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2017 Fall Season


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As it's rude and vulgar to laugh at a foreigner for his/her accent when he/she speaks English, I,  a long-term balletomane devoted to Russian school and a die hard Petipa fan, would like to spare my comments on Ms Fairchild's and Ms Peck's debuts. 

 

Chapeau to Ms Martins for his attempt to break stereotypes when making casting decisions this season. His choices are obviously embraced by the audience. It might be too much to ask for but I wish I could see Marcelo Gomes dancing Odette and Odile one day. He has beautiful lyrical quality for Odette and unbelievable sexual appeal for Odile. He has no problem killing the 32 fouettes. And he is the hell of an actor, one of the best tragedians I've ever seen on a ballet stage. 

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I for one can't wait for this SL run to end. I gave myself 6 opportunities for appreciate this production with 6 different casts and I still don't like it. It seems like the they rushed the tempo to hide the dancers' weakness. Can they slow it down a bit so that everyone can land in clean 5th? Throughout the shows I couldn't help but to notice how stiff their epaulment is. Also, do they really have to perform  every single ballet with so called "Balanchine tentacles"? They reminded me of Boylston's hands.

Although I have to admit that Sara Mearns won me over at the end(did not like her in act 2 though). With her level of artistry I can appreciate this production as a nice "swan themed ballet" sans Petipa. 

Lastly, the ugly backdrop and costume have to go. 

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13 minutes ago, maps said:

NYCB does not fill the KC and should be a bigger seller.   They need  runs at the KC with programs that in NYC even use the rings.   

 

I understand finances may dictate otherwise, but I would truly hate for City Ballet to change its programming to better suit the taste of DC audiences.  ABT and Mariinsky already bring story ballets annually.  I love that City Ballet's programming mixes up the DC dance scene and its shows, along with Suzanne Farrell Ballet's, are the highlight of my DC ballet going year.

Edited by Emma
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22 minutes ago, Emma said:

 

I understand finances may dictate otherwise, but I would truly hate for City Ballet to change its programming to better suit the taste of DC audiences.  ABT and Mariinsky already bring story ballets annually.  I love that City Ballet's programming mixes up the DC dance scene and its shows, along with Suzanne Farrell Ballet's, are the highlight of my DC ballet going year.

 

Given that the company in all likelihood couldn't cover the cost of its KC run through ticket sales alone even, if it sold out the house, I'm not sure programming inferior, non-representative ballets just to put a few more butts in seats would be worth the trade-off. 

 

No disrespect, but given the kind of talent currently in the ranks, nobody needs to an NYCB Swan Lake the way they need to see NYCB in its core Balanchine and Robbins rep, perhaps with a dollop of their signature Ratmansky and Peck ballets to round out the program. If KC needs to see Ashley Bouder or Tiler Peck do fouéttes, then program Robbins' Four Seasons.  Martins' Swan is an eyesore; NYCB at full strength in Symphony in C or Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 is an eyeful. 

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12 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

 

Given that the company in all likelihood couldn't cover the cost of its KC run through ticket sales alone even, if it sold out the house, I'm not sure programming inferior, non-representative ballets just to put a few more butts in seats would be worth the trade-off. 

 

No disrespect, but given the kind of talent currently in the ranks, nobody needs to an NYCB Swan Lake the way they need to see NYCB in its core Balanchine and Robbins rep, perhaps with a dollop of their signature Ratmansky and Peck ballets to round out the program. If KC needs to see Ashley Bouder or Tiler Peck do fouéttes, then program Robbins' Four Seasons.  Martins' Swan is an eyesore; NYCB at full strength in Symphony in C or Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 is an eyeful. 

 

I also think City Ballet has a marketing problem in DC.  It's marketing in NYC is incredible but I never see any type of ads in DC beyond KC mailings - and I only get these because I see ballet at the KC frequently.  In NY we have targeted subway ads, videos, art nights, the works.  Moreover, the Balanchine Trust's restrictions on student performances also hinder the Balanchine market beyond the NY metro area (in my opinion).  If ballet students had more familiarity with Symphony in C or Tchai Concerto No. 2, I'm sure they would clamor to see NYCB ballerinas perform these roles.  

