E Johnson

I’d like to add a similar question -- when do you think a dancer is bad and when do you think it's just an off night, or bad casting? I think abut this in connection with the incredible luxury I have of seeing NYCB 5+ times a season – I feel that I have an idea of which dancers are performing their best, their worst, and somewhere in between but I know other audience members don’t necessarily have that perspective (or agree with me!). One performance last season – Philip Neal in Donizetti Variations – at least one poster here thought was bad because it was miscast; I thought that it was bad because Neal was either sick or injured. Clearly we have different pictures in our heads of how this role should look as well as of the dancer’s capabilities.

Well, underrated by whom? NYCB management? Ballet Talkers? I'd agree that van Kipnis is underrated, if by that one means, doesn’t seem to get the roles she deserves, and thus one can infer she’s underrated by the company's management. But many posters here certainly think she's very good, so I don't think this board underrates her, and I think she's gotten some good critical notice lately, too. I'd say Evans appears to be underrated by NYCB management also, even though he's a Principal, because of the limited way he is cast. After seeing Peter Boal at the Joyce, I'd say Sean Suozzi is underrated.

I saw the opening performance last night of Peter Boal & Company at the Joyce. Dancers, in addition to Boal, were (all NYCB) Sean Suozzi, Wendy Whelan, and Carla Korbes. If you are in New York I would strongly urge you to get to the Joyce this week because this, while not perfect, was a terrific evening of dance, well-performed and thought-provoking. My notes about each piece: Pergolesi, danced by Boal, choreographed by Twyla Tharp, music by Pergolesi. Tharp choreographed this for Baryshnikov and it shows, and as such was not an ideal choice for Boal who is a wonderful but very different dancer. There was a preview piece in the NY Times on Sunday in which Boal explain that this was a challenging piece for him because Baryshnikov has a great natural rapport with audience and he is much more internal, and I completely agree. Boal wasn’t bad; he was technically perfect and I had no doubt that I was seeing what the choreographer wanted. It just that a lot of the shtick was not a good fit for him, he does not generally play to the audience and while I have seen him be funny before (in Midsummer, certainly) its not playing to the audience funny but plot-driven funny. So when he tries the little moves that one can see Baryshnikov doing very comfortably – hitching up his pants, asking for applause, etc – they do not seem right, somehow. That said it was a terrific performances and portions of the choreography did let him show his strengths. I also liked two split second back to back quotes from Prodigal and Apollo that Boal tossed off perfectly. Mopey, a solo by Suozzi, choreographed for him by Marco Goecke. Music by C.P.E. Bach and the Cramps, along with a lot of silence. This was very interesting to see. Suozzi gave a great and, to me, surprising performance -- hair combed forward and wearing black pants, I thought he looked like Joey Ramone if he had had a lot of dance training. The choreography was very much for the upper body, lots of fast controlled arm movements, and mainly with the dancer’s back to the audience. More modern than ballet, it seemed to me to be about strength and control, and not at all mopey or depressed. One could choose to see the performer as alienated (he doesn’t relate to the audience and not always to the music) but Suozzi didn’t appear that way, more fiercely introverted and working on some problem he didn’t need to share with anyone else. Herman Schmerman pas de deux, performed by Boal and Whelan, choreography by William Forsythe, music by Thom Willems. I think this is the first Forsythe I have seen performed, although I have caught a bit on TV before, and it made me want to see more. It was also such a pleasure to see Whelan dancing again after she was out the whole winter NYCB season; she looked very strong and healthy. Again, no technical concerns, everything was performed almost perfectly. The choreography was musical in an interesting way, not in the Balanchinean way but still musical. 2nd Prologue, performed by Boal, Suozzi and Korbes, choreographed by John Alleyne, music by Timothy Sullivan. This was, I think, the weakest piece of the evening but still interesting and well-performed. The weakness, for me, was Korbes’ role. Not her dancing, which was lovely as always, but the role was very repetitive and did not show her well. I got the feeling that the choreographer is much more interested in men dancing than women – there was a fascinating bit in the middle just for Boal and Suozzi that was could be read as erotic, or perhaps as a father and son relationship, or in a creepy way both. When Korbes was on stage you get some idea that there was supposed to be tension or rivalry between the men over her, but it was not ever spelled out well and the dancers didn’t seem to know what they were supposed to be expressing either. The costumes were beautiful, especially a garnet velvet dress for Korbes Bottom line, despite what may seem like complaints above, is that the evening was really a pleasure. It’s nice to see a performance that is both enjoyable and make me think. The dancers were totally committed to what they were doing and did it well.

