Spring 2015

[NinaFan]

Ashley Isaacs was my favorite.

Mine, too, abatt. I'll be keeping my eye out for her in the future. I don't think she'll be in the corps for long.

I thought Isaacs was amazing yesterday! I don't think she'll be in the corps long either.

[ivanov]

I notice the online casting has not been updated and still lists Bouder for tomorrow's (Wednesday's) performance of Raymonda. Has the casting sheet in the lobby been updated? If she has been replaced, by whom? I have a ticket for that performance and I'm not sure whether to go.

[Amour]

I notice the online casting has not been updated and still lists Bouder for tomorrow's (Wednesday's) performance of Raymonda. Has the casting sheet in the lobby been updated? If she has been replaced, by whom? I have a ticket for that performance and I'm not sure whether to go.

I believe by Pereira. You can see it if you go to the ticket date and click on "buy tickets" you'll see all the replacements. On Friday Erica was really not enjoyable in Raymonda but the other soloists were good.

[abatt]

Well the casting sheet online is updated, and Erica Pereira is now listed for all of the Raymonda Variations this week. Tiler Peck is not doing the role. Mearns is still listed for her roles, so perhaps there is hope for her return? (Bouder is removed from all of her roles this week.)

[Helene]

If Pereira was making her debut in "Raymonda," you don't know how much time she had to learn it. The casting change was as result of an injury to Bouder and was made public last-minute, which isn't proof of a short learning period, but an indication of one, and each Spring towards the end of the season when injuries and illnesses mount, there are a lot of people who have to be coached through whispers onstage because of so many last-minute rehearsals. I remember back in the day getting insert slips in the program where the list of substitutions was as long or longer than the actual cast lists and casting was like a game of Tetris.

I'd be interested in hearing how she dances with a little time to let it sink in.

[mussel]

With the company's depth of talents I can't imagine there's no alternate cast for Raymonda. I hope the 2 variations that were reportedly cut will stay put.

[mrpereira]

If Pereira was making her debut in "Raymonda," you don't know how much time she had to learn it. The casting change was as result of an injury to Bouder and was made public last-minute, which isn't proof of a short learning period, but an indication of one, and each Spring towards the end of the season when injuries and illnesses mount, there are a lot of people who have to be coached through whispers onstage because of so many last-minute rehearsals. I remember back in the day getting insert slips in the program where the list of substitutions was as long or longer than the actual cast lists and casting was like a game of Tetris.

I'd be interested in hearing how she dances with a little time to let it sink in.

Truer words were never SPOKEN Thank You!!!!!

[Amour]

With the company's depth of talents I can't imagine there's no alternate cast for Raymonda. I hope the 2 variations that were reportedly cut will stay put.

I agree. Erica is ok in certain roles but she's doesn't even approach the virtuosity of Ashley or the musicality of Tiler. Still, hopefully, she will look a little more confident in Raymonda, not like she's about to break down and cry, like last Friday. As I said before, casting her in Ashley's place isn't fair to her or the audience. This Bournonville stuff has just been a killer for everyone to take on. Hopefully, we'll at least see Sara and Tiler for Midsummer.

[mrpereira]

I agree. Erica is ok in certain roles but she's doesn't even approach the virtuosity of Ashley or the musicality of Tiler. Still, hopefully, she will look a little more confident in Raymonda, not like she's about to break down and cry, like last Friday. As I said before, casting her in Ashley's place isn't fair to her or the audience. This Bournonville stuff has just been a killer for everyone to take on. Hopefully, we'll at least see Sara and Tiler for Midsummer.

Amour you seem to be saying that Ashley's and Tiler's injuries were caused by Bournonville stuff. And I have to disagree with you about Erica about to break down and cry. I was at that performance and she was under enormous pressure to deliver a performance in a ballet which she never danced as a core member. This was asked of her under VERY SHORT NOTICE!!! In my opinion she did an fine job with what she had to work with.

