abatt

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. 

28 minutes ago, Rose said:

On another note, I think it's in extremely poor taste for Ashley Bouder to bring her daughter up on stage for the bow (and to the party on the promenade if she did that too, not sure). Just think if everyone brought their kids what a mad house it would be! I think this is another example of her narcissism -- the rules don't apply to her and her daughter is merely an extension of her own self. 

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.  

I also notice Jock Soto and Damian Woetzel were on stage for the final bow.  

Susan Jaffe was in the audience.

All of the orchestra members were wearing black t-shirts with the words New York City Ballet Orchestra on the front, and maybe the name of the union.  The backs of the t-shirts said:

See The Music

Hear The Dance

Pay the Orchestra.

The news truck outside, I believe, was channel 7  news, the local ABC affiliate.

All around a pretty wonderful evening.  Janzen and Mearns were great in Diamonds.  Janzen finally went gray after coloring his hair for years.  Good for him.  He is so elegant.  A shame to see him leave so young.  The other standout of the evening was Nadon.   

That casting of Apollo in the third week with Chan and the All Tall Girl muses should be great.  Surprised that Taylor Stanley is not doing Apollo.  And do they really need to put Unity in as the lead in two consecutive ballets in one night (Terpsichore followed by Sleepwalker).    

At City Ballet’s 75th Birthday Bash, a Mingling of Old and New - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

There was a private party at the Koch on Monday night of current and former NYCB dancers.  Great article. Lots of great photos.   Jenny Ringer and Sofiane Sylve were almost unrecognizable.   

Since both Justin is a frequent choreographer at the company, why wouldn't they continue to use his first initial.  In fact, both Tiler and Justin are choreographing this season at the company, so it would be very confusing not to include first initials. 

She used to do Tarantella, but not in quite a few years.  

15 hours ago, pirouette said:

I noticed that Tiler Peck is not casted at all for Week 2. I wonder if she's taking a break this season to be with family — she's been posting on Instagram regarding her dad's health issues. She's still on the Week 1 casting sheet, but I'm not sure if that will be updated.

Tiler Peck performed at the opening gala this week for the new  Performing Arts Center downtown.  According to the article she did the moonwalk on pointe.

An Arts Center Opens at Ground Zero With Stars, Onstage and Off - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I don't think they can have their rally on Lincoln Center property.  I recall that when the musicians of the Met Opera were protesting, they had to do it across the street (Dante Park).  

On a separate note, no casting yet for week 2.  Seems a bit late.

https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2023/09/11/the-whole-story-with-anderson-cooper-profiles-ukrainian-ballet-in-ukraine-dancing-in-defiance-with-cnns-christiane-amanpour/

This Sunday at 8PM. 

3 New York City Ballet Dancers Who Were There From the Start - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Great article about the only three living dancers who danced at the opening night at City Center.

On 9/5/2023 at 10:27 PM, cobweb said:

Lots to look forward to in the new casting. I’m kind of surprised to see Christina Clark as the “tall girl” in Rubies. She is probably the tallest woman in the company right now, but I think of her as more languid, without the force needed for this role. Ashley Hod and Miriam Miller seem much more obvious candidates, as well as some others I would pick from the corps (MT MacKinnon, Corti). But wishing her well! I’ll be there and look forward to it. 

Also missing from the Jewels lineup are Veyette and Pereira, both of whom previously have done Rubies. 

16 minutes ago, California said:

I subscribe to Google Alert for NYCB and this is the only announcement I've received far - published yesterday: https://www.westsiderag.com/2023/09/05/exclusive-new-york-city-ballet-musicians-poised-to-strike-over-pay-benefits

The information  just made the local television news in New York City today. 

Musicians at the New York City Ballet, whose home is at Lincoln Center, voted 54-2 this past weekend to walk out on the job if they can’t come to an agreement on a new contract, according to a person familiar with the vote who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The most recent contract expired last week, and negotiations over a new one have stalled.

Very excited to see Nadon and Davide R. debut in Emeralds.  In fact, there are so many exciting debuts.  Can't wait!

2 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

People are finding dancers on YouTube, but not ballet companies. Beyonce found many of her dancers in her current tour from YouTube (ballet trained). Twyla Tharp cast a few young dancers for her City Center season (2022 or 2021 I believe) from YouTube. There were also dancers featured at Vail that Heather and Damian found on YouTube.

Christopher Wheeldon found his star for MJ The Musical, Myles Frost, on Youtube.  Frost went on to win the Tony Award.

