balanchinette

Veyette is hands down the best male T&V dancer at the moment. Beautiful phrasing, amplitude, and perfect multiple double tours. He was also fantastic with Ashley Bouder in Donizetti Variations earlier this season. Sterling Hyltin as the T&V female lead, on the other hand, was disappointing. The role is clearly beyond her technical ability -- nycb audiences have been spoiled with how effortless Ashley Bouder, Tiler Peck, and Megan Fairchild make it look. I think they should always use the Bouder/Veyetter pairing for any of these virtuoso roles. They make a great match temperementally as well as physically -- both have presence and then some. Ashley is my favorite T&V female lead -- although she was wonderful in Tchai pas, I thought they should have had her do T&V instead of Sterling that day. Makes one miss Megan and her rock solid technique! And I thought Georgina did a great Scherzo on Sunday -- worlds better than her debut a couple of weeks ago. And Devin Alberda has been a standout, again, in the corps. This season, I also loved Tess Reichlen in Movements/Monumentum, and Maria in Chaconne and Mozartiana (I think her much more graceful than Sara Mearns in those roles) -- especially in the opening pdd of Chaconne. Magical. Sara Mearns did not conjure that atmosphere for me. Frankly, no-one does the suspension-of-time thing as well as Wendy Whelan. She still had it in her Concerto DSCH perf on Saturday. She'll be sorely missed. Her Preghiera in Mozartiana, and her adagios in Baracco, Diamonds, and Symphony in C, were all unparalleled.

Agree with everything said about Veyette. He and Ashley Bouder are still hands-down the best pair I've ever seen dance T&V. A few thoughts on the three casts of MND so far. I loved Ashley Bouder in the Act II divertissement last night. She came the closest to capturing the magic that Wendy Whelan used to give it. Some inner meditative quality, and the smoothness, timing and flow to her movements, made it more special for me than Tiler Peck the previous night, who treated it like more of an emotive Adagio (I don't think it is at all) and who benefitted from having a better partner, Tyler Angle, which made for a better final fall forward in to his arms, where Chase Finlay seemed afraid to let Ashley fall more before catching her. Megan Fairchild had the best supported cabrioles (not sure if that's the right way to describe them?), but overall Ashley drew me in the most, including in the allegro parts surrounding the adagio. As that was her debut, I'm sure she will only get better the more she gets to perform it. Chase Finlay was fine, which was better than I expected (I'm clearly in the minority but I don't really "get" him). He had some issue with his cap, and flung it half a stage away, where it lurked in the wings, clearly visible, and distracting me because I thought some poor kid fairy would trip on it. Not the best way to deal with it. Last night's cast for the two fighting couples was also my favorite. Loved Ashley Laracey and Faye Arthurs, both of whom have beautiful extensions and also acted very well. Laracey has had an amazing season, I think she should be promoted. All her debuts were better than some principals dancing the same parts for years. I hope they cast her as the Sleepwalker in next season's Sonnambula. Sterling Hyltin as Hermia had a bad slip on Tuesday, falling pretty much on her face as she ran around a corner, but then incorporated it into her act almost seamlessly - very professional! Tuesday and Wednesday had the better casts for Oberon and Puck. Joaquin DeLuz and Andy Veyette both were amazing Oberons, making the fiendishly difficult Scherzo look like a breeze. Joaquin eats up even more space than the taller Veyette, and threw in extra tricks(!!). Both had beautifully controlled turns (unlike Carmena last night, who struggled and seemed rushed). Joaquin really impressed given that the guest conductor that night was taking all of Act 1 at double time. Maria Korowski was my favorite Titania (as always) in her solo dancing, for her glorious extension and her regal glamour, but Ask la Cour didn't do her any favors as her cavalier -- where's Chuck Askegard when you need him, can't he guest?? Tess Reichlen and Russell Janzen danced a much more compelling pas de deux. I did not like Sara Mearns as Titania as much as I liked her in other roles this season. I thought Craig Hall and Taylor Stanley were great Bottoms, and the divertissement corps cast that included Alina Dronova and Devin Alberda were spectacular. Balanchine made the greatest use of the double pirouette in Act II, and it was lovely to see everyone doing them so beautifully. Best Butterfly vote goes to Erica Pereira -- her featherlight style of dancing really suits that role. Pollack did not impress, and Lovette seemed rather earth-bound and a bit too glam for Butterfly. I liked Megan LeCrone's debut as Hippolyta, even if her fouettes were not as impressive as Savannah's. Ashley Isaacs seems a bit too slight for the role, she kind of got lost in all that stage fog. As for the new costumes, I noticed that Maria and Tess wore a new Titania dress that was more pink, less peach, and had a sparkly under-bust ribbon. Compared to the older version Sara Mearns wore, which has more intricate, darker embellishment and a prettier color, I don't like it nearly as much. Puck seems more covered up this time around, but you notice he's wearing a leotard more than before -- not sure if that makes him less fairy like?! But the new Act II corps costumes were to die for, especially the pink tutus!

