Peg

It’s puzzling. Why does Amazon list it as out of stock ( and not available for pre-order) after the published release date? Why such a small, not very well-known publisher?  Why has there been no mention of this anywhere but here, as far as I can tell?

The excerpt certainly whetted my interest. 

The quality of the live music in Illinoise (even if you’re not a huge fan of Sufjan Stevens) was one of its high points. 

Gia Kourlas’s review summed up my feelings very well. I’m amazed ( but guess I shouldn’t be) that this sappy show is going to Broadway. It will be interesting to see how it fares and if it gets any Tony nominations. 

As others may have noted, Robbie Fairchild is not transferring to Broadway but is going to London to star in a stage adaptation of The Actor. 

And here’s the link to Amanpour’s interview with Ratmansky this week.  It contains a clip of Solitude. 
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2024/02/21/alexei-ratmansky-amanpour-solitude-ballet.cnn

The NYCB podcast on Liebeslieder is up and it’s excellent. Silas Farley is, as always, a well-informed host who asks great questions, and he interviews Calegari and Cook. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/city-ballet-the-podcast/id1479330738?i=1000643354021

I ordered and paid for the PDF only evening before last.  I was charged, and received an email acknowledgment of my order, but nothing more. I wrote to Eakins Press by email inquiring about when I would receive the PDF and have not received a response. Any similar experiences?

Yes, it was the same film, and I loved it!

I suspect that PC2 has been moved at Tiler Peck’s request. She’s been flying back and forth to snd from California to be with her ailing father. Yesterday on Instagram she reported that he had had a setback. I’ve been worried that she wouldn’t dance today and will be grateful to see her in the role. 

Not sure where to raise this question about SAB but am posting here. Did anyone else see Devin Alberda’s post on X/Twitter yesterday? I’m wondering if anyone knows who at SAB he is referring to.

https://x.com/dalberda/status/1697663047974740453?s=61&t=MKfOKFa8DN0lCKuLHShGNA

in case the link doesn’t work, his text was : “Maybe firing one of Balanchine’s chosen teachers from the School of American Ballet isn’t the best way to kick off celebrating the 75th anniversary of New York City Ballet.”

I think Mira is fine. She went to classes last week and has been rehearsing for Vail.  Not sure why she was t in Saratoga  

I thought yesterday’s SPAC performances were stellar. Sara Mearns brings all her genius and emotion to Swan Lake. Jovani, Joseph Gordon and Daniel Ulbricht were great sailors, and I love seeing Indiana’s flirtatiousness inFancy Free. I won’t comment on Firebird as I just can’t warm to it or to LaFreniere in the role. 
Last night’s performance—the closing night of NYCB’s week at SPAC—of Copland Dance Episodes was beautiful. Miriam Miller and Russell Jantzen were gorgeous together. You could feel the emotion, as per her Instagram it was their final performance together before his retirement. Mejia dazzled, as he always does. Chun Wai Chan and Alexa Maxwell were also top form.  I’m not sure this is a work that will endure for the ages but I love seeing the Company dance it. Justin Peck brings out some beautiful qualities in these dancers. And it’s thrilling to hear the music.

Yesterday’s matinee seemed close to sold out. This crowd loves story ballets, especially Swan Lake. Sadly, lots of empty seats last night. 
Begore the performance, Jon Stafford announced that znYCB’s SPAC engagement in 2024 will be July 9-13. 

1 minute ago, carllovesballet said:

Also interesting to note Georgina isn't cast in SB - she's usually Carabosse...

Maria Kowroski was a fantastic Carabosse last night. 
I'm not sure if Bradley and V-V are injured or ill.  A few of the dancers wore masks through last night’s rehearsal. 
V-V was excellent this season.  But his absence last night gave us Mejia as a Jester—he went for broke and was thrilling. 
Re Georgina:  she danced in Ratmansky’s Voices last weekend. It was one the the best performances of hers I’ve ever seen. 

4 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Just in from the Sleeping Beauty dress rehearsal. It was a lot of fun. Whoever goes to see the Fairchild-Gordon-Nadon cast is in for a treat. All beautiful dancers. 

I agree 100%, Cobweb. Loved seeing these dancers in this sumptuous work.  Joseph Gordon is the epitome of a prince. And Mira—what a star!

they all worked so hard— I feel for them having to dance it again, for a full house, tomorrow night. 

Great chart, pirouette!!  Thank you.  What do the blue and yellow shadings represent (or did I miss that in an earlier post?

I don’t think that’s Miriam Miller, although there’s a strong resemblance. The male is Gilbert Bolden

These reasons may be off-base, but 1) Ball is engaged to Zac Posen, a big supporter who provided gowns and men’s eveningwear for many company members for the fall Gaga, and 2) Uhlbricht is dancing with Twyla Tharp this coming week so likely busy with rehearsals there. 

I previously exchanged one of my tickets in order to see Sterling and Robbie in Vienna Waltzes on Oct. 13, her last repertory performance. 
the NYCB podcasts have been very good. The most recent episode, moderated by Jared Angle, focuses on Vienna Waltzes. He talks with Rebecca Krohn and then Sterling—fascinating discussion of her history with the ballet. 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/city-ballet-the-podcast/id1479330738?i=1000581371883

Marzipan Shepherdess, I was there yesterday afternoon too and agree with your assessments almost 100%. Thank you for your eloquence. 
I loved the Abraham work too—how it gave opportunities to so many dancers to shine!  Tiler Peck was astounding.

