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New York City Ballet 2022-2023 season

California

By California
in New York City Ballet

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vipa

vipa

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, carllovesballet said:

Also, I really liked Unity's post about not feeling right for Aurora - I think in our comments about the casting we weren't really acknowledging how the dancers themselves could feel unfit for a role but they still have to go and do it. I thought it was uplifting insight that made me change how I think/judge the casting. https://www.instagram.com/p/CoztpA_uAuo/

I think short dancers are generally cast as Aurora but in the old, old ABT version in the 1970's, Martine Van Hamel and Cynthia Gregory were tall dancers who did the role. Cynthia was broadcast on TV, here's her very impressive Rose Adagio

. 

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Belka

Belka

Posted
Posted
On 2/16/2023 at 3:55 PM, MarzipanShepherdess said:

Roman Meija gave a bravura turn as the lead jester, subbing in for Sebastian V-V. Everyone who gets to see him as Bluebird is in for a real show.

Seeing his bluebird on Sunday--Mejia literally did not seem earth-bound. He soared! His dancing was somehow precise and sharp yet so graceful and fluid. His energy did not seem to run out and along with the sparkling Emma von Enck, I daresay they rivaled Aurora and the Prince in their effortless dancing and charming rapport onstage!

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Royal Blue

Royal Blue

Posted
Posted

What a sobering piece of magic is the NYCB full-length narrative ballet currently staged, and on Presidents' Day in the middle of its run this season. The story by Charles Perrault which inspired The Sleeping Beauty was published in 1697. In 1700, the population of what became "The United States" was 250,888, and of NYC "roughly 5,000". The "Father of His Country" was not born yet. This "fairy tale" has survived all the epochal social, economic, political, cultural, scientific, and technological upheavals the world has undergone since then. And rightly so. One can legitimately perceive its "Awakening Scene" as incorporating nothing less than all of human experience.

Of course, this type of work is no specialty of the company, and yet (according to the program) Balanchine ironically acknowledged, "Thanks to Sleeping Beauty I fell in love with ballet."

Every one of the five scenes which comprise NYCB's production is beautiful. Nevertheless, I am partial to a couple of them. Even though it is brief and contains no dancing, The Awakening bears extraordinary thematic significance. And The Vision, which immediately precedes the intermission, hauntingly epitomizes all the yearning for profound love and connection that has existed in the human soul since the beginning of time. Additionally, the ballet's conclusion with that spine-tingling tonal shift in the music from the celebratory to the solemn and majestic is one of the most stirring in the performing arts.

Criticize this or any production of The Sleeping Beauty all you want, the fundamental work underneath remains stupendous. All three casts I have seen so far during this run --Megan Fairchild, Joseph Gordon, Mira Nadon, Maria Kowroski; Tiler Peck, Chun Wai Chan, Ashley Laracey, Ashley Hod; Indiana Woodward, Anthony Huxley, Emilie Gerrity, Megan LeCrone-- were wonderful. From the moment of her entrance at Sunday evening's performance, Woodward sparkled as the sixteen-year-old Princess Aurora, and danced superbly throughout the ballet. Huxley's demeanor as Prince Désiré from the start was equally impressive, and his short solo before the curtain came down for intermission was breathtaking. Leaving the question of how much imperial grandeur is (or can be nowadays) displayed at the end aside, neither encountered any major issues during the resplendent Wedding pas de deux. Emilie Gerrity as the Lilac Fairy was gorgeous. Strong support was provided by dancers throughout the rest of the considerable cast. All this only a few hours after a rousing The Sleeping Beauty led by Tiler Peck and Chun Wai Chan.

The role of the Lilac Fairy is not only pivotal storywise, but exquisitely beautiful, even in the ways she mimes, poses and moves her arms and hands.

Rooting big-time for Unity Phelan, Isabella LaFreniere, Miriam Miller and Emily Kikta this week.

[Needless to say, I agree with the specific observations of Belka about Sunday evening's performance.]
 

 

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BalanchineFan

BalanchineFan

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, vipa said:

I think short dancers are generally cast as Aurora but in the old, old ABT version in the 1970's, Martine Van Hamel and Cynthia Gregory were tall dancers who did the role. Cynthia was broadcast on TV, here's her very impressive Rose Adagio

. 

THANK YOU! I never saw her live and I so wish I had. What sheer joy and mastery. I can't stop smiling.