10 hours ago, vipa said:

I saw Mearns at the Vall Dance Festival in August. She looked very fit and was wonderful in Symphony in C pas, Diamonds pas, and the opening section of Mozartiana. All done in the same performance, in the Vail high altitude. She was also striking in new choreography later that week. Barring any new issues, Mearns is on her game.

Tiler Peck is a different situation than most dancers IMO. Her musicality, technique and artistry are so overwhelming that a slightly low arabesque isn't a big deal in most roles. 

Bouder's calling card has always been her speed and technique. IMO she was just beginning to develop in terms of artistic choices and musicality when she was out for her serious injury.  It seems unlikely that she'll go back to her usual rep, which means developing in other areas. I don't envy management in casting her. It's a zero sum game. I heard Merrill Ashley, in an interview, say she asked for certain technically easier roles towards the end of her career, but was told other dancers had that rep already.

It's also a question of allocating resources.  As an example, since Paz has left, I think they need a new person to take over the role of the Cocquette in Sonnambula.  This is a long skirt, easy role that might suit Bouder.  But how many more years would Bouder realistically be around to perform a new role?  This season and maybe one more revival in two years?  It's a better investment to teach the role to a soloist who might be around to take on the role for several revival cycles going forward. 

Looking at the Fall schedule, I would be unpleasantly surprised to see Bouder returning to various old roles like Stars and Stripes, Tsch Piano Concerto No 2 or even the Russian Girl in Serenade.   They are all very difficult roles.  Western is where she got injured a few years ago, so I don't think she would want to return to that role.  By the way, Bouder alternated with Lovette in Western.  Lovette could not do any of the Italian fouettes, whereas Bouder did them flawlessly.  I hope she can one day return to that level, but it seems unlikely.

For me, Tiler Peck is another ballerina who is sensational but does not have traditional ballerina proportions. 

18 hours ago, sanity said:

Idk, this gives "the customer is always right" energy. You paid for seats so you...get to dictate how someone's career goes? You paid for seats so...if the performance isn't stellar she must be sidelined indefinitely? I would hope management takes other things into account; the fact she's a principal, how long she's been at the company, or, I don't know...that she's a person and a coworker and deserves basic compassion and respect. this whole thing really grinds my gears. i joined this board yesterday just to comment this. Why not root for her recovery and success until we receive information otherwise? There's a really nasty undertone (honestly, OVERtone) to the discussion about Bouder.

And for what it's worth, I'd love for larger dancers to join NYCB. There is a massive untapped world of fantastic ballet dancers out there who could do all of NYCB's repertoire justice, who were never given opportunities or advanced training or apprenticeships because of their bodies.

This is a total misrepresentation of what cobweb said.  Bouder is a person and deserves compassion, but she should not be on stage unless she is fully recovered.  Part of that recovery is being stage ready.  She was clearly not stage ready last fall.  

If you would like to see many different body types in a dance company, you should check out Mark Morris Dance Group.  New York City Ballet is not the Mark Morris Dance Group. 

Agreed.  Tyler Angle's casting has become a real problem due to weight issues.  

Cobweb's point is well taken.  J. Stafford was a contemporary of Bouder's and frequently partnered her while he was still dancing.  Also, he knows that Bouder is the type that will try to get her complaints aired in any media outlet available.  I hope these factors do not influence his decision making on casting Bouder, but I suspect they do.  I hope Bouder returns in decent shape, unlike last fall.

I also think that her days in tutu ballets and ballets that involve leotards are over for now.  Longer skirt ballets only.

1 hour ago, matilda said:

Same. I'm also concerned about her appearing in roles that she can no longer do justice to. It's not really fair to the paying customers. I have my doubts that she'll be in prime Emeralds condition in three weeks, but time will tell and I look forward to hearing reviews (if her performance even happens). In terms of style, Emeralds is kind of similar to Scotch Symphony, which was not a success for her last fall. 

I thought it was interesting last Fall when the company cast Bouder in various roles for regular rep performances, but then removed her from the fall gala performance of the first movement of Symphony in C.  Bouder then went to Inside Edition to complain. So management felt that it was perfectly fine to put Bouder on stage for the "regular" audience, but she was deemed unworthy of appearing before the gala audience of donors and supporters.   I interpret this to mean that it is okay to let someone who is totally out of shape appear before the ordinary audience, but this was not the image they were willing to present to people who write the big checks. 

Brandt is more reliable technically than Trenary, in my opinion.  Trenary gets the "dramatic" leads, like in R&J and LWFC, where Brandt tends to get the technically challenging roles like Kitri and Odette-Odile.  Having said that I think Brandt would be interesting as Juliet.