mimsyb

Also, Nicola Curry, Leanne Underwood, Nicole Graniero, Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster, Roman Zhurbin, Hee Seo also all came out of ABT II, I think. Not bad.

What about Cojocuru in" Ondine? " I'd love to see her also in "La Fille". Absolutely more Ashton!...Or on another note, I'd love to see this company do a full length "Jewels", or "Symphony in C". Give these wonderful dancers something to dance!

As to the entrance of Aurora. In this particular production anyway, she is obscured for much of that wonderful anticipatory music. She first appears on the balcony as if asking if anyone wants to play tennis! Then has to wend her way down a staircase, hidden to the audience, and leap onto the stage, all in the proper musical space. Osipova didn't time it quite rightly and had to stand for about six counts of music before she actually did her first jete'. Anyone who ever saw Fontyne enter to this music in the old Royal version would understand what's totally lacking in this one. The freshness of youth, the excitement of her birthday, the hope and jubilation of being on the verge of young womanhood. None of this can be truly achieved no matter who dances the role when this cumbersome set is used. The castle which looks to be made of claymation over shadows everything. And takes up stage space! No wonder everyone looks cramped here! Even the costumes don't "read" well against the coloring and the lighting. The pale pinks of the friends costumes fade into the deep coloration of the yellow/brown of the castle. Oddly, only the "new" costumes for the princes look OK on this set, even though they look as if they were pulled from an old assortment of "Romeo and Juliet" costumes. Because of the mish-mash look of all the costumes, nothing looks of a piece. In the prologue, it would seem we are in Medieval times, yet 16 years later, we seem to be in a sort of pseudo Renaissance period. And I always thought Aurora slept for 100 years, but by the time of the hunt scene we are in the time of Louis xvi! Nice nap! Also on the costumes, Bluebird for the man would be helped by not putting his entire body in what look like baby blue long johns. The tights could be of a different shade, something more flattering to the leg. I loved having the opportunity to have seen both Cojocuru and Osipova. One fits the company like a glove and they her: the other has some work to do . I'm done( as I hope this production of "Sleeping Beauty" is.) This company deserves better.

Boylston and Radetsky danced the Blue Bird Variation at Monday's rehearsal. I loved Sasha's head scarf. BlueBird the Pirate! By that time I was ready for a good chuckle. This ballet is still a big mess. Nothing can redeem it. Horrid,

Another sign of decline and fall, one fears. It seems much harder these days for a straight play or even a musical to succeed without a movie star or two - or even a teevee actor like Hayes if that's the best you can do. And the Times had an article yesterday about how many of the Tony nominated or Tony winning shows and the actors in them stay for only short periods of time or in fact, have already closed. This because of "other commitments" which are most probably more lucrative. This surely takes jobs away from the talent that is committed to staying for a run, however long that might be. It used to be about getting a Broadway show and loving that prospect. Alas, the need for producers to make money over rules the fact that there are wonderful actors, dancers and singers that are all right here in New York. But it happens everywhere, in all the theatrical areas. We all scream over Osipova (and now Cojocuru), but they are here for only a few days. They do not commit to doing an entire season. What would it be like if Osipova stayed for the entire eight weeks and was seen in not only the big, bravura roles, but in "Company B", "Fancy Free", and "Brahms/Haydn". Dancing smaller, yet interesting roles. Gillian Murphy does it. Michelle Wiles does it. Irina Dvorovenko does it. That takes a lot of energy, strength and artistry. It says a lot about the artists that go the route of the "in for the duration". And it says a lot about the audiences that clamor only for the "stars" .

