Eileen

I just got atrium discount tickets for tonight's performance of Jewels. The tickets were listed at 50% off of $60 tickets - $30 per ticket plus a $4 per ticket fee. So I got tickets for row C of the 4th ring near the center of the row. I'm very happy about it. Question is similar to audreydoll's - where did the $60 original price come from. I don't see $60 listed on the NYCB web site. I didn't think to ask when I was buying them. The "official" box office price for 4th ring is $55. Plus I think a $2 faciity fee. Seems like the Atrium rounded up to fudge their pricing a bit.

She really looked very pretty in the photo. On stage she often looks pale and wan.

The first photo of NY Social Diary is captioned: Stella McCartney and NYC Ballet Dancers (all wearing Stella McCartney) Why didn't they mention that the dancers are almost all principals and are Wendy, Ashley, Teresa, dancer with curls on head who I recognize but can't place, Maria, and Georgina. Can anyone name the dancer next to Stella on our right?

This was a well considered publicity move by the couple. Sophie Flack needs publicity, she has not yet found a place with a company, and the photos will certainly grab the attention of ballet directors. Whether that attention will be positive for Sophie is a question. The kiss was demure enough.

You're absolutely right, someone who was at Balanchine's side during the creation of his ballets in the sixties is an important source. I was mistaken because I did not know who Francia Russell was. But I would still recommend I Remember Balanchine over Balanchine Then and Now. I Remember Balanchine has interviews with non-principals, people in production, costumes, his doctor. (By the way, it was edited by Jackie O.)

Well, The Review is out, and the verdict is thumbs down. The Review is of course the Times's Alastair Macauley and here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/arts/dance/paul-mccartneys-oceans-kingdom-review.html_r=1&ref=music By the way, famed music critic Alex Ross had a brief, very brief review on his blog of McCartney's score, four words: "He's not getting better."

Wow, thanks for the link kfw! I don't have a TV and anyway will be traveling. I never knew you could watch episiodes of PBS on their website.

Barbara Horgan has written me about the Balanchine Foundation's efforts to videotape coaching sessions - original Balanchine dancers coaching younger dancers - so the Balanchine interpretation is recorded and his original intent preserved. But it's very expensive and so she is searching for funding. To have videotape of dancers like Verdy coaching Emeralds would be wonderful, and I have seen tape of Allegra Kent coaching Darci in Sonnambula years ago. Miss Horgan wrote that she is working against time, as the older dancers, an irreplaceable resource, are dwindling.

Sometimes, perhaps, but I don't think he succeeded here. For one thing, he seems to have been unable to decide whether he wanted to stress the narrative or to make it an abstract ballet. The costumes (which are not as important as the choreography, but they give clues as to what we are seeing) of Act I tell us, "These dancers in (ugly) 20th or 21st Century dance costumes are not in some distant time and place." But the inclusion of a jester argues, "This is a ballet about Medieval royals." Obviously, any four-act staging of Swan Lake will have some story, but I would suggest to Mr. Martins to decide, before he starts to stage his next story ballet, he make a firm decision about whether he wants to tell the story or just gloss over it in favor of eloquent choreography for choreography's sake. Well, it may be too late for his next story ballet, as that one opens next week. Maybe the one after that. Bouder did an amazing Vision Scene in Sleeping Beauty a couple of years ago, where she seemed to dematerialize in front of us. If ever there was a dancer unlikely to dematerialize, it might be Bouder, but she did it, giving a very moving and lyrical reading of the choreography. I remember an early O/O she did -- perhaps her first or second in this production -- and she was a very affecting Odette. The role is not beyond her. But tonight she debuted in the Choleric variation of The Four Temperaments, and from what I gather from what I've heard about her Tuesday night performance, Choleric may have just taken over her body a few days before schedule. What does O/O stand for? Abatt, you've given good advice. A project needs to be planned, any project, so it is internally consistent.

See my separate topic on Swan Lake.

Thanks for your correction. I did not realize.

