canbelto Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 A lot of dancers are out of shape after a long injury. Remember Tiler Peck looked out of shape when she first came back. Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Thanks to all who responded to my question as to what La Sonnambula about, especially the articles linked to by @cargill and @california. I didn't realize that the Sleepwalker was supposed to be the Baron's wife, and I'm not sure it enhances my appreciation of the piece to think about her that way. For one thing is only raises more questions, like why is she sleeping when everyone else is partying? Thinking of her as a wife makes it mundane; to me she is something more spiritual - the embodiment of some unknown, unknowable force. Like the Kisselgoff review says, the piece works more as allegory. Why does she come back to collect the Poet, after so forcefully rejecting him? What is their bond? The Kendall article says that when the Sleepwalker reappears she's "on a mysterious errand," but to me she has clearly returned to seek the Poet, to whom she somehow senses something has happened. This time she's walking, not bourreeing. The images of her lamentation, and then receiving the Poet's body, are stunning. It reminds me in a way of the entry of the Dark Angel and the man in Serenade, where she is covering his eyes and his hand is stretched forward. In both cases I have no idea what specifically this might mean or represent, but it is deeply moving nonetheless, with a sense of something elemental and profound being captured in the image. Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Beautiful afternoon at the ballet! Lots of wonderful dancing, but the absolute highlight for me was actually Chun Wai Chan who subbed in for Peter Walker in Raymonda Variations. Chan just keeps getting better and better. That man has BALLON. He reminds me of Osipova in that he gives the same sense that neither of them actually need to touch the ground. So light, so at ease, such a joy to watch. Can't wait to see his Bluebird this winter, there couldn't be a more obvious casting choice. The partnering with Isabella wasn't totally seamless, but this was clearly a pretty last minute pairing and the solos more than made up for it. Isabella looked lovely as well, it was a very assured and fully realized debut. I don't think I'd ever seen Raymonda Variations before, and I loved it. Gorgeous score, lovely pas de deux, so many delightful solos. All the ladies acquitted themselves admirably (though Olivia MacKinnon's head position was distractingly awkward, it's clearly supposed to be to the side but her angle was so extreme, and it was a shame because she executed those tricky hops on pointe very very well). Mira stood out above everyone. She's another dancer who seems to look better and better every time I see her. So much refinement and confidence in the way she makes the most of every little bit of the choreography. Would have loved to have seen her cast in Scotch, I think I would have enjoyed it with her. Peter Gordon subbed in for Roman Mejia in Tschai Pas with Tiler, and WOW. His turns, his manège, his partnering, all wonderful. Tiler just glowed. My husband said she was "incandescent" and that sums it up for me. I don't think there's anyone else who radiates quite as much joy at being on stage dancing as Tiler. It looks totally sincere and natural and it's so lovely to watch. I love her in this role. Piano Pieces: lots of strong dancing, Unity was the highlight for me in the "November" pas de deux and then her own solo. Checked the lobby casting board and no updates to week 2, they still have Walker listed as debuting in Stravinsky Violin Concerto on Tuesday and Mejia as dancing DSCH that night. For tomorrow, Furlan is debuting in Divertimento to replace Walker. Link to comment
vipa Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 I was at this afternoon's performance. It was great seeing cobweb at intermission! The blazing highlight of the day was Tiler Peck/Joseph Gordon Tchaikovsky pas. Peck's musical imagination is unmatched. I've seen the pas many, many times, yet she played with the musical phrasing in ways I'd never seen before, but always with taste and without distortion. Joseph Gordon's partnering was stellar and allowed Peck total freedom. His variation and coda were beautiful and thrilling. Raymonda Variations was led by Isabella La Freniere and Chun Wei Chan (replacing Peter Walker). Chan had some difficulties in his variations here and there, so IMO didn't fully pull off the virtuoso aspects of the piece. That said he has great stage presence and his dancing has a joyful buoyancy. It could be that the slight mishaps were due to being a replacement. For all I know he could have just learned the piece. La Freniere is a principal in the making. She has technique, presence and musicality. I look forward to seeing her develop. The variations were all good, I'll comment on two. Mira Nadon is exceptional in every way. I feel that way whenever she sets foot on the stage. Olivia MacKinnon did the first variation, which ends with hops on pointe that cross the stage. She got stuck in place, instead of traveling, but she didn't come off pointe. I hope next time she's able to cover space, which is fun to see! My first viewing of Piano Pieces. I am probably in the minority here, but I don't care for it. It seemed disjoined. There's ballet with a folk dance flavor, "funny" folk dance-sections, ballet duets and solos, some of which add a folk dance gesture. The order of the sections seemed random. Anthony Huxley is a fine dancer with exceptional technique, line, clarity of movement. He is not served well by this cutesy, choreography. All in all, the company looks great. The next generation is coming and will be ready! Link to comment
