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New York City Ballet 2021 Season


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I received this today in my email as I'm sure many of you also did.

 

Performance Streams Return FEB 25  |  View in browser

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THE PROMENADE
We're back from a winter break with some exciting news. Catch NYCB again in 2021 from the comfort of your home with a variety of digital offerings and activities. Dig into the details below, and stay up to date on all things NYCB by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.


2021 DIGITAL SEASON
Just announced today, New York City Ballet is creating several new works and special programs for digital release this winter and spring. Following is an overview of this exciting programming with more on our winter activities below. All performance streams and Inside NYCB presentations will be available free of charge. Visit our website for complete details and The New York Times for additional coverage.

FEB 23 - MAR 18
Three Sides of Balanchine
We’re kicking off an array of programming with a three-week series exploring the narrative, classical, and neoclassical aspects of George Balanchine’s choreography as represented by Prodigal Son, Theme and Variations, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, a group of works spanning more than 40 years of creation. Scroll down for the schedule of events, including virtual workshops and onstage presentations.

MAR 9
A Parting Pas de Trois
This year’s virtual version of the Company’s Annual Luncheon fundraising event will honor three NYCB principal dancers who will retire during the 21-22 performance season. During the program, Maria Kowroski, Ask la Cour, and Gonzalo Garcia will each perform an excerpt from a work closely associated with their NYCB careers and participate in a conversation with NYCB Board Member Donya Archer Bommer, which will also feature performance clips from the dancers’ repertory. Event tickets starting at $350 are available online; for more information, please contact NYCB Special Events at specialevents@nycballet.com.

APR 8-22
Kyle Abraham World Premiere
Choreographer Kyle Abraham returns to premiere his third creation for NYCB, beginning with a three-week COVID-compliant residency bubble at the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, NY. Subsequently, his new work will be filmed onstage at the David H. Koch Theater and digitally released in early spring.

MAY 6-20
Spring Gala featuring Justin Peck World Premiere
NYCB's first-ever virtual gala will take place May 5, highlighted by a world premiere from NYCB Resident Choreographer Justin Peck, who is creating a solo for Principal Dancer Anthony Huxley to a string quartet arrangement of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, along with excerpts of ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins newly filmed for the occasion. The gala program will be digitally released on May 6 and available to view free of charge for two weeks. Gala tickets, including an opportunity to mingle with Company artists online, start at $2,500; for more information, please contact NYCB Special Events at specialevents@nycballet.com.

VIEW COMPLETE DETAILS

INSIDE NYCB: TUESDAYS AT 8 PM
Inside NYCB presentations corresponding with each week's featured ballet will release on three consecutive Tuesdays, starting with Prodigal Son on February 23. Principal Dancer Russell Janzen hosts these onstage rehearsal sessions and conversations with NYCB artists and repertory directors, offering unique access and insights into each work. These events will be available to stream for nine days after airing.

PERFORMANCE STREAMS: THURSDAYS AT 8 PM
Performance streams of complete ballets begin February 25 with Prodigal Son, a narrative work from 1929. The following two weeks will feature the virtuosic 1947 showpiece Theme and Variations on March 4 and Balanchine’s 1972 neoclassical masterpiece Stravinsky Violin Concerto on March 11. These streams will be available for one week after they air.

Access both the Inside NYCB presentations and performance streams on YouTube and our website as of their respective 8 PM airings.


WINTER VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
Warm up with movement workshops for participants of all ages and ability levels. Dancers from across the Company's roster lead these lively classes, which are livestreamed via Zoom. Tickets are available now.

FEB 22 – MAR 8
Ballet Essentials Online for Teens and Adults of All Levels
These hour-long, open-level workshops every Monday at 6:30 PM EST include a ballet warm-up, choreography inspired by Company repertory, and an interactive Q&A with the hosting dancer. Tickets: $0, $10, and $15

FEB 24 – MAR 10
Signature Steps for Experienced Teens and Adults
For intermediate- to advanced-level teen and adult dancers, these one-hour sessions every Wednesday at 6:30 PM EST feature a barre and abridged center work exploring George Balanchine's signature aesthetic. Tickets: $30

FEB 25 – MAR 11
Access Workshops for Teens and Adults with Disabilities
Movers of all ability levels are invited to join a different Company dancer each week at these hour-long workshops every Thursday at 6 PM EST. Attendees will be led in a warm-up and choreography inspired by NYCB's repertory, with modifications and movement options offered for all. Tickets: $0 and $15

FEB 27 – MAR 13
Ballet Breaks for Children (Ages 3-8)
Get your tiny dancer moving with these 30-minute sessions each Saturday at 11 AM EST. Our young fans will explore basic ballet concepts and learn a new dance together each week. Tickets: $0, $8, $12

FEB 27 – MAR 13
Access Workshops for Children with Disabilities
Lively movement workshops designed especially for children with disabilities, these 45-minute sessions every Saturday at 12 PM EST include modifications and movement options to accommodate all little movers. Tickets: $0 and $10

Ticket sales for a series of spring virtual workshops, running May 3-22, will open at a later time.  


