2017 Fall Season

[Royal Blue]

As if to prove me wrong directly, Ashley Bouder gave a virtually flawless performance in Swan Lake on Sunday afternoon. A segment of Odile’s variation went awry. However, the Act III solo was otherwise wonderful. Although a few in the chain of Bouder’s embellished fouettés may not have been perfect, I believe (without actually having counted) she did them all and finished well. There were no other technical flaws I could detect either in the rest of Act III or the Odette sections. Contrariwise, impeccable turns and arabesque poses, as well as long-held balances abounded. Throughout the entire length of the ballet, furthermore, Bouder displayed an admirable and striking musicality. Odette’s grace and beauty and tenderness consummately matched in Act II the same qualities in Tchaikovsky’s composition. Bouder’s alternating rapid and subdued movements, and expressions in turn of profound fear, anguish, despair, and ultimately fortitude and resignation, likewise, appeared intertwined with the electrifying music the great Russian artist composed for the final act of the ballet. A gripping performance overall, and positively searing in Act IV!

 

Some praise is also certainly due to Andrew Veyette for his adroit partnering, as well as his fine solo dancing.

 

Edited September 25, 2017 by Royal Blue

[harpergroup]

12 hours ago, maps said:

I'm  perplexed that he and Ramasar neither don't have Siegfried in their rep.  Any insights?   

 

Adrian is returning from serious  leg injuries (see his Instagram posts from this past year), and Amar is recovering from a shoulder/upper arm injury that required surgery in the spring (again, see his Instagram feed from then).  Casting for the third week of this season shows him scheduled for Stravinsky Violin Concerto (a non-lifting role), and Adrian is anticipating performing that same role in the last week of the season. (Casting should be out officially tomorrow.)

 

[abatt]

I thought Bouder's performance on Sunday was much improved compared to prior seasons.  Previously, I found her phrasing choppy.  This time there was more flow from one phrase to the next.  Her "white acts" were much softer compared to prior years. She got a little greedy in the third act (black swan act) and bit off more than she could handle in terms of the fouettes (as described by others above).  However, overall it was a very fine performance.  My one bit of advice would be for her to quit smirking through the entirety of Act III.  It's OVERKILL.

 

Reichlin, on the other hand, gave one of the worst performances I've ever seen from her.   Her portrayal was lacking in any dramatic depth.  I could have lived with that if her technique was stronger.  However, she  made numerous errors during the difficult third act.  Moreover, there were numerous obvious partnering errors from Janzen.

 

I thought Catazaro made a strong impression on Friday evening during his debut as Siegfried.  Hyltin was lovely, although I found no connection between her and Catazaro on a dramatic level.

 

Onwards to the new casts this week.

 

[maps]

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Edited July 16, 2019 by maps
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[DC Export]

Morning all!

 

I've had a few DM's from folks wondering if my Spotify playlists have been updated with the Fall 2018 Rep for NYCB. They are! Playlists are organized by choreographer and premiere year. (So Apollo is on one side of the spectrum and Gianna Reisen's new piece which debuts next week is at the top.)

 

All playlists are public, and can be found at https://open.spotify.com/user/mayrea

 

[nysusan]

I've seen Bouder's SL every season since her debut, with the exception of this season. I've enjoyed most of her performances for her great technique and vivid presentation, even though in the early years she really did dance the white swan adagio as if it were an allegro. I thought she improved steadily over the years, so I'm glad to hear how well she did this time, and sorry I didn't get to see her this year (it wasn't deliberate).
 

Then we come to Reichlin. I'm with you abatt! Based on conversations at intermission Sat night I thought I was the only one who didn't like Reichlin's interpretation. She has such a beautiful body, such long legs that you'd think she'd be a perfect fit for the modern taste for tall leggy O/Os. But IMO she really didn't take advantage of her attributes. 
 

Yes, her legs are long but she really didn't stretch her arabesques, didn't hold them, didn't engage her back, shoulders neck and head. And the adagio was played MUCH slower than it had been for Mearns. Except when she was doing an actual backbend her torso was stiff and rigid. Whats more, she didn't use her body to communicate Odette's feelings - fear, despair, hope - I saw none of it in her adagio.
 

Then, in the Black Swan PDD she had trouble with the fouttees. She traveled forward and got to around 10 or 11. Then she visibly slowed and it seemed like it was taking forever for her to get those long legs around. It was a very disappointing performance.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Fairchild and Garcia make of their roles tomorrow night.

