abatt

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

No. DGV was originally made for the Royal Ballet. I think Maria wants to make sure she pays tribute to Wheeldon, who played an important role in her career and gave her the opportunity to work with his company Morphoses during its brief but glorious existence.

Fascinating casting. I think they have always had high hopes for LaFreniere, but she was injured for so many years that she fell behind. She was radiant in the first movement of Glass Pieces last night (as was Nadon). Glad to see Mejia is also getting some new work to do. I had never seen Chan before last night. He's a keeper. Beautiful dancer. Loved Unity last week in Glass Pieces. Come on, announce some promotions already!!

I Think I saw it with Wendy Whelan and Robert Tewsley, who briefly danced with NYCB. It has never been revived since that run of performances about 15 years ago.

Yes, I noticed that too. Maybe he needs some time to get back in the groove after the pandemic.

Maybe I don't sit close enough, but I never realized that Angle was wearing a toupee until I saw a rehearsal photo of him a few years ago when he wasn't wearing it.

I used to read Sara Mearns' instagram. She once mentioned that Ratmansky approached her after a performance and commented on her hair. There were some hairs out of place or frizzy - something like that. I think intense scrutiny of women should also apply to the men. There is a double standard here. As an audience member, I found Tyler Angle's baldness very distracting. In the past when Ethan Steifel dyed his hair super blond at ABT many years ago it was also distracting. Once you start allowing people to be themselves on stage with beards, mustaches, mohawks, visible tattoos or whatever, these personal choices start distracting from the performance.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/arts/dance/new-york-city-ballet-serenade-review.html Here is a review of last night's performance. Some terrific photos. Look at Gordon's position in the air.

While I agree in theory that Angle should be allowed to appear with a shaved head if that's his preference, I found it a little distracting. Maybe I'll get used to it as the season continues. He also shaved his head for the Saratoga shows this summer. It was a very special evening. The first round of clapping actually began after the audience could hear the dancers clapping behind the curtain before the first ballet. Every ballet received multiple curtain calls. I didn't realize they were selling food on the promenade. Makes no sense from a health perspective, but it makes sense economically. A vendor pays the theater for the rights to sell food. I have to point out in particular that Joseph Gordon rocked the house with his stellar technique in the first movement of Symphony in C.

The casting for week one has been updated and is on the website. The casting for week two has vanished and instead a press release regarding the appointment of Diana Taylor to the Board appears in the link where the week 2 casting should be. update - they realized the error and posted the week 2 casting again.

I find NYCB's policy on keeping us safe to be rather disingenuous. They continue to keep the third and fourth rings closed for most shows. For those who would prefer to not sit cheek by jowl with other patrons during a pandemic, they have effectively cut off the possibility that a ticket buyer can buy in a less crowded area of the theater. They prefer herding everyone into certain areas of the theater. Perhaps now is the time to re-think this approach.

For me the most interesting casting for week 1 is Gordon in Opus 19. I have no recollection of ever seeing Tiler Peck in Opus, 19, but I'm sure she will be fantastic in the role that I associate so closely with Wendy Whelan.

Isn't Lauren Lovette doing Serenade (Waltz Girl) as part of her farewell?

Both Unity Phelan and Emily Gerrity have proven themselves worthy of promotion.

I wonder what the future holds for Ashley Laracey. She is lovely dancer, but I think time is not on her side as far as a potential promotion. Gerrity, Phelan and Woodward are more likely choices.

I vote for Emily Kikta as soloist among the women. I think Miriam Miller is also a viable candidate.

Looking at the schedule, they have now replaced Concerto DSCH with Russian Season on all of the Ratmansky Robbins performances, not just the Stafford farewell. This is the third time they have changed this program. I like DSCH much better than Russian Seasons. These multiple changes of the program is annoying. By accident, I am now slated to attend the Abi Stafford farewell. I hope all of these retirements mean that some deserving soloists move up to principal.

Update- Just heard on the news that in addition to the vaccination mandate to attend a Broadway show, all attendees must wear masks in the theater. Kids under 12 may attend if they can provide proof of a negative covid test.

The Broadway League has announced that anyone attending any Broadway show must provide proof of vaccination. Mayor DeBlasio is considering whether the health department will mandate proof of vaccination for entry into restaurants and bars. It's time for NYCB to step up and impose a vaccination requirement, in my opinion.

I don't think that would accomplish the goal of enhancing safety. It is the un-vaccinated who pose significant danger of spreading the disease.

Since a significant portion of NYCB's income would be lost if they required proof of vaccination (ie, no kids under 12), I think they will not require proof of vaccination unless Cuomo orders that all indoor venues for performing arts have this requirement. This is obviously a big issue for things like Radio City Christmas Show, the Nutcracker and other programs where kids make up a significant portion of the audience. Personally, I think NYCB should just reduce the number of Nutcracker shows, and use some of that performance calendar time for rep programs.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/The-Met-Opera-Will-Require-Audience-Members-to-Provide-Proof-of-Vaccination-20210728 Any audience member who cannot prove he has been vaccinated is barred from entering the Met Opera. NYCB talks a good game about protecting the audience, but if that protection was really the goal they too would ban people who are not vaccinated from the theater. This will not happen because their Nutcracker sales would tank. Kids under 12, who are not presently eligible to take the vaccine , are the bread and butter of Nutcracker ticket sales.