New York City Ballet 2022-2023 season

[KikiRVA]

On 1/22/2023 at 12:00 PM, BalanchineFan said:

As others have said (@uptowner ?), the rehearsal and performance footage on NYCBallet's IG is really great. Check it out if you have a few minutes.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18310113421073021/

I delighted that they produced this! 

[vipa]

On 1/21/2023 at 11:38 PM, cobweb said:

 Brief report: Loved Peck and Mejia in Allegro Brillante. He has grown so much since bursting onto the scene several years ago, and now has a mature, adult quality that sits well on him. Also I can see him handling his ballerina with the utmost care, attention, and pride, and that really warms my heart. Finally, he has sometimes (often) seemed heedless and reckless, heaving himself into the air as if height is all that matters and to hell with form. But tonight he looked beautifully in control. Tiler's solo continues to astonish. 

Intermission after Allegro Brillante, really? I think they could have kept the evening to one intermission.  

I totally agree about not needing an intermission after Allegro Brillante, unless there's a reason such as having to put in a set.

To add, in case it hasn't been mentioned, the City Ballet Podcast has an enjoyable episode with Jared Angle interviewing Tiler Peck about Allegro Brillante.

https://podcast.nycballet.com/

Also agree with other's about the stinginess in marking Balanchine's birthday. I used to love the special programing they used to do, and the toast! I was pleased that a number of dancers marked the day in social media.

[matilda]

The intermission after Allegro Brillante was indeed puzzling. It seems like intermissions are sometimes inserted so the orchestra can be reconfigured for the next piece. But does that need to take more than a few minutes? Shows at the Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall are able to move instruments and chairs around between numbers without long breaks. 

[abatt]

During the pandemic NYCB put on shows with no intermissions, so it is puzzling that they inserted an intermission after a 10 minute ballet. Clearly the only necessary intermission was before Firebird. 

[nysusan]

4 hours ago, abatt said:

And now we turn to Tyler Angle. NYCB has entirely abdicated its duty to regulate who is allowed to appear on stage.  At this point, his appearance is embarrassing.  He is  very overweight - way worse than Bouder looked in the fall.  At least Bouder had a legit reason for weight gain - out with injury for an extended period.   Quit applying a double standard to women and men.  I don't care how good he is as a partner.  Either train someone else in the role or don't perform the ballet if you don't have anyone suitable.  I'm sure that for an ordinary person of his age his weight is fine, but he is not in the job of an ordinary person.   He should succeed into the character roles of Jared at this point.

 

I saw Gerrity and T Angle in Walpurgisnacht Sat evening and have to agree with you. Between the gut, the huge thighs, the bald head and the deteriorating technique I could barely bring myself to watch Angle. I am going tomorrow night and am afraid he is going to ruin Allegro for me. He is in much worse shape than Bouder was in her most recent performances, both in terms of weight and technique.

I thought Gerrity was lovely and lyrical in Wapl but that is not what I look for in this ballet. I miss the dynamism, daring and abandon that Mearns brings to it. I absolutely loved Pereira in the second donna role and in Valse-Fantasie. She has improved immensely.

This is the first time I've seen Laferniere in Firebird and I thought she was great. Ditto Peck & Mejia in Allegro, agree with other posters who noticed how much his line has improved.

And wow for Laracey, Gordon, Nadon and Danchig-Waring in SVC on Thursday. They were all great but Nadon, heavens - I just want to see her in everything!

.

[Helene]

Breaks at concerts don't feel as long, because concert halls are lit more brightly, and you can read the program notes, plus you get to watch people move things around, tune the piano, watch the musicians come on stage, etc.

They can feel very, very long when you're in the dark and all you see is a curtain, and some vague movement in the pit.  I remember one performance of Liedeslieder Walzer where in the pause, as it seemed to grow longer and longer, the whispers turned into a full-voiced conversation about how the Yankees would do that season until the dim "pause" lights were lowered.

