2023-2024 Season

[cobweb]

Thanks for an update from the scene, abatt! Bad news about Aaron Sanz. 

[Royal Blue]

Just because I believe (like others) that this season's All Balanchine III, IV and V programs are much stronger does not quite mean that I look down on the ballets of I and II. 

"The Unanswered Question" is a fragment of a ballet. It is brief, dark, unusual, powerful, haunting. It is also one of those plotless works that paradoxically most beckons the viewer to visualize and explain its backstory. To wit, it goes perfectly in a season with Orpheus, and I am glad it was fit somewhere, on any program! It would be ideal to have Ashley Laracey perform both (lead) female roles in these works this fall. However, I am convinced Sara Adams will be splendid this upcoming week in "The Unanswered Question".

Additionally, in light of the concerns that are often expressed, it is interesting to note how the body of a woman is lifted and maneuvered by a group of men in "The Unanswered Question".

[abatt]

Mejia was fabulous as El capitan

[bellawood]

29 minutes ago, abatt said:

Mejia was fabulous as El capitan

I second that! What fun he is to watch, in the spirit of Damian and Joaquin. 

[cobweb]

3 hours ago, matilda said:

I was wondering about that too but I think it's to remove the "see the music" program originally scheduled. 

https://nypost.com/2023/09/26/nyc-ballet-keeps-orchestra-in-the-pit-amid-unfair-wages-protest/

I am no fan of the See the Music programs (at least on weeknights), but it seems really unfortunate things have come to this. It also seems unprofessional of the musicians to wear the t- shirts. Does anyone know if their contract specifies attire?

[griffie]

Yes, Mejia and Fairchild elevated what had a been a lovely evening into a thrilling one! Sara Adams did very well tonight: spectral and pliant in Unanswered Question with an emotive Harrison Coll, then transitioning moods into the hoopla of the opening movement of Stars and Stripes.

Western Symphony, I realized when the curtain went up and I saw the costumes, was a ballet I'd already seen years ago and forgotten about. It's a trifle that I will probably forget about again.  Notably, Jovani Furlan (in for Sanz) really captured the sexy cowpoke amble as the Rhinestone Cowboy.

Tarantella was Pereira and Ulbricht. He's still got it, jumps still high, and the crowd loved him. 

Stars and Stripes is honestly a better ballet than I think it ought to be. Corny, but hugely entertaining with some splendid choreography. Fairchild and Mejia absolutely dazzled. They have it all: superb technique, playfulness, joy and a wonderful partner rapport. It was Mejia's debut and you'd never have guessed it! Star power squared.

[abatt]

52 minutes ago, bellawood said:

I second that! What fun he is to watch, in the spirit of Damian and Joaquin. 

Yes!  While Mejia did his turns a la seconde he simultaneously jumps during the turn.  The only person I recall doing this is Woetzel.  (I've alse seen Angel Corella do that in Tschai pas back in the day.  Sigh)  

Megan Fairchild was pretty wonderful, but Mejia was the star of this Stars & Stripes. 

Veyette looked great in the last movement of Western, and Kikta sizzled.  And G. Bolden was so engaging in the first movement.  Looking forward to seeing more of him. 

I found Woodward's performance in Western disappointing.  She did not do the Italian Fouettes.  Instead she tried to substitute what I think are called attitude fouettes.  However, those did not go well.  She came off pointe and was not in control.   The last person I saw do the Italian's at NYCB  was Bouder in the fall season after the pandemic before her injuries.  In fact, Western was the ballet where she first got injured. (The alternate case, Lovette, could not manage even one Italian fouette and stood on stage like a deer in the headlights until that portion of the music was done.)

Ulbricht was exuberant and thrilling in Tarantella.  Why have they refused to cast him in Rubies?  Erica is starting to have difficulty with the tricky footwork.  

I thought Sara Adams was miscast in the Unanswered Question.  She doesn't evoke any sense of mystery or spirituality.  My favorite in this role was Janie Taylor. 

 

 

[abatt]

33 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I am no fan of the See the Music programs (at least on weeknights), but it seems really unfortunate things have come to this. It also seems unprofessional of the musicians to wear the t- shirts. Does anyone know if their contract specifies attire?