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15 hours ago, Rosalie said:

As it's rude and vulgar to laugh at a foreigner for his/her accent when he/she speaks English, I,  a long-term balletomane devoted to Russian school and a die hard Petipa fan, would like to spare my comments on Ms Fairchild's and Ms Peck's debuts. 

 

 

Of course NYCB dancers are not going to look like Vaganova trained Mariinsky dancers.  Similarly, Mariinsky dancers generally do not perform Balanchine very well in comparison to NYCB dancers.  If you're expecting Vaganova style, why would you even consider going to an NYCB performance, much less a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB?

Edited by abatt
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Act II of Peter Martins’ abstract, expressionistic Swan Lake retains enough of the customary otherworldly beauty associated with this portion of the iconic ballet as to make watching it worthwhile. In Act IV, the stage is bathed in fetching green and blue hues, blending soundly with white, black and red from the costumes. Lighting, moreover, is used effectively during the closing minutes of the ballet. The choreography—for both the female corps and the principals—is exciting throughout the finale and meshes so seamlessly with Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary music as to make this scene powerful and moving. 

 

NYC does not have a Russian ballet company focusing on the 19th century classics permanently stationed here! Visits from the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky are currently infrequent, and even if they were to bring their productions of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty over some would complain about the dull, unimaginative programming!  Leaving aside the need to sell tickets, these are nevertheless essential works which need to be presented and viewed  in our metropolis with regularity. Lastly, I happen to like the NYCB ballerinas and revel in watching them assume the challenges posed by these roles. 

 

Since they are, indeed, not representative of their repertory, NYCB should of course not be taking their respective version of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake on tour.

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54 minutes ago, Emma said:

 

I also think City Ballet has a marketing problem in DC.  It's marketing in NYC is incredible but I never see any type of ads in DC beyond KC mailings - and I only get these because I see ballet at the KC frequently.  In NY we have targeted subway ads, videos, art nights, the works.  Moreover, the Balanchine Trust's restrictions on student performances also hinder the Balanchine market beyond the NY metro area (in my opinion).  If ballet students had more familiarity with Symphony in C or Tchai Concerto No. 2, I'm sure they would clamor to see NYCB ballerinas perform these roles.  

 

Hmmm ... I wonder what the terms of NYCB's run at The Kennedy Center are — i.e., is NYCB being presented by KC, is NYCB more or less just renting the theater, or is it some kind of co-operative venture. If KC is the presenter, it may be that it a) bears all or most of the financial risk (i.e., it pays NYCB a fee to perform and is responsible for selling the house and /or pulling in donations to cover its expenses) and b) is in control of the marketing.   If NYCB  doesn't have to shoulder the risk of a half-empty house, it might not be in its financial interest to cover DC in ads. 

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1 hour ago, abatt said:

Of course NYCB dancers are not going to look like Vaganova trained Mariinsky dancers.  Similarly, Mariinsky dancers generally do not perform Balanchine very well in comparison to NYCB dancers.  If you're expecting Vaganova style, why would you even consider going to an NYCB performance, much less a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB?

 

Not to mention that expecting Marcelo Gomes to better personify one's ideal image of a Russian-trained ballerina is....well, kinda bizarre.

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2 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

 

Hmmm ... I wonder what the terms of NYCB's run at The Kennedy Center are — i.e., is NYCB being presented by KC, is NYCB more or less just renting the theater, or is it some kind of co-operative venture. If KC is the presenter, it may be that it a) bears all or most of the financial risk (i.e., it pays NYCB a fee to perform and is responsible for selling the house and /or pulling in donations to cover its expenses) and b) is in control of the marketing.   If NYCB  doesn't have to shoulder the risk of a half-empty house, it might not be in its financial interest to cover DC in ads. 

 

It's a Kennedy Center presentation. I've seen the past four tours of NYCB at the KC. They haven't presented a full evening story ballet during that time. The closest was Martins's La Sylphide in 2016, however that was paired along with Bournonville Div. As someone who lives in the District, I prefer NYCB to continue to present mixed programming. We already have "ABT in D.C." (Julie Kent's Washington Ballet) and a healthy number of touring story ballets. Especially now that Suzanne Farrell is closing up shop, it'll be important to keep the Balanchine drum strong, but I also appreciate seeing Balanchine along with newer works. Peck's Rodeo on the same night as Tarantella and Square Dance was a dream.

