abatt

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

19 minutes ago, GB1216 said:

Is slaughter a role that Kowroski is known for? I always associate her more with diamonds and such. 
 

and also DGV? I’m assuming it was made on her.  

No.  DGV was originally made for the Royal Ballet.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.

13 hours ago, canbelto said:

What I noticed about Angle was not his baldness but how tepid his dancing has become. He was never the strongest virtuoso but now it's as if he simply partners and marks the actual dancing.

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.

19 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Thanks, Marta. I must have missed it or didn't get it.

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.

7 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Wouldn't it be possible to require vaccination of everyone over 12?  One way to protect those who can't be vaccinated—e.g., children under 12—is to ensure that those who can be vaccinated are vaccinated. 

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.

On 7/13/2021 at 10:24 PM, volcanohunter said:

The company could easily exempt children from the requirement.

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. 

If I'm reading the press release correctly, they are planning on using the sets (and costume?)s from a 1987 production of Giselle  used in the film Dancers.  That is different from the version they regularly use  at the MET.  I presume this is because the sets they use at the MET don't fit on the stage of the Koch.

I've been doing a little reading up on the 1987 production and sets, and the press I have found seemed to be very negative about this production.  Anyone recall the 1987 production?

Since there are six Giselle shows, I presume there will be three casts - Hee Seo, Boylston for sure.

The rest of the rep is deeply disappointing.  The only ballet I will make an effort to see is Pillar, but only if Murphy is playing Hagar.  It is one of her best roles.

Whoever runs IT at the company is doing a very poor job. 

3 minutes ago, California said:

 

Are they saying what counts as proof? The CDC cards we have are easily forged, as I understand. I am on a voluntary state-run database of vaccines that I can pull up on on my phone (with data submitted by my health care provider), but not all states have that.

Here is what the email says:

To support this goal, everyone coming to Carnegie Hall will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization in order to enter the building.

There is no info on the documentation required to prove the vaccine.   They are also getting rid of intermissions through December 2021, and program times are limited to 90 minutes through December 2021.  Since there is almost nothing scheduled during 2021 (except a Jonas Kaufmann concert in October), this doesn't really make  much difference.  Anyway, I fully expect Mr. Kaufmann to cancel, as he usually does.