I saw it Wednesday and had a similar reaction. So it's not just me! Phew! I needed you to help me understand my problem with the Brahms-Haydn Variations. Thank you, vipa! I expect a choreographer to show me why s/he chose a particular piece of music (assuming that, unlike Melissa Barak across the Plaza, s/he is the one who actually chose it). An affinity, a curiosity, absolute hatred, something. I agree that the dancers (sounds like you saw the same cast I did) looked good, but nothing about this ballet congealed for me, and it was probably Tharp's non-use of the score. I keep thinking I have to see it again, but because I have trouble remembering what I've just seen (no musical hooks to hang the memories on), I don't know that I'll be able to absorb it any better next time. Then I get home and wonder whether I even want to see it again, and I lean towards, No thanks. This was on the ABT Premieres bill, which also include Ratmansky's On the Dneiper from ABT's season at Avery Fisher last fall. The dancers seemed to have honed their characterizations since the premiere. Unfortunately, it followed a 35-minute intermission, which probably made it feel longer than it actually was. Or maybe Ormsby Wilkins' characteristically slow tempos made it feel draggy. I wish I could say I enjoyed Fancy Free, but no. The pas de deux between Sascha Radetsky and Isabella Boylston (who has been having a real break-out season, IMO) was the misplaced highlight (should be the guys' variations). I didn't sense much camaraderie among the three sailors, what with Daniil Simkin overselling the First (show-offy) Sailor, Carlos Lopez washing out as the Second (Sweet Guy). Radetsky was promising, if too mild, as the Third (Rumba). Just to clarify about "On the Dneiper". This ballet was not on the bill at Avery Fisher Hall last Fall. That ballet would be another by Ratmansky, "Seven Sonatas", which to my mind and eye would have been a better choice for presentation this year at the Met. We so seldom see these ballets ever again that are premiered in the Fall, and this ballet is so lovely, so evocative, and such a glorious use of the Scarlatti music. It very definitely deserved another viewing here. "On the Dneiper" was first shown last Spring at the Met. I also would have gone with a better Tharp ballet such as the rarely seen "Known By Heart".(that duet for the two men is a heart stopper!) I agree that the Brahms/Haydn is a tad unresponsive to the music. Unfortunately, her "Upper Room" was not an ABT premier so wouldn't qualify, but it clearly would have helped put 'fannies' in the seats. It's always a winner, audience wise. I think in putting labels to the evening's presentation can at times limit what can be offered. That said, I loved the Ashton night, but again, I would have gone with something more daring than the two pas de deux offered. They were very nice, but a bit dry. I would have maybe chosen his "Wedding Bouquet" or "Capriol Suite". And on the subject of repeated performances of ballets seen in the Fall, I would have loved to have seen a repeat of Benjamin Millepied's "Everything Doesn't Happen at Once" if only to have seen the spectacular jump and catch of Daniil Simkin on a larger space! This ballet, while perhaps a bit difficult musically, would have been a very bold choice for the Met and very likely would have benefited from the larger space. Plus it gives more dancers more chances to dance whereas the various pas de deux do not .

Both, with the mixed bill being the bigger problem. (A Saturday night during the summer doesn't help either.) New York critics love to moan and groan about how tired they are of the full-lengths during ABT's Met seasons but, when Kevin McKenzie does program mixed bills at the Met, we get reports that they don't sell. What is a guy to do? A Macaulay is very pleased w/ ABT's mixed-bill programing but can his reviews fill the seats? Apparently not. I was at Thurs Ashton program and loved it.BO was just gorgeous with all those variatons for the ballerinas. ABT should keep this in the rpertory as it is a good challenge for all the soloists. I thought they did very well in this performance. M Ricetto was gorgeous in the Thais PDD( although was disappointed that JM Carreno was replaced, J Matthews was excellent. )Wish i could see H Seo's Thais. The Dream was a dream w/ the entire cast outstanding esp Daniil and Cory. I'm probably asking too much but ABT should def do more Ashton(Cinderella, Two Pigeons and A month in the Country). I would be very happy if they revive La Fille... next season(Can you imagine N Osipova as Lise ) Reviving "La Fille" would be fabulous! I can't see Osipova as Lise. Her 'out there' Bolshoi style would be a clash with Ashton, but I think Maria Riccetto would be delicious in the role. Also Sarah Lane could be effective. The wild card in the role would be the delightful Renata Pavam. Carlos Lopez, Daniil Simkin, or Sasha Radetsky as Colas would all work. And the opportunities for the character men! Wow! In the roles of Alain or the Father the list is endless. Julio Brigado-Young, Roman Zhurbin, Isaac Stappas, Alexei Agoudine, Craig Salstein, Arron Scott. I think it could prove a full length that would sell seats for ABT.

