abatt

Maybe it's true that the brises don't work as well on tall dancers, but I thought his basic form was not even correct for the brises. He just looked lazy.

Hee Seo was lovely last night. She is a lyrical dancer, and Giselle is a good fit for her. I was disappointed with Stearns' Act II solo. He was underwhelming. His jumps had no buoyancy and very little elevation. The Koch stage looked very cramped. I'm pretty sure they were using fewer Wilis in Act II because the stage was too small, but maybe others can confirm that. They also cut down the number of peasant girls who were dancing from 8 to 6 due to space problems. Hoven looked a little out of sorts last night in the peasant pas. He couldn't land in fifth position. Williams was excellent in the peasant pas. I thought Teuscher started out a little sluggish, but she quickly dialed up her energy level and was wonderful in her big solo moments. Fang and Paris did Zulma and Moyna. This performance was not particularly well attended. Large numbers of empty seats in the second and third rings. McKenzie gave a short opening speech welcoming the audience.

The talent pool seems to be stretched very thin at ABT. They are putting someone named Petersen from the corps into the lead role of Myrta on the Sat matinee in place of Fang (who in my opinion was never going to be suitable as Myrta). I don't recall seeing Petersen in any lead or demi-lead role.

I received this discount offer for the below performances only: Theatre, Ballet, and an American Icon October 28 at 7:30pm October 29 at 7:30pm October 31 at 2:00pm An Afternoon of Appreciation October 30 at 2:00pm Rhythm and Rapture *Pride Nights* October 27 at 7:30pm October 30 at 8:00pm Enjoy 35% off select seats using code: ABTFRIEND *Subject to availability, limit of two (2) tickets per performance

I have to wonder about why Aladdin closed but there have been no other closures based on breakthrough Covid. I think Disney took a more proactive role in testing even though everyone was vaccinated. I'm guessing that most organizations are assuming that since everyone is vaccinated, they are not engaging in any additional testing for Covid. Don't ask don't tell. If you don't feel well stay home until you feel better, but we are not requiring you to go get a Covid test or to tell us the results of any such test.

Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild will both appear in Twyla Tharp's program at City Center in November. However, they will not be dancing together.

I couldn't identify everyone of the alumni that came out. The list included Jock Soto, Damien Woetzel, Charles Askegard, Justin Peck, Edward LIaang, Robbie Fairchild, and I believe Jason Fowler. What a glorious ballerina. Maria will be missed. Forgot to add Chris Wheeldon and Stella Abrera.

I think La Valse ended at abut 8:05 last night.

Exactly what I did last night.

Roman Mejia soared last night in Other Dances. He and Peck made a great couple and had wonderful chemistry. Mejia's elevation and positions in the air were breathtaking. More More More of him please. Unity had great depth in After the Rain. Lovely lines and extensions. It was a very strong debut. She and Chamblee worked well together. Megan LeCrone had a mishap. The mishap was In the section where she has to remain on pointe unsupported while her two male partners change places for a brief second. She managed to fall over to her right side. I've seen a lot of Agon over the years, and I've seen women come off pointe in this section, but completely falling down is definitely a first. Run the blooper reel.

I think Unity is a definite for the lead debut in Swan Lake. They already have so many ballerinas who do the role (Peck, Fairchild, Bouder, Mearns, Reichlin, Hyltin).

Yes, I agree completely. The only reason that I bought this ticket was to see her in Chaconne and she was thrilling . Janzen was also very good, but he does not have a go for broke approach like Mearns. I would love to see Gordon take on the male lead in Chaconne someday.

Breads Bakery stays open, but by the evening they have sold out of most things. Now that the opera house is open again, I'm not sure why the Epicerie continues to close at 4:30PM.

Yes, this was completely unprofessional on the parts of both J. Staford and Whelan. Even if Staford has some personal dispute going on with his sister, he had a duty to behave as the leader of a company and do the right thing. And Whelan has no excuse for not showing up. I was never a fan of Abi, but this conduct on the part of management is petty.

