NYC Ballet Fans, part 2

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
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37,543
I didn't see the original Kirkland/Chernov "Sleeping Beauty," but I saw the amended attempt to salvage it, and it was neither this, that, nor the other thing.
 

Jubak

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1,559
I went back & read the Gala review. What can I say, maybe it was Calmels, but Light Rain was sexy enough for me. I didn't mention Lacarra & Dino; when their piece was intro'd about being with the ballet barre, I thought, great, this will be like Marcelo's piece last year, which was pretty dreadful. But their piece was breathtakingly beautiful.

I love Marcelo Gomes, both as a dancer and as a person - he is the sweetest, nicest guy! I just didn't picture him as Onegin at all. I'm glad to hear he carries it well. I'm hoping I can get some tickets this year (I get comps through my connections, on occasion) David's not here much so I imagine that there won't be anything to get (I couldn't land some last year, as the Russians were buying up everything, esp for his & Osipova's Romeo & Juliet) The Sleeping Beauty I saw last year was with Gillian Murphy and she basically saved the show for me. I wanted to see Sarah Lane, since she was back after an injury but didn't want another beauty so saw her instead in Tempest. Alex Hammoudi was supposed to dance Romeo last year but had a bad injury & had to pull out. Another really nice guy!
 

Marge_Simpson

Well-Known Member
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6,371
Went to the YAGP final night Gala but clocking in at almost 4 hrs, from what I heard, I only made it through the first 1/2 which was still 2 1/2 hrs! Daniil danced "Pas de Duke" with Alicia Graf Mack from Ailey and was charming but had no "soul". The piece is so specific that it looked like he needed to clock more performance hours before hitting a NYC stage. She of course, had no problem.

Linda Sims substituted for Alicia,who is recovering from back surgery.
 

Rob

Beach Bum
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15,218
I love Marcelo Gomes, both as a dancer and as a person - he is the sweetest, nicest guy! I just didn't picture him as Onegin at all. I'm glad to hear he carries it well. I'm hoping I can get some tickets this year (I get comps through my connections, on occasion) David's not here much so I imagine that there won't be anything to get (I couldn't land some last year, as the Russians were buying up everything, esp for his & Osipova's Romeo & Juliet) The Sleeping Beauty I saw last year was with Gillian Murphy and she basically saved the show for me. I wanted to see Sarah Lane, since she was back after an injury but didn't want another beauty so saw her instead in Tempest. Alex Hammoudi was supposed to dance Romeo last year but had a bad injury & had to pull out. Another really nice guy!

I don't know any of the current dancers because I am too old, but I went to school with Kevin McKenzie and the 70s/80s generation of dancers so my friends are now in management instead of onstage. I am a Hallberg uber. I saw the Osipova/Hallberg R&J - breathtaking, and Giselle the year before. Caught Semionova/Hallberg in Swan Lake too. I would love to see Semionova do Theme and Variations on 5/20, but I will be here in DC seeing Zakharova/Hallberg in Giselle - two times in the same week! 3 Giselles in a month. Lucky me! He came down here and did Four Temperaments and La Sylphide with Washington Ballet -- he was great in both. His footwork precision lends itself to both Balanchine and Bournonville.
 

emason

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4,652
aaaah, I am seeing Cojocaru in Bayadere on the 24th

Rob,

I am going to that performance also. I sit up in the Dress Circle; maybe we can meet up at some point and introduce ourselves.

Re: Vishneva/Gomes in Onegin: they bring drama and emotion to those roles in a way that no one else seems to. I saw Bolle also as Onegin, can't even remember who was Tatiana, Julie Kent probably. It was tepid, tepid, tepid in comparison. No emotion, no drama.
 

Marge_Simpson

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6,371
Well, different strokes and all that. :lol:
For me, the weirdest ballet ever is "The Lesson"
Closely followed by the Mats Ek "Giselle"
 

Anita18

It depends!
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12,022
I don't know ballet much (and I definitely don't know any of the dancers :lol: ), but I just booked a performance at the NYC Ballet as part of my trip thanks to this thread. :cheer:

Part of it was thinking what sorts of things I could do without Alf for a week. :p
 

Rob

Beach Bum
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15,218
Rob,

I am going to that performance also. I sit up in the Dress Circle; maybe we can meet up at some point and introduce ourselves.

Re: Vishneva/Gomes in Onegin: they bring drama and emotion to those roles in a way that no one else seems to. I saw Bolle also as Onegin, can't even remember who was Tatiana, Julie Kent probably. It was tepid, tepid, tepid in comparison. No emotion, no drama.

I'd love to -- I am in the Dress Circle too. My friend has our tickets -- I will PM you the seat numbers.
 
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Anita18

It depends!
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12,022
Anita18, what ballet(s) will you be seeing?
TRADITION AND INNOVATION
A Place for Us
Todo Buenos Aires
Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"

I figured, might as well get a variety of stuff. :)

But I really liked the Troll ballet!
Anita18, I'm seeing NYCB on May 23 and 31, if you want to meet up beforehand.
I'll be in NYC the week of May 11. :( I'm seeing the performance on May 16.
 