I was at yesterday's performance as well. The Barocco Adagio has been meh and devoid of magic all season. Only Maria Korowski and Tyler Angle come anywhere close to the Wendy Whelan/Albert Evans greatness of years past. These new men (Peck and Janzen) that have been put in Barocco just don't do the partnering justice, and Tyler Angle was squandered instead in Neverwhere. Neither Tess Reichlen nor Rebecca Krohn has the right timing for the Adagio, either. But I really enjoyed the See the Music portion yesterday. If one is a Bach lover, what Andrew Sills said really rings true. Other Dances was great but for a bad flub at the very end, when Ashley and Joaquin completely missed the final shoulder sit/lift. Awkward. Looked like Joaquin was pretty gassed, so maybe that's why? But she kind of ended up sliding down his front and then striking a pose to cover up the flub. Not a good way to end an otherwise lovely performance by both. Sat out Neverwhere and had to leave the theater to get away from the annoying music. Who Cares was awesome -- Tiler Peck and Robbie Fairchild give definitive performances. The Man I Love was breathtaking. One thing bothering me about Fairchild's solo, though -- doesn't that solo usually end with a double tour at the very end, or am I misremembering? The last couple of times I've seen Fairchild, he's ended with just a multiple pirouette and drop to the knee, which doesn't have quite the same impact.

I was at the performance last night and just wanted to note my disappointment at some of the casting choices by the powers that be at city ballet. First, Justin Peck is SO not worthy of the wondrous Maria Kowroski in Barocco. First time I've liked the first and third movements much better than the adagio. Maria and Sara Mearns make a great pairing -- I'd say Maria danced much better with Sara than with Justin Peck! And Sara always makes an event out of the second ballerina role (unlike when Abbi Stafford dances it, when it seems like an afterthought). Having seen the magic Maria and Tyler Angle made in Barocco last season, it was very disappointing to see Tyler cast in the boring, annoying, way-too-dark "Neverwhere" and Peck as Maria's Barocco partner. Where Maria soared in arcing lifts with Tyler, she was plunked up and down by Peck, and the partnering overall seemed rough and rushed. Sigh. The other huge casting mistake was Megan Fairchild in the lead role of Who Cares?. She is just not right for the role. Too petite, too stiff, looked weird with Ask la Cour (and Tess Reichlen as one of the other lead girls), and the Man I Love had no atmosphere whatsoever. I don't get why, out of all the women to put in that role, they thought Fairchild would be a good fit? Weird. I really like her usually, especially in virtuoso tutu roles like Raymonda and T&V, and her Rubies on Friday was amazing (even if she couldn't summon the same level on Saturday). But she is all wrong for Who Cares, in my opinion. Ashley Isaacs, on the other hand, had a very impressive debut in the "turning girl" role of Who Cares. She has a great jump and is a decent turner. I still prefer Tess Reichlen in that role, although Tess is also great in the third lead role of Who Cares as well. Amazing how Tess can be such a great allegro dancer with her height! Ask la Cour was ok, again, though, isn't there another man who could do better, as Ask isn't really a virtuoso dancer? Part of the problem is once you've seen Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck in the leads it's hard for anyone else to even come close. I thought the corps and soloists, on the other hand, all looked really sharp. Devin Alberda stood out for his beautiful line (even though his double tour is somewhat lacking). Even with a fantastic Other Dances cast (can't imagine anyone doing that better than Tiler Peck last night, and Gonzalo Garcia is also better than I've ever seen him), I'd skip this weird casting in Who Cares. As for Neverwhere, I'm sitting the next performance out next time I have to encounter it on an otherwise great program.

