New York City Ballet 2021-2022 season

[California]

A lot of new images have been added to Instagram Stories in Amar's account.  Alas, no way to link to those. The account: ramastar81 if you're not already following him.

[cobweb]

It was a wonderful performance yesterday. Phelan is resplendent as Titania, Ulbricht was highly appreciated by the in-the-know crowd, and Harrison Ball's otherworldly Puck is my favorite. Emily Kikta delivered a powerful, dramatic Hippolyta. The divertissement pas de deux with Amar and Sterling was as tender and delicate as could be. I was thrilled to see the warmth pouring forth for Amar Ramasar. He has delivered so very many beautiful performances over the years, bringing me much joy. I will miss him and wish him the very best.

[Jacqueline]

Thank you so much to our New York City compatriots on the ground for your insights and musings on the season.  As an out-of-towner, I truly appreciate the vicarious thrills.  I was there for only three performances and off the top of my head, the standouts for me were Phelan as Titania, Stanley as Puck (I did not get to see Ball), Mira Nadon in anything and everything, Chan in Spring, and as Titania's Cavlier, Huxley in "Piano Pieces" AND "Spring," and Furlan and Gerrity in their beautiful "Piano Pieces" pas de deux.  And Walker and LaFreniere in the same pas de deux.  If anyone else cares to post their season highlights, I would love it.  And Canbelto, special thanks for the videos of the Ramasar sendoff.

[canbelto]

I generally don't comment on performances during the season because I review them for bachtrack, but here's my reviews of the spring season:

https://bachtrack.com/22/270/list-published/31408

[abatt]

Highlights of the Spring Season for me were Huxley and Mejia as Oberon, Mejia in Four Seasons, Mejia and Peck in Allegro Brilliante, Kikta, Nadon and LaFreniere in everything, and Phelan as Titania.  There were so many debuts it was dizzying.   NYCB remains a very exciting company with exceptional artists.  Negatives - sometimes the corps looked under-rehearsed. 

 

Added-  Furlan in Agon.

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by abatt

[Marta]

1 hour ago, Jacqueline said:

Thank you so much to our New York City compatriots on the ground for your insights and musings on the season.  As an out-of-towner, I truly appreciate the vicarious thrills.  I was there for only three performances and off the top of my head, the standouts for me were Phelan as Titania, Stanley as Puck (I did not get to see Ball), Mira Nadon in anything and everything, Chan in Spring, and as Titania's Cavlier, Huxley in "Piano Pieces" AND "Spring," and Furlan and Gerrity in their beautiful "Piano Pieces" pas de deux.  And Walker and LaFreniere in the same pas de deux.  If anyone else cares to post their season highlights, I would love it.  And Canbelto, special thanks for the videos of the Ramasar sendoff.

I echo all that you've written, Jacqueline.  I only saw three performances this season and no Midsummer.  I loved Nadon, Hyltin and Huxley,  Joe Gordon in anything, and Phelan. I'm especially grateful to canbelto for the Ramasar farewell photos.

[canbelto]

I wrote a little tribute to Amar:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2022/05/amar-ramasars-farewell-full-of-joy-and.html

[abatt]

Nice tribute, canbelto. 

I'm not sure exactly who in the Company determined that Ramasar should be fired (it was probably a group decision).  I suspect they may have been advised by their counsel all along that the termination of Catazaro and Ramasar would likely be reversed if it went to arbitration, but the Company went ahead and fired them in order to publicly align themselves with the "me too" movement and improve the public image of management.  

At any rate, Ramasar did not appear to hold any ill will towards Stafford or Whelan.   I guess he had to make peace with management  in order to keep working at the Company that wrongfully terminated him.  Wishing him well in the next chapter, whatever that may be.

 

[cobweb]

As for season highlights, I'm sorry that I missed Furlan in Agon, I've heard several reports how great he was. For me, Nadon in Four Seasons-Summer; Phelan as Titania; both Laracey and Phelan in the third variation of Divertimento; Kikta's Choleric; and Maxwell and Sanz in the third Theme of Four T's. This is just a sampling, I could go on and on. The generational turnover is exciting to watch, and most are seizing their opportunity. 

