New York City Ballet 2021-2022 season

[cobweb]

I attended the Mozartiana-Rubies-La Valse program again last night, mainly drawn in to see a repeat of the stellar Saturday night casting.

After seeing Harrison Ball in Mozartiana twice now, I conclude that he still has plenty of room to grow in this role, in order to feel truly comfortable in it and to project into the theatre more. Nonetheless, he looks really beautiful and has a quality that just touches my heart. I would gladly see him in this again. I'm not sure this is the best role for Tiler Peck, as I would like to see someone with more interiority. Also I don't think the Ball-Peck partnership has much natural chemistry, although it would help if he would relax his face more. Still, overall a performance I'm very glad I saw. 

Rubies was incredible again, with Mira Nadon, and Sterling Hyltin and Roman Mejia all tearing up the stage. Can't ask for much better. Glad I didn't miss this. 

I've been enjoying La Valse more than expected, after seeing it during the fall and again several times this season. Just the beauty and sweep of it, along with some outstanding individual performances. 

I can't wait to see Emily Kikta in bigger roles, but she is also making a huge impression in the Menuet of Mozartiana, where her long limbs command attention; and with her sense of drama as one of the three ladies in La Valse. 

[KikiRVA]

Totally agree about La Valse, cobweb.  I’ve grown to love it.  I thought Chan was spectacular.  I had seen Jared Angle last Friday, and by contrast, Chan was sexy, menacing, totally commanding.  From social media, he seems to have been welcomed with open heart by the company and will thrive here.

[bellawood]

Reichlen might be out tonight of Slaughter -- Miriam Miller is making her debut "in a principal role" tonight -- according to NYCB Instagram.

[nanushka]

Oh no. With her farewell coming up, I really hope she has no serious injury.

[cobweb]

Was anyone there tonight? Would be interested in a report and if Miller made her debut in Slaughter. Her legs are certainly suited for the role. Does she have the comedic chops?

[nanushka]

I was pretty disappointed by Reichlen in Slaughter on Saturday. She was my main reason for staying for the piece. Her legs were of course gorgeous but I was not particularly drawn in by any other part of her performance. I saw her in it once before (a few years ago) and thought she was ok, not great, in terms of overall performance. This time, not so much. Too bad, as it was my last time seeing her and I have really loved her in numerous other things.

[BalanchineFan]

10 hours ago, cobweb said:

Was anyone there tonight? Would be interested in a report and if Miller made her debut in Slaughter. Her legs are certainly suited for the role. Does she have the comedic chops?

I saw Miriam Miller's Slaughter debut. She is GORGEOUS, as you all know and her legs and figure are spectacular. It seemed like a good debut to me, all the elements are there, but she's not quite at home in everything. She seemed just a little tight. I'm interested to see how she grows and deepens in this role over time. 

[canbelto]

I saw it. She's GORGEOUS with never-ending legs, but as of now doesn't quite have the humor of the role. I'm sure she'll grow in it.

[fondoffouettes]

I saw the 1/30 matinee and 2/9 evening performances of the all-Balanchine program. I thought Huxley and Ball were both superb in Mozartiana. I expected as much from Huxley, but was impressed by how much Ball has grown since pre-pandemic performances. He seemed much more self-assured, and his dancing was crisp and quite musical. It was interesting to see Hyltin and Peck in contrast with one another; I found them both only partly satisfying, though for completely different reasons. Hyltin has all the technical goods to beautifully execute the choreography (I continue to be impressed by the incredibly diverse range of roles she excels in). But I felt like the many dynamic contrasts in woman's choreography were too lightly shaded. It felt somehow too...delicate? I quite enjoyed Peck in the Preghiera, and it reminded me just how incredibly expressive she is with her arms and hands. The backbend was definitely there, so I wonder if it had improved since her debut. Her famed musicality was of course on full display in the variations. The way she accented the choreography -- without ever making self-indulgent choices -- was really thrilling. However, her overall lack of flexibility was problematic, to the point where I feel like the role isn't a proper fit for her at this point in her career, with her current physical limitations. In this stunning step, for example, she could only barely get her leg above 90 degrees; there was no leaning her head into her leg. I won't harp on other examples, but I'd like to see NYCB pursue other possible female leads for this ballet.

