New York City Ballet 2021-2022 season

[Rosa]

Have the swan maidens always worn black in Balanchine's Swan Lake? Is there a particular reason for this choice?

[California]

13 minutes ago, Rosa said:

Have the swan maidens always worn black in Balanchine's Swan Lake? Is there a particular reason for this choice?

The black swans are the subject of endless fascination. According to NYCB: https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/swan-lake-balanchine/

In 1986 the production was redesigned once more by Alain Vaes who created an icy landscape instead of the traditional Gothic lakeside, and dressed the corps of swans in black, which Balanchine may have been planning in 1981 when he mysteriously ordered 400 yards of black tarlatan. When asked to justify this odd request, Balanchine merely said, “There are black swans as well.”

I've never seen any other explanation of Balanchine's thinking.

Here's a 1965 photo from NYPL with Allegra Kent and all in white:

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7bc0c990-3f84-0133-b011-00505686d14e

Edited February 19, 2022 by California

[Rosa]

1 minute ago, California said:

The black swans are the subject of endless fascination. According to NYCB: https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/swan-lake-balanchine/

In 1986 the production was redesigned once more by Alain Vaes who created an icy landscape instead of the traditional Gothic lakeside, and dressed the corps of swans in black, which Balanchine may have been planning in 1981 when he mysteriously ordered 400 yards of black tarlatan. When asked to justify this odd request, Balanchine merely said, “There are black swans as well.”

I've never seen any other explanation of Balanchine's thinking.

Thank you for the information, California!

[vipa]

I also was at this afternoon's show. It made me happy. Both cast I saw of 4T's this season were good. In this one I particularly appreciated La Frenier in Sanguinic -  her expansiveness, attack, presentation. I loved Russell Janzen's  Phlegmatic. He shaped the piece beginning to end with the perfect sense of drama

Love this cast of Sonatine, Woodward and Huxley. She's a dancer of imagination and clarity, with a wonderful port de bras. He has a truly fine tuned, polished technique. From the start the piece was almost a conversation between them. A pleasure.

Black Swan with Tiler Peck and Jovani Furlan. She has a deep bag of tricks technically, musically and in terms of characterization. His variation was a bit underpowered. Do they really have to do the double tours with arms in high fifth?

I adored Fairchild in Swan Lake. She was the big surprise to me. How long can this woman just keep getting better and better? Mary Elizabeth Sell replaced Ashley Laracey in pas de Neuf and was excellent, as was Ashley Hod. I think the "big swans" have settled into their roles.

I went home happy.

 

 

[cobweb]

I was at the matinee but only saw 4Ts. The new theme couples perhaps need some more time/rehearsal to settle in, but no matter, I loved seeing the new casting, and Riccardo and Dutton-O'Hara looked very good. He is on the way up, and she always has a most intriguing quality. I loved the debuts of both Isabella LaFreniere and Mira Nadon. (During Sanguinic, the mother and young daughter sitting next to me apparently were mesmerized by LaFreniere and Bolden and spent half the movement flipping through the program, looking at casting and then scrutinizing the page with photos of principals. I felt like whipsering loudly, "ISABELLA LA FRENIERE, SHE'S A SOLOIST".) Question for @vipa, what did you think of the Nadon Choleric? Sebastian Villarini-Velez as Melancholic made beautiful shapes, and Russell Janzen was a totally committed Phlegmatic. Glad to see all the new corps/apprentice ladies, the battement-ladies, the buzzing ladies, and tall ladies of Phlegmatic. I could see 4Ts again and again. Like @bellawood, I was baffled by the lack of applause after 4T's, I loved it!

[Jacqueline]

Where to start?  I was at both shows today.  Agree with all who noted the lackluster applause for 4T's.  That baffled me, because I absolutely loved it and saw many standout performances -- Janzen, Nadon, LaFreniere and many others.  It has been many years since I have seen this and the choreography remains so fresh and exciting.  Perhaps there were a lot of people in the audience who are not used to leotard ballets, including the trio next to me who said they just were not interested because "there were no costumes."  (Please note this kind of thing is not new to me.  I once brought a client to NYCB, back in the '90s, and he characterized "Square Dance" as a "warm up.")

I agree that Indiana Woodward is a breakout star.  She was lovely in Andantino tonight, but really exquisite in Sonatine this afternoon, where she brings all the perfume and totally channels Violette Verdy. Also, I thought she and Huxley had a really nice rapport. Bravo.

