E Johnson

I saw NYCB perform Summerspace when it was last in the rep - it was lovely, if clearly different from how Cunningham's own dancers performed it. I am so excited for thee return of the episodes solo (as in i threw my arms int the air and yelled YES at my desk). Peter Boal did it at one of the first Fall for Dance festivals and convinced me it should be put back in. sad its happening when Taylor is no longer with us.

i wouldn't be so sure they both wanted to be sole leader. it's a huge job for one person, and i can see thinking that especially as they're both going to be learning as they go it would be be easier to break the work up between two instead.

Stafford has a wife and sister in the Company still, so its probably wise to have someone else sharing in casting/promotion decisions even if only for reasons of appearances. So lots of good reasons to give Whelan those responsibilities.

Announcement received by email from the Company: I am thrilled to inform you that the Boards of Directors of New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet have just announced the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as Artistic Director of NYCB and SAB, and Wendy Whelan as Associate Artistic Director of NYCB. You can find more information about this exciting news at nycballet.com.

just received announcement by email from the Company: I am thrilled to inform you that the Boards of Directors of New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet have just announced the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as Artistic Director of NYCB and SAB, and Wendy Whelan as Associate Artistic Director of NYCB. You can find more information about this exciting news at nycballet.com.

Sure. so why not express that much earlier in the process?

I'm going to assume this is a joke.

exactly. Martins isn't acting in good faith here, even accepting his absolute right to cast his own ballet. If he knows anything its how NYCB functions and he could have made his casting choices in a less disruptive fashion, and he could have done what Stafford asked of him. TO blame the people who get upset by his bad behavior is to give him a free pass. I have to assume the real audience for Stafford's comments is the board or some subset of it.

I'm a little troubled by the suggestion that Bouder is the bad actor here. Martins did something that at least looks petty and vengeful and apparently his going backstage upset dancers who aren't Bouder. Her calling this out is a reaction to him doing what he did, and the suggestion that she be quiet and keep things smooth instead sits badly with me. Should she have impugned Hyltin's abilities? No. But its not clear to me she did.

has anyone from the company said the interim team can't promote? the only hurdle i see is stafford having any say in his wife's advancement or lack thereof, but otherwise i don't see why they can't (especially as to apprentices).

and between sterling and darci were years of yvonne borree (which i sat through because boal was partnering her, or hubbe). I agree, seeing sterling do it was a revelation.

It was at FIT, great exhibit on fashion and dance. I guess this means I can't call it "the one with the boots" any more?

I do recall the slap being controversial at the time of R&J’s premiere (as in a whole NYT article was devoted to it) -- and I think it was for extra-choreographic reasons. One, it was being done by Jock Soto (in front of Darci Kistler, playing Juliet's mom) , who was generally perceived as a really nice guy and so it was terribly out of character [frankly I thought this argument was little silly, he was perfectly capable of being a convincing menacing presence as a dancer] and 2. it did hark back to the Martins-Kistler abuse allegations, she was standing right there as it happened, and Soto was a friend of both (and IIRC lived with martins and watts when the they were together). So, it was just too much internally even if it worked in the ballet. I'm not sure it did work but I’m also pretty sure I was incapable of evaluating it for itself, given the baggage. And I agree that Tracey is over the top here.

Is there anywhere I can see a list of all the Martins ballets? my google-fu isn't getting me anything, and my recollections of some of his works are pretty dim (as in i once thought Morgen and Stabat Mater were the same ballet. oops). as for keepers: I remember liking les gentilhommes and thinking it had a place in the rep.

If reliquary never sees the light of day again it will be too soon.