New episodes arrive beginning Monday, February 22, exploring Prodigal Son, Theme and Variations, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto as part of the Three Sides of Balanchine series. But you don't have to wait – binge a variety of chats before the next episodes are released.


SUPPORT THE COMPANY
You can play a vital role when you make an online gift or text NYCBALLET to 44321, and keep us on our toes as we prepare for our return to the stage this fall.

Kyle Abraham and Justin Peck rehearsal photos, and The Four Temperaments photo © Erin Baiano. Prodigal Son photo © Paul Kolnik. Balanchine portrait © Tanaquil Le Clercq. Educational Workshop photo © Rosalie O'Connor. 

Edited by Buddy
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Here's a link to the press release:

https://www.nycballet.com/about-us/for-the-press/new-york-city-ballet-announces-digital-fall-season/

And the NYC Ballet website info page:

https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/digital-season/

"Access to both the Inside NYCB presentations and performance streams free of charge on our YouTube channel and website. Presentations and performance streams will be available for one week after the weekly performance stream airs."

Edited by pherank
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The press release says they are "previously recorded" performances, it doesn't say when but presumably in recent years, not new. Prodigal Son - Reichlen (with it was Kowroski) and Ulbricht; Theme and Variations - Peck and Veyette; Stravinsky Violin Concerto - Hyltin, LaCour, Mearns, and Stanley.

 

*wish* it was Kowroski,

Edited by cobweb
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1 hour ago, cobweb said:

The press release says they are "previously recorded" performances, it doesn't say when but presumably in recent years, not new. Prodigal Son - Reichlen (with it was Kowroski) and Ulbricht; Theme and Variations - Peck and Veyette; Stravinsky Violin Concerto - Hyltin, LaCour, Mearns, and Stanley.

Can't figure out how to edit my post?

*wish* it was Kowroski,

Tess and Danny in Prodigal Son? Yay! 😃

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More good news: they are adding a performance of Vienna Waltzes to be streamed June 3:

Quote

JUNE 3-17

As a finale to the 2021 digital season, NYCB will stream a complete performance of Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes. Created in 1977 and set to waltzes by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, and Richard Strauss, this work of grand scale featuring more than 50 dancers is only performed by New York City Ballet.

Through Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s evolving scenery, Ronald Bates’ lighting, and Karinska’s costumes, the last that the famed designer created for the Company, the ballet transforms from a sylvan forest glen to a dance hall to a glittering society café to, at last, a majestic mirrored ballroom.

This performance, which will be available to stream for two weeks, was filmed in 2013 and features Rebecca Krohn, Tyler Angle, Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley, Erica Pereira, Sean Suozzi, Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle in the principal roles.

 

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On 2/5/2021 at 1:12 PM, canbelto said:

Casting wish list:

Prodigal Son - Reichlen, Ulbricht

T&V - Tiler Peck with Joaquin de Luz

Stravinsky Violin Concerto - Sterling Hyltin and Sara Mearns 

Fingers crossed.

You're really close! Just swap out Andrew Veyette for De Luz. 

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What a remarkable coincidence that Teresa Reichlen should have given birth just a few days before being featured in the stream of a ballet based on a tremendous story about—at least in part—the nature of parenthood! Furthermore, this is happening under the worldwide tribulation of a pandemic, which adds even greater resonance to the phenomenal parable of Jesus! Whatever criticism one may proffer about Balanchine's treatment of the tale, and particularly how he handles its climax, Prodigal Son nonetheless remains a spectacular achievement for the choreographer and serves splendidly as a monument to the great parable. Needless to say, it should never be absent from the repertory for long. Noticing it on schedule for performance at the theater a year from now naturally elicits, therefore, a nod of approval and the hope that things are reasonably back to normal by then. In the meantime ... NYCB, in my opinion, has carried out the streaming of works last spring and fall elegantly, especially considering there was no intention to show the ballets filmed publicly. Consequently, the expectation that the upcoming streams of Prodigal Son, Theme and Variations, Stravinsky Violin Concerto and (later) Vienna Waltzes will be generally superb is hardly unwarranted.