I still can't believe they wasted an entire week by not doing a single Balanchine ballet last week, so couldn't wait for last night's program. Loved Maria in the Adagio of Symphony in C, she's magical and the best the company has now that Wendy no longer does it (although Wendy was the only one able to do a breathtaking six o'clock penchee, head right to the knee). But I feel Lauren King is miscast in the 4th movement. Maybe she's not a natural turner? Every time I've seen her do it there are some waaay off balance turns, and there were 2 scary ones last night, both front stage center, one where she was completely saved (in the nick of time) from falling on her face by Adrian Danchig-Waring (brilliant and graceful, as usual). Not sure why no-one else seems to have gotten a shot at that role, who might be more secure in the fast turns. I have to say the male cast for Sym in C was outstanding last night overall. Veyette was wonderful (much better than Chase Finlay, who can't do a proper double tour at all), and Tyler Angle floated Maria through so many beautiful lifts I lost count. Garcia also had a great night. I missed Ana-Sophia in the first movement (Abbi was ok, not great), and that's another movement that maybe more should be allowed to attempt. At least Bouder should be doing it more.

According to Bouder's FB page, she is debuting in Wrens. As much as I love Ashley, I don't really see her suiting this role, either. I don't much care for her Choleric, she gets a little lost amongst the 4 couples whereas a tall girl stands out. Not sure why they're giving her tall girl roles. Is she going to do the Rubies soloist next?! The first cast of Union Jack was excellent, my favorite part is actually the entire first tattoo section. Sara Mearns had tons of energy in Macdonald of Sleat.

Agreed that Stravinsky Violin Concerto received a great performance -- I love Danchig-Waring in just about anything, he has wonderful line and dances full out with abandon. So happy he was finally promoted, long overdue. But that said, I do think Maria and Amar Ramasar have a special connection in these Balanchine B&W pas de deux -- their Agon is electrifying and so is their Violin Concerto. I really enjoyed Danchig-Waring in the opening and closing sections, though, and he's a good match with Robert F. as both have great energy and technique. Allegro Brillante was also fantastic -- except that the floor seemed especially slick -- maybe they polished it after the previous night? Megan LeCrone took a nasty spill near the beginning (hope she's ok, she certainly danced fine after), and shockingly Megan Fairchild slipped twice -- she is so consistent, I've never seen her slip before (let alone come close to falling). All three slips were at entirely different places on the stage. The corps/demisolo dancers have never been stronger in Allegro, both men and women. And Veyette is having an amazing season, such clean lines and virtuoso dancing. His Theme and Variations the night before was astounding, he was gorgeous in that ridiculously difficult solo with the double tour/single pirouette/double tour/ double pirouette combination/repeat. I think he's the only one who can alternate the pirouettes like that AND land all his double tours completely, facing front. Most guys do doubles all the way through to keep up momentum, and they start cheating on the double tours towards the end. It was really thrilling to see Veyette pull it off so perfectly -- and I love seeing tall men do this role, they always look beautiful in the costume! The last time I saw Gonzalo Garcia attempt it he ended up about 20 feet to the right of where he started and almost fell over at the end-- not pretty. I wish, though, that they would put Veyette and Ashely Bouder back together in these virtuoso pieces, they are perfectly matched in energy and stage presence. While Megan is good, she's no Ashley in these pieces, and she's a little short for Veyette. The best T&V and Allegro performances I can remember are Veyette/Bouder performances. One last word on the Cage -- Tess Reichlen is unsurpassed as the most scary and sexy Queen ever! Wow. Tess is so versatile, she is probably my favorite dancer at city ballet right now -- so tall, killer extension, able to jump and turn even better than the "soubrette" types, amazing stage presence/characterization, and she does everything while looking absolutely gorgeous! Would love to see her do T&V (although partering would be an issue given her height). And Janie Taylor is a worthy inheritor of Wendy Whelan's role. Jared Angle was great in the lead male role, I much preferred him to Sebastian Marcovici.