Hyltin, Mejia, and Nadon delivered what may be the most thrilling performance of Rubies I've ever witnessed. My heart actually started to race at one point. Hyltin was fabulous in this role before the pandemic, but somehow she managed to outdo herself. Mejia was so impressive without ever seeming show-boaty; the role is ideal for him. And I hope to see him and Hyltin paired together again; they look great together size-wise and all the partnering was spot-on. I also really appreciated how Mejia and Hyltin didn't at all ham up the quirky/playful moments of the ballet. I could watch Nadon's legs slice through space all day. She nailed the arabesque balances; the final one was especially long and drew some gasps. She was all glamour and authority. 

Mearns' dramatic, go-for-broke approach continues to make her my favorite current interpreter of La Valse. Woodward's dancing was lovely, but I think she needs some time to grow into the role. She didn't really project or play up the drama of the piece enough. I agree with @KikiRVA that Chan was fabulous (I always enjoy Ramasar in this role, as well).

Also, just a note that Mearns' Walpurgisnacht Ballet, which I saw on another occasion this season, was simply spectacular -- every bit as impressive as in the New York City Ballet in Paris recording. 

Edited February 11, 2022 by fondoffouettes

[DaniGirl]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:39 PM, KikiRVA said:

It was a wonderful weekend at the ballet!  I went up the weekend’s performances starting Friday night, so got to see the all-Balanchine with two different sets of casts.  Some things that stuck out to me:

-Laracey was phenomenal in both Unanswered Question and Summerspace.  So glad she’s back!

-Devin Alberda was crystal clear in that incredibly challenging Merce role in Summerspace.  Bravo!!!

-Both Mearns and Peck (debut) brought their own something special to Mozartiana.  The moment toward the end when the principal couple joins hands with the girls and they start dancing together choked me up both times!

-Speaking of Mozartiana, Ball looked fabulous.  He seems to have studied Martins’s posture, gesture and look to the stars.

-The tall women in Rubies (both LaFreniere and Nadon) rocked it out.  Less smile from LaFreniere than she must have had on Wednesday from the comments.  I wish Huxley had a little more smile, but he did bring some wonderful swagger.  Mejia was huge in his debut.  Hyltin was a dream, and Peck gave a great first go.

-The stars of La Valse were the 3 soloists at both performances – Kikta, Anderson, and Dutton-O’Hara. 

-I quite liked Partita.  Sorry to have missed the live vocals.  Peck seems to have matured to more sophisticated musicality.  The non-erotic but sensually loving duo of Stanley and Coll made my heart glow.

-And speaking of Coll, he looked like he matured immensely over the last couple of years since I’ve seen him.  He was commanding and beautiful in both the Ives and the Peck. 

-And Mearns in Walpurgisnacht.  It was wonderful 10 years ago, and even better now.  Wow!

Overall an excellent ballet blitz for Winter 2022. 

 

Actually Laine Habony was (instead of Marika Anderson) in La Valse soloist cast and she was gorgeous, as always!  Still one of my favorites!
 

and I love Habony’s little doggie, Poppy, who is apparently an honorary Swan and stealing the show on NYCB’s IG take over today!   
 

Bring on the swans!

Edited February 11, 2022 by DaniGirl

[canbelto]

I think Tiler's lack of flexibility was more obvious in Rubies. I associate that role with a lot of hip swinging, and Tiler did not have the flexibility to do that. The comparison with Megan and Sterling (neither of whom I associate with jelly-like flexibility either) was striking.  Tiler's legs and hips were stiff.

[claireasday]

7 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

In this stunning step, for example, she could only barely get her leg above 90 degrees; there was no leaning her head into her leg.

That pose is a sort of inversion of the knee-to-nose moment in Symphony in C, which makes sense because Farrell was reportedly the first to do it in that ballet.

[canbelto]

Did Meghan dance tonight? She's been nursing an injury, per her IG.

[mille-feuille]

2 minutes ago, canbelto said:

Did Meghan dance tonight? She's been nursing an injury, per her IG.