[abatt]

Just to clarify, Tiler Peck is not injured. She is taking over Bouder's role this week in Goldberg Variation, and she is also cast as the lead in Rodeo. I guess she already has too many lead role assignments for the week, and that's why they took her out of Raymonda. (Mearns is still listed for Mercurial, but if she can't make it back I believe Tiler may have to cover the lead in that ballet too._

[canbelto]

I just don't understand why Pereira is often pushed into roles that seem to highlight her weaknesses. For instance she has a somewhat weak jump. It's okay, not everyone is Ashley Bouder. But she's given roles like Square Dance or Symphony in C third movement which just make her jump seem weaker. She's more of a lyrical dancer but she was never given Flower Festivals of Genzano (a role that should have suited her like a glove), but instead the role was given to people like Reichlen or Mearns who IMO were miscast (way too mature, not enough delicacy).

[kfw]

She's more of a lyrical dancer . . .

She was lovely in Emeralds at the Kennedy Center last year.

[mrpereira]

Not a posed pic. This was taken during Romeo and Juliet seems to me she can jump

[canbelto]

Well that's a posed shot in the air and it tells you nothing about how Pereira actually dances. I've seen her dance and I wouldn't say she has much in the way of elevation, ballon, or that her jumps cover a lot in terms of height and distance. In addition what you can see in the photo is that she doesn't have much in the way of muscle in her calves and thighs that would allow for her jumps to develop.

[Royal Blue]

Last evening NYCB presented the third and final "All Robbins" program of the spring season, comprised of The Goldberg Variations and West Side Story Suite. I find the former work mind-bogglingly beautiful, and not a single minute too long! Despite several slight mishaps, this was a soul-stirring performance by the wonderful dancers of NYCB. The Goldberg Variations is filled with so many riches that it can easily absorb, in my view, a few such mishaps. Everyone from the beautiful Faye Arthurs to every corps de ballet member to Susan Walters (the pianist) deserves praise. All the leading men --Daniel Applebaum, Anthony Huxley, Joseph Gordon and Taylor Stanley in Part I; Tyler Angle, Jared Angle and Gonzalo Garcia in Part II-- were impressive, even allowing for some imperfect moments two or three of them had. But the leading women! Once again that lady in the light green costume --Emilie Gerrity-- mesmerized me with the beauty and elegance of her dancing. Ashley Laracey, a particularly graceful and poetic ballerina, made a most welcome return to NYCB in the part I saw Lauren Lovette dance equally splendidly a couple of weeks ago. Likewise, I was elated by the marvelous performance of Rebecca Krohn in Part II of the ballet (so far I had seen only Sterling Hyltin in this role). As I was watching her last night, and being aware of her condition thanks to reports by others in this forum, I thought that Maria Kowroski was understandably cautious --but still glorious! And on top of all this there was a perfect performance --so, what's new?-- from a perfect ballerina: Tiler Peck. Perhaps Jerome Robbins, since I understand he was very demanding with dancers, would have been infuriated with some mistakes made during last night's rendition of the Variations. But he couldn't have found anything to fault T. Peck with. Those bewildering, utterly amazing spins perfectly timed to the notes emanating from the piano, for one thing, were particularly awesome last evening. After experiencing The Goldberg Variations for the first time this year I am amused (and bemused) by the mixed reception this ballet has always received from professional critics and regular balletomanes alike, as evidenced by the fact that not a single poster here has yet commented about this spring's performances. Amused, that is, as long as we continue to be offered the opportunity to once in a while see it in its entirety, in all its magnificence and glory.

When I saw this program two weeks ago I felt that the programming choice was woefully misguided. In the first place West Side Story Suite is a different type of work, even though it's by the same choreographer. Secondly, my feeling was that even as concise, as peerless, as impeccable a ballet as Concerto Barocco should precede, not follow The Goldberg Variations. (They got the order right during the winter season.) As I was watching the Suite that night --Georgina Pazcoguin as Anita was especially superb-- I constantly found myself thinking of the Variations. Despite being profoundly moved by the first work on the program yet again, I somehow relaxed during intermission this time and was able to fully enjoy the fantastic performance of the Suite by the NYCB dancers afterwards. Brittany Pollack, I should point out, made a notable debut as Anita.

A terrific evening at NYCB!

