abatt

The missing performance info for Sat July 7 at 8 PM has now been added to the ABT calendar. I guess they are reading this board.

Does anyone know why there is no performance listed on the ABT calendar for the closing Sat. evening show of the season, Sat July 7?

Has the Mendelssohn Octet been choreographed?

Yes. Peter Martins choreographed a ballet called "Octet" to that very music a few years ago.

I think that the number of new (and mostly awful) new works at NYCB has gotten out of control. I recall that years ago there was generally one new work presented during the winter season, and one new work during the spring season. Personally, I would prefer to wait for one excellent Wheeldon work or Ratmansky work every two years or so, rather than be bombarded with junky new ballets by Stroman, Taylor Corbett, Millepied and so on. Apart from being a waste of financial resources, these new ballets divert the talents of the Company's foremost dancers to works that are going to shortly end up in the vast garbage bin of discarded ballets, instead of employing those dancers in the pursuit of learning and performing important roles in the rep.

I'm linking an article from the NY Times re the current state of affairs at NYCB. As you will see, the NY Times believes that the company is "treading water."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/arts/dance/in-city-ballets-fall-season-a-need-for-surprises.html?ref=arts

What do you think? Is NYCB an inert company which is treading water?

I think that many of the ills referenced in the article can be traced to the fact that P. Martins is more interested in putting on new (gimmicky) works instead of focusing on preserving and training a new generation of dancers in the classic great works of the Balanchine/Robbins rep. Imagine how much rehearsal time must have been spent on Ocean's Kingdom and all the other new ballets (mostly worthless) that are trotted out every season and instantly forgotten thereafter. Ironically, P. Martins appears to believe that the new works are preventing inertia at NYCB, and are making NYCB a vibrant, creative company. That valuable time could have been spent on training the ultra talented NYCB dancers in new roles in the great NYCB rep.

I saw tonight's Jewels. Happy to report that ticket sales were strong and the audience was very large, particularly for a Tuesday evening. Bouder was lovely in Emeralds, and Jared Angle was a gallant partner. Emeralds is one of Ringer's best roles. An excellent performance. I didn't really care for the lead Rubies cast tonight. Veyette was making his debut, and he looks like he could use some more practice. It was a very careful and studied performance. A Rubies performance without joy and fun robs the ballet of its spirit. I had never seen Hyltin in the lead of Rubies. (She debuted last season, I think.) Maybe it was because of Veyette, but her performance also looked too careful. Reichlin was sexy and witty as the tall girl. And then came the sublime Diamonds. This was Mearns' only performance of Diamonds for the season. J. Staford was replaced by Chuck Askegard as Mearns' partner. It was pure, radiant joy beaming from Mearns to Askegard and vice versa. It was an extra special performance. They seemed to be in a private reverie that we in the audience had the privilege of seeing. I've seen Mearns do this role before, but tonight's performance of the central pas was on an even higher level.

They are definitely papering the theater with cheap tickets for students/younger people, based on what I observed at a recent performance. They have alienated many of their loyal, long term subscribers and customers. Who are they replacing those subscribers with? On Saturday afternoon, the theater looked like a ghost town. Almost entire rows of center orchestra seats were empty. Large numbers of centered seats in the first and second rings were empty. The third ring was about 20 percent full, and the fourth ring was not sold. I don't recall attendance being this dismal in prior years. It will be interesting to see if they continue this suicidal pricing system for the 2012-2013 season. I'm sure the bean counters at NYCB are tracking ticket sales. Ocean's Kingdom and to, a lesser extent, Jewels have sold well. I think everything else has sold poorly during the Fall season(except the special "Black and White" program where all tickets were $50 or $25).

Based on my personal experience, the administrative arm of NYCB now has as much credibility as used car salesmen. (Sorry to any reputable used car salesmen out there!) It's sad, since I have so much respect and admiration for the dancers.

There were no in front of the curtain calls at the Tuesday performance of Ocean's Kingdom either.

Eileen, it is Janie Taylor. Her hairdo looked a lot better in person that it does in the photo.

