2023-2024 Season

[BalanchineFan]

7 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Other Dances is not based on Polish folk dancing any more than Balanchine's Tzigane/Errante is based on Roma folk dancing. It isn't based on Russian folk dancing at all. At best it is based on quasi-Polish dancing from 19th-century ballets, in which neither choreography nor costumes were authentic.

I meant that there are moments that reference such dancing. The flexed foot. The crossed arms, the tapping of the foot behind the dancer. The rhythmic stamping at the beginning of Baryshnikov's first solo. Baryshnikov and Makarova had experience with those movements and it evoked something from their shared past.

Edited May 29 by BalanchineFan

[abatt]

Thanks for the Other Dances clips.

 

[BalanchineFan]

It strikes me that many dancers have molded themselves after Baryshnikov, but there are far fewer who have followed in Makarova’s footsteps. (Or perhaps it’s just that way at NYCB!). What a singular and inspiring artist she is!

[cobweb]

Any reports on last night's performance of Midsummer Night's Dream? Did Sara Mearns dance? 

[abatt]

Re Tues evening Midsummer Night's Dream, Mearns danced.  She was glorious.  Huxley was adequate but not stellar.   Sometimes his solo work became sloppy while he attempted to keep up with the brisk pace of the music  Tyler & Tiler were sublime in Act II.  

FYI,  a NY Times puff piece on Mira which gives her high praise (well deserved)

Mira Nadon, a Once-in-a-Generation Dancer at City Ballet - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Edited May 29 by abatt

[Fernie M]

NyTimes “Speaking in Dance” Anthony Huxley rehearsing Oberon variation. I think this was from last year.
 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxNY1yH0Z9/

Edited May 29 by Fernie M

[deanofdance]

A few thoughts on last night’s performance:

1) how interesting to see the theater crowded with people — they even filled a good size of the 4th and 5th Rings (always a good thing) — for MND!  (Perhaps these are the same people who see the Nutcracker😉).  Emma was a delight as Butterfly and Taylor was a huge delight as Puck — his performance had everything — zeal, grace, acting chops, joy!  To me, Sara’s performance was slightly problematic — it was great to see her smile and be joyous (which this past year she hasn’t always been) in this role she has danced for many years — and it isn’t that she danced poorly — far from it — she danced well — BUT the performance didn’t rise above a certain level, it didn’t sing as it could have, it didn’t flow as it should have — and as I sat there watching her — I realized that Sister Age has paid a visit to Sara.  Sara does look older (who doesn’t!) and while she still has most of her formidable technique at her disposal — other qualities have diminished — her wonderful plushness, her dreamy lyrical silkiness.  I was also thinking that this cannot be far from Sara’s mind — especially when there is a younger ballerina sharing the stage who has been called “once in a generation” and who subbed for her in Pictures at an Exhibiton (and astounded!) — but, alas, I do not read people’s minds.  Kitka did a fine Kitka job as Hippolyta — but she has a tendency to treat certain roles like an athletic event, so even if she is the queen of the Amazons, I do wish there was a bit more grace and less of an effort at breaking the world record.  

Edited May 30 by deanofdance

[BalanchineFan]

9 hours ago, abatt said:FYI,  a NY Times puff piece on Mira which gives her high praise (well deserved)

Mira Nadon, a Once-in-a-Generation Dancer at City Ballet - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Thanks! What a nice article. Nadon says so many things that remind me of Suzanne Farrell. I also thought the Darci Kistler connection was interesting. 

[Drew]

36 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

Thanks! What a nice article. Nadon says so many things that remind me of Suzanne Farrell. I also thought the Darci Kistler connection was interesting. 

My thanks to @abattas well. I had missed this. I also was reminded of Farrell and loved the story about Kistler's role in persuading Nadon's parents to let her attend the SAB summer intensive.  My favorite story in the interview, though, came at the beginning:

"Mira Nadon was 5 when she took her first ballet class. It was pre-ballet, which meant running around the studio, maybe getting a shot at fluttering like a butterfly. This was not for her.

"When she found out that students began proper training at 6, Nadon laid it on the line: 'I told my mom, ‘This isn’t serious,’ she said. 'I’m just going to wait till I’m 6.’"