JuliaJ Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 (edited) I thought that Peck and Gordon in Tchaikovsky pas de deux this afternoon were worth the price of admission alone. Peck has to be the standard bearer of this role. I aways feel so lucky to get to experience her dancing live and while she's still in top form. Gordon's debut was a huge success--so much personality and charisma that were well suited to the slight tongue-in-cheek nature of this ballet. I might even go as far as saying he's the overall best male dancer in the company right now in terms of classical technique, mastery of Balanchine style, and partnering. Truly the full package. Phelan and Gerrity were particularly breathtaking in Piano Pieces. And the corps looked a lot cleaner than when I saw this in the spring. This ballet doesn't make for the most epic of closers but the program ended on a joyous note. I also noticed the (minor) issues in Raymonda but overall thought it was an exciting and beautiful performance from LaFreniere and Chan, especially given the late substitution. At this point I would be thrilled to see Nadon in just about anything. Edited September 25, 2022 by JuliaJ Link to comment
abatt Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 (edited) The masked ball in Sonnambula reminds me of Balanchine's La Valse. I think both works are about shallow and decaying societies. The lifting of the dead body of the Poet is similar to what Balanchine does in the lifting of the dead body of the young girl at the end of La Valse. The themes are linked up in the sense that the sensitive, more innocent types of people do not survive in a decaying decadent society. They are either corrupted (like the girl in La Valse) or they do not survive (like the Poet). The good and evil themes are telegraphed in the costumes too. The girl in La Valse starts out in white, and then dies when she slips into the black items given to her. in Sonnambula, the Sleepwalker and the Poet are dressed in very light colors. Edited September 25, 2022 by abatt Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 For further thoughts on La Sonnambula, I just read Nancy Goldner's essay in Balanchine Variations. Interestingly, she compares the Poet and the Sleepwalker to James and the Sylphide. (I wonder, was that part of the idea in putting Scotch Symphony and La Sonnambula on the same program?) Of course, La Sylphide also has the element of a body being borne aloft, also a woman who wears white. In both ballets, the man seeks to join a woman who inhabits a different, more supernatural, realm, and he pays dearly for trying to do so. By way of contrast, the Poet seems to be trying to leave a decadent society and who could blame him for wanting to get away from all the artifice and being drawn towards the single-minded Sleepwalker, who may be elusive and unknowable, but also seems pure and sincere . On the other hand James seems foolish and loses out on a hearty, happy domestic life. Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 I was also there this afternoon, and it was fun seeing vipa and Mr. vipa at intermission! I agree with everyone about the incredible Tiler Peck and the beautiful Joseph Gordon. Tiler also dazzled a few nights ago in Divertimento, when she attacked a series of chaines with truly unbelievable changes of speed, intricate phrasing, and the utmost clarity. I preferred seeing Gordon to the originally scheduled Roman Mejia. I know this is heresy, but I find Mejia a little out of control and sloppy sometimes. Gordon on the other hand was all elegance and command. I have seen Raymonda Variations before, but have only the vaguest of memories, so it was pretty new for me. I am in the midst of a deep dive into Divertimento No. 15, and I found myself comparing the two. Divertimento somehow seems more modern and bracing, Raymonda by contrast looks a tad fusty and dated. Maybe I'll like it better if I can take it on its own terms. In any case I enjoyed the dancing. LaFreniere and Chan both have megawatt stage presences and huge technique, and Mira Nadon was breathtaking. These two ladies are likely the next two principals. Like vipa, I don't love Piano Pieces. It lacks a coherent identity, unlike, say, Dances at a Gathering which has an overall vision. Also I don't get a sense of it building or developing, it's just kind of one random segment after another. Agree that the cutesy elements do not agree with Huxley; I couldn't help thinking he's too good to have to do this kind of stuff. However, there was good dancing, most notably I enjoyed the pas de deux with Alec Knight and Unity Phelan. I'd love to see Raymonda Variations again, but since half of this program is Piano Pieces, I probably won't be seeing this again. Link to comment
