Kathryn Morgan

[GB1216]

Just wondering if anyone was at Kathryn Morgan’s comeback performance?  I saw her when she was with NYCB and she was always stunning.

[Syzygy]

I've been curious too. The only "review" I could find didn't cover her show. 

Did anyone here attend? cubanmiamiboy?

[lmspear]

From Morgan's YouTube vlog.

[cubanmiamiboy]

3 hours ago, Syzygy said:

I've been curious too. The only "review" I could find didn't cover her show. 

Did anyone here attend? cubanmiamiboy?

I attended only one performance of the program, and she wasn't on it. Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Slaughter on 10th Ave and Mercuric Tidings 

[BalletFan]

I no longer see Kathryn Morgan listed on the Miami City Ballet website. However, her Instagram bio still says "Soloist with Miami City Ballet." When Kathryn was interviewed by Megan Fairchild a few months ago, she said she didn't see herself staying in Miami--but didn't give any time frame. I was surprised since being back on stage and part of a company again had seemed so important to her. I know that she has been living and teaching in Salt Lake City since the lockdown began. But I was kind of hoping that she'd go back to Miami at least for another season. Does anyone have any news?

[canbelto]

6 hours ago, BalletFan said:

I no longer see Kathryn Morgan listed on the Miami City Ballet website. However, her Instagram bio still says "Soloist with Miami City Ballet." When Kathryn was interviewed by Megan Fairchild a few months ago, she said she didn't see herself staying in Miami--but didn't give any time frame. I was surprised since being back on stage and part of a company again had seemed so important to her. I know that she has been living and teaching in Salt Lake City since the lockdown began. But I was kind of hoping that she'd go back to Miami at least for another season. Does anyone have any news?

I think she joined her boyfriend and is teaching at Ballet West. 

[BalletFan]

I follow Kathryn on social media, and yes, I know that she's been teaching at Ballet West for several months now. Still, I was hoping she'd come back to Miami City Ballet. Joining a company again was a huge thing for her--something she had been talking about literally for years. I, along with many others, really admired her perseverance when she announced she was joining MCB for the 2019-2020 season. That’s why I’m surprised. But maybe the reality of being in a company again wasn’t all that she had dreamed it would be.

She really only danced at MCB a few times. I know she performed in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue last fall. Then I remember her being injured and don't think she performed in The Nutcracker. Then she was cut from Firebird. Then the rest of the season was canceled. I know that her boyfriend lives in Salt Lake City and that she also has a lot of other things going on in her life (YouTube, etc.). While it's a shame that her time in Miami was so short and that she had so few opportunities to perform on stage, she seems happy now. And that’s what matters.

 

[GB1216]

 I was actually surprised in the Megan Fairchild interview how candid she was about not staying in Miami long term.  I felt it was a pretty bold move to say that out loud if she really wanted to stay.  I always wondered if there was tension with the organization after how vocal she was regarding firebird. She truly does seem happy though in salt lake and ballet west.  Maybe there is opportunity for her to dance there instead.

also - she’s been pretty quiet on her you tube channel recently and focusing more on teaching.  I’ve been following her on that channel for awhile and she tends to go quiet when something is happening in the background (speculation, of course). She managed to upload pretty regularly throughout her time with MCB.

Edited August 5, 2020 by GB1216

[GB1216]

I just was looking at her IG and it was updated to say “Former soloist with New York City Ballet & Miami City Ballet”.  

Her removal from the website was the big tip off but now that just confirms it quietly.  

[trixiebeaumont]

She announced in an IGTV interview last week that she had left Miami for her own well-being. 

[Phrenchphry11]

Wow, sad but maybe not surprising.  It seems like it got a bit toxic at the end for her, with the Firebird casting, among other things.  Has she mentioned anything about finding a new company?  

Nevertheless, regardless of what happens with her performing career, it does seem like she's sort of evolved her social media platforms to speak out about cultural issues in the dance world, I hope there's a bright future for her around activism for the physical and mental health of ballet dancers.  This is a bit of an older video, forgive me, but I thought this video was really thought provoking: 

 

[canbelto]

She teaches now at Ballet West. She mentioned she was making so much money from her social media that she wanted to concentrate on that full time as well as reuniting with her bf who is at Ballet West.

[trixiebeaumont]

I haven’t heard her - or read - that’s she making a lot of money. Just that she’s able to make money in general. She’s also been a guest instructor at BW. My hope is that she will dance professionally again in some capacity!  So sad about the Miami situation. Had such great hopes for her there!

[GB1216]

I think at the end of the day she is able to make a living and that’s what counts.  I do wish she could have been able to stay at MCB, but I guess that just wasn’t in the cards. 

[pherank]

3 hours ago, Phrenchphry11 said:

Wow, sad but maybe not surprising.  It seems like it got a bit toxic at the end for her, with the Firebird casting, among other things.  Has she mentioned anything about finding a new company?  

Nevertheless, regardless of what happens with her performing career, it does seem like she's sort of evolved her social media platforms to speak out about cultural issues in the dance world, I hope there's a bright future for her around activism for the physical and mental health of ballet dancers.  This is a bit of an older video, forgive me, but I thought this video was really thought provoking:

That's an excellent discussion - thanks for sharing.

