Haglund's Heel

observations 1/12

The choice of Tamara Rojo as San Francisco Ballet's next artistic director makes a lot of artistic sense. Whether it makes cultural and managerial sense remains to be seen. Putting aside the anticipated controversies regarding the Hernandez brothers, the SFB culture may take time to transition from the Icelandic cool of Helgi Tomasson to Rojo.  It is curious that Rojo would choose to take the reins of the second or third largest ballet company in a country where she never expressed much interest in dancing. One can count the minutes until certain ENB dancers decide to return stateside -- not that they would be the reason to run to an SFB performance -- the company is loaded with talent and will be able to survive any major defections.

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We're looking forward to the start of the NYCB season. Let's hope we don't hear any excuses about how certain dancers are trying to work themselves back into shape. If they're not performance ready, they should stay off the stage. Period. There are too many talented dancers who need and deserve opportunities that are being monopolized by the same old, same old. It's past time for some of these dancers who have had a stranglehold on certain roles for a decade to step aside and allow the audience to see new interpretations.

Perhaps the best casting solution would be to use all veteran principals for the new works exclusively – since veterans just love having new works set on them – and leave the Balanchine classics to the up and coming dancers. The Balanchine works are and always have been the "life blood" of the company; they deserve the best blood of the moment, not the tired blood from dancers who consider themselves ballerina blue blood. Even Eli Manning knew when it was time to step aside.

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Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema brings us Jewels on January 23rd. Check for your local cinema here. Thanks to the Russians for bringing us this masterpiece this year. Hopefully, the Mariinsky will be able to get into the U.S. in April for its highly-anticipated run at the Kennedy Center.

Here's the 1/23 casting:

EMERALDS
Two leading couples	Anastasia Denisova Evgenia Obraztsova Ivan Alexeyev Klim Efimov
Pas de Trois	Elizaveta Kruteleva Maria Mishina Denis Zakharov
	Xenia Averina Anastasia Dedikina Mariana Gomes Anastasia Grigorieva Polina Kolyada Olga Ladina Stanislava Postnova Alexandra Rakitina Tatiana Tiliguzova Olga Vdovkina
RUBIES
The leading couple	Elizaveta Kokoreva Dmitry Smilevsky
Soloist	Maria Vinogradova
	Mikhail Kemenov Artur Mkrtchyan Alexei Putintsev Pavel Smirnov
	Polina Afanasieva Bruna Cantanhede Gaglianone Ekaterina Klyavlina Elizaveta Kruteleva Olga Ladina Stanislava Postnova Alexandra Rakitina Lina Shevelyova
DIAMONDS
The leading couple	Svetlana Zakharova Jacopo Tissi
Soloists	Antonina Chapkina Anastasia Denisova Arina Denisova Xenia Zhiganshina Mark Chino Klim Efimov Fuad Mamedov Mark Orlov

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ABT has emailed around a video tribute to Stella Abrera who retired gracefully during the pandemic without the benefit of a farewell performance of Giselle. It's always nice to see video clips of Stella, but my goodness, McKenzie sanitized with stinky bleach his mistreatment of this artist to the point where it seemed like he was promoting his own big lie. Let's not forget that this artist was fully recovered and dancing beautifully while McKenzie continued to import guest artists and used his own talented dancers as wallpaper. It was only because Semionova got injured that Stella got her first Giselle at ABT.  The video tried to mix up the timeline and portray that McKenzie awarded her Giselle after her promotion. Pulleeeezze.

We wonder if this video is a warm-up for over-blown others to come.

 

NYCB cancels 1st Winter week & muddles schedule

NYCB has announced that it has cancelled the first week of its Winter Season and withdrawn a number of large-scale ballets (full length Swan Lake, Diamonds).  Yet, they're still proceeding with other large scale works such as DGV.

This is a tremendous disappointment, especially considering today's report in NYT about how well the Met Opera has been able to meet casting dilemmas head-on through the use of understudies and imaginative solutions. That same article points to NYCB's ultra-conservative position that it will shut down performances if as few as three people in the company test positive. NYCB employs more than a thousand people and relies on hundreds of volunteers. A three-person threshold is a bit ridiculous, in our opinion.

Having just enjoyed a second performance of The Music Man which has a cast of over 40 people on stage every night along with a packed orchestra pit, and which doesn't blink an eye at the thought of throwing understudies on stage after their only rehearsal that same day, we have to wonder what NYCB is saving all of its dancers for.