I also found this book at the gift shop. My verdict: fascinating. More to follow. Great! Looking forward to your thoughts. I've been meaning to take another look at this book, and now that the season has begun, I took the opportunity to page through it during intermission, quickly. I have mixed reactions, because the choice of subjects interviewed was rather odd. The chapters with comments by Violette Verdy and Suki Schorer were wonderful, they are so insightful and knowledgeable. But there are some minor dancers in the company and in ABT (Francia Russell and Nanette Glushak) who are interviewed, and I'm not sure how much they add to a book on Balanchine. And then there are several individuals who are in contemporary dance and have nothing to do with classical ballet at all, and I have no idea why they are included. So if you read the introduction and the chapters on the major dancers, that's really all that's interesting. And the price at the Gift Shop is an unreasonable $50! That alone is enough to make this a "look through" during intermission rather than a purchase. I think the editor of the book did not have access to enough subjects to fill an entire book, so resorted to "filler". But the photographs are sublime.

I wanted to mention that Peter Martins's choreography in large scenes, moving many dancers around, was excellent. The children were a charming touch, especially the tiny little girl leading the procession. And they were joined by little boy cavaliers. I think when Peter Martins has a story to anchor his choreography, he rises to the occasion. The costumes are beside the point. The dancing is the central element, and Martins did a superb job in my opinion.

I looked forward to Tess Reichlen as Odette-Odile, but found that I was strangely unmoved by her, despite her superb technical skills. She has an impassivity that it is hard to get past. As Odette, this was sufficient. But as Odile, she did not seduce, she had no secret triumph as she wove the prince in her web, I didn't feel she was the creature of Rothbart. As Rothbart, Ask La Cour didn't register either. He was too emotionally distant, without the acting, the showmanship, that Albert Evans has in spades. La Cour swept his orange cape and that was all. Perhaps his slim frame doesn't impose itself on the scene so as to give the illusion of evil power. The best in the cast was Tyler Angle, who displayed ardency toward Odette, and his solos showed a danseur noble at his peak of power. I think Tess has impressed me last season because I saw her in roles like Four Temperments and Antique Epigraphs, where impassivity is an asset. I don't think she has the temperment for Swan Lake, though she has ample, beautiful technique. I hope Sara Mearns will return in Swan Lake next year, I'd sit through all the divertissements to see her. So the true star of Swan Lake Wednesday night was the corps de ballet, especially the set pieces of swans on the floor in a circle, and the final scene where they close in on Odette, forming an impenetrable cordon around her. Tyler Angle falls to the floor in the effective pose of grief that reminded me of the close of Giselle. The divertissements: Let me mention that in Hungarian, my favorite Georgina seemed overshadowed by her costume and all the swirling and jumping around her. I don't think this is a great role for her, it doesn't give her a chance to display her personality. In Russian, I was very impressed with Rebecca Krohn, who has a sinuous form to suit the music. Ana Sophia Scheller and Erica Pereira were superb in the Pas de Quatre. As for the Jester, I've said before last season that Daniel Ullbricht has the pizzazz and shamelessness you need in this role. It's not enough to do the steps. That's just the beginning. You have to live the role, be a buffoon, without holding back and without embarrassment. That's what I missed in Hendrickson. He did not project buffoonery. As for the production, the first act with its color-coded costumes (each group has its color) did not offend me and seemed appropriate. Per Kirkby's backdrops are ugly, but I have gotten used to them. Alastair Macaulay blasted the production. True, the Elizabethan costumes in the last act were anachronistic and they must have cost a great deal.

Wow, Krystin, that is so interesting! Thanks for posting. I always felt Georgina Pazcoguin was special and should be given recognition.

Jenny and her firefighter corps de ballet have been moved upstairs to the second floor for those who are looking.

I also found this book at the gift shop. My verdict: fascinating. More to follow.

Krystin, thank you for giving us this news. I feel very sorry that Kathryn Morgan has been so ill. I hope and pray she recovers fully and can resume her very promising career.

From her Twitter account and Facebook page, I got the impression Kathryn Morgan will be back performing this season. I certainly hope she is well, as she was truly missed this past season after a glorious 2009-2010 season. Please be well and come back and dance for us, Kathryn! (I know one is not allowed to speculate on the condition of dancers, but this is from her own social media accounts.) She wrote she is back in New York and rehearsing.

According to Webster's New College Dictionary which I keep near my desk, a hoyden is a boisterous or high-spirited girl. Thank you Helene and Carbro, for your good words.

The Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, the mega-mall to be specific, has an installation of large photographs of firefighters and first responders commemorating 9/11 on the main floor. Surprisingly, there was Jenny Ringer, poised en pointe, among a group of firefighters! I'm not sure what the connection is, but she never looked more beautiful. I hope to see every one of her performances this season if I can. She has a special quality of womanliness which is unique in the company, which has its share of girls, soubrettes, tomboys and hoydens. Jenny has a special warmth, sensitivity, spirituality which is no longer fashionable, I'm afraid. She has the qualities of Margot Fonteyn, of an earlier era.

That was a fascinating interview, Maria is one of my favorite principals in the company and I try to catch her dancing whenever I can. I can see exactly what you are saying - that doing new choreography is very important to the dancers. But - and I will chance taking an unpopular position - the importance of new works to the dancers is not relevant to my argument. Which is that too many of the new works are not interesting to the audience and discourage the audience from attending premieres. I am sure there is an audience for premieres, but they are not of the same appeal as other, better ballets. I loved Chris Wheeldon's Carousel, but his Estancia was simply, grotesque to me. He has diluted his brand. He's a 3 out of 5 choreographer. I look forward to seeing Mercurial Manouvers (sp?) which I have never seen. There's a lot of Wheeldon that is great - but not everything. With a $6 million deficit, I doubt that the dancers are willing to cut their pay to help the company reduce the deficit. Like me, Maria and all the dancers want everything. I want everything, but I trim my sails to the winds. Meaning I buy what I can afford. It is not enough to say new work is important - the question is how much new work and how many fol-de-rols like the Calatrava designs. It's not just the dancers' opinions that are to be considered. Ultimately, it's what the paying public will pay to see. How to pay down the deficit? This is the issue. Naturally the dancers want new works choreographed on them, the audience wants $15 tickets, and the sponsors want their names on the building. The company can't afford everything for everybody. I've brought our discussion to the attention of Dan Wakin - let's see if he's interested in the topic or some aspect of the topic. I am particularly interested in whether having 5 premieres in one season is absolutely essential to the company and whether the 5 premieres are contributing to the deficit, and how would you determine that?

Thank you, thank you Krystin, for drawing my attention to these videos! I've been waiting and hoping for new videos and these are superb. The dancers' explanations add so much. I never realized that the cast of West Side Story is actually singing. I wish Georgina Pazcoguin would be promoted to soloist - she has such pizzazz and charm and she really works. I've noticed her since she was the enveloped nurse in Romeo and Juliet. She has what I call watchability.

Quite right, ViolinConcerto. The Salvatore Calatrava season I saw five or six new ballets, and discovered one ballet I thought was excellent, by Ratmansky, naturally. If I had not attended all those disappointing premieres, I would have missed out on Namouna Divertissements. I hope there is no connection between mediocre premieres and audience attendance, I hope people do not give up on NYCB because they are disappointed by the latest new choreography. But there is a trend toward all-Balanchine programs on my part and judging from the audience, on the part of others. People are not interested in what the dancers love to dance. You must feed the audience before you can nourish the dancers. If we do not receive aesthetic joy from the ballet, it will cease to be a priority for us. With the shrinking dollar, I must be very careful which ballets I invest in. I think there is a connection between premieres that disappoint and box office results. I see it, I experience it. I can understand that a company benefactor may have a different "slant" on new works because he is in a different position than I am. Major contributors to the company (without whom the company could not exist!) want to be recognized as sponsors of new works. But ordinary subscribers want to be nourished for entirely personal reasons, without notice, without glory. I see I am a minority of one here. I will focus my attention on the question of whether there is any causal connection between premieres and the deficit and if there is any way of proving or disproving a connection. All I have experienced is just personal speculation and observation. Maybe Dan Wakin can give me some insight.

ViolinConcerto, what you write is very informed and valid. New works have always been essential to the NYCB mission, starting with Balanchine. But the fact that new works are important to City Ballet does not address their budgetary effect, does not address the quality issue, and does not touch on the dampening effect that poor quality new works has on the audience. The difference between Balanchine and Martins is - Lincoln Kirstein. Kirstein filled any budget deficit. Now private fundraising must do so. So the shape of ballet may have to respond to market forces, such as that posed by informed, long-time audience members who no longer attend premieres as they are so often a disappointment. I will write to Dan Wakin and suggest this controversial topic as an article. His access to City Ballet executives and to Martins may shed light on the issues that I have raised.