Ivy Lin Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I'd recommend people give Love Letters a chance on that Sadlers' Wells program. I absolutely adored it. Taylor Stanley is very special in that role. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 (edited) 8 hours ago, annamk said: Thank you for posting this clip, it's utterly heart-rending. Thanks so, Anna. Just to say today's matinee of the same programme - including SOLITUDE - was again teeming people - mostly of the younger variety. So much so that when I got to the theatre at twenty minutes to curtain - we were held outside because the snaking line at the box office was so vast that they wanted to clear some of it before they let more people into the vast State Theater lobby. Understandable. It is a programme with a central piece (i.e., the Ratmansky) that has been universally praised in all quarters (sadly apart from here it seems) and has become, or so was obvious, something of 'an event' - I heard one person saying during the second interval that Mira Nadon is 'now approaching goddess status' - I so agree. The lady lights up any stage she's on. I can't wait for Ratmansky to fashion a ballet expressly for her. I have a feeling it will happen sooner than not. One patron on the American equivalent of BcoF has just commented:- Solitude is a masterpiece. The London audience would love it as well, but I guess renting a full orchestra is cost prohibitive. Too right. Hopefully another organisation akin to Les Etes de la Danse will appear and NYCB will once again be able to appear in Paris with programmes such as this. There are plenty of stages there which could more than fit and the subsidies are still - relatively speaking - generous in that particular locale I'm told. When we came out into the Lincoln Center plaza post show there were more vast queues and large white tents because of the opening of the film 'Dune 2'. I had to stand about for fifteen minutes. Didn't really mind as I saw a lot of people going in most of whom I didn't recognise. Christopher Walken I did .... Oh, and Timothee Chalamet. Lots of screaming and floating cameras. Chalamet - not hugely tall - is worryingly thin with a wild mop of dark curls (at least at the moment) that appear to be heavier than he is. He was wearing sunglasses, a light brown short-cut leather jacket and black leather trousers all of which appeared to struggle to hang on his more than slender frame. Edited February 26 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauxArts Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Thank you Bruce. The feature on Ratmansky was - as AnnaMk wrote - heart-rending. I think it is sad and remiss that the RB are not dancing any Ratmansky and/or have not (apparently) sought to commission a piece from him in recent years. He re-staged Coppelia for La Scala in December so it is not as if he is not working outside the themes of war and loss, BUT I don’t believe these themes would be a disincentive to many - if not most - dance-lovers. Personally, I would relish the chance to see his latest piece for NYCB or any of his other wartime pieces. They will surely prove to be as enduring as Gloria or Dante Sonata, for example. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 32 minutes ago, BeauxArts said: I think it is sad and remiss that the RB are not dancing any Ratmansky and/or have not (apparently) sought to commission a piece from him in recent years. Yes - and tieing in with another thread, I'd like to see him create something on Muntagirov. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 (edited) 5 hours ago, BeauxArts said: Thank you Bruce. The feature on Ratmansky was - as AnnaMk wrote - heart-rending. I think it is sad and remiss that the RB are not dancing any Ratmansky and/or have not (apparently) sought to commission a piece from him in recent years. He re-staged Coppelia for La Scala in December so it is not as if he is not working outside the themes of war and loss, BUT I don’t believe these themes would be a disincentive to many - if not most - dance-lovers. Personally, I would relish the chance to see his latest piece for NYCB or any of his other wartime pieces. They will surely prove to be as enduring as Gloria or Dante Sonata, for example. I think there are very specific reasons why you haven't seen Ratmansky back at the ROH but they are not I think for these pages. Certainly they would not fit the particular focus of the current Royal Director. He has specifically stated at a BA meeting - and, indeed, hats off to him for being true to his word- (that is such an admirable quality) - that his main focus is to concentrate on works created by his core choreographic team. It has for the most part served him well. Just look at the success he has had in building a dedicated audience - and a younger one at that - for McGregor's full-lengths, i.e., Woolf Works and The Dante Project. I can well see - given the current tradition of this house - that if MADDADAM can be somehow fashioned into a like audience triumph that there may well not just be running a MacMillan three year rota (R&J, Manon and Mayerling) but a McGregor one too. That will help with the coffers and might mean they don't have to do endless