I have no idea about what the contract says about attire, but when the piano soloist came on stage last week  after Rubies for his solo bow, he was wearing an appropriate button down black shirt.

[vipa]

6 minutes ago, abatt said:

Ulbricht was exuberant and thrilling in Tarantella.  Why have they refused to cast him in Rubies? 

In my opinion Ulbricht has been unfortunately limited in casting. It took management many years to allow him to do Oberon in Midsummer, and he was incredible when given a chance. 

[Marta]

19 minutes ago, abatt said:

Yes!  While Mejia did his turns a la seconde he simultaneously jumps during the turn.  The only person I recall doing this is Woetzel.  (I've alse seen Angel Corella do that in Tschai pas back in the day.  Sigh)  

Baryshnikov around 6:40  jumps on every fourth turn  in second.  I do recall seeing Woetzel doing that in Western.

 

[California]

5 hours ago, Marta said:

Baryshnikov around 6:40  jumps on every fourth turn  in second.  I do recall seeing Woetzel doing that in Western.

 

In the background material on that taping, Balanchine asked Baryshnikov if he could do that. We first saw a similar move (fouette with the leg lifted) in Push Comes to Shove in January 1976. Does anyone know if that had ever been done before?  6:06

I think Baryshnikov did something similar in the Robbins' Four Seasons.

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by California

[matilda]

Ethan Stiefel also does the jumps during the turns à la seconde in the movie Center Stage. I find Julie Kent less suited for the ballet. 

 

[BalanchineFan]

Someone asked about a tall, red head upthread. I think it is Oscar Estep

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxsvnaPMH8b/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
 

And congrats to all the new apprentices!

Edited September 27, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[cobweb]

Okay, I have to take back my criticisms of this program. I felt I didn't need to see Western Symphony again, but once there I couldn't resist feeling the fun of it. And Stars & Stripes -- wow, I had forgotten how much great dancing there is in this. I see they're bringing it back in the Winter, as they should! Tarantella is in tune with the fun mood of the evening, and the only discordant note is The Unanswered Question, which seems to have slipped in from some other program. 

Gilbert Bolden looked terrific in the first section of Western Symphony -- dancing large, his smile lighting up the stage, and clean and elegant. He really looked great -- hope this is a breakthrough moment for him. In the second movement, Jovani Furlan was dreamy and charming, again showing a sly humor like he did in Rubies, and letting the audience in on the joke. In the last movement, I don't think this role is a great fit for Unity Phelan, she doesn't come across like a showoff and a flirt. Roman Mejia, on the other hand, is a GREAT fit for this flirty showoffy role, and he and the audience both enjoyed it tremendously. 

Emma Von Enck was terrific in Tarantella. You'd never know it was a debut, so comfortable and assured did she look. Playful, spontaneous, and musical. And she always includes the audience, with what I read as a demeanor that says she is eager to please and eager to give us a good show. She is a very, very likeable performer. 

Finally, Stars & Stripes ramps up the fun even more. Erica Pereira continues to come across as wan and unfocused with little attack and less technical facility than she used to have. Alexa Maxwell (who was sitting near me in the audience) would be terrific here. Emily Kikta was a dominating Amazon with charm, if that makes any sense, in the second movement. She is such a confident, polished performer -- it's a mystery why she wasn't in the recent batch of promotions to principal. The movement with all the men was fun, and Daniel Ulbricht looked terrific. Finally, El Capitan and Liberty Bell, Peter Walker and Mira Nadon. I don't think of either of these two as having bravura technique (but maybe they do have it, I just haven't seen them in roles calling for it?), and in truth neither of them looked completely comfortable. They kept their sense of humor, though, and both looked great anyway. I have to say that I love that teal-colored tutu bodice with the gold accents and tassels, and the little yellow feather. Glamour and charm! The finale was fun. Good show!

[meunier fan]

Very much enjoying the NYCB performances this Fall.  Going to all of them.  