[Emma]

1 hour ago, DC Export said:

Morning all!

 

I've had a few DM's from folks wondering if my Spotify playlists have been updated with the Fall 2018 Rep for NYCB. They are! Playlists are organized by choreographer and premiere year. (So Apollo is on one side of the spectrum and Gianna Reisen's new piece which debuts next week is at the top.)

 

All playlists are public, and can be found at https://open.spotify.com/user/mayrea

 

This is so awesome!  Thank you!

[abatt]

It seemed like Reichlin had a meltdown during the third act, because it wasn't only the fouettes that were a problem.  She was having difficulty with just about everything in the third act.

 

So many "rookie" mistakes were made on Sat evening.  In one place, Reichlin went to raise her leg into arabesque, but Janzen's leg was in the way.  She lowered her leg and started again after Janzen moved his leg out of the way.  That's what I expect from students, not professinals.  In another spot, I think in the third act, she has to raise her right leg while holding Janzen's raised right hand.  She must have felt insecure, because she started, stopped, put her right leg down and started over.  There is a moment in the third act where Siegfried  has to rotate Odile, and end the rotation on a particular note of the music so that Odile is directly facing Siegfried - eye to eye.  Reichlin was underrotated, so that she was facing the audience and Janzen was looking at the side of her face.  WRONG. All these seemingly minor glitches were distracting when piled one on top of the next, and took you right out of the story and wondering if they rehearsed at all?

 

 

Wanted to add another point that does not specifically relate to the Saturday evening show.  Whoever is coaching the mime sequences involving the Queen needs to be replaced.  For the most part,  the Queen role has been portrayed in a cartoonish manner, particularly by Marika Anderson.  I

Edited September 25, 2017 by abatt

[vagansmom]

Abatt and others, would you say that those rookie mistakes you saw ( other than the issue of not fully extended limbs which is another matter) were all male partnering errors? What DOES a ballerina do when her partner's leg is in the way? Or when she has been under-rotated? Are there ways to manage those partner mistakes that she didn't employ? Or was it a matter of not enough partnering rehearsals?

[abatt]

Some of  the problems on Sat evening were  partnering issues caused, in part or entirely , by Janzen.   However, a lot of Reichlin's problems also came into play during her solo variations, particularly in Act III.  As nysusan mentioned, she's got the perfect physique for the role, but does not yet know how to employ those super long limbs to communicate the drama of her role.  She hasn't learned how to use her spine and stretch out her positions.  The tempo was moderate, so the conductor wasn't the problem. 

[nanushka]

7 hours ago, nysusan said:

She has such a beautiful body, such long legs that you'd think she'd be a perfect fit for the modern taste for tall leggy O/Os. But IMO she really didn't take advantage of her attributes. 
 

Yes, her legs are long but she really didn't stretch her arabesques, didn't hold them, didn't engage her back, shoulders neck and head. And the adagio was played MUCH slower than it had been for Mearns. Except when she was doing an actual backbend her torso was stiff and rigid. Whats more, she didn't use her body to communicate Odette's feelings - fear, despair, hope - I saw none of it in her adagio.

 

These were exactly my impressions of her Balanchine one-O last year too. And I am all about long legs in SL — Veronika Part is my ideal. I really thought I'd love her but was sorely disappointed.

[yukionna4869]

I saw Mearns, Reichlen, and Bouder this weekend. I was disappointed in Mearns and Reichlen. I wish Mearns' arms were more balletic, but they just seemed way too frantic. It also seemed like she was bobbing her head up and down a lot. Reichlen had a lot of technical mishaps as the posts above mention.

Bouder turned in the best perforrmance of the three that I saw. Her movements were very smooth and was more in line with what I'm used to seeing in Swan Lake.

Looking forward to Hyltin, Fairchild and Peck next week.

Also, this is my first time seeing Martin's SL. That production needs a redesign. The colors in Act I clash. I hate the costumes for the men in Act I (why are there holes?!). The village looks like someone set fire to it.

