and she responds. It was a lovely gesture brought to life. Sarah L. I believe has the makings of a ballerina. Yes there were moments here and there when you wished she held something a bit longer or finished a turn more fully, but there were so, so many moments when her dancing just took off. She played with the music and phrased things in a refreshing way. Her line is beautiful (amazing for such a short dancer), and her presentation has warmth and authority. Her dancing is bigger and fuller than before. I'd love to hear from others that were there.

Thank you. I'm going to the Monday Mat. I'll post. I greatly appreciate your review.

In the ABT website, Maxim B. has also been replaced by B Hoven in all of his Mozartianas. It seems, injuries are causing changes in the casting so early in the season. Does anyone know how the Stern/Lane T&V went? Any other reviews are eagerly awaited. I'm going Monday Mat.

A simple story. Many years ago, I was on an elevator with another dancer, going to a dance studio, when Margot Fonteyn entered the elevator. The other dancer nervously blurted out "I named my cat after you." Fonteyn replied "thank you, but I hope your cat jumps better than I do." I'll never forget that.

Very nice indeed. I hope ABT will post more videos. I've found the video section of the NYCB website very enjoyable. I haven't bought my tickets for the Prokofiev program yet. I'm still looking at casting - I can only go once.

I don’t understand. There are so many gorgeous Sinatra recordings. Why sit through the movie and not hear any of them? Dub him, for heaven’s sake. DiCaprio's too tall, though. Sinatra was on the short skinny side. It's important. I hope it's talking voice they are talking about. They have to use Sinatra recording for songs. Maybe I'm being silly but isn't it too soon for a Sinatra movie?

Question about the Theme finale. Did the partnering go well? The partnering can so easily look awkward in that section of the ballet. Also the NYTimes review mentioned something about looking forward to Lane/Simkin in the ballet, but I don't think he is cast to do it.

I don't think size was a problem. As I posted earlier, I think the partnering was somehow off. I think he was late in coming in to her turns, which got allowed her to get off her leg a bit. Also, although some lifts were glorious, the timing was off on some. I really don't think it is a size issue. In Tarantella, I smiled through the entire thing, but T. Peck is not an equal partner (in my opinion). Over all it was a really fun, enjoyable performance. I wish attendance was better. I know NYCB is trying all sorts of things to get an audience in. It's difficult, gone are the days when Suzanne was on the cover of Time Mag. I can't imagine a dancer or choreographer getting that press now.

Not a lot of NYCB reviews seem to be appearing. Was anyone at the Gala? I was there tonight (Thursday, May 14) and found it a really fun evening. I had not seen Scotch Symphony in years, and didn't remember it fondly. There is more to it than I remembered and Jennifer Ringer gave a lovely, performance. I found Millepied's partnering a little off. Wow, Erica Pereira is really small. She seemed worried about the steps (just my perception) Maria Kowrowki is a goddess! Tarantella was as it should be - fun. I'd love to see Bouder do it. Tiler Peck was fine, but it was not an equal match. My first viewing of DSCH and I enjoyed it very much. One of the few new ballets that I'd say was a keeper. Choreography reminds me of Lynn Taylor Corbet (I may have misspelled her name). Anna Sophia Scheller is definitely moving into principal territory. I've been to NYCB 3 times this season, and enjoyed each performance very much. I am dismayed by the number of empty seats.