What about Adam Hendrickson? I think he's short, which could be a problem, but he's both strong technically (he does a good Puck) and has a lot of acting ability (also a good Dr. Coppelius). I can see him growing into roles like Prodigal and Orpheus, and I'd be interested in seeing him try 4T's or Agon as well.

Kyra Nichols is, I believe the Times reported recently, 45. Does she need to choose her roles? Yes. Should she retire? not this season.

A few comments on this performance. Chopiniana was very interesting to see. My only issue with it was, with the piano music, the students, the practice clothes, it all felt a little too recital-ish. But perhaps that was the desired effect. The students were by and large wonderful although Tyler Angle did not impress me. I found, and I do not know if this was just me or something about the choreography or the dancers, that I was noticing the use of the feet a great deal -- there seemed to be a lot of active feet and a lot of moving deliberately on and off pointe. Prodigal -- Sometimes two veterans are just what you want to see. Boal was, as always, fantastic, but in a different way than the last time I saw him in this role. I saw Woetzel in this a week or so ago and I remember thinking, huh, I think I’m liking this better than Boal’s interpretation because it is very expressive. As compared to the prior Boal performance I had seen, it was not so precise or dancerly. But this time - Wow. Perhaps driven in part by Andrea Quinn's galloping tempi, Boal was not precise or careful, although his performance was wonderfully detailed. He was entirely present and expressive. One thing that stood out was the fact that the Prodigal had a relationship with everyone on stage that you could see and understand immediately. Kistler -- the spirit was willing but the flesh is just not there. Her characterization was good; I saw a convincingly rapacious and sexual Siren. But she can't quite do the dancing any more. There is a noticeable lack of flexibility in her upper and middle back, and, more damaging to the performance as a whole, she seemed really unsure in much of the pas de deux with Boal. His main thought for much of it seemed to be "I hope I don't drop her." Also, because of the fast tempo, the Prodigal’s last drag across the stage was not as affecting as it could be -- until he saw the gate and home. That last crawl over to the father gets me every time. Tchaikovsky Suite was lovely. It is hard to believe Somogyi was injured because the thing that really struck me in her performance was, wow, she’s strong. She looked like she was pulling herself around in those turns with her strong arms and shoulders. Reichlen was also fun to watch. Among the demi-soloists I was impressed by Jonathan Stafford.

I saw this book on the shelf at Coliseum books in New York City yesterday. (If you buy it there before January 31 it will be 20% off.)

I have to agree that Stroman has a limited ballet vocabulary, and I also think she is a much better choreographer for men than women. This piece did show some strengths, though. The costumes and visuals in general were very good, although, especially in "the Blue Necklace," I thought she used too many "captions" -- they indicated, to me, a lack of trust in the dancers' abilities to get the plot across. I also think her ensemble scenes were pretty good; she knows how to move groups around (I'm thinking of the racing brides and the crowd in front of the church particularly). The main thing I noticed was her ability to create roles that dancers can run with and turn into something special. I say the dancers have to run with them because I found the leading performances very uneven. Woetzel, Bouder, Gold, and especially Nichols took what they were given and made wonderful star turns out of them. I was particularly amazed by Nichols' first solo, when she convinces us that she is, indeed, quite happy to have sent her husband out to abandon her baby. Woetzel was terrific but I have to say I don’t think it is a big dramatic reach for him to play a matinee idol --not that I mean to take anything away from his performance, but Nichols was showing us something I don’t think we've seen from her before whereas Woetzel seemed to be just giving us more and better of what we have seen. Kowroski disappointed me. She seemed tentative and just sort of "there." I got little feeling for her character, but I am not sure that's her fault as opposed to the choreography’s. She really got very few chances to cut loose, or at least that was how it felt. Bouder did a lovely job, but it bothered me that the “gift of the dance” her mother had given her was so burlesk-y, especially when the dancing was being done by an SAB student. Was it worth $750,000? No.

