Nutcracker 2023

[California]

Other Dances is scheduled for May 8, 9, 11  eve, 18 mat. Difficult for out-of-towners like me to plan! I'd like to think Bell would do all four, but with so many able to perform that piece, that would be risky!

ABT has what everybody recognizes as a big star at a young age, yet hardly any opportunities to see him. I'm guessing he'll be in Like Water for Chocolate again, but I have no interest in seeing that. Might he be Lensky in Onegin? Maybe. A role in Woolf Works? Maybe, but I have no interest in seeing that either!!

If Bell jumps to NYCB, that's where I'll be headed most of the time, unless I see Roxander in an interesting piece at ABT. 

Note that Murphy and Bell did Other Dances at that summer outdoor festival, so perhaps this has been in the works for a long time.

[matilda]

4 minutes ago, California said:

Other Dances is scheduled for May 8, 9, 11  eve, 18 mat. Difficult for out-of-towners like me to plan! I'd like to think Bell would do all four, but with so many able to perform that piece, that would be risky!

The press release says Murphy and Bell will only be performing the Sunday 5/26 matinee. There will likely be two other casts, one of which is most certainly Peck and Mejia. Bouder has also danced this in recent years. Maybe there will be a new couple debuting? 

[Tapfan]

Why are the AD's risking the anger of NYCB fans? I've always been told that there are Balanchine dancers and classical dancers and never the twain shall meet, and that the House of Balanchine likes it that way.   Yes, I know that Ashley Bouder has guest starred  with other companies doing classical roles. And I know that NYCB had occasionally hired dancers not trained in the Balanchine style like Christopher Wheeldon and Chun Wai Chan. But those are very rare occurances. Who is all this guest starring supposed to appeal to? Don't City ballet fans like the fact that their company's style is so unique? I thought this company was about keeping the bloodlines as pure as possible going back to the great man himself.   

[vipa]

39 minutes ago, Fernie M said:

Agree completely RE Dewdrop casting (guest). so many talented dancers in the company, and they don’t seem to be giving them the opportunity to dance these roles. I was surprised Nadon is not dancing SPF/Dew more. Perhaps she’s guesting somewhere.

Agree that using a guest artist for Dewdrop is a disappointment, even with principal dancers going off to guest elsewhere. There is a deep bench as NYCB, as others have said. I also don't quite know what to make of Bell/Murphy. Gillian Murphy talks about training with Melissa Haydn, so perhaps that's a connecting thread. In any event, I don't see the need or usefulness of guest artists at NYCB. 

It is a fun a thing that the actor Terry Mann, is going to narrate Carnival of the Animals. He is married to Charlotte D'Amboise and their daughter Shelby Mann is in the corps. 

[abatt]

33 minutes ago, Tapfan said:

Why are the AD's risking the anger of NYCB fans? I've always been told that there are Balanchine dancers and classical dancers and never the twain shall meet, and that the House of Balanchine likes it that way.   Yes, I know that Ashley Bouder has guest starred  with other companies doing classical roles. And I know that NYCB had occasionally hired dancers not trained in the Balanchine style like Christopher Wheeldon and Chun Wai Chan. But those are very rare occurances. Who is all this guest starring supposed to appeal to? Don't City ballet fans like the fact that their company's style is so unique? I thought this company was about keeping the bloodlines as pure as possible going back to the great man himself.   

Dance Theater of Harlem under Mitchell did have very well trained dancers who had expertise in the Balanchine style.  After all, this is the company  from which the brilliant Alicia Graf Mack emerged.  However, in recent years the company is a shadow of itself, attempting to grow and build on its past glories.  I saw the company last year at City Center.  They did one Balanchine ballet - Allegro Brilliante (not with Hutchinson in the cast I saw).  While the performance was fine, the dancers lacked the speed and attack needed.  I would be curious to hear any reports of how the guest Dewdrop Hutchinson does.  

 

NO reports at all yet on any Nut performances.

