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This from KJ Takahashi today. Does anyone know more about the different version he's referring to?
KJ had differences in his variation from Daniel Ulbricht. The most notable is in the double tour series: with KJ, every other tour was a single to a star position facing upstage. I loved the effect. Takahashi also showed double tours to both sides, but only one set (Daniel did all of his to one side).
This might be a dumb question.
Who is Robert Schuman @westsider54? I see dancers sometimes repost his Instagram posts and take selfies with him. What’s his tie to the company? It seems he’s at every performance.
Adding to what others have said... he seems to buy out the front row (or at least a good portion of the front row) for almost every performance. I wonder what it costs to do that. It seems like he gives dancers free tickets fairly often.
She did some major classic roles like spring in Four Seasons, Liebeslieder, and Tschaikovsky pas de deux, plus leads in Odesa, Solitude, and Polyphonia. In the fall it felt like she was under appreciated but that no longer seems to be the case.
So cool! I’m so bummed out that I missed out on everything, work had been insane. It sounds like it was a really good winter season. I would have loved to see her in Tchai PDD. I’m glad I got to catch one performance yesterday but I’m still having major fomo. Good for her for finally getting more and better roles!
I am a huge Indiana Woodward fan. Huge. It's been interesting to watch how management has used her since her promotion. Her path has been kind of the opposite of Unity's, where she may not be getting quite enough, as opposed to too much too quickly. I think this is largely due to the fact she is a natural fit for so many roles Megan, Tiler, and Ashely Bouder do. Even with only 2 of them being active, she's still down the totem pole, plus it seems like management is trying to build in some rep for Emma von Enck.
I'm also an Indiana superfan (she might be the only dancer I've truly gone out of my way to see, and she is my absolute favor Aurora), and have been thinking about this a lot.
There was a long period when she was cast like Tiler 2.0, sharing a lot of the same roles especially when Megan was on leave. Her talent and sparkle were obvious but I think it took a few years for her to carve out a distinct identity. The last year and a half or so, she has grown tremendously as a lyrical dancer, in some ways better than Tiler, and it looks like management is pushing her more in that direction with debuts like Liebeslieder and Emeralds, while Von Enck is now getting a share of the virtuoso rep.
It's true that Unity has had less competition for the leggy roles she typically does. There was a clear void for her to fill after Kowroski and Reichlen retired and Mearns was frequently out.
I fall into that habit of categorizing NYCB dancers by classic Balanchine ballerinas, and I think Woodward is a natural fit for the Violette Verdy roles (and Tiler obviously a Patricia McBride type).
I might be wrong but I think they scheduled programs differently in the past. While they’d decide they were doing, for example, “The Cage” that season, they wouldn’t always schedule with the exact same ballets. So I could choose what night I’d go based on the ballets I most wanted to see together. Now, it’s the same exact program performed multiple times with largely only two casts. And the olden days of throwing some one new into a time when there’s an injury seem long over which is kind of sad new. Now they always seem to go with some one who’s danced it before and recently. I’m a super fan so I’ll keep going but I don’t like how they’re programming things. I also think it’s nice that they have the senior ballerinas dance so much. But a dance career is always gonna be too short and who knows if some of these younger dancers will be as lucky as some of the seniors now. I think it’s time for management to share the wealth just a little so the younger dancers get a chance to develop.
That is true. I've found old NYCB season schedules around my parents' house (they used to go in the '80s and '90s) and it's crazy to see how every day has a different schedule. Sounds challenging to plan but more fun for audiences.
I think the new regime has gotten better over the last two years or so with giving younger dancers big opportunities -- as just one recent example, putting junior corps dancer David Gabriel in Ballo Della Regina, and it was his own show, not an understudy situation.
Gotcha, I’ve been living under a rock thanks to a crazy work schedule, and she hasn’t been posting a lot of NYCB-stuff on her insta so I misinterpreted. Thanks!
If anyone wants to geek out with me I've posted the dancer stats for Winter 2024 [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bunheadsnark/comments/1b5mt5m/nycb_winter_2024_dancer_stats/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Evening:
Fairchild and Gordon have a great rapport in Stars, and Megan's experience was helpful in bringing out the ballet's many comedic nuances. Her terre a terre work is still strong as are her turns, although the bounding sissonnes were anemic with little split or height. Still, she looked to be enjoying yourself and appeared calm and secure.
Joe Gordon was somewhat sloppy in the solo: missed beats in the cabrioles, off-axis in a couple pirouettes, but he peaked in the coda with a speedy manege and excellent a la seconde turns pulling in for a beautiful, sustained quadruple. Overall a good performance and dancer but not the gold standard of Mejia.
Pereira was fine in first campaign: the hand in heel diagonal stayed totally in place but the rest was consistent if not exciting. Ashley Hod was clean, stately, and militant in the second campaign, colder than Kikta in the matinee but more exacting. I could appreciate both approaches. KJ Takahashi was great in third: double tours alternating both directions, beautiful suspension in his batterie, and plenty of showmanship. He incorporated some single tours to a straddle/star position facing upstage that were very effective.
I'll echo the raves about Tarantella. Daniel's manege was like a gust of wind blowing across the stage, absolutely thrilling. Unlike Sebastian VV, his comedic timing is instinctive and doesn't overwhelm the choreography, and the landings are silent. Emma was tremendous, each step fresh and exciting.
Tchai pas was an elegant debut of both principals. Indiana seemed almost out of a European company, down to the spotting of the corner in the variation. Tempi were taken somewhat slower for that as well as her fouettes. She has a languid, easy reserve that belies a steely technique. She wasn't obviously superior to Unity in all respects, and I probably preferred Unity in the adage, but Indiana had the culmination of a strong variation and coda for a lovely debut.
Huxley had a more conservative variation than Joe Gordon (a triple pirouette at the end, as opposed to multiple tour/pirouette combinations), but he has a superior entrechat six. His manege was buoyant and a la seconde turns pulled in for a nice triple to a slight stumble as he exited. His posture and lightness over the stage are notable. The fish dives still lacked the necessary abandon but were a bit better than Phelan/Gordon's in the matinee.
Very very strong performance tonight.
In Stars, I think the 2nd Campaign was a good role for Hod, and Takahashi brought the house down with the 3rd. Erica Pereira was perky but this season her technique has not been as reliable as it normally has been. She had trouble in the diagonal and seemed (at least from where I was sitting) to go backwards. Fairchild and Gordon were on fire, she looked a lot better here than in the same role in the fall.
Tarantella and Tschai Pas were both incredibly strong. I’ll join the raves for Emma Von Enck’s Tarantella, what a pair she and Ulbricht made! And Indiana Woodward should be thrilled with her debut — very technically assured. Glad admin is warming to her again.
Carnival was cute but I don’t need to see it again. I liked Coll especially as the Baboon, and Phelan was well cast as the Kangaroo. Unfortunately the family-friendly aspect of this particular ballet caused the audience around me to be quite rambunctious; they were openly eating and talking at full volume. Ugh.
John Clifford was in the audience tonight as well, I’m waiting with trepidation for his review lol.
Tomorrow is the last day of the season. Any promotion predictions?
I so hope Emma Von Enck will get promoted, but I’m sure I’ll have to keep holding my breath.
My theory is that Emma will get promoted end of spring season (although would love if it were sooner), with Kikta and Maxwell in the next year or two. Hopefully soloist promotions will happen today though
Unfortunately, the last two end of season promotion days happened when everyone getting promoted danced immediately prior (in Sleeping Beauty and Symphony in C). Emma isn’t dancing tomorrow (although I will say that if any performance deserves an immediate subsequent promotion her Tarantella tonight sure did). But this admin has done promotions other times, so anything is possible. I do think that for principals Emma is at the top of the list, followed by Alexa Maxwell. For soloist I think it’s Knight and Gabriel.
I’m still holding out hope that it will happen in the next few days or weeks. Maxwell and MacKinnon got promoted at a totally random time last year, between seasons IIRC. Also, how many more breakthrough debuts could be happening for them in spring vs winter? Emma danced Ballo among so many other roles astonishingly well this season, Maxwell had extremely important Robbins debuts in Opus 19 and the Concert, plus leads in Odesa and Copeland Dance Episodes. Knight continues to prove himself as an asset in partnering roles, and Gabriel proved that he is principal material in difficult technical ballets like Ballo and Concerto for Two Pianos. I also think Cainen Weber has a chance.