[Helene]

It makes no sense to me that NYCB would have defied advice of counsel, since there were other remedies, especially since they've long not cared about what anyone thought, including major donors, including when they lost major $$$ from Anne Bass.

[Barbara]

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Nice tribute, canbelto. 

I'm not sure exactly who in the Company determined that Ramasar should be fired (it was probably a group decision).  I suspect they may have been advised by their counsel all along that the termination of Catazaro and Ramasar would likely be reversed if it went to arbitration, but the Company went ahead and fired them in order to publicly align themselves with the "me too" movement and improve the public image of management.  

At any rate, Ramasar did not appear to hold any ill will towards Stafford or Whelan.   I guess he had to make peace with management  in order to keep working at the Company that wrongfully terminated him.  Wishing him well in the next chapter, whatever that may be.

 

In retrospect, do you think it was a missed opportunity for Catazaro when he declined the re-hire offer? Would he have been welcomed back as warmly by staff and colleagues as was Ramasar? 

[abatt]

1 hour ago, Helene said:

It makes no sense to me that NYCB would have defied advice of counsel, since there were other remedies, especially since they've long not cared about what anyone thought, including major donors, including when they lost major $$$ from Anne Bass.

I think they cared a lot about their public image.  Waterbury was going to every news outlet and TV station that would listen saying that NYCB had a culture that permitted bad boy conduct that was also abusive toward women.  Firing AR and ZC sent a message to the ticket buying public and to donors that NYCB doesn't tolerate this conduct.  The terminations helped the NYCB public image.  It's no coincidence that NYCB initially merely SUSPENDED  AR and ZC for a relatively short period, but did not terminate them.  It was only after the deluge of bad press that suddenly they were fired.   Even if their attorneys told them privately that the terminations would likely be deemed wrongful in arbitration, at least NYCB could say they tried to rid the company of these bad seeds, but they were forced under the law to rehire them.  I guess this is a cynical view, but I believe that is what probably happened.  Maybe someday Whelan or Stafford will write a tell all and we can know for sure.

 

I think ZC would have been welcomed back to NYCB in the same way as AR if he had decided to return.  It's a shame that his career as a ballet dancer, for which he worked so hard for so many years, was essentially ended by these allegations.  Both AR and ZC were vindicated in arbitration and were dismissed from the civil lawsuit. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by abatt

[JuliaJ]

Catazaro currently dances with the Cleveland Ballet: https://clevelandballet.org/zachary-catazaro/

Certainly not as prestigious as NYCB but at least he's still dancing professionally. He was the least culpable in the Waterbury scandal so I always felt really bad for him. Talent-wise, he was not as much of an asset to the company as Ramasar though. 

As someone who has thought for years that Ramasar's punishment was totally excessive (not just the firing but the constant shade from the press and having to deal with protests outside his shows), I am so, so happy that his career got the happy ending it deserved. His colleagues clearly have a lot of love and respect for him. 

[volcanohunter]

I can understand why someone from Ohio might want to work closer to home.

[FITTB85]

16 hours ago, canbelto said:

I wrote a little tribute to Amar:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2022/05/amar-ramasars-farewell-full-of-joy-and.html

What an extremely dismissive way to write about Alexandra Waterbury. “Model good looks and feisty personality… she’s the perfect #MeToo agent.” 

[Helene]

He had been first in Europe.

[KikiRVA]

1 hour ago, FITTB85 said:

What an extremely dismissive way to write about Alexandra Waterbury. “Model good looks and feisty personality… she’s the perfect #MeToo agent.” 

It does not seem that you put that line in the context of the piece she wrote.  She did not call her a monster.

Edited May 31, 2022 by KikiRVA
Omitted a word

[FayBallet]

22 minutes ago, KikiRVA said:

It does not seem that you put that line in the context of the piece she wrote.  She did not call her a monster.

And that also wasn't the line. The sentence was actually, "With her model good looks and feisty personality, Waterbury was a perfect #metoo change agent." 

Taking the word "change" from the sentence makes it take on a completely different meaning.

Edited May 31, 2022 by FayBallet
added last sentence

[FITTB85]

6 minutes ago, FayBallet said:

And that also wasn't the line. The sentence was actually, "With her model good looks and feisty personality, Waterbury was a perfect #metoo change agent." 

