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NYCB @ KennedyCtr, March 26-31, 2013


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Good news seems to come in threes. First the Farrell Ballet troupe with rare Balanchines, then the San Francisco Ballet with a mixed bill (not just R&J)...and now this! The KennCen has just revealed details of the March 2013 tour and it's a beauty. Mostly Balanchines. Mostly major. Plus a major Robbins.

http://www.kennedy-c...ts/?event=BNBSH

Program A (March 26 & 27 eves. and 31 mat.)

Swan Lake (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)

Allegro Brillante (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)

Tschaikovsky Suite No.3 (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)

Program B (March 28 & 29 eves., 30 mat. & eve.)

Glass Pieces (Robbins/Glass)

Carousel (A Dance) (Wheeldon/Rodgers)

Vienna Waltzes (Balanchine/J. Strauss Jr., Lehar, and R. Strauss)

Yes, this is the rarely-seen one-act Swan Lake by Mr. B....and the full Tchai Suite no 3, of which 'Theme & Variations' is but the 4th and final segment.

What began as an announcement of a seemingly 'kiddie-centric' Kennedy Center ballet season is turning into a dream for adults.

p.s. Edited to add: part of the ABT Mixed Bill (to precede the weekend Corsaires) has also been posted on the KennCen web...and more 'major Balanchine' on tap!:

Mixed Repertory Program (Apr. 9 & 10)

Symphony in C (Balanchine/Bizet)

The Moor's Pavane (Limón/Purcell)

Final Work to be Announced [... there's still room for Ratmansky's FIREBIRD here!]

Also, the details of the Ballet Across America III mini-festival have been posted. Among the works to be performed are two other 'major Balanchines' -- Symph in 3 Movements (Boston Ballet) and Fout Ts (Pa. Ballet) and many other delights, such as Ashton's Les Patineurs with Sarasota Ballet. smile.png I hate to say it but, as things now stand, the Mariinsky's portion of the season (a full week of the Ratmansky Cinderella) is the only one that I plan to miss. I'll miss the Canadians too if all they'll bring is Alice...but there's still room to add a night or two of mixed bill.

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I had been depressed because both the Kennedy Center and POB programming for next season seemed disappointing/not to my taste, but the KenCen season is actually turning out to be quite good. My faith in Michael Kaiser is restored!

NYCB's Program A looks fantastic. For Program B, I wish they were bringing a different Balanchine (they just brought Vienna Waltzes a few years ago - maybe 4 years), but of course it could be worse.

Thanks for the news, Natalia!

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NYCB's Program A looks fantastic. For Program B, I wish they were bringing a different Balanchine (they just brought Vienna Waltzes a few years ago - maybe 4 years), but of course it could be worse.

I agree. I remember Glass Pieces and Carousel at the KC not too long ago as well, and while I love the first and like the second, it's not like the company doesn't have a huge rep to choose from. I don't think they've done the three Tchaikovsky ballets here since they began coming again about 10 (?) years ago.

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Plenty of opportunities to see the latest cohort of newly-promoted dancers show what they can do! If you happen to be at the Tuesday or Sunday performances of Swan Lake, keep an eye out for Ashley Laracey's lovely, lovely performance in the Pas de Neuf.

Bye-the-bye, the company has posted short performance video clips showcasing each principal and soloist in the "Dancers" section of the NYCB website. Very nice -- and of course, not nearly enough!

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The Kennedy Center run began last night with the first-cast All-Balanchine/All-Tchaikovsky triple bill of Swan Lake, Allegro Brillante and Tchaikovsky Suite no. 3. While the second cast seems the most promising -- I'm calling today 'Super Wednesday'! -- I can thank SimonA for inspiring me to buy a last-minute ticket for the opener, principally to see the amazing Tiler Peck and Amar Ramasar in their only week-day KC appearance as the leads in Allegro Brillante. THANK YOU, SimonA - this was a performance of Allegro for the ages! Tiler and Amar were as sharp and delightfully musical as any leading couple I've seen in this all-too-short 15-minute work. They both played with the music - the wonderful solo piano of Elaine Chelton - as if they WERE the music. Quicksilver footwork was the hallmark of the entire cast, for whom Balanchine created some of his most felicitous choreography, emphasizing the 'canon' aspect of movements quickly repeated, in succession, by each of the four 'demisolo' couples comprising the small ensemble. They deserve mentions: 'bravi' to Lauren King, Ashley Laracey, Megan LeCrone, Brittany Pollack, Austin Laurent, Allen Peiffer, Andrew Scordato and Christian Tworzyanski, all of whom will repear as the ensemble backing tonight's 2nd-cast soloists, Fairchild and Veyette.

Balanchine's compact (1 act) version of Swan Lake is always a delight to view, particularly for the high-energy and perpetuum mobile of the female ensemble of 30 -- count 'em, 30! -- corps swans. (This is definitely a ballet best experienced from the balconies.) I also greatly admired Tyler Angle's solo (to the music usually danced by the 'Big Swans' in Act II), particularly his high entrechats, spontaneously applauded by the audience. Kudos, too, to Savannah Lowery as the leader of the Valse Bluette. Maria Kowroski displayed her lovely long lines as Odette. My only quibble is with the designs -- Miami City Ballet's traditional rendering, with the swans garbed in white tutus, is so much lovelier!