[balletforme]

Bouder had a serious stomach flu two days before she performed and was getting fluids via IV the day before the performance

[jessa_sissonne]

I went to see SL last Wed. with Theresa Reichlen and Russell Janzen. I had never seen him dance in a principal role before and was very impressed. He had nice lines and a good stage presence. As for Teresa .... I have always admired her physique and was hoping to see some long legged gorgeousness along the lines of Maria Kowroski. It seemed that she barely used her extension AND her face was completely blank the whole time. For both Odette and Odile! This was even from the front row of the orchestra where I had a clear view of everything. The corps was great at dancing in unison in the swan sections, although in the palace scenes I could have done without the Jester character.

 

When I sit on the far right side of the orchestra I notice that Peter Martins can barely wait until the curtain is down before he can run out and give notes to the dancers. He seems so overbearing and I can't wait to see who his replacement will be when he retires. I have had little respect for him since watching the Wendy Whelan documentary. And please PM, no more new choreography.

 

 

[abatt]

Actually, I was relieved that Reichlin no longer has the "furrowed brow" approach to this role.  A few years ago she tried to act the role by making all kinds of sad, tortured facial expressions, so I was happy she stopped doing it for this run. The tragedy had to be displayed through the use of her limbs, her spine, her neck and so forth.  Making sad faces at the audience is not a substitute.

Edited September 26, 2017 by abatt

[Balletwannabe]

Where can I view the Wendy Whelan documentary?

Edited September 26, 2017 by Balletwannabe

[ABT Fan]

7 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

Where can I view the Wendy Whelan documentary?

 

It's showing in cinemas around the country:

 

https://www.restlesscreaturefilm.com/screenings-1/

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, jessa_sissonne said:

When I sit on the far right side of the orchestra I notice that Peter Martins can barely wait until the curtain is down before he can run out and give notes to the dancers. He seems so overbearing....

 

That's pretty typical behavior for any AD actually. Especially, if they need to give notes that pertain to the second or third act since they have little time before intermission ends. Even if it's after the ballet ends, an AD will want to share notes with the dancers asap, while everything is still fresh in everyone's minds, and so everyone can get home before 2am.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

1 hour ago, Balletwannabe said:

Where can I view the Wendy Whelan documentary?

 

It's also streaming on Netflix, and is available to rent on Amazon and iTunes. 

[nanushka]

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

 

That's pretty typical behavior for any AD actually. Especially, if they need to give notes that pertain to the second or third act since they have little time before intermission ends. Even if it's after the ballet ends, an AD will want to share notes with the dancers asap, while everything is still fresh in everyone's minds, and so everyone can get home before 2am.

 

Still, no reason to let part of the audience see you in the wings. That's just silly. Wait 5 more seconds.

[vipa]

5 hours ago, jessa_sissonne said:

When I sit on the far right side of the orchestra I notice that Peter Martins can barely wait until the curtain is down before he can run out and give notes to the dancers. He seems so overbearing and I can't wait to see who his replacement will be when he retires. I have had little respect for him since watching the Wendy Whelan documentary. And please PM, no more new choreography.

 

 

I agree about his choreography, but as far as being an AD. After a shaky start (under the most challenges of circumstances) Martins built/maintained a first rate company. I didn't start out a fan but am now. Watching the Whelan doc diminished my respect for her not for him, but that's a discussion for another place.

[Olga]

34 minutes ago, vipa said:

After a shaky start (under the most challenges of circumstances) Martins built/maintained a first rate company. I didn't start out a fan but am now. Watching the Whelan doc diminished my respect for her not for him, but that's a discussion for another place.

 

Agree.

[California]

4 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

 

It's also streaming on Netflix, and is available to rent on Amazon and iTunes. 

Thanks for the tip! I have a subscription to Netflix and didn't realize it was on.

Best in the documentary: the final performance, choreographed just for her farewell, by Ratmansky and Whelan. She wanted something new that would never be performed again. As far as I can tell (not having seen it in the theater), we got to see the entire thing on tape, along with some of the final flowers and bows. 

 

I also appreciated the numerous short clips of her many roles sprinkled throughout. I wasn't enthusiastic about the lengthy segments at the doctor's office and the physical therapist. I suppose dancers relate to the endless commentaries about how hard it was to retire, but it got a little tedious for us mortals. 

[wonderwall]

I just revived the Restless Creature thread in the Documentaries section if interested in sharing your all's thoughts--would love to hear them! That was the only thread I found on the film, but if there is a more active one, could somebody point me to it?

[wonderwall]

Casting for week four is up: http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/Casting/NYCB_Casting_October-10-15,-2017_lobby.pdf