Swan Lakes, etc. That, of course, could in time be built upon. It is for this reason too that under this Director's very successful leadership - which I'm assuming is supported and will continue for the foreseeable future in the spirit of 'if it ain't broke why fix it' - the Company and, therefore, the audience has not been given access to major balletic works of our time from other climbs that does not - in any way - fall within the strict limits of that remit. Understandable. This is, to large effect, the same at a Company such as NYCB. The ONLY difference is is the dedicated Company focus in terms of creation. The Royal is now of a dedicated contemporary slant whilst NYCB has - as per Balanchine's request - remained dedicated to the balletic idiom. Moreover for the Royal this makes dedicated fiscal sense. The Royal will receive income from their own share of of the rights to the works created in house and not have to worry about the expense of any others - short of historical acquisitions (like Oneign) which had already been negotiated/agreed. (This IS different from NYCB. There the rights - short of stage performances by the NYCB Company - remain ENTIRELY with the choreographer in question. Thus, if a Peck (either Justin or Tiler now) ballet were to be seen in a major balletic venue outside of NYCB, say, in Paris, the negotiations would be directly with the dedicated personage him/herself. That was always the case, say, with Robbins who was so much loved and indeed is still favoured in Paris. If that particular focus is your interest - (i.e., major balletic works outside of this remit) - as it is mine, time I think to get your travelling shoes on - just as a goodly many travel to London hungry to see new McGregor fare located there. (Of course, he does do work elsewhere. He is one of the world's major creators. No question of that. For that we should all be thankful/proud.) The Wheeldon fare - even that at the Royal - can usually be seen elsewhere in decent order and that is for good reason too. Edited February 26 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauxArts Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 As we are not « lifting the veil » - no doubt for valid reasons - anyone wanting to see probably one of the greatest currently working choreographers will just have to travel elsewhere. For me that is probably not NY (unfortunately) - but budget permitting - Europe is attainable to see Ratmansky and Forsythe (happily soon creating for ENB). The absence of Ratmansky and Forsythe is just a resounding gap in this Director’s CV, when historically both have worked productively with the Royal. I fear we have to agree to disagree on McGregor but it seems that is indeed the direction of travel for the company. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 11 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said: Just look at the success he has had in building a dedicated audience - and a younger one at that - for McGregor's full-lengths, i.e., Woolf Works and The Dante Project. Really? Evidence? Tickets were virtually being given away for Dante. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 2 minutes ago, capybara said: Really? Evidence? Tickets were virtually being given away for Dante. Really, @capybara. Then you know much better than I. I ONLY saw the massive audiences (largely in the Amphi as I don't tend as a rule travel much below going as much as I do when I can) and I have attended many of those performances as the Royal do McGregor's work better than anyone else I can think of. (To put this in line with the actual subject area of this strand - I would - if I could - have a NYCB subscription - and I'm sure I'm one of their largest single ticket buyers - in the front row of the Fourth Ring if I could. They are brilliant seats. It's just when I buy my subscription - very early - the Company only sells up to the Second Ring - (for some performances they don't end up opening the Third let alone the Fourth Ring) - so that is where I sit. So different from the old days. That's for sure. Still understandable. No question.) Can I please now in turn ask for your 'evidence' @capybara in stating that the 'tickets were virually being given away for free'. Certainly the ticket fare that I paid for the last runs of Woolf Works and The Dante Project were higher than ones before. That I do know. I will so look forward to your documentation on this score. So helpful of you to follow up on these details. A true public service. Thanks so in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Hello @Bruce Wall A significant amount of discussion relating to the autumn season relates to this subject. Maybe you missed it? However, in view of that, and the fact that it is, as you say, ‘off subject’, I am excusing myself from responding to your request for further details. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 1 minute ago, capybara said: Hello @Bruce Wall A significant amount of discussion relating to the autumn season relates to this subject. Maybe you missed it? However, in view of that, and the fact that it is, as you say, ‘off subject’, I am excusing myself from responding to your request for further details. Oh, I am disappointed @capybara. I was so looking forward to your documented evidence on this score. Still, understand that you are letting it pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 43 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said: I was so looking forward to your documented evidence on this score. IIRC the discussion was based on hearsay rather than documented evidence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 (edited) Never mind whether they were given away or not, but Woolf Works has always sold well, probably due to Ferri's fame (she has been in every one of the three runs, and in the first run she danced every show although the middle act - where her character doesn't appear- had two casts) or Ferri's artistry or both. Ferri also sells out Linbury Theatre very quickly once general booking opens. Conversely Dante Project initially suffered from cancellations due to Covid and by the time it premiered as a full length ballet it became Edward Watson's farewell shows (and we weren't to know this but it would also become Federico Bonelli's first and last time dancing the title role too) so they sold well because of its being so long anticipated, and also because fans wanted to see Warson in his star vehicle and give him a warm send off . The sales for DP have been much more sluggish this time round (I had lots of choices of different seats and dates even a week before each performance, whereas on its premiere run I had to buy early or there really was nothing left). There is a loyal audience for McGregor's works- at Sadler's Wells and in the Linbury. Not enough to sell out more than 2000 seats at every show on the ROH Main Stage- his Untitled 2023 had lots of empty seats every night except for Morera's farewell performance (one could argue that if they had programmed McGregor works for all 3 ballets - depending on what they were- sales could hypothetically have been better.) But the core audiences are still generally looking for Nutcracker/Swan Lake/Romeo & Juliet rather than anything created in the 21st century, although Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland always comes close to challenging those three (as do Manon and La Fille mal gardée). I don't think there is any choreographer who sells out ROH consistently on the basis of his or her name alone. Certainly not with prices being very high in many seating areas nowadays. I was going to be cheeky and say "maybe Sir Peter Wright"- on the basis of his Nutcracker selling out year after year. But we do get empty seats for his Giselle at mid week matinées and the occasional weekday show as well. So perhaps McGregor et al can take heart. [Not sure how the topic got diverted from NYCB to McGregor/ROH!] Edited February 26 by Emeralds 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 (edited) Would love to see more Ratmansky works (whether a new creation or an acquisition) at RB, and a revival of his 24 Preludes. I'd love to see Solitude here in London one day. Ratmansky was a hit with the company when he created 24 Preludes on them. His Valse Triste (although very short, just one pas de deux) was also a great hit at Sadler's Wells - I must admit I saw it three times (by choice)! He's very sought after though. If RB ask and book him now, he might have availability for....2026?? 😀 Edited February 26 by Emeralds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Emeralds said: [Not sure how the topic got diverted from NYCB to McGregor/ROH!] Ratmansky I think. Sure it will now get back on track ... and soon, no doubt, we will have a separate strand for the NYCB small-side outings in London. The Winter season here finishes with the Sunday mat. This stand's time is nigh. It was only in prep for that London outing that I started this one in the first place. Hope this has helped to introduce the Company in that specific regard - although only a VERY small portion - at best less than 1/6 of the Company - will appear at the Wells. Will post State side on NYCB where apt vis a vis the Spring and onwards as it will be most apt, especially as I don't usually comment on the UK fare there on those occasions when I do post. Have to confess I was really shocked/unsettled by the content - and most certainly the tenor - of the one comment on Solitude here and that really has settled things in my own mind. Edited February 26 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 5 hours ago, BeauxArts said: I fear we have to agree to disagree on McGregor but it seems that is indeed the direction of travel for the company. More's the pity. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Getting back to Ratmansky, don't forget that he was supposed to be revising his Chopin preludes ballet for the royal, but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. It probably takes a few years to get him back in the diary! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 (edited) 6 minutes ago, alison said: Getting back to Ratmansky, don't forget that he was supposed to be revising his Chopin preludes ballet for the royal, but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. It probably takes a few years to get him back in the diary! Will be very interested to see this - as Ratmansky himself said - 'IF this happens'. He did, of course, stage and revise the work in Vienna in the interim. Edited February 27 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 4 minutes ago, alison said: Getting back to Ratmansky, don't forget that he was supposed to be revising his Chopin preludes ballet for the royal, but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. It probably takes a few years to get him back in the diary! Yes, those Preludes will probably end up being for 2026 now.....if Mr Ratmansky hasn't forgotten about us. 😉 (He did pop over last last year for United Ukrainian Ballet though!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 26/02/2024 at 18:58, alison said: Getting back to Ratmansky, don't forget that he was supposed to be revising his Chopin preludes ballet for the royal, but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. It probably takes a few years to get him back in the diary! I can’t wait for Ratmansky to get out of the patriotic p.r. mode. His Tchaikovsky Overtures work for Munich is his best “normal - non-war” ballet in two years. Even his Coppelia in Milan presented a fighting angle in the A2 divertissements but was otherwise peaceful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 (edited) I am pleased to report that Solitude was again tonight greeted by cheers from a very appreciative and supportive audience. It was a special treat today to see Ratmansky himself rehearse - and in some instances literally 'dance' with the second cast in this work which has been universally praised - apart it seems from the BcoF correspondent above. I join many others in my earshot and association in wanting to see its return to the NYCB rep as soon as possible. I'm sure that will happen in very close order. Also saw rehearsals for the London's Duo Concertant today - a segment with Megan and Huxley - they have, of course, danced it many times - and the choreography in full with Indiana Woodward and Taylor Stanley. They are so beautifully matched. Anyone seeing that cast will have something to treasure. In this evening's Symphony in Three Movements Emma Von Enck and KJ Takahashi leading that thrilling first movement literally brought - or is that pulled - down the house. An assertive 'WOW' in this instance would be fully deserved. Neither is sadly coming to London - but it was such an illuminating inspiration to know such artistry exists nonetheless. (They are both I see going to Chicago the week following. The casting for that came out today.) It is also wonderful to see the progress of both - but KJ perhaps most especially as he has added a theatrical weight to his stunning balletic lightness (as was seen in London in Tiler's programme at the Wells) which is so entirely fetching One thing in Solitude's second cast that I missed was his particular turn at that solo - brief but oh, so mesmerising. Can't wait to see Emma and the wondrous David Gabriel make their official debuts in Ballo on Friday*. That should be electric. Emma Von Enck in that second Solitude cast was strikingly evocative - taking the original Indiana Woodward role in what many have called another 'masterpiece' from Ratmansky. *Here you can see Emma Von Enck in the 2nd Soloist variation from Ballo which was taken from the one performance that Tiler Peck actually gave in this work - her debut amazingly - The first soloist variation that you see is the wonderful Alston Macgill. Sadly neither lady is coming to London on this brief NYCB trip. Emma also put a video up on just her opening day of the NYCB Winter Season '24 (in which she danced Winter in Robbins' Four Seasons). I thought it most amusing and informative. Here is also Emma's short film on the NYCB Fall '23 All Balanchine season you might enjoy. I love this as there is an overhead shot of State Theater which lets you get an idea just how big the actual stage is. Edited February 28 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauxArts Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 20 hours ago, Jeannette said: I can’t wait for Ratmansky to get out of the patriotic p.r. mode. His Tchaikovsky Overtures work for Munich is his best “normal - non-war” ballet in two years. Even his Coppelia in Milan presented a fighting angle in the A2 divertissements but was otherwise peaceful. I do not wish to cause offence but I suppose if your homeland has been invaded and is fighting for its survival, cities and everything in between have been laid to waste, cultural centres destroyed and looted, women raped, children killed in their schools and the cream of your young men are dying in a war you did not choose, as a creative and emotionally attuned person you may feel compelled to channel your feelings at these events into your work. Maybe Whipped Cream just does not convey how Ratmansky feels at this time. It seems, with respect, extremely superficial and actually disrespectful to expect him to « get out of his patriotic p.r. mode ». 