The evening ended with the long -- VERY long -- Tchai Suite no. 3. We waited through three insipid movements to finally feast our eyes on the prize: Theme & Variations! The ensemble there was admirable...as were Erica Pereira and Daniel Ulbricht as the leads of the Scherzo (3rd mvmt). I was sorry that the pre-announced Janie Taylor was replaced in the 2nd movement; I hope that she is OK and that we might see her later in the run. I am looking forward to Bouder & Garcia's leading of T&V tonight, along with all of the other casting promises of 'Super Wednesday'!

p.s. Another 'Plus': last night up in 2nd Tier, I was surrounded by an out-of-town (midwestern USA) tour group of some 70 high school students and their teachers, experiencing their first live ballet performance. Judging from their comments after the show, I believe that NYCB made a boatload of new ballet fans last night. smile.png

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I can thank SimonA for inspiring me to buy a last-minute ticket for the opener, principally to see the amazing Tiler Peck and Amar Ramasar in their only KC appearance as the leads in Allegro Brillante.

Unless casting was updated in the program last night, they're scheduled to dance it Sunday afternoon as well. Thanks for the report, though. Who replaced Taylor?

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Taylor and Marcovici (who are married) are replaced for the run at the KC. Casting on the NYCB website was updated.

Tiler Peck is incredible in Allegro. Glad Washington DC got to see her marvelous performance. Too bad she is not doing the lead in T&V. She is brilliant.

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Am I the only one who doesn't get Tiler Peck? I mean, she's obviously fabulous technician with great energy. Allegro, Tschai Pas, she's brilliant. But I find her one-note -- it's all smiles, happy energy. I can't see her as Odette, for example. She doesn't have the aura (yet). She's young and has lots of time to develop, but I wondered if anyone else felt the same way since I don't think I've ever read anything less-than-glowing about her here.

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Am I the only one who doesn't get Tiler Peck? I mean, she's obviously fabulous technician with great energy. Allegro, Tschai Pas, she's brilliant. But I find her one-note -- it's all smiles, happy energy. I can't see her as Odette, for example. She doesn't have the aura (yet). She's young and has lots of time to develop, but I wondered if anyone else felt the same way since I don't think I've ever read anything less-than-glowing about her here.

I felt that way about Peck during her early years at NYCB. I have to say that she has really changed in the last couple of seasons. I noticed her 'new' multi-faceted manner' last year, in Wheeldon's Les Carillons. She was not all smiles last night - quite serious-romantic when appropriate. Ditto Ramasar.

kfw - I'm leaving DC this Friday so was speaking just for the programs during my time here (dring a weekeday); I've now edited & corrected my review. Thanks.

Abi Stafford replaced Taylor in Tchai-2nd mvmt; Abi, I believe, will also dance the role tonight, as originally scheduled.

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You will have another opportunity to see Tiler Peck on PBS,when they broadcast the recent performance of Carousel that was performed at the NY Philharmonic. I think the broadcast date is Apr 26, but I'm not sure. As always, check your local listings.

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You will have another opportunity to see Tiler Peck on PBS,when they broadcast the recent performance of Carousel that was performed at the NY Philharmonic. I think the broadcast date is Apr 26, but I'm not sure. As always, check your local listings.

I had the pleasure of seeing that Carousel. She was wonderful. In general I find that Tiler Peck is extremely musical. She can elongate a movement to make it sing. Her port de bras beautifully fluid. She can be doing the most brilliantly etched allegro while her upper body floats. Her epaulement (the way she turns and faces her shoulders and head) is beautiful. She has imagination - for me she is one of the ballet best dancers now onstage.

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I have very little time this morn and will post more on last night's 'Super-Duper Wednesday' performance later. For now, all I can write is:

Ashley Bouder in T&V: It took me 35+ years of ballet-going to see THE performance of my life. I'm still wiped-out with emotions. Bouder is Pure Ballerina. Technique is child's play to her (e.g., her HIGH pas de chats at the end of her solo; gargouillades in the first solo with time to spare, etc.). Musicality and nuances like nobody else. Every step is crystal clear. If I were at my deathbed and given the chance to replay one moment in my life of balletgoing, this would be it....and the moment would be that last bit of solo dancing before the pdd.

Sara Mearns in Swan Lake: Exquisite, plush 'real womanly woman'. Her 'line' would never be accepted in a Russian ballet company but...what a sublime adagio artist! The 'swan' positions that she hit (such as the often-occuring arabesque/back-attitude with incredibly pliant back) are second to none nowadays. Jared Angle offered capable partnering - as if Mearns were a feather! The two solo Black Swans were magnificent: Megan Lecrone in the Pas de Neuf and Lauren King in Valse Bluette.

And now for the Big Surprise for me last night:

Megan Fairchild and Andrew Veyette absolutely held their own in Allegro Brillante, compared to Peck/Ramasar the night before. Nothing to fault and much to love. Sure, I prefer the nuances and 'face' of Peck but, still, great work from Fairchild. The ensemble was once again wonderful...although there was a tiny slip by one of the 4 gals near the beginning -- but it was on a brief transitional move and she quickly got up and kept going. (This wasn't a Big Flop during a major move by a 'prima' such as, say, 32 fouettes.)

I know that the above does no justice whatsover to the 100% magnificence of last night. I hope that others can be more eloquent (and have more time to write). smile.png

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I attended yesterday's matinee which included performances of Carousel, Glass Pieces, and Vienna Waltzes. I do not have much time at the moment to go into all of my impressions of a great afternoon of beautiful performances from the dancers, but I was hoping if some of you could elucidate a question I have about Vienna Waltzes: what is the point of Explosions-Polka? Is it meant to be a bit of comic relief? Or is there some history of the polka or Vienna that I am unaware about? Thanks!

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off hand, it would seem that Balanchine liked to throw a 'wild card' into his suite-form works from time to time.

see for example, the Costgermonger pas de deux, as a music hall turn, in his UNION JACK.

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