I would tend to agree. Osipova, while amazing, didn't seem to be in the same ballet as the rest of the cast. Not sure if that is good or bad. While one can applaud her unbelievable jumps (so many big jete's I lost count after awhile) and her fine foot work and her extensions that border on grotesque, still, no-one on stage came close to matching her. It was as if she was dropped into a small Regional company and told to perform. Sadly, none of the regular women came close to her on stage abilities. An example were her foot stabbing upstage bourree's in Act I. When it came time for the Flower girls to repeat the step, they looked like they'd never seen the step before. Now this could work in the ladies corps favor if Osipova inspires them to step it up a notch. This is what happened to the male dancers of the World when Nureyev first came West and also when Misha showed off his abilities. Maybe it's the ladies turn! Carreno, while better than I had hoped, sort of ran out of gas toward the end and walked and posed a lot. I guess he thought it was Osipova's night. The character roles were all well taken and Julio Bragado-Young continues to amaze with his comic turns in various roles. Kristi Boone was best as Queen of the Dryads, and in fact, I felt it was the best act, even for Osipova. Here she stayed within the lines of the classical form and glowed. No flashy steps, just purity of line and form. Very satisfying. Yuriko was OK as Amour, but my favorite is still Renata Pavam. A big disappointment was Jared Mathews as Espada. Sorry, there's just no "there, there". Gomes would have kicked up that action a lot. Overall, it was a fun and interesting evening, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped. The audience loves her, but I would hope it's not totally due to the underachieving of the rest of the cast. It's a good role for her and maybe she just needs to find her way with the rest of the company (and they with her). You can't be on stage and stand around and gape at the lead dancer. Three words. "She's not Nina"

I too attended the matinee of "Don Q" and was so delighted to see the company back dancing (seemingly) happily after the dour darkness of "Lady of the Camelias". Herman just gets better and better in this role and though Ziomara is not always my favorite ballerina, still she turned in a stellar performance Saturday. Kristi Boone was wonderful in both the Mercedes role and as Queen of the Dryads. Gennadi a bit under played and I agree he needs to play up the humor of his role. All the secondary dancers were wonderful and I have to give a shout out to Renata Pavam who was delicious as the flower girl in the matinee and then turned in a most charming performance as Amour in the evening performance. Such a wonderful dancer! As mentioned above Julio Bragado-Young was very funny as Gamache. If ABT ever decides to revive "La Fille Mal Gardee" (please!) Julio would make a wonderful Alain. As for the evening performance, I never took the huge grin off my face the entire night! To watch Gillian and Ethan together on stage is like having a chocolate sundae and cookies on the side. She is of course amazing, and continues to find humor and love for Basilio in her expressions. To my eye, Ethan is still dancing so well. Is there anyone out there as handsome and so obviously having a great time dancing? I think his job as Dean at North Carolina has deepened his understanding of performing. He may not do all the flash of some of the other men, but he just "is" and I love to watch him. They both "break the fourth wall" somewhat, but in this ballet it's OK, as it lets us, the audience. in on the joke that is this ballet. The other roles were all well served. Stella was flashy and sexy as Mercedes and all graciousness as the Queen of the Dryads, dancing cleanly in both. Hallberg found the matinee idol style to his Espada, and seemed to be enjoying himself tremendously! As noted elsewhere, Simone Messmer and Sarah Lane were mis matched as the flower girls. Despite their height differences, Sarah seemed to be dancing with somewhat of a brittle edge, while Simone was all cream, butter and steel. Simone has a way of dancing "on top of the notes" that is very appealing. Never late, never before the beat, she cruises through the music with a wonderful richness and depth. She reminds me a lot of a young Cynthia Gregory! Simkin was, as always, spectacular in his leaps and in his acting. However, he was the only male Gypsy to have body make up and looked a bit "orange". I'm guessing all the other male Gypsies (looking quite pale) wore SP 90 when in daylight. As his body is rather small, he would be better served with a nice "gypsy style" shirt in place of the tiny vest that makes him look a bit too boyish. All that said, he was great. As was the entire night. Bravos all around. Can't wait to see Osipova!

Embarrassing. There's a reason this ballet in performed infrequently. The pieces of nice choreography are few and far between. The pdd for the leads repetitive. The corps has little to do but wear some very nice costumes. Chopin is better served in the Concert Hall. Long and dull. I was happily able to exchange all my other tickets for this ballet for other dates.

Irina was a great Gamzatti! Agreed. I'd also love to see Vishneva dance this role. Technically there's enough in it to show her off, but I think her sometimes "sly" or evil facial expressions would be well suited to it. She's always rather passive in any of the other big ballerina roles (Swan Queen, Giselle); sort of the same. Her Odile is good because she turns on the nastiness. Her "Scheherazade", while a silly ballet seen today, was mesmerizing. Gamzatti is one of the great villainess roles in ballet. She should do it.