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 Today's rehearsal was of Wheeldon's Carnival of Animals. Such a charming piece - with a lovely narrative written by John Lithgow. I was fortunate to see the piece originally with him in its premiere in 2003. Now the role of the Narrator - in this current short run - is taken by Terrance Mann who is much loved on Broadway for such original Broadway productions like Les Miserables and Beauty and the Beast, etc., and he is married to the notable Charlotte D'Amboise, a much admired Broadway artist herself and choreographer and, of course, daughter to the late Jacques D'Amboise. It is an absolute charming work - so fanciful - using in excess of 50 dancers. The delight is, at least here, that the oh, so varying colours of the whimsy come directly through the choreography - so much more, say, than in Alice - but, then, it doesn't have the large media settings and oh, so elaborate costumes that come with the extreme government support that companies such as the Royal and POB receive. They have never been part of NYCB's tradition. Here the ballet clearly had to pay its way. It is very much the same today at NYCB. I only note this as the rehearsal at at the tail end finished with an added run of the S&S PDD which was meant for Tiler and Roman. Roman did do it - but there was no one in Tiler's space. She did come out and speak with the ballet setter, Kathleen Tracy - (Some may remember her - and her sister, Margaret - as they were still dancing at the time of the festivities televised internationally in 1993, the 10th anniversary of Balanchine's death). Tiler has been nursing an injured foot. Fingers crossed she will be able to dance her performances this weekend and in London and Chicago following. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletcoForum Moderators Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Certain posts on this thread are hidden pending review by the Moderators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 (edited) 22 hours ago, Jeannette said: I can’t wait for Ratmansky to get out of the patriotic p.r. mode. His Tchaikovsky Overtures work for Munich is his best “normal - non-war” ballet in two years. Even his Coppelia in Milan presented a fighting angle in the A2 divertissements but was otherwise peaceful. Jeannette (and Bruce, thank you) since you got me started on Alexei Ratmansky you might enjoy my somewhat lighthearted take at today’s comments. https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/47963-cool/#comment-452020 Edited February 29 by Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewCo Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Solitude has been very widely and intensively praised—and I am very sad not to be able to get to New York to see it. But, as more people weigh in on it, here and there people have expressed caveats about the ballet on message boards other than this one and on one critic’s blog —dancelog.nyc. So, it is not the case, as was posted above, that this site is the only place where anyone has been critical. I debated with myself whether this was worth mentioning since, mostly, Solitude has been rapturously received and it sounds as if it would speak to me powerfully. But I also know what it’s like to be an outlier regarding Ratmansky’s works. Not only have I admired aspects of one of his most widely ridiculed ballets (Tempest) but I have always had reservations about one of his most widely popular ones (Concerto DSCH). Anyway, a serious art work is bound to provoke some differing responses. For myself, I hope one day to see Solitude. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 The ballet last night as ever was enjoyable. I know a lot of people think Opus 19 is a weak Robbins' work - but I have seen such fascinating performances in it. I know the Royal did it once a goodly number of years ago and felt it didn't suit. (I heard that Robbins' himself felt that.) They've not repeated it since as with a goodly number of Balanchine works that they premiered and never repeated. Understandable I now think - especially with the current change of core focus which began with the last Director. Time may prove they were entirely right. I first saw it with Baryshnikov and McBride - the originals - but am haunted by the memory of Wendy and Peter Boal in it - and Robbie Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin. So electric they were. Watching it again last night - with Alexa Maxwell - (so pleased she is getting ALL of these breaks after so long in the corps) - and Huxley I felt the same - much as I did when she replaced Tiler the previous night with the stunning Joe Gordon - another dancer sadly not coming to London for this little run. Huxley really was ON tonight - and built out of the miniature focus that he can sometimes find himself buried in. The precision of his dancing is never in doubt. He was ravishing - literally eating space. I've now come to the conclusion the lead woman in this should have danced Robbins' 'The Cage'. Both Alexa and, of course, Wendy reveled in it. There are some similarities in this role's choreography and Alexa Maxwell stunningly brought them out tonight. No question. Solitude is SUCH A MOVING WORK. It was the last performance in this its original run tonight. I'm sure it will be back next season - I assume Spring or Fall. Don't think this war is going anywhere soon - but it is beyond that marker - it is, I know, - like MacMillan's Requiem - which I so genuinely admire - entirely universal. I sat next to three Japanese ladies tonight and they were in tears and on their feet. You can't buy the kind of responses it has had. That is true for ALL seven of the ballets Ratmansky has built for NYCB - He SO understands the NYCB ethic - I feel HE is BUILT FOR IT. Can't wait for the new NYCB works he will build for the Company over the next five years. Just look at each of the seven ballets he has made for the NYCB - masterworks all - beginning with Russian Seasons - then Concerto DSCH - (both the MacMillan and the Ratmansky to this music are so vivid and both will live in time) - Pictures at an Exhibition - so immediately vital, the thrilling Odesa, Voices - such a uniquely fascinating work - the thrill of Namouna - ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITES - and one I like more every time I see it - and now, of course, Solitude - which can AND WILL I know speak for itself to a world in search of and hungry for balletic significance. Symphony in Three Movements was as ever rapturous. You come out from these major Balanchine pieces entirely cleansed. He sprays you with waters of joy. I SO have come to love Emma Von Enck and - amazingly for me - KJ Takahasi. I never would have thought I'd have typed that if you asked me last year. You forget just how young he is (21). I was so pleased I ran into him on the street last week and was able to congratulate him on his stunning progress. He's quite a different dancer from the one that showed up at Sadler's last summer. That's for sure. A member on the American equivalent of BcoF has concocted a graph showing (i) the different number of times an individual NYCB dancer has danced in the last six weeks of seven performances per week; (ii) how many roles they danced in that time period and (iii) how many debuts each made over those same six weeks. I think it is instructive and speaks for itself when you think of it in comparison with other companies - Certainly this is very helpful when you are trying to balance perspective. https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ubs-DzggnKCrovbCDw3pqIChxma4Ql3/view It is sad that Kikta has danced so few performances. She is such a glorious soloist - That said she IS tall. Glad too she is coming to London. She seems to be dancing there almost as much as she has over the past six weeks. Tiler has been replaced by the ever mesmerising Mira Nadon at the Saturday mat in Stars and Stripes now. She is still down for Tschai PDD on Friday night and S&S on Sunday mat. Let's see if she does do them. If she doesn't there must be I think some question as to whether she will, in fact, do London and Chicago. Certainly it seems that Roman will - and on some performances be doing double duty in Rotunda and Love Letter. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 6 hours ago, DrewCo said: Solitude has been very widely and intensively praised—and I am very sad not to be able to get to New York to see it. But, as more people weigh in on it, here and there people have expressed caveats about the ballet on message boards other than this one and on one critic’s blog —dancelog.nyc. So, it is not the case, as was posted above, that this site is the only place where anyone has been critical. I debated with myself whether this was worth mentioning since, mostly, Solitude has been rapturously received and it sounds as if it would speak to me powerfully. But I also know what it’s like to be an outlier regarding Ratmansky’s works. Not only have I admired aspects of one of his most widely ridiculed ballets (Tempest) but I have always had reservations about one of his most widely popular ones (Concerto DSCH). Anyway, a serious art work is bound to provoke some differing responses. For myself, I hope one day to see Solitude. @DrewCo thanks for yours. Yes, certainly there have been some quibbles. I note on the American board today one suggesting that the ballet would be stronger 'without the child'. I SO disagree. It would rob much of the point - especially in the ballet which itself is dedicated to 'children of war. Also how wonderful to have two child performances so key one next to another - yet, oh, so different - with Solitude and Carnival of Animals. Such a rich tapestry. On the whole - as you suggest - Ratmansky's Soltude has been 'widely' praised in its initial run. Since you - as per this board at least - will be referencing specifically me for those items which here are currently forward facing I will respond simply by saying it was not the personal response that the correspondent generated to that work which I struggled with but the exact verbiage (i.e., its manner) that I literally found hard to stomach. I have shared this with others in New York - just to see if I was being unreasonable - and they have had the same response .... Just saying. I completely understand that you may feel differently and that is entirely your prerogative. It's what certainly has made the BcoF valuable for many. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Get well soon Tiler Peck! I remember Kathleen Tracey and Margaret Tracey - and their lovely dancing! - when I saw them in the 1990s. I think some will love Solitude and some won't....but audiences in NYC have a choice of other mixed bills to pick if they prefer not to see it (we only get one!)