Helene Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Mackay Productions posted this to YouTube back in May: Link to comment
cassieallison Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 I noticed they were working together a lot, but didn't know they were dating. especially since she seemed to get her hear broken with her last boyfriend who she worked on the house with. I wish her the best and hope she can continue to perform what suits her Link to comment
GB1216 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 14 hours ago, vipa said: I wouldn't assume anything! It’s true - who knows! after thinking about it - it could also refer to the overall life of a ballet company - the strain, the pressure, the striving for perfection. So many ways to take a single comment - only Lauren knows the true reason behind it. I do really enjoy her IG as a whole personally. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Any more reports on yesterday's performances (not just the farewell aspect)? How was Furlan in Serenade? How about the Mearns Chaconne, and Baily Jones and Harrison Coll in the pas de deux? I don't think I've seen Harrison Coll dance in years, what with him being out for film projects, injury, and the pandemic. Curious to hear how he looks. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Harrison Coll did great in Chaconne! All that tricky partnering was handled with aplomb. As for the Chaconne, IMO it isn't Sara's role. She's not ethereal enough. Megan Fairchild was actually really good in Rotunda. Link to comment
On Pointe Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 12 hours ago, Helene said: Mackay Productions posted this to YouTube back in May: Two strikingly attractive people who can actually dance, yet this little film doesn't let us really see them. What a waste of talent and resources. Fred Astaire laid out the instructions for filming dancers decades ago and no one has bettered them yet. Best wishes to Ask La Cour on his retirement. I have wondered how he managed personal relationships within the company as the quasi-stepson of Peter Martins. Apparently he did just fine. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 There was also this with Julian Mackay's brother directing: Link to comment
dirac Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 17 hours ago, BalanchineFan said: To me, It seems like oversimplification to assume Lovette is talking about a particular person or administration prompting her retirement from NYCB. In her conversations with Megan Fairchild and on IG, Lovette often talked about trying to find her own path, not judging herself, finding and nurturing her own mode of expression. She's also talked about how she has struggled with body image, perfectionism and the idea that she has to be super skinny and flat chested to perform. The artistic pursuits may not easily align with a large ballet company with its own artistic mission, and the other issues abound in the ballet world in general. Also, if she wants to choreograph more, NYCB has too many performances for her to easily do that without running herself ragged. She talked about treasuring the time she spent improvising in her studio in NJ during the pandemic. I think she must have realized how much that could sustain her artistically. I can't wait to see what she does next. She put together an evening of her own work this July, Why it Matters, with sponsorship from Chanel. She has a non-profit. Maybe she'll start her own company. It's not an oversimplication with regard to what she wrote on the Instagram post, IMO. Quote I am ready to be challenged in fresh ways in a place I feel more valued as an artist and inspired as a ballerina. Straightforward enough in my view. Of course it doesn't mean that it's her sole reason for leaving. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Abi Stafford also made comments about how she didn't feel happy with the new regime in this Dance Magazine article: https://www.dancemagazine.com/abi-stafford-anxiety-2647826840.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3 Quote As NYCB underwent leadership transitions during the last few years and the culture among the dancers shifted, I had developed new feelings of anxiety. Some dancers felt more emboldened to ask for roles they wanted, envisioning exciting career possibilities. Others quietly wished casting choices would remain the same and sensed a more uncertain path. With my brother as artistic director, workplace dynamics collided with my personal life. Casting disappointments jabbed me painfully, and it became hard to find a corner in the theater where my soul felt safe. When Abi retired, Jon and Wendy did not come out and give her the traditional flowers. Jon and Wendy did do so for both Ask and Lauren, which makes me think Abi's retirement might not have been very cordial behind the scenes. Link to comment