tutu Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Any word on whether Peck has another Tchai Pas coming up? I didn’t see any on next week’s casting. Link to comment
bellawood Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 13 hours ago, cobweb said: I agree with everyone about the incredible Tiler Peck and the beautiful Joseph Gordon. Tiler also dazzled a few nights ago in Divertimento, when she attacked a series of chaines with truly unbelievable changes of speed, intricate phrasing, and the utmost clarity. I preferred seeing Gordon to the originally scheduled Roman Mejia. I know this is heresy, but I find Mejia a little out of control and sloppy sometimes. Gordon on the other hand was all elegance and command. I was thinking about just this dynamic Mejia is a bit like Rafael Nadal -- often amazing to watch but you can see the sweat with the joy, and Joseph Gordon is a bit like Roger Federer -- naturally beautiful positions, performance at the highest level, and the flowing hair besides! We are lucky to get both. (Also, I am very sad that Roger retired, I think you can tell!) Link to comment
vipa Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 24 minutes ago, bellawood said: I was thinking about just this dynamic Mejia is a bit like Rafael Nadal -- often amazing to watch but you can see the sweat with the joy, and Joseph Gordon is a bit like Roger Federer -- naturally beautiful positions, performance at the highest level, and the flowing hair besides! We are lucky to get both. (Also, I am very sad that Roger retired, I think you can tell!) Aww - I am a big Federer fan too. Closest thing we'll ever see to ballet on the tennis court! Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 Enjoyed another performance of the Divertimento-Scotch-Sonnambula program. This cast of Divertimento has so many of my favorite dancers that I'm torn as to where to look. With Ashley Laracey, Tiler Peck, Emily Kikta, Isabella LaFreniere, and Ashley Hod, it simply couldn't be a better lineup. Even Hod, not normally one of my favorites, looked great. Aaron Sanz and Davide Riccardo could not be more elegant. Jovani Furlan stepped in on short notice (I wonder if he did this piece when with Miami City Ballet), and aside from some unfortunate timing differences among the men during their initial entrance, all three men looked beautiful. There was a "See the Music" before Scotch Symphony. I usually find these tedious, but this was more engaging (perhaps I felt that way because it wasn't a work night, when I just want to see the performance and get on home), and drove an appreciation for the beautiful music. Sterling Hyltin and Anthony Huxley were perfection. He is just clean beyond belief. This is a great role for Sterling, and she got a solo curtain call, for what is presumably her last performance of this role. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 On 9/24/2022 at 4:55 PM, canbelto said: When I saw Bouder on Tuesday night she didn't look out of shape to me. At least not visibly. But her dancing was leaden and effortful. She used to be such a strong, fast, dynamic dancer. I was not used to seeing her so careful and slow. Ashley Bouder just posted on IG (in the stories, I believe) that she is back from a "possibly career ending injury" and thrilled to be onstage. She thanked her family and her physical therapists. Link to comment
jessa_sissonne Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 On 9/23/2022 at 8:54 PM, cobweb said: Intermission report. Another great showing for the scintillating Divertimento No . 15. The yellow and blue tutus are so beautiful. I did a quick online search for a closeup of the costumes but came up empty. Back when I was on instagram years ago there was someone in the costume shop who used to post closeups of the intricate costumes. Does anyone know who that is and is she, or the costume shop, still posting? I think you're referring to Kellie Sheehan who used to work as a draper in the costume shop. I followed her on IG and she did post great close ups of the costumes. I can't find her IG but she moved to California during the pandemic. I miss her posts! Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 2 hours ago, jessa_sissonne said: I think you're referring to Kellie Sheehan who used to work as a draper in the costume shop. I followed her on IG and she did post great close ups of the costumes. I can't find her IG but she moved to California during the pandemic. I miss her posts! Thanks for the info! She posted some beautiful shots of the costumes, close up and almost abstract. I wish I still had access to those photos! Link to comment