[cobweb]

Sad to say, I agree with the comments on Tyler Angle in Walpurgisnacht Ballet. He has been such a great dancer and a real favorite of mine -- but his technique is just not where it should be. It was difficult to watch. I cannot imagine how he will be in Allegro Brillante. 

[nysusan]

I feel that I should have mentioned what a big fan of Tyler Angle's I have always been, so seeing him in this state is very upsetting.

[bellawood]

8 hours ago, matilda said:

I agree with the comments above, however harsh. I can think of several dancers who would be great as the Faust male lead opposite a tall or medium-height ballerina like Gerrity, including Walker, Chan, Furlan, and Bolden. I realize the company has only so much time to devote to teaching dancers new roles. 

Tyler Angle is scheduled to dance Allegro Brillante this week with Megan Fairchild. That role requires even more male dancing (and in white tights) than Faust. I believe Fairchild last danced this ballet with Huxley, who is excellent in it, and is currently one of her regular partners. The only reason I can imagine they cast Angle instead was so he could dance at his brother's retirement performance. Otherwise it makes no sense and shows very poor judgement on the part of artistic management. 

I'm going to see him dance in this tomorrow night, I'll report back -- it also struck me as an odd pairing since he rarely dances with Megan. 

[bellawood]

5 hours ago, nysusan said:

And wow for Laracey, Gordon, Nadon and Danchig-Waring in SVC on Thursday. They were all great but Nadon, heavens - I just want to see her in everything!

.

I am seeing this Wednesday and am really excited about it -- she has a big week, this on Wednesday and then the lead in the new Peck. 

[carllovesballet]

Speakng of the new Peck, I went to the Inside NYCB talk yesterday and it made me even more excited to see Copeland Dance Episodes. The cast performing the excerpts was: Megan Fairchild (1st time I've seen her dance live and my inner ballet crazed 11 year old self was beaming), Emma Von Enck, Indiana Woodward, Alexa Maxwell, Jovani Furlan, Sebastian Villerini-Vasquez, KJ Takahasi, and Anthony Huxley. From what I saw, it was clean, showed a lot of virtuosity, and it was funny! He's really letting the dancers DANCE and I was really impressed. Peck was also very quietly charming and you could tell how excited and appreciative he was for the opportunity. It was also super fun to see Michael Sean Breeden from Convos on Dance as the host!

[bellawood]

2 hours ago, carllovesballet said:

Speakng of the new Peck, I went to the Inside NYCB talk yesterday and it made me even more excited to see Copeland Dance Episodes. The cast performing the excerpts was: Megan Fairchild (1st time I've seen her dance live and my inner ballet crazed 11 year old self was beaming), Emma Von Enck, Indiana Woodward, Alexa Maxwell, Jovani Furlan, Sebastian Villerini-Vasquez, KJ Takahasi, and Anthony Huxley. From what I saw, it was clean, showed a lot of virtuosity, and it was funny! He's really letting the dancers DANCE and I was really impressed. Peck was also very quietly charming and you could tell how excited and appreciative he was for the opportunity. It was also super fun to see Michael Sean Breeden from Convos on Dance as the host!

I'm so glad to hear this! I had a ticket to go but life got in the way yesterday. I am seeing it on Saturday evening with the first cast.

[bellawood]

Some hints to SB casting on Jovani Furlan’s insta stories via a rehearsal call sheet, including possible SB/Desire pairs: T. Peck/Chan (thought for sure this would have been Gordon) and Woodward/Huxley — of course we’ve also seen Furlan rehearsing with LaFreniere so that gives us 3 of 5. 

[matilda]

I can see Gordon being paired with either Fairchild or Phelan. Who could the fifth Desiré be? Walker? Mejia? I doubt Janzen is up for it coming off of injury break. Ball would be perfect but he's been dancing a very light load, with partnering or dramatic roles here and there. Sincerely hoping it's not Angle (I feel like he would be dancing with Peck if he was cast, since they danced the ballet together last time, but we know she's partnered with Chan now.)

Edited January 24, 2023 by matilda

[cobweb]

I look forward to any reports on Ashley Hod’s debut in Firebird tonight.

