Megan Fairchild

[BattleRoyale]

Speaking with a friend who's very au fait in NYCB I was told that Megan Fairchild is a shoe in for soloist in the very near future. What d'yall reckon?

[Dale]

I've edited the title of this post. The original was a little unclear. BattleRoyale, I hope you read the guidelines about gossip at the top of the NYCB forum. While there's nothing wrong with posting that a dancer is ready to move on to bigger and better things, let's stay away from speculative gossip, even inside information. To protect all involved, we only post promotions when confirmed officially by the company. Thanks.

Fairchild has many fans on this board. She certainly has started to get a few plum roles, especially the lead in Coppelia. She's definitely one to watch.

BattleRoyale, why do you like her?

[liebs]

I think Fairchild is charming and a demon technician but very much the soubrette. And there are not a lot of roles for soubrettes in Balanchine's ballets. It is hard to imagine her in the "moon goddess" roles at the center of ther repertoire.

[LMCtech]

I agree. Her body type will hold her from of the roles she deserves based on her talent and technique.

I haven't seen Megan dance in a while, but I was VERY impressed with her when I saw her a couple of years ago. I would not be surprised if her star rises quickly.

[Leigh Witchel]

I just need to echo Dale's comment. Please read our rules about posting "insider information", BattleRoyale. The reason we ask people not to do it is because, as often as not, it's wrong.

That said - please discuss away on Ms. Fairchild. I've seen her several times and have liked her since her performance in the SAB workshop in the lead of Divertimento no. 15. Her legs were like needles that stitched embroidery on the stage.

[oberon]

Megan Fairchild to my mind is a nice dancer...she reminds me a little of Mazzo & Borree facially. I would like to see her stay in the corps a while, with the featured role now and again. If I were to promote any girls now they would be Korbes and Arthurs. Amanda Edge deserves it but I think she is taken for granted; I like Mandradjieff also. Well...I mostly like 'em all.

But it is the men's soloist ranks that need a bit of expansion, esp. if Jared Angle continues to be "absent". Arch Higgins tends to come and go, too. Steve Hanna? Adam H? Orza? Craig Hall? Ulbricht? And the winner is...............

[NfYaCnB]

I too have been following Megan Fairchild through her career and am so happy for her. Her presence on stage is so beautiful. Not to mention her technique! She has got so much going for her. I can't wait to see what City Ballet has planned for her because that girl is ready!

[oberon]

I noticed that Fairchild was listed twice as Marzipan in the last week and both times was replaced. I went yesterday to the 5:00 performance and Bouder danced in her place...and gave one of the best performancs I have seen from HER.

Also Joaquin de Luz, who is listed to partner Fairchild in her first Sugar Plum, was outstanding as Tea.

[underdog]

Well Oberon, did Meg dance today ? Any idea what is going on with McBrearty?

[liebs]

Fairchild's debut was respectable but no more. Her best dancing was in the first solo was charming and very well danced with great attention to detail. The ppd was more problematic. De Luz wasn't up to the challenge and after a few miscues, Fairchild understandably tensed up and things got worse from there. The shoulder sits went well but the moment where the SPF is pulled across the stage in arabesque was a problem. Fairchild fell off pointe and then when she regained her balance the track didn't move, so she was stuck in arabesque for a long time.

De Luz's solo was ok but his back foot was not pointed in the circle of jetes. His turns in a la seconde were nice. Fairchild did well in the solo.

But the heroine of the afternoon was Bouder as Dewdrop. A stunning performance with every detail in place. Broavo!

[underdog]

Thanks for the reply Liebs. It still would have been neat to be there. Congratulations to Meg & DeLuz on their first try.

Maybe Santa will bring me some tickets for around New Year's;)

[oberon]

I didn't see Fairchild's SPF but I did go to the Sunday 12/14 5:00 Act II where she danced Marzipan nicely. If she does SPF again I will try it but to be honest I like to see a "woman" as Sugar Plum as opposed to a "girl". Not that I don't think Fairchild could grow into the part, and she has to start somewhere. DeLuz was Tea today, and a very fine one though his landings are a bit heavy.

[perky]

Oberon, I agree 100% with you about Sugar Plum being danced by a more womanly dancer. After all the original Sugar Plum was Maria Tallchief, hardly a "girl".

[kiki]

oberon,

What is the policy on attending only act 2 of the performances? Is there a special ticket or something?

[oberon]

I've been going to Act II of NUTCRACKERs for the past several seasons...after all, that's where all the real dancing is. I don't need to see the Mouse King 5,000 times.

It usually works out perfectly...I get a standing room ticket on my lunch hour and when I get off work the intermission is underway. I go upstairs and usually can find a seat when the lights go down. I get to see all sorts of SPF/Cavalier/Dewdrop combos. By the way, a dancer friend of mine told me the Marzipan choreography is the toughest part of the Balanchine NUTCRACKER. Any comments on that??

So to answer your question: no, there is no special 1/2 price ticket...but standing room is only $15 and to me it's a bargain. This Sunday I will take a late lunch and see Somogyi/Boal/Riggins/Mandradjieff. Life is good.

