Peg Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 These reasons may be off-base, but 1) Ball is engaged to Zac Posen, a big supporter who provided gowns and men’s eveningwear for many company members for the fall Gaga, and 2) Uhlbricht is dancing with Twyla Tharp this coming week so likely busy with rehearsals there. Link to comment
Helene Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Admin note: please don't speculate on illness or injury until it's official news, which includes dancers' social media. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Thanks for the reports from yesterday's matinee. A few more thoughts on the evening performance. Claire Kretzschmar had a special evening, presumably her final performance with the company. The audience sounded like it was packed with friends and family. She did what I think of as the "Creature" section of Episodes, and In the Vienna Woods. Rousing applause, solo front-of-curtain bow for Episodes, and again in Vienna Waltzes, with a bouquet of roses from Aaron Sanz. Very sweet. In Voices of Spring Joseph Gordon again sailed through with absolute beauty and clarity. Miriam Miller makes quite the impression in the Merry Widow outfit, but I found her interpretation a little harsh and menacing. It's crazy that this role makes me miss Lauren Lovette, she probably didn't do it all that many times and I know not everyone loved her in it. But she brought such a tender vulnerability to everything she did, and I found it made the Merry Widow more poignant - like she wasn't just a "black widow," out to conquer, but Lovette brought some ambiguity to the situation, like how does this woman really feel about her single, widowed, extremely sought-after status? Finally, Sara Mearns brought me to tears in the Rosenkavalier section. Now that they have the costumes out of the mothballs, I wish it was Vienna Waltzes, rather than Episodes, that was coming back soon. Link to comment
nanushka Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Regarding Episodes, it's too bad they're not continuing to do the Taylor solo (assuming that from the casting sheet, though I didn't get to see the piece this season), since Jovani Furlan performed it in 2020. (I remember that was the last performance I saw before the shutdown.) It seems a shame to let it fall back out of the repertory, if that's what's happening. Link to comment
abatt Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 They did not perform the Taylor solo during this run. NYCB has to pay for the right to present the Taylor solo, so maybe that has something to do with why they are not presenting it for this run. Link to comment
nanushka Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 (edited) The choreography is Balanchine's. Who holds the rights? My program from 2020 only indicates the Balanchine Trust for the entire piece (minus the no-longer-performed Graham portion). Interestingly, the Trust's page on the ballet incorrectly states that the "Variations" section was no longer performed at NYCB after 1960, when in fact Peter Frame danced it between 1986 and 1989. Edited October 16, 2022 by nanushka Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Any reports from the matinee this afternoon, season's final performance? How were Phelan and Knight coming along in the second movement of Symphony in C? Link to comment
JuliaJ Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I thought Phelan was regal and beautiful in Symphony in C. Sure, there is room for more depth but hopefully that will come with time. Partnering was mostly smooth although I didn't sense much of a "connection" between the two. Knight looks tailor made for these kinds of roles, so I hope they continue to give him opportunities even though he has a ways to go. I definitely choked up during the backwards falls. Furlan had a mostly successful debut in first movement; such an elegant presence and beautiful lines. Teensy struggles with the solo turns, however. Cainen Weber (in third movement) is definitely one to watch--HUGE airy jump and lots of charm. One of highlights for me was definitely Emily Kikta and Aaron Sanz in 4th movement, especially in his lines and the way she maintains seemingly effortless control and ease with the tricky choreography. The rest of the program (all from the fashion gala) was better than I expected. Did not care for "Playtime" although I liked Solange's jazzy music. Just could not get past the ugly silhouettes of the costumes, especially the grotesquely wide-hip pants on Harrison Coll. The choreography was forgettable. The sparkles and color scheme worked well on stage though. Really enjoyed the Abraham piece and felt it was a much better work than Gia Kourlas gave it credit for in her NYT review. Tiler Peck's contemporary-dance skills were utilized to great effect, and the overall fusion of dance styles (and to hip-hop music!) worked very well. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, cobweb said: Any reports from the matinee this afternoon, season's final performance? How were Phelan and Knight coming along in the second movement of Symphony in C? Phelan and Knight brought my companion to tears. Unity seemed even more assured, calm, regal and pure, no wobbles in the turns in the finale, though she does seem to open her leg front and then swing it side in when doing those particular pirouettes later in the 4th movement. Often the ballerina opens directly to the side (a la seconde) flat footed, but those turns are FAST. Both Phelan and Knight seem to be settling into it. I don't see anyone else becoming first cast. To me, it looks like the 2nd Movement is hers. The audience went wild. Overall it seemed like an ideal cast for the Bizet; Tiler Peck and Jovani Furlan in the first movement (though Joseph Gordon and Chun Wai Chan kill in this role), Unity Phelan and Alec Knight in the second, Baily Jones and Cainan Weber in the third ( I wish someone would tell her to keep her head up in the unison demi pliés they do on pointe, but it's a quibble) and Emily Kikta and Aaron Sanz in the 4th. Again, there were a LOT of incredibly well dressed African American people in the audience, the women next to me were in that theater for the first time. It just warms my heart to see Black people enjoying the ballet. I also loved Emily Kikta in Love Letter (on Shuffle). She's got crazy long lines. The ballet has a lot of duets, it didn't strike me at first, but there's a duet for Lister and Corti (I think it's Corti), one for Peck and Villarini-Velez, one for Harrison Ball and Jonathan Fahoury and another for Cainan Weber and a woman in a tutu ( a blonde, possible Mallory Lundgren). I wish they would break down who is dancing which section in the program notes. The Fourth Ring was crowded from what I could see. Lots of energy and excitement for everyone. Edited October 17, 2022 by BalanchineFan Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 2 hours ago, abatt said: They did not perform the Taylor solo during this run. NYCB has to pay for the right to present the Taylor solo, so maybe that has something to do with why they are not presenting it for this run. Why do you think they have to pay for the rights if it's Balanchine's choreography? Paul Taylor didn't choreograph it, he was the dancer. Link to comment
abatt Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 48 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said: Why do you think they have to pay for the rights if it's Balanchine's choreography? Paul Taylor didn't choreograph it, he was the dancer. My mistake. Thanks for the correction. Link to comment
vipa Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 9 hours ago, nanushka said: Why not just give Ulbricht the role, I wonder. Seems a little strange, as if there was some reason they wanted Ball to be onstage for the final section. I does seem odd. Is there a height difference between Woodard/Ulbricht that would make waltzing together seem somehow odd? I'm just trying to think of possible reasons. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Thanks for these wonderful reports on this afternoon's performance, especially Phelan and Knight in Symphony in C. Presumably they will bring this back next year. Also I agree that more diverse audiences are a beautiful thing! Link to comment
Sal Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 I was at the matinee today. I totally agree with what's been said about Phelan's performance of the 2nd Movement. She was breathtaking -- totally in command, regal, fluid, I could go on and on. I, too, got choked up during the backwards falls. Such beauty. Alec Knight was an attentive partner. I loved the costumes in Playtime, but I'm a sucker for sparkles I thought the choreography was somewhat forgettable and was overshadowed by the costumes. Loved Solange's score. I'm a big fan of Sara Mearns but I didn't feel like Justin Peck's choreography for Solo showed her to her best advantage. It was very inward and I wonder how the small contemplative movements played to the 4th ring? (I was in the orchestra section.) I kept wanting Sara to bust out and do her "Sara thing" -- big passionate sweeping movements -- but the choreography mostly didn't allow for that. I think she did the best she could with what she was given. I didn't love the costume. I have mixed feelings about Love Letter (on Shuffle). I thought it was too long and that there were too many sections. I wish it had been edited down by about 10 minutes. That said, there were sections that I really enjoyed --Tiler Peck's solos (she was doing her "Tiler thing" and it was amazing), Villarini-Velez's solo (he killed it), Kikta and Walker's first duet (I wonder if we really needed a second one?), and Ball and Fahoury's duet was very moving. Ruby Lister stood out as did the blond dancer who did a duet Cainan Weber. Such fun to go to the ballet on a Sunday afternoon with such an enthusiastic engaged audience! I'm so glad snagged a ticket at the last minute. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 32 minutes ago, Sal said: I was at the matinee today. I totally agree with what's been said about Phelan's performance of the 2nd Movement. She was breathtaking -- totally in command, regal, fluid, I could go on and on. I, too, got choked up during the backwards falls. Such beauty. Alec Knight was an attentive partner. Thanks for the report, Sal! I didn't make it to see Phelan and Knight this time, but hopefully next year! Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) 12 hours ago, vipa said: I does seem odd. Is there a height difference between Woodard/Ulbricht that would make waltzing together seem somehow odd? I'm just trying to think of possible reasons. My guess would be that Ulbricht couldn't make the onstage dress rehearsal due to a conflict with Twyla Tharp and he had already rehearsed the earlier section with his partner, Woodward. It's just a guess, but he starts performing with her company at City Center Wed Oct 19th. I'm sure NYCB has at least one, "must attend" onstage rehearsal with those massive costumes. They can't reschedule it, since it involves.. what 50 people plus the orchestra. If Ulbricht couldn't attend that one rehearsal TPTB probably didn't want him to perform that section. If true, the Ulbricht/Ball solution was a win for everyone. Edited October 17, 2022 by BalanchineFan Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 13 hours ago, Sal said: Ball and Fahoury's duet was very moving. Ruby Lister stood out as did the blond dancer who did a duet Cainan Weber. Does anyone know who is the blonde dancer in the duet with Cainan Weber in Love Letter? Link to comment
JuliaJ Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Pretty sure the blonde dancer was Quinn Starner: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGx97fpxZM/?hl=en Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 43 minutes ago, JuliaJ said: Pretty sure the blonde dancer was Quinn Starner: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGx97fpxZM/?hl=en THANK YOU! Link to comment
nysusan Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 53 minutes ago, JuliaJ said: Pretty sure the blonde dancer was Quinn Starner: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGx97fpxZM/?hl=en 10 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said: THANK YOU! Thank you both. I was also wondering who she was, she was wonderful! Link to comment
On Pointe Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Quinn Starner - this young woman is a star. And if she decided to pursue an acting career, she'd be a star at that too. Star quality is undeniable. It can be a blessing or a curse. We'll see. Right now, just from the bits I see online, she's one of the most exciting dancers I've seen in years. Link to comment
Balletwannabe Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Masks no longer required at the Koch. Link to comment
Helene Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 For the Met and Carnegie Hall, it starts on October 24. From the Met Opera's email: Quote Starting October 24, in conjunction with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Carnegie Hall, and many other venues throughout the city, masking will be optional for all Met audience members. Link to comment
NinaFan Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Balletwannabe said: Masks no longer required at the Koch. I received an e-mail from the Koch today which says masks are no longer required effective November 1. See copy and paste below: With the recent changes in CDC guidelines and the availability of vaccines, boosters, and antiviral treatments, as of November 1, mask usage by visitors, when attending performances or events at the David H. Koch Theater or while participating in workshops in the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, is encouraged but no longer required. Koch website has also been updated - see URL below. NYCB Safety Update I take this to mean that masks will be required for ABT's fall performances, and begins with Paul Taylor performances in November. Edited October 17, 2022 by NinaFan added URL Link to comment
Balletwannabe Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 20 hours ago, NinaFan said: I received an e-mail from the Koch today which says masks are no longer required effective November 1. See copy and paste below: With the recent changes in CDC guidelines and the availability of vaccines, boosters, and antiviral treatments, as of November 1, mask usage by visitors, when attending performances or events at the David H. Koch Theater or while participating in workshops in the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, is encouraged but no longer required. Koch website has also been updated - see URL below. NYCB Safety Update I take this to mean that masks will be required for ABT's fall performances, and begins with Paul Taylor performances in November. Oops, I scanned the email so fast I missed the Nov 1st date. Thanks for clarifying. Link to comment
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