[MarzipanShepherdess]

Furlan's casting sheet also shows SB rehearsals for Adams and Villarini-Velez, Pereira and Takahashi (he's having quite a season!), and solo SB rehearsals for Gerrity and Bologna. I wonder if that means Bluebird/Princess for the pairs and Lilac for Gerrity (which would be a debut for her). Not sure what Bologna's would be for, next to Bologna's name is: (JONES AR) and then whatever follows is cut off. 

I think Walker could be a good Desiré. Very princely and emotive. 

[nanran3]

Just the luck of the draw.

I have tickets for Friday night: Hod in Firebird. (I was really hoping to see Lafreniere). Oh well...Kind of an odd choice to me, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Also Allegro with Megan and Tyler, not Tiler and Mejia. Disappointed...I agree with the above posts on this one. 

For the future maybe I will try to get tickets to first cast nights.

But also, again, maybe I"ll be pleasantly surprised!

 

[vipa]

I was at tonight's show. Fairchild & T. Angle doing Allegro, and frankly I went with low expectations for Angle. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, he is a big guy with thick thighs and a thick butt, in a white tights ballet. I know that's a deal killer for some people. The dancing, however, was good. He's not a virtuoso like Mejia and never was, but his entrance had a nice attack, his jumps were big with soft landings, beats clean, pirouettes musically connected, finishing with nice triples. The partnering, as always, was beautiful, and his presentation was open and warm. Not dazzling dancing but I enjoyed it. Meagan Fairchild was lovely, but I felt her performance was a bit subdued. Perhaps I'm just used to Tiler Peck's more dramatic approach.

My first time seeing Liturgy, and I admit my mind wandered here and there. Sara Adams and Jovani Furlan looks sculpturally nice. I don't need to see this one again.

Walpurgisnacht put me in the Emma Von Enck camp! I hadn't seen much of her dancing before, and she was a true highlight in the second ballerina role (I think of this as the Nicole Hlinka role, a name rarely mentioned on this board). Von Enck was pure delight. her technique sparkled with buoyant jumps, secure tuns and lovely foot work. I'm very eager to see more of her. Unity Phelan had movements of pure loveliness, but overall I'd say, for her, this ballerina role is a work in progress. The first variation was noticeable faster than usual. It might take some time for Phelan to make the role hers the way Mearns and before her, Kyra Nichols have. 

Firebird - I hadn't seen this for at least a dozen years. Not my favorite. I enjoyed this performance but don't need to see the ballet again any time soon. I don't really know how to assess Hod's performance - she had impressive jumps, smooth bourrees, good port de bras - I can't imagine anyone blowing me away in this role.

Overall, this season, I've been super impressed by the talent and energy coming from the corps in every ballet. India Bradley was a stand out in the demi soloist role in Walpurgisnacht.

[cobweb]

9 minutes ago, vipa said:

Walpurgisnacht put me in the Emma Von Enck camp

Welcome to the Emma von Enck fan club!! Casting hints on insta seems to indicate we won’t get to see her Aurora, and I am crushed.🙁

[vipa]

20 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Welcome to the Emma von Enck fan club!! Casting hints on insta seems to indicate we won’t get to see her Aurora, and I am crushed.🙁

From what I've seen Emma Von Enck is a natural Aurora. If it's not to be this season, I hope it comes soon, and in the meantime I hope she gets many other roles.  So who do we think the Auroras are - Fairchild, Tiler Peck, Woodward, Phelan, LaFreniere and someone else? Am I missing something? Lilacs are probably: Laracey, Gerrity, Nadon, Kikta, Hod or Miller? Alexa Maxwell posted a video rehearsing finger variation (Fate or something like that). She should be a soloist

[meunier fan]

