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NYCB Spring 2012 Season


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New York City Ballet had a special treat for moms on Sunday afternoon – a whole program of Balanchine ballets. (‘Firebird’, however, was choreographed by both George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.)

The first ballet is ‘Serenade’, set to the music of Tschaikovsky. ‘Serenade’ is the first dance Balanchine created in America (1933). The work is just as glorious as ever, beginning with the opening – those 17 young women in blue raising their right arms to the moonlight. ‘Serenade’ contains no narrative, but Balanchine has found the passion, mystery and drama in Tschaikovsky’s music.

As the waltz girl Janie Taylor rockets onto the stage – an ethereal creature of the twilight. She loves and loses two men and at the ballet’s end is lifted high into the air and carried from the stage by three young men. Has she died? Is she being taken to the afterlife? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Great art is open to varying interpretations.

Dancing the more earthbound roles are Sterling Hyltin as the Russian girl and Rebecca Krohn in the role of the dark angel. Both give beautifully layered performances. The all important corps dancers, whose movements are sometimes reminiscent of the willis in ‘Giselle’, are absolutely perfect. No one put a foot or hand wrong. ‘Serenade’ is a ballet that should live forever.

The second ballet of the afternoon is ‘Firebird’ with music by Stravinsky. It is the only story ballet on the program. In my opinion it is the weakest of the three dance pieces. ‘Firebird’ is based on a Russian fairy tale. While hunting Prince Ivan catches a firebird, half woman and half bird. The Firebird begs for her freedom and the Prince lets her go. The grateful creature gives Ivan a brilliant red feather. She tells him it is a magic charm. If he is ever in trouble all he has to do is wave the feather and the Firebird will come to his rescue.

Ivan then comes across a princess and her handmaidens. The young women are under the control of the evil wizard Kastschei. With the help of the Firebird and her feather, Ivan defeats Kastschei, frees all the girls and marries the Princess.

Strangely enough for a Balanchine ballet, the dancing is overpowered by the scenery and costumes (both designed by Marc Chagall). The roles of Prince Ivan and his Princess are primarily character roles. Acting is required – well delivered by Justin Peck and Gwyneth Muller – not dancing.

The only performer on pointe and in a tutu is the Firebird herself. In the title role Teresa Reichlen is somewhat bland. Her movements don’t seem birdlike enough. When she is captured

by Ivan, Reichlen lacks both energy and a sense of frenzy.

‘Firebird’ is most memorable for the Stravinsky score as well as the Chagall costumes and scenery. It is a nice ballet for children, but in my opinion it is one of Balanchine’s very few misses.

The afternoon ends on an extremely high note with ‘Symphony in C’, set to music by Georges Bizet. ‘Symphony in C’ is one of Balanchine’s glorious tutu ballets. It is divided into four sections, based on the Bizet music. Each movement is led by a ballerina, a premier danseur and the corps de ballet.

In the first movment, Allegro Vivo, Megan Fairchild stands out for her sparkling footwork. Jared Angle is not only an attentive partner, but a spirited performer as well. His dancing has improved wonderfully during the 2011-2012 seasons.

Maria Korowski is magnificent in the second movement: Adagio. Her meltingly expressive upper body, gorgeously fluid movements and lyrically lovely extensions make ‘Symphony in C’ a work of haunting beauty.

Ashley Bouder and Joaquin De Luz are perfectly matched in the ebulliently bouncy third movement. Their lightning speed, incredible elevation, musicality and playful sense of fun – all are in total and complete sync.

In the last movement Tiler Peck whirls across the stage at an astounding pace, spitting out diamond sharp pirouettes. Then the dancers from all four movements join together for an unforgettable finale. Sunday afternoon saw New York City Ballet at its very finest.

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I attended May 18 - Liebeslieder Walzer & Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet.

One word about how I got the ticket (Orchestra row D center) if I may. Bidding for Good is an organization that runs online auctions for non profit organizations. The not-for-profit that I work for uses it, as do many schools and arts organizations. I went to biddingforgood.com searched under tickets - ballet/dance - nyc. A school in Washington DC had these tickets in their auction. I bid and was the highest bidder. I got the tickets for less than face value and the money went to a school. I thought maybe some of you might want to check it out.