I absolutely agree! It's rather painful to watch ABT do Balanchine if you're used to City Ballet. The Adagio had zero magic and I really missed the to-the-knee penchee, that's one of the most beautiful moments in the whole ballet -- what a disappointment that it was omitted. Kudos to City Ballet's ballerinas that all try it (only Wendy could nail it perfectly, though. Maria's is beautiful but her head doesn't quite reach the knee; Tess Reichlen gets the head to the knee but can't get her back leg all the way vertical at the same time). Marcelo Gomes is miscast -- he is not the effacing cavalier type, too much presence and star power for that role, so he looks out of place. Saw Maria K. in the audience -- wonder what she thought of the Adagio that she dances so beautifully across the plaza! Only Osipova in the finale had the amplitude and abandon that suit Balanchine, although she seemed a little tired in the jumping sequences during the third movement. Vasiliev, while good, does not look like a dancer in that outfit. Agree that Mesmer was much stronger in the 4th than Lauren King. Too bad City Ballet doesn't cast the third and fourth movements with principals any more -- the third movement at ABT really came alive with the Osipova star power. Frankly, she outshone all the other ballerinas when all were on stage in the finale. Hate to say it, but I actually enjoyed the other two ballets a lot more than the Balanchine last night. Guess that shows were ABT's strengths lie. A Month in the Country was lovely, and I was surprised at how full Hee Seo's characterization was. Hallberg doesn't get to do much dancing, but it was still good to see him (I also hate his pajama outfit). And Drink to Me was wonderfully danced -- it really highlighted how strong ABT's men are. Beautiful line and technique -- can some of them go over to City Ballet already?!

I went to the performance last night. Serenade was, surprisingly, the least well-danced. The conductor was a guest and started off a little too slow, I thought -- the performance seemed to lack momentum at first -- similar to the tempi at which ABT dances Balanchine. Ashley Bouder had an uncharacteristically off night, with a botched pirouette in one of her solos when she was at center stage -- I've never seen her do that before, and she was a fantastic Liberty Bell a couple of weeks ago with technical prowess to spare. Then Adrian Danchig-Waring dropped a corps or demisoloist (wasn't sure) girl on her butt -- she seemed rather stunned and took quite a while to get up. Rather rough Serenade overall, though Sara Mearns was better last night than in the same role last season -- her upper body was much more flexible. Krohn was ok, too -- though it's too bad that Maria K. doesn't seem to dance Dark Angel any more -- her arabesque was to die for in that role. Red Angels, however, received a powerhouse performance from all involved. Great energy. Amar Ramasar and Tess Reichlen were amazing, and Jared Angle and Jennie Somogyi, while overshadowed a bit by the other couple, were also great. My one complaint was the amplification on the electric violin being a little too loud for my ears. Tschai pas, which followed, was also brilliantly danced -- the best and most musical I've see Megan Fairchild do it. Veyette had an incredible series of perfectly landed double tours (in fifth, in plie, facing dead front) and tossed off some firework virtuouso steps. Both looked like they were having a lot of fun. A beautiful Firebird ended the evening. Stafford replaced La Cour and did a credible job (maybe he's a little too short for Maria's firebird, but he managed). Maria was wonderful, she gives the role such glamour. I feel if anything that Maria's technique has strengthened with time, especially her turns and jumps. Her Berceuse was incredible, I loved that she started that gorgeous rippling-arms/backbend exit into the wings closer to center stage, so we could really get caught up in the spell of the moment. A lot of Firebirds start that two steps from the wings and then they're done in almost no time at all. The orchestra sounded great throughout.

