New York City Ballet Fall Season

[NinaFan]

DeLuz retirement -  It's so difficult to make out the faces.  My husband I thought that the guy who came out at 4:10 (after the Interim team) was Chris Wheeldon.   That's the same person who has also been identified as Robbie Fairchild and Carlos Lopez.  So take your pick, it's bound to be one of them!

Edited October 15, 2018 by NinaFan

[Kathleen O'Connell]

47 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

Maybe the 10-1 ratio was meant for the person he was speaking to. 

Peter Martins? 😉

[CTballetfan]

A couple of more points about the De Luz farewell performance, which I attended. Yes, the last woman to come out, throw her bouquet onto the pile, and break into dance with him was his mother, dressed in hot pink that probably played well to the 4th ring. What a happy occasion!

Second point: In Todos Buenos Aires, I watched the quartet of principal men who danced with De Luz. The only one who was really and meaningfully dancing was Taylor Stanley. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he put so much of himself into it and he is so musical, lyrical, has an exquisite line and dances with heart. More principal roles for him please. Yes I can see him as Apollo—his own interpretation. The three disappointing men, going through the motions with hardly any movement or energy, were Andy Veyette, Jared Angle, and Ask la Cour. Taylor Stanley—and De Luz— danced rings around them. I know it was the last performance of the season, but they could have tried.

[fondoffouettes]

10 minutes ago, CTballetfan said:

The three disappointing men, going through the motions with hardly any movement or energy, were Andy Veyette, Jared Angle, and Ask la Cour. Taylor Stanley—and De Luz— danced rings around them. I know it was the last performance of the season, but they could have tried.

I think that's just how those three generally dance these days.  I know that sounds harsh, but you'd think they were on the verge of retirement, not de Luz. 

1 hour ago, Helene said:

Which is easily fixed by taking it down a hair or two.  

Exactly, and I wish they'd insert an additional intermission for the long sleep; it feels really odd not having one there. Then maybe they wouldn't feel like they had to rush through the ballet to make it doable with only one intermission. Some of the cuts and rearranging of the score really don't work for me. 

Edited October 15, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[jeff-sh]

1 hour ago, NinaFan said:

DeLuz retirement -  It's so difficult to make out the faces.  My husband I thought that the guy who came out at 4:10 (after the Interim team) was Chris Wheeldon.   That's the same person who has also been identified as Robbie Fairchild and Carlos Lopez.  So take your pick, it's bound to be one of them!

I know Carlos and I sat at Row C. They are best friends since ballet school days in Spain 

[FPF]

2 hours ago, NinaFan said:

I saw Barber Violin Concerto when it premiered with the original cast of Merrill Ashley, Adam Luders, and guest modern dancers Kate Johnson and David Parsons.  NYCB's own dancers have since taken on the modern dancer roles, and they're just as good as Kate and David.  This is an example of how well NYCB dancers adapt to other styles.  In my opinion, it's a clever "keeper" ballet, with some funny moments.

I also saw it with the original cast.  I liked it the first few times I saw it, but the more I've seen it, the more tedious I've found it. 

[Kathleen O'Connell]

21 minutes ago, CTballetfan said:

The three disappointing men, going through the motions with hardly any movement or energy, were Andy Veyette, Jared Angle, and Ask la Cour. Taylor Stanley—and De Luz— danced rings around them. I know it was the last performance of the season, but they could have tried.

 

11 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I think that's just how those three generally dance these days.  I know that sounds harsh, but you'd think they were on the verge of retirement, not de Luz. 

Those three men are roughly of an age with Ashley Bouder and Teresa Reichlen, who appear to be in the high summer of their prime.

[nanushka]

4 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Those three men are roughly of an age with Ashley Bouder and Teresa Reichlen, who appear to be in the high summer of their prime.

Wow, that's surprising, because at least onstage — I've never seen him in person, only onstage (and on video) — Veyette in particular looks (to me) so much older.

Edited October 15, 2018 by nanushka

[fondoffouettes]

19 minutes ago, jeff-sh said:

I know Carlos and I sat at Row C. They are best friends since ballet school days in Spain 

I watched it again on a big screen, and it really looks like Carlos Lopez to me, too. 

Based on this long humble-brag of an Instagram post, which mentions de Luz as an afterthought at the end, Fairchild may not have been that invested in the farewell. He does seem invested in staying in the closet, though.

 

Edited October 15, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[Kathleen O'Connell]

1 minute ago, nanushka said:

Wow, that's surprising, because at least onstage — I've never seen him in person, only onstage (and on video) — Veyette in particular looks so much older.

Veyette always looked like he was born 40. Here's when each dancer joined the corps:

J. Angle - July 1998

La Cour - RDB 2000 / NYCB 2002

Daniel Ulbricht - November 2001

Veyette - Spring 2000

Bouder - June 2000

Reichlen - October 2001

Megan Fairchild, Sterling Hyltin, Georgina Pazcougin, Adrian Danchig-Waring, and Sean Suozzi all joined in the 2002-3 timeframe. 

[NinaFan]

38 minutes ago, jeff-sh said:

I know Carlos and I sat at Row C. They are best friends since ballet school days in Spain 

Thanks, that mystery is finally solved! 

[nanushka]

39 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Veyette always looked like he was born 40.