On with the show. Liebeslieder blew me away. One of the few Balanchine ballets that I wasn't familiar with. The inventiveness of the partnering and musicality of the choreography is extraordinary. Loved the cast - Bouder, Kowroski, Janie Taylor, Whelan, Jared Angle, Tyler Angle, Marcovici. Jonathan Stafford. So many magical moments with gestures, facings and relationships. One lift, where Bouder was lifted into a horizontal position is just one that took my breath away. I confess, my eyes teared a few times and at one point my husband starting squeezing my hand! Maybe those of you who have seen the ballet before can point out deficiencies in the cast - this first timer was enchanted.

Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet - 1st movement Rebecca Krohn, Chase Finley with the other soloist being Emily Kikta. For me Krohn is a constantly improving dancer. She is growing in technique and her performance quality seems softer and more nuanced. I enjoyer her. Chase Finley has great potential but seems a little scared! The partnering worked out, mostly because Krohn fixed things. He had a slight moment of tripping, but I see the potential and look forward to following him. The great thing about NYC ballet rep is that he can be tossed out there in lots of roles and so he will grow.

2nd movement - Tiler Peck & Justin Peck. Tiler Peck has become one of my favorite dancers. I'm starting to think that there are few roles (if any) that she couldn't be cast in. Enough said.

3rd movement - Ana Sophia Scheller & Gonzalo Garcia. Scheller is a lovely dancer. She has a strong and secure technique, has beautiful line and brought tremendous beauty to the role. I believe she'd be a principal dancer if the roles she is most suited for weren't already covered by Bouder, Megan Fairchild and Tiler Peck. Gonzalo Garcia is a dancer I don't care for and this ballet reinforced that opinion. When he jumps, his positions don't really gel so we don't see the shape in the air. His turns are hit or miss and his partnering isn't very attractive.

4th movement - Reichlin (replacing Mearns) & Ramasar. She's a little big for him, but it didn't matter much. They had the right kind of playfulness for this, and both seemed to have a great time.

I just want to thank everyone for their reviews. I love reading them, please keep them coming.

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Hi there. I was at Friday's performance as well. I have never before seen Bouder give such a lyric interpretation to an adagio role. She is, as we all know, a great allegro dancer. However, I've often been disappointed in her performances in adagio roles. This was a whole other side of Ashley that we don't see very often. The entire cast was marvelous.

IN B-S Quartet, I thought Finlay was stil trying to find his way back and get his sea legs back under him after a long period of absence. The first movement saw the debut of corps member Ms.Kitka in the soloist role. More please! This young dancer had great sweeping grandeur in her upper body and arms. Her jetes were huge. I can't wait to see her in other roles. Tiler Peck danced with complete abandon in the second movement. She was absolutely breathtaking. Justin Peck, her partner, was good, but he still has a ways to go. Scheller and Garcia were thrilling in the third movement. I thought Scheller captivating. Didn't stay for the fourth movement in order to get home and prepare for super Saturday at ABT.

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Both NYC Ballet and Roslyn Sulcas tweeted a few hours ago that Ana Sophia Scheller and Rebecca Krohn were promoted to Principals!yahoo.gif

Well deserved and congrats. Now we will see if anyone gets promoted to soloist.

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The season is heading towards the end, and I'm so sorry! I can't wait for fall. I enjoy NYCB so much.

Saw Liebslieder Waltzer on Sunday and again tonight. I love this piece. Maria Kowroski was beautiful both performances -- her beauty, her flow, her arabesque penchee, and her solemnity -- all so moving. Tiler Peck on Sunday was perfection in the lift into the horizontal position. Ashley Bouder, in the same role tonight, seemed a little too ready to bounce into a saucy grin and her usual brisk allegro. I'm not sure this is the right role for her, she needs to develop more a quality of inner life. But I loved her all the same. The brothers Angle danced tonight (Jared w/ Wendy Whelan, Tyler w/ Bouder). They are both so terrific -- wonderful partners, wonderful dancers, I love the gentle deference they give the women, while also retaining a manly presence of their own.

But did anyone else find the piano a little too quiet? I wish they could move it closer to the front of the stage. Also, since this is the (former) home of (the late) City Opera, and they have the capacity, what about showing the libretto above the stage? It adds a lot to understanding the ballet.

Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet tonight, first movement, I kept wondering, who is that soloist? I couldn't place her, but she was wonderful. After the show, I looked at my program: Emily Kitka. Add her to the list for promotion to soloist!

Second movement, Tiler Peck makes every second thrilling.