I saw Bouder/Veyette Sat 2/16 (night). Blown away by Ashley's Rose Adagio, which is THE best one I've ever seen (and that includes Cojocaru's on youtube!). Her characterization was spot on, from her first entrance -- she was so girlish and youthful, and the balances were AMAZING. Her hand went up to fifth and floated ever so slowly down to the princes' supporting hands each time -- both the shorter initial balances and then the longer ones at the end. What a showstopper! With other Auroras those hands fly up and down again to a death grip. Beautiful penchees and extension, amazing height on the jumps. I want to see her again but I'm not sure I want to disturb the memory of such a perfect performance! I don't know if I'd want to see any other ballerina in the role again -- this is the performance I'll be mentally comparing against. She was even better than when they did Beauty a couple of years ago. I was struck by her Vision scene then, which is still beautiful, but even more so by her Rose Adagio this time around. Ashley also has the best arms and back of any of the principal women at City Ballet right now -- her guesting in Europe really paid off on that score, I think. Fantasy casting -- I would love to see Ashley do Giselle! Veyette was also technically marvelous. Other standouts of the night included Lauren Lovette and Danny Ulbricht in the Bluebird variation. Lovette was lovely, and Danny's jumps were effortless. Agree that Janie Taylor was not the strongest Lilac. The faires were so-so, and I didn't think Ringer was a particularly effective Carabosse. But -- run to see this cast for Ashley's Aurora!

Angelica, I believe it was Olivia Boisson who took a thumping fall, but she got back up immediately. Agree absolutely on the beauty of Maria's Diamonds -- those legs are a national treasure, she is so breathtakingly beautiful! I've loved her dancing this season -- so strong and crisp, with great authority, in Mozartiana (I much prefer her to the lightweight Sterling Hyltin -- Sterling's bourrees are too fast -- she ends up almost vibrating, which takes away from the effect), absolutely gorgeous in Swan Lake (I admit I cried, whereas Mearns's SL did not move me at all) -- and so gorgeous in Diamonds. I thought Tyler Angle on Sat was also wonderful in his solos -- great elevation on his petit allegro. Maria's extension and back are amazing, and I love the way her endless limbs sweep through space. I hope they find a better leading man replacement than Ask la Cour - that was a scary moment in TP2 when he took down Tess Reichlen. These ballerinas are risking real injury with untested partners that clearly don't have the technical prowess needed in these roles.

Agreed that the singers in Liebeslieder were terrible -- they all seemed to have only one volume setting -- extremely loud. You could barely hear the piano. I kept thinking how nice it would have been to have just the instrumental accompaniment and no singers. Also, the guy next to us kept humming to the songs, which only added to the annoyance (who knows these lieder by heart??). I thought the Angle brothers and Maria K., in particular, were wonderful (despite the singing). Amar R. and Tess R. had terrific energy in Brahms-Schoenberg. What a great way to end the evening! Both dancers handled all the technical demands extremely well, too -- even though the height difference made some of the penchees a little iffy. Liked Tiler P. and Justin P. in the second movement -- they've improved since the last time I saw them do it, but they're still not as fuid as the Robert F. and Sterling H. combo (although no-one can beat Tiler P. at any kind of turns!). Ana Sophia Scheller was great in the third movement, and the corps in that movement were beautiful, too. Unfortunately, the first movement was disappointing. Emily K. was nowhere near as good as Megan LeCrone earlier this season -- Megan has much more presence and a bigger jump. Emily K. landed with a thud and her extensions were not as high. I found myself watching the corps men more than her. And Chase Finlay -- I just don't get why people are so blown away. He can't do one double tour (let alone the three that the man has in his solo), his partnering always seems rough, and he's always out of breath. (I didn't like his Apollo either, where he literally stumbled more than once). Aren't there better men in the corps who deserve a chance? If only NYCB had a fraction of the male embarrasment of riches that ABT has (where most of them are wasted, doing boring peasant dances in the corps, in terrible costumes, to boot!).

I saw all the T&V couples this season, and Ashley Bouder and Andrew Veyette were hands down my favorite! Ashley -- so much presence, so regal, all grandeur. Beautiful upper body/arms (especially in the Theme section) and phrasing. Their pdd was incredibly moving. And Andrew Veyette -- wow, magnificent double tour/single/double tour/ double variation! So nice to see a taller guy do this role and hit all the bravura bits. Gonzalo Garcia was sadly in over his head -- traversing almost the width of the stage trying to get through the double tours (after a painfully long prep). Not sure why they keep throwing him into these roles -- he always looks stressed out. He's great in things like Opus 19 the dreamer, but I don't think he's bravura material. Tiler Peck spins like a top but she hasn't yet grown into this role -- I much preferred Ashley. In fact, I wish Ashley had danced more this season, just generally! Martins doesn't make enough use of her amazing talents. I'd love to see her do Barocco. And why didn't she do Allegro Brillante this season -- she owns that role! Sara Mearns's timing was off in Allegro because she was taking too long to luxuriate in all the steps -- works for most ballets but not that one. I also really enjoyed seeing Adrian Danchig-Waring this season (he dances all out, so beautiful). I loved Maria K. and Tess R. in everything and I thought Wendy Whelan was dancing like the Wendy from five seaons ago -- she seemed so energetic and rejuvenated this season. In the corps, my eye was consistently drawn to Devin Alberda (always such a clean dancer), Ashley Laracey and Lauren King. The company is looking very strong in general -- and I spotted some tall men who must be apprentices in the T&V corps -- here's hoping they'll make their way up soon!