Phil Chan inadvertently illustrates how easy it is to fall into accepted norms when he talks about creating a version of Le Corsaire based around gangsters and a beauty pageant. Those are two problematic subjects of their own, so the ballet would somehow need to present those subjects in a way that doesn't alienate/offend part of the audience. The gangsters and the pageant itself can't simply reinforce stereotypes about American gangsters (they're always Italian-American, for example), and who is considered to be beautiful in American culture, and who/what is not.

[jessa_sissonne]

7 hours ago, trixiebeaumont said:

She announced in an IGTV interview last week that she had left Miami for her own well-being. 

Do you know what IGTV channel this was?

[trixiebeaumont]

It was last week on @jimnowakowski on Instagram.  He was formerly with Houston Ballet.  A good interview!

11 minutes ago, jessa_sissonne said:

Do you know what IGTV channel this was?

Oops - on @jimnowakowski

[jessa_sissonne]

12 hours ago, trixiebeaumont said:

It was last week on @jimnowakowski on Instagram.  He was formerly with Houston Ballet.  A good interview!

Oops - on @jimnowakowski

Thank you Trixie, that was an interesting interview. She mentioned that 9 other dancers also left MCB. Does anyone know who else left?

[Syzygy]

5 hours ago, jessa_sissonne said:

Thank you Trixie, that was an interesting interview. She mentioned that 9 other dancers also left MCB. Does anyone know who else left?

I know Bianca Bulle left after one season despite getting some principal casting (Stravinsky Violin Concerto, maybe some others, I'm not too sure). According to her Instagram she's retiring from dancing all together. 

Here's a quick transcript of what Kathryn Morgan said to Jim Nowakowski for those of you who don't use social media:

I haven’t spoken very publicly about this, but […] I left Miami City Ballet, I am no longer there. And for my mental well-being and physical well-being, I am still going to dance, I still have plans—COVID got in the way—but, I left, you know, friends would say, “it’s a top five company, why would you leave?” […] Mental well-bing, physical well-being. It was not a great work environment for me. Nine of us left this year. So, yeah, it was, you know, as wonderful as it was and as grateful as I am because I got back on stage there […] that title of being in that company is not worth mentally what I was going through. 

[balletforme]

That artistic director tends to heavily favor a very thin dancer. It's well known.  

[pherank]

5 hours ago, balletforme said:

That artistic director tends to heavily favor a very thin dancer. It's well known.  

Yep. In watching MCB videos over the last year, I was kind of shocked by how obvious the body type preference was. The company very much has a "look", in the same way that Mariinsky has a look. Obviously, that is going to work in the Corps' favor when dancing Swan Lake, or Giselle - traditional ballets. But in contemporary ballets, that preference tends to look pathological. It kind of creeped me out.

[trixiebeaumont]

3 hours ago, pherank said:

Yep. In watching MCB videos over the last year, I was kind of shocked by how obvious the body type preference was. The company very much has a "look", in the same way that Mariinsky has a look. Obviously, that is going to work in the Corps' favor when dancing Swan Lake, or Giselle - traditional ballets. But in contemporary ballets, that preference tends to look pathological. It kind of creeped me out.

8 hours ago, balletforme said:

That artistic director tends to heavily favor a very thin dancer. It's well known.  

This is what is so annoying. Why would Lourdes Lopez even bother bringing in a dancer who didn’t fit that mold then?  Why teach her Firebird?  Why be interviewed with her, filmed and photographed while *teaching* her Firebird? Though Kathryn Morgan is actually quite small - she’s not emaciated and that was clear from the beginning. This situation has really affected my views toward LL and MCB.  

Edited August 22, 2020 by trixiebeaumont

[pherank]

44 minutes ago, trixiebeaumont said:

This is what is so annoying. Why would Lourdes Lopez even bother bringing in a dancer who didn’t fit that mold then?  Why teach her Firebird?  Why be interviewed with her, filmed and photographed while *teaching* her Firebird? Though Kathryn Morgan is actually quite small - she’s not emaciated and that was clear from the beginning. This situation has really affected my views toward LL and MCB.  

To me, it was a combination of bad timing (for Morgan) and personality conflict. Bad timing because Lopez had someone she was looking to promote to principal, and obviously decided to do that during Firebird (so Morgan was sidelined to put the spotlight on someone else). And I assume personality conflict just because Morgan doesn't have any trouble expressing her views and intentions, but directors tend to like dancers who don't talk back or challenge anything that is going on at the company.

[trixiebeaumont]

8 minutes ago, pherank said:

To me, it was a combination of bad timing (for Morgan) and personality conflict. Bad timing because Lopez had someone she was looking to promote to principal, and obviously decided to do that during Firebird (so Morgan was sidelined to put the spotlight on someone else). And I assume personality conflict just because Morgan doesn't have any trouble expressing her views and intentions, but directors tend to like dancers who don't talk back or challenge anything that is going on at the company.

I do understand that, but Morgan was told her body was the reason she was pulled.  Difficult to understand this because she had been there working and was seen daily.  If there was such a problem, why not figure that out in the beginning?  

[pherank]

4 minutes ago, trixiebeaumont said:

I do understand that, but Morgan was told her body was the reason she was pulled.  Difficult to understand this because she had been there working and was seen daily.  If there was such a problem, why not figure that out in the beginning?  

You mean, why was it handled so badly?   ;)
We humans are not the most logical of creatures.

Lopez felt the need to get in her dig at Morgan, I'm assuming. That's why I think there's a personality conflict at work here. And obviously Morgan felt it wasn't just a temporary issue - she didn't see things improving anytime soon, so she moved on.