I adored Tchai pas tonight despite a few bobbles and like JuliaJ said before, Unity Phelan has all the glamour and phrasing and elegance.  Jovani almost dropped her on one of the fish dives, except he didn't!

Vipa, this afternoon, I think Mary Elizabeth Sell actually replaced Ashley Hod in the Valse Bluette, and Ashley Laracey performed the Pas de Neuf in place of Claire Kretschmar?  Either way, I didn't love these two sections of Swan Lake.  Tess brought all the glamour tonight and reminded us of how much we're going to miss her.  It was a pleasure to be there.

 

[griffie]

6 hours ago, California said:

Here's a 1965 photo from NYPL with Allegra Kent and all in white:

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7bc0c990-3f84-0133-b011-00505686d14e

Allegra Kent was at Tuesday night's performance of Swan Lake - I heard her giving her name for her tickets as I was picking up my own ticket. I hope she was happy with the current production. She is still beautiful, and as often happens when I see dancers who give the impressions of being long and elegantly tall onstage, she is quite petite in real life! Such a lovely dancer; I was fortunate enough to see her perform, although I was too young at the time to fully appreciate her gifts.

[canbelto]

Absolutely heartbroken after Tess's retirement. What a beautiful performance.

I took a video of the curtain calls:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaL1IK1gxQV/

[ABT Fan]

Is it a NYCB retirement thing to only give the dancer a single rose? Or is that a pandemic thing? A flower shortage thing (which is a real thing right now)? I’m so used to ABT retirements where each person coming out gives a bouquet. I suppose that is wasteful but this looks so skimpy to me, especially for a dancer of Reichlen’s caliber.

[nanushka]

20 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Is it a NYCB retirement thing to only give the dancer a single rose? Or is that a pandemic thing? A flower shortage thing (which is a real thing right now)? I’m so used to ABT retirements where each person coming out gives a bouquet. I suppose that is wasteful but this looks so skimpy to me, especially for a dancer of Reichlen’s caliber.

It was Reichlen's request, per the recent article in the NYTimes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/arts/dance/teresa-reichlen-retiring-from-new-york-city-ballet.html

Quote

It will be “typical Tess fashion: low key,” Stafford said. “During the bows, she doesn’t want bouquets. She just wants single roses, and she doesn’t want it to be a parade of all the principal dancers who feel like they have to do it. She just wants anyone who wants to give her a rose to give her a rose. And she’ll gladly accept it.”

He added, “She’s pretty popular. I imagine a bunch of dancers are going to want to do it.”

Clearly, this stresses Reichlen out. “I just really enjoy dancing,” she said. “The recognition and the pouring on of praise just makes me feel very uncomfortable. And in retirements in the past, when I’m at them, the whole time I’m thinking, this is my worst nightmare.” Well, maybe not her worst nightmare — she paused, clearly agonized.

“It’s not me,” she said. “I’m the dancer who stands in the back corner of the studio. I enjoy being onstage, obviously, but it’s funny: I would be happy if the curtain came down and we didn’t have to bow.”

I loved reading that part of the article.

Edited February 20, 2022 by nanushka

[fondoffouettes]

Deleted

Edited February 20, 2022 by fondoffouettes

[ABT Fan]

47 minutes ago, nanushka said:

It was Reichlen's request, per the recent article in the NYTimes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/arts/dance/teresa-reichlen-retiring-from-new-york-city-ballet.html

I loved reading that part of the article.

Thank you for this, I missed that article. She’s so classy.

[MarzipanShepherdess]

I'll miss Tess SO much and am so glad I got to see her send off. She gave a beautiful final performance worthy of her legacy: elegance, grace, regal mien, beautiful, beautiful lines, gorgeous jumps and penchees. She was my favorite as Siren and Rubies Tall Girl, and I'll miss her as Titania, Choleric, Sugar Plum Fairy, in Diamonds, and as Coffee. Appreciate that the NYT piece gave credit to all she accomplished on and off-stage via her AGMA work and leadership within the company when they were navigating the revenge porn case. She is definitely a dancer I admire both as a ballerina and as an individual.

Serenade was particularly lovely last night, the corps looked REALLY good all night and it felt like they were giving 110% in honor of Teresa. One of my favorite roles to see Sterling in and she was just glorious, so fleet and full of emotion. And of course her blonde hair looks particularly striking streaming down in the final lift. Emilie Gerrity was a very fine Dark Angel and Erica continues to impress me with how she is evolving as an artist with growing presence and depth.