 

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Just watched the Prodigal Son discussion/coaching session. Confession, I'm not the biggest fan of "story" ballets, and I've seen Prodigal so many times over so many years, that I've been avoiding it for quite a while. Seeing this renewed my interest. I can't wait to see the stream of the ballet, but more than that I can't wait to see it live again. My appreciation for the work has been renewed

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I too watched the interview/coaching session of the Siren last night, and I found it surprisingly lackluster. The interview portion was repetitive and superficial, with Kowroski, Clark, and Jackson repeating the same things: don't overact, you grow into the role, and the cape should be expected to malfunction. Then on to the coaching session. Unfortunately, it had nowhere near the nuance and interest of the City Center Studio 5 series with Tiler Peck/Merrill Ashley and Sara Mearns/Nina Ananiashvili. It shows Clark going through the cape solo again and again, with Lisa Jackson saying things like "that's better," or telling her to better distinguish the steps. Jackson has killer legs and was wearing great boots, but she was walking around and waving her arms frenetically and distractingly. I got very little insight as to things to watch for next time I see this ballet. Overall, this was a missed opportunity. I hope they can put together something more engaging for the next two programs. In any case, like others I look forward to tomorrow night's broadcast of Prodigal Son, and of course more than anything, getting back to the theatre in person. 

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I enjoyed the program but there was a stiffness and awkwardness to the interview in particular, like the subjects were all too aware of being on camera. This is understandable. The City Center Zoom series, plus Megan Fairchild's interviews, benefit from the fact that everyone acts relaxed and more authentic in their living spaces or in empty studios (a strange positive side effect of socially distant programming). 

In case anyone missed it, the very end of the Clark-Jackson-Kowroski video -- after Jansen gives his closing notes -- shows Kowroski doing the cape solo herself. 

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On 2/24/2021 at 4:21 PM, cobweb said:

I too watched the interview/coaching session of the Siren last night, and I found it surprisingly lackluster. The interview portion was repetitive and superficial, with Kowroski, Clark, and Jackson repeating the same things: don't overact, you grow into the role, and the cape should be expected to malfunction. Then on to the coaching session. Unfortunately, it had nowhere near the nuance and interest of the City Center Studio 5 series with Tiler Peck/Merrill Ashley and Sara Mearns/Nina Ananiashvili. It shows Clark going through the cape solo again and again, with Lisa Jackson saying things like "that's better," or telling her to better distinguish the steps. Jackson has killer legs and was wearing great boots, but she was walking around and waving her arms frenetically and distractingly. I got very little insight as to things to watch for next time I see this ballet. Overall, this was a missed opportunity. I hope they can put together something more engaging for the next two programs. In any case, like others I look forward to tomorrow night's broadcast of Prodigal Son, and of course more than anything, getting back to the theatre in person. 

This.

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Though I wished they had also shown Maria Kowrowski working with Christina Clark, I got  a lot out of the coaching session.  A few examples: the intricacies of dealing with the cape on those slow bourrées upstage on the diagonal, as the Siren threads her arms through the cape ending with her back to the audience (and the cape, hopefully, beautifully draped behind); the section where the Siren has the cape wrapped around her legs (head in profile, alternating with whatever epaulement the ballerina likes); the image of the dancer's two heels peeking out to the side, making a heart shape with her pointes in fifth as she raises her outstretched hand up behind her headdress. They weren't dealing with images that tell the story of the character, but it drew me into the movement much more fully. I can imagine (and see on Clark) if I were doing such a specific, tight fifth on pointe, how it changes what is happening in the upper body too. It shows a fierce intention in seducing the Prodigal Son. 

In general, I really love seeing rehearsals. It's something I've missed during the pandemic. Normally, patrons would be in the First Ring unable to hear anything the coaches are saying to the dancers. It's such a rare opportunity to hear them! NYCB generally approaches things from a physical point of view. They don't sit around talking about the characters' motivations. It's fascinating to see a coaching session on a narrative ballet that is really ALL about the physical aspects and how they STILL tell the story. And finishing with Maria was WONDERFUL.

Personally, I don't think the comparison with the City Center series (which I also enjoyed) is quite fair, since those ballerinas had been performing the roles for so long. I got the feeling Lisa Jackson didn't want to overwhelm Ms. Clark and knew they had more time. The coaching for City Center had the sense of we're-never-going-to-see-each-other-again-so-let-me-pass-on-every-single-thing-I-know. Perhaps that is more exciting for a non-dancing audience.

Can't wait to see Christina Clark dance this with Roman Mejia!! She looks perfect in the role, and I can only imagine how great Mejia will be.

Edited by BalanchineFan
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1 hour ago, nanushka said:

According to the notes on tonight's YouTube video, the performance that will be streamed later this week was "filmed on October 6, 2015 and January 21, 2016 (Finale)."

Does anyone know why they're using parts of two different performances?

I look forward to watching Joseph Gordon work on the solo(s)!

I don't think they film every performance in full. They might need to stitch together footage from two different performances. 

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32 minutes ago, canbelto said:

I don't think they film every performance in full. They might need to stitch together footage from two different performances. 

I’m a bit surprised they wouldn’t film even an entire movement. Have many of the earlier streamed-during-quarantine performances been compiled for the same reason? I don’t recall that.

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