New York City Ballet 2022-2023 season

[abatt]

By the way, the choreography for Rodeo was largely the same as Peck's creation a few years ago, but the portion where a dancer goes to the edge of the stage and pulls a cord from the floor of the stage has been deleted.

Mejia now dances the role that was made on Ulbricht.

 

The costumes and scenic designs are completely different from Peck's prior incarnation of Rodeo. 

 

 

[Susu_nyc]

For those who saw Copland Dances last night, what is the purpose of the "hazmat suit" type covering the dancers put on?  I saw some snaps of this on NYCB's instagram feed.

[abatt]

15 minutes ago, Susu_nyc said:

For those who saw Copland Dances last night, what is the purpose of the "hazmat suit" type covering the dancers put on?  I saw some snaps of this on NYCB's instagram feed.

Your guess is as good as mine.  It seemed like Peck decided to borrow the types of covering worn by the Novice in the Cage.  Any other guesses?  A pretentious choice.

Edited January 27, 2023 by abatt

[BalanchineFan]

21 hours ago, Quiggin said:

It was a late ballet for Balanchine and I wonder if, with feedback, he would have made a change in the ending –

Balanchine choreographed SVC for the Stravinsky Festival in 1972 and didn't die until 1983. He had plenty of chances to change the ending of that Aria if he had wanted to. 

[uptowner]

https://www.wnyc.org/story/seeking-relevance-and-new-audiences-nyc-ballet-companies-embrace-diversity
Here is a link for a 6-minute radio piece from WNYC that I heard this morning-- about diversity in ballet, focused around audience interest in the Solange Knowles composition. 
"According to a New York City Ballet spokesperson, first-time attendees accounted for 73% of single-ticket sales for the performances that featured “Play Time.”" 

(I am not confident this belongs here in this thread, but it is about programming in the 22/23 season and NYCB, as an example of a broader issue/discussion) 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

1 hour ago, Susu_nyc said:

For those who saw Copland Dances last night, what is the purpose of the "hazmat suit" type covering the dancers put on?  I saw some snaps of this on NYCB's instagram feed.

The dancers only wear them for the opening, when they’re all walking on stage as the curtain rises. Then they exit and Roman (and eventually everyone else) come back on without them. The ballet is danced in color blocked leotards. 

To me they evoked hazmat suits and isolation, also chrysalises. At the beginning of the ballet when the dancers wear them they’re all wandering around on stage together but disconnected from each other and not interacting. Then they take off the “hazmat suits” and began to engage through dance. The ballet itself has themes throughout, at least to me, about connection and how we desire it but also struggle with it and ultimately can fail at it (as the central couple danced by Mira and Taylor do), and it felt like the opening costumes were part of that thread. 

[Quiggin]

On 1/26/2023 at 4:52 PM, BalanchineFan said:

I don't find the ending of that Aria problematic at all. Balanchine shows us a relationship with a lot of tension and co-dependance in it.

On 1/26/2023 at 3:32 PM, nanushka said:

It doesn't read as potentially violent to me, but it's definitely something.

Violin Concerto has always been one of my favorite Balanchine ballets, every part of it, not a weak moment to it. The two arias are musically and dramatically perfect but different in character, the first athletic and circussy, the second a serious conversation – like Matisse's blue backgrounded "The Conversation"? – in which the couple seem to trace out the aspects of how they stand with each other. There's a sort of waltz in the middle (a dance within a dance) in which the two seem to be on equal terms, and then at the end something like forgiveness is asked and protection offered.

It was with the Kay Mazzo-Peter Martins casting that the blindfolding seemed to suggest a one-sided vulnerability, especially when Martins kneels behind her and pulls Mazzo's neck back. Robert Garis in the late 1980s contrasted Mazzo's "delicate, almost brittle, wistful and vulnerable fragility" with Martins' "large blonde handsomeness." Jennifer Homans writing today in "Mr B." (whose densely written 770 pages I'm making my way through a chapter a night) keenly senses the danger in the relationship. She says that at the end of the aria, the "enigmatic" Martins "is caring for [Mazzo] and obliterating her at the same time." She then asks, "Is there a more vulnerable moment in all of ballet than this back-bent woman, head dangling behind her on the frail thread of a neck, eyes covered in darkness?"

Edited January 28, 2023 by Quiggin

[abatt]

16 hours ago, uptowner said:

https://www.wnyc.org/story/seeking-relevance-and-new-audiences-nyc-ballet-companies-embrace-diversity
Here is a link for a 6-minute radio piece from WNYC that I heard this morning-- about diversity in ballet, focused around audience interest in the Solange Knowles composition. 
"According to a New York City Ballet spokesperson, first-time attendees accounted for 73% of single-ticket sales for the performances that featured “Play Time.”" 

(I am not confident this belongs here in this thread, but it is about programming in the 22/23 season and NYCB, as an example of a broader issue/discussion) 

I think if they hired Taylor Swift to create a new work the ballet, first time attendance would also be off the charts.  Tickets sold because the composer of the music has a huge following.  It is unrelated to race.

