New York City Ballet 2022-2023 season

[cobweb]

18 minutes ago, nysusan said:

LaFreniere is the one I'm not sure about. I have loved her some of the time and thought she was lacking at other times (I did not like her Aurora at all). She was scheduled for some big roles early (like Rubies tall girl and Firebird) but kept getting injured and missing her debuts. I think perhaps despite the fact that she has been with the company for awhile in view of these injuries she could benefit from a couple more seasons as a soloist - I don't think she has actually danced many principal roles.

nysusan, which performance of LaFreniere's Aurora did you see - the debut or the one a few days later on Sunday afternoon (or both)? I was at the debut and it was nerve-wracking. Reports are that she did better at the second performance, but I'm wondering how much better. I agree with your assessment about her lack of dancing major roles. Here is where I think they should have gone with Emily Kikta, who is far more experienced in featured roles, and as far as I can see, delivers every time. I totally agree about Nadon - she is young, but so talented there's no arguing with her being a principal. 

[matilda]

With the exception of the Aurora debut I think LaFreniere has mostly proven herself as a principal dancer since her Chaconne breakthrough in 2021. Her Firebird is really excellent. Of course there's time to grow. Megan Fairchild didn't start her principal years as a fully formed artist, and now look at her. (And surely, lots of people, men as well as women, have been promoted to principal at New York City Ballet with less talent or star quality than LaFreniere). I look forward to continuing to follow her journey. I can see her doing more of Sara Mearns' roles, like Symphony in C second movement and Diamonds. 

[canbelto]

2 hours ago, cobweb said:

nysusan, which performance of LaFreniere's Aurora did you see - the debut or the one a few days later on Sunday afternoon (or both)? I was at the debut and it was nerve-wracking. Reports are that she did better at the second performance, but I'm wondering how much better. I agree with your assessment about her lack of dancing major roles. Here is where I think they should have gone with Emily Kikta, who is far more experienced in featured roles, and as far as I can see, delivers every time. I totally agree about Nadon - she is young, but so talented there's no arguing with her being a principal. 

I went to the second performance and she was absolutely lovely. Secure in the Rose Adagio, serene in the wedding pas. I've seen MANY Auroras crash and burn with nerves, but her second performance was great.

I guess I like her more than the people on this board. I really liked her in Piano Pieces and also Episodes.

[pirouette]

For those of you hoping to see Copland Dance Episodes this coming season, NYCB is offering $38 tickets in the orchestra and third ring for all the Copland shows: https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/offers/your-exclusive-offer-to-return-ars23?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Instagram&utm_campaign=FY23ARS23Offer&utm_id=FY23ARS23Offer&fbclid=PAAab2-WlxUAFJYgBLD5vMHXSYq6vEZliO3fryH9EUMUskJee7OzEkDQvNdtU_aem_AUytLvuS1YMz8enivJG_gEtfRwbE0Uh_d1NG0rB1pDiGa9yIap8LV9Zg-yKCzrkp5tndQdsY_zCHAuPhYulPdWFxWF6UjTGJ3InaSqRJ3ol9M9cUh1AJBf48g8Cbqi6gxEk

The promo is also available for the 21st Century Choreography II program. 

[Helene]

6 hours ago, nysusan said:

Despite being with the company for less than 4 years she is immensely talented and has made a very strong case for herself every time she takes the stage.

Considering that most of the first two started near the beginning of the pandemic, that is an amazing achievement.

[tutu]

On 4/5/2023 at 7:09 PM, BalanchineFan said:

I know I've seen Mearns dance it with Reichlen. It was like two blondes, one running hot, one running cold, in the best possible way.

I remember this cast so well — one of my favorite CBs ever.

[BalanchineFan]

On 4/6/2023 at 1:44 PM, bellawood said:

I think the women's promotions were dictated by the fact that there were so few female principals, and even fewer healthy ones. To me, there is one dancer who stands quite far out from the rest, Mira Nadon.

Did you see Megan Fairchild's picture of the four (uninjured) women principals celebrating making it through the winter season? Phelan, Woodward, Peck and Fairchild, plus Woodward's dog, Luna.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpJIR-oOYof/

Edited April 8, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[matilda]

12 hours ago, canbelto said:

I really liked her in Piano Pieces and also Episodes.

Agree! Her Piano Pieces was gorgeous. She was also lovely in Goldberg Variations and brought something special to Helena in Midsummer Night's Dream. Aurora is such a huge feat for any ballerina, especially at a company like NYCB where full-length classics are not the bread and butter, and I'm pleased to hear she did better on the second try. 

In any case, how long was the company supposed to wait to promote more ladies? And male principals still outweigh women significantly so there will likely be another batch of promotions in the next year or so. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by matilda

[cobweb]

14 hours ago, canbelto said:

I went to the second performance and she was absolutely lovely. Secure in the Rose Adagio, serene in the wedding pas. I've seen MANY Auroras crash and burn with nerves, but her second performance was great.