Agree with Jacqueline that Indiana and Harrison were lovely in Andantino both individually and as a pair, but I didn't find the piece itself as compelling as Sonatine. Would not mind if I don't see it again, whereas Sonatine I hope to see more of. There is something very princely to me about Harrison, I'd love to see him in the future as a Siegfried.

Mixed feelings on Unity in TchaiPas. I sometimes feel like in her port de bras there's too much elbows and wrists angled so as to break up the lines...there's a smooth quality I find missing. But beautiful, elegant footwork and jumps. The final fish dive was really alarming, Jovani seemed to catch her fine but must not have had a secure grip as he almost dropped her out of the pose (but fortunately was able to grab Unity so she didn't actually fall). Lots of gasps from the audience in my section. It was a shame as his solos were quite well done.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

During the curtain calls after today's matinee performance of Sonatine, Gonzalo Garcia ran off the stage like he forgot something, then ran back on with a bouquet of flowers for his partner, Megan Fairchild, presumably in tribute to their last time dancing on stage together. It was a lovely moment—the cherry on top of a beautiful and charming performance. 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Kathleen O'Connell

[cobweb]

Thanks for that report, Kathleen! I was just coming on to ask if anyone was at the matinee. I'm wondering how Unity Phelan and Peter Walker did in Swan Lake. 

[vipa]

19 hours ago, griffie said:

Allegra Kent was at Tuesday night's performance of Swan Lake - I heard her giving her name for her tickets as I was picking up my own ticket. I hope she was happy with the current production. She is still beautiful, and as often happens when I see dancers who give the impressions of being long and elegantly tall onstage, she is quite petite in real life! Such a lovely dancer; I was fortunate enough to see her perform, although I was too young at the time to fully appreciate her gifts.

Just want to add that I live in the same apt. building as Allegra. Many years ago, when my husband and I studied at the NY School of Ballet, she sometimes took classes there, and she is nice enough to say she remembers us when we run into her. She is indeed still beautiful and has a very special quality. To tell the truth, I'm still a bit star struck! I know from our elevator conversations she enjoys going to the ballet, and I've never heard her say a negative word about any performance. 

[Royal Blue]

Not even a page long, and yet a story whose power, beauty and meaning are inexhaustible! The Parable of the Prodigal Son will continue to provide nourishment for the mind and soul for as long as humankind exists. Again, while Balanchine's ballet is wonderful its ultimate virtue is that it directs one to the story itself.

 

The pre-pandemic performances I viewed of Prodigal Son by NYCB and a couple by ABT with Veronika Part as the Siren have been among the most consequential ballet performances I have attended. Moreover, the streaming of the ballet a year ago by NYCB, with the outstanding interpretations of Teresa Reichlen and Daniel Ulbricht, was simply fantastic.

 

This weekend's casting of the work looks promising. In addition to an unfortunate mishap that occurred, one could tell that in her debut as the Siren Miriam Miller focused excessively on the steps of the part to the detriment of any solid characterization. She is more experienced now, and has performed impressively in various works including the streams of Pulcinella Variations and Rachmaninoff Suite. Casting her in this was appropriate, although there are others deserving of the opportunity.

 

Before this weekend, Gonzalo Garcia had performed the role of the Prodigal Son a single time at NYCB. And yet his striking debut, in tandem with the terrific turn of a sinuous Sara Mearns as the Siren, made for one of the most intense and mature ballet performances I have ever been privileged to witness. This fact, coupled with my exceptionally strong feelings about the parable, makes me opine that he could not have chosen a better work with which to conclude his career with the company.

[aurora]

Does anyone know what the "Short Stories" run time is?

I can find timings for the individual works, but that's not very helpful since I don't know how many intermissions there are or how long they will be.

[Marta]

19 minutes ago, aurora said:

Does anyone know what the "Short Stories" run time is?

I can find timings for the individual works, but that's not very helpful since I don't know how many intermissions there are or how long they will be.

You can email here to ask how long the program is on the specific date.

customercare@nycballet.com

[aurora]

1 minute ago, Marta said:

You can email here to ask how long the program is on the specific date.

customercare@nycballet.com

Thank you!

[nanushka]

Intermissions have been running about 20 min, and it looks like there are two for that program.

Edited February 26, 2022 by nanushka

[cassieallison]

I appears via Instagram that Jovani Furlan has been promoted 

[canbelto]

The comments under Jovani's post seem to indicate that he got promoted.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CadJu5JP4v0/

[cassieallison]

looks like Harrison ball and Peter walker as well

[canbelto]

Jovani's IG stories say that Peter Walker and Harrison Ball were promoted as well.