Nutcracker 2023

[Tapfan]

23 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Although this is a slip into a cultural stereotype, some children may abandon ballet lessons in order to focus on academics and training for a more practical, secure and longer-lasting career. (I'll admit I'm thinking back to my days as a young string player and seeing a lot of prodigious musicians electing to become medical doctors or engineers.)

Undoubtedly this is true. But that still doesn't account for failure to recruit from the pool of older students who HAVE committed to pursuing a life in dance. They certainly exist. Why aren't more of them studying at SAB? 

[tutu]

15 hours ago, cobweb said:

He looks great with Kikta!

I too would love to hear any reports from the final week of Nut.

I’d like to think that Bolden is well on his way to becoming one of the great NYCB partners, in the vein of Soto, Angle, etc. From what I remember of seeing him as Cavalier, he has the demeanor, the princely humility, down pat.

[cobweb]

4 hours ago, tutu said:

I’d like to think that Bolden is well on his way to becoming one of the great NYCB partners, in the vein of Soto, Angle, etc. From what I remember of seeing him as Cavalier, he has the demeanor, the princely humility, down pat.

Amen to that. Way way up thread there was discussion of Bolden’s evolution since joining the company. He used to come off as attention-getting and sometimes even goofy. Princely humility is just what was needed, and based on what I saw in the fall, he’s there!

[BalanchineFan]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:33 AM, tutu said:

I’d like to think that Bolden is well on his way to becoming one of the great NYCB partners, in the vein of Soto, Angle, etc. From what I remember of seeing him as Cavalier, he has the demeanor, the princely humility, down pat.

I loved him in Bourree Fantasque. It was a small thing, but when Kikta ran away from him he would just stand there and look at her until she came back. It practically made me SWOON. I bet their Nutcracker was great. (Though his last Nut clip shows her giving him a mighty zetz with her elbow during the turns at the end!🤣) 

Edited December 30, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[Kathleen O'Connell]

On 12/29/2023 at 12:48 PM, BalanchineFan said:

It was a small thing, but when Kikta ran away from him he would just stand there and look at her until she came back.

I've occasionally seen men in the corps very visibly lock their gaze on their own partner when the men are standing on the sides and back and the women are dancing in a group in the center. It's a lovely piece of theater, and suggests that these are real people dancing with each other, not just cogs in the choreography.

I realized Bolden was more than just the big guy in the back row when he danced the male Sanguinic lead in 4Ts a few seasons back. I had no idea he was that fast and precise—and he is, of course, a total and delightful stage animal.

[Tapfan]

Since ABT hightailed it to SoCal, I wondered why can't a city the size of New York support two Nutcrackers?  Both ABT's and NYCB's productions are critically acclaimed. And the Los Angeles area now has two Nutcrackers.  Is it the same reason that New York couldn't support two opera companies?

[Waltzofthesnowflakes]

I watched the final show and I thought the cast was excellent! Willow McConnaughy as Marie and Theo Rochios as the Prince were beautiful and genuine! The former brought so many layers to the role: wonder, shyness, excitement, and a courage/fire/soulfulness I haven’t seen before. Made for a particularly gripping scene during violin solo! The latter brought a sweet, youthful, unaffected innocence to Prince that made his gallant gestures particularly endearing!

Tiler and Roman sizzled as Sugarplum/Cavalier and brought down the house!! Hard to imagine a more satisfying pairing (although I also adored Emma Von Enck as SPF earlier this season)!

Kikta always has a commanding and masterful presence and did not disappoint as Dewdrop! Tiler even flung some snow during finale! The New Year’s Eve audience was enthralled!!

 

 

Edited January 3 by Waltzofthesnowflakes

[California]

4 hours ago, Tapfan said:

Since ABT hightailed it to SoCal, I wondered why can't a city the size of New York support two Nutcrackers?  Both ABT's and NYCB's productions are critically acclaimed. And the Los Angeles area now has two Nutcrackers.  Is it the same reason that New York couldn't support two opera companies?

I never saw the Ratmansky Nutcracker on the east coast, but remember concerns about ticket sales. If you are taking your family to one Nutcracker, at great expense, for the holidays, you'll likely choose Balanchine and Lincoln Center. I have made two trips (2019 and 2021) to Segerstrom to see the Ratmansky, the only version of Nutcracker I truly enjoy and a chance to see a lot of favorite principals. With the skimpy offerings at the Met this summer and who-knows-what in the fall, I might go again some day!

There are dozens of Nutcrackers in Southern California, but they are  mainly local/school-related. Is there another one of the caliber of ABT's? I think this was a smart move by ABT.

https://socalfieldtrips.com/50-nutcracker-performances-in-southern-california/

[volcanohunter]

Doesn't Los Angeles Ballet perform a Nutcracker at various venues in Greater Los Angeles, including the Dolby Theater in Hollywood (which ABT also tried with the McKenzie production when the theater first opened)?

https://www.losangelesballet.org/the-nutcracker 

[California]

7 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

Doesn't Los Angeles Ballet perform a Nutcracker at various venues in Greater Los Angeles, including the Dolby Theater in Hollywood (which ABT also tried with the McKenzie production when the theater first opened)?

https://www.losangelesballet.org/the-nutcracker 

They seem to have performed in four different theaters in December, but had a live orchestra at only one (Dolby). I saw them many, many years ago when Colleen Neary was the artistic director and they were performing Kammermusik to recorded music. Melissa "Call Me Ben" Barak is the new director. LA is a very tough town for ballet! 

