2023-2024 Season

[bellawood]

A marvelous time last night. The audience was energized and the theater was filled to the rafters. I enjoyed the whole program, even Orpheus (Stockholm syndrome, perhaps?) but Symphony in C brought the house down. It looked great, crisp, expansive. All principal couples were excellent. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by bellawood

[pirouette]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyTfLJeLpqN/

Per Tiler Peck's Instagram, she will not be performing in T&V tonight but will perform this weekend. A shame since I wanted to see her in T&V... now I'm considering going to the Saturday matinee too although I also have tickets for the evening performance. 

[abatt]

Who is taking over Tiler's T&V?  Is it Fairchild?   

added question:  when Tiler says she will be back for the "weekend", does that mean she will appear in Symphony in C on Friday.  If not, that's a lot of extra work for Megan Fairchild.  The only other person who has done these roles in the company is Bouder.  

Edited October 12, 2023 by abatt

[Helene]

[Admin]

Do not discuss each other, which includes attributing motivations to them.  Everyone reading can and will come to their own conclusions.

[/Admin]

[Olga]

46 minutes ago, abatt said:

Who is taking over Tiler's T&V?  Is it Fairchild?   

added question:  when Tiler says she will be back for the "weekend", does that mean she will appear in Symphony in C on Friday.  If not, that's a lot of extra work for Megan Fairchild.  The only other person who has done these roles in the company is Bouder.  

Fairchild rehearsed T&V yesterday with Gordon

Edited October 12, 2023 by Olga

[cobweb]

52 minutes ago, abatt said:

added question:  when Tiler says she will be back for the "weekend", does that mean she will appear in Symphony in C on Friday.  If not, that's a lot of extra work for Megan Fairchild.  The only other person who has done these roles in the company is Bouder.

I would be thrilled to see someone new in Symphony in C. Von Enck, LaFreniere, Gerrity?

[MarzipanShepherdess]

Really enjoyed the 75th anniversary celebration last night. I saw all three casts earlier in the week but it felt like everyone was giving it a little extra last night. 
 

I don’t know that I will ever like Orpheus. It just feels so opaque to me. Apollo is also quite stylized but the choreography interests me more so it feels more substantial. Given the narrative, I feel like I should feel more emotion in response to Orpheus than I do but it never really gets beyond gesture and surface aesthetics for me. They did manage the white curtain much more adroitly than in the two prior performances I’d seen. However, some wheeled part of the set was loudly squeaking this time. I guess it’s always something with this one. 
 

Symphony in C was just a joy. Megan sparkled; Sara danced as though in a deep languid dream, different than I’ve seen her dance this before, remote but lush; Emma and Roman were firecrackers of energy and Indiana was effervescent. 
 

I really enjoyed the interplay between emilie and unity in a way I haven’t before. At one point Emilie was just beaming at Unity which was nice to see, both seemed to really be feeling it and enjoying it, dancing bigger than they had earlier in the week. 
 

before the performances there was a nice little film with various people like alums including Eddie villella and Aesha Ash, current dancers and staff, and a few random commenters like Zac Posen and Jill Kargman talking up the company over archive footage. At the end, the whole symphony in c cast was on stage with Wendi and Jonathan while the orchestra played happy birthday. Lovely night. 

[cobweb]

I had mixed feelings about last night. Symphony in C was great. Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle and the entire cast of demisoloists and corps, made the second movement sublime. Emma Von Enck and Roman Mejia were a tremendous blast of fresh air in the 3rd. I would LOVE to see this pairing in Theme & Variations, or in most anything. Overall the entire piece was sparkling. Orpheus is an intriguing piece, but there's not enough dancing to stand up to repeat (like, more than one) viewing. I found Concerto Barocco fine but lacking in some sparkle. I really didn't like the film they showed beforehand. It was like a commercial, selling the company to people who don't need to be sold on it, this audience is obviously already bought into NYCB! I found it slick and overproduced. Toward the end someone said something like, NYCB will continue to be creative and innovative, and all I could think was this film is not creative or innovative AT ALL. My partner told me not to be so negative, that they must have felt they had to do a special something to mark the 75th anniversary performance, but I wish they could have come up with something a little fresher and/or more interesting.

