New York City Ballet at Sadler's Wells Theatre, 7-10 March 2024

[Emeralds]

New York City Ballet's long awaited return to Britain after 16 years is finally here! Their flying visit opens tomorrow with a matinee (some tickets still available at several price ranges from £38 to £75 ; a few returns for tomorrow night and Friday night currently available at the time of typing).

 

There's already some discussion of the programme - consisting of Rotunda by Justin Peck, Duo Concertant by Balanchine, Gustave le Gray no 1 by Pam Tanowitz and Love Letter (On Shuffle) by Kyle Abraham - on the News thread and NYCB Winter Season 2024 thread but for future searches and to avoid confusion with the discussions about New York performances I've started this one here. 

 

Merde to all the dancers, musicians and staff coming and looking forward to meeting the new talents and seeing  familiar faces! Also looking forward to reading members' reactions after watching our visitors from across the Atlantic. 

[Bruce Wall]

Yes - thanks heavens Danny is NOW BACK ... and, in fact, so is Roman back to in Rotunda.  Very strange that alternative cast list - not surprised it disappeared.  So pleased - Rotunda is a different ballet with Danny - and I'm sure Roman too - although he didn't do his performances in NYC - nor not even the rehearsal - which Furlan DID dance.  I guess that DJ is now replacing Davide Riccardo.  Both are fine dancers (the first small; the other a tall Italian - His Phlegmatic in 4Ts was divine.  Hope he is OK - Davide.  He certainly danced last Sunday's final matinee and looked AOK then.  Hope he's just taking a break.

 

So pleased too that they are bringing Sara Adams - another good dancer.  She's only doing Rotunda - but assume she is being brought to cover as well.  Wise move - she's always looked good when she's covered in the past.  

 

 

[Emeralds]

There are currently 2 casts, with the first cast dancing on Thursday matinee & evening and Saturday night, while the second cast dances Friday, Saturday matinee and Sunday matinee. (There are similar numbers of principals in both casts.)

 

I cant get the PDF to post properly but the cast list is here - click on the red lettering saying "see full casting here" above the trailer. 

https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/new-york-city-ballet/#book

[FionaM]

Casting

 

https://sadlers-wells-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/03/NYCB-Casting-Sadlers-Wells-March-7-10-2024.pdf

[PatC]

Cannot wait for this tonight! 

[ChrisG]

Just heading back north after the matinee. What a wonderful company - I love them all!

 

I’ll leave detailed analysis to those more qualified but here’s my initial reaction to the four pieces:

 

Rotunda - my first live Justin Peck work. Beautifully organic in the way the ensemble coalesced and separated into groups of various size, like the murmuration of starlings or minute life viewed under a microscope. I was particularly taken by Miriam Miller and Indiana Woodward in the second and third sections and Megan Fairchild and Gilbert Bolden in the main pas de deux

 

Duo Concertant - Megan Fairchild again, this time with Anthony Huxley. Balanchine at his least showy and all the better for it, playful but restrained, like a couple attending a musical soirée and unable to resist the temptation to dance. Beware the false ending though!

 

Gustave le Gray - had a certain kind of austere charm but didn’t move me. Though the piano pushing sequence provided the most arresting image it was ultimately a bit too silly for its own good.

 

Love Letter (on shuffle) - took a while to get me hooked but ultimately I loved it, including the wacky costumes! I really like the way Kyle Abraham marries contemporary dance and hip hop with the purity of ballet technique. There was a narrative of sorts with the lead male character (Taylor Stanley? - correct me if I’m wrong) looking for love that was beautifully resolved at the end.

 

All in all a wonderful afternoon - let’s hope it’s not another 16 years before they come again!

Edited March 7 by ChrisG

[alison]

Running time approx 2 hours 20 to judge by this afternoon.

[San Perregrino]

The return to London by NYCB has been much anticipated nay trumpeted on this forum. Fantastic reviews of its NY season have reached these shores. My spirits may have been dampened by negative advance comment on the programme to be presented (a medley of short choreographic pieces with no apparent connection) and the absence, due to injury, of one or more of NYCB’s dancers.
However, I have no prior experience of NYCB so I will always put the naysayers aside until I have seen with my own eyes.
And so, I went along this afternoon with an open mind and a willingness to embrace what is on offer this week. Oh dear. For someone who will seek to find the good in everything, in respect of this NYCB ‘showcase’, that is a very difficult ask. 
Duo Concertant stood out for its precision and detailed Balanchine choreography.
Pam Tamowitz’s ‘Gustave le Gray No 1’ appealed because of its creative originality and the elegant colour palette.