Yes, that is Ulbricht in the clown wig. He should get bonus pay for all of the hideous costumes he has been required to wear this month. (His attire for the Jester role in Swan Lake is also awful.)

Gonzalo Garcia has not been given the opportunity of performing Apollo at NYCB.

I attended last night's performance. R. Fairchild was riveting as Apollo. I thought his performance last night was much better than the prior week's performance. I also thought that Gonzalo Garcia was enthralling in the 4T's last night. Reichlin was electrifying as Choleric. I have avoided Union Jack for a few years because I find it tedious. I stayed for last night's performance of the work. DeLuz tore up the stage in his variation. Askegard looked underpowered in his. It was amusing seeing one of tallest guys in the company dancing side by side with one of the shortest. Wendy Whelan was excellent in her variation. Sadly, the youngsters in her regiment could not keep up with the tempo, resulting in a sloppy performance where the corps of that regiment completely lost the element of unison. Time for that regiment to head back to the rehearal studio. Maria Kowrowski was sexy and fun as leader of the Wrens. Ringer and Ramasar were delightful in their section of the ballet. Once again, there were many scattered empty seats in the orchestra, first and second rings. The third ring was 20 percent sold. Fourth ring was not for sale.

I think Ocean's Kingdom is selling well. I'm not sure if it will be revived in the future, but I would guess that it will be revived. My opinion of the choreography isn't as harsh as the Times'. I've seen MUCH worse at NYCB (Call Me Ben, Seven Deadly Sins, Lady w. Little Dog, to name a few.) This score is not pop music. It is, in my opinion, a well crafted classical composition.

I attended. I enjoyed the music. It was a very distinguished composition. However, it sounded like it was more suitable as a film score than a ballet. (Sir Paul has mentioned in interviews that he had done some music for a project that didn't work out, and he used that music for this ballet. I'm wondering if the project he was referring to was a film score.) Anyway, as a result, there were many sections of the ballet where the music seemed merely like background music, rather than a source out of which the choreography arose. However, other sections were clearly more useful as the springboard for choreography. As for the choreography, the story was relatively easy to follow. Based on interviews I have read, Sir Paul may have intended some deep, political/environmentalist plot to the story. That didn't come through on stage. It was a boy wants girl/ bad people prevent boy and girl from uniting/ boy and girl finally get together story. It looked like a million other Martins ballets. In particular,the choreography was similar to various ballets that Martins has choreographed to the works of John Adams, particularly in the sections where the music was heavily percussive. Sara Mearns did a lot of swooning and emoting in Robbie Fairchild's arms. Their pas de deuxs were pleasant to look at, but not particularly memorable. Some of the acrobatic lifts of Mearns by Fairchild looked labored. The choreography for Amar Ramasar and his cohorts (in Mohawk like head gear) involved a lot of jumping and spinning. There was a section for "the entertainers", which in my opinion was the weakest section of the ballet, insofar as it did not seem to integrate into the story. Ulbricht did his usual jumping extravaganza ( in what looked like a clown wig). They finally found a suitable role for S. Lowery (as an Amazon). My favorite costume was the seafoam green costume of Sara Mearns. Georgina P. was saddled with the task of dancing with a huge cape. I feared for her safety with every step. Ramasar and his backup dancers looked menacing in their black attire, black eye makeup and mohawk headwear.

The audience seemed to like the show. Obviously, the crowd went bonkers when Sir Paul came out for a bow. Sir Paul seems like a very nice, humble man. Stella McCartney also came out for a bow. Spotted in the crowd were Alec Baldwin, Leslie Stahl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Watts, Steve Buscemi, Bon Jovi.

On the whole, I would recommend the ballet. However, the choreography was not at a high level of sophistication or originality. Any other ballet talkers there? I heard on WQXR this AM that they raised $4 million last night at the NYCB gala.

At the beginning of the evening, Martins toasted Sir Paul with tea (rather than the traditional toast at the House Of Balanchine of vodka.

The evening started out with a little lecture by the conductor. The audience looked bored.

