NYCB continues to build steam through its winter season with good programing, excellent casting, and wonderful debuts of its talented dancers. The only thing missing is the audience – much of which has disappeared due to the business management's pricing schemes aimed at its most faithful core audience. Only a delusional management would think that its schemes have served their purpose. Clearly attendance is way off when on a Saturday matinee you have 500++ empty seats in the 4th ring. "It's not the economy, Stupid."
A large part of the appeal of yesterday's program was the casting of three important debuts. In Concerto Barocco, Rebecca Krohn performed the role associated with the 2nd violin in the Bach score. Haglund is pretty sure that this was her debut before a regular audience. You tend to think that Rebecca is absorbed in her own world while dancing until she suddenly looks up directly at you, brings you into her world, melts your heart, and then slips back into the music like a sea nymph slipping beneath a wave. Watching her long limbs in a series of moving lunges that traversed the stage and split down two rows of corps dancers, one was reminded of the quiet, but fiery elegance of dancers of a bygone era. Haglund prefers this interpretation to a Baroccozilla who pummels the choreography into submission.
Abi Stafford and Ask La Cour who completed the cast were a delight to see dancing together. While there were physical contrasts, their similar demeanors and sense of calm joy about dancing this ballet were refreshing. Rebecca fit right in with them to make yet another great cast for this classic work. It's a sign of deep strength when a company can field so many different teams of dancers who possess such different qualities in a historical ballet and make it work well. The corps women were tidy but spirited yesterday, and it was a pleasant surprise to see Lauren King among the ladies when she was not scheduled to be there.
Sterling Hyltin debuted in Tarantella, dancing with Adam Hendrickson, and brought a fresh, young, flirty interpretation to her role but came up a little short in the dazzle department - as did Adam. It's probably unfair to compare them to Bouder, Peck, De Luz, and Ulbricht, because they are such different dancers with different qualities, but Tarantella demands pizzazz which was a little lacking - although from a technical standpoint Sterling was outstanding in many areas including those most recognized plies in second position on pointe. Yesterday, both dancers could have used more elevation and more speed.
It's time to stop complaining about The Seven Deadly Sins. If this program had been billed as "Lincoln Center Festival presents Patti LuPone in The Seven Deadly Sins with the New York City Ballet" at the Beaumont Theater instead of "The New York City Ballet presents The Seven Deadly Sins with Patti LuPone" at the Koch Theater, it would have seen substantial success. It's not a ballet. It's a musical theater piece with basic musical theater dancing and singing. You know, Folks, they serve spaghetti at Le Cirque. It doesn't really belong on the menu, but it doesn't hurt to have it for people who want to try it.
Haglund thought the whole piece looked and sounded improved over last year. Patti LuPone's voice was slightly less amplified, but still too much so. This theater accommodated opera voices for a long time; Ms. LuPone should be able to make it work without all the amplification. The voices of the Family, Raymond Jarmillo, Eric Michael Gillett, Kevin Early, and Matthew Plenk were less amplified and more than enjoyable. Mr. Plenk's solo while sitting at the front corner of the stage was nothing short of sensational. According to his website, he will be singing the role of Jenik in The Makropulos Case at the Met Opera later in the spring. Haglund just bought his ticket.
The dancing was not what the NYCB audience is accustomed to seeing, and clearly expectations were not met for many, but it was what it was - musical theater. The choreography was not ever supposed to be the main attraction but Wendy Whelan made it look good AND serve the context of the whole piece. Would it have been nicer to see a new ballet instead? Sure. The problem is that there aren't many good ballet choreographers around these days and not many trying to learn the art of making new ballets either. So now and then we get the spaghetti. But yesterday it was followed with the most delicious, exquisite wine.
Vienna Waltzes was magnificent. It was transporting. It was magical. Teresa Reichlen and Jared Angle were phenomenal. Such beautiful perfume. Janie Taylor was brilliant in her debut with Antonio Carmena in the Fruhlingsstimmen section. This was such a good pairing, and their joy of dancing together seemed so genuine. Ana Sophia Scheller and Sean Suozzi playfully sparked up the Polka. Rebecca Krohn and Ask la Cour played out a full story of desire and intrigue in their Gold und Silber Walzer. Maria Kowroski and Sebastien Marcovici led the Der Rosenkavalier with dream-like elegance.
The casting for the final week of the winter season reveals lots to look forward to including a nearly entirely debut* cast for Russian Seasons (Pazcoguin, *Krohn, *A. Stafford, *Lovette, *Hankes, *Anderson, *R. Fairchild, *Prottas, *Stanley, *Tworzyanski, *Danchig-Waring, *Veyette); more debuts in Tchiakovsky Suite No. 3 which will be anchored with Ashley Bouder and Andrew Vyette in Theme and Variations ( ELEGIE: *Reichlen, la Cour; WALTZ: *Krohn, *Marcovici; SCHERZO: *Pereira, Ulbricht; THEME & VARIATIONS: Bouder, Veyette); Sara Mearns will dance her first Allegro Brilliante; and strong casts in Donizetti Variations all week. NYCB is closing its winter season with strong stuff danced by its very own wonderful dancers.
The Pump Bump Award for yesterday's matinee, an Alexander McQueen black orchid lace pump with teardrop heel, is to be shared by Rebecca Krohn, Ask la Cour, and tenor Matthew Plenk:
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