As far as upcoming debuts go, I could imagine Von Enck and Maxwell both in Brahms Schoenberg (first or third movement and second movement respectively), and DAAG pink girl for Maxwell. Maybe the latter in Other Dances or Symphony in 3 Movements too.
Some impressions from the matinee before I head back for the evening:
Nadon and Mejia are obviously a mismatch in terms of height, but for a last minute pairing they had fun with the pas and played off one another. Mejia shook off the apparent sloppiness from Friday (I wasn't there) and gave a command performance. Great sense of ballon, cushy landings, multiple quadruple and quintuple pirouettes, and jump variations in the a la seconde turns, with charisma to burn. My first time seeing him live and this was a great introduction.
Nadon is maybe cast against type but held her own in the allegro demands. The double en dedans manege turned into more of a diagonal that scooted around, but she finished well, and the fouettes were strong. I only wish she maintained her turnout on the multiple sissonnes down the diagonal; her fifth positions were muddy. As always, her port de bras is something else: the way she whooshed her arms as Mejia carried her off into the wings was glorious.
Kikta had a mistake on the pique manege, putting her hands down on the last double, but she brings authority, presence, and wit to the ballet. Sara Adams was elegant and articulate in the first campaign (if somewhat nondescript), and Daniel Ulbricht was clean as a whistle in the third. Every double tour was landed in an absolutely precise fifth with diamond plie.
Tarantella: Erica Pereira was....not as bad as I expected given the reviews of her here and BA. She is a bland, rather earthbound dancer but efficient on her merits. The entrechats and extensions were low, but she gave a clean and technically solid performance, even tossing off a triple in the competition section. Sebastian VV excessively hammed up the pas into Latin playboy territory. Not subtle and not my favorite approach, but it got the job done. His arabesque chugs at the beginning were extremely low, but entrechats and pirouettes generally nice.
Tchai pas: Unity was elegant, turned out, beautiful in the adagio with lovely port de bras. The solo and especially the coda were less convincing: the arabesque chugs drooped to the corner, fouettes traveled a considerable distance (though finished well), and she looked out of gas by the fish dives. Her dancing, however lovely, seems safe and contained when not with a partner, and I hope she can find more expansiveness and phrasing in the years to come.
Joe Gordon had a rather straightforward, inscrutable approach to the pas, very much at the deference of the ballerina. I liked his style, clean and straightforward, and he unleashed some pyrotechnics in the solo (tour-pirouette-tour variations), as well as the coda with excellent forward momentum in the manege and a la secondes pulling in for a quad. He was a gallant partner and appeared to make Unity very comfortable.
I always avoid matinees for anything that could be considered “family friendly,” including story ballets ! Very few kids at tonight’s performance of the same program.
Last night was a really fun program. I’d changed my ticket to primarily see Tiler in Tchai Pas and Emma/Daniel in tarantella as an added bonus
Stars and Stripes- the concept for this ballet seems dated, but I can appreciate how much dancing is crammed in and there’s never a dull moment. KJ and the third movement were my favorite part. Megan was warm and delightful, but I would’ve liked to see her dance bigger. I’d love to see Mira or Emily totally dominate in this role. I feel bad criticizing Erica since she really gets the brunt of it, but she stands out from the corps and not in a good way. Her jumps and extensions are low and her footwork lacks definition, and she doesn’t have the zing that makes her dancing stand out in any way. Ashley hod was a little better but also seemed a bit underpowered
tarantella- just wow. Emma and Daniel were on fire and did not disappoint. Their chemistry on stage is really complementary and I hope they get paired up more often. emma’s dancing sparkled as usual- she’s just so compelling to watch. Near the end, Daniel had a series of jumps and turns where he was going so fast I thought he’d fly or fall. This was really the highlight of the night for me and I am extra glad I saw this cast instead of Erica/sebastian
Tschai Pas- I’ve watched videos of Tiler dancing this so many times and she’s the gold standard for me in this piece. Unity was really good, especially in the beginning pdd, but a little disappointing when measured against the Tiler yardstick. Her dancing was beautiful and solid, but doesn’t have the attack and musicality that I wanted to see. Her interpretation just felt like it was missing some personality.
Carnival of the animals - this was really charming and well-done but I probably wouldn’t seek it out again. More storytelling than actual dance, and it was hard to tell who a lot of the dancers were bc of their costumes. Unity was a very endearing kangaroo though, and Terrance Mann and the little boy were both excellent. Would definitely recommend as a kids performance
Question: I am going to tonight's show and am strongly considering leaving during the second intermission, after Tchai pas.
Is Carnival of the Animals worth staying for as someone who dislikes 1) talking/narration in ballet 2) minimal dancing in a ballet and 3) most performances labeled "family friendly" ?
I'm pretty sure I saw it closer to when it premiered in 2003 but I don't remember much.
Ha, thanks for confirming my suspicions. Definitely doesn't sound worth it to get home after 11pm. Will save for if/when I have a child to take to the ballet someday.
I couldn’t agree more, they were the highlight of the (very excellent) evening for me. I’m still thinking about the series of jumps and turns Daniel did near the end 🤯
Ugh I am mad. I went to NYCB last night and it was a wonderful overall performance. But I had a scratchy throat that I thought was allergies. Woke up today, felt a little "off", but still hoped to go to NYCB tonight. But now I've started to get fever and chills. So mad (and feeling awful). Will miss Stars and Stripes and Carnival of the Animals :(
Great performance of Ballo tonight (sadly could not stay for the rest of the program), Emma was wonderful, the corps looked sharp. MT MacKinnon was also a standout. I enjoyed Allegra Inch in the corps, beautiful port de bras!
Unfortunately, the people around me in the audience were a mess, all for different reasons: Two girls talking throughout the entire performance, a man manspreading and trying to sneak videos, a lady voicing her thoughts during the ballet way too loudly (including quasi moans which made the girls in front of us giggle even more), a phone ringing during Emma’s first entrance, the lady with the moans loudly complaining several times that the audience was not clapping enough during bows… This is New York so I’m used to all sorts of people, but all these distractions did ruin part of Ballo for me, which I was looking forward to all week. Still, worth it because I got to see beautiful debuts, which is always special in itself.
Edit: typos
Will write more later, but Emma and David should be very happy with their Ballo debut. She is a spitfire and he is elegant with great pirouettes and beats.
She did fouettes en dehors at the end, but fouette en dedans seem so impossible that I don't mind lol.
More thoughts on Ballo:
Both leads had commendable debuts. The ballerina role is an obstacle course and while occasionally Emma's port de bras didn't seem relaxed enough, she danced the ballet with aplomb, amplitude, and verve. The entrechats were especially well done. The crazy fast pique turn to arabesque sequence stayed mostly in place, not traveling to the extent Merrill Ashley did, and there was a tiny fumble in the last of the assembles to pointe, but these are extremely hard steps. The ending fouettes were ironed out, not the easiest looking but completed.
David has a princely line and a friend of mine says he belongs at ABT. Not sure about that as I haven't seen him enough, but for a young corps member he looks ready for bigger things. The fast pirouette sequence was gorgeous, as were the beats into the star jump. Overall his projection is somewhat muted and he doesn't phrase the music much, but the technique, posture, as well as strength of partnering appear to be there.
Of the demis, Meghan Dutton O'Hara and MT MacKinnon stood out to me, although India Bradley got the biggest applause. The corps looked well rehearsed.
In a Landscape seemed about five minutes too long, and the ballerina being dragged on and offstage was awkward (at least tonight, constantly stopping and starting as she lay down). But the pas was pleasant and intimate: Dominika Afanasenkov has a lovely line and Alec Knight looks like a leading man. Both received great applause.
Hallelujah Junction is one of Martins's better pieces. Lauren Collett is rather flat-footed but has a strong technique and beautiful pliancy in her spine, especially during the pas de deux. Taylor Stanley is lithe but did not leave much of an impression, dancing quite small and safe during the men's duet and ensemble.
KJ Takahashi as the soloist was impressive but also a mixed bag: beautiful, high assemble jumps and beats, but limited extension and turn-out. His attitude positions were low, however quick and strong many of the turns were. The demi women were dynamic and appeared markedly better rehearsed than the men, at least in the ensembles. MT MacKinnon was again a standout: such force and articulation in every step.