[abatt]

14 hours ago, deanofdance said:

A few thoughts on last night’s performance:

1) how interesting to see the theater crowded with people — they even filled a good size of the 4th and 5th Rings (always a good thing) — for MND!  (Perhaps these are the same people who see the Nutcracker😉).  Emma was a delight as Butterfly and Taylor was a huge delight as Puck — his performance had everything — zeal, grace, acting chops, joy!  To me, Sara’s performance was slightly problematic — it was great to see her smile and be joyous (which this past year she hasn’t always been) in this role she has danced for many years — and it isn’t that she danced poorly — far from it — she danced well — BUT the performance didn’t rise above a certain level, it didn’t sing as it could have, it didn’t flow as it should have — and as I sat there watching her — I realized that Sister Age has paid a visit to Sara.  Sara does look older (who doesn’t!) and while she still has most of her formidable technique at her disposal — other qualities have diminished — her wonderful plushness, her dreamy lyrical silkiness.  I was also thinking that this cannot be far from Sara’s mind — especially when there is a younger ballerina sharing the stage who has been called “once in a generation” and who subbed for her in Pictures at an Exhibiton (and astounded!) — but, alas, I do not read people’s minds.  Kitka did a fine Kitka job as Hippolyta — but she has a tendency to treat certain roles like an athletic event, so even if she is the queen of the Amazons, I do wish there was a bit more grace and less of an effort at breaking the world record.  

If age is going to be a factor, then there is no possible way that Ashley Bouder could or should be on stage in anything.  Sara Mearns & Megan Fairchild still appear fit and do not stand out on stage as compared to the rest of the cast.  They still perform at a high level, so their age does not factor in for me.  I thought Bouder was fine in Act I  as Helena last night in Midsummer.  She doesn't have the stretched line or the flexibility for the role, but she was okay.  But in Act II in the tutu she stood out like a sore thumb. The costume is unflattering, to put it mildly.

Re last night's Midsummer I preferred Gordon as Oberon over Huxley .  His footwork was very clean and well articulated. 

Mejia is a force of nature.  Unreal elevation and speed.  So different from Taylor Stanley as Puck.

Phelan was fine at Titania, and she has beautiful lines.

Re the above comments, I think dancers realize that there is always someone new and younger nipping at their heels. Mearns strikes me as someone with integrity who would retire a role if she couldn't meet the demands of the role anymore.   

Considering that LeCrone has been out for the better part of the entire year, I thought she did well.  

 

 

 

Edited May 30 by abatt

[cobweb]

Just a few very quick comments about last night's MSND. I thought Miriam Miller looked absolutely lovely, using those long limbs and her overall beauty to spectacular effect. I don't think I've ever enjoyed her as much. KJ Takahashi has the technical ability and stage presence for Puck, and got raucous applause, but I would like to see him develop the characterization more. Daniel Ulbricht -- his proportions don't lend themselves to long lines, and I wished for more elegance here. Still, he's always great. Naomi Corti dances large and has potential as Hippolyta, but didn't look totally at ease and was visibly effortful and careful and struggling at times. Just needs more experience in big roles, I imagine. This was a huge jump up for her. I enjoyed Maxwell and Knight, also Lars Nelson brings wonderful comic silliness to his role. Sara Adams didn't make much of an impact. 

The place was packed. That's great! I wish they wouldn't do late seating. People were coming in and making their way to their seats not only during the overture, but during the first few minutes of the performance as well, both at the beginning and after intermission. 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

40 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I wish they wouldn't do late seating. People were coming in and making their way to their seats not only during the overture, but during the first few minutes of the performance as well, both at the beginning and after intermission. 

Co-signed! At another performance this season a group of THREE people made their way to the middle of the row I was in a good four or so minutes into the dancing. It's just inexcusable. The ushers should not allow this, and they didn't use to! Years ago I had to watch Emeralds on a crummy little TV because I was two minutes late to the performance and I haven't been late since. When ushers consistently seat people after the start time it encourages others to show up late and demand to be seated anyway.

[cobweb]

Also, am I going crazy or did Lysander and Demetrius used to wear all-red and all-blue? I was totally confused. One was wearing red tunic and blue tights, and the other a blue tunic and red tights. I'm sure they used to be all one or another color. I found myself wondering if there had been some last-minute confusion getting the men into their costumes...

[MarzipanShepherdess]

Lovely performance of Midsummer Last Night. Agree with many of @cobweb's observations.

Miriam Miller is a great Titania.  With her long, long limbs she can truly look beyond human. I love how she evokes Titania's shift from being preening and self-absorbed, not really looking at anyone else on-stage, to totally besotted and moony over Bottom, to newly awake to and in love with her companion Oberon at the ballet's end. Not all of City Ballet's current Titania's have a dramatic arc.