Edited November 29, 2023 by abatt

[abatt]

1 hour ago, California said:

Other Dances is scheduled for May 8, 9, 11  eve, 18 mat. Difficult for out-of-towners like me to plan! I'd like to think Bell would do all four, but with so many able to perform that piece, that would be risky!

ABT has what everybody recognizes as a big star at a young age, yet hardly any opportunities to see him. I'm guessing he'll be in Like Water for Chocolate again, but I have no interest in seeing that. Might he be Lensky in Onegin? Maybe. A role in Woolf Works? Maybe, but I have no interest in seeing that either!!

If Bell jumps to NYCB, that's where I'll be headed most of the time, unless I see Roxander in an interesting piece at ABT. 

Note that Murphy and Bell did Other Dances at that summer outdoor festival, so perhaps this has been in the works for a long time.

Hi California.  As noted above, the press release states that Bell and Murphy will perform on May 26, Sunday matinee.

 

I remember in the late 90s NYCB invited Isabel Guerin from Paris Opera Ballet to perform Other Dances.  I think Woetzel was her partner.  Sublime.

Edited November 29, 2023 by abatt

[cobweb]

2 hours ago, matilda said:

Just imagine what a great partner he could be for tall ballerinas like Mearns, Nadon, and LaFreniere

... and Emily Kikta!!

[Tapfan]

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Dance Theater of Harlem under Mitchell did have very well trained dancers who had expertise in the Balanchine style.  After all, this is the company  from which the brilliant Alicia Graf Mack emerged.  However, in recent years the company is a shadow of itself, attempting to grow and build on its past glories.  I saw the company last year at City Center.  They did one Balanchine ballet - Allegro Brilliante (not with Hutchinson in the cast I saw).  While the performance was fine, the dancers lacked the speed and attack needed.  I would be curious to hear any reports of how the guest Dewdrop Hutchinson does.  

 

NO reports at all yet on any Nut performances.

Yes, there's the DTH/Mitchell/Balanchine connection. And some ballet fans old enough to remember and to have seen  both companies back in the day,  claim that DTH danced Concerto Barroco better than NYCB. And lets not forget that many DTH dancers - at least in the past- trained at SAB, like Andrea Long and Tai Jimenez.  But I'm not talking about a company like DTH with a strong Balanchine connection. I'm talking about all those dancers from companies who mostly dance Petipa.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Tapfan

[Helene]

There are four companies represented:  Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.  The first three don't mostly dance Petipa -- their founders danced for Balanchine -- and, from what I've been reading, Gillian Murphy hasn't been dancing much of it lately, and, with Aran Bell, will be dancing a Robbins work choreographed for ABT.

[cobweb]

9 hours ago, Fleurfairy said:

The lack of dynamic casting for Nutcracker under Stafford/Whelan is truly perplexing. What is there to lose by trying some promising corps dancers in SPF/Dewdrop/Cavalier? Most of the audience just wants to have an evening at the ballet with their kids and could care less who is cast and the NYCB diehards would love to see some up and comers given the opportunities.

I so, so agree with this. Nutcracker is such an obvious time to give promising corps dancers many opportunities. It's good for them to develop, and great for the company to see how they do in big roles. In addition to the speculation above about Dewdrop, I could see the following corps ladies as Sugarplum: Ava Sautter, Olivia Boisson, and Dominika Afanesenkov. Also of course, Alexa Maxwell would be great as Sugarplum or Dewdrop.  

Edited November 30, 2023 by cobweb
name misspelling

[BalanchineFan]

I’m excited to see Alexandra Hutchinson as Dewdrop. From her bio, she’s danced a lot of Balanchine. NYCB had two dancers from DTH perform last year in a Pam Tanowitz piece.  They were great. So it’s certainly not the first time NYCB has had guest artists. Don’t they typically have a few guest Drosselmeyers?

Alexandra Hutchinson bio

https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/people/alexandra-hutchinson/

I can't imagine two missed Dewdrop opportunities will set anyone's career back.

Edited November 30, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[mille-feuille]

16 hours ago, cobweb said:

Alexa Maxwell would be great as Sugarplum or Dewdrop.