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24 minutes ago, DC Export said:

 

It's a Kennedy Center presentation. I've seen the past four tours of NYCB at the KC. They haven't presented a full evening story ballet during that time. The closest was Martins's La Sylphide in 2016, however that was paired along with Bournonville Div. As someone who lives in the District, I prefer NYCB to continue to present mixed programming. We already have "ABT in D.C." (Julie Kent's Washington Ballet) and a healthy number of touring story ballets. Especially now that Suzanne Farrell is closing up shop, it'll be important to keep the Balanchine drum strong, but I also appreciate seeing Balanchine along with newer works. Peck's Rodeo on the same night as Tarantella and Square Dance was a dream.

 

 It could be that KC makes certain stipulations regarding the ballets that are presented. For instance, they may want to ensure that there's at least one ballet on each program from the core Balanchine / Robbins rep, one with a full corps, one buzzy new ballet, etc. They might tell NYCB "other troupes bring us enough big story ballets, thank you." Or, NYCB might say, "well if you want us to schlep the sets and costumes for [fill in big story ballet or maybe even Vienna Waltzes here] it's gonna cost you." 

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On 9/29/2017 at 4:39 PM, nanushka said:

 

Not to mention that expecting Marcelo Gomes to better personify one's ideal image of a Russian-trained ballerina is....well, kinda bizarre.

 

Someone had to point that out. Thank you.

 

Even though I am not familiar with Matthew Bourne's version of Swan Lake, from a psychological perspective I have no problem with it. However ... thanks, but no thanks.

 

I love Symphony in C, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 and other Balanchine ballets as well.

 

Whether the women currently on the roster of NYCB--principals and members of the corps--are the most beautiful female ballet dancers ever is completely besides the point. With their presence alone, they make Peter Martins' Swan Lake an eyeful. 

 

Chacun à son goût!

Edited by Royal Blue
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21 hours ago, Rosalie said:

As it's rude and vulgar to laugh at a foreigner for his/her accent when he/she speaks English, I,  a long-term balletomane devoted to Russian school and a die hard Petipa fan, would like to spare my comments on Ms Fairchild's and Ms Peck's debuts. 

 

The thing is, IMO, the NYCB is not trying to do Petipa. ABT is trying to do Petipa in Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty, other companies are trying to do Petipa to one extent or another in various productions. NYCB is doing Peter Martin's Swan Lake in which he chooses to leave some "traditional" choreography in place, but makes no claim to be doing Petipa's Swan Lake. Some people hate the production, approach, and NYCB values being applied to SL, others have varying opinions. I have mixed feeling about the production, but measuring it against the Russian school and a Russian idea of Petipa doesn't work for me, since that is not a goal of the work. 

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5 hours ago, abatt said:

Of course NYCB dancers are not going to look like Vaganova trained Mariinsky dancers.  Similarly, Mariinsky dancers generally do not perform Balanchine very well in comparison to NYCB dancers.  If you're expecting Vaganova style, why would you even consider going to an NYCB performance, much less a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB?

The same reason some people in this forum went to the Jewels this past summer, ended up complaining about Emeralds performed by POB, I assume?

 

All right, my above remark was sarcastic. But a die hard Russian ballet fan has every right to attend and may also enjoy non-Russian school ballet (and Russian schooling is much more than Vaganova training). I mentioned my preference only because the NYCB production, no matter how the company has claimed, is mostly based on Petipa's choreography, a representative of Russian school ballet. Ballerinas from other schoolings with a different style, however, may still be a bona fide Petipa Swan Queen interpreter, as long as they understand Petipa's intention and display certain specific qualities under his intention. For example, Margot Fonteyn and Elisabeth Platel are two Swan Queens I utterly appreciate. Of course, Swan Lake is repeatedly subject to all kinds of deconstruction, some of which I find insanely interesting and enjoyable. But it's another topic since this is not the case with the current NYCB production. It is merely a cash cow taking advantage of Patipa. The choreography was altered for practical reasons instead of aesthetic ones. 