Rotunda was formulaic and offered nothing of note but its repeat would have been preferable to Love Letter (on shuffle) which was akin to slow torture as each segment ended in the stage going black fooling us into thinking it was done only to start up again and prolong the misery. 
Two out of four is a 50% success rate so that would mean a ‘Pass’. No distinction or merit to awarded in this instance.
Given NYCB’s reputation for superb dance & ballet, I came away feeling robbed. 
 

[zxDaveM]

I wasn't quite so discombobulated as PeterS, though don't think we got the full on NYCB experience I was hoping for.

I quite liked Rotunda, there were snatches of the music I quite liked, and the dancing/dancers were as quick, elegant and light footed as hoped. The piece just not particularly memorable

Duo Concertant was heaven - this is the sort of thing I'd hoped they would have brought more of, to be frank (yes I know I'm Dave really). Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley were superb.

The Pam Tanowitz piece (Gustave le Gray No1) was rather good too. I find her work very love/hate for me - this is a love. The synchronicity in steps and the eye defying costumes were a delight. The 'gag' with the piano was a hoot!

Not sure why we had the ending as 'Love Letter (on shuffle)' (could have been on soufle as far as I was concerned). In which it is finally proved I really don't like James Blake's music, and the costumes were hideous, but fair play, much of the choreography was 'ok' (the 3rd last duet was rather good in fact). Now had it been a Balanchie to end with...

 

 

[Sim]

Interesting to read such varied opinions already!  I have to wait until Saturday matinee to see for myself.  

[LACAD]

Heading to Sadler’s now. Just wanted to flag that Sara Mearns has shared that she is unwell with stomach issues and won’t be able to perform. According to her instagram story she has her fingers crossed to be on stage on Saturday.

 

Such a shame as I was really looking forward to seeing her onstage!

[art_enthusiast]

Same here! Oh well 

[MJW]

3 minutes ago, Sim said:

Interesting to read such varied opinions already!  I have to wait until Saturday matinee to see for myself.  

 

Ditto!   Not having ever seen  NYCB live or any of these works before, I'm keeping an open mind!

[annamk]

I enjoyed this more than my lowish expectations (because of the programme choices) although the bigger part of the pleasure was in seeing the dancers of NYCB rather than the programme itself. 

 

Rotunda - I muddled this up with another Justin Peck I'd seen and was expecting a sneaker ballet so it was a positive surprise to find it was danced in ballet shoes and more neo classical in style. I didn't much like the music and overall I agree with @zxDaveM above that it was just not particularly memorable but the dancers were wonderful. 

 

I've seen Duo Concertante before and it's not one of my favourite Balanchine works but it was brilliantly danced.

 

I quite enjoyed the Pam Tanowitz, unlike most of her other work I've seen at the RoH recently. It's her usual quirky choreography - the costumes were fabulous. 

 

I can see why Kyle Abraham's Love Letter (on shuffle) was programmed last. If you like James Blake music, funky costumes and lighting it will send you out on a high. It was not entirely contemporary in dance style unlike what I've seen of Abraham at the RoH.  I did enjoy it, maybe because it reminded me so much of Forsythe's Blake Works I.  Perhaps it was just the music, I'm not sure.

 

Very much hope that this sold out run will mean that NYCB come back very soon for a longer stay and with more programming variety. I'd love to see some Ratmansky, Robbins and more Balanchine. 

 

 

 

 

[alison]

I'm with annamk on this: I enjoyed the middle section very much, less so the "bread" of the sandwich - although it was of course marvellous to see NYCB's excellent dancers, and particularly to see Duo Concertant danced so well by them, as I'd previously only seen ABT and RB dancers in it.  I just wish the lighting had allowed me to identify the dancers more easily!

[LACAD]

I wasn’t left underwhelmed by this evening’s performance, but I wasn’t really wowed either — which is unfortunate considering NYCB is such a known company and has some spectacular dancers.

 

And ultimately it is the dancers who sell it; Quinn Starner is a phenomenal presence, Anthony Huxley is delightfully fleet footed, Megan Fairchild (though a little frigid in Peck’s piece) is thoroughly delightful in Duo Concertant. Taylor Stanley practically carried the last ballet, and they have the chops to do so!

