abatt

Wishing Tiler well, but could this create a Ballo lead opportunity for Emma V E?

I too was thrilled to see MacGill back and dancing so well. Really enjoyed Ava S. in the Albert Evans work, In a Landscape. However, this work should have been left in the storage room. Didn't care for the gimmick of the sliding platform that takes the ballerina on and off the stage, and the choreography was frequently amateurish. I enjoyed both casts of Ballo. Megan did fall behind the music in her second solo, but other than that she was wonderful. Tiler Peck was also terrific, but there is one point in the ballet where the ballerina must kick towards her head in a Plisetsakaya type movement. Tiler can no longer do that. Joe Gordon and Huxley were both excellent in Ballo. I don't care who is dancing the Concert. Just not my cup of tea. In the Martins work, the revelation for me was Gabriel, who was outstanding. I have seen him in smaller roles, but I thought this ballet really highlighted the quality of his dancing. I thought he was much better than KJ Takahashi in the other cast.

There are oily two dancers I make a special trip to see in major roles. Nadon and Mejia. Also Emma von eynk

Yes, I enjoyed reading Taub's reviews too. RIP

A friend of mine thinks that Unity is cast so often because she "sells tickets". Not sure what others think about that, but I don't think that's the explanation. She is in far too many ballets and in my opinion is not memorable in most of them.

They already had the barricades up all over Broadway by Tuesday night in prep for the Wednesday visit of Biden to NYC. Major challenge getting out in front of the barricades to flag down a bus on Broadway on Tuesday night. The bus driver was perplexed as to why there were barriers all over, so the NYPD never informed the NYC Transit as of Tuesday night. Gotta love it.

Yes, great timing. Hope they can settle in time for the KC engagement.

I found Villarini Velez particularly frustrating in 4T's because it can be such a profound section of the ballet. Often his movements were clipped and his body was rarely fully stretched. Still savoring the memories of Bart Cook on video and of seeing Taras Dimitro of SFB do this role at City Center many years ago. Shout out to Tyler Angle, who brought such refinement and drama to his role. I had to roll my eves when Mejia stepped on the hem of Phelan's dress in one partnering segment where he had to circle her. The singers were, in my opinion, pretty awful. Looking forward to Alexa Maxwell's debut in Opus 19. I question whether Huxley has the requisite dramatic insight for the Dreamer, but I guess we will find out.

I thought Mejia and Phelan were a complete mis-match in Liebeslieder. He is too short for her. Was he a replacement for Sanz? Nadon was ravishing.

I think there are a lot of factors that play a role in how things are cast that have nothing to do with what is best for the ballet and the development of dancers. However, those are internal decisions that will never be articulated. These are very subjective decisions. As a general rule, though, at NYCB I think talent does eventually win out in determining who rises to principal.

I saw Mearns in Spring this Saturday, and I have to agree that she does seem off at the moment. I felt her dancing was conservative for her, and she does indeed look very unhappy. This is new, because she was completely enthralling in Barber Violin Concerto the prior weekend. Hopefully she will get back to her normal self soon. She is a treasure. Hod was replaced in Winter in Four Seasons. Ulbricht is having a remarkable season. There are some seasons where they almost never use him. This season he is on multiple times per week. Good for him. He will be out the weeks of Feb 13 and Feb 20 because he will be appearing with Twyla Tharp's company at the Joyce..

I enjoy Furlan's dancing, but these past two years have resulted in a lot of absences. He missed a substantial amount of time due to family problems that required him to return to Brazil. Now he is injured. Quite unfortunate.

Chita Rivera’s Ballet Roots Shaped Her Dancing - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Chita Rivera, Electrifying Star of Broadway and Beyond, Is Dead at 91 - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Three-Time Tony Award Winner Hinton Battle Passes Away at 67 (broadwayworld.com)

Yes, I heard about the appeal relating to which country will receive the bronze.

The reality is that there is a pipeline of immensely gifted Russian teenage girls, so the likelihood that Valieva will actually make the next Olympic team is dubious. Also, based on the news reports, it is now official that Russia will be stripped of its gold medal in the Team Event due to the Valieva doping decision, and the gold will instead be awarded to the US for that event. Japan will get silver and Canada will get bronze. As a result Nathan Chen will be the first US man to win two Olympic gold medals in figure skating.

Yes, I meant publicly.

Reviewing the quality of the dancers and their performances is the purview of reviews, and should not be undertaken by colleagues (Tiler Peck) . While I don't think Peck had any intention to embarrass India Bradley or anyone else, that is the result. Tiler's comments were made without any hint of an intent to demean or belittle anyone. It just speaks to her lack of savvy.

Criticism, or backhanded compliments, belong in the rehearsal room, not the NY Times. Above, I was agreeing with a Ballet Alert post by someone who posts under the name On Pointe. I was not referencing a publication by that name.

No. This is not normal. It's indicative of Tiler Peck's inexperience and lack of forethought, in my opinion. It was almost like a stream of consciousness interview, where she forgot she was speaking to a publication that will be read by thousands of people. That's proper to say in private, but it is not proper in a NY Times interview.

The Tiler Peck interview struck me in the same way as On Pointe. Peck walked right into the trap of giving India Bradley an underhanded compliment by stating that management thinks she is limited technically, but Tiler has confidence in Bradley anyway that she will keep up with the most technically gifted Emma V E.

Kamila Valieva Banned Four Years Over 2022 Olympic Doping Case - The New York Times (nytimes.com) At last we have a result. Valieva banned for four years, retroactively. She gets to compete in the 2026 Winter Games. Since Russia is banned from intl. competition due to the war in Ukraine in any event, this seems like a slap on the wrist. Given that Valieva was only 15 when this happened, I'm a bit surprised by the imposition of this penalty on her. I wonder what the evidence was, but it seems that she must have been aware that she was taking banned substances. Otherwise they would not have imposed personal liability upon a 15 year old. No liability or ban on anyone else. Does that mean that Eteri Tuberize and her team had no knowledge or involvement?

Boldon and Mearns were mesmerizing in Barber Violin Concerto this weekend. Bolden definitely has incredible stage presences and is a wonderful partner. Not sure yet what his skills are as far as spinning and jumping. Not sure if anyone saw the NY Times article about Tiler Peck's new work. The Choreographer Wore Pointe Shoes - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Who replaced furlan