This is the one casting that would tempt me to buy a ticket to a second Nut this year. (Already going to von Enck–Mejia–Peck.)

[vipa]

18 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

I can't imagine two missed Dewdrop opportunities will set anyone's career back.

I don't think it's a matter of setting a career back, more a missed opportunity for dancers in the company to develop that little bit more. Also a nervousness that this practice could become a habit. NYCB is a far cry from the old ABT practice of importing guests, but in the case of ABT it was demoralizing for the dancers. Lastly, what is the purpose of guest artists? Typically it's either to sell tickets with a name star, or to fill in for an injured principal when no one else can do the role or learn it on short notice.  I'm still unclear about NYCB's reasoning, but I could just be missing something.

[abatt]

7 hours ago, vipa said:

I don't think it's a matter of setting a career back, more a missed opportunity for dancers in the company to develop that little bit more. Also a nervousness that this practice could become a habit. NYCB is a far cry from the old ABT practice of importing guests, but in the case of ABT it was demoralizing for the dancers. Lastly, what is the purpose of guest artists? Typically it's either to sell tickets with a name star, or to fill in for an injured principal when no one else can do the role or learn it on short notice.  I'm still unclear about NYCB's reasoning, but I could just be missing something.

In relation to the 75th Anniversary, they are highlighting the impact of NYCB on ballet companies in America.  The companies selected each have significant ties historically to NYCB.  I doubt this will become a regular thing after this anniversary season.

[matilda]

On top of taking away an opportunity from a company member, I think Dewdrop is a very strange choice for guest casting. Both of Hutchinson's shows are essentially sold out, with only ADA seats available. So the ballet fans who are genuinely curious to see her can't even get tickets. It would be more logical to put her in a mixed-rep show, like how Ashton Edwards is dancing Times are Racing and Murphy and Bell are doing Other Dances. At the same time, maybe they wanted to cast her in a Balanchine ballet due to the DTH connection, and this felt like a better option than the Balanchine ballets programmed in winter or spring?

Edited December 1, 2023 by matilda

[BalanchineFan]

3 hours ago, matilda said:

At the same time, maybe they wanted to cast her in a Balanchine ballet due to the DTH connection, and this felt like a better option than the Balanchine ballets programmed in winter or spring?

Could be. Certainly, there wasn't much uproar about missed opportunities the last time Hutchinson danced with NYCB. She's quite lovely. I guess no one thinks Pam Tanowitz is a way to climb the ladder at NYCB.  As @abatt said, they want to acknowledge the companies lead by former NYCB dancers and the breadth of NYCB's influence.

While dancers want to be promoted, NYCB has so many performances and so often that you don't usually hear dancers complaining about lost performance opportunities. I could have missed it, I suppose, or maybe that's not something one says publicly. On the other hand, I've seen posts joking about the slog of put-in rehearsals when other dancers are out injured. To me, they seem to want to share the load.

I went to the open rehearsal before Thanksgiving. It's always such fun. Megan Fairchild danced SPF, Tyler Angle was the Cavalier (he looked great, they both did!) Mira Nadon was Dewdrop (sort of like the Sleeping Beauty cast last spring). Emily Kikta was Coffee (beautiful, leggy and sultry) and Sara Adams lead Marzipan. Sebastian V-V was Tea, Daniel Ulbricht as Candy Cane (which seemed impossibly fast, I can't believe no one asked for a slower tempo). Mary Elizabeth Sell is back and looks as good as she ever did. She and Victor Abreu danced Hot Chocolate.

Fairchild had a few amazing attitude turns that hung in the air and floated before she closed to fifth. Some of the dancers watching gasped. You could hear them from the fourth ring where I was sitting. Gilbert Bolden did Mother Ginger and the little Polichinelles were great. You can tell Fairchild is rehearsing, working things out onstage, lively, engaged, speaking audibly at times. Sometimes I try to figure out what she's working on. Nadon seems so polished it's not like she's rehearsing. She repeats things from time to time but, honestly, it seems complete the first time.