I also got a copy from my husband for Christmas and am very much enjoying it. My favorite comment, though, came from my almost three year old son, who flipped through it briefly and then announced: "when I am a big man, I will do ballet!"

I saw Bojesen and Lund. My first response: WOW!! On lots of levels. First, even before I saw them dance, I thought that their performance was the kind of thing that is perfect for the Centennial -- If you really want to show Balanchine's heritage, why not get guests in? Why not have the Kirov do a much-closer to Petipa Beauty rather than Martins' later work? And, if you're doing Bournonville, why not get dancers trained in it? Then the performance itself was breathtaking. Both dancers were amazingly light and quick. They also were good "actors," but the acting was much more integral to the performance than I think we usually see in America dancers. And Lund was terrific -- starting out early with an amazingly high jump from what looked like standing absolutely still, and following with many large, high, beautiful jumps, but with a lightness and precision that I have rarely seen. He managed to be technically clear and careful without it in ay way reducing his daring and expressiveness. It was also, to me, educational to see the choreography I could see what Balanchine took from it, especially the speed. But it was also instructive that both the choreography and the dancers were clearly not Balanchine or NYCB.

You might want to take a look at NYCB's website (nycballet.com). You will find a brief description and a photo.

I had a very happy moment this morning when my 2.5 year old son decided that he would rather watch a ballet video than one of animals (even though he's never seen one before) and then sat spellbound for the length of Tzigane (Farrell and Martins, who can blame him?). This led me to wonder, what is a good way to get someone this young interested in watching ballet, and other dance -- especially a boy, who is not as likely to be attracted to the pink toe shoe aspects. I have found it awfully hard to find ballet children's books that aren't of the "pretty tutu" variety, which do not really hold his interest and which I don't like much, either. I think when he is a bit older we will try some dance classes (we are in New York, so have several to choose from, including Alvin Ailey). At what age do you think children can be introduced to live performances? Are videos a good idea? Any other suggestions? [Moderators – I didn’t think this needed to go in the Moms and Dads forum since it is a pretty general question but please move if you think differently.]

NYCB also has one for "new works."

How would you compare the '02-03 season to the '01-'02? Were you more or less pleased? I was more pleased. Partially because I think I made better choices about what to see but also because I saw more dancers and they for the most part looked better than they had before. What ballet looked in the best shape to you? I’m not sure I can pick one as “best.” Glass pieces looked well-taken care of. Midsummer looked good, but it always does. What ballet looked in the weakest shape? Hmm. Reliquary looked worse than it needed to. Your favorite dancer of the season (subcategories - your favorite "old reliable" and your favorite newcomer) Old reliable: Peter Boal (hadn’t seen him in the Winter Season), Kyra Nichols. I’m not sure that there was a “newcomer" I really liked, just some dancers that are continuing to grow on me – Adam Hendrickson comes to mind. Who was the most improved dancer? I think Janie Taylor continues to grow and improve, as does Abi Stafford. Miranda Weese looked measurably better after her injury (I didn’t see her in the Winter). Jonathan Stafford improved as the season went on. Who was the season's MVP? (The dancer they just couldn't have done without) Ansanelli; Whelan. Who did you miss the most? Somehow I never saw Woetzel. I always miss Albert Evans even when I see him because it’s never enough.

There were a lot of full lengths in the Spring Season in the city too, and there are also a lot in the "Balanchine Celebration." Martins' letter to subscribers mentioned this fact and said that it was not meant to represent a change in programming philosophy. We won't know if that's true for quite some time.

I can't but think that a lot of it is cost-cutting by management (keeping union overtime down). At NYCB this season, it seemed that each ballet had been allotted enough time for two curtain calls by the principals --no more, no less. Once I think there were three -- even though the lights had begun to come up the audience insisted. And even if applause had died down usually the principals appeared for the second bow. This conditions audiences to not go crazy, since they won't get anything for it. NYCB audiences are also a bit less demonstrative than others -- Miranda Weese got applause on her entrance in Swan Lake this season and she looked stunned, as if it had never occured to her that that might happen. The orchestra didn't adjust to it too well, either.