Helene Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 On 10/9/2021 at 1:45 PM, canbelto said: On nycballet's website she had this to say. She has glowing things to say about Martins: And that's why I think we should believe she had gratitude toward Martins. Not because we think she should be grateful or has reason to be grateful. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 3 hours ago, On Pointe said: Best wishes to Ask La Cour on his retirement. I have wondered how he managed personal relationships within the company as the quasi-stepson of Peter Martins. Apparently he did just fine. Interesting point. Curious to know - did Martins make an appearance at the La Cour farewell? Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Just back from the afternoon performance. I'm getting used to the intermission-less format. While I miss the chance to stand up and schmooze, I do like getting out early, especially on weeknights. Assuming they go back to having intermissions, maybe they can at least revisit how many. Most nights have (had) two intermissions, but my vote would be to have just one. Also, I notice some loosening of the policy about late seating. Presumably this is related to no intermission and checking vaccine status for entry (meaning people are coming in late?). People have been seated while the overture is playing, at several performances this week. Also the woman next to me today got up and disappeared during a pause, then made her way back to her seat a good 5 minutes into Pulcinella Variations. Bathroom break and then returned? Not sure, but it was annoying. I hope this doesn't become a permanent feature. (I was also seated next to someone recently who was eating out of a plastic takeout container before the curtain went up. Then proceeded to text and chat with her neighbors during the performance.) As one more note about the "logistics" of attending, I got there early a few nights ago, intending to get a sandwich on the mezzanine for dinner. No sandwiches! Only cookies, chocolate bars, and whatnot. Bring back the sandwiches! Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 2 hours ago, canbelto said: Abi Stafford also made comments about how she didn't feel happy with the new regime in this Dance Magazine article: https://www.dancemagazine.com/abi-stafford-anxiety-2647826840.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3 It's interesting how people read different things into the same article. To me, Abi is talking about life in a big, competitive ballet company, not about any particular administration. She mentions how Peter Martins brought up a panic attack she'd had years later as proof she wasn't "reliable." She didn't only talk about the new regime. I run for exercise. I am not fast, and have no desire to be fast. I signed up once to run the Midnight Run in Central Park. 4,000-10,000 people do it every New Year's Eve. Participants are not arranged according to their times. I had the feeling that every last person was passing me by, and so ran faster than I could really manage. I'd look behind myself and be shocked there were still people back there, but somehow I couldn't slow down. Large groups are competitive by design. I've danced in other choreographers' dance companies and I have also self-produced. There is nothing like the satisfaction of producing an evening of your own choosing. Deciding which roles you want, which pieces to produce or create. Which direction to go in, rather than having ANYONE else make those decisions for you. It's inspiring and the accomplishment can really boost your self worth. Seeing all the people you brought together doing their work, bringing your decisions to light. When I look at Lauren Lovette's IG post and see Wendy Whelan's encouraging words I wonder if Wendy provided inspiration to Lovette as a ballerina who went on to produce, rather than as someone who was an obstacle. Just my own opinion based on my own artistic journey and experience. Oh, and I'm ALL FOR THE RETURN OF THE SANDWICHES! Link to comment
KikiRVA Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 I brought a complete newbie to today’s matinee. It couldn’t have been a better introduction to NYCB! The dancing was full of joy throughout. And it highlighted the best of today’s company: Balanchine and Robbins as fresh as if new, and Peck capturing the essence of the dancers. Standouts that even a complete novice was able to appreciate were Tiler in Serenade, Anthony (but really the whole cast) in Pulcinella, and Maria in Glass Pieces. Chan was exciting to watch and I look forward to seeing a lot more of him, as well as Furlan. It was such a treat to introduce someone to ballet this way! Link to comment
vipa Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 3 hours ago, canbelto said: Abi Stafford also made comments about how she didn't feel happy with the new regime in this Dance Magazine article: https://www.dancemagazine.com/abi-stafford-anxiety-2647826840.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3 When Abi retired, Jon and Wendy did not come out and give her the traditional flowers. Jon and Wendy did do so for both Ask and Lauren, which makes me think Abi's retirement might not have been very cordial behind the scenes. Personally I thought Abi Stafford should have retired a while ago. She hadn't carried a full principal load for quite some time. Seems like she did Kammermusik and Concerto Barrocco, maybe some Ratmansky and not much else. She attended law school and managed to stay on the roster until she graduated and was ready to enter the job market as a lawyer. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 I especially enjoyed today’s Glass Pieces. In the first section Mira Nadon, Jovani Furlan, Isabella laFreniere, and Davide Riccardo all looked great. Riccardo is having kind of a breakout season, at least in terms of my noticing him. He has a ton of potential and I can’t wait to see more of him. In the third section the men have picked up some oomph from earlier in the season, although the second batch of six guys still seems too lightweight. But an energetic performance all around. Link to comment