Fourth movement, Teresa Reichlen is wonderful and beautiful no matter what she does, but I can't help but feel her talents are better used elsewhere. Isn't this a good role for Ashley Bouder?

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Also, since this is the (former) home of (the late) City Opera, and they have the capacity, what about showing the libretto above the stage? It adds a lot to understanding the ballet.

From Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets: "Sometimes friends ask me why we do not print the words to all of these love songs in the program so that everyone will understand the original German. I always answer that the words really have nothing to do with the dances; to print them would suggest that the dances are illustrations and I never had that in mind."

Of course, Balanchine could have said that simply because he didn't want people to be distracted from the dancing on stage by looking down at their programs (or analogously, today, up at the supertitles). Indeed, Balanchine himself quotes the words of the last song in his mini-essay: "Now, Muses, enough! You try in vain to portray how misery and happiness alternate in a loving heart."

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I arrived in NY yesterday, and maybe it was b/c I was tired(got up at 5am) or the guy blowing his nose constantly next to me, or the singers with moments that made me wince, but I found Libeslieder unbelievably boring even during the second part when the women don their dance dresses, although it did get much better. The dancers were wonderful despite my mood, but each time one of the singers sang by herself or himself I was like, "Not you again!" the women had too much vibrato. The tenor had issues with his top voice. The baritone was the best of the bunch. None of them sounded like they connected with the text or understood what they were singing. If this had been a Lieder recital without dancing I would have walked out.

After intermission the magic began. I hadn't seen Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and was blown away! I told my partner afterward, "Now THAT is what Balanchine was famous for!" I absolutely loved the whole ballet and sat mesmerized. Tiler Peck and Ana Sophia Scheller were amazing as we're Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar in the final gypsy dances.

The second ballet made it worth it. Plus, the blowing nose guy left after intermission!!!

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Bart, I may be in the minority, but I find Liebslieder Waltzer increibly boring. It doesn't matter how much sleep I've had, I have trouble staying awake during it. To me it's a combination of the music and the lack of dancing much of the time. There are certain Balanchine ballets that I needed time to really appreciate and enjoy - like Apollo and Agon. I've tried Liebslieder quite a few times over the years, but to no avail. I've just decided that if it is ever part of my subscription series, I'll just have to exchange the ticket.

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Agreed that the singers in Liebeslieder were terrible -- they all seemed to have only one volume setting -- extremely loud. You could barely hear the piano. I kept thinking how nice it would have been to have just the instrumental accompaniment and no singers. Also, the guy next to us kept humming to the songs, which only added to the annoyance (who knows these lieder by heart??). I thought the Angle brothers and Maria K., in particular, were wonderful (despite the singing).

Amar R. and Tess R. had terrific energy in Brahms-Schoenberg. What a great way to end the evening! Both dancers handled all the technical demands extremely well, too -- even though the height difference made some of the penchees a little iffy. Liked Tiler P. and Justin P. in the second movement -- they've improved since the last time I saw them do it, but they're still not as fuid as the Robert F. and Sterling H. combo (although no-one can beat Tiler P. at any kind of turns!). Ana Sophia Scheller was great in the third movement, and the corps in that movement were beautiful, too. Unfortunately, the first movement was disappointing. Emily K. was nowhere near as good as Megan LeCrone earlier this season -- Megan has much more presence and a bigger jump. Emily K. landed with a thud and her extensions were not as high. I found myself watching the corps men more than her. And Chase Finlay -- I just don't get why people are so blown away. He can't do one double tour (let alone the three that the man has in his solo), his partnering always seems rough, and he's always out of breath. (I didn't like his Apollo either, where he literally stumbled more than once). Aren't there better men in the corps who deserve a chance? If only NYCB had a fraction of the male embarrasment of riches that ABT has (where most of them are wasted, doing boring peasant dances in the corps, in terrible costumes, to boot!).

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If you go to the NYCB Facebook page and scroll down, they are selling tickets for the May 24-27 Stroman's Double Feature for $10: https://www.facebook.com/nycballet

Theatre Development Fund has tickets listed for four performances May 25-27 @$31.

Thank you very much -- I would not have known about this and just purchased a 10 Dollar seat in the first ring for Sat afternoon.