We'll be asking for our money back. Everyone should demand full refunds and go straight to The Music Man. This is the most extraordinary Broadway musical that we've seen in decades. Hugh Jackman is The Master of the Musical -- in total control of the stage and has the audience in the palm of his hand every second. The whole cast is exceptional and happens to include a former NYCB Nutcracker Prince and an ABT-JKO student. The understudies are brilliant. It is such a good time and will make you forget about what you're missing at NYCB.

(Edited to add)

There is presently a January 20th performance on the calendar which is identified as Opening Night and shows a bill of Serenade, After the Rain, and Symphony in C. The site won't allow ticket purchases, however.

If the website is accurate, this would certainly be a welcomed turn of events -- unless of course someone decided to screw the patrons with dynamic pricing -- but my sense from the past few weeks is that NYCB's IT department is kind of like this:

 

 

observations 12/28

NYCB has cancelled all remaining performances of The Nutcracker.  It's hard to see how the environmental situation could  be much different in three weeks when the Winter Season is supposed to start.  Here's hoping that NYCB has some type of a plan. The cancellation refunds don't seem to be coming as quickly as they should be.

Meanwhile, we highly recommend grabbing a ticket to The Music Man. Hugh Jackman is phenomenal. The understudies are superb. The ushers and COVID safety personnel are in total control of the audience. No food concessions are open which further adds to the safety of the attendees.

Also, Christopher Wheeldon's MJ The Musical is supposed to resume very soon. This is a fantastic show. Go now, because the tickets will be scarce when the show emerges from previews.

Merry Christmas

observations 12/22

NYCB has cancelled all Nutcracker performances through December 27th due to the COVID outbreak at the company. What a shame.

Interesting how the Met Opera is marching on – at least as of this hour. Holiday Presentations of The Magic Flute and Cinderella are still scheduled for this week. The Broadway League put out a statement that said it had no plans for an industry-wide shutdown despite the fact that several shows have had to suspend some performances.

Fingers crossed that Hugh Jackman and The Music Man play on this week so that Haglund doesn't have to ask for a refund of the most expensive theater ticket he has ever purchased in his life.

 

 

observations 12/21

Casting computer Watson Waltz must have blown a tube or melted a circuit. It seems NYCB has had to cancel tonight's performance due to a COVID outbreak. [Edited to add: and tomorrow's performances as well] If they need someone to drive Marie's bed or pull that rope that attaches to the Sugarplum Fairy's balancing floorplate, Haglund will volunteer.

Let's get this show back up on its legs, folks! Wobbly as they might be, let's do it! Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot...

 

 

NYCB Nutcracker 12/17

Chek-hov another fine Nutcracker performance at New York City Ballet where the drama of our time swirls invisibly around us propelled by every clearing of the throat, indeed every breath. The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall have now gone down like dominoes. MJ can't beat it. Moulin Rouge has gone noir. NYCB dances on.

But for how long, we must ask. Answer: Until they finish the last damn step. Make no mistake - this is a race against time.

Last night our Dewdrop Isabella LaFreniere made that clear with a huge performance charged with high energy and a determination to pack the most into every last count. All of those tricky relevé turn combinations were as solid as could be -- if we had more time, we would ask for eight more counts of each. But we're in a race to the finish line.

Ashley Laracey as the Sugarplum Fairy plucked her finely arched pointes like she was playing the celesta. Poised, elegant, always lovely. Russell Janzen as her Cavalier brought his customary, much appreciated nobility to the role. He has the expansive pianist's hands that every ballerina longs for. They are always precisely in the right place at the right time.

As announced at curtain, apprentice David Gabriel stepped in for Roman Mejia in Tea and performed magnificently. Looking forward to seeing more of this young man whose big jumps have butter-soft landings.

Daniel Ulbricht's brilliant Candy Cane got the crowd roaring and no doubt sent those respiratory droplets flying through the face masks.

With no time to waste, Emma Von Enck dished out a triple pirouette in Marzipan. Olivia Boisson and Mary Elizabeth Sell led the gorgeous Flowers.

Behind the scenes the casting computer Watson Waltz whirled away, his circuits sweating, lights blinking through – dare we say – AR tears. Keep dancing, NYCB. Keep dancing.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Fendi stiletto at the edge of danger, is bestowed upon Isabella LaFreniere for her thrilling Dewdrop.

Please mask up and get boosted.

 

NYCB Nutcracker 12/16

Not that NYCB's Nutcracker has ever needed a B12 shot in the arm, but it sure got one last evening when the cast danced like it was their last dance. Sadly, a number of Broadway shows have had to suspend performances this week due to COVID outbreaks, but NYCB is still going strong. The casting computer Watson Waltz may be giving off smoke as it whirls through hundreds of DeepQA what-if scenarios, but so far, it has kept up. Let's keep dancing!

