Saratoga Casting, Week 3

[Dale]

From the company:

JULY 18-22, 2006

Tuesday evening, July 18 at 7:30 pm

Russian Seasons: RINGER, SYLVE, WHELAN, EVANS [Delmoni]

The Cage: SOMOGYI, BAR, MARCOVICI, HENDRICKSON

Andantino: FAIRCHILD, DE LUZ [McDill]

Romeo and Juliet: *MORGAN, T. ANGLE

Firebird: KOWROSKI, ASKEGARD, RUTHERFORD, SETH

Wednesday evening, July 19 at 7:30 pm

Divertimento No. 15: SCHELLER, *PECK, RUTHERFORD, A. STAFFORD, WEESE, VEYETTE, *LIANG, J. STAFFORD

Songs of the Auvergne: KISTLER, MARCOVICI, HYLTIN, KROHN, ORZA, *LARACEY, J. STAFFORD

Vienna Waltzes: RUTHERFORD, HÜBBE, FAIRCHILD, DE LUZ, RIGGINS, GOLD, RINGER, MARTINS, NICHOLS, NEAL

Thursday matinee, July 20 at 1:30 pm

Divertimento No. 15: SCHELLER, PECK, RUTHERFORD, A. STAFFORD, WEESE, VEYETTE, LIANG, J. STAFFORD

Songs of the Auvergne: KISTLER, MARCOVICI, HYLTIN, KROHN, ORZA, LARACEY, J. STAFFORD

Vienna Waltzes: RUTHERFORD, HÜBBE, FAIRCHILD, DE LUZ, RIGGINS, GOLD, RINGER, MARTINS, NICHOLS, NEAL

Thursday evening, July 20 at 7:30 pm

Friandises: PECK, ULBRICHT

In the Night: RUTHERFORD, KOWROSKI, RINGER, T. ANGLE, ASKEGARD, MARCOVICI [McDill]

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux: SCHELLER, MILLEPIED

Evenfall: WEESE, WOETZEL [Grant]

Friday evening, July 21 at 7:30 pm

Symphony in C:

1st Mov.: SOMOGYI, J. STAFFORD

2nd Mov.: WHELAN, ASKEGARD

3rd Mov.: FAIRCHILD, DE LUZ

4th Mov.: A. STAFFORD, HIGGINS

Songs of the Auvergne: KISTLER, MARCOVICI, HYLTIN, KROHN, ORZA, LARACEY, J. STAFFORD

Vienna Waltzes: RUTHERFORD, HÜBBE, WEESE, WOETZEL, RIGGINS, GOLD, RINGER, MARTINS, KISTLER, ASKEGARD

Saturday matinee, July 22 at 1:30 pm

Russian Seasons: RINGER, SYLVE, WHELAN, EVANS [Delmoni]

The Cage: SOMOGYI, BAR, MARCOVICI, HENDRICKSON

Andantino: FAIRCHILD, DE LUZ [McDill]

Romeo and Juliet: MORGAN, T. ANGLE

Firebird: KOWROSKI, ASKEGARD, RUTHERFORD, SETH

Saturday evening, July 23 at 7:30 pm - GALA

Slice to Sharp: SYLVE, WHELAN, KOWROSKI, SCHELLER, RAMASAR, HALL, LIANG, DE LUZ [Delmoni, Nikkanen]

The Red Violin (excerpt): SOMOGYI, MEARNS, HYLTIN, PECK, MARCOVICI, RAMASAR, VEYETTE, SUOZZI [Nikkanen]

Herman Schmerman: WHELAN, EVANS

In Vento: MILLEPIED, KOWROSKI, FOWLER

[AmandaNYC]

From the company:

Romeo and Juliet: *MORGAN, T. ANGLE

Kathryn Morgan, who just became an apprentice? Wow.

-amanda

[SingerWhoMoves]

I was just thinking the same thing! Good for her. Merde Kathryn!

Sandi

[Michael]

How nicely calculated to make all the other young women, who have been killing themselves since last November's Nutcracker time, feel good about things.