Marge_Simpson

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6,371
Anita, I'm not doing any ballet on the 16th, but I'll be downtown. If you want to meet up beforehand for drinks/dinner/chitchat, let me know.
Heads-up if you'll still be around on the 17th: There have been casting changes at ABT due to injuries, and Marcelo Gomes is now scheduled to dance Basilio in Don Quixote at the evening performance on Saturday. He rarely does this role, so I'm going to pick up a ticket.
 

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
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37,543
Current casting is:

A PLACE FOR US : T. Peck, R. Fairchild [Solo Pianist: McDill; Solo Clarinetist: Hartman]
http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/p/a-place-for-us.aspx (short video clips)

Critic Deborah Jowitt wrote:
Wheeldon attached a note to his world premiere, A Place for Us. It reads: “For Jerome Robbins. A thank you,” and the title is drawn from West Side Story, the musical that made Robbins famous around the world. This duet for Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild has the quietness that Robbins prized in ballets of this kind. No visible effort, he believed, should mar a behavior as close to natural as ballet choreography (and ballet dancers) could come.

Peck and Fairchild—marvelous dancers and expressive performers— are perfectly cast.

Peck is one of two NYCB "it" girls, and she's been cast for your performance. (Casting in ballet, especially during the Spring season, is subject to many changes.)

pause
TODO BUENOS AIRES: De Luz, Laracey, Kowroski, Ramasar, J. Angle, Danchig-Waring, *Finlay
http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/t/todo-buenos-aires.aspx

I'm assuming this is typical pretentious Martins shite, but the dancers and the music should be terrific.

Intermission

ROBERT SCHUMANN’S “DAVIDSBÜNDLERTÄNZE:” Mearns, Kowroski, Hyltin, A. Stafford, la Cour, J. Angle, Finlay, R. Fairchild
[Solo Pianist: Grant]
*role debut

This is one of Balanchine's two great late masterworks. It's got an ill-advised interlude in which a gaggle of dark-robed men with giant pens approaches the mad Schumann as he lurches backwards and you hope he doesn't fall into the orchestra pit -- if you feel the urge to giggle, you won't be alone -- but the rest is sublime. The set-up is that two couples represent Clara and Robert Schumann, the woman in white being the wife and the woman in blue being the muse, and two other couples being yin and yang WRT relationships. The piano is onstage IIRC and it's set to a gorgeous piece by Schumann. When he first choreographed it, Balanchine cast his great personal friend and confidant Karin von Aroldingen in the wife role, which is more emotionally resonant, and Suzanne Farrell in the muse role, with Jacques d'Amboise as the romantic Schumann; GB used JD in the beginning of his obsession with Farrell as a surrogate for himself when he did :drama: ballets for Farrell.

From the order of the dancers, you'll see Sara Mearns in the wife/white/von Aroldingen role, and I envy you greatly. She's the other NYCB "it" girl, and this is a part that could have been made for her. Maria Kowrowski is one of the long-time Principals, and I think she'd be terrific in this. She's at the same point in her career as Farrell was when the ballet was choreographed. I haven't seen much NYCB in the last decade, but when I have, Sterling Hyltin has made me a fan. I think she's doing the Heather Watts role, the :drama: one.

There are many recordings of the music on YouTube. Cameron Grant will play it a little more "squarely" for the dancers. This is a link to Andras Schiff's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2m_eqBQ10k
 

Rob

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15,218
Has anyone seen any Justin Peck works? I saw a Year of the Rabbit last month at Kennedy Center, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was clever and fresh. I'd like to see more.

I also saw Naumouna, A Grand Divertissement. I am not a Ratmansky fan at all. It had some kooky moments, but it was too long so I got really tired of it.

Also on the program with Soiree Musicale -- a pretty Wheeldon with a silly streak. It was nice, but the Peck stole the night for me.
 

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
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Peck and Liam Scarlett are the two new choreographic "it" boys, both considered to be very talented. (I've only see one of Scarlett's ballets.) From everything I've read and seen, they both make neoclassical ballet, not the watered-down contemporary faux-Kylian stuff that's becoming ubiquitous.
 

Rob

Beach Bum
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15,218
Peck and Liam Scarlett are the two new choreographic "it" boys, both considered to be very talented. (I've only see one of Scarlett's ballets.) From everything I've read and seen, they both make neoclassical ballet, not the watered-down contemporary faux-Kylian stuff that's becoming ubiquitous.

I haven't seen Scarlett, but I agree with this statement with respect to Peck. It didn't look the same as everything else.
 

danceronice

Corgi Wrangler
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6,947
My brother is either just bored or rubbing it in...he decided to go see the 5/15 Davidsbunldertanze and Union Jack and sent me the confirmation e-mail. Sure, rub it in...the one reason I'd like to live closer to New York.
 