 

When it comes to what was on offer I’ll try and be brief:

 

Rotunda is not Peck’s most interesting work. It’s got some clear references to the likes of Agon in its use of rehearsal clothes, and Peck does have a unique voice while being the veritable love child of Balanchine and Robbins. However it’s overall quite twee, and a little like its score — fairly derivative. I would by no way mean the this to discourage people from Peck, he has some great pieces out there.

 

Duo Concertant was performed with lots of verve and joy. Again, not the most interesting work from this choreographer’s repertoire. The qualities I noticed in some of the dancers in Rotunda made a lot of sense in the Balanchine, the technique leads to beautiful interpretation of his ballets, but doesn’t meld entirely naturally in other contexts. 
 

Gustave le Grey no. 1 was one of the strongest pieces. Full of Cunningham quirk and interesting staging, there’s something enigmatic yet warm about it. The cast were phenomenal and had to handle some pretty complicated counts against the music. All this being said — bin those costumes… please.

 

Love Letter (on shuffle) also needs a serious reassessment of its costumes (the lighting is also quite tacky). This one has got some superlative dancing and is full of moments to shine for dancers across the ranks of the company. It truly shows NYCB at their best; musical, dynamic, inventive. However the piece is bookended by flimsy opening and closing sections. And again (starting to feel like a broken record now), it’s not Abraham’s best work. 
 

Overall, while it was a pleasure to get to see some of America’s finest ballet dancers. The works were mostly sub-par. I understand that NYCB wanted to take a risk. To show their new repertoire to the open minded Sadler’s Wells audience. But they managed to present a programme that largely plays it safe. 
 

Was great to hear people in the audience, who seemed to be mostly drawn by the name of the company and don’t ostensibly know too much about ballet, take to it quite well. That’s always encouraging I hear. But as an avid dance-goer, this was not my most memorable even at Sadler’s Wells.

[LACAD]

I’d also like to mention Naomi Corti, who danced in each act and was radiant throughout. She mentions in the programme that many dancers are ‘thrown on’ in the company and that solid rehearsal time is not a guarantee in a company that performs such a broad repertoire. I feel this shows somewhat.

 

Apologies if I’m coming across as harsh at all! I say this with respect to the dancers. 

[JNC]

The standout was the dancers and the company tonight - so glad this has sold well and hope they’ll return (with a hopefully stronger more Balanchine programme) in a year or two! 
 

Rotunda was fine. Watchable but not wow. It did feel very much like a bit of Balanchine, a bit of Robbins but like a compromise it didn’t deliver either style excellently (I like the description that Peck is the love child of Balanchine and Robbins @LACAD, this is the first Peck I’ve seen but if this is his style it’s a very good description). I was hoping for something stronger as I feel Peck is a choreographer I would like (similar to Forsythe in that I sense he is truer to neoclassical ballet than others out there now). Passable, and at points enjoyable but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this again.

 

I had high hopes for Duo Concertant as I love Balanchine but also knew going in from descriptions it was not perhaps his strongest work and something that would blow me away. This was correct. If anything this was the biggest disappointment of the evening for me - mainly because it is Balanchine and I expected more (whereas with the others I didn’t know what to expect/expected less). It felt such a shame not to do something like Tarantella (if they wanted a shorter duet) or obviously something more “wow”/special that we haven’t seen in London for years like Seranade, Ballo della Regina (works I haven’t seen but from clips and descriptions I know I’d love more than this). 
 

Gustave le Gray No. 1 for me was the best piece of the evening. I love Pam Tanowitz (I know she gets mixed thoughts on here but I find her super creative). I found Secret Things fell flat but Everyone Keeps Me I find intriguing and I actually really loved Dispatch Duet. The costumes despite being a bit billowy worked really well with the movements and actually added to the choreography, and it all felt actually quite innovative (I like Tanowitz as she always seems to try to do something different). I felt the piano being moved was a bit of an unnecessary distraction but this was the one work that held my attention throughout.