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cobweb

cobweb

Posted
Posted

I attended last night's Sleeping Beauty. They certainly are selling a lot of tickets, I haven't seen the house so full in ages. I guess those ads with the undulating rose and electronic music did the trick. I hope some of these become regular balletgoers. In the ladies room at intermission, I saw a group of women in sequined-type cocktail dresses, all seemingly fairly inebriated. How they got intoxicated while sitting through a lengthy ballet I have no idea; also they did not seem inclined to head back to their seats even when the chimes signaling the end of intermission. Who knows. Anyway, on to the ballet. 

I had my doubts about Unity Phelan as Aurora and would not have chosen to see this cast except that was my subscription ticket. As soon as she appeared in the rose-colored tutu, all I could think was that she looked so beautiful it almost didn't matter what else she did. But she went on to dance well, maybe with tension in her face during the balances, but overall no real issues. She doesn't have the dramatic arc or depth, true, but no complaints from me. Veyette did reasonably well in his solos, but it is definitely getting to be beyond his capacities. 

The fairies introduced us to some of the newer corps members. First up was corps veteran Olivia Boisson, the epitome of graciousness, but I wish she could do more to open herself up to the audience. Next, Nieve Corrigan brought a raucous energy to Vivacity. She could use some lessons in graciousness from Boisson, but I admired her rambunctious enthusiasm. Dominika Afanasenkov was a lovely Generosity. This is a young lady with potential, with beautifully shaped feet and legs, and a nice presence. Next up was Lauren Collett, also full of energy. It was charming to see these young ladies eager to make the most of some of their first featured roles. Finally, out bounded Alexa Maxwell as the Fairy of Courage. From the moment she appeared she took command of the stage, with authority, confidence, clearly shaped steps, and polish. My lord. Why on earth was she not promoted with last year's batch??

Miriam Miller as Lilac did not do it for me. Up-thread, @abatt commented on her being the least technically proficient of the likely principal candidates; to me she is the most boring. She is beautiful, with incredible legs and arms, but I just find her empty. Also the quality of her movements can be oddly stiff - when she goes into arabesque her leg stops like it hit a wall, with no sense of flow or elasticity. 

Work calls! I will try to fill in a few more comments later. 

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pirouette

pirouette

Posted
Posted

Hi all – not sure if this is allowed, so let me know if it's against community guidelines and I can remove..

Is anyone looking for a ticket to the show on Friday (Peck/Chan/Laracey/Hod)? I was supposed to go with a friend but she got COVID. I'm selling one (1) ticket at the original face value price of $170 including taxes and service fees. The seat is in the center front of the third ring (A113). Just a heads up that I will be seated next to you at A112 and that I'm picking up the tickets on the day of at the box office, so I completely understand if it's not something you're comfortable with. 

Link to screenshot of ticket order: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O5W_upQVzCXsPX8CkuGaISPwb8sAIonh/view?usp=sharing

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cobweb

cobweb

Posted
Posted

Further thoughts on last night. Baily Jones and Cainan Weber were Princess Florine and the Bluebird. Weber can perhaps get more comfortable with partnering, but otherwise he looks very promising. Baily Jones gets a lot of big opportunities, and she is reliable, solid technique, charming, but I don't see her as bringing anything particularly special. It will be interesting to see if she gets promoted. 

For the Jewels section, Harrison Coll replaced Roman Mejia. Reports on here are that Coll had a very difficult time with this a few nights ago, but he managed decently well, if a little ragged, but no major mishaps. Olivia MacKinnon and Malorie Lundgren were Emerald and Ruby, and both looked good. Mira Nadon was Diamond and was so beautiful. 

Oh, and it was tough seeing Harrison Ball relegated to a Suitor. He looks so proud, and so humble somehow at the same time. In several performances over the last year -- Mozartiana, the Poet, and Puck -- he was just as beautiful as can be. I am still crushed that he is retiring so prematurely, but I guess that's kind of an occupational hazard, so to speak, of falling in love with dancers -- they have their own lives to live. 

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abatt

abatt

Posted
Posted (edited)
58 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Further thoughts on last night. Baily Jones and Cainan Weber were Princess Florine and the Bluebird. Weber can perhaps get more comfortable with partnering, but otherwise he looks very promising. Baily Jones gets a lot of big opportunities, and she is reliable, solid technique, charming, but I don't see her as bringing anything particularly special. It will be interesting to see if she gets promoted. 

 

I think Baily Jones is well liked by management.   She gets a lot of opportunities. I'm guessing she will be promoted.

I think India Bradley was also a contender for promotion, but her injury may put a potential promotion on hold. 

A lot of current soloists will likely shortly be promoted, and others appear to be on track to (forced) retirement.