Program: Steadfast Tin Soldier, Reliquary, Davidsbundlertanze [sp?], Glass Pieces. I'm kind of tired of Steadfast, for whatever reason I think I’ve seen it four times in the past few years. It’s cute and sweet and not much more. I liked Tom Gold in this a lot, though -- He doesn’t jump as high or as effortlessly as Woetzel but somehow this makes his characterization more, well, human. Reliquary - cast: Taylor, Marcovici, Ansanelli, Orza. I HATE hate hate this ballet. HATE. Also do not like the music. On top of that, it didn't look well-rehearsed and Ansanelli was not well cast. Both she and Taylor looked uncertain and unsteady in several places. Marcovici turned in the best performance and with Taylor and Ansanelli dancing, that just shouldn't happen. Davidsbundlertanze - cast: Kistler, Soto, Nichols, Askegard, Ringer, Boal, Somogyi, Martins. This was a real pleasure to watch, and I am not ordinarily a fan of piano ballets. To me, Nichols, Ringer, and Boal were the real standouts, and Soto did his usual almost magical partnering of Kistler. Boal every time I see him gets better and better -- each movement is not just correct but imbued with meaning. I sometimes think Ringer is a little to much of the homecoming queen but that did not happen here. Nichols was breathtaking. Glass Pieces -- This was wonderfully performed and the audience loved it. Kowroski and Marcovici were excellent in the 2d movement. I along with Amanda love the men in the 3d movement - the choreography is fun and it was carried off magnificently. (In some places it reminds me of the West Side Story Prologue, which I think is terrific. When the girls enter it’s a little bit Dance at the Gym.) Standouts to me were Amar Ramasar and Adam Hendrickson. I'd like someone at NYCB to think about retiring the soloists’ costumes from the 1st Movement, though, especially the headbands on the women.

I was also there Wednesday night, somewhat put out because the sole reason I had for getting the ticket was to see Morphoses. I do not need to waste more of my life seeing a Martins/Adams ballet. (Also, who on earth thinks white unitards are flattering for anyone?) I thought Abi was very good in Square Dance but still young. She is a very earnest dancer and appeared uncomfortable with some of the "cute" poses and mannerisms in the role. (Her ration of cute seems to have been distributed between Carmena and Andrea Quinn.) I stopped being put out about five seconds after Weese got on stage in Who Cares. I am so happy to see her back (I didn’t realize how much I liked her until she was injured), and this is just a wonderful role for her. As much as she tore up the stage in Fascinatin' Rhythm, what I really found breathtaking was her pas de deux with Neal to The Man I Love. It was all the more wonderful because I think it showed how she has matured as a dancer -- the Fascinatin Rhythm solo is right in the middle of what I've always thought of as her range, but The Man I love is slower and much more emotional. She brought a depth of feeling and commitment that I don’t believe she had pre-injury. Somogyi didn't do much for me. Technically strong but didn’t give much more than the steps.

Hmmm. I really didn't take it that way; I intepreted it as the kiss being in HIS goody bag, that is, it was an extra good thing for him on top of winning.

I think that the audience may not be getting Orpheus because the main, if not the only, Orpheus in recent years has been Nilas Martins. Let us merely say it is not a role that plays to his strengths.

Ok, then, how about an Evans Orpheus?

Aesha Ash.

Many phones also have the wonderful "vibrate" feature, if one really must be aware of calls received durign a performance. One can then leave the theater and deal with the call in the lobby, especially if one is considerate enough to sit on the aisle. (This is what I do at the movies in case there is an emergency with my son.)

Many of the principals have new photos in Playbill this month -- are these the same as in the "face book"?

I agree with what BW said about Tarantella. Ansanelli is a pleasure this season; she's got a real personality out there. I did not like Symphonic Dances as much. First, I simply did not like the choreography: it is Big! and Bombastic! and Dramatic! in a really unmotivated, Ice Capades kind of way. Borree, I agree, gave a very good performance, but I did not like Tewsley at all. He is big and strong, yes, but stylistically he stuck out like a sore thumb. He is not precise or quick like the other NYCB dancers, and whether it is true or not he had, to me, an aura of smugness and not needing to try to fit in. I have not seen such obvious preparation for turns in a long time. He did not seem to partner Borree all that well; by the end of the piece he appeared to be yanking her around in a way that was both inappropriate and possibly harmful. Also, the costumes, particularly for the men, are hideous. That said, the corps looked good – better rehearsed than for Tombeau.