 

as for Abraham’s work I had low expectations as I found the Weathering incredibly boring (the only work of his I’ve seen). This was better than that but to be honest it started to drag a bit and yes the costumes were hideous (I felt I could live with the shape but the ruffles and the pattern were just off). I agree the lights felt a bit tacky. I did enjoy some of the pieces and the dancers excelled here (I thought if only they brought a Balanchine and applied this style!!) and despite not loving it it was interesting in parts and better than the Weathering (I don’t remember that at all) and the recent MacGregor I’ve seen (Untitled). I did wonder whether the music was Blake as it reminded me a lot of Forsythe’s Blake works. I personally prefer more classical music allows the musicality of the dancers and the choreography to tell more of a story/fits together better. This was barely passable to me and I didn’t dislike it but again wouldn’t see it again particularly unless it was part of a programme of things I really wanted to see. 
 

To be fair I felt the different pieces showed a different mix of the current styles/choreographers of NYCB. It was a very enjoyable evening all round and I’m glad I saw the company. I would certainly like to see NYCB again in London with more Balanchine/Robbins, to be honest given I don’t live in London if they brought a similar type of programme I’m not sure I’d bother to see it given I’ve seen this now and it was good but not “wow”. Having said that I’d say it’s miles better than anything contemporary I’ve seen at ROH recently (like the MacGregor last year etc). 
 

Perhaps now we won’t have a Russian company at the ROH in summer for the foreseeable we could get NYCB and maybe ABT guesting there. Similar to Aus ballet they could do a short visit, perhaps a more contemporary programme like this and then a pure Balanchine (and Robbins) one as well.

 

I’d also be interested in seeing Vienna Ballet and maybe Dutch/Danish ballets but that’s a topic for another thread! 

[Bruce Wall]

Agree Naromi Corti IS a LOVELY dancer.  She is a valued member of NYCB's corps certainly and frequently stands out.  As to being 'thrown in' - this is something that these dancers are trained to do and this has LONG been the case/tradition.  There are some very funny stories.  I remember a vivid one Heather Watts tells involving Balanchine - but that's not for these pages.  Thought bringing the ecstatic Mira Nadon to the Wells to only appear (a) not on pointe and (b) in a red bag in Gustave was an act against balletic nature.  She will be - clearly - to the 21st Century what a personage such as Suzanne Farrell was to the 20th.  So cruel to London audiences who deserve to see her at her glorious best.  Would that they could see her in Emeralds (it's a different ballet), in Rubies, in Libeslieder Waltzer - she is music personified there - as Choleric in 4T's, in the thrilling Concerto Borrocco - in so, SO much more.  She is clearly Ratmansky's new muse - well chosen in my estimation.  My fear is that this may be 'it' for London in her regard as it has been for other spectacular NYCB careers.  I pray that it might not be - but I fear that it will. 

 

Thought Megan and Huxley admirable in Duo and the musicians absolutely exquisite.  One thing Rotunda and Duo showed was the silent landings by the men (Love Letter had Blake blaring so would not really be apt).  This is one thing that marks this company out and was mandated by Balanchine.  If dancers overly sounded they were restricted from castings.  Also the quiet landings by the women were notable.  Love the use of demi-point for speed in Duo.  Similarly, in Duo Megan literally strikes her pointe shoe against the stage floor three times to accent the music.  This detail is part of the choreography.  This was clear here.  Elsewhere it is often muddied or left unnoticed in the sense that it doesn't stand out against the general soundscape otherwise.   Looking forward to seeing the lovely Indiana Woodward and Taylor Stanley in Duo.  It will be quite, quite different - but I know it will be happily so - as I saw them rehearse it through with Glenn Kennan.   Very very impressed by both Quinn Starner and Alexa Maxwell (who split Tiler's role) in Love Letter.  Thought too that the stunningly statuesque Emily Kikta and Peter Walker stood out in their adagio.  Was refreshing to see the balletic idiom - such as NYCB enforces - (Gustave would be an exception on many counts) - maintained here.  So different from the Abraham's works in other venues - but all the more to his credit that he has maintained such here.  

 

Surprised there was no announcement re: Sara being replaced by Megan in Rotunda.  This would have been mandated by the unions in New York.  That didn't seem to be the case here.  Hope Megan gets the press credit.  She more than held her own - and Gilbert Bolden partnered her exquisitely.  

Edited March 7 by Bruce Wall

[LACAD]

I certainly noticed how quietly everyone landed @Bruce Wall, I was very impressed! Funnily it was the first thing that really stood out to me while viewing. 

[Bruce Wall]

36 minutes ago, JNC said:

It felt such a shame not to do something like Tarantella (if they wanted a shorter duet) or obviously something more “wow”/special that we haven’t seen in London for years like Seranade, Ballo della Regina (works I haven’t seen but from clips and descriptions I know I’d love more than this). 

