promotions 2018

[canbelto]

Think Laracey specializes in adagio dancing and in NYCB the biggest way to get noticed in the corps is to be a really strong allegro technician.  

[vipa]

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

I have only been attending City Ballet since 2011. I first noticed Ashley Laracey that year, as one of the lead flowers in Nutcracker. I was floored by her beauty, and at that point, totally new to the company, I was scouring the program and pictures on the website to figure out who she was. I do not know anything about her career trajectory before then. I was and remain baffled about why she is not dancing the great ballerina roles that no doubt she would be exquisite in, such as second movement, Symphony in C. 

Kathleen, thanks for spelling out the cast listing for Swan Lake!

Ashley Laracey is one of my all time favorite Lilac Fairies. Looking at the Shanghai casting I wonder if Maria K isn't going on that tour, opening up some opportunities. The women's principal roster is interesting right now. Maria K is over 40 and Abi Stafford doesn't dance much. Except for Lauren Lovette, the other female principals are in there 30's. I heard Tiler Peck say in an interview that she felt that she was hitting the sweet spot when artistry and technique come together. As we all know the female principal ranks have been astonishing the past few years. Many of them are hitting their true prime. We want to see them as much as possible, but management has to push the next generation and have them ready. 

[manhattangal]

Count me as another NYCB follower who was a bit surprised that Ashley Laracey was left off the promotions list. She was terrific this past weekend in the 2nd pdd in Robbins' MOVES, partnered by Preston Chamblee (also on my hoping-for-promotion list), Yet, it's great to read about the much-deserved promotions this time around.

[cobweb]

It looks like the Shanghai casting has been updated, although I’m a little confused because it’s dated 10/01/18, and I know I looked at it yesterday. Anyway La Cour is out of the tour, resulting in casting shuffling and debuts for Applebaum and Janzen in Serenade. Already the company is benefitting from the Applebaum promotion! He is a stalwart. 

[canbelto]

I'm really pulling for Indiana Woodward to be promoted to principal. I think she's an amazing talent who just brightens up the stage whenever she dances.

[cobweb]

Yes to Woodward. Yes also to Laracey, Phelan, Gerrity, and more of the bafflingly neglected Pazcoguin. So much talent!

[vipa]

11 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Yes to Woodward. Yes also to Laracey, Phelan, Gerrity, and more of the bafflingly neglected Pazcoguin. So much talent!

Pazcoguin is another dancer who has been out a lot recently. After her stint with Cats, she was out with an knee injury. I'm not sure she is fully back. She is a unique talent, but I don't see her being promoted to principal unless/until she is cast in and succeeds in more principal roles. Woodward and Phelan are definitely on the principal track. I wish Laracey was too, but I'm not as sure. She joined the company in 2002, which means she must be in her mid 30's. That would be late for a NYCB promotion, but you never know. I believe on the women's side a couple of retirements must be coming soon in the principal ranks, and we'll see some movement.

Alexa Maxwell was a favorite of mine in the corps, but she too has been out with injury I believe.

[Emma]

I'm rather shocked Woodward wasn't promoted in this batch. Then again, I also thought she should have been promoted to soloist at least a year if not two years before she finally was.

[yukionna4869]

13 hours ago, Emma said:

I'm rather shocked Woodward wasn't promoted in this batch. Then again, I also thought she should have been promoted to soloist at least a year if not two years before she finally was.

I think Pereira is also getting more principal opportunities recently (Baiser, Coppelia, and Allegro Brilliante). The female ranks are just so strong that I find it much more difficult to discern what management thinks. I’m hoping Lauren King also gets more opportunities  I think her dancing is just wonderful.

Did Ashly Isaacs dance this past season? 

[FPF]

16 hours ago, Emma said:

I'm rather shocked Woodward wasn't promoted in this batch. Then again, I also thought she should have been promoted to soloist at least a year if not two years before she finally was.

I've been thinking that she and Unity Phelan might be promoted together--I think they came in to the company together and were promoted to soloist together. 