I also attended Tuesday's performance and came away incredibly disappointed! Rarely have I seen an ABT production that at the very least has a few redeeming aspects. I felt both Vishneva and Gomes were clearly not at their best and together had zero chemistry. He danced his ballet and she danced hers. Vishneva is lucky to have a facility and a technique that even on a bad night can look pretty good, but Tuesday she merely phoned in her role. And her blank mask of a face was totally devoid of any emotion, let alone passion for Solar. Gomes seemed to be struggling technically. His menage of double sau de basques were off center every single time and he barely made it through them. (just one example). Gillian's Gamzatti showed early promise but just ran out of gas by Act III. Her musical timing was rushed and un distinguished. Both Victor Barbee and Gennadi Saveliev seemed to have cement in their limbs. The Shades were off musically and technically. Since when is it allowed to have different heights on the arabesques and to come out of poses at different times in the music? The beauty of that moment is the purity of the unison. The pas d'Action was a mess from both the men and women. No where was there a meshing of minds about how that section should be danced. By the time Danil Simkin came on as the Golden Idol it was too little, too late. Perhaps everyone was feeling the response to the opening Gala. Everyone seemed to be dancing under water. Too soon in the season to look so exhausted! I think ABT would do better to begin a season with something lighter ("Don Q") so to get everyone's sea legs underneath them a bit. I exchanged my Thursday night ticket (a repeat of the casting of Tuesday) so to avoid further disappointment and will hope different casting will bring this ballet to life. And I agree about the white pants on Vishneva. Never has the Kingdom of the Shades seemed so glamorous! But then it looked to my eye that several of the costumes had new and brighter sequins attached to them. I'm not one to deny a freshening of costumes from time to time, but many seemed to be overly bright. The lady sitting next to me kept checking the baseball score on her Blackberry and left after Act II. It would appear the Yankees also struck out on Tuesday night!

Were you perhaps referring to "I Can Do That" from "Chorus Line"?

It's clear that the Times theater critic and dance critic have brought quite different perspectives to this show -- which is really rather interesting. If one is on the Broadway beat, you may be talking to a different readership from someone approaching from a largely dance perspective. But "Come Fly Away" is a Broadway show that expresses what it has to say (whatever that is) in largely dance terms. It's a puzzlement. Does it make sense that the two Times reviewers apparently "saw" such different shows? Or is sit possible that the Macaulay's distinction between "sensational" and "sensationalist" no longer has relevance in Broadway musicals? It's definitely a difference of perspective. Isherwood writes from a theater critic's point of view and Macaulay from the dance/choreographic. I wonder how much of Tharp's choreography for other medium Isherwood has seen. And in the current sad state of dance on Broadway, "Come Fly Away" certainly stands out as well, different. For my taste (and I'm a Tharp fan), I have to agree with Macaulay. His view was the show I saw, not Isherwood's. No where did the choreography say anything about the characters. It was just one flash and trash step after the other. And no where did the movement reflect (let alone respect) the songs and singing of Sinatra. I am almost tempted to see a matinee performance where the second cast has a go at the choreography. (at those prices that's probably not going to happen). But maybe dancers other than the first cast would reveal something that is sorely missing from the first. Namely soul and heart. After about fifteen minutes, I lost interest in most of what they were doing and it became painful to watch all the grimacing and false smiles. I distain seeing flashy movement just for itself . Choreographing a jump that has no name, but twists the body and legs in the service of a "Whahoo" from the audience is false and selfish on the part of the choreographer. And the repetition of the lifts, turns and jumps became just mechanics after awhile. Macauley used the term "pornographic". I would use "cheesy". Sadly this is what so many in the audience will assume is good dancing. "So You Think You Can Dance"...eat your heart out! Tharp has you beat in spades!