From the NY Times

http://artsbeat.blog...allet/?ref=arts

I attended last night's performance. I usually find 2 & 3 Part Inventions a bit tedious. However, last night's cast was so good that I was engrossed by the performance. Particularly, I thought Lauren Lovette was mesmerizing. She is a lyrical, expressive dancer. Chase Finlay was last night's Apollo. I think he is even better this year than last. He is much more confident,and his performance last night did not suffer from the little mistakes that occurred last year. I saw Robbie Fairchild's Apollo last week. I liked it, but I prefer Finlay a little more. There is a youthful exuberance and wildness that is so fresh in Finlay's performance. (By the way, Finlay also did much better in the 3rd Act Pas De Quatre in Swan Lake. Last year he could barely keep up. This year he significantly improved.) Last night was a repeat of Muses Hyltin and Scheller. The new muse in town was Ashley Isaacs. I think she needs a more straighforward approach to the role. There was too much coy smiling at the audience and at Apollo. Tiler and Tyler were breathtaking in Mercurial Maneuvers. There were scattered empty seats throughout the orchestra, first and second rings. The 3rd ring was approximately 25 percent full, and the fourth ring was closed. Not a great turn out for such a wonderful evening of dance.

From the NY Times:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/a-ballet-first-an-american-to-join-the-bolshoi/?ref=arts

Sounds like we will be seeing Hallberg at ABT during the MET seasons, but not necessarily during other ABT engagements.

For those in need a glimpse of Sara Mearns in Swan Lake, check out Sunday Arts tomorrow on public television. (Channel 13 at noon in New York City). I saw a commercial today which previews tomorrow's episode, which focuses on NYCB and SAB. They will show clips of Mearns in Swan Lake, and they will interview her.

California, I think Bingham may be imparting the information from tomorrow's edition of the NYTimes, which I think will be the annual season preview issue. Some people receive advance copies (subscribers), but it will probably be on the NY Times tomprrow.

I saw Bouder last night in Choleric. She was fantastic.

Given the nature of Martin's Swan Lake, I wonder whether ANY dancer could turn this composition into something genuinely moving and transcendent.

Yes, this flawed and hideous production can be transcendant with the right dancers. Sara Mearns accomplished this.

I attended the performances on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. I was very disappointed with Bouder's performance. There is a very negative review in today's NY Times of the Tuesday night performance, and I agree with it completely (except I would not refer to La Bouder as a hornet!). Bouder lacked fluidity, and therefore none of the iconic poses of Odette made an impression. Her phrasing was choppy. In part, I will blame the conductor, who seems to be in a hurry to get home. Bouder is a technical whiz, but that's just not enough to tell the story here. She was more at home and more believable in the Black Swan act, where she did nail all the demanding technical challenges. Her over the top grin throughout the Black act became annoying. Veyette was fine, although he tends to land every jump with a thud. Huxley was in marvelous form as Benno. The real stars of the evening were Ulbricht as the Jester, and the dancers of the Pas De Quartre (DeLuz, Peck, A Staford, M. Fairchild). NYCB is lucky to have DeLuz. He makes terribly difficult choreography look so easy. Usually I don't pay much attention to character actors at NYCB, but G. Mueller was particulary bad as the Queen Mother. Her mime was so over emphatic that it looked cartoonish.

No time to post my comments on Tess right now, but I thought she showed significant improvement over last year's debut.

I sure hope that Sara Mearns' part in Ocean Kingdom is substantial. It's almost criminal that she is not doing Swan Lake.

How disappointing that Sara Mearns is not dancing Swan Lake. Hopefully she is not injured. I suspect that they are "saving" her for the Ocean's Kingdom run, where she has a lead role.

The Postal Service will be issuing "Forever" stamps to honor Fosse, Duncan, Limon and Dunham. Read about it here:

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157358/legendary-choreographer-bob-fosse-to-be-honored-with-us-stamp/

I'll certainly have to pick up a few books of those stamps, though I rarely use "snail mail" anymore.

Have there ever been stamps issued by the Post Office honoring other choreographers or dancers?