To Colleen Boresta and Bart Birdsall: I am one of those who love Liebeslieder and attended two performances this season w. largely different casts last weekend. I enjoyed both performances greatly, but I attended w. someone who has seen it w. me three times altogether now (once a few years ago) and is always bored silly especially by the first part. He can't stand not seeing the dancers' bodies when they are in the ballgowns and complained to me rather hilariously (as I thought) that that part of the ballet was just "heads bobbing around"...This is someone who loves Symphony in C and when he saw Concerto Barocco (also a few years back) thought it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life! To make matters worse -- and this is something that I infer is not true of you -- he can't stand Lieder. You may well ask why he has sat through the ballet so many times. Let's just say I'm lucky because it is one of my favorite ballets of all time.

I find Liebeslieder much more adult than say the Balanchine Schumann ballet with which it is somewhat cognate and which I also like and admire. . . The relationships seem more nuanced and I find the lack of concern with the sufferings of male genius (comforted by various women) more adult. Of course this could partly be the difference between Schumann and Brahms. Anyway, I believe in the reality of the people in Liebeslieder because the choreography reveals each of their relationships to be so complex and varied. It's not just a contrast between the different couples but within each couple the moods and exchanges vary so much.

I saw two casts and thought the (mostly) more experienced cast of Whelan, Kowroski, Bouder, and Taylor gave a slightly richer performance overall -- one that, cliche as it sounds, brought tears to my eyes. Whelan does not have the full freedom of movement she once did (or that Sterling Hyltin has in the same role) but brings a sense of interior depths to her role that always moves me deeply. In her first solo, her gesture of reaching forward with her arm (first traveling downstage, later upstage) has a yearning quality; she knows how to dance as if the audience were not there. Bouder in a debut at first had difficulty convincing me that she belonged in the world of nineteenth-century ballrooms and gardens--but then her dancing simply won me over to her imaginative world! She danced the role fearlessly and showed all the passion and bite that can indeed can lie underneath a nineteenth-century woman as choreographed by Balanchine...loved the performance. Taylor brings a winsome mystery to everything she does--at first I thought I might prefer her if she were more precise in her movements, but when I compared her to Megan Fairchild's debut, I realized how much would be missing without her slightly strange theatrical quality. (Fairchild has the neatness, but can't yet quite convey the sense of personality--I should say the depths of being--the roles in this ballet require.) Kowroski was beautiful in both casts and perhaps even better the second night I saw her...actually fresher and more spontaneous though perhaps my eye was simply more attuned to what she was doing.

The cast of debuts (Peck, Hyltin, Fairchild, w. Kowroski filling in for Mearns who was supposed to make her debut) seemed to me lighter in emotional texture in part because Hyltin "performed" too much in the first part and where Whelan's gestures were yearning she seemed to pose. In part two I thought she was better and one appreciated the greater freedom of movement she has as well. She also had a slight costume malfunction (lace strap/sleeve fell down) in the final pas de deux; she tried to fix it but then wisely realized that would just keep interfering with the choreography. From there on in, she danced with grace and aplomb and actually seemed more intensely "inside" the world of the ballet than in the first part. So I ended up quite liking her performance. A real highlight in this cast was Taylor Peck (same role Bouder danced) who is able to combine a sense freedom and (in her case subdued) passion with just a touch of elegant opacity. There is more to this person than appears...And like Bouder she simply dances the part fearlessly. Moreover these are both dancers who are so secure you never fear for them. Very glad I got to see both.

The men in both casts were very good I thought and added greatly to layering of the ballet. How charming to learn that Marcovici and Taylor are now engaged. But I will single out Chase Finlay in Sat night's cast partnering Megan Fairchild. I had seen him for the first time Friday night in the first movement of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and, having heard so much about him, was a little non-plussed as he seemed tentative and only danced well in bits...then I read that he was not only coming back from injury but had been out for nearly a year...in which case, good for him and welcome back. BUT in Liebeslieder on Sat night (where of course he does not have to dance any exposed classical solos) I was very impressed with how fully and entirely he entered into the world of the ballet. Wonderful--especially for a young, less experienced dancer.

Sat night's performance of Liebeslieder (the Hyltin, Peck etc. cast) was followed by a fine (though not flawless) Symphony in C. Abi Stafford danced the first movement and I would like to mention how much she seems to me to have grown as a dancer in the last few years. She does not dance on the large scale of some of the company's other dancers but she now infuses her dancing with a quiet warmth and graciousness that is very appealing. As already mentioned above, Kowroski (who had just danced Liebeslieder) had some shaky moments at the beginning of the adagio and I would add that she is not quite as supple and pliant in the role as she once was, but past the first shaky moments she gave a beautiful account of each wondrously unfolding phrase.