Nope, Indiana Woodward and Gonzalo Garcia danced Andantino instead.

[nycvillager]

In case this wasn’t mentioned already, the snacks and champagne bar have returned. Serenade just finished and all dancers were excellent, just beautiful and satisfying to watch. The house is quite full tonight, which is good to see. 

[Jacqueline]

Thank you, nycvillager!  I look forward to my trip next week from Texas, for both Saturday performances.  Snacks and champagne will be the icing on the cake.  Fingers crossed.

[BalanchineFan]

It's official. I LOVE Balanchine's one act Swan Lake. I hope they keep performing it. The choreography for the corps is really nice.

Megan Fairchild danced Andantino this afternoon, just fyi. Lovely. Joseph Gordon and Unity Phelan were great in Black Swan ppd. He really shone and had a few moments that took my breath away. Sara Mearns was beautiful in SL.

Edited February 13, 2022 by BalanchineFan

[cobweb]

Great to hear Megan Fairchild is back in action, and @BalanchineFan thanks for the comments about Joseph Gordon and Unity Phelan in Black Swan pdd, I was wondering how that went. I would love to hear any other reports, also how was Chan in, I believe it's Sanguinic, in 4T's?

I was at this evening's performance, and while I have seen the Balanchine one-act SL before, it's been some years. I do NOT love it. It felt odd to be plunked right down into the action of Scene 2 with no preamble whatsoever. There's no plot to speak of. The tempi plowed along so fast it seemed like the conductor was in a rush to get home. Thankfully it slowed down a bit for the pdd. I didn't love the section with what I would call the two "big swans" -- Ashley Hod and Claire Kretszchmar, neither of them looking stellar,  and would rather have had cygnettes. If anyone more familiar with the history of the choreography can tell me when this dates from, I'd be glad for the info. I didn't love the black swan outfits, which didn't seem very swanlike (I don't have the program handy, but surely this cannot be Karinska's work.) And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed the end of the Peter Martins SL, where she kind of melts back into the flock of backwards-bourreeing swans disappearing into the wings. 

 

[tutu]

7 hours ago, cobweb said:

I was at this evening's performance, and while I have seen the Balanchine one-act SL before, it's been some years. I do NOT love it. It felt odd to be plunked right down into the action of Scene 2 with no preamble whatsoever. There's no plot to speak of. The tempi plowed along so fast it seemed like the conductor was in a rush to get home. Thankfully it slowed down a bit for the pdd. I didn't love the section with what I would call the two "big swans" -- Ashley Hod and Claire Kretszchmar, neither of them looking stellar,  and would rather have had cygnettes. If anyone more familiar with the history of the choreography can tell me when this dates from, I'd be glad for the info. I didn't love the black swan outfits, which didn't seem very swanlike (I don't have the program handy, but surely this cannot be Karinska's work.) And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed the end of the Peter Martins SL, where she kind of melts back into the flock of backwards-bourreeing swans disappearing into the wings. 

 

Heartily agree.  The one-act feels as frenetic as a Safdie brothers film.  You never feel like you know—or frankly care about—the characters, and instead are just watching 36 minutes of kaleidoscopic choreography with costumes that miss the mark.  Hyltin elevates it, but one person’s artistry is not enough to overcome the mania of the production.

[cobweb]

A few more comments about last night. Mejia and Peck looked great together in Tchaikovsky pdd. Although sometimes Mejia hurls himself into the air with such force that he loses his form. I admire his abilities, and the audience certainly appreciated him, but I'd rather see a little more finesse. 

Also I thought Indiana Woodward and Gonzalo Garcia looked lovely in Andantino. If I've ever seen this piece before, I've forgotten it, but I enjoyed it.  Woodward looked very fresh considering she just came off her debut in Serenade, and her legs somehow look longer than I remember.