I am attending every performance of the NYCB Winter Season - simply because NYCB is the one - single, solitary - thing I miss about NYC - having lived here for 19.5 years at the end of the so called 'Dance Boom' and a bit thereafter.  Please add me to the Emma Von Enck Fan Club - I thought she was simply ravishing last night - and have hugely enjoyed Mira Nadon - the girl simply sizzled in SVC last week; her devoted audience being held firm within her winsomely charismatic palm.  Woodward is enchanting in the intelligence of her work; Fairchild - always a different dancer post-Broadway has now melted into an even greater artist post-motherhood x2; one whose eyes not only hold aloft (they used not to I seem to recall) but continually scan the audience in their buoyant welcome.  Tiler Peck refreshingly has found a calm that is almost regal in amongst the always fanciful dash.  Mejia has come such a distance and remains a chip BEYOND his father's old block - and Gordon seems almost a different dancer now that his balletic persona has begun to match his musicality and precision.  Huxley. of course, holds firm - what a fine artist.   Lovely too to see Ulbrecht staying the course replete with his untarnished ghee-whiz muster.  Chan and Furlan proverbially have it all - in each and every different direction - and I have noticed David Gabriel (stunning entrechat) and Abreu (with his miraculous port de bras and glorious partnering technique) in the male corps which is generally strong.  So looking forward to more of Kikta, LaFreniere and Miller, all towering in the radiance department and Maxwell and Adams whose equally long lines seem to push through atop a pungent ruler straight through to its heart.  Just so, SO much to celebrate.  Be proud. 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by meunier fan

[nysusan]

Allegro is such a joyous ballet. I agree with Vipa - Tyler Angle's technique was much better last night than the night I saw him in Walpurgisnacht. His weight is still distracting but he danced cleanly. Fairchild was warm and engaging but her footwork was a little blurred and generally she did not compare well to Tiler however all in all, I enjoyed the performance. The corps was the star of this ballet.

Liturgy is a dance I loved back when Whelan and then Kowroski danced it but so far I have found it much less compelling with Phelan and now Adams. Adams has beautiful lines and Furlan partnered her well but it was kind of boring. I think you need a female dancer with a very distinctive style to make it interesting.

I liked Phalen much better than Gerrity in Walpurgisnacht. She brought a lot more energy to it and there was more clarity in the steps - there were distinct beginnings & endings to her phrases while I felt the steps were all kind of linked together with Gerrity. This is a perfectly appropriate approach, but I felt that Phelan's fit this ballet better. Its always a pleasure to see Danchig-Waring and Von Enck was marvelous.

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with Firebird. Its not a ballet I seek out yet when I'm in the theater I really love parts of it. Miller was indeed a Princess of Great Beauty and Hod made a solid debut as the Firebird. She didn't have LaFreniere's majesty and her movements at the beginning were much more staccato & birdlike but she danced it well with high jetes and a strong presence. With a few more performances I think her interpretation will continue to develop.

[FPF]

11 hours ago, vipa said:

 

Walpurgisnacht put me in the Emma Von Enck camp! I hadn't seen much of her dancing before, and she was a true highlight in the second ballerina role (I think of this as the Nicole Hlinka role, a name rarely mentioned on this board).

I loved Nichol in this role (and many others). She was also a great Swanilda in Coppelia.

[nycvillager]

I enjoyed last night's Allegro. Tyler Angle danced well, despite no longer being at his peak. Megan Fairchild was very enjoyable to watch, but she doesn't quite bring the thrill of Tiler's performance. Emma von Enck was probably the biggest star last night. Ashley Hod's Firebird was good for her debut, and I believe she'll improve over time. I wish I could have seen LaFreniere instead though, as her Firebird last spring was what actually made me a fan of hers. I found that Hod looks very stiff at times, as her back is not as flexible as others and she turns her hip out more to raise her leg higher. It was my last time seeing Jared Angle as I'm unable to attend his farewell. I appreciate all his dancing over the years and while I believe it's time for him to retire, will miss him. I also really enjoyed listening to the podcast episode in which he interviews Tiler about Allegro. He's very down to earth and charming.

[cobweb]

Week 4 casting is up, also some changes for this week and next. Christina Clark and Peter Walker are out of Haieff Divertimento. I was looking forward to seeing her in a featured role!