[sz]

Couldn't agree with you more, and thank you for saying it. It's so very insulting to all the other lovely young females at NYCB who have been killing themselves all year... seeing the newest apprentice cast in the Romeo and Juliet pas. I could think of a dozen others who would dance this very well with Tyler, and have certainly earned the opportunity.

[drb]

Isn't it important to cast apprentices, so that they have a chance to earn a position in the company? Members of the corps are already in. Also, Mr. B. cast dancers who would interest him in a role, not according to rank. Isn't this a tradition which, by and large, helps make the company more interesting to many of us when compared to the totally stagnant casting at that other local company? One reason why we wish so many corps dancers might have a chance to play Juliet is that we've been given plenty of chances to see each of them!

Merde, Kathryn!

[leibling]

I don't know that I have often seen apprentices being cast in solo and leading roles, however. Generally, a dancer is an apprentice when it is felt that he or she is not completely ready to take on the full demands of a full corps contract. I had always thought that "a good opportunity" for an apprentice would be an appearance in the corps of a ballet. Those corps dancers that you wish would be Juliet should be the ones receiving such an opportunity so that the audience can see what else they can do besides their regular corps roles. I really shouldn't comment, I suppose- I have never seen the girl in question. Maybe she is a tremendous talent and an instant star (then maybe she should have been made a corps member already?). I think this type of casting bothers me, though, because I see it happen in other places, too. Generally, the dancer does very well, but I am often left wondering if the performance might have been artistically richer with a little more of a chance to mature and develop in roles that don't require so much pressure.

[SingerWhoMoves]

Interestingly, as a performer who has paid her dues and "killed herself" , I had the opposite reaction. I was instantly thrilled for Kathryn and thought that she must be very special indeed to have warranted this casting. Firstly, I thought- it's in Saratoga- a safer place to try it out than at the State theatre. I don't necessarily think that every casting is a reward- just part of the job. I know the Mearns Swan lake was met with skepticism when it was announced, but look how well she did.

As for Juliet- perhaps Kathryn's innocence will shine through as the part is intended and will make the performance that much more real.

I mean no disrespect to the wonderful company dancers who work so hard, but I think there must be a method to the "madness".

Sandi

[drb]

In fairness to the young dancer, she's already danced a principal role with NYCB last February, the grand PdD in Wheeldon's Scenes de Ballet, to favorable reviews.

[carbro]

As, at age 15, Jenifer Ringer danced the Waltz Girl in Serenade on the stage of the NYST, during a NYCB performance. However, Serenade was danced by SAB students, Ringer was performing as a student, and it was several years before she got to dance that lead (or any other) as a member of NYCB.

Perhaps this could be justified if this were the end of Morgan's apprentice period (as was the case with Robert Fairchild this past spring), where she'd already shown extraordinary promise. But a little dues paying in corps roles (and isn't that what she'd been working towards these past few years?) might be in order.

Beck_hen's citation of Ashton from the "Care and Feeding" thread in ABT forum is particularly apt here:

Yet another quotation, from Frederick Ashton. I don't know if it directly relates but it's a good sentiment:

"If you want to keep a company happy, you can't always look after the talented dancers, the ones with gifts—you have to look after people who've been loyal, who've been useful, who happen to be good partners, good mimes—they all have to be considered, they must also be treated decently, and if you do that I think you can hold a company. It's when you start abusing them and only looking after the talented ones that a company falls to pieces."

[Michael]

Kathryn Morgan is a superb young dancer and will do well as Juliet. My comment was not a comment about her. It was totally a propos of the institution.

On the other hand -- We should not underestimate the institutional "pull' towards keeping the girls in the corps "in the corps." You are first rehearsing and now performing Swan Lake, for example, dozens of roles, leads in every national dance, plus a large corps de ballet. Rosemary Dunleavy (the ballet mistress who does the corps de ballet there) in such a context is probably going to resist having anyone important taken out of her mix, which she has worked like a beaver (and worked the dancers like beavers too) to achieve. An apprentice coming into the company on the other hand is cost free from this point of view, she can be rehearsed as Juliet without impeding anyone or anything else being performed. Thus, plausibly (at least), casting like this. But I will bet that there are a dozen other young dancers who would have been happy to do it, and I for one would have been completely happy to see them do it.