If anyone sees the evening performance, I'd be especially interested in hearing about the Sara Adams-Harrison Ball Tchaikovsky pdd. I don't think of Adams as a bravura dancer, but I've seen so little of her in recent years I can't be sure. In any case, this looks like a lovely pairing of two charming, airy dancers. Also interested in hearing about the Emma von Enck-Anthony Huxley Andantino. This is another great-looking matchup. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by cobweb

[bellawood]

Was there last night too -- I thought the star of the evening was Indiana, who was really expressive, clear and bright as Russian Girl and then was so mature and elegant in Andantino. Her Russian Girl was the best I'd seen in a long time and that includes Tiler's! Tiler and Roman were not perfect in Tchai Pas but WOW the energy and attack. I agree with Cobweb that he needs more finesse, but he's so young and it will take time to know when to go for broke. In some ways he reminds me (in his attitude) of young Sara Mearns. I would watch her while gripping my arm rests because I was sure she would hurl herself into the orchestra pit by accident. She was always dialed up to 11. (In contrast she seemed fragile last night as the waltz girl). 

I am seeing Swan Lake II on Tuesday and next Saturday matinee -- the former because I want to see Mira/Chan in Black Swan PDD and the latter because I want to see Mira debut in Choleric. I don't think I am going to make it through the SL one act 3 times though. My attitude towards it is very similar to Cobweb's, though I actually liked the demi soloist interludes just fine. On Tuesday it is Tiler and Joe Gordon, which is a criminal waste of Joe Gordon. Why is Harrison Ball getting Tchai Pas before Joe Gordon? Next Saturday afternoon it is Megan and Gonzalo, and I love Gonzalo and will miss him dearly, but . . . 

[canbelto]

I agree that Balanchine's SL is one of his more uninspired pieces, but I did enjoy watching Hyltin and Furlan last night.

[cobweb]

I saw today's Four Temperaments and then Sonatine and Black Swan pdd, but I bailed out before the manic Swan Lake. I have tickets to a few more shows later this week, mainly to see the assorted casting in the other pieces, so maybe I'll be motivated to sit through it again with some of the debut casting. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing 4T's, just what I needed. Chun Wai Chan is an incredible dancer (I am SO GLAD he is here!) and he and Emilie Gerrity looked great in Sanguinic. Huxley also just amazing, and the four battement-ladies were mesmerizing. Overall an exciting performance. In Sonatine, Ashley Laracey looked better than ever, beautiful and articulate in every aspect of her body, and somehow her presence just expanded way out into the theatre. Really lovely. For Black Swan pdd, Isabella LaFreniere didn't look totally at ease. Peter Walker was fine but there's not a lot to work with dramatically in just an excerpt. I wish there was some way they could do this pdd without Von Rotbart, he looks silly and distracting just sitting and hovering around in that flamboyant orange cape and garish makeup. 

I look forward to any reports on this evening's Sara Adams-Harrison Ball Tchaikovsky pdd, or the Emma von Enck-Anthony Huxley Andantino. 

[claireasday]

18 hours ago, cobweb said:

I didn't love the black swan outfits, which didn't seem very swanlike (I don't have the program handy, but surely this cannot be Karinska's work.)

You're right, they're not Karinska. The costumes were redone in 1986 by Alain Vaes, roughly three years after Karinska died.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

22 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I saw today's Four Temperaments and then Sonatine and Black Swan pdd, but I bailed out before the manic Swan Lake.

Sigh. I forgot that today's Sunday matinee was a 2PM rather than the usual 3PM, and, much to my chagrin arrived too late to see 4Ts. (Where is everybody? I thought as I cruised alone through the vax check line into an empty lobby ...)

Since my whole point in going was to see Teresa Reichlen dance one last time, I did not bail on Swan Lake. (Since I don't like any version of Swan Lake, I'd have preferred to have seen her in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto or Firebird, but one must take what's on offer.) I thought she gave a beautiful performance—melting in adagio, blazing in allegro—and I'm glad I got to see it. She's leaving at her peak. (Tyler Angle was her partner)

LaFreniere's dancing in the Black Swan PDD was not cautious, exactly—careful, maybe, is the term—which I found surprising given her bold, expansive, go-for-broke Chaconne debut. 

Ashley Laracey and Taylor Stanley's performance of Sonatine was lovely, lovely, lovely. Both looked wonderful, and looked wonderful together.