[cobweb]

I loved Goldberg Variations when I first saw it, several times, during the Winter Season. I didn't enjoy it as much last night. I felt it lacked the overall cohesion and flow from when I saw it before, and I wondered if it wasn't given as much rehearsal this time around. Also I felt that Susan Walters didn't carry the piece with as much verve or authority as Cameron Grant did during the winter. It was wonderful to see Ashley Laracey back onstage. She is a favorite of mine. Re Maria Kowroski, I don't know if it's because now that I know she's pregnant, I'm seeing her as pregnant, but to my eyes she looked totally pregnant. Extra weight allover, I would say, and while the penchee is as beautiful as ever, when it came to getting off the ground with grand jetes and such, she was not at all where I'm used to seeing her. I'm a little worried about the Titania situation next week. Hopefully Mearns is back up to speed by then, but with both Mearns and Koworski iffy, that leaves only Reichlen and the mysterious M. Miller covering Titania. I don't know of anyone else who's done the role -- Rebecca Krohn would seem a natural, but has she done it before?

Enjoyed West Side Story suite a lot. I'm not sure, but it looked like some of the dancers were doing their own singing (Veyette, Gretchen Smith, Brittany Pollack). Does anyone know? Pollack was terrific as Anita.

[canbelto]

cobweb, having seen Maria K. right up to the time she announced her pregnancy, I'm not sure it's exactly weight gain (or baby bump) that you're seeing. I do think that it's a slowness/hesitation of movement that can be perceived as heaviness. Totally understandable, given her condition, but she could have just as easily been coming off an injury. I've seen many dancers who come back from injury also have a bit of sluggishness/hesitation in their movements which often then gets labeled as weight gain, when IMO it's not that they're actually heavier, they're just dancing heavier, if that makes any sense.

[Helene]

That Kowroski is pregnant is official news. There is no official news that I've seen that she was injured.

[cinnamonswirl]

I think M. Miller is Miriam Miller

http://nycdanceproject.com/miriam-miller/

[vipa]

Don't know if this was mentioned before. Forgive me if it has, but now it seems Pereira is doing all performances of Reymonda replacing both Bouder and T. Peck. I say good luck and wish her well. Personally I have problems with her dancing which I've voiced before. I hope she rises to the occasion.

[abatt]

Mearns is still apparently on the injured list. This week's casting was updated again today, and Mearns is replaced by Pollack in Mercurial.

[Amour]

Not a posed pic. This was taken during Romeo and Juliet seems to me she can jump

You changed the photo in this post. Originally it was a posed saut de chat.

The fact is that Erica doesn't have a great jump compared to some other NYCB dancers (and of course Ashley). Right now my biggest problem with her is her lack of stage presence or charisma. She's tiny, so she needs to work especially hard on both technique and projecting, especially projecting confidence and charm. That's something that, say, Lauren King or Gina Pazcoquin have in spades. I'm not dismissing Erica the way Macauley did (calling her "vapid and inconsequential") but she really does need to work on things.

[Amour]

Mearns is still apparently on the injured list. This week's casting was updated again today, and Mearns is replaced by Pollack in Mercurial.

So is Bouder. She's out of the Schumacher piece, Clearing Dawn, and Goldberg Variations this Friday. In fact, Goldberg has a ton of replacements, too numerous to list here. Based on her Instagram photo, showing her in a boot, I'm afraid Ashley might be out for the rest of the season but so far both she and Sara are scheduled for the June 3 Midsummer.

[mrpereira]

You changed the photo in this post. Originally it was a posed saut de chat.

The fact is that Erica doesn't have a great jump compared to some other NYCB dancers (and of course Ashley). Right now my biggest problem with her is her lack of stage presence or charisma. She's tiny, so she needs to work especially hard on both technique and projecting, especially projecting confidence and charm. That's something that, say, Lauren King or Gina Pazcoquin have in spades. I'm not dismissing Erica the way Macauley did (calling her "vapid and inconsequential") but she really does need to work on things.

I respect your opinion but do you really think the ballet masters and Peter Martins would let Erica dance these parts if they felt she could not preform up to the standards of NYCB. I THINK NOT.

[Helene]

Mr. Martins' competence has been questioned both here and, famously, by leading critics. His is still is the voice that counts when it comes to casting, at minimum, works in the rep and his own ballets, and he sets the bar for the company.

We are not a fan site. Our purpose is to discuss ballet, and that includes criticism. Not everyone will see eye-to-eye, and the internet can be an uncomfortable place for fans, friends, and family.