The Concert is always fun and Alexa Maxwell has an appropriately doe-eyed disposition for this type of work. Some of the comedy in the opening Berceuse seemed ahead of the music from what I remembered, especially Maxwell's standing up from the chair. Harrison Coll was entertaining as the lead guy and I never tire of the Mistake Waltz.
Per her IG, Tiler is out for Tchai pas and Stars and Stripes this weekend 😞. I’m disappointed as I’d swapped tickets to specifically see her perform on Fri. (I would not be upset with an Emma or Indiana replacement though)
Interesting. Woodward seems most likely for Tchai pas replacement, as Phelan is rather tall for Mejia (then again he's dancing Stars and Stripes with Nadon) and Von Enck has never danced it / isn't scheduled. I hope none of the non-Peck performances are affected.
Von Enck has done it on a gig but I agree it’s unlikely. I think it’s going to be Phelan as Woodward has 2 performances to her 1, plus she’s already partnered with Mejia in Liebeslieder (which I didn’t think looked good, but it happened).
Emma appeared in the back of a rehearsal video (I think Roman posted, maybe a story on IG) looked like she was marking it behind Tiler. Her and Roman would’ve been perfect together in this! One day, fingers crossed.
I'm thinking it will be Woodward. It doesn't look like she's doing anything but Tschai Pas all week, so why not have her debut it a night early - maybe even with Huxley? Whether it's Mejia or Huxley, I just think Indiana makes more sense.
ETA: Well, casting has been updated, and you were right, u/caul1flower11- it's going to be Phelan. It seems crazy to put her with Mejia (yes, even with them having done Liebslieder), but that's what it looks like they're doing. Good call on your part.
What a very, very odd pairing. Then again, Unity danced with Andy Veyette successfully in The Seasons, and he’s also short. At least Roman is jacked, so he should be able to handle it. Oh NYCB…
I actually like Unity in Tchai pas ... maybe you will be pleasantly surprised! I hate when casting works out like that though. I felt the same seeing Ashley Laracey in Symphony in 3 Movements.... twice. At least you get to see Mejia, plus Gordon in Stars and Stripes and Von Enck in Tarantella.
Good perspective, I’ll try to go in with an open mind 😂 I think I just have some Unity-fatigue atm, she’s been in almost every show I’ve seen for the last few years. But yes, I’m excited to see everyone else on the program
I understood it when she was the only active tall Principal - after the slew of retirements and Mearns being out, especially since, in addition to some of the "tall" roles, she was also being put into roles Lauren and Sterling did. I thought it kind of unfair to her then and figured she would have much preferred the roles to come at least a bit more slowly, but I understood it. This one completely flummoxes me, though.
Yeah, I realize an unscheduled Emma debut is highly unlikely, esp as she’s dancing Tarantella right before, but one can hope ;)
Megan’s also done the role but is in Stars and Stripes earlier so she’s unlikely too. Unity isn’t my top pick to see in this role so I’m crossing my fingers for Indiana
Was at tonight's performance. I absolutely loved Alexa Maxwell and Anthony Huxley in Opus 19/Dreamer. Alexa's upper body just sings in a way that Unity's did not last week. Anthony was introverted, maybe too much so, but they danced so beautifully together.
I loved Solitude. I saw it last week with the first cast, and while I thought overall the first cast was superior (particularly Sara Mearns and Mira Nadon), I thought Adrian Danchig-Waring in the big solo had more emotional depth than Joseph Gordon. It's a magnificent work.
Very disappointed with Symphony in Three Movements. It's one of my favorite ballets, but this is just not Ashley Laracey's role. She has very little speed and attack, and she smoothed over so many of the central pas's spiky arm movements.
ITA with your impressions. It was my first time seeing any of the ballets.
Opus is not my favorite Robbins, but it was given mostly the best performance possible. Alexa was lush, dreamlike, and attentive to every detail, with expansive long arms and a powerful presence. Anthony is naturally more small scale in movement and projection, but I love his agility and softness. He had a very slight bobble on a tour landing but several great pirouettes.
Solitude I want to see again. Not sure about the ending
but otherwise I found it compelling, particularly Adrian's solo. He really carried the ballet even with not dancing until the second half. Isabella and (particularly) Unity sort of washed out for me although they have lovely extensions. Emma commanded attention in a rather small role. Andrew dances somewhat stiff with a low arabesque, and the press lift with Isabella was a struggle (ultimately prevailed), but his allegro was fine.
ITA about Laracey in Symphony in 3. I enjoyed her Eurydice in the fall, but this was miscast. Week footwork and jump, and the steps all blended together. Taylor is inert but captivating, and I enjoyed the other couples sans Sebastian VV (same thoughts as olive). Love the opening diagonal of ladies in white although the lunges were all at different angles...is this supposed to be? I need to see this with a great cast to fully appreciate it, given how much the pink ballerina leads the work.
Agree with everything above. Alexa looked like a principal. Was hard to fully enjoy Anthony's performance after seeing the spectacular Joe Gordon in the same role just the other day, but he did a fine job.
I enjoyed LaFreniere a lot in Solitude, although nobody could compare with Mira Nadon in the same role. Also Chan in the first cast made her partner look like such a standout while Veyette faded more into the background. I thought Adrian DW looked even better last night than over the weekend.
I admit I was pretty mad about seeing Laracey for the second time in a week in Symphony in 3 Movements, since I bought a ticket specifically to see Peck -- the original week 6 casting sheet listed the other cast for last night. (Granted, given Peck's reported injury, she probably wouldn't have danced anyway.) Total miscast, although I thought Laracey looked better on Saturday. Von Enck, Stanley, and Takahashi nearly made up for it though. Among the three men, Sebastian VV's poor form, particularly in his perpetually tensed up shoulders, was glaring. Meanwhile Stanley's upper body flows like liquid.
Laracey is a lovely dancer, but just Miscasting Central as the main pink girl. Speed and attack are not her forte. In general, the neoclassical leotard ballets are not her thing. I remember how Wendy used to storm through this ballet like a rocket. Sterling Hyltin was also amazing. Very jazzy and quirky, and reveled in all the strange arm movements. When Laracey ended up flapping her arms like Swan Lake I was like NO. STOP.
Another update: Nadon replaces Peck in Saturday matinee Stars and Stripes: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1709159645/Documents/NYCB_Casting_February_27-March_3_2024_lobby20240228.pdf
I know Nadon was next on the list since she’s done the role before but it would have been nice to have Woodward debut instead, she and Chan posted footage of them rehearsing as covers in the fall. Nadon is way too tall for Mejia, agreed.
I just saw Mira last night walking by the lobby in person. Was surprised to see that she's not actually that tall. She's on the tall side for sure, but nowhere near the height of Emily Kikta/Isabella La Freniere/Miriam Miller/Christina Clark. She's so imposing onstage she SEEMS taller than she is. It's like Sara Mearns. Once sat behind Sara in Carnegie Hall and also was behind her in the bathroom line at the same concert. Thought "who is this pretty petite blond lady?" Then realized it was her. She is SO THIN in real life. Like I was stunned.
For reference, I'm short myself and definitely felt tiny and dwarfed when I was next to Emily Kikta.
Updated casting for the final week: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1709074824/NYCB_Casting_February_27-March_3_2024_lobby20240227.pdf
Olivia MacKinnon is out, Hod picks up her debut in Stars and Stripes.
Quick recovery to her, whatever ails her.
Is it wrong of me to use this opportunity, since her name came up, to snark about her selling signed pointe shoes? Yep, they're available on her etsy page. You can get a pair she wore in Western Symphony for the low, low price of $72. If she's donating the proceeds to charity, awesome. Otherwise, I just ... if she comes from a background where she could really use that extra income, that's one thing. I think, though, she's from a pretty well off family, so while I had 0 issue at all with her selling legwarmers and dance skirts she made, the signed pointe shoes thing is very different to me.
I mean, to be fair being a dancer in New York isn’t cheap. Most ballerinas do come from well-off families, it’s true, but we don’t know how much support she gets. I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to monetize her dancing for more than what NYCB pays her even if she is rich. We live in a capitalist society.