[Tumi]

7 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I had mixed feelings about last night. Symphony in C was great. Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle and the entire cast of demisoloists and corps, made the second movement sublime. Emma Von Enck and Roman Mejia were a tremendous blast of fresh air in the 3rd. I would LOVE to see this pairing in Theme & Variations, or in most anything. Overall the entire piece was sparkling. Orpheus is an intriguing piece, but there's not enough dancing to stand up to repeat (like, more than one) viewing. I found Concerto Barocco fine but lacking in some sparkle. I really didn't like the film they showed beforehand. It was like a commercial, selling the company to people who don't need to be sold on it, this audience is obviously already bought into NYCB! I found it slick and overproduced. Toward the end someone said something like, NYCB will continue to be creative and innovative, and all I could think was this film is not creative or innovative AT ALL. My partner told me not to be so negative, that they must have felt they had to do a special something to mark the 75th anniversary performance, but I wish they could have come up with something a little fresher and/or more interesting.

Do you know if it was the same film they showed at the fall gala show?

[abatt]

A friend said it was the same film as the one shown at the gala.

[Peg]

Yes, it was the same film, and I loved it!

[Tumi]

I wish they identified the talking heads but otherwise really enjoyed it.

[vipa]

3 hours ago, Olga said:

Fairchild rehearsed T&V yesterday with Gordon

I'm so sorry Tiler Peck won't dance tonight, but of course it's understandable. I was hoping they had someone else learn the role, perhaps Woodward or E. Van Enck, but it seems Fairchild rehearsed with Gordon.

[deanofdance]

A few thoughts on last night’s Anniversary performance.  The video played at the beginning of the evening, began with, “New York City Ballet is ________” and the people in the video gave various answers.  I remember reading somewhere someone (Arlene Croce?) was attributed with saying, “New York City Ballet is civilization.”  Tongue in cheeky — but Truth!

1) Concerto Barocco — same feelings as from last Saturday evening’s CB performance - Emily and Unity should have switched roles, except Emily seemed lovelier this time and Unity seemed more utilitarian — as if much of the luster of her promise has dimmed.  Yes, she is in all these great roles, the greatest roles of the repertory really, and I was trying to find something special and noteworthy in her dancing, but actually my eye was again drawn to Ava Sautter in the corp — and this time she had a sister in crime, Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara.  Even just standing together, motionless — they were wonderful — it appeared that Ava was near tears, being swept up in this majestic music, her face trying to hide, control the emotion, and Meaghan beside her, so serious and calm — and when they began again to move, how serious and grand did they try to make every move and gesture — as if they had confided to each other that this was the music they loved most and this was the ballet they loved the most to dance and how they would dedicate this night — this celebration — to the dance gods — they were so sweetly serious and dramatic and appeared filled with emotion — dancing as if this were the last ballet they would perform in their careers .   I know it’s all silly conjecture on my part — but I felt this from them — the 2 of them had a secret — and it was the secret to the meaning of Concerto Barocco.

2] the Bizet!  Everyone was wonderful — but the evening belonged to Sara Mearns. The adagio role is arguably the most privileged in the repertory — and she danced this role with the calm confidence of her acknowledging her place in this company as the dancer who dances everything, is cast in everything and who everyone wants to see.  But there is also her ability to lose herself in the moment, to dive into the music, and to enjoy herself on stage — to be confident and regal and free and full of joy — ballerina, indeed!

Happy 75th!

Edited October 13, 2023 by deanofdance

[BalanchineFan]

3 hours ago, Tumi said:

I wish they identified the talking heads but otherwise really enjoyed it.

I loved the film and I wish they identified the people as well. I recognized a lot of the dancers and former dancers, but there were also people I didn't know. I imagine it will end up on YouTube with people filling in the names. It's on NYCB"s IG stories now, I believe.

I was just thrilled to be there. The atmosphere was electric and the dancing so energetic. Everyone was giving it their all and jumping into the music together. It was the first time I'd seen Unity Phelan dance this fall (despite attending 5 times!) and she was just gorgeous, full, clear, expansive, serene. She and Emilie are well matched in CB. I'd seen them dance Kammermusik together and they play off each other really well. Phelan and Mearns were my friend's favorites.

I was glad they included Orpheus. You need something darker between Concerto Barocco and the Bizet. It is a tricky ballet, and sure, the conventions may be dated, but less than the many classics where the corps play peasants standing in B+ as they show their wares at market. I love the Stravinsky music, I love Noguchi, and there's something about the story that always reels me in. Plus the ppd! I think the first time I saw Orpheus was on television, with Karin von Aroldingen as Eurydice. Her death was so quick it just killed me. I don't know how Orpheus can stand it. What range to choreograph that and Stars & Stripes, as just one example. The film mentioned NYCB challenging their audiences. It's true.

