wonderwall Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 6 hours ago, SCchck said: I have access to the casting the company puts out to the dancers and Alston is cast as "Friends" in R & J in all casts except 2/16, 2/17E, 2/18 ~ I don't know how to attach it Interesting, thank you! Is that a character role? Has she danced in any performances this season or Nutcracker? I think she would have been a great opportunity for a new Juliet. Link to comment
canbelto Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 Would love to see Indiana Woodward as Juliet. Link to comment
dirac Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said: Agreed. I’m of the mind that R&J should be cast young. Or at least look young. I also think opportunities should have been given to apprentices or new corps members as they were when NYCB R&J debuted. It interjects so much more excitement. But I suppose the company is not at the point right now to go for broke. Hyltin, of course, being an elderly 31. or 32, I think ? Times do change. It used to be said that an actor wasn’t ready to play Juliet until she was forty and it was commonplace for theater actors to play characters much younger. It was the stage and they had the technique to play younger, and nobody thought anything about it. (Mrs. Pat created the role of Eliza Doolittle when she was pushing fifty; Margaret Sullavan played Sabrina Fair at forty.) Now, of course, such casting is unlikely, even in the theater. (Not in ballet, fortunately.) Link to comment
vipa Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said: Agreed. I’m of the mind that R&J should be cast young. Or at least look young. I also think opportunities should have been given to apprentices or new corps members as they were when NYCB R&J debuted. It interjects so much more excitement. But I suppose the company is not at the point right now to go for broke. I'm afraid I disagree that R&J should be cast very young. I believe that dancers have to have a youthful quality, but it usually takes a mature artist to deliver the range of emotions required. I'm not saying a young person can't do it, but it's a rare apprentice/new corps member who can pull it off IMO. The greatest Juliet's I've see were (I'm old so I've seen a lot) Fonteyn who was in her 40's and Ferri, back in her ABT days who was in her mid 20's when I saw her. Mid 20's is young but not a teenager and she had already developed a lot of stage craft. Edited February 2, 2018 by vipa Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 On 1/29/2018 at 10:00 AM, abatt said: Whoever ends up as the new director, I hope he or she will give additional consideration to certain dancers who have been marginalized or written off. In particular, I'm talking about Laracey. She was the most exquisite Ballerina on stage in Divertimento. Also, why are Applebaum, Scrudato and certain other men languishing as permanent corps members. They were both far superior to Veyette in Divertimento. Laracey never struck me as someone who'd been written off. Hasn't she just come back from a major injury? Now she's got this big role in Divertimento. I'd vote for Roman Mejia for Janice Levin honoree just based on seeing him in the SAB workshop last spring. Though, I also wonder if they'd give it to Preston Chamblee. He'd be another good choice. Sometimes he seems like a soloist already. A thank you to AmandaNYC for explaining the Janice Levin thing. Link to comment
sandik Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, vipa said: I'm afraid I disagree that R&J should be cast very young. I believe that dancers have to have a youthful quality, but it usually takes a mature artist to deliver the range of emotions required. I'm not saying a young person can't do it, but it's a rare apprentice/new corps member who can pull it off IMO. The greatest Juliet's I've see were (I'm old so I've seen a lot) Fonteyn who was in her 40's and Ferri, back in her ABT days who was in her mid 20's when I saw her. Mid 20's is young but not a teenager and she had already developed a lot of stage craft. Not to mention Ulanova, who was 30 when the ballet premiered... Link to comment
vipa Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, sandik said: Not to mention Ulanova, who was 30 when the ballet premiered... Glad you mentioned that sandik, the film of her is amazing. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 I saw Erica Pereira dance R&J once with Taylor Stanley and I didn't think they had much chemistry. Does she dance it with anyone else? Also, Lovette and Finlay have danced together a fair amount after their split. I think they're lovely together onstage. I agree their R&J was compelling, still I haven't seen anything as good as the short clip Robbie Fairchild posted of him dancing it with Sterling back in the day. Link to comment
canbelto Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 The whole ballet is online. I won't post it bc I don't want it taken down but just do a search and it'll pop up. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) 41 minutes ago, canbelto said: The whole ballet is online. I won't post it bc I don't want it taken down but just do a search and it'll pop up. So is the Martins R&J not totally dreadful? I've only watched the videos Kathryn Morgan has posted of herself in it, and the choreography seemed somewhat repetitive and unimaginative. (BTW -- I'm not a huge fan of the MacMillan R&J overall, but it has it sublime moments.) I don't think I can sit through the Martins Swan Lake again, no matter who is cast in it. Sleeping Beauty is less offensive, but perhaps more disappointing because of all the cuts and odd pacing. Canbelto, I think you once called it a "drive-through Sleeping Beauty," which is such an apt description. I can't wait for the day when NYCB's full-lengths by Martins are replaced. Many of ABT's full-lengths have their own flaws, so I'm eager to see new alternatives at NYCB, ideally ones that allow the dancers to truly become the characters. Edited February 2, 2018 by fondoffouettes Link to comment
AmandaNYC Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 10 hours ago, fondoffouettes said: Sleeping Beauty is less offensive, but perhaps more disappointing because of all the cuts and odd pacing. Canbelto, I think you once called it a "drive-through Sleeping Beauty," which is such an apt description. I actually love this production of SB for that very reason. I'm of a Balanchine pace, and so typically full-lengths are just not my cup-of-tea. I realize it may seem like reading the cliff notes than reading a book to some, but you still get Petipa's (and Balanchine's choreography) and numerous moments for corps in soloist roles to shine. I think, perhaps, this production of SB is so much better than Martins' other productions because... he interjected less of himself and his tastes in it! Link to comment