Macaulay gives a very favorable review to .... the audience! ("The audience, too, was so perfect that I was often tempted to applaud it.") Were any BT'rs there? I saw Julie Kent chatting with Wendy Whalen on Wednesday. And on Friday I glimpsed Xiomara Reyes, Kristi Boone with Isaac Staapas, and Freddie Franklin was also there. Surely there were others. I gave the performances a B minus. Some really nice dancers (the women more than the men. And what was with the program calling the corps dancers "girls and boys"? How insulting!) But for me, it was mostly a question, once again, of good/bad programming. Corella's ballet was a nice opener, if a bit busy and unresponsive to the music. The costumes were a negative for me, especially the women. Very unbecoming to their upper bodies and arms, hiding any port de bras. And why black on the leads? Oh dear. And I agree with Macauley about Ms. Omori. She danced (and looked) as if she were in a competition. The was even more evident in the hokey and goofy rendering of the Walpurgisacht. Even in Soviet times this was a bit of a scenery chewer, but now it looks just silly. By Friday, wiser heads had prevailed and we got "Black Swan" pas in place of the loopy "Sunny Duet". While we all have surely seen our share of Black Swans, this was at least a wowzer rendition (I liked the female variation), and both Cornejo and Almeida were splendid. And they didn't look the least bit embarrassed to be dancing this as they did in the afore mentioned "Sunny Duet". What was Corella thinking ? The Solea was, well, while not real Flamenco it was just fine to see Carmen Corella dancing again and looking to be enjoying herself. The Wheelden was an energetic closer. The choreography seemed to suit the over wrought score, but was well danced. I wish Wheelden had more than ten steps in his grab bag of choreography. But maybe the repetition of the music called for the same deal with the steps. And a nice shout out to Ashley Ellis who looked terrific in everything.

I sympathize. The Met somehow "lost" two of my subscriptions. Even though I had paid by credit card when ordering, when I received my confirmation notice there were two entire subscriptions not there. After many phone calls and much distress how this could happen, the Met admitted to an "error" and I got my subscriptions back. I lost my usual seats, but the Met did make good and put me in better seats than I had previously! But it took some doing!

But then again, Balanchine was a great choreographer!

I was also greatly disappointed by the "King of Dance". I attended Saturday evening (Grand Tier), and thought that after the affecting film showing the guys rehearsing and talking it was all down hill from there. The Wheeldon piece was mediocre, at best, and why oh why begin an evening with everyone dressed in black (hideous costumes, unflattering!) on a too dark stage with everyone in shadows. Even this piece would have looked better if the men were costumed in lighter colors and the stage had some light on it. And I would have preferred a work that utilized all the men. It is an ensemble of great male dancers after all. As for the second act, the less said the better. Gomes was ill served by his solo. Too much posing. What a waste of talent! The Vestris was silly, to say the least. I suffered through Hallberg's solo, because he could dance the phone book and he would look glorious, but as a dance work, it lacked oomph. The Carreno work was OK, and he did bring some soft passion to it. Desmond Richardson, looking all over extended in his purple underpants costume was well, over wrought. Dwight Rhoden just doesn't know how to fashion a work of choreography. Cote' in Kudelka's solo sure worked hard (those cabrioles to the back sure looked difficult!), but again, to what purpose? The less said about Tsiskaridze in "Fallen Angel" the better. Lightning? Come on! When I saw that roll of black fabric come out of the wings I knew Eifman was up to his old (very old) tricks. Yikes! And the Roland Petit work was simply gratuitous. Even Hallberg couldn't save this one. I honestly thought the only solo worthy of the stage was Joaquin De Luz in David Fernadez' "Five Variations". At least this piece had a beginning, a middle, and an end, texture and style. It had Joaquin in a great, simple costume. It had good lighting. It was just the right length. And Joaquin truly looked like he was having a great time dancing. All the other pieces were so heavy on the angst and on the gimmicks. By the time the Nacho Duato piece came on for a third act, it was too late to save the evening. Again, the evening should have ended with a work using all the men. The defile at the end where they all did their best "trick" was nothing more than bow music. The evening was much too long and lacked an overall artistic point of view. Sergei Danilian is listed as creative director and producer, but I didn't see much evidence of an artistic vision. Most was just tasteless. Granted, it must be difficult to get everyone together to rehearse, etc., but this evening was so slapped together. There are so many wonderful choreographers out there who could have done justice to the talents of these great male dancers. And I agree with MaCauley that perhaps the answer lies in a female choreographer. I know there are a lot of fans of these dancers out there, and I am one of them. I just felt that they all deserved much better. Male dancing has been set back not forward by this silly, self congratulatory night.

Yes, and for any of us to have seen him dance with Kyra Nichols...lucky, lucky! Neal will be missed, for sure!