Indeed watching the whole performance I was reminded of seeing the Maryinsky dance Symphony in C last summer: no surprise that I much prefer NYCB! The corps was bright and energetic--Bouder and De Luz exuberant in the 3rd movement though she had a couple of little bobbles. Pereira looked out of her depths in the fourth movement (I don't know if this was a debut?)...But what a ballet...It's like a splendid work of (dance) architecture.

Martins' Mes Oiseaux on the same program looked as if it might be an interesting novelty and I rather liked the costumes, but it came to seem less interesting to me as it progressed with the exception of the rather ingenious male solo for Taylor Stanley. (On Friday's Program Liebeslieder was followed by a slightly uneven performance of Brahms Schoenberg Quartet. Some wonderful passages of dancing; some less so.)

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Also, the guy next to us kept humming to the songs, which only added to the annoyance (who knows these lieder by heart??).

Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer are also often performed by choruses, both professional and amateur, so it may be that your neighbor learned them that way -- that's how I first came to know them.

I'm a huge Liebeslieder fan; I love it even when the singers and dancers aren't up to par. But it took a while for me to figure out how to watch the women in their heeled slippers and ballgowns, and now I think the first half is really my favorite.

I thought Saturday evening's cast (M. Fairchild & Chase Finlay, S. Hyltin & R. Fairchild, M. Kowroski & J. Stafford, T. Peck & J. Peck) showed great potential, especially considering the number of debuts (five), the fact that J. Peck and J. Stafford are still very new to their roles (Stafford had only debuted the night before), and that, with the exception of Kowroski and Stafford, none of the dancers had ever performed the ballet together before. It's a shame they only got a to do a couple of performances before the work gets put back in mothballs -- I don't see it on the schedule for next year, alas ...

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I saw two casts and thought the (mostly) more experienced cast of Whelan, Kowroski, Bouder, and Taylor gave a slightly richer performance overall -- one that, cliche as it sounds, brought tears to my eyes. Whelan does not have the full freedom of movement she once did (or that Sterling Hyltin has in the same role) but brings a sense of interior depths to her role that always moves me deeply. In her first solo, her gesture of reaching forward with her arm (first traveling downstage, later upstage) has a yearning quality; she knows how to dance as if the audience were not there.

Drew, I cried every single time I watched Whelan and Hübbe dance the final duet (the one that begins with "Nein, Geliebter").

Pereira looked out of her depths in the fourth movement (I don't know if this was a debut?)

It was.

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Hübbe was actually sitting a few seats down from me on Sat night...I was plenty excited to see him.

I saw him too -- it took a moment for me to recognize him in his civvies ... and I was too shy to tell him how much I missed seeing him dance Liebeslieder (and Apollo and so many other things). Robert Fairchild was very, very good, but even he couldn't erase my memories of Hübbe in that final duet.

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Thank you California for the Facebook info. I got 2 row A 1st Ring tickets for $10 each!

To Colleen Boresta and Bart Birdsall I just want to say that I saw Liebeslider a couple of times many years ago and found it boring. I was sitting in the 4th ring both times. I recently saw a movie that had a clip of Violette Verdy coaching 2 Paris Opera dancers in it. She was describing such beautiful details, nuances and musical phrasings that I decided to give Liebs one more try. This time I sat really close - row D orchestra - and I loved it. I decided that either it's something of a chamber work that I need to see close up or Violette Verdy gave me a hint about how to watch it when she coached. So at this point I totally relate those who find it boring and those who love it.

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Thank you California for the Facebook info. I got 2 row A 1st Ring tickets for $10 each!

Wow! And Drew also says he got a row A-1st ring ticket for $10. I would have guessed they'd be selling far side/back seats at that price. You'll both have to report back on the new work!

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Thanks to California's posting about $10 tickets I went to see Double Feature today. It seemed to me that a lot of $10 tickets were sold. It also seemed that it was not your typical ballet audience.

It is a work that I hadn't planned to go see. The $10 price was too hard to resist. I had a good time, and am glad I saw it. I won't go to see it again.