This is great to hear, thanks for the comments canbelto! To be clear, I have no doubt about LaFreniere's talent and beauty. No doubt. I just question her experience with major roles and whether she is mentally ready to handle it, but hopefully she is and we shall see soon enough. 

[BalanchineFan]

13 hours ago, matilda said:

Agree! Her Piano Pieces was gorgeous. She was also lovely in Goldberg Variations and brought something special to Helena in Midsummer Night's Dream. Aurora is such a huge feat for any ballerina, especially at a company like NYCB where full-length classics are not the bread and butter, and I'm pleased to hear she did better on the second try. 

In any case, how long was the company supposed to wait to promote more ladies? And male principals still outweigh women significantly so there will likely be another batch of promotions in the next year or so. 

I also loved LaFreniere in the Sunday performance of SB (her 2nd one). She was assured and radiant. I loved her Danses a Grande Vitesse (a previous season, fall? spring?). Commanding. She had such enthusiasm for the movement and dove into the partnering and the lifts. So musical. For all the doubters, the people promoting have watched these dancers day in and day out. Seen what they could do in rehearsal, seen how they work back from injuries (or what they are capable of right before an injury). Sometimes I think the audience sees dancers at their worst (in performance). Of course performers have a responsibility to deliver in performance, but if you've seen someone killing it in rehearsal (and class) A LOT you can be excited at the prospect that they'll pull it together onstage. Especially if you are impressed with their preparation and mindset. 

In NYCB, imo, 80% of the dancers have soloist level skill. Though I may disagree at times, I'm not sure they can make REALLY bad promotions.

 *Also, looking forward to news of Kikta's a debut in Kammermusik. I wrote earlier that she needed a few more Balanchine roles under her belt. Neither she nor Miriam Miller have been forgotten.

Edited April 8, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[WLH]

https://wwd.com/eye/people/new-york-city-ballet-artistic-director-jonathan-stafford-on-modernizing-the-company-for-a-new-era-1235605948/?fbclid=PAAabi6X8nsMx87gHmhcz1Z6-Teg_-fJf9_FMlufdQWTblt3uGPpg5BKUfgpk
 

In case this is of interest to anyone “Jonathan Stafford on modernizing the company for a new era” in Women’s Wear Daily

[Wonders]

18 hours ago, WLH said:

https://wwd.com/eye/people/new-york-city-ballet-artistic-director-jonathan-stafford-on-modernizing-the-company-for-a-new-era-1235605948/?fbclid=PAAabi6X8nsMx87gHmhcz1Z6-Teg_-fJf9_FMlufdQWTblt3uGPpg5BKUfgpk
 

In case this is of interest to anyone “Jonathan Stafford on modernizing the company for a new era” in Women’s Wear Daily

@WLH Thanks for sharing. Very interesting to hear Stafford's thoughts and vision for the company, and it makes me excited for what's to come. I did laugh at the fact that he had never heard of balletcore. 

[Balletwannabe]

I had never heard the term balletcore before reading that article.  I'm his age.  

[Fernie M]

Very interesting article. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Fernie M
Wrong

[MarzipanShepherdess]

On 4/6/2023 at 9:08 PM, canbelto said:

 

I guess I like her more than the people on this board. I really liked her in Piano Pieces and also Episodes.

Count me as another Isabella fan who felt her promotion was very deserved. Agree with you about Episodes, and others about Firebird, and I'll add The Cage as another ballet she made a major impact for me in. I feel like those are all roles in which she has shone that are much more representative of NYCB than Aurora. IMO,  not being able to carry a big classic story ballet shouldn't a dealbreaker for NYCB promotion the way it obviously should be at a company like ABT.

Re: Mira Nadon's rapid rise--I chatted with someone recently who had grown up training at Mira's childhood dance studio in CA, with some overlapping years together, and she said everyone who knew Mira growing up is unsurprised by her zoom up the ranks at City Ballet. She said it always felt clear to her that Mira was going to have a big career. 

Perhaps Olivia Mackinnon's promotion feels more surprising than it otherwise might because it comes alongside that of Alexa Maxwell, whose elevation feels SO painfully overdue. By contrast, Olivia's could look more premature than it may actually be. I appreciate @BalanchineFan's reminder that as audience members we get such a relatively limited window into dancer's potential on stage. 

It's also interesting to think about the promotions in the context of the WWD article @WLH shared. Stafford emphasizes "energy" a lot as a prized quality, and Takahashi certainly embodies that more so than the "overlooked" Riccardo and Bolden. 