I like how Ulbricht's Oberon has a kind of warm, goofy, innocent energy, a bit golden retriever--in contrast to the swagger and bravado some dance the role with.  He was a down-to-earth fairy, and I liked the juxtaposition playing off of Miller's very airy, grand Titania. 

Corti's first act Hippolyta was a work in progress. She seemed unsure of how to finish a number of her phrases. It's a role that calls for speed and attack and she looked hesitant, unfortunately, but hopefully she will move past the debut nerves and grow into the role.  Her Act II was more confident and polished, with the big dancing out of the way and the support of a partner (I think Preston Chamblee but I don't have my program). 

KJ is, right out of the gate, a very assured Puck. He dances the role in a fun, playful, sunny vein, more akin to Ulbricht in the role than the otherworldly creature of the twilight Harrison Ball and Albert Evans danced. A very good debut, as was Alexa Maxwell's Helena (pitch-perfect). Alston's Butterfly didn't particularly stand out to me but then again it's not really a wow role so she didn't have much to do.

Enjoyed Tiler and Tyler in the pas de deux. Watching Tiler in this prompted me to reflect on how despite her having a big smile and seemingly having a very sunny personality (at least on social media) there is a kind of coolness to her dancing and how she partners. In contrast to someone like Sara Mearns, who makes you feel as though whoever she's partnering is the love of her life. I always marvel at and admire Tiler's polish and control, but I think something that keeps me from LOVING her dancing in the way I love Sara and Mira's is that I really like dancers who have a sense of abandon that Tiler's polish and control is at odds with. 

 

[cobweb]

3 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

When ushers consistently seat people after the start time it encourages others to show up late and demand to be seated anyway.

Totally agree, that when people are seated after the start time they, the audience concludes (reasonably enough) that late seating is acceptable. However, I wonder if this is really the ushers' doing. In my experience, the ushers are a pretty authoritative bunch. Whenever I've taken an issue to an usher -- someone texting or filming the performance; that time the person next to me was eating out of a takeout container -- it was dealt with swiftly and firmly. I wonder if instead, this is actually a directive from the top. It looks like they've decided that seating is acceptable during the overture at least, and maybe it then bleeds over into the first few minutes of dancing. Obviously I strenuously disagree with such a policy, but there is so much of it that I wonder if that's the policy. 

[dirac]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:56 AM, BalanchineFan said:

I meant that there are moments that reference such dancing. The flexed foot. The crossed arms, the tapping of the foot behind the dancer. The rhythmic stamping at the beginning of Baryshnikov's first solo. Baryshnikov and Makarova had experience with those movements and it evoked something from their shared past.

Thank you, BalanchineFan. Others have also observed that Makarova and Baryshnikov brought a special quality to "Other Dances" for these reasons that other dancers, however accomplished, haven't been able to reproduce when dancing this piece.

[Mary Mellowdew]

5 hours ago, cobweb said:

Also, am I going crazy or did Lysander and Demetrius used to wear all-red and all-blue? I was totally confused. One was wearing red tunic and blue tights, and the other a blue tunic and red tights. I'm sure they used to be all one or another color. I found myself wondering if there had been some last-minute confusion getting the men into their costumes...

I have always thought of them as the red couple and the blue couple (which is how I can tell them apart). I don't recall what you described, but thanks for the heads up as, I will be on the alert when I go Sunday.

I am also annoyed by late arrivals being seated. I recall it as being particularly bad in the 4th ring, where (1) people come clack clacking in on that walkway between row B and row C ,(2) the pitch is steeper, making it more challenging for people who have to get up out of their seats (and often for late arrivals who are elderly and not sure-footed) and (3) because that ring so much bigger than rings 1-3 you have more people doing  it and annoying others. Fortunately, I am sitting in the orchestra this time, though on the very far side at the end of the row, so I may be in for it if many people in my row are late.

Edited June 1 by Mary Mellowdew
missing word

[nanushka]

Interesting, the reminder email I got on Wednesday for my performance this weekend included the following statement:

LATE SEATING POLICY

New York City Ballet has a No Late Seating policy. Latecomers will be seated at pauses only.

[BalanchineFan]

Sara Mearns danced beautifully tonight. Full and radiant, daring at times. I love the spritely quality of Taylor Stanley’s Puck and the incredible technique that Anthony Huxley displays in Oberon’s solos. The whole production is so delightful. I go numerous times, every year they do it and I still laugh at all the jokes and leave floating on air.

Emilie Gerrity and Aaron Sanz are developing quite a partnership. I remember their connection dancing in DAAG, and now their Hermia and Lysander (who wore a blue vest and red-ish tights). Mira Nadon and Peter Walker (all in red) were a good pair as Helena and Demetrius, though she far outshines him. The cat fight between Hermia and Helena was also very well played, including Puck carrying one of them off overhead, struggling and kicking her legs. 
 