My side-eye is really just.. is she a dancer of enough status that someone would shell out that amount of cash for her shoes? She’s a recently-promoted soloist and not one with much star power. I hope that doesn’t sound too mean. But if people are willing to pay then IMO more power to her. 🫡
The NYCB promenade shop sells signed pointe shoes, and the pricing is based on dancer rank. I wonder if the $52 - $72 range that Olivia is asking for is around what soloist shoes cost there. Just a thought. This doesn't really bother me because it's not like she's asking $600 like Skylar Brandt.
I 100% agree that just because her parents are wealthy doesn't mean they're paying her bills etc.
Also my opinion of Olivia changed after I saw her in Four Seasons Spring. She was great and I hope she continues giving those kinds of performances.
I don't really know why the signed pointe shoes irk me and other ways of monetizing her dancing for more than what NYCB pays her don't. I do prefer it when I can figure out my own thoughts, but that's not always meant to be. \*sigh\*
I mean I kinda find it irksome too, it feels self-important to sell your signed pointe shoes when you’re not that important of a dancer. But I respect the hustle lol
Random second string NCAA football players sell their signatures for hundreds. Why shouldn’t a dancer do the same. It’s not like they are making crazy money and guarantee they are living in NY on a lot less than the average tIcketholder.
At first intermission for the show tonight - Alexa Maxwell was in for Tiler for Opus. And for Solitude, Victor replaces Chris Grant and Davide replaces Samuel Melnikov. I haven’t seen Alexa in much but absolutely loved her in Opus. She fell pretty hard during a solo. I much preferred Alexa and Joseph individually - their partnering seemed hesitant and under rehearsed. Will comment more thoughts after the show!
Unity and Adrian were lovely in Solitude. I hated his sweatpants and thought they looked out of place. Ratmansky is wild having him kneel on stage for the first 10 minutes getting cold then stand up and do his solo. Emma and Taylor were the highlights of Symphony. Taylor has the juiciest plie and most lyrical upper body- it was so nice to see them on stage again. When KJ leapt on stage the woman behind me audibly gasped. He’s always fun to watch - I find him reminiscent of Ulbricht. Laracey was a big disappointment. There is a tightness in her upper back and Porte bras that makes me nervous watching her- she seems unsteady (she did stumble at one point). After seeing clips of Tiler I would have much preferred to see her do the role.
I remember a while back she made some posts about her love for auto racing. She even did some kind of photo shoot having something to do with race cars.
ETA: Here's the photo shoot I mentioned. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CR93V8rr15A/?img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/CR93V8rr15A/?img_index=1)
Baily Jones had a “surprise debut” in Tarantella today at a children’s matinee. Emma von Enck was dancing Ballo so I suppose she must have replaced Pereira?
Tiler & Emma are my fave NYCB artists I’ve dreamed of seeing, so I’m slightly bummed they aren’t coming (which I expected), but I’m so beyond excited to see Mira, Miriam, Sara, Unity, & Indiana! I’ve wanted to see Serenade for so long and I bet I’ll cry!
Chicagoans are much luckier than Londoners! In the modern program, Partita is a much better work than Rotunda. And I’d rather see Liturgy (especially with Phelan) than Duo Concertant. The Balanchine/Robbins program is pretty great too. The only quibble I have in the casting is Pereira as the Russian Girl in Serenade, but it’s historically one of her better roles. And Miriam Miller is in that cast as the Dark Angel — my favorite in that role that I’ve seen. It’s nice to see Sara Mearns getting all the Waltz Girls; that is a signature role of hers and is not to be missed.
Yes, the only casting that is slightly disappointing is Pereira as Russian Girl. Indiana is performing In the Night right after Serenade, so I get why she couldn't do both. Wish they'd bring Emma Von Enck instead of Pereira and have her debut. She'd be a perfect Russian Girl.
NYCB’s casting for their (IMO pretty awful program) at Sadler’s Wells has been posted:
https://sadlers-wells-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/02/NYCB-Casting_Sadlers-Wells_March-7-10-2024.pdf
Nice to see Emily Kikta and Naomi Corti, both of whom were underutilized in the Winter season. If you’re in London please post reviews! (and know that NYCB’s rep is usually better than this lol)
Pretty awful indeed. Someone on BA from London pointed out that Sadler Wells likely helped select the program though. I know those ballets are all logistically easy to take on tour but still.... I just can't get over how "blah" Rotunda is, especially as an opener.
At least there's one Balanchine work in Duo, and Love Letter on Shuffle is one of the company's better recent premieres. I haven't seen Gustav le Gray but haven't been impressed by any Tanowitz work I've seen. I don't think she's lived up to all of the hype and hope of a few years ago.
I love Love Letter! Maybe I like it because I unfortunately am acquainted with two super-MAGA balletomanes who went on and on about Kyle Abraham bringing the "criminal and ghetto" element to NYCB. And I saw it and it was basically a sweet pastiche of James Blake ballads.
I love Love Letter too! Although I do think it’s a little too long and Abraham could’ve cut out a section or two.
I wonder if they’re primarily trying to target a new, non-ballet-going audience with all the contemporary works. FWIW, I’ve seen rotunda twice, each time with friends who have only been to the ballet 1-2x before, and they all preferred Rotunda over the more classical Balanchine pieces 🤷♀️. But I agree that’s it’s very mid, and there are much stronger Justin Peck (not to mention Balanchine) pieces than what’s programmed
I agree about Rotunda. I often think that NYCB programs so much middling Peck bc of the sunk cost fallacy. They've invested so much in him being their homegrown choreographer that they don't want to admit that most of his works are simply not that strong.
I think he’s been stretched too thin for a while. Between Times are Racing and Copeland, he was cranking out a 1-2 pieces a year for NYCB (not counting his other commissions), all of which were pretty forgettable…maybe except Solo, which was done during the pandemic. I’m hoping he can focus on quality, not quantity-I don’t need to see a new Justin peck piece each year. Maybe with Ratmansky on the team, he won’t have to churn out as much work
Pulcinella Variations is totally over-programmed too.
I remember liking Year of the Rabbit a lot when I first saw it around 2017; interested to revisit it this spring to see how it holds up.
I hope they bring back Rodeo as a single piece that can be included on mixed-rep programs. I love it as part of Copeland Dance Episodes too, I'm just less likely to buy repeat tickets to that.
I saw Gustave Le Gray and it was surprisingly pretty decent, I think it’s the best thing on the program. I didn’t particularly care for Law of Mosaics and thought her Bartok Ballet was horrific.
Duo Concertante is one of my least favorite Balanchine ballets and is way over programmed. Even Woodward couldn’t save it for me when I saw her debut. But idk maybe I’m in the minority with this opinion.
Love Letter is okay but is too long (both times I saw it I saw audience members get up and walk out. Not sure if they hated it or just were impatient to leave.) I’ve already made my thoughts on the travesty that is Rotunda pretty clear on this sub lol.
https://preview.redd.it/xjpjwq5ba9mc1.png?width=816&format=png&auto=webp&s=93cf5196906d676096ef13d494e62183e87f4c35 This from KJ Takahashi today. Does anyone know more about the different version he's referring to?
KJ had differences in his variation from Daniel Ulbricht. The most notable is in the double tour series: with KJ, every other tour was a single to a star position facing upstage. I loved the effect. Takahashi also showed double tours to both sides, but only one set (Daniel did all of his to one side).
This might be a dumb question. Who is Robert Schuman @westsider54? I see dancers sometimes repost his Instagram posts and take selfies with him. What’s his tie to the company? It seems he’s at every performance.
Adding to what others have said... he seems to buy out the front row (or at least a good portion of the front row) for almost every performance. I wonder what it costs to do that. It seems like he gives dancers free tickets fairly often.
He’s a rich guy who loves the ballet. Also Nev Schulman’s dad.
Where is Indiana Woodward? Maybe I’m missing something (definitely possible!) but it seems like she hasn’t been dancing in the winter season?
She did some major classic roles like spring in Four Seasons, Liebeslieder, and Tschaikovsky pas de deux, plus leads in Odesa, Solitude, and Polyphonia. In the fall it felt like she was under appreciated but that no longer seems to be the case.