Marge_Simpson

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I've seen Union Jack more times than I can count and I always end up getting annoyed by it.
The first part, with the tattoos, is cool (I'm part Irish so I may have bagpipes in my blood) but then it just seems to go on....and on...and on. And I wonder why Balanchine had the idea to do a salute to Great Britain to celebrate OUR bicentennial, which celebrated us getting rid of the wily Brits.
Sometimes there is some comic relief when they use a live donkey on stage during the "costermonger" section though. The second-to-last time I saw this, the donkey wouldn't leave the stage, and someone had to come from backstage and poke it in the backside to get it off. I guess that's why, when I saw it this winter, there was a cart but no donkey. :lol:
 

Rob

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15,218
I get annoyed by it too. I also get annoyed by Stars and Stripes. The sis boom bah ballets.
 

emason

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Haterz. Union Jack is my favorite Balanchine ballet bar none, but I do recognize it as being from his Broadway showman side and not his serious classical side. I'm seeing it next week and can't wait. Last time I saw it the donkey missed his cue and bolted from the stage early, leaving Nilas Martins and others to improvise since the cart was long gone.

Rob: re: Peck and his choreography, I saw Year of the Rabbit last week as part of a 21st Century choreographers night (I think that's what it was called) and it was definitely the best thing on the program. Don't think I've seen anything else of his though.
 

danceronice

Corgi Wrangler
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I would be very hesitant to work with a donkey. They can be very sweet but they have minds of their own, way more than horses....

I like Union Jack, despite having only seen it on line. I actually like it better than Stars and Stripes (and why Union Jack I think makes more sense if you think about how Tricouleur was supposed to finish a 'trilogy.') I like that Balanchine was NOT locked into the "I Are SRS Choreographer This iz SRS BZNZ NO MATTER WHAT" mode some people are (naming no names but as a hint I just watched "Center Stage" and I think it hurts the ending of the movie a lot that Jonathan's "stuffy" ballet whips Cooper's "innovative" ballet's butt from one end of the State Theater to the other because you can't do something like Cooper's ballet and take it seriously but clearly the real choreographer did....) And I would love to see Davidsbundlertanz. I mean, seriously, my brother doesn't even think to invite me even though he'd know I couldn't possibly go? (Probably....it's not THAT far Chicago-New York....they have weekday performances...)
 

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
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37,543
I <3 Union Jack and am always grateful that at least the last part got on the Balanchine Centennial program, where it was recorded and issued to DVD.
 

Marge_Simpson

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6,371
I was over at the Koch Theatre website earlier, buying Ailey tickets (the company will be there in June, and if you've never seen them, by all means do. "Revelations" is a must-see)
I had a wonderful surprise: National Ballet of Canada will be here in September, with Chris Wheeldon's
"Alice".
I went to see this in DC last year because I'd bought the DVD (the RB, not NBC) and adored it, and NBC wasn't touring here last year. If you've only seen the DVD- which is fantastic as is -the ballet has been changed since then, a new act added, and is even better than the original.
I bought a ticket for Friday the 12th - who will join me? I'm thinking I must have dinner at Alice's Tea Cup beforehand. :)
 

mackiecat

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1,774
I was over at the Koch Theatre website earlier, buying Ailey tickets (the company will be there in June, and if you've never seen them, by all means do. "Revelations" is a must-see)
I had a wonderful surprise: National Ballet of Canada will be here in September, with Chris Wheeldon's
"Alice".
I went to see this in DC last year because I'd bought the DVD (the RB, not NBC) and adored it, and NBC wasn't touring here last year. If you've only seen the DVD- which is fantastic as is -the ballet has been changed since then, a new act added, and is even better than the original.
I bought a ticket for Friday the 12th - who will join me? I'm thinking I must have dinner at Alice's Tea Cup beforehand. :)
I saw NBoC Alice when it was in Toronto. It is an amazing show. I feel that even the staunchest ballet hater would love this show. If they have ballet talk prior, go as it explains some of the inside jokes that are in this ballet
 
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emason

Well-Known Member
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4,652
I was over at the Koch Theatre website earlier, buying Ailey tickets (the company will be there in June, and if you've never seen them, by all means do. "Revelations" is a must-see)
I had a wonderful surprise: National Ballet of Canada will be here in September, with Chris Wheeldon's
"Alice".
I went to see this in DC last year because I'd bought the DVD (the RB, not NBC) and adored it, and NBC wasn't touring here last year. If you've only seen the DVD- which is fantastic as is -the ballet has been changed since then, a new act added, and is even better than the original.
I bought a ticket for Friday the 12th - who will join me? I'm thinking I must have dinner at Alice's Tea Cup beforehand. :)


I'll be at Lincoln Center on Wednesday for ABT and Thursday for NYCB; I'll give picking up a ticket for Alice some serious consideration. What days are you going to Alvin Ailey?
 

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