Maria was head of the Wrens last night, despite the erroneous info on the casting sheet in the lobby. She's pretty unmistakable (Tess has smaller feet), and she was lovely. Also, Macaulay did not write the NYT review of Tuesday night's performance, Claudia LaRocco did. Tyler Angle was amazing in his debut -- reminded me of Damian W. in the same role, they haven't had someone as good in a while. His double tours to each side in the second half were impressive and exciting! Although Tiler Peck was great in Tchai pas, I preferred the Bouder/Veyette pairing on Tuesday -- especially their thrilling fish dives. Who Cares? on Tuesday was one of the best I've seen -- Robbie Fairchild owns the male role, and the Man I Love Duet was spellbinding. No-one can do the turning role like Tess R., either -- her alternating single and double fouettes were so beautiful and controlled! Agree that Sara M. was miscast in the third role. Tombeau was wonderful both nights -- the inventiveness and intricacy of the groupings is beautiful, especially from above.

Amazing? In what way? The fact that he stumbled and nearly fell in several of the Apollo performances I saw (I saw three in addition to one private rehearsal)? Exactly! I, too, was bothered by his stumbles in Apollo (why more people weren't I don't know). He also seemed out of breath and his partnering with the tall muses was really rough. I don't get why people think he's such a spectacular Apollo. I wish they would let Garcia do it -- if his Opus 19 is any indication, he would make a very interesting and graceful Apollo. Can we at least have more Apollos who don't look just like Peter Martins? (I'm looking forward to reviews of Craig Hall's Apollo in Dancer's Choice). Aside from his stumbles, I haven't yet seen Chase Finlay do a decent double tour in any ballet.

I'm sad Chuck Askegard is retiring -- City Ballet is losing their finest male partner, especially for the taller girls in the company (Maria will miss him, I'm sure). He partnered Maria beautifully in Barocco this season. I will also miss him in Tchaikovsky piano concert No. 2, Vienna Waltzes, Liebeslieder, Diamonds, Symphony in C, Nutcracker, and countless others. He has squired many a ballerina through tricky moments in Stars and Stripes -- I remember one recent year where he gallantly and elegantly managed to save Tess Reichlen from falling off pointe in S&S. I don't think anyone in the company is as good a partner as Chuck is, so I'm not sure who could fill his dancing shoes. Ask La Cour, I think not. Jonathan Stafford -- not from what I saw at last Friday's Divertimento (partnering nightmare!). He will definitely be missed.

erpollock, I have to disagree about Ashley being only a soubrette. I found her Odette wonderful, and the farewell at the end was especially poignant. If you've ever seen Ashley do Emeralds, there's nothing soubrette-ish about that, she's wonderful at adagio b/c she can dance with such amplitude and abandon. In fact, I wish NYCB would allow her to do more of that kind of repertory. I would hate it if all she danced were soubrette roles. On a side note, although I don't know why reviews of non-swan lake perfs have popped up on this thread, I would like to say that Ashley's Square Dance has to be seen to be believed, it was out of this world amazing and gorgeous! Can she please do the main Barocco role next, pretty please??