[uptowner]

3 hours ago, abatt said:

I think if they hired Taylor Swift to create a new work the ballet, first time attendance would also be off the charts.  Tickets sold because the composer of the music has a huge following.  It is unrelated to race.

good point. I haven't re-listened to this since I caught it on the radio the other morning, but my recollection is that the reporter is thinking broadly about "diversity", not limited to racial classification. So-- bringing in new audiences as part of that. Anyway, just an interesting little 6-minute listen, not a big commitment. 

[BalanchineFan]

6 hours ago, abatt said:

I think if they hired Taylor Swift to create a new work the ballet, first time attendance would also be off the charts.  Tickets sold because the composer of the music has a huge following.  It is unrelated to race.

Unless the new ballet goers are predominantly black, as was the case with Play Time. I saw Play Time twice, and each time i actually took pictures of the audience because it was such a change to see so, so many people of color. People with my skin tone were decked out and happy to be there. I wish I'd taken MORE pictures.

Perhaps I've missed your point. Sure, Taylor Swift would bring people in. This time it was Solange Knowles.

Edited January 28, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[cobweb]

Just in from the matinee. Stravinsky Violin Concerto is so incredible. I feel like I've never appreciated it the way I do now - maybe I just needed time to grow into it. I loved the cast I saw the other night, and after comments about Phelan and Gerrity up-thread, I was prepared to be a little disappointed. That didn't happen. Phelan and Taylor Stanley looked great in Aria I, and Gerrity and Russell Janzen were moving and tender in the second aria. Just an incredible work of art.

I'm haven't seen Donizetti Variations very often, and I'm enjoying it. Indiana Woodward and Joseph Gordon both looked wonderful, just a joy to watch. I'm enjoying the three corpsmen, KJ Takahashi, David Gabriel, and Charlie Klesa. Klesa is still an apprentice and looked uncomfortable during his brief moment partnering Woodward, but otherwise he looks very promising. KJ Takahashi is dancing with the polish and authority of someone years older. He's very young, but ready for bigger things already. 

Unity was stunning in Haieff Divertimento, and Erica Pereira was fine in Valse-Fantaisie. I enjoy both of these pieces. The program overall is very well-balanced, with two long works, two short works, and balanced between more traditional versus modernist pieces. I wish SVC was coming back in the Spring. Next year, please! 

Finally, a side note on the sandwich situation. After the pandemic they did away with sandwiches at the refreshment stands, only selling chocolates, mints, and whatnot. I was disappointed with this, since I often come straight from work and sometimes enjoy a sandwich and glass of wine before the performance. I noticed the sandwiches are back, with a changed selection from before, so I decided to try one today. Awful. I got the ham and swiss on croissant. It was dry, did not appear super-fresh, and the ham quality was questionable. Also I noticed it said "Enjoy Before 1/31" on the label. Really? It was going stale already, I can't imagine selling it three days from now. Also, needless to say, quite expensive (like $11). Not recommended. 

[BalanchineFan]

43 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Finally, a side note on the sandwich situation. After the pandemic they did away with sandwiches at the refreshment stands, only selling chocolates, mints, and whatnot. I was disappointed with this, since I often come straight from work and sometimes enjoy a sandwich and glass of wine before the performance. I noticed the sandwiches are back, with a changed selection from before, so I decided to try one today. Awful. I got the ham and swiss on croissant. It was dry, did not appear super-fresh, and the ham quality was questionable. Also I noticed it said "Enjoy Before 1/31" on the label. Really? It was going stale already, I can't imagine selling it three days from now. Also, needless to say, quite expensive (like $11). Not recommended. 

OMG, I'm so sorry to hear that the sandwiches are back and not what they once were! I loved those little sandwiches. I'm going tonight. I'll check it out.

[cobweb]

18 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

I loved those little sandwiches. I'm going tonight. I'll check it out.

Yes, the old sandwiches weren't cheap either, but they were good. It was an occasional splurge that I could look forward to. But I would not again get the sandwich I had today. Maybe the others are better. The eggplant and mozzarella sandwich looked tempting. I look forward to hearing what you think, BalanchineFan!

Edited January 28, 2023 by cobweb
Left out a crucial word

[vipa]

5 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

Unless the new ballet goers are predominantly black, as was the case with Play Time. I saw Play Time twice, and each time i actually took pictures of the audience because it was such a change to see so, so many people of color. People with my skin tone were decked out and happy to be there. I wish I'd taken MORE pictures.

Perhaps I've missed your point. Sure, Taylor Swift would bring people in. This time it was Solange Knowles.

Whatever draws a crowd of first timers, the question is what percentage of those people will be intrigued enough to come back to explore the art form. 

[abatt]

6 hours ago, cobweb said:

 Also I noticed it said "Enjoy Before 1/31" on the label. Really? It was going stale already, I can't imagine selling it three days from now. Also, needless to say, quite expensive (like $11). Not recommended. 