[matilda]

15 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

Perhaps Olivia Mackinnon's promotion feels more surprising than it otherwise might because it comes alongside that of Alexa Maxwell, whose elevation feels SO painfully overdue. By contrast, Olivia's could look more premature than it may actually be. I appreciate @BalanchineFan's reminder that as audience members we get such a relatively limited window into dancer's potential on stage. 

Agree, I might be in the minority but I don't think MacKinnon's promotion was surprising or unearned at all. She's gotten some very prominent debuts in Balanchine ballets like Tchaikovsky PC2 and Scotch Symphony, and she's done Dewdrop for a few years now. Is she the next big star at City Ballet? No. But she's proven herself as dependable and technically strong, and I'm sure there are behind-the-scenes reasons for her promotion (things like being a hard worker, learning roles fast, etc.)

Alexa Maxwell should have been promoted last year with that large batch of soloist promotions. But, better late than never. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by matilda

[abatt]

1 hour ago, matilda said:

 

Alexa Maxwell should have been promoted last year with that large batch of soloist promotions. But, better late than never. 

I think that management needed to make sure that Maxwell would not get re-injured before promoting her.  

To me the phrase "energy" used by J. Stafford is meaningless.  If you cannot execute the choreography properly, I don't care how much energy you may have.  It's all about technique. I can't stand seeing sloppy dancing where people try and fudge landings or other aspects of the choreography.  

Edited April 10, 2023 by abatt

[Marta]

56 minutes ago, abatt said:

I think that management needed to make sure that Maxwell would not get re-injured before promoting her.  

To me the phrase "energy" used by J. Stafford is meaningless.  If you cannot execute the choreography properly, I don't care how much energy you may have.  It's all about technique. I can't stand seeing sloppy dancing where people try and fudge landings or other aspects of the choreography.  

I agree.  And if the choreography is not good to begin with, no amount of energy would matter.  I thought some of Stafford's comments were not convincing, as if somebody had said "Here are the keywords ; let's construct the goals around them."

[matilda]

I'm not sure how familiar the writer of the WWD article actually is with City Ballet. A few claims seem exaggerated, like this:

"The timing of that collective new energy is helping ballet thrive in a city when other art forms across the Lincoln Center Plaza — like opera and the philharmonic — are struggling to wrangle the same audience numbers they had prior to the pandemic.

City Ballet is often packed — even sold out — with younger audiences than ever, who cheer for its dancers and posts mementos from the evening to social media, bestowing the company with organic marketing after each performance, and driving its whole machine forward."

... that might have been true for the Solange program, Copeland Dance episodes, and Sleeping Beauty, but certainly not for the bulk of the season when many shows have had the third and fourth rings closed. Also, I don't know about the opera, but every time I go to the Philharmonic, it's pretty packed... more so than many nights at the ballet.  

I'm not that familiar with the "balletcore" phenomenon but no social media fad should be taken too seriously as a longterm marketing strategy. 

Also a little weird for the writer to talk about apprentice Olivia Bell as an up-and-comer drawing new audiences when she hasn't danced any featured roles (maybe just Nutcracker dolls?) yet. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by matilda

[BalanchineFan]

Olivia Bell was invited to Vail (and performed there) as an apprentice. That may be a sign of her “up and comer” status. Bell also has more followers on IG than Mira Nadon (who doesn’t have that many; 6k). She was part of “Rising Stars” at Kaatsbaan while at SAB. I guess WWD is repeating the name. 
 

Stafford’s comments about “energy” reminded me of my own experience in rehearsal. There are people that lift everyone up with their dancing, their attitude and their energy (for lack of another word). They make other people want to dance better, they understand what the choreographer is going for, they further the creative process in the studio. You want them around. Different people describe it differently. Of course technique is important, but IMO, they all have that. Or could demonstrate it on a given day. 
Do they elevate those around them? Do they still do it 5 minutes before the end of a 12 hour rehearsal day? 
 

also: @matilda mentions three big hits with sold out houses and huge social media presence in 6 months. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[MarzipanShepherdess]

And looking ahead to this upcoming spring season, which hasn't even opened yet: Copland Dance Episodes, the 21st Century Choreography program with the Reisen/Solange Knowles piece, and the Balanchine/Ratmansky program with Swan Lake had nearly all their first ring and orchestra seats sold when I was buying tickets last week. As someone who ideally would wait until casting is released to buy tickets, I'm bummed, but as someone rooting for the longevity and financial health of the company I'm delighted. 

[BalanchineFan]

 

New promo for spring.

[Barbara]

That was beautiful! 

[Fernie M]

Gorgeous. Now THAT is a great spring promo.
 

Week 2 casting up.

https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1681246512/Documents/Casting/NYCB_Casting_April_25-30_2023_lobby.pdf

[cobweb]

Whatever they are paying Ashley Laracey, they're getting a bargain. She's going back and forth between both roles in Concerto Barocco. See you there on April 26, Ashley!