And wasn’t Villarini-Velez great?  Not just in Abraham’s work but in Symphony in C.

I was equally moved by Mearns. She brought us into her beautiful world. And Fairchild/Gordon—wow.
 

I’d like to see the Reisen work again although I agree that some dancers weren’t given enough to do.  Loved Woodward and Coll though.  I learned from one of the employees in the Costume Shop that there were 500,000 Swarovski crystals (donated by the company to NYCB) sewn individually by hand onto those costumes!

I loved seeing a packed house and such a diverse audience. I was in the orchestra, sat next to a very young man who had driven in from Toronto to see the performance, to hear Solange Knowles’s new music.  He had never been to the ballet before, soaked it all in, engaged me in conversation (he said he noticed my body language during Sym in C), asked tons of questions and was bowled over by the quality of the dancers and the diversity of the choreography.  NYCB is smart to do new work that will engage new audiences. 

I was there tonight as well.  Agree that Divertimento No. 15 is great, and tonight’s cast was really good.

Hyltin and Stanley struck just the right notes in La Sonnambula. I was sad to think I’ll never see Sterling dance this role again—she is impossibly ethereal/romantic/mysterious/tragic in it, in the Allegra Kent tradition.  

I’ve been reading the comments about Bouder but was jolted and felt sad when I saw her on stage tonight. Jovani Furlan is very good here but he and Bouder looked to be from two different planets. Emma von Enck, on the other hand, was fantastic as the opening highland girl.  You just wanted her to return to the stage and bring us back to that happy place. 

I was there this afternoon as well.  Agree that the highlight was the closer, 4th movement of Symphony in C.  The dancers looked terrific. What a wonderful testament to Suki Schorer’s fifty years of teaching. 
 

I thought the brevity of the program was a reflection of the challenges SAB has faced during the epidemic.  I longed for more of the variations or another work to showcase these young dancers. I didn’t share your enthusiasm for the Reisen piece, cobweb. I felt it was overlong and derivative.

I went last night, my second time seeing AMND in a week.  Similarly to cobweb, I wanted to see a different cast than the matinee on May 21. And I adore this ballet. It shows Balanchine’s genius not only in exquisite choreography, but also in distilling a complicated story into something very understandable, even to a child or an adult not familiar with the plot. And it’s so satisfying to see beauty and innocence exalted and also the resolution of messy complications. Especially today, when the world is a mess.  Titania and Bottom always bring tears to my eyes through my laughter. 
The cast was sublime. After a start that was a little bit shaky, Miriam Miller was a gorgeous Titania. And Hurley’s Oberon was perfect—the delicacy of his form makes my jaw drop. I loved Mejia as Puck (of course!), and he was a contrast to Stanley’s equally wonderful interpretation last week.  I had hoped to see Tiler and Tyler in the divertissement, but with Tiler Peck sick, I must say I wasn’t disappointed in the least with seeing Woodward and Veyette. Indiana’s gracefulness and delicacy has only blossomed. And Veyette has really proved to be a warhorse this week. The lovers were excellent too. I hadn’t realized until last night that this was Andrew Scordato’s final performance—his playful extra bows brought lots of applause. He and Sara Adams seemed to revel in each moment.  What a lovely way to go out!

Just back from tonight’s performance. Amazingly, there were no substitutions.   Stellar performances  all around from the exuberant, hardworking cast. You’d think they would all be exhausted by now. Huxley is just so elegant; it was a treat to see him in The Four Seasons (with beautiful SterlingHyltin) as well as in Piano Pieces. But as others who attended last night have noted, the piece de resistance was Fall—Takahashi, Peck and Mejia. All were superlative, their joy in what they were doing coming across clearly—but Mejia made us all gasp. His technique is astonishing. 
The least satisfying portion of the evening for me was Alec Knight in Piano Pieces. He just didn’t seem up to the task of partnering Unity Phelan—looked awkward and a bit apprehensive. 
 

The casting sheet in the lobby to the right of the box office shows that Phelan will dance Titania in place of Mearns tomorrow afternoon.  

I’ve been sad to see the third and fourth rings closed for want of audiences at many performances. The dancing this season has been pretty great all around. There are often $38 orchestra seats on the sides, a great deal and with very good sight lines (except at the far-most ends) of the rows. 
 

I agree that Erica Pereira did a great job in Rubies.  But Roman Mejia was simply thrilling!  And Edward Villella was in the audience, would love to know his reaction.

Knowing full well that the Jackson family had been involved and that the show therefore would not be any kind of deep dive into the troubling aspects of Jackson’s career, I went to see it because I loved his music and dancing and wanted to see what Christopher Wheeldon would do with it in terms of direction and choreography. It was hugely entertaining and the audience response was enthusiastic.  Kudos to Wheeldon and to Myles Frost (who plays Michael Jackson).  The dance numbers were incredible.

Agree about Fjord but I don’t think all the content is free

And Alvin Ailey cancelled performances last night and just announced that their remaining performances (through Sunday) at City Center are cancelled.