[volcanohunter]

Exactly. Which is why I would be categorically opposed to ABT horning in on Los Angeles Ballet's turf and attempting a return to the Dolby Theater, for example. I wasn't keeping track of ticket sales for LAB's Nutcracker this season, but if its four-venue run can co-exist with ABT's, then more power to Greater Los Angeles.

As for New York, it's possible that between NYCB and Ailey's month-long run at City Center, the market for dance is saturated in December. I also wouldn't discount the effect of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. I saw it only once, when I was invited by members of my extended family, but for many New York families it may be their one big Christmas entertainment splurge.

[cobweb]

3 hours ago, Waltzofthesnowflakes said:

Kikta always has a commanding and masterful presence and did not disappoint as Dewdrop! Tiler even flung some snow during finale! The New Year’s Eve audience was enthralled!!

Thanks for this report, Waltzofthesnowflakes! Kikta has a real authority and, I think, mystery about her. It sounds like the final show had some special fun!

[Fleurfairy]

18 hours ago, Waltzofthesnowflakes said:

Tiler even flung some snow during finale! The New Year’s Eve audience was enthralled!!

 

 

I remember reading in Darci Kistler's biography how there was a tradition on the New Year's Eve show for dancers to go out onstage in legwarmers and party hats and various other shenanigans happening. Would have loved to see that.

[uptowner]

...dancers have said those shenanigans are no longer permitted on NYE. (I guess this is close to hearsay because I cannot think of a citation for it but I am sure it was in public comments, interviews etc). T Peck throwing snow sounds like a nod to those old days. They do sound fun!

[FauxPas]

The Ratmansky "Nutcracker" played its first season at BAM in Brooklyn.  Initially it was a hot ticket.  Brooklyn has millions of residents and is easily accessible from Manhattan by public transportation.  But after the first few years, the attendance at BAM dropped.  There were discounts available for the shows which I took advantage of in later seasons.  This was the era of prime Gillian Murphy, Veronika Part, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Herman Cornejo et al.  (I saw almost all these dancers in it with the exception of Hallberg)  Yet it didn't sell after a few years and the venue changed after that to the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, California.

The Met has been closing in Winter - the whole month of February.  I have often wished a ballet company would guest at the Met in February as they sometimes did in the summer back in the day.  That is now awkward because ABT has been pushed further into July due to the longer Metropolitan Opera Spring season.  And many of the August/September weeks are used for tech rehearsals for the upcoming Metropolitan Opera season.

The Ratmansky "Nutcracker" would look good on the City Center stage and they have something of a subscription base.  I would love to see Cate Hurlin and Aran Bell in "The Nutcracker".  

 

Edited January 4 by FauxPas

[Helene]

That dark period in February is also used for tech rehearsals for the second half of the Met season.  This season, the Met has cut the number of total productions, but they still have the premiere of the “second” opening night of La Forza and the massive Turandot for re-opening week, first performances of Romeo et Juliette and La Rondine in March, El Niño and Fire Shut Up in My Bones in April, and The Hours and Orfeo and Eurydice in May.

It’s got to be a lot more rational schedule, including fewer operas for the chorus to learn/relearn by cutting the number of operas and more performances of the one they have.  I’ve wondered if they save more in overtime than they’d earn in ticket sales, and it should give the costume and set people more time and breathing room mid-season to be able to repair, care for, and store the physical productions. 

[fondoffouettes]

One reason I appreciated the Ratmansky Nutcracker at BAM was that it was so much more affordable than the NYCB Nutcracker, and it was a great opportunity to see dancers like Murphy, Part, Hallberg, etc., in their prime, as @FauxPas has noted. I'm pretty sure I always paid under $100 to sit somewhere relatively decent in the mezzanine. I wish ABT could have used that price point to its advantage in sustaining its Nutcracker at BAM. However, I have family in Southern CA and am delighted that they have the opportunity to see a company like ABT perform Nutcracker.

I do wonder how ballets with more niche appeal, like Woolf Works, manage to perform ticket-wise at the Segerstrom. I love both LA and Orange County, but as @California says, it's a tough region for ballet. (On a tangentially related note, it makes me very happy that Kathryn Morgan and her husband have established her dance studio in Huntington Beach!)

Edited January 4 by fondoffouettes

[MarzipanShepherdess]

I saw the ABT Nutcracker during its first few seasons and though I enjoyed it, I get why they weren’t able to make an annual run work in New York. 