I was at the Divertimento No. 15 performance last night -- I thought the casting of the men in that ballet particularly disappointing. Why were the Stroman and Wheeldon ballets on the same night so much better cast in terms of the men than one of Balanchine's masterpieces? We had 3 men debuting -- Finlay, Applebaum and Peiffer. The "theme" danced by the men didn't even register. None of the three had very good technique -- Finlay could barely get around on the double tours in his solo, and Applebaum had no entrechat to speak of. Of the three, Peiffer was the best but even he didn't make much of the "theme" that was so brilliantly danced by Ramasar and Fowler recently. The partnering, too, was very white-knuckled and distracting in how it looked so effortful. I think this ballet deserved men with better technique and more partnering experience, especially considering how wonderful the women were. When I turned the program page to the Wheeldon ballet and saw Tyler Angle, Andrew Veyette, and Amar Ramasar listed for Polyphonia, I wished I could have seen them in Divertimento instead! Veyette and Ramasar were great in Divertimento the last time City Ballet performed it. Now that the ballet has the women, it needs better men -- not just three tall-ish dudes all from the corps.

I, too, have to agree with the Whelan assessment -- I don't think Wendy's technique is up to the demands of this kind of role. Having seen Sara Mearns in it, the difference is clear -- where Mearns was a tornado, whirling wildly around the stage, in keeping with the mood of the piece, last night I kept thinking "I hope Wendy doesn't hurt herself." Agreed that Duo Concertante is newly brilliant with Hyltin and Fairchild -- the energy they have is amazing. Somogyi was wonderful in 4Ts -- she owns that particular role (Jared Angle was also great - his footwork is so clean and precise). And Tess Reichlen as Choleric- wow! Her series of gargouillades were perfect, she looked like she was floating. And I like that she is so incisive and responsive to the music. A lot of other Cholerics at city ballet move too languidly. I think Tworzyanski was supposed to debut in the third couple of the Theme, but was subbed back to the first couple role (which he's done many times, very well) because someone else got injured and there was some role shuffling. Hopefully he'll get his debut at the next performance!

Darlindancer, Tess has been the only tall dancer to do Dewdrop that I've seen, personally. I think she's very unique in that she can handle the allegro roles that other tall dancers (e.g., Maria Korowski) can't, because they're not as fast. I only hope Tess can keep this up! She was amazing in the lead role in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, a few seasons ago, as well. I would love, love, love to see her do Theme & Variations, I think she's more than capable technically. I'd also like to see her in Diamonds, which is an adagio role. I don't think she's been given as much exposure as, say, Sara Mearns, who is also very versatile (but not as striking in height). I like a tall Dewdrop, it's nice to have Dewdrop really stand out amongst the (generally) tall girls NYCB likes to use as Flowers.

I was at last Friday's performance and just wanted to note that Tess Reichlen's Dewdrop is the best I've ever seen -- she has great footwork, can hold balances forever, and has an incredible jump -- that series of jumps down the diagonal was breathtaking! And her height just makes the choreography even more beautiful. I really hope to see her in more roles next season -- she's one of NYCB's best.

Melange, thank you for your review, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I was also there on Weds night and agree with most of your observations. Maria K. and Charles A. are my favorite grand pas couple -- they make the tricky partnering look smooth and elegant, and I love how he throws her up and lets go for a split second before catching her for the fish at the end! And what a cavalier, in between supported turns he ripped that loose thread that was threatening to trip her up in half, so it was no longer a threat! I am going to see them again, I just love how they do that grand pas (even if Maria K is not as good at the solo in the beginning of Act 2, their grand pas more than makes up for it.) The disappointment and distraction for me on Weds night (aside from kids in the audience who seem to get more badly behaved each year) was Snowflakes. Lara Tong dropped one of her snowball things (whatever they're called, that the corps dancers carry at the finale) and I was holding my breath hoping no-one was going to slip and fall over it, when yet another girl dropped one of her pom pom things at the very front of the stage, and there were 2 hazards waiting to trip the dancers! I missed most of the wonderful finale as a result. The Snow dancers on opening night were much better! I'm hoping there are no more prop or wardrobe malfunctions this season! A special shout-out to Henry Seth, who makes a wonderful Dr. Stuhlbaum.