Fairchild and Gordon were great in the T&V rehearsal. I got the feeling Joe Gordon throws her a lot higher than Anthony Huxley. Unity was rehearsing Bizet 2nd Movement with Alec Knight when we came in. She just floats, seamless.

6 hours ago, cobweb said:

I would be thrilled to see someone new in Symphony in C. Von Enck, LaFreniere, Gerrity?

There are a lot of Empire State Building pictures on IG of Emilie Gerrity and Chun Wai Chan in costume for the Bizet. They must be cast for it at some point. (I have yet to commit the casting to memory.) Has she done 2nd movement yet? Maybe she's going to debut soon. Also Claire von Enck is pregnant and probably won't be learning the Bizet soon (did I misread that?) . Emma von Enck FLEW through the 3rd movement with Roman. I think that was a debut. They were both great. It was such a stellar cast for Symphony in C. Real stars with different qualities in each movement.

I found myself marveling at all the amazing classical music that has been elevated due to Balanchine's choreography. People weren't familiar with Bizet's Symphony in C before Balanchine. I'm still humming it, the next day. I don't think Tschaikovsky's Serenade was popular, and certainly not 4T, which Balanchine commissioned. What a company! What a living legacy!

Edited October 13, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[PFossil]

My first post, which I am hoping eventually to post in the NYCB forum in response to some lovely comments someone made about last night's 75th anniversary performance. My question, in case someone sees it here, is which one of the two female principals in CB last night was which. I have been away a long time, and was siting way upstairs, and could not figure out from the pictures in the Playbill which of the two leads was which. I was especially  enchanted by the dancer who was not in the pas de deux, and want to make sure to see her again soon. Thank you!

[cobweb]

19 minutes ago, PFossil said:

I have been away a long time, and was siting way upstairs, and could not figure out from the pictures in the Playbill which of the two leads was which. I was especially  enchanted by the dancer who was not in the pas de deux, and want to make sure to see her again soon. Thank you!

Hello PFossil, glad you are joining in! The dancer who was NOT in the pas de deux was Emilie Gerrity. She had a lovely turn tonight in Serenade as well. 

[FireDancer]

The video was posted this morning: 

I screenshotted the people's names but can't post an image... Too bad. 

 

[Added by Helene -- thank you, @FireDancer]:

[Marta]

On 10/11/2023 at 9:01 AM, California said:

T&V: I was expecting a lot and was disappointed by Tuesday night's performance. The Kirkland-Baryshnikov tape from 1978 set the gold standard for me and I suppose that's forever engraved in my memory. Megan's gargouillades and pas de chat barely left the ground and were almost unrecognizable. The soloists were sloppy and out of sync. Perhaps it will get better with more performances. Still, it's a great ballet.

Orpheus: I wanted to understand this, but it does feel very dated, from an era of Ballets Russe that sometimes was more interested in traditional narrative/story-telling than dancing. I tried to focus on the commissioned Stravinsky score but couldn't get into it. Perhaps it will work better tonight. Joe Gordon did his best and I wonder how he will do both Orpheus and Symphony in C at the 75th anniversary performance. I can see why this is not often programmed nowadays.

I agree completely.  I love the Kirkland-Baryshnikov film of T&V, and I think it can never be equaled.  I try not to make unfair comparisons but  I was expecting more from Fairchild and Huxley.  Her gargouillades didn't have the right shape, and his second variation seemed to omit one of the turns.  Both dancers have the technique for this ballet, yet something was missing.  I wish I could have seen Peck and Gordon but couldn't get to that performance.

Orpheus is definitely dated but I liked the music and enjoyed the Noguchi sets and costumes.  Thought Gordon was excellent, and preferred him to Garcia whom I saw last year.  However, I also saw Orpheus  Wednesday night so ...

[vipa]

Just got back from tonight's show. I've really enjoyed seeing the house so full this season, and audiences so enthusiastic. Tonight's performance, over all, was not one of the better ones I've seen this season. For me the highlight was Serenade. The three principal women, Pereira, Phelan, Gerrity were all big and sweeping in their movements. Pereira, who I've been pretty negative about, was the biggest surprise, eating up space, phrasing the music to elongate movements, and dancing with joy. Adrian Danching-Waring looks fantastic this season, with his beautifully shaped jumps, natural looking movement quality and ability to hold the stage. He was as wonderful in Serenade as we was in Emeralds and Apollo. What a fine dancer he is.