Edited by abatt
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matilda

matilda

Posted
Posted

India Bradley posted on Instagram stories (disappeared now) that she sprained her ankle...doesn't sound like a major injury that will keep her out long.  I sincerely hope that wouldn't stand in the way of a promotion. Management seems to like her a lot. 

I think she as well as Maxwell, Jones, Olivia MacKinnon, Clark, Bolden, Riccardo, and Takahashi all have good shots at soloist promotion. 

These things are hard to predict but Nadon, Gerrity, LaFreniere, and Mejia seem most likely to get bumped up to principal. Hod, Kikta and possibly Miller have a good chance too. They need to be giving Emma Von Enck more featured roles. 

LeCrone, Pazcoguin, and Schumacher will probably retire soon. 

Preston Chamblee has barely danced he was promoted to soloist. We haven't seen Brittany Pollack in a long time either. 

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vipa

vipa

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, matilda said:

India Bradley posted on Instagram stories (disappeared now) that she sprained her ankle...doesn't sound like a major injury that will keep her out long.  I sincerely hope that wouldn't stand in the way of a promotion. Management seems to like her a lot. 

I think she as well as Maxwell, Jones, Olivia MacKinnon, Clark, Bolden, Riccardo, and Takahashi all have good shots at soloist promotion. 

These things are hard to predict but Nadon, Gerrity, LaFreniere, and Mejia seem most likely to get bumped up to principal. Hod, Kikta and possibly Miller have a good chance too. They need to be giving Emma Von Enck more featured roles. 

LeCrone, Pazcoguin, and Schumacher will probably retire soon. 

Preston Chamblee has barely danced he was promoted to soloist. We haven't seen Brittany Pollack in a long time either. 

I agree with matilda's overall assessment, and I do think change is coming. My question is about Ashley Laracey. She's wonderful in Violin Concerto, a great Lilac and IMO brings a unique flavor to everything she does. However, she's in her late 30's. I'd love to see her promoted but I understand TPTB not wanting to promote someone to principal who will only be dancing for a few more years. Still, there is no sign of her powers diminishing. I'd rather have Laracey be principal for a couple of years while dancers like Miller and Hod remain soloists with time to mature. In a way, management has an embarrassment of riches.

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Jacqueline

Jacqueline

Posted
Posted

Vipa, I so agree with you!  I am a longtime fan of Ashley Laracey and  often fantasize about how wonderful it would be if her talents and dedication were finally rewarded with a promotion to principal even if she is not expected to dance that many more   years.   But who cares?  She has earned it and then some.  Of course, there are many things about the inner workings of the company and its finances that I don't know.  

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Fernie M

Fernie M

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

Vipa, I so agree with you!  I am a longtime fan of Ashley Laracey and  often fantasize about how wonderful it would be if her talents and dedication were finally rewarded with a promotion to principal even if she is not expected to dance that many more   years.   But who cares?  She has earned it and then some.  Of course, there are many things about the inner workings of the company and its finances that I don't know.  

Agreed Laracey is a beautiful dancer! It would be wonderful if she was rewarded for her long time contributions to the company. Unfortunately her age is probably going to hold her back from promotion. I remember reading an article (paraphrasing) in which I believe Megan Fairchild said when someone’s promoted to principal, they just don’t become a “principal” star, they have to work/mature into the role. Also, you’re 37/38/39,your chance of getting injured is greater. When you’re in your late 30s you just don’t bounce back like you did in your 20’s (ex Bouder). Not fair, but unfortunate fact. I’m sure a lot of this is taken into consideration when promoting someone. Also, the WWD article Laracey did last spring  probably didn’t help her case. But honestly, who knows?

Completely agree  Nadon and La Freniere promotion, it’s time! Give the fans some exciting promotion news!

Edited by Fernie M
Forgot to finish
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Helene

Helene

Posted
Posted

A reminder that all info about dancers needs a source.  "I think" isn't a source. 

 

Either the dancer, company, or another ballet professional has posted or written or spoken about it publicly, or they haven't.  If they have, source it, which, for things in the past, can be "They posted to instagram" or "Another dancer posted to Instagram" or "The NYT said" that they were injured, pregnant, guesting, etc. and for current news, link to it or refer to an Instagram story, a Q&A, etc.

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bellawood

bellawood

Posted
Posted

I think we have to resign ourselves that the top candidates for promotion to Principal -- Mejia, Nadon, LaFreniere, and Gerrity -- will have to wait at least until Spring (maybe then we will see Mejia after Ball's early retirement?). I personally feel that if they were planning to promote this winter they would have done so before the SB run. But we have a few days left of Winter 2023 to prove me wrong!

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