 

 

JNC if you'd been in NYC this past weekend you would have seen the glorious Danny Ulbrecht (who you saw featured in Rotunda) in Tarantella with the phenomenal NYCB soloist (and soon to be principal if casting is anything to go by) Emma Von Enck.  They were electric and the audience responded rightfully.  You would have seen just how that work is meant to be performed - much as Paris did with Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz.  (He did appear ONCE in London - thanks to Ivan Putrox - but only after he had retired as a principal first from ABT and then a long career with NYCB)  Danny and Emma this past weekend were oh, so memorable.  Sadly that would not be on this bill as its orchestral requirements would be beyond the limits set by Alistair Spalding.  This programme should I think now be listed not as NYCB per se but simply as Alistair Spalding presents ....  

 

Vis a vis the costumes - Gustave and Love Letter were both NYCB Fashion Gala events.  This is where notable fashion designers go to down and often dirty with NYCB resources/staff.  It leads to some very peculiar and unsuitable results as you have now yourselves witnessed - as requested by the presenter in this instnace.  On those few occasions where it actually works out, NYCB often then engages that fashion artist to design a ballet for the regular rep for them.  A case in point would be Tiler Peck's new ballet - Piano Concerto for Two Pianos - where the EXQUISITE AND ENTIRELY TASTEFUL COSTUMES were by a certain Zack Posen - much acclaimed in on the fashion runways.  They were so beautifully constructed / cut.  The costumes for the corps were all dyed different shades of darkening blue.  The only difference was the female lead - the divine Ms. Nadon in the first cast and Miriam Miller (who you saw in Rotunda with Adrian Danchig-Waring - in one bit I do actually quite like) in the second.  They were both entirely stunning - albeit VERY different - in vivid crimson.  Proof that the Fashion adventure CAN work out - just sadly not all that often.  

Edited March 7 by Bruce Wall

[JNC]

Thanks for the info @Bruce Wall

 

i actually liked the Gustave costumes and thought they worked well (though imagine novelty might have worn off if the piece was longer).

 

The Abraham ones were not to my taste at all! I suppose they didn’t get in the way at least but didn’t add anything either. 
 

Would love to see more Tiler Peck (both dancing and choreographing) in the UK - I saw she is also sitting out this tour due to injury on her instagram. 

[art_enthusiast]

I really liked this performance overall, though as others have said I would prefer to see more Balanchine and Robbins - especially as we have so little of it in the UK and the RB doesn’t seem to do it anymore!

 

I really liked the Justin Peck work - not too flashy but lovely to watch and I found the music beautiful. Could anyone tell me who the dancer is with the white shirt/grey leggings outfit? He was brilliant.

 

Of course the Balanchine was brilliant - though I am dying to see works like Serenade and Symphony in C, this was very much a small taste of his work. Amazing to see Megan Fairchild live. I’m not always a fan of having musicians on the stage though, at certain angles from the side they can block the dancers from view.

 

Worst for me - Pam Tanowitz. I’m quite baffled as to why her works are popular, I find them mediocre even when great dancers are performing them. Moving the piano across the stage - what on earth was that about? I found it absolutely incongruous, very awkward and just unnecessary. Like the choreographer was trying to be quirky for the sake of it, not interesting at all. I also don’t think the dancers looked like they were enjoying the performance that much.

 

Kyle Abraham’s piece - what a contrast to the former. Strong, imaginative choreography, classical with a modern twist. I also liked the costumes and lighting, I think it was a great, impactful closing piece.

 

If they’d replaced the Tanowitz work with another Balanchine or Robbins piece I would have been way more satisfied though!

[JNC]

@art_enthusiast yes if RB don’t announce any Balanchine for their 2024/2025 season I don’t think we’ll see any of his work in the UK until late 2025 at the earliest. Given ENB aren’t doing any of his work next year either. (Unless we have a touring company from elsewhere again like Aus ballet with Jewels last summer.) 
 

And I think the last Robbins was well over a year ago now (?) and whilst I like Dances at a Gathering would like to see other works! 

[Bruce Wall]

49 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Could anyone tell me who the dancer is with the white shirt/grey leggings outfit? He was brilliant.