I agree completely with this. Speaking from my own experience, a career as a lawyer is very stressful and competitive. The hours are long and for the most part people running law firms are unpleasant. It's probably on the list of among the lowest ranked occupations for job satisfaction. I hope Abi has a more satisfying career than the majority of people who practice law.

Actually, it was Peter Martins who nitially provided her with opportunities to choreograph and who promoted her to principal.

Maria K in Agon was THE highlight of the evening. She was commanding and daring. In a word - exquisite. Wendy Whelan used to own this role at NYCB, but Maria over the years has developed her own take on the role that, in my opinion, is much more sensually charged. Just amazing. So glad I got to see her again in this role. Amar was a good partner, but for me he fades into the background compared to Maria. Jock Soto was the last person in the role who I thought made an equal impression with his ballerina in Agon. I did not like Megan LeCrone. Her movements were clipped as she tried to keep up with the music. Please get someone else for this role already. She's been doing it for years but hasn't improved in it. Huxley was terrific, as was Hod. La Valse is not a great ballet, but I enjoyed it. Gordon was a last minute replacement for Taylor Stanley. He was very elegant. Other Dances was well done, especially by Tiler Peck. Personally, I can't wait to see what Mejia will do next week. Now for After the Rain. Lauren Lovette is way too short for this role. The main value of this little pas is to see miraculous extensions of long limbs. The fact that Lovette was paired with a very tall dancer only highlighted Lovette's short limbs. Plus they had no evident rapport. It's a week too early to say goodbye to Maria. As I savored her Agon performance in my mind when I returned home, I realized that although many principal ballerinas have retired from NYCB, Maria belongs in the Pantheon of greats along with Wendy Whelan and Kyra Nichols. She was and is a very special dancer, and I'm glad I got to see her from her days in the corps through the present. From her comedic instincts in a role like Titania or in Slaughter, to her angular and spectacular performance in Agon, she has left us with unforgettable performances.

Phelan and Mejia are definitely deserving of promotion. However, there are many people in the corps who deserve a promotion to soloist. There are also some soloists who should retire. Only 2 promotions in total is extremely disappointing.

There were a lot of debuts in Western last night - Sanz, Laracey. I'm not sure what the above post means in relation to those dancers.

What an excellent performance of Western Symphony tonight. All of the debuts were excellent. Bouder nailed all of her Italian fouettes. Roman Mejia and Phelan were marvelous. The less said about the rest of the program the better. These new ballets come across as much more boring on second viewing.

Yes, it was Heatscape.

Peck has a good track record, with some misses but many hits. Though not my cup of tea, The Times are Racing is generally highly regarded. So is Year of the Rabbit. I also thought a work he did for Miami City Ballet was very good. (I can't recall the name of the work.) It's more than luck. He has talent. I think some of his recent works have suffered because he is stretched too thin.

I have to wonder about the direction the new works are going, and how Wendy Whelan's personal taste is driving the choreographers who are selected. More and more we are seeing modern dance choreographers who don't work in the idiom of ballet getting commissions from NYCB.

While the new ballets were not works I would seek out in future rep performances, I also did not think they were the worst ballets I've ever seen at NYCB (That distinction belongs to "Call Me Ben.) These choreographers have limited or no ballet vocabulary, and the steps are repetitive. The number of unsold seats was staggering. Second ring looked about 40 percent sold, and first ring about 50 percent The bright spot of course was Western Symphony. Lauren King and Ask LaCour were joyous in the first movement. Lovette was adorable, but she could not manage any of the Italian Fouettes required for her part. I had flashbacks to her awful performance in Swan Lake's 3rd act. Emily Kikta was terrific in the final movement. She just needs a little more sass.

Here is the NY Times review of the new ballets, with some photos of the costumes https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/arts/dance/new-york-city-ballet-fashion-gala.html