 

In addition, people go to events they don't really enjoy all the time. You may go to a movie because your spouse like it. You may go to a football game just to socialize with your colleagues. You may go to a random event when you feel bored. You may even go to a live performance because you have heard it is a train wrack and you are curious how bad it could get. Anyway, I may spend my honest money on any performance and I am entitled to dislike it. It is indeed unreasonable to assume people only go to performances they are likely to enjoy. 

 

I don't owe anyone a reason to go to a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB, but I'm writing it here now. I would like to give Ms Peck and Ms Fairchild some benefit of doubt before I saw their performances. They could have been another Margot Fonteyn or Elisabeth Platel, or to a lesser extent, Tamara Rojo or Gillian Murphy. 

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6 hours ago, nanushka said:

 

Not to mention that expecting Marcelo Gomes to better personify one's ideal image of a Russian-trained ballerina is....well, kinda bizarre.

My comments on Marcelo Gomes casting were intended to be sarcastic, despite my tremendous respect towards him. What I meant to say was that the NYCB ballerinas were not more of Swan Queen materials than Marcelo Gomes was. You see, there's no fun to say everything explicitly.

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I was at Swan Lake tonight. Night and day from last week's rather disappointing performance with Tess and Russell. Tonight Sterling Hyltin and Zachary Catazaro were so moving and beautiful. Will write more when I finish this weekend of Swan Lakes (seeing Megan tomorrow and Tiler Sunday).

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12 hours ago, vipa said:

The thing is, IMO, the NYCB is not trying to do Petipa. ABT is trying to do Petipa in Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty, other companies are trying to do Petipa to one extent or another in various productions. NYCB is doing Peter Martin's Swan Lake in which he chooses to leave some "traditional" choreography in place, but makes no claim to be doing Petipa's Swan Lake. Some people hate the production, approach, and NYCB values being applied to SL, others have varying opinions. I have mixed feeling about the production, but measuring it against the Russian school and a Russian idea of Petipa doesn't work for me, since that is not a goal of the work. 

 

Yes. I view it more as Peter Martins' commentary on the traditional Swan Lake.  It seems influenced by both the Danish and the Balanchine schools, and that is intentional. This is in contrast to his La Sylphide which is very faithful to the classic version. IMO his commentary is a thoughtful one. If you go expecting the Mariinsky, or ABT, you will likely be at the very least taken aback. A friend who is an ABT fan saw it this season for the first time - he was shocked but concluded it worked for him.

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I went to last night's Swan lake an thought that Hyltin and Catazaro looked great together. In the past he has struck me as tentative, so I was glad to see him take command of the stage from the beginning. His solos were fine but not great, but he was a good partner to Hyltin and I felt like they had a great rapport.

 

She was more of a mixed bag. I did not like her portrayal from her first entrance to the end of the white swan pdd. Although she is short she has long legs so she reads taller and has a beautiful line. Her dancing was fine, but not very expressive and I never had a clear idea of what her Odette was feeling - just generic sad. Someone once said that a ballerina is a dancer who creates her own world onstage and pulls the audience into it (paraphrasing). I didn't get that from Hyltin, until the white swan coda. Then she perked up and became a passionate, hopeful swan queen.

 

I really loved her black swan pas de deux, and not just the fouettes. Her dancing from the black swan entrance though her solo and the pdd was spot on and so sharp and her Odile was gleefully evil, really enjoying the seduction. Her fouttees were not the most beautiful I've ever seen but they were done very confidently. She started with a triple and then peppered the first 10 or 12 with doubles moving forward in a straight line and then switched to singles which stayed on the spot. I counted 29 before she finished with a double or triple (sometimes its hard to tell!), all perfectly timed with the music.

She and Catazaro were very effective in the last scene, and she, in particular was very expressive there. Maybe she's just more of an allegro than an adagio dancer. I guess I thought she gave maybe 2/3 of a great swan lake but since, for me, the white swan pdd is the heart of the ballet it didn't add up to a performance I'd want to see again. Next time I'll stick with Mearns and Fairchild, and am looking forward to seeing Tiler tomorrow.

 

It was so great to see Danchig-Waring back on the stage again, he and Gerrity were great in the Arabian - err, Russian dance. Kitka was very energetic and also sensuous in the Czardas with Peck, an approach that I haven't really seen before. Hod once again showed pure clean, clear musicality in the pas de quatre.

 

On to tomorrow's last Swan Lake of the season!

 

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