FauxPas Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 (edited) Ms. Sheehan is now Mrs. Di Pietro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellie_di_pietro/ BTW: I saw a slew of All Balanchine I and Balanchine and Robbins: Masters at Work programs. Sterling Hyltin is retiring at the peak of her form. She will be missed except that she will be teaching at SAB. Her absence from two performances was due to a family emergency, not injury. The injuries of Roman Mejia and Peter Walker are unfortunate as the male roster is thin as it is. Russell Janzen has been out a long time as well. Andrew Veyette only danced the character role of the Baron in "La Sonnambula" and resembled Vincent Price with the greyed temples and mustache. It was quite appropriate. Ashley Bouder looked much thicker in the middle and rounder in the face. Her feet are still strong but her dancing lacked smooth transitions and flow in "Scotch Symphony". There were wobbles and stiffness doing developpes. Ashley B bounced back quickly from her pregnancy, losing all the weight and really pushing herself in class. I wonder what is going on now. Joseph Gordon is in fantastic form - a true classicist. He and Tiler Peck were remarkable in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Tiler also danced with real panache and bravura doing multiple fouettés. They also looked good together. Edited September 26, 2022 by FauxPas Typos Link to comment
abatt Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 (edited) If anyone passes by the lobby of the Koch, please take a photo of the casting updates for Week 2, and any casting for Week 3,. We are back to the dark ages of no updated information from the company on the website. Agree with everyone who praised Gordon and Peck in Tschai pas. A terrific season thus far from the entire company. Edited September 26, 2022 by abatt Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 50 minutes ago, FauxPas said: Ashley B bounced back quickly from her pregnancy, losing all the weight and really pushing herself in class. I wonder what is going on now. She's probably just working on it. There's a video of her on Steps' Instagram from August (https://www.instagram.com/p/ChaWtbQFI2x/?hl=en). It's clear she's done a lot of work since then to get back into shape for this season. She probably just needs more time. Since we don't know the nature of her injury, it's possible she hasn't been able to take class, etc., for all that long. Link to comment
jessa_sissonne Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 20 hours ago, FauxPas said: Ms. Sheehan is now Mrs. Di Pietro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellie_di_pietro/ BTW: I saw a slew of All Balanchine I and Balanchine and Robbins: Masters at Work programs. Sterling Hyltin is retiring at the peak of her form. She will be missed except that she will be teaching at SAB. Her absence from two performances was due to a family emergency, not injury. The injuries of Roman Mejia and Peter Walker are unfortunate as the male roster is thin as it is. Russell Janzen has been out a long time as well. Andrew Veyette only danced the character role of the Baron in "La Sonnambula" and resembled Vincent Price with the greyed temples and mustache. It was quite appropriate. Ashley Bouder looked much thicker in the middle and rounder in the face. Her feet are still strong but her dancing lacked smooth transitions and flow in "Scotch Symphony". There were wobbles and stiffness doing developpes. Ashley B bounced back quickly from her pregnancy, losing all the weight and really pushing herself in class. I wonder what is going on now. Joseph Gordon is in fantastic form - a true classicist. He and Tiler Peck were remarkable in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Tiler also danced with real panache and bravura doing multiple fouettés. They also looked good together. Thank you @FauxPas! @cobweb - she still has the same photos on her IG and it is public facing. Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 21 hours ago, FauxPas said: Ms. Sheehan is now Mrs. Di Pietro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellie_di_pietro/ Thanks for this, FauxPas! Those are some lovely photos of lovely costumes. Link to comment
canbelto Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Week 3 of casting is finally up. I have the feeling there will be changes as Mejia and Walker seem to be out. https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1663707528/Documents/Casting/NYCB_Casting_October_4-9_2022_lobby.pdf Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 So Phelan is debuting Terpsichore in Apollo, Rosenkavalier in Vienna Waltzes, and Symphony in C 2nd movement -- all in the same week? Wow. Link to comment
abatt Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) Also important role debuts for Gerrity, Knight, Sanz, Kikta and others. I know it's not a major role, but I think Nadon is perfect casting for the Merry Widow section of VW. And Miriam Miller returns! Edited September 27, 2022 by abatt Link to comment
bellawood Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 In the “merde” list on nycb's instagram it lists Peter walker as debuting in violin concerto but KJ Takahashi in DSCH, which must mean that Roman is still out. Link to comment
cobweb Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 I have my doubts about Bouder and Veyette in the first movement of Symphony in C at this point. If it were my choice, I'd bump up Gerrity and Chan from the fourth movement to the first. Have to agree that Nadon is perfect for the Merry Widow. Maybe someone else will be debuting in the role next week? I don't think there's anyone in the company currently who has done the role before. I thought Knight and Phelan looked very good together in Piano Pieces a few days ago, so them getting to debut together in Sympony in C is exciting. Link to comment
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