Silas Farley retires

[Dale]

NYCB announced Silas Farley's retirement, but they posted it only to their stories. But it's also here:

https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/06-16-20-smu-new-york-city-ballet-silas-farley-visiting-artist-in-residence-meadows-school/

I'm glad he's going to continue with NYCB's podcast. And I wish him the best. His dancing was always courtly and distinctive. 

[volcanohunter]

 

[Dale]

@volcanohunter Ah, Thank you for posting.

[volcanohunter]

 Mentioned briefly on Twitter as well, which is also worth posting to have another photo.

 

 

[lacdescygnes]

I'm glad to hear of his plans, but I will miss him on stage. He had such great presence.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

He was always a genuinely princely presence onstage, and I'll miss seeing him there. I'm glad he'll still be contributing to the NYCB podcast and to the company in other ways as well. 

I wish him every success wherever his journey takes him!

 

[cobweb]

Wow, what a shame! I mean, good for him, but as an audience member I will miss his noble and generous presence. I've also been listening to the podcast recently, and as everyone has said he has a great voice and a great personality for the podcast. 

[vipa]

I am very surprised. I expected him to have a long career with NYCB, because from the beginning he was involved in so many different types of projects - choreographing at summer intensives, acting as MC at Met Museum performances and other venues, leading outreach projects, hosting the podcast and more. He seemed to be the go-to speaker/presenter. I assumed the company saw him as someone who could eventually be part of management or public relations. Maybe he will return after his formal education, and do just that. Anyway I'm sorry to see him go, but wish him well.

Edited June 17, 2020 by vipa

[sohalia]

What a shame, I too expected a long career for him at NYCB. My first thought seeing the topic's name was "I hope he will continue the podcasts!" So I am happy to hear he is, his voice is perfect for those. I wish him well in his next adventures, and hopefully he does return in the future in some sort of teaching capacity, I can picture him in the studio with his patience and presence.

[nycvillager]

Wow, I was surprised to see this news. I thought Silas was promising and I had expected to watch him in the years to come. I'll continue to listen to the podcast and his educational talks.

[BalanchineFan]

Here's another article about Silas Farley and his retirement from performing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/arts/dance/silas-farley-new-york-city-ballet.html

I'm so sorry to hear about it. Silas Farley is such a lovely performer - a true prince. I remember Mr Martins having him demonstrate for the audience when SAB's advanced students took class on the stage in celebration of Balanchine's birthday. I saw Farley's debut in Concerto Barocco a few years ago (with Ashley Laracey) and I can attest to seeing him at many a dance lecture and event. We shared the stage briefly when Victoria Simon spoke at the NYPL about teaching Balanchine's works for the trust. She wanted volunteers to learn the beginning of Serenade. When he presented himself, she said, "only people who haven't performed the ballet."

Silas responded, "These are women's roles. I've never done them," and she let him come up and learn it. He has such enthusiasm for all aspects of dance and Balanchine, always wanting to learn.

I wish him every success.

 

 

[pherank]

4 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

We shared the stage briefly when Victoria Simon spoke at the NYPL about teaching Balanchine's works for the trust. She wanted volunteers to learn the beginning of Serenade. When he presented himself, she said, "only people who haven't performed the ballet."

Silas responded, "These are women's roles. I've never done them," and she let him come up and learn it. He has such enthusiasm for all aspects of dance and Balanchine, always wanting to learn.

I wish him every success.

It's certainly important for male choreographers to truly understand the steps they are giving to the women (and vice versa), and get it in the body somehow. But I suppose one could argue that the male partners need to understand what the female steps are like too - and not just from the outside. Various NYCB women have said that Balanchine was particularly good at mimicking the female steps/roles, so he obviously spent a lot of time thinking about how to visualize dance from the female perspective. Seems like a worthwhile exercise for everyone.

It's certainly sad that he won't be dancing with NYCB, but Farley is a great interviewer and educator too - I know I'd like to see that continue for years. Best of luck to him.