New Dancer on Dancer on nycballet.com

[Dale]

Craig Hall is the latest dancer to be featured on nycballet.com's Dancer on Dancer section:

http://www.nycballet.com/students/dancer/c...er1_TSMenuID=27

[drb]

That the word "principal" only appears as a spelling error in an article on a dancer this good is an embarrassment: no, not to the writer but to a management that keeps such a charismatic star in the corps.

[carbro]

Thanks, Dale!

Also, a new album of Kyle Froman's photos: --> Creatures. (You may have to disable your pop-up blocker.)

[perky]

Craig Hall on partnering in the Balanchine tradition:

"I learned that a woman is a piece of jewerly on display for the audience. I must show her facets in the best light to make her sparkle."

[KayDenmark]

What a lovely piece. I'm not surprised that Hall learned his technique from Jock Soto, another wonderful and charismatic dancer.

What upsets me is to learn that Hall will turn 26 this year. When is NYCB going to give him a chance to show what he can do?

I'm also a bit annoyed that all the men of color at NYCB - Soto, Evans, and now Hall and to some extent Ramasar - seem to be chosen mostly for modern roles. I think that 2007 audiences are ready to see a black Siegfried, or a black Romeo, or a black Frantz or Albrecht.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

I'm also a bit annoyed that all the men of color at NYCB - Soto, Evans, and now Hall and to some extent Ramasar - seem to be chosen mostly for modern roles. I think that 2007 audiences are ready to see a black Siegfried, or a black Romeo, or a black Frantz or Albrecht.

Oh, Ramasar would be a wonderful Frantz! And Hall is just plain wonderful ...

[ViolinConcerto]

What a lovely piece. I'm not surprised that Hall learned his technique from Jock Soto, another wonderful and charismatic dancer.

What upsets me is to learn that Hall will turn 26 this year. When is NYCB going to give him a chance to show what he can do?

I'm also a bit annoyed that all the men of color at NYCB - Soto, Evans, and now Hall and to some extent Ramasar - seem to be chosen mostly for modern roles. I think that 2007 audiences are ready to see a black Siegfried, or a black Romeo, or a black Frantz or Albrecht.

I don't think the treatment that KayDenmark speaks of is anything new for Martins. Remember how Mel A. Tomlinson was nearly ignored? I felt that Albert could do Apollo, though now, he might be too old (although Martins did the role for many years). Hall, whose line is nothing short of princely, could certainly do it. Other companies have cast this role in a color-blind manner: for one, Rasta Thomas performed it at the "Wall-to-Wall Balanchine program in March, 2004. While it might have been brought up at other times, this is a real objective issue we could discuss.

Similarly, have BT posters noticed that even though there are many Asian-American women students in SAB, there has never been ONE admitted to the Company? But that's a different thread.

[Helene]

Remember how Mel A. Tomlinson was nearly ignored?

Tomlinson danced two of Arthur Mitchell's key roles, "Phlegmatic" in Four Temperaments and the lead in Agon. He was also cast as Death (La Valse), Dark Angel (Orpheus), and another dark figure in one of the Balanchine one-offs (Persephone, maybe?).

I tend to agree with Arlene Croce's assessment of Tomlinson's skills as a dancer, and it wasn't pretty. I found his upper body to be block-like, with little give and expression in his shoulders and neck. Nevertheless, I felt he was suspiciously typecast.

I always thought Evans was capable of a far greater range than that in which he was cast. I hope Hall gets the opportunities he deserves. (If Apollo were cast by the physical beauty of the dancer, surely Hall qualifies.)

[KayDenmark]

I think I would be willing to fly to New York solely to see Craig Hall in Apollo.

[drb]

...Similarly, have BT posters noticed that even though there are many Asian-American women students in SAB, there has never been ONE admitted to the Company? But that's a different thread.

That is weird, hopefully someone informed on this issue might start such a thread. There are a number of star-quality Asian ballerinas in other companies, and if you look at lists of recent competition winners...

Asian men don't seem to be faring all that well at NYCB either:

Masahiro Suehara, an Asian male dancer who impressed The Times, BTers and me this winter in Balanchine (Tea in Nutcracker) and Martins (Jester in Sleeping Beauty), is now with LA Ballet and earning praise on a LAB BT thread for his work in Bournonville. While, perhaps, talent in works by these three choreographers would not bear directly on one's future value to City Ballet, his departure (sure he was just listed as a guest artist...), and that of Edwaard Liang, seem to leave the tall William Lin-Yee as NYCB's lone Asian-American. Given his excellent partnering and chemistry with Kaitlyn Gilliland, he could be very important to the future of the company; I hope he stays.