Just dipping in to add this - as I thought it might interest - 

Robbie Fairchild and Gary Wilmot to star in The Artist at Theatre Royal Plymouth

Edited September 28, 2023 by meunier fan

[Fleurfairy]

I tend to think of Liberty Bell as a soubrette role, so I don't understand the casting of Nadon. 

[cargill]

I think it's a Balanchine joke on a grand pas de deux, so should be danced  nobly (though with tounge in cheek).  I do remember an interview (I can't remember where or if  I read it or heard it) with Melissa Hayden saying that Balanchine told her it should be danced like the Black Swan.

[FPF]

4 minutes ago, cargill said:

I think it's a Balanchine joke on a grand pas de deux, so should be danced  nobly (though with tounge in cheek).  I do remember an interview (I can't remember where or if  I read it or heard it) with Melissa Hayden saying that Balanchine told her it should be danced like the Black Swan.

I think it was the documentary, "Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas," from 1990--at least, that's where I heard her tell this story.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said:

I tend to think of Liberty Bell as a soubrette role, so I don't understand the casting of Nadon.

I've enjoyed both Sara Mearns and Teresa Reichlen in the role, and neither are soubrettes. 

[Helene]

I'm not sure Melissa Hayden, for whom Liberty Bell was created, would ever have been called a soubrette :).

Hayden did tell that story in the "Dancing for Mr. B" documentary: Kurt Frohman published an excerpt where Kent and Hayden spoke about Stars and Stripes (and Kent about The Unanswered Question, too) to his Instagram earlier this week.

[Papagena]

3 hours ago, Helene said:

I'm not sure Melissa Hayden, for whom Liberty Bell was created, would ever have been called a soubrette :).

Very true - which makes me wonder if our reception to the piece in general has changed and thus why we find an easier time buying Fairchild's firecracker of a performance rather than Nadon's natural glamour and elegance (I did not see Nadon in this so I'm just throwing words out there that may not be true in this instance). 

While it was always tongue-in-cheek, could it be that our overall relationship with this type of patriotism has changed (I would say, soured a bit more)? It definitely works best now as a maximalist bauble with the pyrotechnics turned up to 11. 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Papagena

[cobweb]

Interesting discussion about the changing interpretations of Liberty Bell, and/or our changing attitudes towards patriotism. Nadon definitely brought elegance and glamour. 

[yukionna4869]

Official casting hasn't been posted yet, but Tiler Peck has listed her performances for the season:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxvz-asJblg/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[vipa]

23 hours ago, cobweb said:

Emma Von Enck was terrific in Tarantella. You'd never know it was a debut, so comfortable and assured did she look. Playful, spontaneous, and musical. And she always includes the audience, with what I read as a demeanor that says she is eager to please and eager to give us a good show. She is a very, very likeable performer. 

Cobweb you have me kicking myself for not attending that performance. I should have had more faith. Interestingly I remember Claire Von Enck getting a shot at Tarantella when she was new to the corps, maybe 8 or 9 years ago. She didn't live up to expectations. Funny how careers go. I sometimes wonder if Claire will get more opportunities, or if her time has passed.

[l'histoire]

11 hours ago, FPF said:

I think it was the documentary, "Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas," from 1990--at least, that's where I heard her tell this story.

She definitely tells this story here (which I realize many people have already confirmed!!), but it's really one of the most charming parts of the documentary. The way she conveys it is absolutely wonderful & one of the parts of the documentary (which is pretty interesting in general) that always sticks out to me. In the documentary, she relates how she asked Balanchine how it should be done. She relates it in very witty & wonderful style. I'm not sure if that documentary is available streaming anywhere, I have it on DVD which was cheap & easy to acquire when I got it not THAT long ago. 

Hayden: "And at one point, I said to him 'Well, how am I supposed to dance this?' You know, you're doing all these steps & the music sounds so different, it sounds like you want to get up and use a baton or something like that ... or be a cheerleader. And he said no, 'You must dance it like grand pas de deux [voice dramatically heavy], maybe like Black Swan, you know [voice much more casual, with a shrug of Hayden's shoulders!]. And I said, 'alright, I'll do it that way'"