Balletwannabe Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 (edited) Just stick a sandwich in your purse, they're not checking! I'm bringing my own coffee this week. Their coffee is gross, and I can usually drink any black coffee. Edited October 11, 2021 by Balletwannabe Link to comment
Helene Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 Even if they start doing backpack and purse searches, there's a reason pockets and zip lock bags were invented. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 I’ll resort to a ziplocked dinner if I must, but the snack bar sandwiches were pretty good, and very convenient when dashing over from work. I enjoyed occasionally getting there early and having the ham and cheese sandwich and a glass of wine while surveying the scene on the mezzanine. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 I'm lucky that I'm a teacher and thus always carry a big shoulder bag full of school stuff. It's the perfect place to stuff a drink and sandwich which I eat at the fountain before the show. Link to comment
On Pointe Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 7 hours ago, vipa said: Personally I thought Abi Stafford should have retired a while ago. She hadn't carried a full principal load for quite some time. Seems like she did Kammermusik and Concerto Barrocco, maybe some Ratmansky and not much else. She attended law school and managed to stay on the roster until she graduated and was ready to enter the job market as a lawyer. I have worked with a number of lawyers, some straight out of law school, and some with a few years under their belts. Stress and anxiety are constant factors in their work. And they are expected to put in as many hours as a NYCB principal. I think it's wonderful that Abi Stafford has a law degree. But if she was plagued by crippling anxiety in the dance world, it is unlikely to get better at a New York law firm. (Luckily there are many other positions in the business world where a law degree is an asset.) The kind of treatment she advocated in the Dance Magazine article is beyond the purview of an employer. Those suffering it require intensive therapy. In reality people of artistic temperament are prone to suffer bouts of anxiety about their work. They aren't the only ones. Link to comment
Drew Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 The last time I saw Stafford dance was a few years ago in the first movement of Symphony in C--and that was my first time seeing her in some years: I noticed that she had, in the years since I had first seen her, developed a subtle warmth I found quite appealing. I hope she enjoys being a lawyer and does a lot of good ... and/or makes a fortune. I'm a little dismayed reading about both Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan not being there for her final performance with the company. If there are going to be farewells for all retiring principals then I can't help but feel that the company leadership should show up for all of them--or none of them--whatever personal relationships are like behind the scenes. I guess I would understand people not showing if there were a legal dispute (to my knowledge there isn't) or if the retiring dancer had asked them not to be there. But farewells do seem to have a script of sorts and I guess it seems unfortunate to me--and even unprofessional--that everyone isn't able to rise to the occasion of following them. Link to comment
abatt Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, On Pointe said: I have worked with a number of lawyers, some straight out of law school, and some with a few years under their belts. Stress and anxiety are constant factors in their work. And they are expected to put in as many hours as a NYCB principal. I think it's wonderful that Abi Stafford has a law degree. But if she was plagued by crippling anxiety in the dance world, it is unlikely to get better at a New York law firm. (Luckily there are many other positions in the business world where a law degree is an asset.) The kind of treatment she advocated in the Dance Magazine article is beyond the purview of an employer. Those suffering it require intensive therapy. In reality people of artistic temperament are prone to suffer bouts of anxiety about their work. They aren't the only ones. I agree completely with this. Speaking from my own experience, a career as a lawyer is very stressful and competitive. The hours are long and for the most part people running law firms are unpleasant. It's probably on the list of among the lowest ranked occupations for job satisfaction. I hope Abi has a more satisfying career than the majority of people who practice law. Edited October 11, 2021 by abatt Link to comment
abatt Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 4 hours ago, Drew said: But farewells do seem to have a script of sorts and I guess it seems unfortunate to me--and even unprofessional--that everyone isn't able to rise to the occasion of following them. Yes, this was completely unprofessional on the parts of both J. Staford and Whelan. Even if Staford has some personal dispute going on with his sister, he had a duty to behave as the leader of a company and do the right thing. And Whelan has no excuse for not showing up. I was never a fan of Abi, but this conduct on the part of management is petty. Link to comment
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