[DC Export]

3 hours ago, yukionna4869 said:

I think Pereira is also getting more principal opportunities recently (Baiser, Coppelia, and Allegro Brilliante). The female ranks are just so strong that I find it much more difficult to discern what management thinks. I’m hoping Lauren King also gets more opportunities  I think her dancing is just wonderful.

I am still on the fence with Pereira. I've seen her more times than I can count, but I've never walked away from a performance and said "wow, she gave it her all." She just seems to stop at 75% instead of dialing things up as far as possible.

Edited October 16, 2018 by DC Export

[cobweb]

2 hours ago, yukionna4869 said:

Did Ashly Isaacs dance this past season?

Not that I saw or heard. She has been out for quite some time - maybe a year, I'm not sure. 

[cobweb]

34 minutes ago, FPF said:

I've been thinking that she and Unity Phelan might be promoted together--I think they came in to the company together and were promoted to soloist together. 

I hope they are not keeping two dancers together as a pair in this way; dancers will develop at individual rates and it seems silly to hold one back until both are ready and there's space for two principals at once. 

2 hours ago, yukionna4869 said:

I think Pereira is also getting more principal opportunities recently (Baiser, Coppelia, and Allegro Brilliante). 

I don't understand the new opportunities for her, unless it's that they feel the other soloists are overloaded and want to spread the work around. I find that Pereira doesn't project well and makes very little impact. However, I didn't see her Allegro Brillante. Can anyone report on how that went?

[JuliaJ]

Pereira was a completely different dancer in Coppélia. Total principal material there. Her overall star quality might be lacking on other occasions but I still think she has some of the strongest technical ability in the company. Also a good actress. 

[FPF]

39 minutes ago, DC Export said:

I am still on the fence with Pereira. I've seen her more times than I can count, but I've never walked away from a performance and said "wow, she gave it her all." She just seems to stop at 75% instead of dialing things up as far as possible.

 

11 minutes ago, cobweb said:

II don't understand the new opportunities for her, unless it's that they feel the other soloists are overloaded and want to spread the work around. I find that Pereira doesn't project well and makes very little impact. However, I didn't see her Allegro Brillante. Can anyone report on how that went?

I mostly agree with both of you on Pereira--that's she's technically good but doesn't really project most of the time. But there are a few ballets recently where I found her to be quite charming--for example, a couple of summers ago at SPAC, she was very good in Bournonville Divertissments.--it really made me notice her in a way I hadn't before. And although I didn't see it myself, she got very good reviews for her debut in Coppelia (as per JuliaJ's comment above while I was writing this) .

[ABT Fan]

11 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I don't understand the new opportunities for her, unless it's that they feel the other soloists are overloaded and want to spread the work around. I find that Pereira doesn't project well and makes very little impact. However, I didn't see her Allegro Brillante. Can anyone report on how that went?

I've only seen Pereira once, in Symphony in C a few weeks ago, and even though I've read a lot of comments here about her I tried to go in with an open mind. That said, based on that one performance, I agree that she doesn't impress and I also don't understand why she's given principal roles. I think she dances like a young teenager, who has great promise, but who hasn't mastered the control and coordination of her arms and legs and who hasn't acquired the overall strength needed for such roles. There was no fluidity or grace. She looked completely out of her element and casting her with Kowroski, Bouder and Woodward made no sense. 

[Emma]

The last time I remember seeing Pereira was a few years ago in Symphony in C. It sounds like she hasn't made much progress in the role since then (I remember being unimpressed and focused on the third movement corps instead of her). It was completely different watching the video of Alston MacGill in the role, who while actually a teenager, danced with so much energy and enthusiasm.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Emma

[cobweb]

1 hour ago, Emma said:

It was completely different watching the video of Alston MacGill in the role, who while actually a teenager, danced with so much energy and enthusiasm.

I also love Macgill in the Paris video. I'm sorry she hasn't danced it again or had more featured roles. 

[vagansmom]

I also saw Pereira in Coppelia and thought she projected beautifully as I was up quite high.  She owned that role. Technically, she was strong and had such lovely port de bras, something quite a few NYC ballet dancers are lacking. I look forward to seeing her again. 