 

That's Danny Ulbricht.  HE IS BRILLIANT - and he's in his 40's.  I really don't think London will see him again.  I remember my first sight of him - and that was when he was a teenager and pulled from SAB to be featured in Peter Martins' Sleeping Beauty as one of the Four Ivans (one of the original last act divertisements) in the original cast of that particular presentation alongside Darci Kistler and Damian Woetzel.  Once seen never forgotten.  Danny has been thrilling NYCB audiences EVER since.  

Here's Danny in something out of the centre of his dedicated comfort zone but which you may be more familiar with (I would put the link up but fear it may be removed - type Danny Ulbricht and Ashley Bouder - both then of NYCB - in Flames of Paris and you'll find it) and here back on home turf in the 2011 NYCB Balanchine Nutcracker in the Candy Cane section.  Danny's placement - since his days as an SAB student - has always been precision personified.  That's one thing that doesn't alter.  He always delivers everything precisely without over-selling anything.  The choreography always speaks for itself - and that profoundly - in Danny's hands - or is that feet - more like body.  He also teaches at STEPS in NYC if you ever wanted to take a class - and if you ever get a chance to meet him he's a truly lovely man.   Finally here is Danny talking about leading the Male Division in Balanchine's Stars and Stripes - which was the other thing he did last weekend.  When you have a team of these glorious men at the end of that segment all doing four double tours in a row together at one and the same time and ALL landing silently it makes the music - ANY MUSIC QUITE FRANKLY - SIMPLY BLAST THROUGH YOUR HEART.  

 

Late addition - HERE'S DANNY ON TARANTELLA - 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8 by Bruce Wall

[bridiem]

In spite of the programme, I was so excited at the prospect of seeing NYCB again. And my lovely sister bought us front stalls seats as an early birthday present for me, which made it even more exciting. After the performance: I am still so excited at having seen NYCB again, but (sadly) still in spite of rather than because of the programme. With one big, huge, ginormous exception: Duo Concertant. It gripped from the first moment to the last, was thrillingly danced by Fairchild and Huxley, and just filled me with joy (or actually, in the second section, nearly made me cry - the slowly linked hands, the gentle kiss, the courtly obeisance - absolutely heartrending). So clever, so musical, so quick, so quirky. And wonderful music, wonderfully played. Ballet heaven.

 

I didn't really dislike Rotunda, but I just found it a bit pointless (and the costumes were just horrible) though the dancers did their best to give it interest. I think that Gustave le Grey suffered for me by coming immediately after Duo Concertant - I hadn't yet come down from the heights, and there was another piece in front of me with the piano on stage but all in a very different style. I thought the costumes were actually quite beautiful, but the constriction of the feet/legs by having the fabric joined to the ankles really bothered me. The choreography was very stark and quite striking, but when they started moving the piano across the stage I just wanted to laugh. (Maybe that was what was intended? Don't know; they all looked terribly serious.) The dancers' steps had no real individuality so in that sense it didn't really matter who was dancing (which is a big pity - and the dancers were very good). But I wouldn't object to seeing this again (though I do wish they'd leave the blessed piano alone).

 

I would, however, object to seeing Love Letter (on shuffle) again. I see it premièred at a fashion gala, and you can tell (and that's where it should have stayed). Appalling costumes, and the sort of pointless choreography that any dancers in the world could have performed. Why give NYCB dancers this to do??! All those years of training... I also hated the music. And it went on and on and on... The whole thing was a triumph of (apparent) style over (a complete dearth of real) substance. I actually thought it was quite tragic. I found myself thinking: how have we come from Balanchine, to this? How has NYCB come from Balanchine, to this? A profoundly depressing (to me) reflection of current tastes and trends. And of the thinking of NYCB management - why on earth would they think this is something to bring to show the company off to London? Is this really what NYCB is now?!

 

Anyway, in spite of my gripes I AM still thrilled to have seen the company again after so many years. And I hope they come back again very soon, but with a very different rep. I note that it says in the programme that 'A NYCB tour that does not include Balanchine is almost unthinkable.' Well it should be completely unthinkable; and it should not mean only one short, small-scale Balanchine work, no matter how brilliant that work is. That's paying lip service to Mr B, and that is unacceptable.

 

 

[Bruce Wall]

42 minutes ago, bridiem said:

I found myself thinking: how have we come from Balanchine, to this? How has NYCB come from Balanchine, to this? A profoundly depressing (to me) reflection of current tastes and trends. And of the thinking of NYCB management - why on earth would they think this is something to bring to show the company off to London? Is this really what NYCB is now?!