Kudos to the performers. In part 1 I particularly enjoyed Megan Fairchild (hilarious in the "ugly stepsister" role - the one who can't dance), Savanah Lowery (The evil step mother) and most of all Robert Fairchild (serving the function of prince Charming).

Part 2 Joachin De Luz, Amar Ramasar, Veyette, Jonathan Stafford were all perfect, charming and engaging in their roles. The ladies who were proposed to in Central Park were also good characters. I could go into each one, but I won't.

The piece IMO - Stroman is great in musical theater and it showed. She is best when doing bits and showing specifics of character, but is not a ballet choreographer. In The Blue Necklace (part 1) the pas de deux that she did with Megan Fairchild (to show she can't dance) and Robert Fairchild (a convincing Matinee Idol) was very funny and worked. The pas with Hyltin and Robert Fairchild which was supposed to show both that she could dance and the romantic possibilities between them was not so good. It just went on, and on and ended. Nice dancing but nothing inventive, distinctive or memorable.

Makin Whoppee showed the same. In the beginning, when the De Luz character was disappointed that the girl (T. Peck) left in impatience before he could propose he did a solo. My thought was OK you have Joaquin De Luz to play with and this is all you came up with. On the other hand the chase scenes with the multitude of brides (both male & females in wedding dresses) were chasing De Luz worked. Pure, classic musical theatre

I'd be interested in anyone else's impressions. Also, I'm glad the the NYCB dancers had a chance to do this. It must be fun and broadening. If De Luz was still at ABT he'd be either stuck at the soloist level doing peasant pas or be a principle doing leads a few times a week.

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I saw Double Feature during its initial outing a few years ago, and I never had any desire to see it again. It's fun Broadway - style fluff, but it's not ballet. In the NY Times review that appeared in yesterday's paper, it was described, perfectly, as a ballet for people who do not like ballet. When Stroman first made this work, Peter Martins was quoted as saying that his goal in having Stroman do this was to sell a lot of tickets. That goal was accomplished when it initially debuted. However, it appears from the $10 ticket offer that NYCB's core audience is not flocking to see this revival, especially at the new Super-Sized prices they are charging. That should be a lesson to NYCB as to the consequences when you alienate your core audience. I started receiving discount offers for this back in March, so they have realized for a number of weeks that this was going to be a box office bomb.

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That should be a lesson to NYCB as to the consequences when you alienate your core audience. I started receiving discount offers for this back in March, so they have realized for a number of weeks that this was going to be a box office bomb.

How did Ocean's Kingdom sell after its initial run? It would be nice if they saw that bringing in rock stars and their designer daughters isn't the way to sell a lot of tickets either. But I may be dreaming.

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Selling tickets for a weak full length ballet is much more difficult than selling tickets for a weak one act ballet, because you can always put one or two great ballets on the same program. For example, the only way you could see Vienna Waltzes for the last two seasons was to also see the deadly Seven Deadly Sins on the same program.

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Selling tickets for a weak full length ballet is much more difficult than selling tickets for a weak one act ballet, because you can always put one or two great ballets on the same program. For example, the only way you could see Vienna Waltzes for the last two seasons was to also see the deadly Seven Deadly Sins on the same program.

Oh, thanks, I forgot Ocean's Kingdom was a one-acter.

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I saw "Double Feature" several times when it first opened and enjoyed much about it: the historical references, the costumes, hair, mime, story, moving sets, characterizations, and more. I even loved to "hate" Kyra Nichols as the original mean mom in "Blue Necklace." Also, there was that unbeatable point when Ashley Bouder bounded out from behind the couch in her teen-aged incarnation: it was a true "star is born" moment, and it stuck. What I particularly LOVED about it was Tom Gold in "Makin' Whoopie" and I was hoping they'd get him back as a guest artist for this run.... but no such luck. He was such a perfect Buster Keaton that it brought it all up a few notches. And don't forget Damian Woetzel as THE perfect matinee idol, and the mobs of brides in part II. And of course, the Boston Terrier was a perfect match up. I miss that particular pup. I just let myself "go" totally with the corn and silliness and loved it.

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I saw Double Feature this weekend though of course not with the original cast and quite enjoyed it myself though I have conflicting feelings about performing non-human animals. I also thought the dancers were great. And Tyler Peck's double fouettés can compete with anyone's--and I do mean anyone's! I wouldn't make a special trip to NY to see Double Feature again (and had not come to NY especially to see it) but I'm glad I did see it.

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