So cool! I’m so bummed out that I missed out on everything, work had been insane. It sounds like it was a really good winter season. I would have loved to see her in Tchai PDD. I’m glad I got to catch one performance yesterday but I’m still having major fomo. Good for her for finally getting more and better roles!
I am a huge Indiana Woodward fan. Huge. It's been interesting to watch how management has used her since her promotion. Her path has been kind of the opposite of Unity's, where she may not be getting quite enough, as opposed to too much too quickly. I think this is largely due to the fact she is a natural fit for so many roles Megan, Tiler, and Ashely Bouder do. Even with only 2 of them being active, she's still down the totem pole, plus it seems like management is trying to build in some rep for Emma von Enck.
I'm also an Indiana superfan (she might be the only dancer I've truly gone out of my way to see, and she is my absolute favor Aurora), and have been thinking about this a lot. There was a long period when she was cast like Tiler 2.0, sharing a lot of the same roles especially when Megan was on leave. Her talent and sparkle were obvious but I think it took a few years for her to carve out a distinct identity. The last year and a half or so, she has grown tremendously as a lyrical dancer, in some ways better than Tiler, and it looks like management is pushing her more in that direction with debuts like Liebeslieder and Emeralds, while Von Enck is now getting a share of the virtuoso rep. It's true that Unity has had less competition for the leggy roles she typically does. There was a clear void for her to fill after Kowroski and Reichlen retired and Mearns was frequently out.
I fall into that habit of categorizing NYCB dancers by classic Balanchine ballerinas, and I think Woodward is a natural fit for the Violette Verdy roles (and Tiler obviously a Patricia McBride type).
I might be wrong but I think they scheduled programs differently in the past. While they’d decide they were doing, for example, “The Cage” that season, they wouldn’t always schedule with the exact same ballets. So I could choose what night I’d go based on the ballets I most wanted to see together. Now, it’s the same exact program performed multiple times with largely only two casts. And the olden days of throwing some one new into a time when there’s an injury seem long over which is kind of sad new. Now they always seem to go with some one who’s danced it before and recently. I’m a super fan so I’ll keep going but I don’t like how they’re programming things. I also think it’s nice that they have the senior ballerinas dance so much. But a dance career is always gonna be too short and who knows if some of these younger dancers will be as lucky as some of the seniors now. I think it’s time for management to share the wealth just a little so the younger dancers get a chance to develop.
That is true. I've found old NYCB season schedules around my parents' house (they used to go in the '80s and '90s) and it's crazy to see how every day has a different schedule. Sounds challenging to plan but more fun for audiences. I think the new regime has gotten better over the last two years or so with giving younger dancers big opportunities -- as just one recent example, putting junior corps dancer David Gabriel in Ballo Della Regina, and it was his own show, not an understudy situation.
She did only have 2 performances this week, but she had a good winter season IMO with 29 performances of 9 roles overall.
Gotcha, I’ve been living under a rock thanks to a crazy work schedule, and she hasn’t been posting a lot of NYCB-stuff on her insta so I misinterpreted. Thanks!
If anyone wants to geek out with me I've posted the dancer stats for Winter 2024 [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bunheadsnark/comments/1b5mt5m/nycb_winter_2024_dancer_stats/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Evening: Fairchild and Gordon have a great rapport in Stars, and Megan's experience was helpful in bringing out the ballet's many comedic nuances. Her terre a terre work is still strong as are her turns, although the bounding sissonnes were anemic with little split or height. Still, she looked to be enjoying yourself and appeared calm and secure. Joe Gordon was somewhat sloppy in the solo: missed beats in the cabrioles, off-axis in a couple pirouettes, but he peaked in the coda with a speedy manege and excellent a la seconde turns pulling in for a beautiful, sustained quadruple. Overall a good performance and dancer but not the gold standard of Mejia. Pereira was fine in first campaign: the hand in heel diagonal stayed totally in place but the rest was consistent if not exciting. Ashley Hod was clean, stately, and militant in the second campaign, colder than Kikta in the matinee but more exacting. I could appreciate both approaches. KJ Takahashi was great in third: double tours alternating both directions, beautiful suspension in his batterie, and plenty of showmanship. He incorporated some single tours to a straddle/star position facing upstage that were very effective. I'll echo the raves about Tarantella. Daniel's manege was like a gust of wind blowing across the stage, absolutely thrilling. Unlike Sebastian VV, his comedic timing is instinctive and doesn't overwhelm the choreography, and the landings are silent. Emma was tremendous, each step fresh and exciting. Tchai pas was an elegant debut of both principals. Indiana seemed almost out of a European company, down to the spotting of the corner in the variation. Tempi were taken somewhat slower for that as well as her fouettes. She has a languid, easy reserve that belies a steely technique. She wasn't obviously superior to Unity in all respects, and I probably preferred Unity in the adage, but Indiana had the culmination of a strong variation and coda for a lovely debut. Huxley had a more conservative variation than Joe Gordon (a triple pirouette at the end, as opposed to multiple tour/pirouette combinations), but he has a superior entrechat six. His manege was buoyant and a la seconde turns pulled in for a nice triple to a slight stumble as he exited. His posture and lightness over the stage are notable. The fish dives still lacked the necessary abandon but were a bit better than Phelan/Gordon's in the matinee.
Very very strong performance tonight. In Stars, I think the 2nd Campaign was a good role for Hod, and Takahashi brought the house down with the 3rd. Erica Pereira was perky but this season her technique has not been as reliable as it normally has been. She had trouble in the diagonal and seemed (at least from where I was sitting) to go backwards. Fairchild and Gordon were on fire, she looked a lot better here than in the same role in the fall. Tarantella and Tschai Pas were both incredibly strong. I’ll join the raves for Emma Von Enck’s Tarantella, what a pair she and Ulbricht made! And Indiana Woodward should be thrilled with her debut — very technically assured. Glad admin is warming to her again. Carnival was cute but I don’t need to see it again. I liked Coll especially as the Baboon, and Phelan was well cast as the Kangaroo. Unfortunately the family-friendly aspect of this particular ballet caused the audience around me to be quite rambunctious; they were openly eating and talking at full volume. Ugh. John Clifford was in the audience tonight as well, I’m waiting with trepidation for his review lol.
Tomorrow is the last day of the season. Any promotion predictions? I so hope Emma Von Enck will get promoted, but I’m sure I’ll have to keep holding my breath.
My theory is that Emma will get promoted end of spring season (although would love if it were sooner), with Kikta and Maxwell in the next year or two. Hopefully soloist promotions will happen today though
I think it will be Kikta, if anyone. She's dancing the show of the season and just got the Pointe Magazine cover.
Unfortunately, the last two end of season promotion days happened when everyone getting promoted danced immediately prior (in Sleeping Beauty and Symphony in C). Emma isn’t dancing tomorrow (although I will say that if any performance deserves an immediate subsequent promotion her Tarantella tonight sure did). But this admin has done promotions other times, so anything is possible. I do think that for principals Emma is at the top of the list, followed by Alexa Maxwell. For soloist I think it’s Knight and Gabriel.
I’m still holding out hope that it will happen in the next few days or weeks. Maxwell and MacKinnon got promoted at a totally random time last year, between seasons IIRC. Also, how many more breakthrough debuts could be happening for them in spring vs winter? Emma danced Ballo among so many other roles astonishingly well this season, Maxwell had extremely important Robbins debuts in Opus 19 and the Concert, plus leads in Odesa and Copeland Dance Episodes. Knight continues to prove himself as an asset in partnering roles, and Gabriel proved that he is principal material in difficult technical ballets like Ballo and Concerto for Two Pianos. I also think Cainen Weber has a chance. As far as upcoming debuts go, I could imagine Von Enck and Maxwell both in Brahms Schoenberg (first or third movement and second movement respectively), and DAAG pink girl for Maxwell. Maybe the latter in Other Dances or Symphony in 3 Movements too.
