laurel Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Highlight of this afternoon's performance of Carnival of the Animals was narrator Terry Mann completely blanking on his lines for what seemed like a full 60 seconds, bringing the performance to a complete standstill, until someone backstage finally threw the forgotten lines at him. Can't say I've ever seen this happen before, especially not from Mann, a Broadway stalwart with decades of leading roles behind him. And with his daughter, Shelby, dancing as one of the Weasels and Rats classmates. Standout animal performance was definitely Harrison Coll as the Baboon, banging on the piano, swinging his elongated arms with utter glee. The audience roared with approval. I also loved Sara Mearns' lovely, poignant turn as the Swan, the faded beauty of yesteryear. I wondered how close to reality that might have seemed for her. The nonstop wind and rainy weather did nothing to dampen the afternoon's mostly sparkling performances by the entire company. Link to comment
abatt Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, laurel said: I also loved Sara Mearns' lovely, poignant turn as the Swan, the faded beauty of yesteryear. I wondered how close to reality that might have seemed for her. Yes. Completely agree. Mearns was fantastic in this solo. I also liked the section of the mermaids. The rest was fun for kids, but not so much for me. The flub with Mann was unprofessional. Sure an actor can forget a line, but the way it was handled was like watching a high school play. Dead silence for an extended period and then someone yelling the line out from the wings so that the entire audience could hear it. Also, I preferred Lithgow in the narrator role when this was last performed. His diction was superb, whereas Mann's words sometimes sounded muddy. Maybe it was the sound design. I saw both shows today. Emma & Ulbricht were the highlight of the evening show in Tarantella. They tore through space with abandon. Woodward and Huxley were very classical, but technically conservative. Ditto Phelan and Gordon. I prefer a Tschai pas with daring, jaw dropping technical content. Nadon and Mejia were quite wonderful in the afternoon performance of Stars. Link to comment
cobweb Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Agree also about Mearns in the "faded swan" section of Carnival of the Animals. As soon as she walks onstage, you can tell she's special. Her presence is so compelling, and the smallest gestures speak volumes about the character's inner world. Link to comment
deanofdance Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Quote Just a few thoughts on last night’s performance — my last for this Winter’s season: 1) Stars and Stripes — I think of these weekend’s Balanchine ballets as — how should I put this — as crowd pleasers — I mean, you know what you are getting — displays of show stopping multiple whatever steps that should induce applause, applause, applause. An audience of all ages and new to ballet can enjoy these 3 ballets — and I’m writing this not to denigrate these ballets in anyway (J’adore Stars and Stripes and Tschai Pas) — just to say that what I look for when watching these ballets is different, in a way, from what I would look for when watching ballets such as, say, “Mozartiana” or “Leibesleider Walter”. I think that foremost in the dancers’ minds is that they have to deliver and sell the goods (the audience came for a show, we’ll give them a show) — that they have to be faster, and to keep going, and commit to the choreography, the incredible tempo of the music, and to the confidence in their own talent. And last night’s performance had this commitment from all the dancers — everyone was tighter and more secure — especially Megan and Joseph — who kept feeding off each other. Both impressed — Joseph who had a real sense of abandonment (yet control — he saved a couple of real off balance turns!) — and Megan who when you see her technique beginning to fray, still manages to deliver an excellent performance — she still has much to draw on — showmanship, bravura, confidence built on years of performance, and best of all, her joy in dancing these demanding roles. 2) Tarantella — I thought Daniel toned down his performance last night — in a gentlemanly gesture to share the spotlight with Emma. Both were a delight to watch — but in one of Emma’s solos — she just stands there for a couple of beats shuffling her feet before continuing on with the choreography. When I first saw this on Friday I thought there was a small mishap, but there it was again last night — a bit odd. 3) Tschai Pas — Debuts! Indiana looks like she has been dancing Tschai Pas for a long time — she appeared very much at home in the choreography — but then one of her dance qualities is her ability to put her personal spin/touch on many ballets. To put on a show and to make it her own — quite a rare trick! Anthony’s dance qualities seem so unsuited to this role — his dancing doesn’t “sell” anything, his dancing doesn’t “put on a show” — it is just there, capable of unique beauty and expansiveness. But it is good to see him test himself in new waters — and it will be interesting to see how he develops in this new repertory. Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Saw last night's Stars/Tarantella/Tschai Pas/Carnival performance. I thought Megan and Joe Gordon were excellent. Megan just nails that beaming sunniness with a bit of sass that Liberty Belle needs, and she knows this role like the back of her hand (while making it look like she still relishes it). She was the highlight for me, though the corps looked crisp and super synced all throughout. I marvel every time I see KJ Takahashi this season at how much he has grown in terms of his stage presence and confidence in just a year or so. He really is dancing like a future principal, as @matildasaid: not just technically, but in the way he holds the stage and fully inhabits the role. One of my favorite moments of his performance was actually one where he was resting between turning sequences, down on one knee at the front of the stage while the corps danced behind him. He made a series of facial expressions that said "You thought that was great? Well here I go again..." before taking off into his next turns. It projected the kind of confidence and connection with the audience that make principals like Daniel Ulbricht so compelling. Emma and Daniel in Tarantella: just jaw-dropping. Emma was so light and quick and confident, and made it look like she was having a great time even while executing the trickiest bits. I don't think I've ever seen a dancer move as fast onstage as Daniel in final series of manege jetes. He was just FLYING, it was absolutely astonishing. They both really went for broke the whole way and had a very fun rapport. Would love to see them cast together more. Tschai Pas: Very strong debuts from Indiana and Anthony. These roles feel like very good fits for their gifts. The last ballerina I saw in Tschai Pas was Tiler Peck who took it in a more bravura, dazzling direction: Indiana was more restrained but very compelling nonetheless. Her interpretation is more elegant, more lyrical, with lots of expressive "perfume" coming through in how she uses her hands and back. Carnival of the Animals: my first time seeing this. I think it's a really cute ballet for kids, I wouldn't see it again unless I was taking a child along though. The choreography is pretty thin and the solos are quite short. Given that, it seemed like many of the roles could have been nice opportunities to throw to the many, many promising corps dancers rather than to cast them with principals as was done last night. I can see the logic for casting a well-established principal as the swan (yes, Sara Mearns brought an emotional depth to the role of an aged former ballerina reflecting back on her dancing days that I'm sure a young corps dancer couldn't have) but the Lion, Baboon, Kangaroo, etc etc could have been fun opportunities to see rising talent. I was moved by how much Ashley Laracey made out of her pas de deux as the Cuckoo, though! Link to comment
vipa Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 I was just thinking about the NYCB roster and possible promotions. Did Megan LeCrone dance at all during the winter season? I know from social media Britany Pollack is out with a pregnancy. I know Ashley Bouder didn't perform. Did Daniel Applebaum or Troy Schumacher? I know NYCB typically does not force dancers out (well there was that one time soon after Martins took over the company, but that's another story). I'm just wondering if there is going to be any movement in the ranks, anytime soon. Alexa Maxwell, Emma VonEnck and David Gabriel all got some nice opportunities this season, and delivered. There were others too. The talent within the company is amazing. Link to comment
cobweb Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 To answer @vipa above, as far as I know, none of the following have danced this season: LeCrone, Pollack, Applebaum, or Schumacher. Neither has Aaron Sanz, although he was scheduled several times. Bouder definitely not. I would add Alston Macgill to the list of possible promotees. Also of interest, when I was chatting with @Jacqueline at intermission yesterday we scrutinized the giant slow-motion video of La Sonnambula. While I know some think it's Unity Phelan in the video, I remain unconvinced. Could it be Nieve Corrigan? However, it's definitely David Gabriel as the Poet! He would be a great choice to follow in Harrison Ball's illustrious footsteps in this role. Hope we get to see it! I was at today's matinee, the season closer. (Left before Carnival of the Animals again.) I love love love Stars & Stripes. What a jolt of joy! Mira Nadon and Roman Mejia were thrilling to watch. Nadon especially -- wow. I have seen many dancers and many performances that I absolutely loved, so I say this knowing I'm caught up in the flush of the moment, but Nadon's performance today was one of my favorites ever. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, and have a beautiful technique, she relates to the audience with depth and warmth. She appears open, generous, and very present with us. You get the feeling you could reach right out and touch her. What a rare gift. She totally threw herself into the role, seeming to relish every goofy moment of it. Thanks Mira!! Daniel Ulbricht was again incredible. Something about his landings gives me a thrilling jolt, in how sudden and clean they are. Like he's turning in the air, then suddenly on the ground again, calm as can be. The men's regiment has one member who seems to be seriously flagging by the end of their campaign. In all 3 performances I've seen, he fails to get around his double tours near the end, and today I think he was even turning a different direction from the other guys. It distracted from the overall thrill of this section. In Tarantella, Sebastian Villarini-Velez could not have thrown himself into the role with any more gusto and energy. Erica Pereira played up the humor and charm, in one of the best performances I've seen from her in forever. Tchaikovsky pas de deux. Indiana Woodward brings such richly detailed preparation to everything she does. Totally in command of every flourish. She was beautiful. For Anthony Huxley, while his elegance and clarity are supreme, he's not a showman, and for that reason I don't think this role completely suits him. I wish he would keep his smile on more. I don't know if he realizes how beautiful his smile it, and how much it lights up the entire hall. Link to comment
matilda Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 I am 100% confident it is Unity in the giant Sonnambula video. I saw her in the ballet twice and follow her on Instagram, and that is exactly what she looks like in closeup with her hair down. Link to comment
cobweb Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 2 minutes ago, matilda said: I am 100% confident it is Unity in the giant Sonnambula video. I saw her in the ballet twice and follow her on Instagram, and that is exactly what she looks like in closeup with her hair down. Okay, thanks matilda. Something about the cheekbones doesn't look right to me, but I see I'm outvoted! Link to comment
deanofdance Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 My vote for the sleepwalker in the giant slo-mo video is Ava “Star” Sautter. So @cobweb perhaps you’re not outvoted (yet) and the jury is still out! Link to comment
matilda Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Here is proof that it's Unity: https://www.nycballet.com/discover/special-projects/slowdancing-nycb First slideshow under "stills" header at bottom, 6th image. GEORGE BALANCHINE LA SONNAMBULA (1946) Unity Phelan, David Gabriel Edited March 4 by matilda Link to comment
cobweb Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 6 minutes ago, matilda said: Here is proof that it's Unity: https://www.nycballet.com/discover/special-projects/slowdancing-nycb First slideshow under "stills" header at bottom, 6th image. GEORGE BALANCHINE LA SONNAMBULA (1946) Unity Phelan, David Gabriel So it is, alas! I loved @deanofdance's suggestion that it was Ava Sautter! (And she would make a lot more sense in the role than my guess of Nieve Corrigan.) Imagine, La Sonnambula with Ava Sautter and David Gabriel? I'm there!! Interesting to go through the slides. As much as I've been at the theatre, I've somehow missed seeing a lot of these, while seeing some of the others multiple times. Looks like maybe we will be seeing Dominika Afanasenkov in Dances at a Gathering. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Thanks for the link! I was wondering who was shown in The Cage. Dominika Afanasenkov! Edited March 4 by BalanchineFan Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 On 3/3/2024 at 12:29 PM, deanofdance said: but in one of Emma’s solos — she just stands there for a couple of beats shuffling her feet before continuing on with the choreography. When I first saw this on Friday I thought there was a small mishap, but there it was again last night — a bit odd. Have you looked at videos of the piece to see how it matches up with the choreography? I was watching Patricia McBride and there are several steps that could be construed as "shuffling her feet." Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 On 3/2/2024 at 11:19 PM, laurel said: Highlight of this afternoon's performance of Carnival of the Animals was narrator Terry Mann completely blanking on his lines for what seemed like a full 60 seconds, bringing the performance to a complete standstill, until someone backstage finally threw the forgotten lines at him. Can't say I've ever seen this happen before, I was in the audience when Elaine Stritch and Bernadette Peters took over the lead roles in A Little Night Music. Stritch went up on her lines a few times until Peters said, "didn't you mean to say....." and fed her the line. The audience loved it, and loved Bernadette for saving the moment. I love live theater for the high wire-never gonna happen again aspect of it. Mann spoke about it the next day at the patrons breakfast. If you want it all to be perfect, imo, watch a movie. They get to do multiple takes. Performers are human, like the rest of us. Link to comment
KikiRVA Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 I’m so happy to see that Emily Kikta is all over the schedules for London and Chicago. It was great to see her back last weekend and glad it wasn’t a fluke! Link to comment