My memory of Ratmansky’s Nutcracker was that it had meatier, trickier choreo but less charm than City Ballet’s production. For most of the Nutcracker audience, Nutcracker is the one ballet they see a year and I don’t think the Ratmansky choreo was a particular selling point: for this ballet, lots of cute dancing kids trumps seeing more of the principals. I think ABT management were hoping they’d win over Brooklyn families by presenting it there rather than Manhattan, but by the time kids are old enough to sit through Nutcracker they’re out of strollers and shepherding them between boroughs is not a dealbreaker for most families.
 

I saw both productions for I think the first two years of ABT’s Nutcracker but the holidays are such a busy time that in subsequent years I went back to just seeing City Ballet’s.
 

TL;DR, I think they were smart to move the production to LA. 

[BalanchineFan]

On 1/3/2024 at 4:14 PM, Tapfan said:

Since ABT hightailed it to SoCal, I wondered why can't a city the size of New York support two Nutcrackers?  Both ABT's and NYCB's productions are critically acclaimed. And the Los Angeles area now has two Nutcrackers.  Is it the same reason that New York couldn't support two opera companies?

So, are you suggesting ABT performs the Ratmansky Nutcracker at the Met while NYCB does Balanchine’s Nutcracker across the plaza? That doesn’t seem a great idea to me. NYCB has tradition and 60 or so children to beef up sales. And isn’t the Met Opera still going in December?

Where would ABT perform? Ailey has City Center. Would ABT go to BAM? BAM usually programs edgier fare. I think it’s an issue of venue. Mark Morris does a run of his Hard Nut at BAM every so often. NYC might support two classical Nutcrackers, but where?

Edited January 6 by BalanchineFan

[California]

1 hour ago, BalanchineFan said:

So, are you suggesting ABT performs the Ratmansky Nutcracker at the Met while NYCB does Balanchine’s Nutcracker across the plaza? That doesn’t seem a great idea to me. NYCB has tradition and 60 or so children to beef up sales. And isn’t the Met Opera still going in December?

Where would ABT perform? Ailey has City Center. Would ABT go to BAM? BAM usually programs edgier fare. I think it’s an issue of venue. Mark Morris does a run of his Hard Nut at BAM every so often. NYC might support two classical Nutcrackers, but where?

Don't overlook the importance of major local supporters at Segerstrom, starting with the Segerstrom family and William J. Gillespie at their school. They also hold a big fund-raiser in Beverly Hills while they are at Segerstrom. Could they find replacements for all of that in NYC? Doesn't seem likely!

https://www.scfta.org/education-community-programs/camps-classes/abt-william-gillespie-school

[Helene]

There wouldn’t be a Met option in November-December.  The house is dark from the end of January-end of February, give or take a couple of days, but it’s used for tech and maybe dress for the productions that will open the second part of the season.  
 

February 2 is when NYCB opened its first Nutcracker.  

“Christmas in July” as part of the regular rep might be the only option, but that would also mean schlepping the sets and costumes back and forth across the country.  Would they even fit at the Met if they did at BAM?  I don’t know what Segerstrom is like.

[vipa]

New York also has a few Nutcracker options that are popular even though not performed by major companies. New York Theatre Ballet does a Nutcracker that is short and very suitable for antsy young children. New York City Children's Theater also does a short one, that's interactive. There are others. They are in smaller venues, so kids are up close, and have fairly cheap tickets. Sometimes as low as $12. I'm just saying that people with kids are sometimes looking to give them a taste of Nutcracker specifically geared for children that won't break the bank. 

[canbelto]

I miss Gelsey Kirkland Ballet Academy's Nutcracker. I remember it being lovely. The whole thing is on YT:

 

[Tapfan]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:10 AM, BalanchineFan said:

So, are you suggesting ABT performs the Ratmansky Nutcracker at the Met while NYCB does Balanchine’s Nutcracker across the plaza? That doesn’t seem a great idea to me. NYCB has tradition and 60 or so children to beef up sales. And isn’t the Met Opera still going in December?

Where would ABT perform? Ailey has City Center. Would ABT go to BAM? BAM usually programs edgier fare. I think it’s an issue of venue. Mark Morris does a run of his Hard Nut at BAM every so often. NYC might support two classical Nutcrackers, but where?

Weren't they performing at BAM before they left for SoCal? Why commission Ratmansky to create a new Nutcracker if they weren't sure they'd have a venue? I thought Nutcrackers were the lifeblood of classical companies. And what did they do in December in the past? Just not perform the Nutcracker?

Just sayin'.  If ANY city should be able to support two major productions, you'd think it would be New York. 

[California]

27 minutes ago, Tapfan said:

Weren't they performing at BAM before they left for SoCal? Why commission Ratmansky to create a new Nutcracker if they weren't sure they'd have a venue? I thought Nutcrackers were the lifeblood of classical companies. And what did they do in December in the past? Just not perform the Nutcracker?

The Ratmansky version premiered at BAM in 2010. I assume they thought they had a good venue and were disappointed after a few years at the drop-off in ticket sales.

https://www.abt.org/ballet/the-nutcracker/

Before that, they had a version by McKenzie: https://www.abt.org/ballet/the-nutcracker-mckenzie/

and another by Baryshnikov: https://www.abt.org/ballet/the-nutcracker-baryshnikov/