Orpheus was next. As much as I appreciate Adrian D-W, as the piece went on, even he couldn't keep me interested. With it's Noguchi sets and costumes, and mythical story, it shares a look and feeling with Martha Graham works created around the same time. It's interesting to think about what was happening in the dance world in general, when Orpheus was choreographed, and what Balanchine was seeing. I did love the score, but I have to admit that when Orpheus was taking Eurydice out of Hades I felt like saying - go ahead and look at her so we can get on with it.

Theme and Variations - I haven't seen such a lackluster performance of this ballet in a long time. Meagan Fairchild (in for Tiler Peck) had no big flubs, but it felt like she was just doing the steps. I fully appreciate that these are very hard steps to get through, but there was no playing with the music or expansive movement. It felt like a - get the job done - performance. Joseph Gordon seemed tight. In his second variation he didn't give his opening steps their full value. He walked around for the first part of the double tour/pirouette music (I think it looks silly). When he started the sequence he threw in a couple of wonky double pirouettes but ended badly. I have fond memories of De Luz and Veyette (in his prime) doing this role wonderfully. I was surprised Gordon didn't come up to that level. Does anyone know if he's done the ballet before this season?

No my best time at the ballet, but Serenade was great, and the season has been amazing.

[vipa]

26 minutes ago, Marta said:

I agree completely.  I love the Kirkland-Baryshnikov film of T&V, and I think it can never be equaled. 

I've heard a couple of people mention the Kirkland-Baryshnikov film and want to say that I respectfully disagree that it is hasn't been equalled. I've seen performances that I'd certainly rank higher. To my eye, Baryshnikov seemed oddly restrained in his performance, as if he he felt fenced in. His partnering in the last section seems rushed and awkward (Peter Martins was amazing in the role, in the same era.) Kirkland, to me, seemed, joyless. I've seen performances since then. most notably Tiler Peck/De Luz, that for me are the high bar.

[abatt]

Fairchild was better tonight than earlier in the week, but still not a stellar performance.  It looks like the lead man is now being instructed in T&V to do only 6 double tour/pirouettes instead of the 8.  Gordon and Huxley both intentionally start the variation late to kill time.  (I'm not imagining that 8 used to be the standard, am I?)  Worse yet, Gordon, who is usually so pure in his form, was sloppy.   

Yes, wishing for the return of DeLuz.  

Hopefully  the next time T&V is revived they will give Mejia a chance.  

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by abatt

[vipa]

5 minutes ago, abatt said:

Fairchild was better tonight than earlier in the week, but still not a stellar performance.  It looks like the lead man is now being instructed in T&V to do only 6 double tour/pirouettes instead of the 8.  Gordon and Huxley both intentionally start the variation late to kill time.  (I'm not imagining that 8 used to be the standard, am I?)  Worse yet, Gordon, who is usually so pure in his form, was sloppy.  

 

Agree that 8 used to be the standard, with no walking around to that music. Sean Lavery did the walk around thing to start late when he did T&V, so it isn't totally new, but I'd hate for it to become the new standard. I was very surprised that Joseph Gordon did it. De Luz even did the full sequence in his retirement performance!

[California]

8 hours ago, vipa said:

I've heard a couple of people mention the Kirkland-Baryshnikov film and want to say that I respectfully disagree that it is hasn't been equalled. I've seen performances that I'd certainly rank higher. To my eye, Baryshnikov seemed oddly restrained in his performance, as if he he felt fenced in. His partnering in the last section seems rushed and awkward (Peter Martins was amazing in the role, in the same era.) Kirkland, to me, seemed, joyless. I've seen performances since then. most notably Tiler Peck/De Luz, that for me are the high bar.

Fair observations. In Gelsey's book Dancing on my Grave, she talks about that performance. According to Gelsey, they had been arguing about something beforehand. She was distressed that this was her last performance with Baryshnikov before his departure for NYCB and she feared her career was over without him.  The performance should be judged based on what we see, of course, not on what might or might not be going on backstage. What is so important about that performance is that it has been so widely available, first on the bootleg tape for many years on YouTube and then on the release during the COVID lock-down by Lincoln Center. Most of us have never seen the other performances people mention. But the tape does give us a "baseline" for what's possible when we do see it in the theater. 

[abatt]

Damian Woetzel also used to do a great T&V, from what I recall.