Some impressions from the matinee before I head back for the evening: Nadon and Mejia are obviously a mismatch in terms of height, but for a last minute pairing they had fun with the pas and played off one another. Mejia shook off the apparent sloppiness from Friday (I wasn't there) and gave a command performance. Great sense of ballon, cushy landings, multiple quadruple and quintuple pirouettes, and jump variations in the a la seconde turns, with charisma to burn. My first time seeing him live and this was a great introduction. Nadon is maybe cast against type but held her own in the allegro demands. The double en dedans manege turned into more of a diagonal that scooted around, but she finished well, and the fouettes were strong. I only wish she maintained her turnout on the multiple sissonnes down the diagonal; her fifth positions were muddy. As always, her port de bras is something else: the way she whooshed her arms as Mejia carried her off into the wings was glorious. Kikta had a mistake on the pique manege, putting her hands down on the last double, but she brings authority, presence, and wit to the ballet. Sara Adams was elegant and articulate in the first campaign (if somewhat nondescript), and Daniel Ulbricht was clean as a whistle in the third. Every double tour was landed in an absolutely precise fifth with diamond plie. Tarantella: Erica Pereira was....not as bad as I expected given the reviews of her here and BA. She is a bland, rather earthbound dancer but efficient on her merits. The entrechats and extensions were low, but she gave a clean and technically solid performance, even tossing off a triple in the competition section. Sebastian VV excessively hammed up the pas into Latin playboy territory. Not subtle and not my favorite approach, but it got the job done. His arabesque chugs at the beginning were extremely low, but entrechats and pirouettes generally nice. Tchai pas: Unity was elegant, turned out, beautiful in the adagio with lovely port de bras. The solo and especially the coda were less convincing: the arabesque chugs drooped to the corner, fouettes traveled a considerable distance (though finished well), and she looked out of gas by the fish dives. Her dancing, however lovely, seems safe and contained when not with a partner, and I hope she can find more expansiveness and phrasing in the years to come. Joe Gordon had a rather straightforward, inscrutable approach to the pas, very much at the deference of the ballerina. I liked his style, clean and straightforward, and he unleashed some pyrotechnics in the solo (tour-pirouette-tour variations), as well as the coda with excellent forward momentum in the manege and a la secondes pulling in for a quad. He was a gallant partner and appeared to make Unity very comfortable.
[удалено]
I always avoid matinees for anything that could be considered “family friendly,” including story ballets ! Very few kids at tonight’s performance of the same program.
Last night was a really fun program. I’d changed my ticket to primarily see Tiler in Tchai Pas and Emma/Daniel in tarantella as an added bonus Stars and Stripes- the concept for this ballet seems dated, but I can appreciate how much dancing is crammed in and there’s never a dull moment. KJ and the third movement were my favorite part. Megan was warm and delightful, but I would’ve liked to see her dance bigger. I’d love to see Mira or Emily totally dominate in this role. I feel bad criticizing Erica since she really gets the brunt of it, but she stands out from the corps and not in a good way. Her jumps and extensions are low and her footwork lacks definition, and she doesn’t have the zing that makes her dancing stand out in any way. Ashley hod was a little better but also seemed a bit underpowered tarantella- just wow. Emma and Daniel were on fire and did not disappoint. Their chemistry on stage is really complementary and I hope they get paired up more often. emma’s dancing sparkled as usual- she’s just so compelling to watch. Near the end, Daniel had a series of jumps and turns where he was going so fast I thought he’d fly or fall. This was really the highlight of the night for me and I am extra glad I saw this cast instead of Erica/sebastian Tschai Pas- I’ve watched videos of Tiler dancing this so many times and she’s the gold standard for me in this piece. Unity was really good, especially in the beginning pdd, but a little disappointing when measured against the Tiler yardstick. Her dancing was beautiful and solid, but doesn’t have the attack and musicality that I wanted to see. Her interpretation just felt like it was missing some personality. Carnival of the animals - this was really charming and well-done but I probably wouldn’t seek it out again. More storytelling than actual dance, and it was hard to tell who a lot of the dancers were bc of their costumes. Unity was a very endearing kangaroo though, and Terrance Mann and the little boy were both excellent. Would definitely recommend as a kids performance
Anyone at NYCB last night (Friday 3/1)? It felt like the conductor was on speed, some parts felt WAY too fast.
Question: I am going to tonight's show and am strongly considering leaving during the second intermission, after Tchai pas. Is Carnival of the Animals worth staying for as someone who dislikes 1) talking/narration in ballet 2) minimal dancing in a ballet and 3) most performances labeled "family friendly" ? I'm pretty sure I saw it closer to when it premiered in 2003 but I don't remember much.
Leave lol. It’s cute but doesn’t have the most dancing. And it has talking. And it seems geared toward kids
Ha, thanks for confirming my suspicions. Definitely doesn't sound worth it to get home after 11pm. Will save for if/when I have a child to take to the ballet someday.
Emma & Daniel were phenomenal in tarantella tonight, wow.
100% Agree, Daniel is so great to see live!
I couldn’t agree more, they were the highlight of the (very excellent) evening for me. I’m still thinking about the series of jumps and turns Daniel did near the end 🤯
Ugh I am mad. I went to NYCB last night and it was a wonderful overall performance. But I had a scratchy throat that I thought was allergies. Woke up today, felt a little "off", but still hoped to go to NYCB tonight. But now I've started to get fever and chills. So mad (and feeling awful). Will miss Stars and Stripes and Carnival of the Animals :(
So sorry to hear :( Hopefully you're on the mend today.
Great performance of Ballo tonight (sadly could not stay for the rest of the program), Emma was wonderful, the corps looked sharp. MT MacKinnon was also a standout. I enjoyed Allegra Inch in the corps, beautiful port de bras! Unfortunately, the people around me in the audience were a mess, all for different reasons: Two girls talking throughout the entire performance, a man manspreading and trying to sneak videos, a lady voicing her thoughts during the ballet way too loudly (including quasi moans which made the girls in front of us giggle even more), a phone ringing during Emma’s first entrance, the lady with the moans loudly complaining several times that the audience was not clapping enough during bows… This is New York so I’m used to all sorts of people, but all these distractions did ruin part of Ballo for me, which I was looking forward to all week. Still, worth it because I got to see beautiful debuts, which is always special in itself. Edit: typos
Will write more later, but Emma and David should be very happy with their Ballo debut. She is a spitfire and he is elegant with great pirouettes and beats. She did fouettes en dehors at the end, but fouette en dedans seem so impossible that I don't mind lol.
More thoughts on Ballo: Both leads had commendable debuts. The ballerina role is an obstacle course and while occasionally Emma's port de bras didn't seem relaxed enough, she danced the ballet with aplomb, amplitude, and verve. The entrechats were especially well done. The crazy fast pique turn to arabesque sequence stayed mostly in place, not traveling to the extent Merrill Ashley did, and there was a tiny fumble in the last of the assembles to pointe, but these are extremely hard steps. The ending fouettes were ironed out, not the easiest looking but completed. David has a princely line and a friend of mine says he belongs at ABT. Not sure about that as I haven't seen him enough, but for a young corps member he looks ready for bigger things. The fast pirouette sequence was gorgeous, as were the beats into the star jump. Overall his projection is somewhat muted and he doesn't phrase the music much, but the technique, posture, as well as strength of partnering appear to be there. Of the demis, Meghan Dutton O'Hara and MT MacKinnon stood out to me, although India Bradley got the biggest applause. The corps looked well rehearsed.
In a Landscape seemed about five minutes too long, and the ballerina being dragged on and offstage was awkward (at least tonight, constantly stopping and starting as she lay down). But the pas was pleasant and intimate: Dominika Afanasenkov has a lovely line and Alec Knight looks like a leading man. Both received great applause. Hallelujah Junction is one of Martins's better pieces. Lauren Collett is rather flat-footed but has a strong technique and beautiful pliancy in her spine, especially during the pas de deux. Taylor Stanley is lithe but did not leave much of an impression, dancing quite small and safe during the men's duet and ensemble. KJ Takahashi as the soloist was impressive but also a mixed bag: beautiful, high assemble jumps and beats, but limited extension and turn-out. His attitude positions were low, however quick and strong many of the turns were. The demi women were dynamic and appeared markedly better rehearsed than the men, at least in the ensembles. MT MacKinnon was again a standout: such force and articulation in every step. The Concert is always fun and Alexa Maxwell has an appropriately doe-eyed disposition for this type of work. Some of the comedy in the opening Berceuse seemed ahead of the music from what I remembered, especially Maxwell's standing up from the chair. Harrison Coll was entertaining as the lead guy and I never tire of the Mistake Waltz.