 

Anyway, in spite of my gripes I AM still thrilled to have seen the company again after so many years. And I hope they come back again very soon, but with a very different rep. I note that it says in the programme that 'A NYCB tour that does not include Balanchine is almost unthinkable.' Well it should be completely unthinkable; and it should not mean only one short, small-scale Balanchine work, no matter how brilliant that work is. That's paying lip service to Mr B, and that is unacceptable.

 

 

 

First - I want to add another piece of Danny Ulbricht to this board - but this time in a MUCH BETTER PECK ballet - this is Rodeo ... now the first movement in Copeland Episodes - albeit in different costumes and some adjustments.  I had hoped that Rodeo might be seen at the ROH - as I thought - given the original costumes - that it might interest a lot of young lads much taken with British football.  (That ballet is all men and one woman - while now the second movement of Copeland Episodes to Appalachian Spring is all women and one man - the stellar Chun Wei Chan in the original cast).  (Sadly from what I understand Mr. Peck no longer wishes his work to be seen at that address because of the unfortunate - and seemingly unapproved - showing by the Australian Ballet of one moment from his thrilling work 'Everywhere We Go' being squished onto that stage - clearly inappropriate for that work.  That said, it certainly would not stop some of his Broadway work being seen in the West End.  In one recent interview Mr Peck said he would love to see one of his current projects - Illinoise - now opening at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC - [again in a space sufficient to honour spacial requirements in order for his audience to best appreciate the work's measure] - there.)   Anyway here's Danny on Rodeo 

 

So pleased @bridiem that you were able to enjoy your evening - especially as it was a birthday treat - with NYCB dancers.  I think however - as I've said elsewhere - that you should really direct your comments to Alistair Spalding - who literally put THIS programme together.  Apart from the the fact that it is actioned by the NYCB Company in many other ways their creative input was not instrumental I hear.  His WAS.  This was built for Spalding's dedicated London audience.  it is not a programme per se that ever has - or would be - certainly in this construct - presented in NYC at State Theater.  Spalding's presentational dictates were very firm.  This too is understandable.  After all Spalding's Sadler's Wells (albeit with some certain governmental support - and, indeed, probably more than NYCB could ever dream of) were presentational partners of NYCB's 2008 Coliseum season in which major Balanchine and Robbins works were on the bill.  This fared very badly in terms of its audience numbers and I assume Spalding/Sadler's will have lost their segment of that investment.  Britain today is a very different country - certainly as it is internationally and economically positioned - SO very different - so Spalding may be rightly prudent in his current London construct.  Clearly it has worked as it has sold.  Well done him.  Something tells me that it is highly unlikely NYCB will be following down this particular pathway again.  This was set up pre-pandemic to be part of a three part evening - with Rotunda being commissioned from NYCB as the opener - another work from the POB - equally small in size- for the second act and something different for the third.  Rotunda opened at NYCB in February 2020.  The pandemic seemingly destroyed this active incentive for the others - but as Rotunda had already been physically actioned the commitment had to be honoured and it is Spalding's construct for THAT which we herein see.  I certainly applaud - as sure do we all - NYCB for following through as they dutifully have done.  

 

 

Edited March 8 by Bruce Wall

[Roberta]

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

TARANTELLA

 

 

Your video at the end gave other recommendations, this was one. There are YouTube videos of Villella and Patricia McBride dancing it.  Wonderful. A real pioneer. 

 

 

 

[Bruce Wall]

@Roberta Thank you.  Never saw Villella dance Tarantella - but did - the very first time I saw the work - see the ever glorious Patty McBride and Jacques d'Amboise.  Most memorable.  Sadly only saw Villella once on stage and that was in Robbins' Watermill  - which part of me struggles to call a ballet at all.  I agreed with the NYT when they called it a curiosity.  Still I would have LOVED to have seen him in Tarantella, in Rubies ESPECIALLY, as Oberon in Balanchine's dream and so many others.

 

I had the great good fortune to sit and chat with the 86 year old Mr. Villella on a subway last year in NYC.  Amongst other things he said he was happy to pass on now as he saw Roman Mejia as his definite successor.  That I thought very touching.  You can see Roman - albeit fleetingly on several occasions - in the current Spalding presentational run of 'Love Letter' at the Wells.

 

 

Edited March 8 by Bruce Wall

[Roberta]

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

and if you ever get a chance to meet him he's a truly lovely man.