I'm always so impressed with Dena Abergel, Arch HIggins and all the people who teach those small children. Those kids know their business onstage. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[abatt]

They cancelled the Pam Tanowitz ballet (Gustav...) the day I attended, due to Covid, so I never saw Hutchinson in it.  In fact, I think most of the performances of Gustav... were cancelled due to Covid. The ballet returns in the spring 2024, but I guess all of the roles will be done by NYCB members during the upcoming run. 

[BalanchineFan]

I found Gustave Le Gray interesting, but not classical. The dancers wear red... body suits, you could call them. They are similar to the suits certain sky divers might wear with fabric between the leg and arm, and between the legs, creating a kind of sail. The dancers also push a piano across the stage, I don't remember if the pianist was playing then, or not. Visually striking, I found it fascinating, but no one would compare it with Dewdrop.

You wouldn't think a cast of four would fall victim to Covid, but they did. The performance I saw, Naomi Corti was replacing one of the men.

Edited December 1, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[canbelto]

Mira Nadon subbed for Megan Fairchild in Dewdrop last night. Nadon was glorious -- expansive, fast, surprisingly strong jumper, and she could do those pirouettes in attitude that I've seen defeat so many Dewdrops. 

Unity Phelan was also excellent as SPF. I had seen her in the role before and she was tentative and charmless. Last night, she was majestic and beautiful. She has a very flexible back, and those climactic back bends were the highlight of the pas. She is also a fairly strong balancer and really held that final balance for applause. Adrian Danchig-Waring partnered her so well, although his solo in the coda was less impressive.

The negative: Megan LeCrone in Coffee. Really sleep-walked through the role and no longer has the flexibility to make this solo work.

 

[uptowner]

Sounds like there were several substitutions and shuffling of the cast for Friday night-- including last-minute substitution of Mira Nadon for Dewdrop https://www.instagram.com/stories/mira_nadon/3248634773131829563/
(Nadon's instagram "story" which will expire soon, she also shares some unauthorized audience video if you want to catch a glimpse) 

Seems like some of the casting changes are reflected on the digital casting sheet, others not: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1701273327/Documents/Casting/NYCB_Casting_Nov_28-Dec_3_2023_lobby_20231128.pdf 

[Fernie M]

10 hours ago, uptowner said:

Sounds like there were several substitutions and shuffling of the cast for Friday night-- including last-minute substitution of Mira Nadon for Dewdrop https://www.instagram.com/stories/mira_nadon/3248634773131829563/
(Nadon's instagram "story" which will expire soon, she also shares some unauthorized audience video if you want to catch a glimpse) 

Seems like some of the casting changes are reflected on the digital casting sheet, others not: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1701273327/Documents/Casting/NYCB_Casting_Nov_28-Dec_3_2023_lobby_20231128.pdf 

Thank you for heads up RE Nadon Dew.. Wow!

[cobweb]

If anyone sees LaFreniere's Sugarplum debut this afternoon, please report! I am also excited to see Aaron Sanz is dancing again and would love to hear how he looks as well. Wish I could have attended this performance, but we already had other plans when the casting came out. Still mulling this week's casting and a possible performance or two. I do wish for more exciting casting and debuts. 

[BalanchineFan]

More Nutcracker with Alistair MacCauley presiding. 

Emma von Enck -Anthony Huxley 

and 

Ashley Hod -Chun Wai Chan

with Suki Schorer, Jonathan Stafford, Wendy Whelan and Sara Mearns speaking. 

[abatt]

Loved this.  Thanks for sharing. 

I got the impression  that Emma V E may be debuting Dewdrop before this Nut season is over.  There was a moment where J. Stafford said early in the program that its a bit of casting which has not yet been made public.  

[BalanchineFan]

4 minutes ago, abatt said:

Loved this.  Thanks for sharing. 

I got the impression  that Emma V E may be debuting Dewdrop before this Nut season is over.  There was a moment where J. Stafford said early in the program that its a bit of casting which has not yet been made public.  

I noticed that too. 😍