[Manhattnik]

It's a good deal, but last year for Nutcracker standing was $10 for peak and $5 for off-peak performances. This is a disturbing trend. I've also been told that Marzipan is more difficult than Dewdrop, or even Sugar Plum. Of course that depends somewhat on whether or not one bails on the triple pirouettes.

[carbro]

Oooh, I do like Kiki's idea of buying tickets by the act. "May I have one for Acts II and III of tomorrow's Swan Lake?" (Assuming an Act I-II intermission, of course). Thinking of the $$$ I'd save!

I've been known to do Act II of Nut alone, but I do like to see at least one full performance per season.

M'nik, I thought the Standing Room was very cheap (beyond reasonable) last year, but since they didn't seem to sell out the stands (at least when I was there), I wonder why it was raised.

[Michael]

Fairchild is an extremely "clean" dancer, executing the steps as purely and scrupulously, perhaps more scrupulously, than anyone else these days. This is true of her upper body as well as everything else. Her Sugarplum retained somewhat the air of a workshop performance, but then it was such an AAA plus plus plus workshop performance that I didn't complain. I thought her recovery at the moment when she couldn't step onto the strip, and then when the strip wouldn't slide, substituting a beautifully turned out and extended arabesque, one of the most impressive things she did. Only a downcast moment before she got the demeanor back, quite professional.

She has beautifully long and arched feet. The thing I notice most about her is how extremely strong, pliant and supple her demi pointe and high demi-pointe are, more than any other woman in the company, I think. Just her walk downstage in her first entrance, on demi pointe, was something to see.

She is also very very quick, with the ability at the same time to show each step in an enchainement very clearly, which people who saw her workshop performances of two and three years ago will remember.

While I have thought of her as physically probably a demi character dancer, others might say soubrette, upon consideration that probably has more to do with her petite size than with her physical style, natural facility and execution. The McBride and a large part of Merrill Ashley's repertory is probably within her range. Her size will remain something of a contradiction, however. I did not see her Swanhildas at Saratoga but I would most certainly love to see that and that is the role with the greatest physical range in type I know (demi character in Acts I and II, classique and Paris Opera grand in style in Act III) something which I'm now recognizing she is quite unique in possessing.

[Michael]

Something more in terms of her employment and interpretive qualities, in addition to the NYCB repertory addressed above --

Which is that Fairchild has a Fee (pronouce Fay) quality -- something Robert LaFosse showed us last year when he made that "Land of Nod" Ballet on her. A quality which is a little other worldly, a little Peter Pan-Like, and which I thought she allowed to be glimpsed at moments in her Sugarplum on Saturday.

She's a Sylph, not an Effie. In her dramatic range she can convincingly be a Swan more than I can imagine her as, say, a Kitri or as one of the girls in Fancy Free. Which is why I say that she may have a Soubrette's size, but that the Soubrette is really not her most natural emploi.

[Alexandra]

I haven't seen much of Fairchild, but I think Michael's comment about the "fee" quality matches what I have seen -- I think she has mystery, and she's one of the many NYCB dancers I hope to be able to watch grow up in that repertory

[oberon]

I think standing room is only slightly less than the cheapest seat to discourage people from buying S.R. and then grabbing an empty seat. I suppose most people at the box office see that they can stand for $15 or sit for $17 (5th Ring) and probably figure they'd just as soon sit for the $2 difference.

[aspirant]

Fairchild packs a lot of power for her size, and utilizes it smartly. More than anyone I've seen in the past five years, she has hairpin technique--and without turning into a complete zombie from the neck up. Watching her first workshop performance, I was literally open-mouthed at the speed and crystal-clarity of her footwork.

There is always discussion about tall dancers, but very little about small ones. Both are equally as difficult to hide in the corps line--and I think that this is one (of many, many) reasons to get Fairchild out of the corps!

She was really spectacular in Steadfast last year, which I think falls into both the Effy and Sylph categories (what with the fireplace exit and all!).

[Helene]

I think standing room is only slightly less than the cheapest seat to discourage people from buying S.R. and then grabbing an empty seat. I suppose most people at the box office see that they can stand for $15 or sit for $17 (5th Ring) and probably figure they'd just as soon sit for the $2 difference.

Fifth Ring is only on the sides at New York State Theater, and it's a pretty steep view to the stage. Standing Room is behind the Fourth Ring, and has central view of the stage.

[oberon]

It's funny how differently we see dancers. I don't find any mystery or allure to Fairchild, and no fey quality either. To me she is at the cute stage, with big eyes that make her endearing. She dances well enough but I am not bowled over by her. She took a bad spill during 8 EASY PIECES...everyone falls, it was no big deal although I had the feeling she was pushing too hard. There are not that many roles, at this stage, that I would really want to see Fairchild in. Maybe as she matures she will become more interesting, as Abi and Janie have. (They have become FAR more interesting!!)

That said, I always go to the ballet WANTING to like everyone...her (Fairchild's)Marzipan on Sunday was pretty nice and is the type of part that suits her, for the moment.

[oberon]

Helene,

The nice thing about 5th Ring is you can get really close to the stage even though you are way up...in S.R. you are central but very far away. I don't mind looking "down" on the stage...you can see the patterns of the corps work and keep an eye on some of the girls in the back row.

Ob