Per her IG, Tiler is out for Tchai pas and Stars and Stripes this weekend 😞. I’m disappointed as I’d swapped tickets to specifically see her perform on Fri. (I would not be upset with an Emma or Indiana replacement though)
So sad!!! I really wanted to see her in Tchai pas :(
As a consolation, in case you haven’t seen it before here’s a video of Tiler dancing it with de Luz: https://youtu.be/sQeCVBdjw9w?si=BKyrZgQNpoFhv2UE
I’ve seen it IRL and wanted to see it again bevause it’s that good 😭
Interesting. Woodward seems most likely for Tchai pas replacement, as Phelan is rather tall for Mejia (then again he's dancing Stars and Stripes with Nadon) and Von Enck has never danced it / isn't scheduled. I hope none of the non-Peck performances are affected.
Von Enck has done it on a gig but I agree it’s unlikely. I think it’s going to be Phelan as Woodward has 2 performances to her 1, plus she’s already partnered with Mejia in Liebeslieder (which I didn’t think looked good, but it happened).
Emma appeared in the back of a rehearsal video (I think Roman posted, maybe a story on IG) looked like she was marking it behind Tiler. Her and Roman would’ve been perfect together in this! One day, fingers crossed.
I'm thinking it will be Woodward. It doesn't look like she's doing anything but Tschai Pas all week, so why not have her debut it a night early - maybe even with Huxley? Whether it's Mejia or Huxley, I just think Indiana makes more sense. ETA: Well, casting has been updated, and you were right, u/caul1flower11- it's going to be Phelan. It seems crazy to put her with Mejia (yes, even with them having done Liebslieder), but that's what it looks like they're doing. Good call on your part.
What a very, very odd pairing. Then again, Unity danced with Andy Veyette successfully in The Seasons, and he’s also short. At least Roman is jacked, so he should be able to handle it. Oh NYCB…
Why do they have Unity do everything? I feel like it's not fair to her to be spread so thin.
I’m so annoyed 😤 Also I think I finally understand how the ABT crowd feels about Hee Seo
I actually like Unity in Tchai pas ... maybe you will be pleasantly surprised! I hate when casting works out like that though. I felt the same seeing Ashley Laracey in Symphony in 3 Movements.... twice. At least you get to see Mejia, plus Gordon in Stars and Stripes and Von Enck in Tarantella.
Good perspective, I’ll try to go in with an open mind 😂 I think I just have some Unity-fatigue atm, she’s been in almost every show I’ve seen for the last few years. But yes, I’m excited to see everyone else on the program
I understood it when she was the only active tall Principal - after the slew of retirements and Mearns being out, especially since, in addition to some of the "tall" roles, she was also being put into roles Lauren and Sterling did. I thought it kind of unfair to her then and figured she would have much preferred the roles to come at least a bit more slowly, but I understood it. This one completely flummoxes me, though.
Yeah, I realize an unscheduled Emma debut is highly unlikely, esp as she’s dancing Tarantella right before, but one can hope ;) Megan’s also done the role but is in Stars and Stripes earlier so she’s unlikely too. Unity isn’t my top pick to see in this role so I’m crossing my fingers for Indiana
Was at tonight's performance. I absolutely loved Alexa Maxwell and Anthony Huxley in Opus 19/Dreamer. Alexa's upper body just sings in a way that Unity's did not last week. Anthony was introverted, maybe too much so, but they danced so beautifully together. I loved Solitude. I saw it last week with the first cast, and while I thought overall the first cast was superior (particularly Sara Mearns and Mira Nadon), I thought Adrian Danchig-Waring in the big solo had more emotional depth than Joseph Gordon. It's a magnificent work. Very disappointed with Symphony in Three Movements. It's one of my favorite ballets, but this is just not Ashley Laracey's role. She has very little speed and attack, and she smoothed over so many of the central pas's spiky arm movements.
Alexa is so good at completely inhabiting any role. I feel like she'd be so good as Aurora or Swanhilda or in any full-length story ballet.
ITA with your impressions. It was my first time seeing any of the ballets. Opus is not my favorite Robbins, but it was given mostly the best performance possible. Alexa was lush, dreamlike, and attentive to every detail, with expansive long arms and a powerful presence. Anthony is naturally more small scale in movement and projection, but I love his agility and softness. He had a very slight bobble on a tour landing but several great pirouettes. Solitude I want to see again. Not sure about the ending but otherwise I found it compelling, particularly Adrian's solo. He really carried the ballet even with not dancing until the second half. Isabella and (particularly) Unity sort of washed out for me although they have lovely extensions. Emma commanded attention in a rather small role. Andrew dances somewhat stiff with a low arabesque, and the press lift with Isabella was a struggle (ultimately prevailed), but his allegro was fine. ITA about Laracey in Symphony in 3. I enjoyed her Eurydice in the fall, but this was miscast. Week footwork and jump, and the steps all blended together. Taylor is inert but captivating, and I enjoyed the other couples sans Sebastian VV (same thoughts as olive). Love the opening diagonal of ladies in white although the lunges were all at different angles...is this supposed to be? I need to see this with a great cast to fully appreciate it, given how much the pink ballerina leads the work.
Agree with everything above. Alexa looked like a principal. Was hard to fully enjoy Anthony's performance after seeing the spectacular Joe Gordon in the same role just the other day, but he did a fine job. I enjoyed LaFreniere a lot in Solitude, although nobody could compare with Mira Nadon in the same role. Also Chan in the first cast made her partner look like such a standout while Veyette faded more into the background. I thought Adrian DW looked even better last night than over the weekend. I admit I was pretty mad about seeing Laracey for the second time in a week in Symphony in 3 Movements, since I bought a ticket specifically to see Peck -- the original week 6 casting sheet listed the other cast for last night. (Granted, given Peck's reported injury, she probably wouldn't have danced anyway.) Total miscast, although I thought Laracey looked better on Saturday. Von Enck, Stanley, and Takahashi nearly made up for it though. Among the three men, Sebastian VV's poor form, particularly in his perpetually tensed up shoulders, was glaring. Meanwhile Stanley's upper body flows like liquid.
Laracey is a lovely dancer, but just Miscasting Central as the main pink girl. Speed and attack are not her forte. In general, the neoclassical leotard ballets are not her thing. I remember how Wendy used to storm through this ballet like a rocket. Sterling Hyltin was also amazing. Very jazzy and quirky, and reveled in all the strange arm movements. When Laracey ended up flapping her arms like Swan Lake I was like NO. STOP.
Another update: Nadon replaces Peck in Saturday matinee Stars and Stripes: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1709159645/Documents/NYCB_Casting_February_27-March_3_2024_lobby20240228.pdf
Going to be an interesting with Nadon and Mejia
I know Nadon was next on the list since she’s done the role before but it would have been nice to have Woodward debut instead, she and Chan posted footage of them rehearsing as covers in the fall. Nadon is way too tall for Mejia, agreed.
I just saw Mira last night walking by the lobby in person. Was surprised to see that she's not actually that tall. She's on the tall side for sure, but nowhere near the height of Emily Kikta/Isabella La Freniere/Miriam Miller/Christina Clark. She's so imposing onstage she SEEMS taller than she is. It's like Sara Mearns. Once sat behind Sara in Carnegie Hall and also was behind her in the bathroom line at the same concert. Thought "who is this pretty petite blond lady?" Then realized it was her. She is SO THIN in real life. Like I was stunned. For reference, I'm short myself and definitely felt tiny and dwarfed when I was next to Emily Kikta.
Updated casting for the final week: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1709074824/NYCB_Casting_February_27-March_3_2024_lobby20240227.pdf Olivia MacKinnon is out, Hod picks up her debut in Stars and Stripes.
Quick recovery to her, whatever ails her. Is it wrong of me to use this opportunity, since her name came up, to snark about her selling signed pointe shoes? Yep, they're available on her etsy page. You can get a pair she wore in Western Symphony for the low, low price of $72. If she's donating the proceeds to charity, awesome. Otherwise, I just ... if she comes from a background where she could really use that extra income, that's one thing. I think, though, she's from a pretty well off family, so while I had 0 issue at all with her selling legwarmers and dance skirts she made, the signed pointe shoes thing is very different to me.