I was there on Tues night as well. I really liked Tyler Angle in Chaconne, nice to see jumps with real height and someone more streamlined than Marcovici do the role (that kind of costume, with poufy sleeves, is just not flattering on Marcovici -- he looks better in the leotard ballets). Abatt, I think I know the difficult turn you're referring to -- if it's the one I'm thinking of (in the opening pdd) then you should have seen how badly Marcovici handled that with Wendy Whelan when they did it last week! I was afraid she was going to fall on her face. Overall I thought Tyler Angle had a great debut. I liked Lauren King in the pas de cinq, but I think Stephanie Zungre is better in that role -- King had trouble with the last double pirouette in tendu, at the very end of the variation. I liked Krohn and Amasar more than I thought I would in Violin Concerto. The corps was also excellent (esp the men). The only downside to the casting was Ask la Cour. I just don't think he's right for the role, and he's not that strong technically, either. Sterling and Robert Fairchild made a much better pair. The corps was also great in Glass Pieces -- special mention to Devin Alberda in the last movement -- he was wonderful and really stood out in the crowd. There were some debuts in the opening movement in the soloist roles. I really liked Adrian Danchig-Waring, who even managed to look good in that neon green/yellow outfit. Ellen Bar fell but got right back up (ever since Savannah Lowery fell in S&S and didn't return I get all nervous when someone falls). Wendy was great in the slow movement, very fluid -- minimal partnering with Marcovici, too, which made me glad after witnessing their very rough Chaconne together. Great program overall! I'm not sorry we didn't get a Martins ballet in the middle.

I was also at the Thursday night performance. Hands down the best performance of the night was Ashley Bouder's Russian girl. She hasn't done it in several years, and is even better now than I remember -- her upper body is so expressive, and her jumps are more explosive than ever! Just brilliant. Where Megan Fairchild earlier in the season sort of faded into the background, you always knew when Bouder was onstage! Bravo! My one quibble is with the rather weird looking hair extension she was wearing for the last part of the ballet, when the main women let their hair down. Rebecca Krohn had a decent debut as the Dark Angel but Sara Mearns is the Dark Angel to watch this season, I think. I found the Magic Flute too cutesie, and too long, although Andrew Veyette and Megan Fairchild both danced well. I don't know about anyone else, and the NYT review didn't mention it, but I thought the "yellowface" depiction of the judge's assistant a truly offensive caricature. Yuck. Stars and Stripes, as mentioned, was a little discomfiting after Savannah Lowery's nasty spill. I certainly hope she is ok. It was weird to hear the "trumpet solo" and not have a soloist on stage. I thought Savannah was very professional getting off the stage in as dignified a way as possible, and the corps bravely soldiered on. By the end, they had subbed in Gwyneth Muller, even though she hadn't had time to put on the white ballet shoes/socks. I thought Sara Mearns a much improved Liberty Bell -- she was more in control of the allegro bits, and her chaine turns are unparalleled for speed. The pdd was very smooth. I am torn about going to see Bouder as Liberty Bell this afternoon, because that's the only ballet I'd like to see out of the three (I'm not sitting through the Magic Flute again). Last night, Abbi Stafford debuted in the 1st violin role in Barocco (repeated this afternoon). She did all the steps but this was the first time I'd watched that gorgeous Adagio and felt completely unmoved. Right now, she can't bring the necessary magic to the role. When Wendy Whelan does it you want to cry. When Abbi was doing it I found myself watching the corps instead. I'm a little disappointed. Oh, and things weren't helped by a terrible performance from the orchestra and the solo violins. Speaking of the orchestra, has anyone else found Faycal Karoui racing through everything? He conducted a whirlwind Serenade on Thursday and I think it was way too fast for the dancers. I always enjoy Chaconne, which was on the program last night. I miss Philip Neal, though -- Wendy and Sebastian Marcovici haven't quite got the pdd's down, and dare I say it, I think Wendy might be slipping a bit in her technique in the solo variations. She had some trouble with the turns. Erica Pereira has also seemed a little off lately -- I thought her First Campaign not as good as it usually is on Thursday, and last night she and Adam Hendrickson had trouble with a part in Chaconne they've done many times before.

I was referring to this NYT article, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/arts/dance/17ballet.html?scp=2&sq=new%20york%20city%20ballet&st=cse, which says that "At Tuesday and Wednesday performances, for instance, the number of intermissions will generally drop from two to one and the shows will start a half-hour earlier." I certainly hope they're referring to opening the house as opposed to beginning showtimes, because I will not be able to leave work early enough for a 7pm curtain.