[Helene]

In my viewing experience, it is no mean feat to dance Coppelia and Donizetti Variations and other technically demanding roles that are categorized as "light" in a completely satisfying way, and I'm always grateful when I see performances like that.

[vipa]

I wanted to comment on Erica Perreira, I believe she caught Peter Martins' attention when he was choreographing Romeo & Juliet, and wanted to cast teenagers close to the age of Juliet. (A questionable idea IMO). She was taken into the company shortly there after and promoted to soloist quickly. In the roughly 9 years that followed she has been cast infrequently. I didn't see her in Coppelia, but have seen her in many ballets. I find and her lacking in coordination (she doesn't move in one piece), although she has a very reliable double pirouette. I wonder if she would have been better off spending a few years in the corps gaining performance experience, partnering experience and developing a stage presence by performing night after night. I feel she's stalled in the soloist ranks (nothing to be ashamed of lord knows). Personally I feel that Megan LeCrone & Lauren King have maxed out too. Lauren King has a radiant presence, but lacks the technique to back it up. LeCrone is inconsistent. But what do I know - with a new AD coming in anything could happen

[wonderwall]

In this article on Laracey (which I highly recommend if you are a fan of her's), it says she was out for an entire year after she ripped three ligaments during a 2004 Nutcracker performance, so I imagine that may have detoured her progression at the beginning of her career. The article mentions some of her perceived weaknesses ("mental toughness"), so perhaps that is something that has impeded her. Regardless, based on how she performs on stage, her lack of promotion to principal at this point is astonishing to me. In my opinion, she has been the member of the company most deserving of/in need of a promotion for at least the past couple of years. I feel like age must play some factor as she is ~35 now. I imagine promoting the newer talent is preferred, but I feel as though age shouldn't play a factor in promotions as long as the performances are deserving.

Off my soapbox--congratulations to all the new promotions! I am especially happy for Claire K. and Joseph Gordon.

[volcanohunter]

11 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

...but who hasn't mastered the control and coordination of her arms and legs and who hasn't acquired the overall strength needed for such roles. There was no fluidity or grace

 

6 hours ago, vipa said:

I find and her lacking in coordination (she doesn't move in one piece)

These are my reservations about Pereira as well. It's not a problem of technique or projection, but coordination. Unfortunately, I don't get a sense that her arms and legs are connected to her center.

[bluejean]

8 hours ago, wonderwall said:

 I imagine promoting the newer talent is preferred, but I feel as though age shouldn't play a factor in promotions as long as the performances are deserving.

 

I so agree!  It saddens me to think management might overlook someone who can and should be promoted (my personal opinion about Laracey), simply because his or her career might only span a few more years.  If it's deserved, it's deserved.

[ABT Fan]

8 hours ago, wonderwall said:

In this article on Laracey (which I highly recommend if you are a fan of her's), it says she was out for an entire year after she ripped three ligaments during a 2004 Nutcracker performance, so I imagine that may have detoured her progression at the beginning of her career. The article mentions some of her perceived weaknesses ("mental toughness"), so perhaps that is something that has impeded her. Regardless, based on how she performs on stage, her lack of promotion to principal at this point is astonishing to me. In my opinion, she has been the member of the company most deserving of/in need of a promotion for at least the past couple of years. I feel like age must play some factor as she is ~35 now. I imagine promoting the newer talent is preferred, but I feel as though age shouldn't play a factor in promotions as long as the performances are deserving.

Off my soapbox--congratulations to all the new promotions! I am especially happy for Claire K. and Joseph Gordon.

Thanks for that article. Clearly the author didn't do all of her homework since she stated that attending college "paid off for her career" and got Laracey her promotion to soloist. 

Anyway. I still think about seeing Laracey in her Concerto Barocco debut last Spring and how magnificent she was. She danced like a principal. Has anyone at NYCB ever been promoted to principal at 35+? I know that's rare anywhere, but maybe she'll get "lucky" like Abrera did across the plaza.