Taking the word "change" from the sentence makes it take on a completely different meaning.

Referring to her looks is unnecessary, it diminishes Waterbury to outward appearance. Describing a “feisty personality” is infantilizing and dismissive, as if to say “How spunky, making such a commotion!” Why do t you just say “that model should be seen and not heard.” 

[nanushka]

22 minutes ago, FayBallet said:

Taking the word "change" from the sentence makes it take on a completely different meaning.

Indeed, rather less sinister sounding! Calling someone a "change agent" is usually a positive thing, in my experience (though I haven't read the sentence in context).

Edited May 31, 2022 by nanushka

[FayBallet]

20 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

Thank you so much to our New York City compatriots on the ground for your insights and musings on the season.  As an out-of-towner, I truly appreciate the vicarious thrills.  I was there for only three performances and off the top of my head, the standouts for me were Phelan as Titania, Stanley as Puck (I did not get to see Ball), Mira Nadon in anything and everything, Chan in Spring, and as Titania's Cavlier, Huxley in "Piano Pieces" AND "Spring," and Furlan and Gerrity in their beautiful "Piano Pieces" pas de deux.  And Walker and LaFreniere in the same pas de deux.  If anyone else cares to post their season highlights, I would love it.  And Canbelto, special thanks for the videos of the Ramasar sendoff.

I share a few of these highlights. My favorite highlight of the season was Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle having the time of their lives in the Slaughter finale of Kowroski's farewell performance. What a way to leave!

[canbelto]

3 hours ago, FITTB85 said:

What an extremely dismissive way to write about Alexandra Waterbury. “Model good looks and feisty personality… she’s the perfect #MeToo agent.” 

I say this as a compliment to her. She's very appealing. I have nothing but empathy for her ordeal. I just don't think Amar should be the blame for her pain.

I also called her a change agent. I meant this in a positive way.

By the way here is my full quote:

Quote

 

Although he apologized again and again, the scandal followed him around. When he danced Bernardo in a Broadway revival of West Side Story, Chase Finlay's photogenic and eloquent ex-girlfriend Alexandra Waterbury stood outside in protest. With her model good looks and feisty personality, Waterbury was a perfect #metoo change agent. Just this season, he was loudly booed after a performance of Four Temperaments. His dancing of the Phlegmatic variation was stellar, so the booing couldn't have been for his dancing. He looked shaken at the curtain calls.

I despise the words "cancel culture" and "woke" because I think they're often used to denigrate important concerns and injustices in society. But with the case of Amar Ramasar, at a certain point I thought, "he's suffered enough." It should be noted he was not responsible for some of the more vile comments that were exposed in the lawsuit, and that unlike Chase Finlay, Amar took responsibility and apologized. I empathize with Waterbury's rage and humiliation, but Ramasar lost almost a year's worth of salary. He did his time.

One of the reasons Ramasar has my respect is he's never tried to skirt this issue, never made a "oh it was taken out of context" excuse. 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by canbelto

[volcanohunter]

7 hours ago, Helene said:

He had been first in Europe.

I have no idea whether the Bavarian State Ballet offered Catazaro a permanent contract, but his repertoire there was peculiar. The Duke in Neumeier's Lady of the Camellias is a walking role. Gremin in Cranko's Onegin is overwhelmingly partnering. The Gladiator in Grigorovich's Spartacus is a tiny part. I have never seen Spuck's Anna Karenina, but I expect Stiva does quite a lot of dancing. And he did Balanchine's Diamonds. But I don't think there were any Albrechts, Siegfrieds or Romeos.

[cobweb]

20 hours ago, JuliaJ said:

Catazaro currently dances with the Cleveland Ballet: https://clevelandballet.org/zachary-catazaro/

How interesting, I didn't know this. Glad that he's found a way to continue his career and use his skills. 

[tutu]

The New York Times season review is in, and Gia Kourlas’ last lines are a perfect encapsulation of how I feel about this season:  

“Farewells are not just for goodbyes but for new beginnings, a fresh start for a new generation led by dancers like Chan, Furlan, Woodward and so many more. What did the spring season show us? That talent is overflowing through the ranks. Proof was on the stage.”

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by tutu