...I feel it's good to hear/read both views. (Or to scroll by if one doesn't want to 😉 ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 (edited) Sadly Tiler has announced that she will not do any of her performances this weekend. Unity Phelan will replace her in the Tschai PDD and, as mentioned, Mira Nadon in Stars & Stripes. If she does not come to London I would assume the second cast (in which she was not scheduled to appear) would go forward with the lovely Alexa Maxwell doing all Tiler's performances (in the role Tiler created in Love Letter) as well has her own. Roman I'm sure will be there. Here's Roman rehearsing Tschai PDD earlier in the week. Tonight was all about the future. Emma Von Enck and David Gabriel made their debuts in Ballo and they were entirely stellar. From the audience's response it was as if it was a coronation. Just SO much to look forward to from a balletic standpoint. This Company is so rich in its ranks. (Sadly neither of these dancers are coming to London but then there really wouldn't be anything that would suit their gifts in the rep being presented there - short, perhaps of Duo - and that will be taken by more senior dancers in London understandably). But a couple of hours earlier Emma again rehearsed Tarantella with Danny (who is thankfully coming and you won't have another chance to see him I'm sure). Again, they were both electric. In the Stars rehearsal we had Ashley Hod making her debut leading the Tall Girls' Division, KJ leading the men - spectacularly it must be said - and the brilliant Joe Gordon - in his debut also surprisingly - stunningly partnering the totally delightful Megan Fairchild in the last movement. Bring on the weekend. Talking all things 'Ballo' - here's a little film released by NYCB on its 75th Anniversary with Merrill Ashley - who Balanchine created Ballo for - and who danced with NYCB for 31 Years. Enjoy. Edited March 1 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 (edited) Further to the above, here's Roman rehearsing Tschai PDD earlier in the week. Edited March 1 by Bruce Wall 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivy Lin Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 A few thoughts: 1) Alexa Maxwell and Anthony Huxley were OUTSTANDING in Opus 19/Dreamer. I often think that there's two ways to dance the female part -- some ballerinas are very earthy (Tiler Peck), others very ethereal (Sterling Hyltin). Alexa Maxwell is definitely more ethereal and remote. Anthony Huxley is such a beautiful technician. 2) Solitude's second cast was maybe not as strong as the first cast. Mira Nadon and Sara Mearns are simply more impactful dancers than Unity Phelan and Isabella LaFreniere. But I thought Adrian Danchig-Waring was just as moving as Joseph Gordon in the big solo. I love Solitude overall. So much to absorb, one viewing is not enough. 3) Super disappointed with Ashley Laracey in Symphony in Three Movements. She has very little speed and attack, and she also didn't really articulate some of the stranger arm and hand positions of the ballet. When she started flapping her arms like Odette I was like STOP. 4) Emma von Enck and David Gabriel were delightful in Ballo. Emma is not quite as fast as Tiler, but she was sparkling and charming. David Gabriel has gorgeous soft landings. 5) Alexa Maxwell was very charming and funny in The Concert, although (to me) nothing will ever match the zany energy Sterling Hyltin brought to the role. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 (edited) Can I do somewhat of an aside for a moment ? I’ve been hoping for this sort of thing at New York City Ballet. What will the future tell ? Marina Harss from DanceTabs: “I was even more surprised by how moved I was by the final piece on the program, Wheeldon’s The Two of Us, for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg….I’ve never seen a more sincere, open-hearted, grounded work from Wheeldon. Or such natural performances from these dancers, particularly Hallberg.” https://dancetabs.com/2020/10/ny-fall-for-dance-2020-digital-program-1-including-premieres-by-jamar-roberts-and-christopher-wheeldon/ Wendy Whelan “Wendy, the associate artistic director of @nycballet, where she was formerly a principal, isn’t sure how performing will fit into her life. But she knows this: “If time works for me, moving is the best thing,” she told the #nytimes dance critic @giadk. “I just want to feel good….” (see video) https://www.instagram.com/p/B393C_MHhhB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=invalid&ig_rid=93b4cae3-0cd5-4f89-be40-956854b151da Christopher Wheeldon-Wendy Whelan — “After The Rain” See 14:10 Edited March 1 by Buddy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 (edited) I have come to feel that NYCB - in Jonathan and Wendy's able hands - is capable of all kinds of magical possibilities. The future can look bright they - and certainly I - think. Assuredly they have seen that all the necessary parts are there. Time - AS EVER - will tell. It always does. Edited March 1 by Bruce Wall 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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