I would tend to agree. I was there on Wednesday and found much of the evening wanting. While the dancers were OK, none stood out especially as distinguished. Korbes stands out as she is the one blond in the bunch. OK, there was one other girl with light hair, but most of the women were interchangeable. The men seemed just OK. While they are all seemingly well trained, no one stood out as a person to watch. Good corps de ballet dancers, is about it. From my seat (row M, center) no one seemed to be connecting to the audience or each other. Let alone the choreography. They just did the steps. The Tharp came across as overly busy without much content or resolution and for me the dancers simply had too many bones in their bodies. They didn't capture the Tharp movements at all. While the Millepied piece had energy and action, I preferred his piece that he did for ABT this past Fall at Avery Fisher. That was risky! And a recent showing at the Guggenheim by Larry Keigwan's company (also to a Reich score) captured the sense of urgency and urban rush to a dance work that this piece lacked. Again, lots of steps, waving of arms, more steps, etc. The less said about the two short middle works the better. A Forsythe pas de deux would have perked things up! And while I can appreciate the decision to bring more contemporary works to be seen in NYC, PNB still is and should be seen in a little more of a classical vein. I could have forgiven the other stuff had there been one Balanchine. This company is starting to look an awful lot like a lot of other companies. We don't see much of these companies from elsewhere in the country (regrettably). But in my mind, Eddie Vilella and the Miami City Ballet got it right when they recently performed here. Now there was a company to remember and long to see again! It's only Friday and PNB has slipped mostly from my memory .

Dick Andros was indeed a wonderful man. He really loved ballet and worked to share his love and knowledge right until the end. And boy, he could make a person laugh. He will be missed by many. There is a memorial page on Facebook if anyone is interested. You can search Facebook for Dick Andros memorial page or use this link. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2241...2642&ref=ts What a wonderful teacher he was! His class was always a challenge, but such fun to do. (if you could do it!) His love of ballet was a given. And his sense of the history of the art form was always a joy to read about. Anyone lucky enough to have studied with him came away richer for it. And what an incredible human being he was! Generous to a fault and always happy to see you in class, even if you had been away from the barre for awhile. He will be missed but remembered with great affection.

Are there too many "Swan Lakes"? "Giselles"? "Sleeping Beautys"? For that matter, almost everyone dances "Rubies" If produced and danced well "Nutcracker" definitely has it's place. Handel's Messiah anyone?

Until recently, Stamford City Ballet performed Balanchine's version.

No, Vipa, you are not crazy. I too feel that Osipova is unmusical and more importantly not always able to relate well dramatically with a partner or to others on stage with her. Sometimes as observers we are so pulled in by the (granted) superior jumps and other technical feats, we either miss or ignore other things that go to make up a true artist. For me, neither her"Sylph" or her "Giselle" made an impression. Once the performance was over, not much remained. (except those jumps!). Her acting is juvenile (well, she is young), but not in a good way. Immature would be a better word. Too much grimacing and "now I'm acting for you" stuff going on. She never seemed to unite the dancing and the role she was playing. When the acting, or lack there of, get in the way of the entire being on stage, a dancer loses me and I begin to watch other stuff on the stage. I am almost tempted to say I'd rather see her in a more abstract ballet. One with NO acting, just dance and then critique her. As I said, she's young and has time with proper coaching to learn. Or we can continue to applaud her and she will grow untended and develop mannerisms that will one day play against her. I'd avoid her "Sleeping Beauty" and only see "Romeo" if you must.

I don't disagree with you. But that's the self-made trap he finds himself in, isn't it? The outside work pays the bills but lessens the need for a specialized company. If you can see a Wheeldon piece practically anywhere, why do you need Morphoses? I stand by my "promiscuous" remark. He's too available . . . and that makes Morphoses less of an exclusive, destination event. And if he stands firm in not staging those works (and future Morphoses works) for other companies, then Morphoses becomes that "exclusive, destination event" I mentioned above. Well, one could argue that you can see Balanchine performed by almost every company under the sun these days, but that New York City Ballet is still relevant. Wheeldon for me is a bit of the "same, old, same, old" all the time. Many of his ballets are unremarkable and some are plain dull. And some of his better things are performed better by other companies. (San Francisco Ballet as an example). And I can't see him taking on the mantle of Robert Joffrey. Their esthetic just isn't the same. For a touring company to succeed you have to offer the audience a bit more than dancers in endless contortions that come to nothing. After seeing the recent "Seven Sonatas" from Alexei Ratmansky at the ABT Fall Season, one can easily distinguish a master ballet maker (Ratmansky) from a choreographer that has been hyped too quickly and from whom we can probably expect very little. Sadly, Wheeldon is not Balanchine's heir. But he may have been able to grow and improve had he stayed at City Ballet. At least there he had some of the best dancers around to explore and help shape his work. All the money in the world can't make a great choreographer. I think Balanchine at one time worked for a dollar a year!