Not in his dancing, though (what I mostly — though not only — meant). I’ve seen older videos in which he’s excellent, with great energy. Now he so often looks like he can’t keep up. I remember a Rubies from a few years ago; the part when he jogs around with the other guys was just sad, embarrassing. And an Allegro Brillante, also the parts with the corps guys, when he basically just marked the steps.

Thanks for providing the dates.

Edited October 15, 2018 by nanushka

[Kathleen O'Connell]

4 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Not in his dancing. (what I mostly — though not only — meant). I’ve seen older videos in which he’s excellent, with great energy. Now he so often looks like he can’t keep up. I remember a Rubies from a few years ago; the part when he jogs around with the other guys was just sad, embarrassing.

Oh, I didn't mean his dancing - although there have always been moments when it's looked labored, even when he was a freshly-minted member of the corps. But yes, it wasn't that long ago when he did more than emulate bravura. 

[nanushka]

49 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

Based on this long humble-brag of an Instagram post, which mentions de Luz as an afterthought at the end, Fairchild may not have been that invested in the farewell. He does seem invested in staying in the closet, though.

Gosh, why even mention de Luz in that post? It's almost offensive, tagging it on there after going on about all his own recent accomplishments. (Does that even count as a humble-brag?)

It's also kind of hilarious that he writes "I keep my personal life as personal as possible" — now he does, after having his straight marriage trumpeted in various media? Oh brother.

Edited October 15, 2018 by nanushka

[ABT Fan]

7 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Gosh, why even mention de Luz in that post? It's almost offensive, tagging it on there after going on about all his own recent accomplishments. (Does that even count as a humble-brag?)

It's also kind of hilarious that he writes "I keep my personal life as personal as possible" — now he does, after having his straight marriage trumpeted in various media? Oh brother.

That's full-on no-holds-barred brag (nothin' humble about it). 

And, I found that part about his "personal life" hilarious too.

[nanushka]

After apparently toying with the idea of being at least somewhat open on social media about his non-straight relationship(s), Fairchild abruptly changed his approach sometime last year; it was commented on at some length on another discussion thread here on BA. This is a very different approach to the one he took with regard to his straight relationship(s).

 

[manhattangal]

It was a real honor to have witnessed yesterday's De Luz farewell performance, particularly his buoyant dancing with Tile Peck in Theme & Variations. It was the highlight of a very special weekend that also included De Luz's spiffy WSS turn in Something to Dance about (Sat. matinee), sporting that crazy mustard-yellow jacket, and, in the evening, his final Fancy Free. I think that he danced in every performance this past week, no? I got him for three-out-of-three this weekend. No complaints!

[vipa]

1 hour ago, FPF said:

I also saw it with the original cast.  I liked it the first few times I saw it, but the more I've seen it, the more tedious I've found it. 

I didn't see the original cast but have seen it a few time. I agree with the assessment that it is enjoyable the first time, but doesn't hold up with repeated viewings. If it's on a good program and you've never seen it (or only seen it once), you're likely to enjoy it. At this point I try to avoid it.

[Helene]

1 hour ago, fondoffouettes said:

He does seem invested in staying in the closet, though.

He's not in the closet. 

Not all out people divulge details about their private lives, and some who had in the past have decided not to anymore, which is their right.  

[vipa]

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Not in his dancing, though (what I mostly — though not only — meant). I’ve seen older videos in which he’s excellent, with great energy. Now he so often looks like he can’t keep up. I remember a Rubies from a few years ago; the part when he jogs around with the other guys was just sad, embarrassing. And an Allegro Brillante, also the parts with the corps guys, when he basically just marked the steps.

Thanks for providing the dates.

Just a few years ago, Veyette did some amazing performances of Theme & Variations as well as Oberon in Midsummer. It saddens me to see him in the shape he is currently in.

[nanushka]

20 minutes ago, Helene said:

He's not in the closet. 

Not all out people divulge details about their private lives, and some who had in the past have decided not to anymore, which is their right.  

Agreed on your second sentence, but the first seems at least debatable. He only ever divulged details in a very veiled manner, from what I recall, and he's since deleted those references. I think it's at least arguable that he remains "in the closet" in at least some sense. The closet is not always something one is definitively IN or OUT of, as queer theorists have explored at great lengths. For instance, one can be "in the closet" in certain spheres of one's life and "out of the closet" in others.

Edited October 15, 2018 by nanushka

[canbelto]

42 minutes ago, vipa said:

Just a few years ago, Veyette did some amazing performances of Theme & Variations as well as Oberon in Midsummer. It saddens me to see him in the shape he is currently in.

Re: Veyette because I was there one awful night he was doing Donizetti Variations. He landed hard on a jump, you heard something CRACK from the audience, and he limped offstage. Ashley Bouder improvised the rest of the ballet on her own, and constantly looked into the wings. He never came out for curtain calls. He has never been the same since.

Edited October 15, 2018 by canbelto

[canbelto]

Guys I really apologize I accidentally deleted the farewell video from my own channel. I reuploaded it:

 

[Drew]

Thanks for posting the curtain calls.   What a great occasion!

[Marta]

Thanks for posting this, Ivy.  This video is  wonderful for those of us who couldn't see it in person.