Peg

Martins has been gone since December. The NYT article illustrates the bureaucracy of search committees. I’m grateful they’re being thoughtful and proceeding carefully, but they have yet to invite candidates?? This limbo period has to be very difficult for the dancers, as some of their recent posts on social media have indicated. I’m hoping we won’t be seeing defections or a decrease in quality as a result.

I’ve wondered how he can juggle it all. However, in the interview with Woetzel that the Conversations on Dance podcast released last week, he said that he plans to continue his presence and that the timing of the Festival is at a good time of year when activities at Juilliard are on summer hiatus. I guess we shall see.

I just can’t get enthusiastic about seeing The Band’s Visit. Agree that My Fair Lady is a fabulous production but they tried to do too much with their Tonys medley. I was so pleased for Justin Peck with his well-deserved Tony but I hope he is able to stay focused on NYCB. The dance number from Carousel was thrilling— Amar is such a star but I miss him very much at NYCB!

Salstein in was in the corps of Carousel Wednesday night.

I went to a special preview, was so disappointed and bored that I left after an hour. It’s hard to believe that it’s generated positive reviews. Every character and performance was over the top. Very little dancing, not memorable.

Wikipedia says ‘natural causes.’ I’m wondering if it was related to the spinal tumor which ended his dancing career and was removed in the late 1980s.

I was there today and the performance seemed very joyful, upbeat. I went into the performance with some trepidation but left with my spirits restored. Lovett was a radiant SPF, and Phelan a beautiful Dewdrop. And it’s always a treat to see Huxley.

The NYCB did two morning performances this week for NYC public school students. This is an annual activity of the NYCB Education department. There were 2300 students at Tuesday’s performance, filling the theater up through the entire 4th ring. Most of the children seemed to be no more than 9 or 10 years old, and their enthusiasm was delightful to witness—audible gasps, laughter, applause at unlikely places, etc. I’m sure it is very gratifying for the cast. Indiana Woodward was a beautiful SPF on Tuesday, and Taylor Stanley her elegant Cavalier; Erica Periera was a serviceable Dewdrop. Lauren Lovette posted her excitement about performing on Wed. on her instagram account earlier this week.

This program will also be performed at 3pm on Sunday (December 3) at SUNY Purchase. It’s very surprising to me that this performance isn’t being more widely noted, especially in the New York press. When I checked a couple days ago, some seats were still available.

Canbelto, I agree with you about the disappointing choreography, most especially in the Funeral Dance. I think Wheeldon did better directing here than choreographing. I liked Patrick Wilson better than you did, but missed Stephen Pasquale (who is miscast in the disappointing Junk now on stage at the Mitzi Newhouse). Pasquale and O’Hara are a match made in heaven. That being said, I’m so glad to have seen this. Kelli O’Hara is sublime, and I enjoyed Robbie Fairchild’s dancing much more here than in An American in Paris.

I couldn’t agree more about Adrian. And I’m very glad he’s recovered from his leg injury. I listened to the podcast too. Conversations on Dance gets better and better.

I attended this fascinating program at the Guggenheim last night (to be repeated tonight). It was conceived and moderated by food scholar Meryl Rosofsky (who incidentally is married to the son of Melissa Hayden). Jacques d’Amboise and Allegra Kent shared memories of Balanchine, food and wine, and their respective friendships with Le Clercq. Jared Angle and Adrian Danchig-Waring, both accomplished cooks, curated the dance portion of the program: excerpts from ballets Le Clercq, Kent and d’Amboise were known for. The most exciting was the “Gluttony” portion of The Seven Deadly Sins, staged by Kent and Susan Pilarre, featuring Emma Von Enck and Georgina Pazcoquin; we also saw excerpts from The 4 Ts Choleric (featuring Teresa Reichlen) , Bugaku (beautiful Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle), the Fourth Campaign pdd from Stars and Stripes (Megan Fairchild and Joseph Gordon), and 4th movement rondo from Western Symphony (Reichlen and Catazaro). There were some beautiful clips of Le Clercq dancing, and many photographs. Edward Villella was in the audience and acknowledged by Kent but did not speak. Rosofsky announced that there is an effort underway to interest publishers in a new edition of The Ballet Cook Book. We can only hope. Tonight is sold out, but last night was also and I saw assorted empty seats. There were no comments about live streaming. I hope I’ve put this post where it belongs, but wasn’t sure.

He will be missed by many. At the September “The Dance Historian is in” session, the NYPL announced that the monthly program would continue and that David Vaughan’s name would continue to be associated with it.

Thank you so much, canbelto, for your impressions and for the video. I watched every second of it. I was at Saturday’s matinee and agree that Robbie and Sterling were incredibly graceful, eloquent, poignant in Duo Concertant. Robbie is a gifted dancer who has always emulated Gene Kelly but I’m so sad to see him leave NYCB at this stage of his career. The complexity of the reasons for his departure at this point in time make it all the more sad for those of us who love him as a classical ballet dancer and felt his dancing ability was underused in An American in Paris.

That's odd. I saw a rehearsal of the NYCB premiere today. The dancers were Alberda, Applebaum, Blutt, Likolani Brown, Farley, Hod, Hoxha, Kikta, Claire Kretzschmar, Mann, Sanz, Segin, Staker and Walker. (I didn't remember all this but am referring to the list we were given!)