Now good luck to Ms. Morgan all the same --

[KayDenmark]

I agree with SingerWhoMoves - I think it'll be refreshing to see a very young woman as Juliet.

That's not to say an older dancer doesn't have something to bring to the part, but it is certainly something different than what an inexperienced (if talented) 17-year old can offer.

[sz]

Nearly all of the current corps dancers at NYCB are very, very young. And of course, it's thrilling to see a brand new apprentice be given so much so soon, in a principal role. This is not about that.

Everyone is excited for Ms. Morgan. And I'm sure she'll do very well as a Juliet. But for many of the hard working dancers who have put in a year or two or three at NYCB already, it would be even more exciting to see a young corps dancer be given this huge reward of appreciation. I also don't think Ms. Morgan would lose anything by first being given a few months to become settled into the needs of such a demanding company.

Anyway, I'll be in Saratoga at that time... hoping to see everyone dancing in high spirits.

[drb]

One of the best things about NYCB is that audiences really get to know the corps dancers, even, if we're lucky enought to go to the annual SAB performances, before they enter the company. So we know from early on how terrific each one is, and can search the casting sheets to see who is getting a soloist or even principal role each day. The chance to see a given corps dancer in a significant role has often been the deciding factor for me in attending a performance.

It is much harder to find such pleasures at ABT. For one, they only post casting for "major" roles. For another, corps dancers are far less likely to dance soloist or principal parts. Soloists are far less likely to get principal parts. Comparitive stats are posted on the ABT Care and Feeding thread. Maybe because of these greater opportunities, NYCB has five more principal positions and twice as many soloists. From the most recent long list of promotions to soloist we see there are a variety of reasons dancers get promoted. For long and meritorius service, for dancing frequently above their designated level over time, and, more quickly, for stand-out performances above their official level. All reasons are good, just about everyone has the chance to get that very substantial salary increase. We read on dancers' blogs about how rough it is to get through those every-day corps roles in long runs of Nuts and Swans but also of the wonderful esprit de corps our company has.

Thank you dancers and thank you casters. Finally, let's remember that those promotions cost $'s. Hey us, support our company!

[Dale]

Let's also remember that choreographers can often control casting of their ballets. The Romeo and Juliet pas de deux is by Lavery, who is active in the company.

Anyway, we seem to be at one of our impasses where each side might be determined to get the last word in. So let's move on.

[tx2182]

how is ms. hyltin doing this summer??? she is really special!!!

[drb]

Let's also remember that choreographers can often control casting of their ballets. The Romeo and Juliet pas de deux is by Lavery, who is active in the company.

...

The feature on Katie Morgan in the August 20, 2006 Links says Dale got it right:

For a teenage apprentice to step into a lead is "extremely unusual," said Kay Mazzo, co-chairman of the faculty of the School of American Ballet in New York, where Morgan has been a student.

"It almost never happens, but the man who choreographed it said he was looking at who he could put into it," Mazzo said by long distance. "She seemed perfect for the part, he said to me, and I certainly agreed with him."

Katie adressed a concern expressed earlier on this thread:

"I'm still in shock," Morgan said recently while in Mobile. "Usually, when a principal dancer goes out, they pick another principal."

She said there were about 90 principal [sic] dancers in front of her who could have been selected.

It may have helped that she'd been dancing Juliet (along with a video of the ballet) in her living room since a child, making her casting similar to the Swan Lake casting of Sara Mearns, who had learned that ballet (and danced it in competition) before being cast as O/O by Peter Martins. (http://www.al.com/entertainment/mobileregi...ll=3&thispage=1)

I'd imagine that when an "unknown" is chosen by a choreographer over dancers who've earned a shot at a role it must be rough on Company morale. On the other hand, it may also send a signal that everyone is being seen by management and can have a big break at any moment. I suspect "choreographer rules" is a rule very helpful to AD's, when confronted with a no-win situation.