NYCB is already rich with radiant Dewdrops, many of whom are still corps members, e.g., Kikta, LaFreniere, Hod. Last night yet another member of the corps de ballet, Mira Nadon, brought her glistening interpretation to the stage for the first time. She exemplified the artist who patiently grows her balances by soaking up every note of music. Throughout her solo, one could see the music rising through her entire body and extending outward to the end of her limbs. Nadon made so many individual musical choices that it was almost like watching Dewdrop for the first time. Her every step created our new anticipation for her next phrase. In a Nutshell, she is a rare artist.

Our Sugarplum Fairy, Indiana Woodward, who is another musically-gifted dancer, gave a flawless performance filled with charm and unforced precision. It was impossible not to notice the Angels' smiling faces when she danced for them -- clearly the thrill of a lifetime for these kids. SPF's Cavalier, Harrison Ball, brought along some seriously dazzling turns a la second to go with his exceptional partnering.

Megan LeCrone captivated the audience's attention with her quietly alluring Coffee. Sebastian Villarini-Velez soared in the Tea variation. Harrison Coll made perfection look easy as the lead Candy Cane. Our exquisite lead Flowers, Emilie Gerrity and Ashley Hod, were such joy to watch. And we want to mention how much better the Act I sword fighting has been this season. Last night there was real serious clank in the contest between David Riccardo's dangerous Mouse King and Reed Ouimet's brave, committed Nutcracker Prince.

We're going to try to get to a few more Nutcrackers ASAP because one never knows which way the stage curtain may go in the coming weeks. Thanks again to the vigilant ushers for laying down the law with regard to mask wearing.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, an intensely interesting, multicolored Louboutin stiletto which is not on sale at Neiman Marcus, is bestowed upon the lovely Mira Nadon for her stunning debut as Dewdrop.

 

 

observations 12/15

The Met Opera will require booster shots for admittance beginning January 17, 2022.

They will be checking eligibility closely. Anyone who is not yet eligible for a booster will still be admitted. Also, the Met will allow a two-week grace period from the eligibility date for the booster shot before denying entrance into the opera house.

Negative COVID tests will no longer be an acceptable substitute for anyone. No children under five years old will be permitted in the opera house unless and until they are vaccinated.

Thank you to the Met Opera for leading the way.

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The Northwest corner of West 64th Street and Columbus Avenue will be named Jacques d'Amboise Way. City Council approved the change today. No word on whether there will be a ceremony. Maybe NYCB could throw a little something together? That would be nice.

 

 

observations 12/10

Where was everybody today, huh?

Haglund was sure that he would get caught up in an MJ-type crowd when he happily hopped down to the AMC Empire 25 cinema on W. 42nd St to see the very first public screening of the new West Side Story movie. But alas, only a dozen people showed up for the 12:30 p.m. showing of this wonderful new movie.

The movie is good. Most people probably have hearts that are big enough to embrace two different movie versions of West Side Story. The new one has more violence and blood in it to satisfy the evolved appetite of the contemporary audience. This film has much more focus on the immigrant experience than the original film. It invests a lot and sometimes strains to emphasize cultural inequities when in fact everyone in the film is in the same poor economic condition. And as can be the case in Spieberg's movies, the camera often tried too hard to be the star of the scenes.

The young Rachel Zegler gave a remarkably honest portrayal of Maria and had a very lovely singing voice. Ansel Elgort acquitted himself well as Tony; his appeal grew throughout the movie and Haglund was sorry to see him meet his tragic end. Ariana DeBose as Anita also gave a very strong dramatic and dancing performance. Harrison Coll delivered the most spirited dancing of the Jets and looked every inch the inner city troubled gang member.

But the highlights for Haglund were the performances of Rita Moreno as Valentina and David Alvarez as Bernardo. Wow, Alvarez had an especially intense presence on the big screen -- fiercely dramatic with an expressive face that held the viewer's attention. Of course, his dancing was fabulous. Moreno was marvelous in this new supporting role of the empathetic and compassionate Valentina. She drew attention without having to say much and when she did speak, Haglund was hanging on every word.

The choreography surprisingly was less important to the film than in the original possibly because the dance scenes were chopped up into 5-10 second clips of dance. The camera jumped all over the place almost as if it was trying to be one of the dancers. So, one never got the feel of watching a complete performance. Too much of Justin Peck's choreography carried his signature hunched shoulders and poor posture that show up in his work and often showed up in his own dancing when he was a performer with NYCB. No new ground was broken here.

This film may well be worth going back for a second viewing of the work of David Alvarez. He was a major standout in a very watchable cast.