abatt Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 Winter season wrap up. At City Ballet, 2 Sparkling Premieres and Many Moments to Remember - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Link to comment
cobweb Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 On 3/8/2024 at 8:58 AM, KikiRVA said: I’m so happy to see that Emily Kikta is all over the schedules for London and Chicago. It was great to see her back last weekend and glad it wasn’t a fluke! Looking at the Chicago casting, I see they are doing Serenade. Why isn’t Kikta doing the Dark Angel? Such an obvious fit for her! Link to comment
Fernie M Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 18 minutes ago, cobweb said: Looking at the Chicago casting, I see they are doing Serenade. Why isn’t Kikta doing the Dark Angel? Such an obvious fit for her! Excellent idea. Why isn’t Nadon doing Waltz Girl? She was spectacular in Madrid. I understand the role is cemented in Mearns rep (and for good reason), but sometimes casting needs to shift. Does anyone know if this is Stafford or a combination of Stafford in the Board? I was disappointed Emma Von Enck, and Alec Knight were not promoted. Stafford seems to be very, not sure what the right word is -conservative(?), regarding casting and promotions. I am sure Von Enck’s promotion is coming…just a question of when. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 22 hours ago, cobweb said: Looking at the Chicago casting, I see they are doing Serenade. Why isn’t Kikta doing the Dark Angel? Such an obvious fit for her! Kikta is gettings some attention here, at Pointe Magazine. there's a pay wall, but they offer 8 days free trial. https://pointemagazine.com/emily-kikta-has-found-her-power-onstage-and-off/ Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 On 3/9/2024 at 10:32 AM, Fernie M said: Stafford seems to be very, not sure what the right word is -conservative(?), regarding casting and promotions. I am sure Von Enck’s promotion is coming…just a question of when. Very. And it’s very anti-Balanchine who was all about giving young dancers big chances and fast promotions. Those “Baby Ballerinas” were the most exciting thing in ballet! Stafford would love it over at ABT where debuts and promotions happen at a glacial pace. Link to comment
tutu Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 21 hours ago, BalanchineFan said: Kikta is gettings some attention here, at Pointe Magazine. there's a pay wall, but they offer 8 days free trial. https://pointemagazine.com/emily-kikta-has-found-her-power-onstage-and-off/ Found this interesting from the article: Now, Kikta is hungry to develop both her partnering skills and the more delicate side of her dancing, opportunities not always afforded to her because of her height. “She’s not somebody who’s going to hold back, so finding the person to appropriately handle her kind of movement has been hard,” says Tracey. She adds that Kikta’s recent partners—Aarón Sanz, Gilbert Bolden III, and Walker—have all been excellent fits. “She has those beautiful long lines and an airy disposition,” says Tracey, who’d love to see Kikta in ballets like “Emeralds” and as Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream. “She can find and capture some of those more introspective roles.” Link to comment
Kathleen O'Connell Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) On 3/10/2024 at 12:20 PM, Fleurfairy said: And it’s very anti-Balanchine who was all about giving young dancers big chances and fast promotions. But Balanchine did slow promotions,too—Merrill Ashley's, for example. And, as Ashley points out in her memoir, he let his ballerinas keep their roles even when an up-and-comer—which Ashley was at the time—demonstrated that they could more than handle a role a senior dancer had lain claim to. (In this particular case, Square Dance. "Is Kay's ballet" Balanchine told Ashley when she asked if she could dance it again after subbing for Mazzo.) Edited March 11 by Kathleen O'Connell Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Stafford went all in with Mira Nadon, hiring her at 16 and promoting her to principal when she was 21, despite the fact that she had lost a year and a half of her young career to the pandemic shutdown. Of course, Nadon is also a once-in-a-generation dancer. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) 9 hours ago, volcanohunter said: Stafford went all in with Mira Nadon, hiring her at 16 and promoting her to principal when she was 21, despite the fact that she had lost a year and a half of her young career to the pandemic shutdown. Of course, Nadon is also a once-in-a-generation dancer. Roman Mejia also rose through the ranks quickly. I think it's good that NYCB has their own criteria for promotions. Peter Martins also promoted Erica Pereira to soloist fairly quickly. It's not true that it-always-worked-well-in-the-past-and-now-it-doesn't. There’s also a difference because Balanchine could promote an inexperienced youngster knowing he was interested in choreographing many different ballets on them. If a non-choreographer AD promotes a dancer, they don’t have the assurance of what will be created on that dancer. Edited March 12 by BalanchineFan Link to comment
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