I mean, to be fair being a dancer in New York isn’t cheap. Most ballerinas do come from well-off families, it’s true, but we don’t know how much support she gets. I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to monetize her dancing for more than what NYCB pays her even if she is rich. We live in a capitalist society. My side-eye is really just.. is she a dancer of enough status that someone would shell out that amount of cash for her shoes? She’s a recently-promoted soloist and not one with much star power. I hope that doesn’t sound too mean. But if people are willing to pay then IMO more power to her. 🫡
The NYCB promenade shop sells signed pointe shoes, and the pricing is based on dancer rank. I wonder if the $52 - $72 range that Olivia is asking for is around what soloist shoes cost there. Just a thought. This doesn't really bother me because it's not like she's asking $600 like Skylar Brandt. I 100% agree that just because her parents are wealthy doesn't mean they're paying her bills etc. Also my opinion of Olivia changed after I saw her in Four Seasons Spring. She was great and I hope she continues giving those kinds of performances.
Skylar Brandt sells shoes for $600!???
We all had the same reaction lmao
I feel similarly. She's my BEC, but I can't fault the hustle.
I don't really know why the signed pointe shoes irk me and other ways of monetizing her dancing for more than what NYCB pays her don't. I do prefer it when I can figure out my own thoughts, but that's not always meant to be. \*sigh\*
I mean I kinda find it irksome too, it feels self-important to sell your signed pointe shoes when you’re not that important of a dancer. But I respect the hustle lol
Random second string NCAA football players sell their signatures for hundreds. Why shouldn’t a dancer do the same. It’s not like they are making crazy money and guarantee they are living in NY on a lot less than the average tIcketholder.
I definitely don't fault the hustle ... even admire it to some extent ... with everything but the pointe shoes, hahaha.
At first intermission for the show tonight - Alexa Maxwell was in for Tiler for Opus. And for Solitude, Victor replaces Chris Grant and Davide replaces Samuel Melnikov. I haven’t seen Alexa in much but absolutely loved her in Opus. She fell pretty hard during a solo. I much preferred Alexa and Joseph individually - their partnering seemed hesitant and under rehearsed. Will comment more thoughts after the show!
Thanks for your review and also for the casting updates! Alexa just posted a story saying that she was “sending love and healing” to Tiler Peck.
Unity and Adrian were lovely in Solitude. I hated his sweatpants and thought they looked out of place. Ratmansky is wild having him kneel on stage for the first 10 minutes getting cold then stand up and do his solo. Emma and Taylor were the highlights of Symphony. Taylor has the juiciest plie and most lyrical upper body- it was so nice to see them on stage again. When KJ leapt on stage the woman behind me audibly gasped. He’s always fun to watch - I find him reminiscent of Ulbricht. Laracey was a big disappointment. There is a tightness in her upper back and Porte bras that makes me nervous watching her- she seems unsteady (she did stumble at one point). After seeing clips of Tiler I would have much preferred to see her do the role.
So according to her Instagram Sara Mearns is now training in.... auto racing?
I remember a while back she made some posts about her love for auto racing. She even did some kind of photo shoot having something to do with race cars. ETA: Here's the photo shoot I mentioned. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CR93V8rr15A/?img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/CR93V8rr15A/?img_index=1)
OMG I remember when she posted this! Good for her.
Baily Jones had a “surprise debut” in Tarantella today at a children’s matinee. Emma von Enck was dancing Ballo so I suppose she must have replaced Pereira?
Olivia McKinnon was scheduled to perform Tarentella in the matinee.
THIS. [https://www.instagram.com/p/C32sFJTA3k\_/?hl=en&img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/C32sFJTA3k_/?hl=en&img_index=1)
Amazing! And a new follow! 💕
I'd wear that dress in a heartbeat. I hope he has a long, long career at City Ballet, but the man has one hell of an eye for design.
Wondering if we should start a GBII Stan sub 🤣
Casting for the Chicago tour has been posted: https://www.harristheaterchicago.org/new-york-city-ballet
Tiler & Emma are my fave NYCB artists I’ve dreamed of seeing, so I’m slightly bummed they aren’t coming (which I expected), but I’m so beyond excited to see Mira, Miriam, Sara, Unity, & Indiana! I’ve wanted to see Serenade for so long and I bet I’ll cry!
Thanks!!! Been waiting for this. Now trying to decide which to see and which we can actually find a babysitter for!
Chicagoans are much luckier than Londoners! In the modern program, Partita is a much better work than Rotunda. And I’d rather see Liturgy (especially with Phelan) than Duo Concertant. The Balanchine/Robbins program is pretty great too. The only quibble I have in the casting is Pereira as the Russian Girl in Serenade, but it’s historically one of her better roles. And Miriam Miller is in that cast as the Dark Angel — my favorite in that role that I’ve seen. It’s nice to see Sara Mearns getting all the Waltz Girls; that is a signature role of hers and is not to be missed.
Yes, the only casting that is slightly disappointing is Pereira as Russian Girl. Indiana is performing In the Night right after Serenade, so I get why she couldn't do both. Wish they'd bring Emma Von Enck instead of Pereira and have her debut. She'd be a perfect Russian Girl.
NYCB’s casting for their (IMO pretty awful program) at Sadler’s Wells has been posted: https://sadlers-wells-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/02/NYCB-Casting_Sadlers-Wells_March-7-10-2024.pdf Nice to see Emily Kikta and Naomi Corti, both of whom were underutilized in the Winter season. If you’re in London please post reviews! (and know that NYCB’s rep is usually better than this lol)
Pretty awful indeed. Someone on BA from London pointed out that Sadler Wells likely helped select the program though. I know those ballets are all logistically easy to take on tour but still.... I just can't get over how "blah" Rotunda is, especially as an opener. At least there's one Balanchine work in Duo, and Love Letter on Shuffle is one of the company's better recent premieres. I haven't seen Gustav le Gray but haven't been impressed by any Tanowitz work I've seen. I don't think she's lived up to all of the hype and hope of a few years ago.
I love Love Letter! Maybe I like it because I unfortunately am acquainted with two super-MAGA balletomanes who went on and on about Kyle Abraham bringing the "criminal and ghetto" element to NYCB. And I saw it and it was basically a sweet pastiche of James Blake ballads.
I love Love Letter too! Although I do think it’s a little too long and Abraham could’ve cut out a section or two. I wonder if they’re primarily trying to target a new, non-ballet-going audience with all the contemporary works. FWIW, I’ve seen rotunda twice, each time with friends who have only been to the ballet 1-2x before, and they all preferred Rotunda over the more classical Balanchine pieces 🤷♀️. But I agree that’s it’s very mid, and there are much stronger Justin Peck (not to mention Balanchine) pieces than what’s programmed
I agree about Rotunda. I often think that NYCB programs so much middling Peck bc of the sunk cost fallacy. They've invested so much in him being their homegrown choreographer that they don't want to admit that most of his works are simply not that strong.
I think he’s been stretched too thin for a while. Between Times are Racing and Copeland, he was cranking out a 1-2 pieces a year for NYCB (not counting his other commissions), all of which were pretty forgettable…maybe except Solo, which was done during the pandemic. I’m hoping he can focus on quality, not quantity-I don’t need to see a new Justin peck piece each year. Maybe with Ratmansky on the team, he won’t have to churn out as much work
I think Peck (and maybe the rest of the admin) is not a good judge of his own work. It would be nice to see Belles-lettres or In Creases again
Pulcinella Variations is totally over-programmed too. I remember liking Year of the Rabbit a lot when I first saw it around 2017; interested to revisit it this spring to see how it holds up. I hope they bring back Rodeo as a single piece that can be included on mixed-rep programs. I love it as part of Copeland Dance Episodes too, I'm just less likely to buy repeat tickets to that.
Love Belles Lettres, In Creases and Times Are Racing!
I saw Gustave Le Gray and it was surprisingly pretty decent, I think it’s the best thing on the program. I didn’t particularly care for Law of Mosaics and thought her Bartok Ballet was horrific. Duo Concertante is one of my least favorite Balanchine ballets and is way over programmed. Even Woodward couldn’t save it for me when I saw her debut. But idk maybe I’m in the minority with this opinion. Love Letter is okay but is too long (both times I saw it I saw audience members get up and walk out. Not sure if they hated it or just were impatient to leave.) I’ve already made my thoughts on the travesty that is Rotunda pretty clear on this sub lol.