If you are willing to pay that much for a sandwich, try to get to the new Rossetta bakery which opened up a few months ago directly across the street from Lincoln Center.  Nothing there is cheap, but the quality is good.  I have purchased a few different types of sandwiches from Rossetta and they have all been very good. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by abatt

[cobweb]

4 minutes ago, abatt said:

If you are willing to pay that much for a sandwich, try to get to the new Rossetta bakery which opened up a few months ago directly across the street from Lincoln Center.  Nothing there is cheap, but the quality is good.  I have purchased a few different types of sandwiches from Rossetta and they have all been very good. 

Thank you abatt, I will look for it! It was you and Mr abatt who recommended Sapphire Indian restaurant which I loved, so I trust you on Rossetta. 

[abatt]

ttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/arts/dance/kyra-nichols-coaching-new-york-city-ballet.html

Kyra Nichols coached several ballet this season, including Rondo.  (Adam Luders has also been coaching, but the ballets he coached are not identified.  

For me, this has been the greatest contribution of the management that took over  after Martins.  The willingness to have former great dancers return to coach.

Nichols' work is described in the attached NY  Times article. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by abatt

[Fernie M]

For some reason your link Abatt is not working… Here it is again…

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/arts/dance/kyra-nichols-coaching-new-york-city-ballet.html

[Kathleen O'Connell]

5 hours ago, abatt said:

For me, this has been the greatest contribution of the management that took over  after Martins.  The willingness to have former great dancers return to coach.

This. I can't help but regret the opportunities that were squandered during the Martins regime. 

Woodward and Gordon were absolutely on fire in yesterday's matinee performance of Donizetti Variations, by the way. I got winded just from watching them. But they weren't just fast: the steps were as clear as spring water and as bubbly as champagne. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Kathleen O'Connell

[abatt]

21 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

This. I can't help but regret the opportunities that were squandered during the Martins regime. 

Woodward and Gordon were absolutely on fire in yesterday's matinee performance of Donizetti Variations, by the way. I got winded just from watching them. But they weren't just fast: the steps were as clear as spring water and as bubbly as champagne. 

Agreed. I saw them in their debut last weekend.  They were wonderful.  Gordon, in particular, is such a beautiful classical dancer.   

[Kathleen O'Connell]

16 minutes ago, abatt said:

Gordon, in particular, is such a beautiful classical dancer.

He's the kind of dancer who makes you realize that pyrotechnics can be more than Wham! Pow! effects.

I'll always have a soft spot for Veyette's handling of the role: he threaded the needle between charming village swain and preening opera house ham better than anyone I've seen.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Kathleen O'Connell

[Susu_nyc]

7 hours ago, abatt said:

 

Kyra Nichols coached several ballet this season, including Rondo.  (Adam Luders has also been coaching, but the ballets he coached are not identified.  

For me, this has been the greatest contribution of the management that took over  after Martins.  The willingness to have former great dancers return to coach.

 

Couldn't agree more about the value of having former dancers return.  The City Ballet podcast discussing Allegro Brillante notes that Adam coached Tiler and Roman for this season's performances of AB.

[Helene]

Luders danced and partnered everyone in everything.    It's a shame it took so long to bring him back.

[vipa]

I was at this afternoon's performance of Copeland Dance Episodes. I'm with abatt. For me, once is probably enough. The sign outside the the seating area said 76 minutes. It felt a lot longer to me. 

The dancers are wonderful. Miriam Miller's arabesque sings (she did the Mira Nadon role). Alexa Maxwell in the the role originated by Tiler Peck, was radiant. I could single out many, many dancers. There were stunning moments here and there, with the mix of great lighting, soaring music and fine dancing. But, overall I found the movement very repetitious, filled with Justin Peck's typical tilted turns, jutting legs, circular-swinging port de bras. During one woman's variation, it occurred to me that the solo would fit right into his Pulchinella Variations. The choreography is often so dense, there is little time to breath, and the musical attack/accents vary very little. There's a bit of walking around and standing casually, and a bit of men partnering men, and women partnering women, but for the most part it all mostly blends together. That is both a shame and incredible since the dancers are so good. The lead couple, in this case Miller and Russell Janzen, are in a relationship that ends badly (hope that's not a spoiler). I really didn't care. I had zero emotional connection to what their relationship was or what was happening to it. I can't help but contrast this with the feelings I get watching the 2 couples in Stravinsky Violin, a supposedly much more "abstract work."

The house was well sold, even some rows in the 4th ring were occupied. The response was enthusiastic. I did have to smile. A girl, maybe 10 years old, was seated behind me. She was quiet and well behaved, but said to her mother at least 3 times - "I want to go home." I'd say this isn't the best choice for a child!

I think it will stay in the rep for a year or so, but after a time stop selling very well. I don't think it will be a big ticket seller like Midsummer or Sleeping Beauty.

Edited January 30, 2023 by vipa

[vipa]

OK I'm often behind the curve in some things. Would someone explain this to me. When I look at the 21st century choreographer's program it seems that Feb. 9 only has 4th ring tickets available, but for the other dates of that program they haven't even opened the 3rd ring. Of course I could be wrong, but that's what I think I'm seeing.