 

That's how he comes across here.

 

 

 

[JNC]

6 hours ago, bridiem said:

I would, however, object to seeing Love Letter (on shuffle) again. I see it premièred at a fashion gala, and you can tell (and that's where it should have stayed). Appalling costumes, and the sort of pointless choreography that any dancers in the world could have performed. Why give NYCB dancers this to do??! All those years of training... I also hated the music. And it went on and on and on... The whole thing was a triumph of (apparent) style over (a complete dearth of real) substance. I actually thought it was quite tragic. I found myself thinking: how have we come from Balanchine, to this? How has NYCB come from Balanchine, to this? A profoundly depressing (to me) reflection of current tastes and trends. And of the thinking of NYCB management - why on earth would they think this is something to bring to show the company off to London? Is this really what NYCB is now?!

I wholeheartedly agree with this. While I didn’t hate the work, it is certainly not Balanchine level. Balanchine was a genius, innovator, even in the abstract it felt his work had meaning and some sort of story/plot/point. 
 

This was a series of unconnected vignettes, and while the dancers attacked it vigorously the fact there is no real “successor” to Balanchine, and seeing ballet evolve more toward “street” / hip-hop/contemporary dance is a real shame. I wouldn’t mind the odd cross collaboration but if this is what “ballet” is now I agree it’s a glum state of affairs. Ballet can’t and shouldn’t be stuck in the past to be relevant (although personally I might not mind only seeing work pre 1980!) but the fact there aren’t really any exciting/genius pure “ballet” choreographers of our generation like Balanchine, Ashton, MacMillan etc is disheartening. Forsythe maybe comes close (?) but he’s in his Autumn years and I’m not sure he’s on the same level as those names personally. 

[tiltwithlips]

First, a caveat - I slipped out at the second interval, missing Love Letter (on shuffle), due to a combination of a long day in the office and it being by far the piece on the programme that interested me least on paper. If I'd been less tired, I'd definitely have given it a chance - but I don't hugely regret not doing so and getting home earlier! Echoing a lot of the above, I liked Rotunda very much, loved Duo Concertant, and was actually underwhelmed by Gustave le Gray having expected to really like it - I've loved all the Tanowitz I've seen before (the RB bill last February and then Song of Songs at the Barbican in the autumn) and found all of those pieces deeply moving, but this one left me totally cold. Still, that felt like a good enough average for a £10 BDP seat with an exceptional view (first row of the second circle, a little to one side but not restricted at all), and the dancing itself was all wonderful.

[annamk]

7 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

So pleased @bridiem that you were able to enjoy your evening - especially as it was a birthday treat - with NYCB dancers.  I think however - as I've said elsewhere - that you should really direct your comments to Alistair Spalding - who literally put THIS programme together.  Apart from the the fact that it is actioned by the NYCB Company in many other ways their creative input was not instrumental I hear.  His WAS.  This was built for Spalding's dedicated London audience.  it is not a programme per se that ever has - or would be - certainly in this construct - presented in NYC at State Theater.  Spalding's presentational dictates were very firm.  This too is understandable.  After all Spalding's Sadler's Wells (albeit with some certain governmental support - and, indeed, probably more than NYCB could ever dream of) were presentational partners of NYCB's 2008 Coliseum season in which major Balanchine and Robbins works were on the bill.  This fared very badly in terms of its audience numbers and I assume Spalding/Sadler's will have lost their segment of that investment.  Britain today is a very different country - certainly as it is internationally and economically positioned - SO very different - so Spalding may be rightly prudent in his current London construct.  Clearly it has worked as it has sold.  Well done him.  Something tells me that it is highly unlikely NYCB will be following down this particular pathway again.  This was set up pre-pandemic to be part of a three part evening - with Rotunda being commissioned from NYCB as the opener - another work from the POB - equally small in size- for the second act and something different for the third.  Rotunda opened at NYCB in February 2020.  The pandemic seemingly destroyed this active incentive for the others - but as Rotunda had already been physically actioned the commitment had to be honoured and it is Spalding's construct for THAT which we herein see.  I certainly applaud - as sure do we all - NYCB for following through as they dutifully have done.  

 

 

@Bruce Wall I just wanted to clarify, do you mean this NYCB London visit was set up pre pandemic and Rotunda was commissioned by Sadlers Wells, and then was to be followed by Paris Opera Ballet ?