Mostly, I love Balanchine‘s command of all the elements; fairies, adults, children, love stories (and lovers’ quarrels) and the magic of it all. 
 

The guests from Miami City ballet were lovely. He seemed a bit more at ease than she did. (With his nice, clean quadruple pirouette!) Perhaps it was his experience dancing on this very stage as a child. 

Edited June 1 by BalanchineFan

[cobweb]

34 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Interesting, the reminder email I got on Wednesday for my performance this weekend included the following statement:

LATE SEATING POLICY

New York City Ballet has a No Late Seating policy. Latecomers will be seated at pauses only.

I'm glad that's the policy!! I just wish they would adhere to it more. I think it's worst in the 4th ring, but tonight I know I saw seating happening at the beginning of the overture in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rings. Then I guess they held latecomers back for the rest of the overture, because as the overture ended and the curtain rose, several people came into my row. Honestly that wasn't any better than during the overture, but I guess it's reasonable to let latecomers in at some point! 

[BalanchineFan]

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Interesting, the reminder email I got on Wednesday for my performance this weekend included the following statement:

LATE SEATING POLICY

New York City Ballet has a No Late Seating policy. Latecomers will be seated at pauses only.

Many of the pauses are short, and many in the audience are slow (and have a long way to go to find their seats).
Some start at the right time but don’t realize that the slowest (and most annoying) part is when all the people who got there on time have to stand and let you into your row. 

Edited June 1 by BalanchineFan

[cobweb]

A few comments about tonight's MSND. Taylor Stanley brings an uncanny, otherworldly quality to Puck. It puts me in mind of the late (balletically speaking) Harrison Ball. I may never get over Ball's premature retirement, but seeing Taylor Stanley's Puck helps. KJ Takahashi has a long, long way to go to reach this level of detail and characterization. 

Taylor Naturkas and Brooks Landegger are the first of the 75th Anniversary Season guests that I have seen, and they did not disappoint. I especially enjoyed Naturkas. She did appear a little tense, understandably, but her dancing positively glistened and she had an inner radiance and warmth that I found beautiful. I would love to see more of her! 

[matilda]

I agree with the above praise for Stanley's Puck -- totally otherworldly, even without the big jump of Roman Mejia or even Harrison Ball. 

I enjoyed Naturkas and Landegger in the Divertissement a lot, although you could tell she was nervous, and the adagio felt slightly rushed in moments (like the ballerina's final fall into the man's arms). But overall they looked great and not the least bit out of place on the NYCB stage. Landegger is a tall guy; I wonder if NYCB would ever try to poach him from Miami. 

The whole cast was wonderful. Huxley looked as pristine as ever as Oberon. Mearns added some technical finesse like ultra-fast turns. Weirdly, Demetrius is one of Walker's best roles... he plays up the goofy elements well. Kikta was a perfect Hippolyta and threw in some impressive doubles in the fouettes. 

I also left the theater "floating on air." Gorgeous, gorgeous production. 

Side note: after seeing Nadon as Helena (and LaFreniere two years ago), it's hard to imagine Bouder dancing this role in her current state. It's not the most technically difficult, but casting someone with long legs and a big stage presence makes a huge impact. 

Edited June 1 by matilda

[abatt]

12 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

Mira Nadon and Peter Walker (all in red) were a good pair as Helena and Demetrius, though she far outshines him.

They seem to regularly pair them together, which is why I avoided Nadon's Sugarplum.  Walker was always her Cavalier during Nut season.  

I thought all of the lead casts in Midsummer have been very good.  The most noticeable difference in approach to roles is Hippolyta.  Kikta had command and authority, and was the only one of the three casts who could perform double fouettes (with masterful control, I might add).

[abatt]

3 hours ago, matilda said:

3 hours ago, matilda said:

I

Side note: after seeing Nadon as Helena (and LaFreniere two years ago), it's hard to imagine Bouder dancing this role in her current state. It's not the most technically difficult, but casting someone with long legs and a big stage presence makes a huge impact. 

 

I agree with this.  My history with Helena goes back a long time (Helene Alexopolous as Helena).  This role needs a long limbed dancer.  Bouder is too short limbed for this role, but they need to find her something to do, or risk another teary eyed Instagram post or NY Times story.  For the same reason I could not love Maxwell as Helena, but at least she had the flexibility for the role, which Bouder did not.  

Edited June 1 by abatt