Marta Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Fondoffouettes said: So is the Martins R&J not totally dreadful? I've only watched the videos Kathryn Morgan has posted of herself in it, and the choreography seemed somewhat repetitive and unimaginative. (BTW -- I'm not a huge fan of the MacMillan R&J overall, but it has it sublime moments.) I don't think I can sit through the Martins Swan Lake again, no matter who is cast in it. Sleeping Beauty is less offensive, but perhaps more disappointing because of all the cuts and odd pacing. Canbelto, I think you once called it a "drive-through Sleeping Beauty," which is such an apt description. I can't wait for the day when NYCB's full-lengths by Martins are replaced. Many of ABT's full-lengths have their own flaws, so I'm eager to see new alternatives at NYCB, ideally ones that allow the dancers to truly become the characters. I agree completely! I am not a huge fan, or even a fan, of the MacMillan R& J, although I'll watch Makarova in it. I never want to see the Martins version again. Nor do I really want to see his Swan Lake or SB again. Drive through is a good description of SB. So rushed. I wonder though if NYCB will delete all the Martins full length ballets. Swan Lake seems to be popular. Link to comment
rkoretzky Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 4 hours ago, AmandaNYC said: I actually love this production of SB for that very reason. I'm of a Balanchine pace, and so typically full-lengths are just not my cup-of-tea. I realize it may seem like reading the cliff notes than reading a book to some, but you still get Petipa's (and Balanchine's choreography) and numerous moments for corps in soloist roles to shine. I think, perhaps, this production of SB is so much better than Martins' other productions because... he interjected less of himself and his tastes in it! It's also visually quite beautiful. The costuming and sets are just lovely, and the palette is very pleasing. (Unlike, say, Martins' R and J or SL). And I LOVE the absence of fussy wigs. I didn't care for Ratmansky's SB at all. I know he was striving for historical accuracy, but the Demi point and low arabesque and attitude just didn't work for me. Like you Amanda, I'm at Balanchine pace. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) Lauren Lovett's Not Our Fate is now listed on the NYCB website for four performances in May! I don't think I missed it before. It must be new information. It's part of the Classic NYCB program. I'm so glad this lovely ballet is getting additional performances. I thought it was one of the real winners from the costume gala, in terms of dancing, choreography and costumes. I've seen Martins' R&J several more times than I need to. The bright costumes remind me of the jerseys for football teams. Capulets on the right in red, Montagues squaring off on the left in blue. Edited February 2, 2018 by BalanchineFan Link to comment
DC Export Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Did anyone see the new Walker ballet, "dance odyssey," last night? Link to comment
Helene Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 41 minutes ago, rkoretzky said: It's also visually quite beautiful. The costuming and sets are just lovely, and the palette is very pleasing. My favorite part is the watercolor images during the transformation scene. The Martins' Sleeping Beauty is beautiful, and it also has some wonderful pieces of theater: Little Red Riding Hood in particular is a gem. And it could be a lot better if the prologue variations weren't at union time tempi and there was some time to breath between them. Link to comment
vipa Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, rkoretzky said: It's also visually quite beautiful. The costuming and sets are just lovely, and the palette is very pleasing. (Unlike, say, Martins' R and J or SL). And I LOVE the absence of fussy wigs. I didn't care for Ratmansky's SB at all. I know he was striving for historical accuracy, but the Demi point and low arabesque and attitude just didn't work for me. Like you Amanda, I'm at Balanchine pace. I agree. I like NYCB SB, and think it reflects the company's values and style very well. I agree with Helene that the tempi of the prologue variations are often taken too briskly, but overall this is a minor complaint and easily fixed. Link to comment
abatt Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) I was there last night for the debut of the Walker ballet. I thought it was much better than his first ballet for the company. It was attractive and conventional. It's not something I would mark my calendar for to seek out, but it's not something I would intentionally avoid either (like Spectral Evidence). It looks derivative of many other ballets, particularly some Wheeldon ballets, in terms of the partnering manipulations. I had not seen Red Violin since it's debut. Now there's a ballet I don't need to see again- ever. The only masterpiece on the roster last night was Russian Seasons. Mearns gave a tour de force performance as a young girl who is being forced to marry against her will. Amazing and unforgettable. I think she would be a fascinating choice to lead Les Noces when it returns in the Spring. Edited February 3, 2018 by abatt Link to comment
abatt Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/arts/dance/jacques-damboise-national-dance-institute.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fdance&action=click&contentCollection=dance®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront If anyone goes to this upcoming lecture, Balanchine Guys, please report. Sounds fascinating. Edited February 2, 2018 by abatt Link to comment
sandik Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 2 hours ago, abatt said: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/arts/dance/jacques-damboise-national-dance-institute.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fdance&action=click&contentCollection=dance®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront If anyone goes to this upcoming lecture, Balanchine Guys, please report. Sounds fascinating. Indeed -- he's a fascinating speaker. Link to comment
kbarber Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 3 hours ago, abatt said: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/arts/dance/jacques-damboise-national-dance-institute.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fdance&action=click&contentCollection=dance®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront If anyone goes to this upcoming lecture, Balanchine Guys, please report. Sounds fascinating. It's being livestreamed on Pointe Magazine's facebook page Link to comment
abatt Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Thanks for the info on the live stream. Link to comment
California Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Mearns is injured, as per her Instagram Link to comment
nanushka Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Love the photo. What is it from? Link to comment
cargill Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 It's from Peter Martins' "Barber Violin Concerto"--Mearns was part of the classical duo and Jared Angle was the modern male dancer. Link to comment
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