abatt

If anyone attends Angel Corella's Carmen, which premieres this week, I would be very interested in reading your impressionsl of the ballet.

I thought she was good, but not transcendent. Whelan and Soto in Agon- that was transcendent.

This is a recurring problem at ABT. Carmago also had to do all performances of Oberon last season because Stearns was injured. This year it is to replace Bell. Whiteside has done Oberon (and very well) but I guess he is no longer able to do this due to age and injury. Poor Carmago. I hope he can make it through. ... They are operating now on a shoestring of very few men who are young and healthy and able to step into a lead role. Get your house in order ABT.

This is very disappointing.

Allegra Kent Conjures ‘Messages From the Air, the Atmosphere’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Speaking of Unity, she is being coached by Allegra Kent now in Sonnambula.

Casting is up for week 4 NYCB_Casting_October_10-15_2023_lobby_2.pdf (cloudinary.com) Laracey in Orpheus is perfect casting. Pollack, not so much.

I assume like everyone else, Martins got a pension since he worked there for over 30 years. Why wouldn't a portion of that money, or most of it, be his pension. I had to laugh when the article referenced an unnamed veteran company member. Gee, who could that be.

Glad you finally made it home Cobweb! I took a bus into Manhattan to avoid the mayhem of subway delays and cancellations. I only stayed for the first 2/3 of the program. Bouree may not be Balanchine A list choreography, but I enjoyed it . In particular I was fascinated by the complex circular patterns he created with the large cast toward the end of the ballet. I will definitely look forward to seeing this again in the spring. Emma V.E. once again dazzled. In fact almost the entire cast was superb. My only critique is that the pairing of LaFrenaire and Chan needs some polish. Twice he was a bit late to partner her, and as a result she came down off pointe. My only other peeve is in the same section, where Dutton O'Hara was a soloist. She and another soloist have to stand for a second in an unsupported arabesque. Dutton O'Hara could not find her balance, and her leg kept moving as she struggled to get her leg into the proper position. The choreography is witty, and the costumes are lovely. As mentioned above, the complex patterns are dazzle late in the ballet. Very happy to have this in the rep. It is commendable that the current team has revived it. Phelan has improved immensely in Agon over the last few years. Her one error was in the opening section where once again she was late on the music in the portion where she wraps her leg around the man's neck. She has been late on this before in the past. Otherwise it was an excellent performance. I have always like Adrian in neo classical works and I thought he was wonderful. I had no idea Claire was pregnant and wondered why I had not seen her in the corps lately. They have been using Villarini Velez a lot lately. I'm wondering if he is on track for a promotion. I would also vote to get Bolden and Riccardo out of the corps and into soloist positions.

Really looking forward to tonight's performance, but the weather is not cooperating. The MTA has suspended all service on the subway lines near my house due to flooding of the tunnels. Contemplating an alternative route via bus. Hopefully this gets cleared up over the next few hours.😒

Claire's time has passed, in my opinion. Some 20 years ago they did a program of Who Cares, Stars & Stripes and Western Symphony. Loved it and still remember it. They have never repeated that program.

I have no idea about what the contract says about attire, but when the piano soloist came on stage last week after Rubies for his solo bow, he was wearing an appropriate button down black shirt.

Yes! While Mejia did his turns a la seconde he simultaneously jumps during the turn. The only person I recall doing this is Woetzel. (I've alse seen Angel Corella do that in Tschai pas back in the day. Sigh) Megan Fairchild was pretty wonderful, but Mejia was the star of this Stars & Stripes. Veyette looked great in the last movement of Western, and Kikta sizzled. And G. Bolden was so engaging in the first movement. Looking forward to seeing more of him. I found Woodward's performance in Western disappointing. She did not do the Italian Fouettes. Instead she tried to substitute what I think are called attitude fouettes. However, those did not go well. She came off pointe and was not in control. The last person I saw do the Italian's at NYCB was Bouder in the fall season after the pandemic before her injuries. In fact, Western was the ballet where she first got injured. (The alternate case, Lovette, could not manage even one Italian fouette and stood on stage like a deer in the headlights until that portion of the music was done.) Ulbricht was exuberant and thrilling in Tarantella. Why have they refused to cast him in Rubies? Erica is starting to have difficulty with the tricky footwork. I thought Sara Adams was miscast in the Unanswered Question. She doesn't evoke any sense of mystery or spirituality. My favorite in this role was Janie Taylor.

Mejia was fabulous as El capitan

Casting update per lobby sheet. Adam's replaces laracey. Furlan replaces Sanz in Western. Bolden replaces Sanz in bouree

If we have to miss Laracey, I'm glad it is in The Unanswered Question instead of Emeralds. Her performance in Emeralds was exquisite.

There were no boos on Wed. My impression from reading her ig is that anyone who is critical of her is a hater.

I think Jaffe already realizes that Roxander is a powerhouse dancer. But has his partnering ability been tested yet? I'm not sure.

Forgot to mention that Sanz was replaced in Emeralds by Adrian D W. I hope Sanz is not injured again.

Agree with the above. LaFreniere and Chan were very good together. I preferred LaFreniere as compared to Phelan. She danced expansively. The backbends of Mira in Emeralds were so deep. Also, her role is often cast lately with a soubrette type (or an aging soubrette). What a difference to have such an elegant dancer of great imagination in this role in Emeralds. The only one criticism I have is sometimes Nadon's wrists were too floppy. Since this is not a neoclassical ballet, I would hope she might fix that in later performances. Nadon and Davide R. make a great pairing. The weakest link here was LeCrone, who seems to have no imagination. More, more more of Emma. What a sensational debut.

Emma was incredible. Clark needs improvement

Mira was amazing in emeralds.

I think the question was whether Paul Mejia was in attendance, not whether Roman was there. Did Paul ever make it up to principal? His son is certainly a blazing and exciting principal. Roman has already given so many memorable performances. Fingers crossed that maybe they will give Roman a Prodigal performance.

Bouder was fine, but the technique is nowhere near what it needs to be. I did notice the problem with her low arabesques, and I believe she also came off pointe during the pas with Chan. Her upper arms look very bulky. They are going to have a tough time finding roles for her going forward. I really enjoyed Laracey's performance. Beautiful upper body carriage. The problem with Gerrity the night before was one of tone - way to dour, like she was going to a funeral. Laracey conveyed wistfulness. Whew. What a great Rubies performance. Mejia in particular was just amazing, but the entire cast was wonderful. Mejia is among the best I've seen in the role, and definitely in the same league as DeLuz and Woetzel. His elevation is breathtaking, and the exit where he starts slow and the accelerates was super human. (Does anyone know if his dad, Paul Mejia, was at the alumni celebration?) Diamonds needs some work and some time to gel. Gordon's solos were perfection. He is a paragon of classical style. Unity got through the steps of her solos well enough, but she does not yet take any risks in her dancing. The pas, however, was probably the most bland interpretation I've seen of this iconic ballet. These two have no chemistry together. Whereas the Mearns Janzen performance was like a conversation of depth, the Phelan Gordon performance was just a bunch of steps strung together by music. I guess it's unfair to have such high expectations at this juncture, but Phelan has some big toe shoes to fill here.

This - EXACTLY. Little Violet did not belong on the stage at a curtain call intended to honor alumni. This wasn't a rehearsal room. Bouder's sense of entitlement is breathtaking.

Did anyone else notice that Jon Stafford had to look down at his prepared statement when expressing such basic sentiments as welcoming the crowd to the 75th Anniversary and conveying a hope that we come back many times.